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// 6 Months 
// Story: The Confession 
// by LoLo June 
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The day of the confession
“Hey Rainbow Dash, there’s something I need to tell you…”

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1 month after the confession
It had been one month since that fateful day. The day he had finally confessed how he felt. The day he poured his heart and soul out to her. 
Soarin was currently at Wonderbolts practice, staring at the mare that held his heart. Rainbow Dash was stretching and warming up, like he was supposed to be doing. Instead, he was distracted by her beauty. No mare would ever compare to that cyan pegasus. He liked more than her physical attributes as well. Her loyalty, competitive nature, the way she cared deeply for her friends. All of that contributed to his love for her. 
“Soarin, stop staring at Rainbow and start warming up.” He heard a raspy voice say to him. He turned his head, noticing his captain standing in front of him. She didn’t look to happy, but her eyes looked at him with a worried expression. He hadn’t quite been acting like himself since he had told Rainbow about his feelings for her. He remembered how nervous he had been on that day.
“Hey Rainbow Dash, there’s something I need to tell you.” Soarin started, staring at the rainbow maned mare standing in front of him. He had finally gathered the courage to tell Rainbow how he felt.
“Alright, what do you need to tell me, Soarin?” She said, a smile on her face. She was gratefully unaware of his feelings as he stood in front of her, but that was about to change as Soarin took a deep breath. He could feel his body shaking slightly, his legs feeling like they were going to give out from underneath him. His heart was beating fast, the butterflies filling his stomach. He swallowed nervously as he stared into her eyes.
“Rainbow Dash, I…”
“Soarin, I want to see you in my office tomorrow morning.” Spitfire said before walking off. Soarin let out a sigh as he started to stretch, knowing Spitfire had caught on to his moping and probably was going to pester him about why. He just wanted to get this practice over with so he could go out to the bar with some of the other guys on the team that night.

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2 months after the confession
Two months since that day. The day he told her everything. When he started developing these feelings to how he feels around her. He couldn’t help how he felt, but now he was starting to regret having said anything.
They were backstage, getting ready to perform in an airshow. Rainbow hadn’t said anything to him since the day he told her everything, and he had been miserable because of it. It was like she was avoiding him, and it was hurting him. He couldn’t help but feel dread anytime he got close to her. He felt a twinge of pain in his heart every time he saw her flirt with another stallion. He wanted to curl up in a corner and cry sometimes. He couldn’t help it though. He was in love.
Spitfire had yelled at him numerous times after he had told Rainbow how he felt and after how everything else played out that day. He had been getting distracted more at practice, staring at something he didn’t think he would ever get to have. As a captain, he understood why Spitfire was getting on his case, but when she was being a friend, she was there for him. He remembered when Spitfire sat him down to talk about what was on his mind.
“Soarin, I couldn’t help but notice you’ve been distracted more than normal at practice. Did something happen? You know I’m here for you.” Spitfire said as she sat behind her desk. Soarin stared down at his hooves, his ears flattening against his head. He didn’t want to have to tell anyone about what happened the day his heart was broken.
“Spitfire, it isn’t really anything. I’ve just been a bit stressed, that’s all.” He lied, giving her a fake smile. He hoped she would believe what he said. Spitfire had been a close friend since they were foals, and he told her everything. She was fully aware about how he felt about Rainbow, and had told him on numerous occasions to just ask her out.
“Soarin, you know I’m not going to believe anything you make up, so you should just come clean. What’s wrong? Is it something to do with Rainbow? Don’t think I haven’t caught you looking at her. Not to mention the sad look in your eyes after you’ve looked away.” Spitfire said as she leaned forward, putting her hooves on her desk. “You know if something’s wrong, you can just tell me.”
	Soarin sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to be able to lie his way out of this situation. Spitfire had picked up on his glances at Dash and how he was feeling. He might as well come clean.
“Spitfire, I…”

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3 months after the confession
It had been three months since he had told her how he felt about her. Three agonizing months. 
He was currently laying in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. A bunch of used tissues sat around him as he pulled another from the box. The fur underneath his eyes was stained with the tears he had been shedding for the past few hours. He had taken a break from the Wonderbolts for a bit, to clear his head. It was Spitfire’s idea, saying that he needed to get over Rainbow, maybe date a few mares while he was on break. But could he get over her? His heart dropped as he thought about that. No, no he couldn’t. 
He rolled onto his side, staring at the picture frame next to his bed. It was the picture of him and Dash at the royal wedding a year ago. The night he realized he was in love with her. He was so happy when Dash had accepted his invitation to dance with him, his heart feeling like it was about to burst. He was glad he hadn’t known of the rejection at that time, or else he might not have had such a memorable night or his favorite picture. 
He returned to laying on his back, staring up at the ceiling as a new round of fresh tears made their way down his cheeks. He sniffled, blowing his nose as he cried. He wished he had never done it. He wished he could take it back. But he couldn’t, and the look on Rainbow’s face after would never go away.
“… so that’s how I feel about you Rainbow Dash.” Soarin said softly at the end, staring down at his hooves. He was too scared to look up at Dash’s face. To see her reaction. After a couple minutes of silence, he finally worked up the courage to. What he saw he wished he could instantly forget. She looked almost disgusted. She backed away from him a bit, a look of confusion covering her face next. She opened her wings, hovering in the air.
“Soarin, I don’t like you like that.” She said simply before flying away, leaving a heartbroken Soarin behind.
Soarin squeezed his eyes closed, a soft whimper escaping as he cried, wishing he could just forget about the whole thing. He couldn’t though, and it haunted his every waking moment and dreams.
What Soarin didn’t notice was the rainbow trail that had quickly made it’s depart from beside his bedroom window.

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4 months after the confession
Soarin stared at himself in the mirror, taking in what he had decided to put on for his first date since before he started to developing feelings for Rainbow. He took a deep breath, messing with the collar of his suit jacket. His feelings for Rainbow weren’t gone, but he was hoping maybe going out on a few dates would help him get over her. The mare he had asked was pretty, but not nearly as pretty as Dash in his eyes. 
He quickly shook his head, trying to end that train of thought before ending up a crying mess in his bathroom. Tonight was his date with this mare and he wasn’t going to ruin it by thinking of Dash all night. As he finished fixing his bowtie, there was a knock on his door. His date was here.

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The date had gone horribly. She was stuck up and only accepted because he was a Wonderbolt. He should have known. Of course if a Wonderbolt asks them on a date, they’re going to say yes! How stupid could he be? 
He sighed as he flopped down on his bed, still wearing his suit. His bow was messed up as well as his mane. He frowned, staring at the ceiling. All this date had done was wish it was with Rainbow Dash when its purpose was to get his mind off of her. He rolled onto his back, deciding to stare up at the ceiling as the tears started to fall. Could he ever be happy?

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5 months after the confession
It’s been five months since he told her, and yet she’s still always on his mind. He had been on a few dates, some of them actually managing to take his mind of Rainbow Dash until he got home, then all the thoughts would come rushing back at once. He was still spending every night crying himself to sleep like he had been since he confessed. He just wanted to hold her in his hooves. Call her his, but he couldn’t. She had turned him down. But maybe a few months would have changed how she felt, right?
He had taken a trip down to Ponyville that day to pick up some pies from Rainbow’s farmer friend. He needed them. They were his comfort food. He sat down at his dining room table, a stack of pies in front of him. He took down the first one, starting to eat it. He couldn’t help but think of the rainbow maned pegasus as he ate. Her beauty, her personality, everything he loved about her was going through his head, bringing tears to his eyes. He may never have her, and that’s what hurt him the most. Why couldn’t she give him a chance? Maybe something could develop between them if she would. But he doubted that was going to happen, seeing as Rainbow was currently in a relationship with one of the stallions back in Ponyville.
He only heard about this after Spitfire’s most recent visit to his home. She told him he was to be returning to practice by next week, seeing as they couldn’t bear to have him gone for much longer. The reserve that had stepped up for Soarin’s absence wasn’t that bad, but they were just a bit obnoxious according to Spitfire. She had preferred to have a moping Soarin about than the reserve.
Soarin continued eating his pies, taking comfort in the sweet taste of Sweet Apple Acres apples. Ever since that Gala, those apple pies were his favorite. Now that they had a member on the team who’s friends with the mare who runs the farm, they’re welcome to stop by and pick up pies, fritters, or any other apple pastries whenever they please. Of course, they still had to pay, but it was nice knowing they were welcome to.
Soarin soon had finished off a few pies, sitting back and rubbing his stomach. He let a burp escape before he groaned, exhaustion overtaking him. He made his way towards the bathroom, turning the shower on warm and waiting for the water to heat up. He was going to have a relaxing shower before laying down and going to sleep. He had soon stepped in after the shower was the right temperature, spreading his wings and letting the water soak his mane. He thought about what Rainbow might look like with a wet mane before quickly shaking the thought away, not wanting that image in his head at the moment. He wanted to go to bed after this after all.
After washing himself clean, he stepped out, drying himself off with a towel, being careful with his wings. He hated when he had to do extra work while preening because he accidentally damaged a feather while drying them. He trotted off towards his room, laying down on his bed and preening his wings, putting all the feathers back into place along with removing the loose and damaged ones. As soon as his head hit his pillow, he was out like a light.

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6 months after the confession
Half a year. Half a year since he confessed and now he was sitting on top of a hill in Ponyville park. He felt a bit of deja vu from his current situation.
He had received a letter on his doorstep last night, telling him to meet this anonymous pony on top of the hill in Ponyville park at sunset. Soarin sighed as he looked down at the letter that was sitting in front of him. The sun was going to be setting soon, meaning he was going to be seeing this pony face to face. He was both nervous and excited. Who could this pony be? What would they have to tell him?
He shifted as he sat on the ground, looking up at the sky. It had been a beautiful day for Ponyville. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky except for one or two strays that had floated over. He let a small smile form on his face. Maybe if he was lucky he’d get to see Rainbow flying around while he was here. He was still upset about what happened six months ago, but he was trying his hardest to get over the heart break and hope for a brighter future. He hadn’t noticed somepony was sitting across from him until he brought his focus back down from the sky,  jumping as he noticed them.
“Rainbow Dash? What are you doing here?” Soarin was shocked. Was she the pony who sent him the letter. He watched her carefully, hearing her give a nervous laugh. She rubbed the back of her neck, looking down at the ground. He furrowed his brow, confused about what was going on.
“Hey Soarin, I, uh, I’m glad you came. I was afraid you were going to ignore it.” She said softly, looking up at him. He could tell she was nervous. The way she kept shifting, her quick glances before looking back at the ground, her hooves, or the sky.
“So, why’d you want me to meet you here?” He asked, curious as to why he was here. He watched as Rainbow took a deep breath, focusing her attention on her hooves.
“Well, uh, you know how you confessed how you felt to me a couple months ago?” She asked, glancing up at him. He nodded in response, leaning forward a bit, showing that he was interested in what she was going to say. She looked back down at her hooves, shifting nervously again. “Well I may have lied when I said I didn’t like you like that.” She said softly, lowering her head. He watched as her ears pressed against her head.
“What do you mean Dash? Are you saying that you do have feelings for me?” He said, confused. He watched her nod, feeling his heart flutter before it quickly changed to anger. “Do you know how heartbroken I’ve been?! I’ve spent many nights crying myself to sleep because of you!” He couldn’t stop his anger, continuing to yell at her. He watched as she lowered her head more, tears coming to her eyes and spilling out. He soon lowered his voice, his ears folding over as he moved closer to her.
“Hey, don’t cry. I didn’t mean to get so angry at you. I’m just upset that you didn’t tell me the truth then.” He said softly, wrapping his hooves around her and pulling her against his chest. He felt her bury her face in his chest, wetting his coat with her tears. He nuzzled the top of her head, closing his eyes as he rubbed her back.
“I-I’m sorry I didn’t come clean when you confessed. I was scared. I wasn’t ready to commit to somepony. It wasn’t until I tried to date Thunderlane that I realized that my crush on you had become something more than that.” She said softly, sniffling. He felt her head move, moving his own to look down into her gorgeous magenta eyes. He could get lost in them, but he needed to stay focused. Dash was upset and needed his comfort. 
	“It’s ok Dash. I understand.” Soarin said, wrapping a wing around her. “You weren’t ready for that kind of commitment. You still wanted to try out other options and all. I get it.” He smiled down at her, blushing lightly as he kissed the top of her head. “Is that why you wanted me to meet you here? To tell me how you felt?” He watched as Rainbow nodded, resting her head against his chest. He smiled, feeling like his heart was going to burst from how happy he felt. He hugged her tighter to his chest, his smile growing wider. “You have no idea how happy that makes me.”
“I think I do.” He heard her giggle after saying that. He felt her squirm and move around in his hooves before seeing her face in front of his. She had a sly smirk on her face as she looked at him. “Race ya to that cloud!” She shouted before shooting out of his hooves, her rainbow trail leaving an indication to which cloud she meant. He laughed as he took off behind her, trying his best to catch up.
Rainbow had obviously beaten him, having gotten there a good ten seconds before he had. He tackled her to the cloud, a smile on his face as he looked down at her. He finally had the mare that held his heart and no words could describe how amazing it felt. He looked into her eyes, his heart beating faster at what he was about to do. He lowered his head closer to hers, their muzzles centimeters apart.
“After practice tomorrow, do you want to go get something to eat?” He asked softly, brushing his lips against hers.
“Yea, yea. Just kiss me already.” She whispered before pressing her lips against his. He couldn’t help chuckling softly before melting into the kiss. These past six months had been miserable for him, but is was worth it for the mare that was now underneath him.