//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Crashes, Crushes, and Dragons // Story: A Wonderbolt's Spark // by Sapphire Rose 12 //------------------------------// Soarin was ready! They had practiced this routine countless times and he felt confident with his part. Of course, his best friends Orange Breeze, Cloud Blaze, and Dust Storm being in the audience didn't hurt either. "You're going to be awesome out there, alright?" assured Cloud Blaze. "You got this!" Soarin nodded, confidently. "I'm going to earn the title of best flyer today for sure!" Orange Breeze snickered. "Rainbow Dash always gets that," he said. Dust Storm nudged Orange Breeze. "Dude, we're here to encourage Soarin," he scolded. "Just don't worry, man," Dust Storm said. "Good luck!" Soarin smiled and soared off towards the stadium. An announcer was in a small room behind a window, using a microphone to amplify his voice across the crowd. On the other side of the entrance, Rainbow Dash's friends were encouraging her. "Are you ready today, Dashie?" Pinkie Pie asked her with an unhidden excitement. "Definitely," said an unnerved Rainbow Dash. "You know, you girls don't have to come to all of my performances." "No way!" Twilight exclaimed. "We're not missing one!" "Go, Rainbow Dash! Woo!" cheered Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash giggled. "Better get going! See you girls after the show!" "Good luck!" Twilight said. "Not gonna need it," Rainbow Dash said. "Ladies and gentlecolts, may I present the Wonderbolts! My name is Rugged Mountain and I will be your announcer today!" Soarin stood readily to take off. As soon as the captain Spitfire flew into the air, the rest of the Wonderbolts followed. "A great turn once again from Misty Fly!" announced Rugged Mountain. "Ooh, loved Fleetfoot's smoke underfly! Nice job, Rainbow Dash! Awesome Speed Zoom trick!" The performance was going well and Soarin was flying smootly. His friends were shouting words of encouragement from the bleachers. Then, the exact moment that earned him his embarrassing nickname, Clipper, returned. Soarin accidently brushed past a sharp edge on one of the flagpoles. He yelped and began plummeting towards the ground. The crowd gasped. "Oh no, a Wonderbolt's crash! Haven't seen one of these since Crash's first day!" exclaimed Rugged Mountain. Rainbow Dash shot Rugged Mountain a glare. Soarin hit the ground with a yell of pain. The only Wonderbolt who was good spirited enough to check on him was none other than Rainbow Dash. "Soarin!" Rainbow Dash cried. "Are you alright?" Soarin looked up to see Rainbow Dash and immediately paused. He was in a daze. Since when did Dash ever look so beautiful? "Soarin? Hello?" Soarin didn't respond from his daze. "Hello?" Still no response. "Hello?" This time, Rainbow Dash tried waving her hoof in front of his eyes. Soarin didn't even blink. Rainbow Dash's friends came onto the field to help as well. "Oh, wow," Rugged Mountain said. "Sorry, looks like our performance must be cut short! See you next time!" The crowd groaned in unison and got up to leave. "My guess is that he has a concussion," Rainbow Dash conncluded. "We better get going, so somepony can take him to the emergency room," Applejack said. "Okay," Rainbow Dash said. "Bye, Soarin! Get well soon!" Rainbow Dash and her friends walked away. Now, Spitfire, the Wonderbolts captain, had a rule the worst flyer of the day has to clean the compound room. "Falling for Rainbow Dash," Spitfire said. "Nice. I'm not even gonna make you clean the compound." After everypony left, Soarin finally snapped out of it. "What just happened to me?" Soarin asked aloud. His friends approached him. "Hey, that was a nasty crash, you okay?" Cloud Blaze asked. "Yeah, I'm fine, thanks," Soarin said, just now realizing how much it hurt. "You still up for game night tonight?" Dust Storm wondered. Soarin nodded. "Wouldn't miss it for the world!" Orange Breeze, Cloud Blaze, and Dust Storm grinned. "Okay, see you there!" called out Orange Breeze. His friends left. Soarin rubbed the side of his aching head. But, as much as the crash pains ached, he couldn't help wonder what Rainbow Dash was doing. Soarin and his friends were playing Dungeons and Dragons. They were very addicted to the game, especially Soarin, but he just couldn't focus tonight. "Okay," said Orange Breeze. "What spell would be good for defeating the European Fire Dragon?" Orange Breeze looked at Soarin, narrowing his eyes. "Why are my only spells 'love' or 'crush'? Is 'crush' literal or figurative?" Soarin realized his mistake. "Oops. Sorry, Orange Breeze..." "Do you have a concussion? Here, I'll take you to the emergency room," said Cloud Blaze. "I don't have a concussion!" Soarin exclaimed, angrily. "Okay, whatever you say," said Dust Storm. "Now, I'm turning the crush spell to a literal worded spell and taking my chances," Orange Breeze said. "Target number is 10." "Roll the d20," said Dust Storm, eagerly on the edge of his seat. Orange Breeze rolled the d20 and got a 6. "No!!!" exclaimed Orange Breeze. "I just got fried! How many damage points do I take?!" "Fifty" Cloud Blaze told him. "Sorry, dude, but you're long gone." "No!!" Orange Breeze cried. "RAGE QUIT!" "Well, it's kind of hard to rage quit when you're already burnt to a crisp!" said Cloud Blaze. "Well, then I CRISP QUIT!" "Okay, your turn, Soarin," Cloud Blaze said. Soarin was lost in a daydream. "Soarin!!" exclaimed Dust Storm. "AHH!!" Soarin yelped. "It''s your turn, dude," Dust Storm said. "You're so out of it today." "Yeah," Orange Breeze agreed. "He's been this way ever since..." He realized something. "Ever since Rainbow Dash came to check on him." Orange Breeze got excited. "Ohhhhh!!! Oh! I get it! You have a crush on Rainbow Dash, don't you?" "What?!" Soarin felt his cheeks getting burning hot. All his friends burst out in a laughing fit. "Guys!!" Soarin scolded. "Oh, boy," Dust Storm said. "This is just awesome!" Soarin sighed. "Fine, you got me!" "It's okay, dude," Orange Breeze said. "We've all been there." "If you really like Dash, the Gala is coming up," Cloud Blaze said. "You could her ask her on a..." He grinned. "Date." "Yes, I do," Soarin said. "But, I barely know Dash and she barely knows me! How am I gonna do that?!" "We'll help you," Cloud Blaze claimed. "Just take it from us." "There are four trials in this process," Orange Breeze said. "Trial one," Dust Storm said. "Talking to her. Just getting to know her and her best interests to keep at heart." "Trial two," Cloud Blaze said. "A trick to lure her in. Something that will trick her into getting her closer to you... but how?" "I overheard Rainbow Dash in a conversation with her friends earlier," Dust Storm said. "They'll be going to the fair this Thursday. They'll all be riding the new roller coaster: Mountain of Doom. Maybe, you can grab a seat next to her on the coaster and get her wrapping her arms around you." "Great idea! Let's do it!" Soarin agreed. "Trial three," Orange Breeze said. "Do something nice for her. You know, give the mare a compliment on her speed or help her carry her saddlebags." "And trial four is to ask her to the Gala?" Soarin guessed. His friends nodded. Soarin gulped. "I don't know if I can do this." "No worries," Orange Breeze said. "We'll be there to help you every step of the way."