//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 - Birds of a Feather // Story: Tamed // by PiercingZen //------------------------------// Act 2 Chapter 10 – Birds of a Feather ***** The heart and the mind can prove to be a fickle couple. Their differences in rights and wrongs can drive any soul to madness. ***** Dash tossed and turned in bed. Her mind was plagued with thoughts of her recent, immediate failures in flight school. How she was basically babied through her first day by another pony. Would she have to rely on her every time? Did her incompetence stretch so far? Would she ever be able to overcome her “weaknesses” as Midnight put it? Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea after all. I’m not really known for being an academic…I just want to fly…and maybe the way the Wonderbolts do things…wouldn’t be my style anyway. What if the Wonderbolts meant every day I would get up at a certain time and be forced to fly for hours in practice…where’s the fun in that? Maybe, I’m just fooling myself…chasing a pipe dream…some sort of… ~ Is there something the matter, Rainbow? ~ The pegasus gasped in surprise…completely forgetting that Twilight could read her thoughts. ~ You’ve been doing a lot of brooding the past hour. ~ Rainbow turned to face her in bed. She was wide awake and staring right at her. “Wow…I’m so sorry.” Dash whispered, “I completely forgot you could do that…” “Well, it’s not all the time. Only when you do it at length does it seem to sink in.” The unicorn sat up as did the pegasus. Dash pulled a pillow over to herself to mess with while she spoke. “I must seem like a total bummer to you. I’ve been doubting myself ever since I left my first classes.” “You know, Dash, you’re a lot brighter than I think you give yourself credit for. You may just need some help…every pony does once in a while.” Twilight put a hoof over Rainbow’s. “You’ll…help me?” “You said it yourself back at the library. You knew it wasn’t just going to be skill…you’d have to be a brainiac too.” “I don’t think I’ll never be as smart as you, Twi.” “Well, I’m sure you won’t have to be…maybe a few pointers, and a little more determination and optimism should be enough.” The unicorn smiled…though the pegasus didn’t. She was just sitting there staring at the pillow she had. “Dash?” “We’ve been through a lot recently haven’t we? Heh. It almost feels like a dream…all the things that have happened. I’m not sure how we’ve survived.” Twilight sighed softly and kissed Dash’s hoof. “It’s been quite the ordeal, but I think it’s been more beneficial than harmful.” She caressed the unicorn’s cheek. “I always keep thinking…what if I had just said no to you…when you asked if you could visit my house? Everything would be different…such a small decision. It’s scary, Twi. What if the next thing I say…ruins everything?” She pulled her hoof back to the pillow. She scooted closer to the pegasus. “You shouldn’t think like that, Dash. It’s not something you can control…it’s just how things are. You just have to deal with it the best you can.” “Maybe you’re right.” She smiled at the unicorn. “You always know the answer, don’t you, egghead?” Twilight giggled. “What happened to ‘babe’? I was kinda liking that one.” She lightly poked the pegasus. “Well then…how about ‘sugar lips’?” Dash chortled. “Eh…it may be a bit too suggestive…” “How about just sugar?” Rainbow started crawling towards the mare. “Come here, sugar…so I can make sweet love to you.” Twilight burst out laughing. “No! Nonono…come on. Go grab your books. You need to study.” “Aww…you’re such a buzz kill. Don’t think I’m gonna give up tonight though…” She winked at the mare as she flew away to grab her stuff. “You wouldn’t be Rainbow Dash if you did.” ***** A couple hours into their studying, Rainbow was getting incredibly drowsy. Her thoughts of Midnight seemed to creep on her. A guardian pegasus sent to care for the mare it seemed. “Rainbow? Who’s Midnight?” The pegasus froze, “Um…you know it’s a little unfair that I can’t think to myself. A pony needs some privacy.” “Yeah, I’m sorry. It’s just…those thoughts are the ones that keep standing out…like you want to tell me.” “Oh…well, maybe I should. She’s a pegasus that helped me get to class. She was really nice to me. She defended me when a higher-up singled me out for my wings…she even sneaked me an answer to a pop quiz. I’m not sure how I would have handled it if she wasn’t there for me.” “Hm. Sounds like you made your first friend…and she just approached you?” “Yeah…she recognized me from that competition eons ago. I think she might be a fan.” “Ah, a fan-girl. You need to be careful around those, Dash. You might have to sign an autograph or two.” Twilight giggled. Dash grinned. “She’s been pretty reserved so far. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” The smile on the unicorn’s face faded slowly. “You know…I wish it was me who was in class with you. Getting you out of binds…if only I was a pegasus.” “Oh, Twi…” “At least I get to help you with your homework!” Her smile returned. “It’ll be so much fun!” She clopped her hooves together. “Aheh...fun…right.” ***** “Rainbow? Hey, wake up! You don’t want to be late.” Dash groaned and turned around in bed, pulling the covers her head. “Just five more minutes, Scootaloo…” “Scootaloo? Who’s that?” Rainbow furrowed her brow and pulled the covers down to see who’s talking to her. She looked around…no one. “What the…who’s there?” She noticed something else. “Twilight, where are…” Something from behind her slipped its hooves around Rainbow’s waist. The pegasus froze momentarily before leaning back into it. “Oh…” She giggled. “There you are.” Dash swiveled in those arms to face her. “Hey, Dash…” She gasped. “M-Middy?!” It most certainly was that indigo-maned mare. “Shhh…” Midnight put a hoof to her mouth, and then drew Rainbow in for a kiss. Dash tried to pull away, but the pegasus just pulled her back. After a few moments, Rainbow guiltily sunk into the mare…entranced by those sexy violet eyes. She pushed Midnight onto her back and deepened her kissing. The oxford blue pegasus giggled. The guilt in Rainbow’s heart melting away into the night. ***** Twilight was awakened by a strange noise. She yawned and turned to face Rainbow who was…making out with her pillow. The unicorn laughed quietly. “Dash…what are you doing?” The pegasus’s eyes opened…glowing white. This killed Twilight’s laughter as she began shaking the mare. “Hey…wake up!” It didn’t take much effort. The glow faded away and she was awake. Rainbow pulled away from the pillow and looked around. “Wha…What’s going on?” “It seemed to me you were having a very weird, but enjoyable dream.” Twilight giggled and pointed at the pillow. Dash eyed all the saliva and sweat that had accumulated on it. She blushed and threw the pillow away. “Yeah…aheh…very weird. Hey…I’m gonna grab something to drink.” She slipped off the bed and left. Twilight let out one more giggle before she went back to sleep. Well, that was…unexpected. Rainbow, instead of getting a drink, headed into the bathroom and climbed into the shower. I don’t even have feelings for that pony…what’s with the dream? She stood in a safe place and turned on the water. She slowly adjusted the knobs until it was the right temperature, and then stepped into its streams. She let out a relaxing sigh as the warm water soaked into her. It felt so real…her voice…her scent…her looks. I must be going crazy…I can’t be thinking about this! I love Twilight! She closed her eyes and faced the warm water…letting it patter against her face. That cute smile…those freckles…ah! She slapped herself and looked at the tiling beneath her. I can’t stop thinking about her! It’s just a stupid dream! I’m sure she doesn’t even feel that way towards me! She stomped her hoof. Dammit! ***** “All right, guys! I gotta go!” Rainbow was packing up her stuff, getting ready for her next classes. Her mind was still plagued with thoughts about Midnight even through her early morning study sessions, which Twilight helped her through. Rainbow had memorized most of the routines and had brushed up on simple aerodynamic concepts and arithmetic. Other than Zephyr’s class, Dash was having two other new classes today: Pegasi History and Group Flight. The latter of which was essential for her chance with the Wonderbolts and so happens to be one of the major factors that failed her. The former was a requirement by Dean Jet. “Twilight, bring Scootaloo around 1:50 p.m. We’ll see if she can sit in on Coach Zephyr’s class.” “Got it. Oh, and thanks for the map…” Twilight held up a sheet of paper with a very crude line-drawing of where the class was. “Should…” The front door closed…Rainbow had left already. “…help.” ***** Way to start off the day with a boring history class. Rainbow was sitting in a larger lecture room than the Aerodynamic class. It spanned several hundred seats. At least I have a larger crowd this time. It won’t be so easy to get called out. She was scanning the room for her friend, but she couldn’t find her. Maybe she doesn’t have this class…and maybe it’s good she isn’t here. I’m not sure how to deal… “Hey, Dash.” Rainbow’s wings shot out and she jumped. She looked behind her to see Midnight standing there. “Middy…hey!” Dash smiled. “That’s three classes I have with you, huh? What are the odds?” The pegasus sat down next to her. Midnight laid out her stuff. “Looks like this semester is going to be fun!” She clopped her hooves together. “Did you bring your book this time?” Rainbow grinned and pulled it out of her bag. “I’m not making that mistake again. I may have weaknesses, but I sure know how to overcome them.” The joy in Midnight’s face seemed to die. “Oh, hey, I hope you didn’t take that the wrong way yesterday. I felt so guilty afterwards for saying it.” Those violet eyes stared at her. Images of Rainbow’s dream flashed in her mind. She turned her head. “Nono! You were right to say it. Words like that make a pony think harder about who they are.” “Whew…” Midnight sighed in relief. “Friends are hard to come by here…That would have sucked the big one to lose one this early.” Rainbow giggled and pulled out the rest of her stuff. “Well…you can be sure you won’t lose me.” Midnight’s eyes watered. “Wow…thank you!” She dived towards Rainbow for a hug. This completely caught the pegasus off-guard. As much as Rainbow wanted to enjoy the hug…Midnight’s legs were cold…freezing almost…and her long mane tickled Dash’s face. She tried to blow the hair out of the way. “Ever think to get a manecut?” This made Sun jump back. She blushed and pushed her hair back “Is it too long? I always thought it was.” “Well…actually…” Rainbow looked over that indigo mane…the style was pretty similar to her own…just much longer. So long it covered her right eye. It reminded her of Fluttershy…and Ponyville. Her heart sank…and her face showed it. “Is it really that bad?” Rainbow blinked. “Oh! No, I was just thinking of something else…you remind me of a friend I had in Ponyville. Just thinking of that place gets me a little homesick at times.” “You’re from Ponyville? Interesting… you know I heard they had the largest apple orchard in history there.” “Ah, yeah…Sweet Apple Orchard…I know the pony that owns that place. She’s a bit of a pain in neck though.” Rainbow chuckled. Midnight chuckled herself. “I’d love to see it. But, you know…” She sighed. “Stuck here for another two years.” She twirled a pencil with her hoof and rested her chin on the other. “Well, there is a break isn’t there? Maybe I can show you then. It’s not that far from Cloudsdale actually.” The pegasus perked up. “You would…take me there?” “Sure! Why not?” “That sounds awesome! I…usually study during the break, but I guess I can take a few days off.” Rainbow raised a brow. “Didn’t really take you for an egghead.” “An…egg…head?” Midnight put her hooves to her face, feeling the shape. Dash rolled her eyes. “You know…a bookworm.” It connected with the pony that time and she blushed. “Oh, right. Well, my parents are very vigilant. ‘Your wings will take you high, but only your mind will take you higher.’” Midnight quoted in a funny voice which got a giggle out of Rainbow. An egghead that can fly… She shook her head and sighed. Come on, Dash…Twilight is better in every way…Midnight can fly but she can’t do magic. “Looks like class is starting.” Midnight whispered to her. Rainbow watched as the instructor walked in. Here we go again… ***** “Wow, Rainbow…you shaped up since yesterday.” Midnight and Rainbow were talking on their way to Zephyr’s class. “I didn’t have to help you this time…well, not as much.” “Yeah, Twilight helped me out a little. She gave me some study notes.” Dash smiled, but Midnight was giving her an odd look. “Who’s Twilight?” The two stopped. “Oh, I didn’t tell you about her? She’s my…uhh…she’s a really good friend of mine. Came with me to Cloudsdale.” Rainbow was a little nervous talking about her. Midnight stared at her for a moment, but then she suddenly perked up. “Oh! Twilight Sparkle! She’s one of the elements too, isn’t she?” The pegasus continued flying and Rainbow followed suit. “Yeah. Of magic, and trust me, no pony is better at it than she is.” “I heard she studies under Princess Celestia…what an honor…wish I could be so lucky.” Midnight sighed. “So…is she the one who gave you your wings?” “You got it. Sort of a fluke, really. It’s why she came with me…to make sure they don’t disappear suddenly.” “I think they’re spectacular…don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” The pegasus smiled at Rainbow. “Thanks…it means a lot. You know Twilight’s visiting me today in class.” “Oh, she is? What for?” “I’ll tell you when we get there.” ***** They arrived at the field where other pegasi were gathering. The two meandered over to them when… “Rainbow!” Dash’s ears perked up as a little orange filly came galloping over to her. She dived for the mare’s leg and hugged it. “We made it!” “Hey! Where’s Twi?” Scootaloo pointed to Twilight behind her. She was busy reading a book. “I can’t wait to see your stuff!” The orange pegasus bounced. “Who is this little filly?” Midnight kneeled to get eye-level with Scootaloo. The tiny pegasus puffed her chest. “The name’s Scootaloo! Rainbow Dash’s one and only apprentice flyer.” Rainbow put a hoof to her face and blushed. “Apprentice? How cute!” Sun squeed and ruffled the filly’s mane. “Heeey!” Scootaloo batted away the mare. “It’s not cute! It’s awesome! Who are you anyway?” “Just a friend of Rainbow’s. So what’s the occasion, Scootaloo? Why are you here?” “I’m here to watch Rainbow fly! She’s only the greatest pegasus in Equestria!” Rainbow pushed the little filly behind her. “Oh, come on, kid. You’re embarrassing me…” “So… you’re Midnight Sun, huh?” Dash heard Twilight behind her and spun around. “Oh, hey, Twi! I’m glad you two made it.” Middy stood up and stepped forward. “And you’re…Twilight Sparkle?” Her eyes glittered. Twilight was taken aback. “Uhh…yeah, that’s me…aheh…in the flesh. Am I well known here?” “Um…well, you are the Princess’s personal protégé. It’s made headlines a couple times. Plus, I’ve heard stories from other ponies about your exploits…did you really defeat Discord, the bringer of chaos?” Twilight cleared her throat as her face reddened. “Yeah, I did. But not without the help and courage of my beloved friends.” “What are you talking about?” Rainbow interrupted. “You basically did all the work. We got hypnotized from the start!” Dash imitated by swirling her eyes. “Hypnotized? Sounds interesting.” Midnight grinned at Dash. “Oh, trust me.” Twilight sighed. “It was not a very pleasant experience.” “Well, I’m envious. You two doing all this adventuring and saving the world. I’ve basically been holed up here for all my life.” The pegasus sighed. “What a bummer, right?” Rainbow and Twilight looked uneasy…unable to come up with an answer. “Hey! I thought this was a flying class not a drama one!” Scootaloo squeaked at them from below. “Oh, right! We should get in line, Dash. Don’t want to upset Zephyr.” Midnight flew off towards the other pegasi. Rainbow looked at the filly. “I know it’s not the Wonderbolts…but I’ll try to make it fun for ya.” “You’d better do some cool tricks! I’ll be watching!” The filly stomped her hoof and smirked. “You got it, Scootaloo.” She flapped her wings as if ready to take off. “Rainbow?” Twilight spoke softly. “Hm?” She stopped. “What’s up, Twi?” The unicorn moved closer. “She’s a nice mare…but…be careful, okay?” That’s three times now I’ve been told to be careful…why is everypony so weirded out by her? “I’ll be fine, Twi…” She leaned in a kissed her cheek swiftly. “I gotta go.” Rainbow took off towards the others. Just as Rainbow landed next to Midnight, Zephyr flew in cracked down on all of the talking pegasi. “Welcome back, ponies! I hope you’ve all had sufficient beauty sleep, because from here on out it’s only going to get tougher! Are you ready?!” Midnight sighed softly. Zephyr caught her and immediately approached her. “What was that?” “Y-Yes, sir!” She straightened up. “Do I hear some hesitation in that voice? I said, ‘are you ready’?!” Midnight stomped the ground. “Yes, sir!!” “That’s what I like to hear.” Once the coach walked away, Midnight let out another sigh. “I want all of you to give me exactly one hundred wing push-ups no more no less! You have five minutes! Go!” All of the ponies stared at him for a few seconds. “Four seconds and not a single one! Slackers! Get pushing!” Immediately they all fell to the ground and started. The stallion smiled, but then something caught his eye. He spotted Twilight and Scootaloo. “Who in the…” He flew off towards them. Sun saw where he was headed. “Oh, no…Dash, he’s seen them.” Midnight whispered. She stopped her workout and was ready to follow him. “No! Don’t worry about it. Twi can handle it. She’s tougher than she looks.” “I know but…” Zephyr approached the mare and filly with an irritated look. “Now what do we have here?! This is not some tourist attraction.” Scootaloo hid behind the unicorn. Twilight shrunk a bit in the stallion’s presence. She cleared her throat. “Excuse me, Coach Zephyr. We’re here to watch.” “How is that a unicorn is in Cloudsdale? Some form of magical trickery I expect, and who said you could watch the pegasi train?” Twilight sneered. “Well, only the Princess herself. I’ll have you know you’re talking with one of Canterlot’s finest students.” “Celestia, huh? Hm.” He began to walk away. “If you’ve come this far…I would have no reason to doubt you. Just stay away from the pegasi…they have enough to do than think about why a unicorn’s here of all things.” He was ready to take off back to the others when he saw Scootaloo move back into view. Twilight caught his gaze and quickly reacted. “This is my…niece, Scootaloo. She wanted to…” “Well, isn’t that something…?” Zephyr whispered to himself. The unicorn titled her head, “Excuse me?” While Zephyr was dealing with Twilight, Rainbow had been receiving some heat. “You’re a cheat.” As she was doing her push-ups, Dash heard a voice from her left…a yellow pegasus stallion was eyeing her. “How can you call yourself a pegasus…with wings like those?” Rainbow couldn’t believe he just said that to her…a random pony she’s never met. “Hey, leave her alone!” Midnight stopped her workout to confront the pegasus. “She lost her wings in an accident…it’s not morally correct to judge her that way!” This made Rainbow and several others stop as well. “Where did she get’em? They don’t look real to me.” Rainbow spoke up. “They’re magic, all right? They don’t feel different than my old wings! It’s no big deal!” “Magic wings?!” Another pony complained. “A unicorn gave you those?! Ha!” Midnight turned towards the voice. “You got a problem with unicorns?!” “She’s obviously performing better than us because of those!” Yet another pony complained. Rainbow was getting infuriated. “Oh, yeah?! I could have beaten all of you even with my old wings! You’re nothing compared to me!” “Dash, no…” Midnight whispered a warning to her. “Don’t antagonize them!” “Midnight, these ponies don’t know who they’re talking to! I, Rainbow Dash, challenge every single one of you to a race!” She stomped the ground. “Big talk coming from a pony who gets her wingpower from a unicorn!” It was the yellow pegasus again. “I wouldn’t doubt she used that power to win the Best Young Flyer Competition!” “I wouldn’t doubt if she was a pegasus at all!” “She doesn’t belong here!” Every harsh remark was digging into her heart like nails. Rainbow was struggling to resist her urges to pummel every pony in her vicinity. She still couldn’t believe how similar Cloudsdale was when she first left. It seemed her peers always found something to hammer the stake in. All of her anxiety faded and she just wanted to prove to the world that she was the best. Her early memories of flight school dug into her mind and festered. Nothing had changed at all. Nothing… “Rrrr!!” Rainbow growled and extended her wings. Her eyes, full of rage, were fixed on the yellow pegasus. She snorted and kneeled in ready to tackle him. “Rainbow! Don’t do it!” Midnight tried to warn, but she was too late. Dash charged at the pegasus. Middy made the split second decision to intercept the pegasus mid-air. The two tumbled along the ground for a moment, and then Dash had her friend pinned beneath her hooves. Midnight’s coat was cold…just like before. Regardless, Dash’s rage didn’t fade. “What are you doing? Don’t get in my way!” “What in Equestria is going on?!!” A booming voice silenced the whole disturbance. It was Zephyr…having just returned from talking with Twilight. “I leave for one minute and you’re at each other’s throats?!” “It was Rainbow Dash, sir!” The yellow pegasus spoke up. “She nearly attacked me because I asked about her wings!” “You liar!” Dash defended. “You all ganged up on me! Called me a fake!” “She’s lying, sir! I never called her that!” Zephyr stomped his hoof. “Enough! Both of you! Cloud 9 does not tolerate these petty fights!” He looked at Rainbow…his demeanor changed slightly in almost an instant. “You!” He turned his head to the yellow pegasus. “Or any of you ponies for that matter…you will be punished for harassing this pegasus! I want to see two-hundred from all of you, and if I hear a single peep out of you…it’s two hundred more!” All of the ponies’ jaws dropped. Did Zephyr...just defend Rainbow? Nobody could grasp what had just happened. Dash just now noticed that Twilight and Scootaloo were only a few yards away…obviously having witnessed the fight and investigated. “Well?! Get started! All of you!” They all dropped and started going. No questions asked. Rainbow had gotten off of Midnight at this point and was following Zephyr’s orders as well. The coach approached her. “Except you, Dash. I want to see you in private.” Zephyr walked away from the rest. Dash’s anger faded and was now replaced with a heavy guilt…she had possibly just thrown her only chance away…what could he have to say to her? Dash sunk and followed the stallion who suddenly spun once they were a decent distance. “You need to be more careful. You’re treading on thin ice as it is.” “I-I’m sorry, Coach…I don’t know what came over me. I just couldn’t believe it.” “Believe what? That a pegasi with wings made of magic would be put through the ringer? You shouldn’t be so naïve.” His words made her sink even more…she sighed and tried to contain her anger. “But don’t worry, Miss Dash. You’re more welcome here than you know…I didn’t put those ponies through the workout of their life if we didn’t. Just don’t go picking too many fights. Dean Jet wants you to succeed.” His reassuring words uplifted the pony a bit. “Wow…he does? I didn’t know you all cared that much. I’ll…” Feeling a little guilty. “I’ll try a little harder to be nicer.” Her lips found a weak grin. “What’s that?” His voice picked up. “You say you want to do fifty laps around the track? Well, that’s too bad, because I want one hundred laps! Get to it, Rainbow! Hut hut!” Dash smiled. “Yes, sir!” She took off and zoomed around that track faster than she ever did before. Scootaloo ran closer to the track to watch the pegasus…however, Twilight was more interested in another mare. But before she could reach Midnight, Zephyr intercepted her. “Remember what I said, Miss Sparkle.” “Oh, right…aheh…of course.” ***** A few hours passed and the class had ended. “Whew…what an ordeal, am I right?” Twilight and the other three gathered together after the rest had dispersed. “I’m so sorry, Midnight.” Dash drug her hoof across the ground. “I sort of lost it there for a second.” “I-It’s fine!” Sun chuckled nervously. “No harm done.” The filly bounced in front of Rainbow. “Dash, you were awesome back there when you did all those routines! You really out-classed those other pegasi.” Scootaloo flapped her wings rapidly and zoomed around in circles, trying to imitate some of stuff she had seen. The cyan pegasus giggled. “Let’s just hope they don’t hold it against me. It looks like I might be deeper into this than I had thought.” Twilight eyed Midnight, and then brushed up against Rainbow, kissing her cheek. “You haven’t told us why Zephyr pulled you over.” Midnight turned her head slightly and cocked a brow at the unicorn. A hint of realization dawned in her eyes as she sighed. “Yeah, I was for sure you would be expelled. I was really afraid.” “It was the opposite actually. He told me that Jet himself was going to help me through this.” This drew Middy closer. “Dean Jet is going to help you?! Wow…” Twilight slowly broke away from Dash and moved closer to Midnight…who backed up slightly from her advance. “So…Midnight Sun…what’s your deal in all of this?” The pegasus was taken aback. “W-What do you mean?” “Twi, she’s a really good friend. Don’t do this…” Dash could see the interrogation starting. “Do what?” The unicorn protested. “I just want to know why she’s been so attached to you…that’s all.” “Well, uh…” Middy thought for a moment. “Rainbow…she looked like she needed somepony to keep her company…when I saw her all alone in that lobby…I knew somepony could use some help.” Midnight was satisfied with her answer, but Twilight was not. “So you just randomly decided to help out a complete stranger? No strings attached? No ulterior motives for hanging with one of the most famous pegasi around?” “Um, look…I’m sorry if I seem like a complete weirdo. I just wanted to help…” Middy’s eyes became a little watery. “If you’re not okay with it…I’ll just…” “Just tell me why, Midnight! Why are you helping Rainbow?” “I-I don’t know! Okay?!” Her response made a couple tears fly. Twilight could see her sincerity, but before she could apologize Dash jumped in between them. “Come on, Twi! That’s not fair! Why do you have to be so mean to her?!” “No, it’s all right, Dash…” Midnight backed away. “I understand completely. I-I’ll see you tomorrow!” She suddenly took off…faster than Dash had ever seen. “Wait!” Twilight called to her, but she was already gone. “I’m sorry!” Rainbow advanced on the unicorn. “Now what was that for?!” “I-I just wanted an answer…” Dash could see that Twilight was upset about it as well. “I didn’t mean to…” Rainbow huffed. “I didn’t forget the kiss, Twilight. Are you…jealous of her? Do you think she was trying to make moves on me?!” “No, I’m not jealous! I’m sorry, but I just had my suspicions! I wanted to be sure!” “Hey!!” The fed up filly flew into between the mares and put her hooves on their noses…hovering a good distance from the ground. “I didn’t want to go with you guys to see you fight all the time!” The two mares calmed down a little. Twilight sighed. “I was going to apologize, Dash. You just stopped me before I could. It’s just…you don’t feel a slight bit uneasy around her?” Dash felt the urge to yell more…but then her memory of the cold touch Midnight had filled her mind. “Well…yeah, now that you mention it…but…” “Let’s go home, Rainbow. We’ll talk more.” The unicorn moved closer and kissed her lips. Dash pulled away. “I can’t…I still have one class left for today. My group flight class.” “But it’s in an hour, isn’t it? We can at least grab something to eat…can’t we?” “I…I’m not hungry, Twi. We can eat after class…I’ll talk to you later.” She turned and took off. Twilight held out a hoof…slowly letting it drop as a wave of guilt hit her like a hammer. She had just alienated her love…and harmed a potential friendship…all because of her silly desire for truth. She slowly sighed… “Hey, Twilight…” Scootaloo hugged the hoof. The unicorn faced her. “I’m hungry…if you’re interested.” The unicorn’s eyes watered…she hugged the filly, and then nodded. “Yeah…let’s get something to eat…just the two of us.” ***** She searched everywhere for her. Rainbow wanted to find her and relay Twilight’s apology. If she just wasn’t so harsh…I wish that pony would just think before she acts. Then Rainbow remembered her tiff with that yellow pegasus. Actually…I guess I’m not that much different. Where are you, Middy? Where do you live? Where do you go when I’m not around? She entered an alleyway…surely she wouldn’t be here of all places, but she was running out of ideas. Of course, it was then she heard some kind of commotion. She silently flew further down the alleyway. “What do you see in that fake, huh? You’re not so tough when she’s not around, huh?” “Just leave me alone! You’ll be in trouble if Jet finds out about this!” That voice…it couldn’t be. Rainbow peeked her head around a corner. Midnight?! No! It certainly was her…and she was cornered by none other than the yellow pegasus and two other stallions. “Oh, I’m so afraid of Dean Jet…the old codger couldn’t even face his own family…what makes you think he’ll care about you?!” The pegasus advanced on Middy and pushed her up against the wall. He looked her over. “Huh…so it’s true…you freak.” The other two pegasi chuckled. Rainbow gritted her teeth…she had to stop this….no. She must. “Hey! You three!” She jumped out into view. All four turned their heads. “Rainbow!!” Midnight smiled. “How about you cowards try your hooves on me?” Rainbow flared her nostrils and scuffed the ground with a hoof. “Well well…look who’s come to pick up where she left off, unicorn lover.” The yellow pegasus let go of Midnight, but the other two kept an eye on her. He began advancing towards Dash. “Say another bad thing about unicorns and I’ll trash you!” She extended her wings and stomped the ground. “Ha! That unicorn that was here today…she your fillyfriend? Figures…no stallion would want look at those ugly things every day.” The stallion was about twice Rainbow’s size…he was looking more intimidating every second. “Dash! Please don’t do something you’ll regret!” Midnight hollered. Her mouth was subsequently covered by one of the pegasi. Rainbow whispered to herself. “This will be one thing I won’t regret.” “What’s that, phony pegasus? It better be a prayer to Celestia…because she’s the only thing that’s going to help you now.” He took a charging stance and flapped his wings. Midnight tried to struggle out of the ponies’ grasp, but she was quickly subdued with a quick hoof to the face. The blow had knocked her out. The two pegasi laughed. Rainbow gasped...a surge of anger encapsulated the mare. “Midnight! You bunch of sorry bastards!!” She stomped both of her hooves on the ground and the clouds beneath them trembled. Dash gritted her teeth hard…her wings began to glow a soft amethyst. “You’ll pay for that!” Her eyes flashed white. The three pegasi were quickly intimidated by this turn of events. Before the yellow pegasus could even react, Rainbow charged at him with a brilliant flash and tackled the pony. They tumbled down the alleyway a couple yards before Dash had him on the ground. She planted a hoof right down on the stallion’s right wing. Crack! The stallion let out a scream. The mare wasn’t satisfied…she stomped on the other one…breaking it as well. Another scream erupted from the wrecked stallion. “That makes two of us now…doesn’t it?!” Dash hovered above him and her wings glowed brighter. She grinned. “See ya, loser!” She drew her wings back as far as they would go…then flapped as hard as she could towards the stallion. An incredible gale of wind blasted the stallion through the cloud-ground, creating an enormous hole and sending the unfortunate stallion towards the awaiting earth. She could hear the pegasus scream as he fell. She turned to face the other two pegasi and her wings glowed once more. Immediately, they screamed and took to the skies, leaving Midnight on the ground. Rainbow flew to her, the ominous power leaving the pony on the way. “Middy!” She shook the mare who flopped around in her grasp. “Wake up!” Her skin was stone cold…why? “Ugh…” She began to come around. “Rainbow? Is that you?” She put a hoof to her face where she had been hit. “My face hurts…” “It’s me, Middy…Where do you live? I’ll take you home.” “Home? You’re…too kind, Dash.” The mare was still groggy and wasn’t responding very well. “Yeah, just tell me where.” “I…I don’t have a home…”