In Love and War

by Rainbow_Danger_Dash

Chapter 4-The Truth Is Set Free (Rather Suddenly)

"What?!?" Rainbow Dash's eyes widened and her mouth was left agape. She could not believe what she had just heard
"Will you be my fillyfriend Rainbow Dash?" Soarin repeated, trying to stay as calms and non-awkward as possible.
"I-I am not sure what to say. I-I-I just don't know what to say-I mean, I would love to, but-"
"Hey, it's ok Dash. You didn't expect this, and I shouldn't have asked. I hope this didn't ruin our friendship. Sorry." Soarin turned to leave, disappointment clouding his thoughts.
"Wait Soarin! Don't go!" He turned back around, a glimmer of hope showing in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I would love in be your fillyfriend. Just got caught off-guard, that's all."
"Really? You mean that?"
"Of course I do, ya dummy. Come on, let's stop by Sugarcube corner. I'm starving."

Two pink eyes stared over the hedge at the two ponies. "I knew it," whispered Pinkie Pie to herself as Rainbow Dash and Soarin flew off. "Everypony is going to be so excited! I gotta go tell Twilight! And maybe Applejack. Wait, what about Fluttershy? No, she is probably already asleep. Oh, there is Rarity! Don't want to forget about her. Now where is my party cannon? We need to celebrate!" Pinkie shouted the last sentence in a high pitched squeal, resulting in every pony around her looking in her direction. "Hehe, oops," chuckled Pinkie as she covered her mouth with her hooves.

The short flight to Sugarcube Corner was uneventful and relatively silent, both ponies lost in their own thoughts. It was Rainbow Dash who broke the silence as thy neared the oddly shaped building. "Hey Soarin, let's keep this under the radar for a few days ok? I don't want all of my friends going crazy over our relationship."
"Ok, if that's what you want. But you know Fleetfoot and Surprise are going to ask me where I was."
"Just say you were getting food. You usually are."
"Hey, are you calling me fat?"
"Well, I'm not calling you skinny!"
"Ha ha. Come on; let's get some food before I gotta race you again." Soarin landed beside the door and pulled it open for Rainbow. She had not even taken one step into the entrance before she was hit with a wave of compressed air and confetti, catapulting her backwards. Soarin stood in shock for a moment, his eyes wide as he tried to process what had just happened. Pinkie Pie's head poked out of the doorway with the barrel of her party cannon just visible from Soarin's position.
"HI DASH-" the pink pony started before realizing that Rainbow Dash was buried under mound of confetti. Pinkie started to dig until Dash's mane appeared, which she pulled until the rest of the dazed cyan pony's head appeared. "Come on Dashie, you don't want to miss the party, do you?"
Rainbow shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind. The last thing she had seen was the business end of Pinkie's cannon before she was thrown back by a wall of confetti. "Yeah Pinks, I wouldn't miss it for the world. Just give me a sec." She struggled to pull herself out, her limbs not wanting to cooperate. Rainbow Dash sat there for a second and let her pulse return to normal before breaking loose of her party trap.
The sight of Rainbow Dash half-buried was just too much for Soarin to handle. He fought it as long as he could, but burst out into an uncontrollable laughter, earning him a glare from Rainbow. "Hey Rainbow, that confetti matches you really well. Maybe you should use it as camouflage!"
"Just wait until we are alone Soarin, and I will show you how funny this really is."
"Yeah, yeah, you coming in or not? I've been holding this door for five minutes now."
Dash pulled herself up and glanced at Pinkie. The pink pony's eyes were wide with excitement, as if she was just waiting for something to happen. "Are you okay Pinkie?"
"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm great! What, does something seem wrong? My pinkie senses aren't acting up. What is somepony is using magic to block my pinkie senses? What could this mean?"
"Look Pinkie, nothing is wrong. No pony is using magic on you."
"I know! I just wanted to scare you, that's all!" Pinkie bounced back into Sugarcube Corner, dragging along her party cannon with her. Rainbow followed shortly behind her, wary of her cannon in case it should misfire and hit her with a second volley. Dash also made sure to give Soarin a slight bash with her shoulder, flashing a mischievous smile.
"Oh, it's on Dash," Soarin said to her as she walked by. "It's on."

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The party went on for several more hours, with more antics ensuing as more and more cider was served. Rainbow Dash and Applejack held a cider-drinking contest, which eventually boiled down the two rivals. Applejack conceded at the last minute, and managed to walk five steps before passing out, much to the amusement of the crowd. Vinyl Scratch turned the bass to high on a song and broke a few of the store's windows, much to the dismay of Pinkie. Soarin ended up having to hide from a group of fanfillies that noticed him when he stepped outside for a moment. Right when the party was about to end, Pinkie grabbed Rainbow Dash by the mane and dragged her up to the top of the counter. "What the hay are you doing?" Dash said, but was cut off by Pinkie, who had mysteriously acquired a megaphone.
"Every pony listen up! First off, who is having fun at this amazing after-show party?" A chorus of semi-sober cheers answered her, while Rainbow looked at her friend in confusion. "Second, let's thank Applejack, who provided us with the cider tonight!" Pinkie glanced around, before finding the still unconscious Applejack propped up in the corner of the bakery. "Last but not least, let's congratulate Rainbow Dash for finally getting together with Soarin!" Rainbow Dash could feel the heat rush to her face. She knew that she was blushing, and looked for an exit through the applauding crowd. She saw Soarin, his mouth agape and eyes wide. Clearly he had not been expecting this either. She finally saw an open window and shot through it, escaping the embarrassment she had just gone through.

Soarin had applauded Pinkie's announcements, wondering why in particular she had dragged Rainbow up to the counter. He was only able to hear part of what she said next, but that was all he needed. "...-Dash for finally getting together with Soarin!" He stood there in shock, watching a look of horror come across Rainbow's face and her cheeks turn from cyan to a deep crimson. Their eyes locked for a second, and both realized that they needed to escape the cheering mob before anything else could happen. Rainbow flew out of a window near him, and Soarin followed suit, following her up into the sky.

Rainbow landed on a cloud far enough away so she would not be found if anyone was looking for her. "Of all the stupid things for that pony to pull, this is the worst!" She angrily evaporated a hoof-sized piece of the cloud before lying down, unable to vent the frustration she had for Pinkie. The sound of a pair of wings drew her attention. She peeked around the corner just enough so that she could see Soarin flying towards her, looking around in an attempt to find her. He caught a glimpse of her mane and headed up to the cloud she was on.
"That was embarrassing," Rainbow muttered, the anger she was bottling up recognizable in her voice.
"You said it. So much for a secret though, huh?"
"How did she find out? You didn't tell her, did you? Because if you did, I am going to kill you."
"What? No! I was with you the whole time, remember?"
Rainbow replayed the evening in her head, realizing that Soarin was with her the entire time, besides whenever she was pulled to the counter. "I guess you're right. But then how could she?"
"One thing you have taught me Dash, that pony is unexplainable. C'mon, let's go home."
"Are you sure? That might not be a good idea, given the amount of ponies that might be expecting us to do something."
"Nah, most of them were earth ponies or unicorns. Besides, I doubt anyone will remember anything come tomorrow."
"I guess you're right. Come on; let's go before I fall asleep again." Rainbow Dash could barely keep her eyes open. It had to be at least two in the morning.
"Race ya back to your house," Soarin said with a mischievous smile, knowing that Dash would never turn down a challenge. He had to get her mind off the events at the party anyhow. "And if I win, I think, oh I don't know, maybe ten pies would be fitting for beating the fastest pony in Equestria. Don't you agree?"
"Alright, alright, but if I win, you gotta bring me breakfast. I like, oh I don't know, apple fritters and some warm cider, maybe some toast."

"How did I lose? I am the fastest pony in Equestria!" Rainbow Dash had actually lost to Soarin. She had been fine at first, but he managed to pull in last second and beat her by a tail length.
"I would say you are tired and semi-intoxicated. I am none of the above," Soarin said, gloating in his victory. After his first defeat, it was nice to make a comeback.
"Yeah, yeah, race me on a good day and we will see who is better." Rainbow Dash mumbled around her keys as she tried to get them in the lock to her door. Soarin was about to step up and offer to help, but she finally managed to get them into the lock. She opened the door and walked in, but Soarin stood outside the door.
"Come in, ya doofus. You're not going to just stand there, are ya?"
"Oh, uh, no, I just didn't know if you would allow me to come in or not."
"Well isn't someone a gentlepony," Dash teased as she bumped into him playfully.
"Yup, sure am!"
"By the way, kitchen is over-over there," Dash said as she tried to fight back a yawn. "You're probably going to be spending a lot of time in there, aren't you?"
"Maybe just a little," Soarin said with a grin. She was never going to let him live down his pie obsession. No one ever did. "Hey you mind if I-". He had turned to ask Rainbow Dash if he could borrow some food, but she was already gone, asleep on her couch. "Oh. Well, that makes things complicated." He glanced around uneasily, trying to figure out exactly what to do before picking her up as he had the last time and carrying her back to the bedroom. "I swear, if she does this anymore, my forelegs are going to be in great shape." He placed her gently down on her cloud bed, and pulled the sheets over her as best as he could. Soarin looked at the cloudbed, and realized how tired he actually was. He stood beside it, debating whether or not he should just sack out here. It had been so long since he had slept on a cloudbed, and it looked so comfortable. 'It's not like anything bad could happen, right?' He thought before climbing in on the opposite side of Dash, far enough away so that if she woke up sometime he wouldn't look suspicious. He listened to the sound of Dash's slow breathing, falling asleep within minutes.

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"Hey Fleet, do you know where Soarin is?" Surprise asked.
Fleetfoot's head popped up from under her covers, sporting a bedraggled mane and tired eyes. "Wait, what? Do you know what time it-4:30 IN THE MORNING! Why are you waking me up at FOUR-BUCKING-THIRTY to ask me where Soarin is?"
"Because he isn't in his room, and that only means one thing! You know what that is?"
Fleetfoot could see where this was going already. "What does it mean?" she said, defeat in her voice.
"That you owe me ONE-HUNDRED BITS! Because there is only one other place he could be! And that is with Rainbow Dash!"
"Here, have this," Fleetfoot said before smashing Surprise in the face with a pillow. "Bill me later."

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Rainbow Dash drowsily buried her muzzle into Soarin's warm chest. It felt good on a cold morning like it was that day. She pulled closer to him, trying to escape the cool air as much as possible. 'Wait, Soarin!' Her mind screamed at her as her eyes snapped open. "SOARIN! WHAT ARE YOU DO-ahh!" Her head began to pound from the drinks she had the night before. Meanwhile, Soarin was trying to recover from the sudden wake-up call he received.
"Oh, hi Dash," he said drowsily, blinking the sleep out of his eyes.
"Hi nothing! What the hay happened last night?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all."
"Uh huh. Right."
"Look, you passed out on the couch, I brought you in here, and then felt really tired and I was originally far enough away to keep something like this from happening. So you must have rolled over in your sleep and found me. That's all. Nothing happened."
"You promise?"
"Yes."
"Pinkie Pie Promise?"
"What?"
"'Cross my heart, hope to die; Stick a cupcake in my eye.' Now you say it."
"Cross my heart hope to die, stick a cupcake in my eye. You happy?"
"Yep, now could you get me some ice packs or something? My head is killing me."
"Alright Dash." He returned a minute later with an ice pack, which Rainbow pressed onto her forehead in an attempt to ease her pain. "Hey, I gotta go. See you after training?"
"Yeah, if I my head doesn't explode."

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Soarin peeked his head around the entrance to the Wonderbolts headquarters. The last thing he needed were his friends asking where he was all night. 'And most of the morning too, come to think of it,' Soarin thought. It was nearly noon by the time he had reached the Wonderbolt's Headquarters. He had not taken more than two steps into the HQ when Surprise popped out from around a corner shouting his name. He squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he could just ignore her.
"Hiya Soarin! So, where were ya all night? Huh? Were you at Rainbow Dash's? Were ya? Did ya ma-". The energetic pony was cut off by Soarin's hoof in her mouth.
"Please don't start. Where I was is none of your concern."
"Please answer her," Fleetfoot chimed in from the other side of him. "She has been trying to get me to pay her since early this morning."
"Pay you for what?"
"Oh, we had a little bet on whether you and Rainbow Dash were going to get together or not."
"Wait, what? You bet on me dating Dash?"
"Why not? You guys seemed perfect together. So, where were you?"
"At Dash's place. What's if matter to you?"
"Did you, you know..." Surprise said, coming within inches of Soarin's face.
"What? No! Come on! I got morals, you know. Really!"
"Ha!" Fleetfoot said to Surprise. "You owe me fifty bits!"
Surprise's face showed pure defeat as she handed a small pouch over to Fleetfoot. Soarin's jaw dropped web he realized how far his friends had went to.
"Ok, that's just wrong. You two bet on me over that? Come on guys, you know me."
"Yeah, I guess Surprise was being pretty stupid," Fleetfoot said, smirking back at Surprise
"Hey! I'm not dumb!"
"Never said you were. I said you were being stupid, not that you are stupid."
"Same thing!"
"Trust me, no it's not."
"It is too!"
"I'm telling you, it's not."
Soarin rolled his eyes and left the two bickering ponies, going back to his room. He was exhausted, and still had a full day of training ahead of him. When he swung open the door, he was greeted by a rather livid Spitfire.
"What do you think you're doing, wandering off without any notice whatsoever? Who do you think you are, the captain of the team?"
"Ma'am, I-"
"What made you think to go off and leave me wondering about where the hell you are? Always, ALWAYS report in before you leave! Even a basic flight school cadet knows that!"
"Ma'am, I was just visiting a friend. Nothing to get all fired up about."
"You mean this friend?" She pulled a newspaper from the saddlebag she was carrying and threw it in front of Soarin. The front page picture met his eyes, and he realized why Spitfire was so mad. The image was of Rainbow Dash the previous night, her face a deep shade of crimson. It was followed by the caption: 'Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolt Soarin Together?'
"Oh," Soarin mumbled. "Damn."
"Exactly what I said. We don't need this drama on top of our busy schedule. You're lucky you're such a good second in command. But since I can't bust you, I gotta do something. All your leaves for the next two days starting tomorrow are cancelled. Better enjoy tonight Soarin. I hate to do this to you, especially now, but I have no choice. Oh, you may want to check the schedule. You're going to want to get lots of rest. This may work out to your advantage after all."
"Permission to exit ma'am?"
"Dismissed. Now don't pull off anymore stunts like that today. Got it?"
"Of course."

Soarin went by Spitfire's office to see what exactly she was talking about, telling him to get lots of rest and all. He stopped at the bulletin board and discovered that today was a day off for all fliers. 'Nice, nice. Thank Celestia my sentence doesn't start until tomorrow.' He continued on to the next two days. All of them had sword training classes set for all day. 'Why is Spitfire doing this? It's not like we are at war or something. Maybe a new routine for our show will involve them?' He stood there confused for a moment, before turning and knocking on her door.
"Come in Soarin." By the sound of her voice, she had cooled down a bit.
"How did you know it was me?"
"I figured you would stop by sooner or later. And yes, you may take today off and go down to Ponyville. Just be back before 2400 hours. Got that?"
"Yes ma'am," Soarin said, a slight smile on his face. He still found it funny how she could seem to read him like she would a book. He saluted and turned out the door. Soarin walked a few steps to act casual, and then took off flying. 'If this is my last day with Dash for a while, I am not going to waste it.' He shot through the gates and headed straight towards Ponyville, flying as fast as he could.

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Soarin landed in Ponyville without any commotions at all. 'Hmm, that's strange. Considering how I made front page of the paper, I would think-' Soarin's thoughts were cut off as a mouth clamped around his mane and pulled him into a bush. He swung around, ready to meet his assailant, but was instead greeted by Pinkie Pie, dresses in camouflage fatigues and with matching face paint and helmet. "Wha-" he started but was cut off by the pink pony's hoof on his muzzle.
"Shh, she'll find us," Pinkie whispered.
"Who will?" Soarin asked, lowering his voice as well.
"Dashie. She is really mad right now, so it might be a good idea to hide for a while."
"Why exactly is she mad?"
"Have you not seen the papers?" She shoved one of Ponyville's papers in his face. It showed the same picture as the one Spitfire had showed him. "Why is she mad at me? I didn't do anything, did I?"
"Waitwaitwaitwaitwait, you don't remember anything from last night?"
"Uh, no. What did I do-Ahh!" Pinkie screamed as the leaves beside her were spread open to reveal a fuming Rainbow Dash.
"Come here you!" Rainbow shouted as she lunged at Pinkie. The pink pony shot out from the bush, living a lingering pink trail in the air behind her. Rainbow Dash started after her, but was caught by Soarin.
"Hold on a second there Dash!" Soarin said.
"Hey!"
"Dash; there is no need to be irrational here. So a simple mistake happened. Everypony would find out eventually."
"Yeah, but at least we would be out of the open for a while. Now Everypony will look at me differently, my friends will think I lied to them, and-"
Soarin cut her off by gently placing his hoof over her mouth. "Look, nopony has any right to look at you differently. So what if you are going out with a Wonderbolt. That just makes you look cooler, if anything. And just tell your friends things changed."
Rainbow Dash scuffed the ground with her forehoof. "I guess I did kinda blow this out of the water, didn't I?"
Soarin smiled at her, knowing that he had gotten through. "Only a little."
"I just didn't expect to be rushed into this though. I wanted to take my time, and slow down for once. I don't want to make mistakes here."
"Hey, neither did I. Come on, let's enjoy his moment while we can."
"Wait-what do you mean by that?"
"Oh, I was technically missing last night, and the news didn't help. Spitfire was rather mad when I got back earlier. So, I won't be able to leave HQ for a couple of days."
"Damn, that sucks. Well come on, we're just burning daylight out here."
"What do you have in mind?"
Rainbow Dash flashed her mischievous smile. "How about a race?"

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"I told you I could beat you on a good day! I told you!"
Rainbow Dash had easily won her second race against Soarin, beating him by at least a tail length. She pranced around him triumphantly, leaving small indentations on the cloud they were on.
"The score is now two to one. TWO to one. The mighty Rainbow Dash pulls off yet another victory against the famed Soarin! Will he ever be able to come back?"
"Ha. Ha. Enjoy his while you can. I will come back. I always do."
"But not against me you don't."
"If I recall, I have won one race."
"I wasn't in top condition."
"Excuses, excuses."
Soarin fell back on the cloud, his forehooves behind his head. Rainbow Dash flopped down beside him and put her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his wing around her, and together they lay on the soft cloud, enjoying the setting sun's warmth. Soarin glanced towards Dash, the magenta light outlining her, making her look so much more attractive than she already was.
"Dash," he said. She turned towards him, and both looked deep into each other's eyes. "I love you." Soarin leaned towards her and slowly kissed her on the mouth. Her eyes widened for a second, before she sunk into it. Rainbow Dash wrapped her forehooves around his neck, not wanting to break their passionate embrace. At last they pulled away, Dash putting her head back on his shoulder as they watched the last of the sun's light disappear over the horizon. The night was silent as both ponies slowly fell asleep beside each other.

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Soarin drowsily opened his eyes to a starry night. The moon was nearly at its highest point. Suddenly, he remembered where he needed to be. Soarin slowly slipped out of Dash's hooves, and opened his wings. 'Wait, you can't just leave Dash here,' his mind said to him. Soarin turned towards the sleeping mare, and began to pick her up as he had done twice before.
"What do you think you're doing?" One of Rainbow Dash's magenta eyes popped open, staring at him drowsily.
"Oh, I have to be back at HQ before midnight, and I couldn't just leave you here."
Rainbow flew off his forelegs and landed back on the cloud below. "Thanks, but I'm good. Being carried off twice is enough for me."
"Oh. Ok. Hey, I'll see you later, ok."
"Alright. Write to me though, will you?"
"Deal." Soarin leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before flying off towards headquarters, his mind filled with thought of Dash, and hopes for the future.

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Spitfire tapped her hoof repeatedly on the pavement outside the gate to the Wonderbolts HQ. It was nearly midnight, and Soarin was nowhere in sight. She checked her watch for what seemed like the millionth time that night. "11:59. He better not be late," she said to herself. Just before the clock hit 12, Soarin flew on over the roof of the building and lands beside Spitfire.
"Ok, I'm here."
"You sure took my words to heart. Guess you didn't waste a minute, did you?"
"Nope, not one."
"Well you had better get some rest. You got a long couple of days ahead of you."
"Ugh, don't remind me."

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Rainbow Dash walked along the dirt trail, not knowing exactly where she was going. She just needed time to think. She felt as if she had been rushed into everything so quickly. Within a week's time, both her and Soarin had went from barely knowing one another to dating. And for the first time in her life, she was genuinely in love. But at the same time, this was the best she felt in a long time. Rainbow Dash took off and headed towards her cloud home. She flew in through her open bedroom window, feeling too tired to actually go through her door. Rainbow flopped into her cloud bed, missing Soarin's warmth. She fell asleep slowly, all of her thoughts consumed by Soarin.

Author's Note:

Ok, longer chapter! Hooray! Hopefully I can keep this up...

Again, any comments, questions, constructive criticisms are welcome. Thanks for reading

RDD

Comments

[xxXFluttershyXx]

[LeopardCay]

Damn this is cheesy...
But I love it....

[Rainbow_Danger_Dash]

3238428Yeah, looking back it kinda is....but again, first fanfic ever. Hopefully, I will get better as the story continues.

But thanks for the support Neko. Glad you are liking it.

[Forlong]

Pinkie's eyes are blue.

No one knows what it's like
To be the bad mare
To be the sad mare
Behind blue eyes!

[Ironfire Skies]

love it!! RDD