Mornings
Like every morning since she had first woken up in a sterile room of Manehattan General Hospital, pain was the first thing Rainbow Dash felt. At the time it had been all consuming; a constant and terrible pain that stubbornly clung to every nerve in her broken body. Over the weeks, and with the aid of more drugs than she cared to admit, it had lessened to the point she was at now: less crippled and miserable than she could be.
Her face tightened, eyes squeezing closed and lips pulling into a grimace that exposed her clenched teeth. The pain she could deal with, at least most of the time. Far worse, however, was the lack of independence her injures had saddled her with.
Gone were those early morning flights through the crisp dawn air, watching the first rays of sunlight glimmer and dance across the hills and valleys of Ponyville. Gone too were the scents of dawn where the clear winds smelled of dew and grass. She couldn’t even fly over the bakeries to savor the scent of their work, and often land for her post-flight breakfast.
A pair of golden forelegs readjusted their gentle grip around Rainbow’s waist as though pulling her into a hug. Despite a mildly uncomfortable feeling from the pressure, Rainbow smiled. Even fast asleep, Spitfire had a knack for making Rainbow feel better.
Rainbow took a slow breath through her nose and carefully tried to pull away from Spitfire's grasp. The Wonderbolt's hooves only held her tighter as Spitfire's snout nuzzled into Rainbow's mane.
"Five more minutes," Spitfire mumbled.
Rainbow opened her mouth to protest, then promptly snapped it shut. What, after all, did she have to get up for anyway? She was flightless, bound to the ground, or tethered to Twilight's balloon for at least a few more weeks. Her morning flights were a thing of the past, much like her job as a weather manager.
'What?' she asked herself. 'What do I have to get up for?'
With a quiet sigh, Rainbow allowed herself to relax in her marefriend's embrace. The gentle nuzzle along the back of her neck sent a pleasant tingle down her spine and brought a smile to her lips. Closing her eyes, Rainbow let her hooves slide down and over Spitfire’s. She savored the warmth in the embrace, the unspoken promise of safety it brought. As much as she longed to be independent once again, soaring through clear skies and dancing among the endless white clouds over Equestria, perhaps there was at least one benefit to being stuck in bed.
Just for a moment, Rainbow caught herself wondering what mornings had been like before she had started dating Spitfire. She wondered how she had slept through the nights without those hooves wrapped around her belly and the warm breath that washed rhythmically across the back of her neck. How had she woken up and gone about her day knowing that she didn’t have anypony waiting for her at home?
Granted, the answers to that were laughably simple by any standard. It was a difficult thing to pine for something you’ve never experienced. Nights spent alone never felt that bad when you spent all day with your friends and coworkers. Sometimes it was those quiet moments Rainbow had longed for more than anything. As much as she loved her friends, even she needed a minute alone from time to time.
All too soon, Rainbow felt Spitfire begin to stir. The sheets dragged and crinkled as the former Wonderbolt stretched and yawned. Rainbow struggled valiantly to stave off a yawn of her own, yet soon caved in to it.
“Mornin,” Spitfire mumbled, her voice coming in a gravely purr that made Rainbow shiver.
Taking care not to move too quickly, Rainbow rolled over so she was nose to nose with Spitfire. The flutter in her heart matched the smile that blossomed across her lips when her eyes met Spitfire’s. “Hey there.”
“Mmm, I think I could get used to this,” Spitfire said, her hoof sliding along Rainbow’s side in a gentle manner.
“Laying in bed all morning?” Rainbow teased.
“Well, that too,” Spitfire said with a slight shrug. Her smile broadened as she stared into Rainbow’s eyes, a hoof reaching up to gently caress the weathermare’s cheek. “Have I told you that you’re beautiful?”
Heat blossomed in Rainbow's cheeks and she playfully jabbed Spitfire's chest with a hoof. "Quiet, you."
The gentle tap yielded a quiet laugh from Spitfire just before she leaned forward to steal an all too quick kiss. “How’re you feeling?”
A now familiar tingle ran down the length of Rainbow's spine from the kiss. Rainbow always wondered if that sensation would fade the more their lips met. So far, and so very many kisses later, it had remained as strong as the first time their lips had met on that starry Manehattan night, and Rainbow couldn't have been happier about it.
Not that she'd ever admit that to anypony.
"Sore,” she answered honestly with a small shrug. “Nothing I can’t handle though.”
“You sure?” Spitfire’s gentle hooves slid across Rainbow’s back, making the younger mare shiver in their wake.
“Hey, would I lie to you?”
The flat look on Spitfire’s face was all the answer Rainbow needed.
“You know what, on second thought, don't answer that question.”
Spitfire shrugged, her nose bumping against Rainbow’s. “How's about we get up and get some breakfast, Ms. Tough Pony."
“Food sounds good,” Rainbow agreed, forcing herself upright with a bit of effort and a stifled groan. Spitfire reached out with a foreleg to steady Rainbow if she needed it. “And maybe a shower.”
A fresh smile blossomed on Spitfire’s face, her hoof giving Rainbow’s mane a playful tousle. “I don’t know, that bedhead looks pretty good on you, Dash.”
“Right back at you,” Rainbow said, mirroring the gesture on Spitfire’s ginger locks.
“Hey, now!” Spitfire laughed, carefully batting at Rainbow’s hoof with her good wing. “I got an image to maintain!”
Sensing a precious opportunity for vengeance, Rainbow’s lips split into a cheshire grin. Leaning forward again so their noses bumped together, Rainbow slid her forelegs around Spitfire’s waist and held the mare close. “Is that what you were doing last night with the mirror?”
The Wonderbolt sat in stunned silence for several long moments as she tried to process a response. Rainbow smiled and gave herself a mental pat on the back from her moment of triumph. Stories would be told for generations of the day that Rainbow Dash had finally—
“Did you like it?”
“I...what?” Rainbow squeaked.
“I mean, all evidence certainly suggested you liked it,” Spitfire said, her tongue poking out from her lips as her eyebrows suggestively waggled.
Rainbow stared at Spitfire with a gaping mouth and an incredulous look. "You're, like, too good at doing that."
A simple shrug was all Spitfire could manage without looking too proud of herself. "It's a gift."
"You should think about returning it."
"Buck no!" Spitfire laughed out loud. Climbing out of bed, she reached out with a hoof to help Rainbow down. "Besides, how would I have fun if I did?"
"You're evil, you know that, right?" Rainbow asked, taking Spitfire's hoof and letting out a quiet grunt as she got onto her hooves.
Spitfire answered with another shrug before nuzzling alongside Rainbow. “Think you could find it in your heart to keep me?”
“Oh, I think I can do that,” Rainbow said, a little smile turning the corners of her mouth up. She leaned over to nuzzle Spitfire’s cheek, a gesture which the older mare all too happily returned. Pulling away, she motioned her head towards the kitchen. “I’m not much of a cook, but it’s pretty hard to buck up milk and cereal.”
“What about cereal and milk?”
“I hear tell only the fanciest, spiffiest, and most awesome chef in Prance is capable of cereal and milk.” Rainbow looked around conspiratorially, her eyes shifting left and right several times. She lowered her head and beckoned Spitfire closer like she was about to share the greatest of secrets. “Everypony thought it was just an old mare’s tale, but I’ve seen the truth…”
“And?” Spitfire asked impatiently, fighting to restrain her amusement.
Rainbow leaned back, flashing Spitfire a toothy grin. “And it was delicious.”
Spitfire snorted and shook her head, sending tendrils of her ginger mane drifting past her eyes. “Meet you downstairs? I’m just gonna wash up real quick.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Rainbow promised.
“With bells on?”
Rainbow lifted her hoof to her chin and pursed her lips. She made a small show of considering the question before coming to an answer. “For Hearth’s Warming, if you’re lucky.”
“Really? Spitfire asked, her curiosity peaked, though not as much as she’d let on.
“Maybe," Rainbow began, moving to gently nip at Spitfire's ear. Her voice dropped to a low whisper, allowing the natural scratch of her voice to become a sensual whisper. "If you ask real nice that is."
Spitfire grinned, bumping her hips against Rainbow’s. “Go get your breakfast, Dash. before I toss your flank back in that bed.”
“Who says I wouldn’t toss you in first?”
A simple, almost disinterested shrug was all that answered Rainbow’s challenge. With a deliberate, lazy, turn Spitfire two three paces towards the bathroom, her side rubbing against Rainbow’s. She stopped when her cutie mark was flush with Rainbow’s and craned her neck over her shoulder. The contact made Rainbow shiver and silently curse Spitfire’s less public talents.
“Any questions?” Spitfire asked with a knowing smile.
“...No,” Rainbow grumbled.
“No…” Spitfire rolled her hoof in the air expectantly.
Rainbow sagged, her cheeks burning despite their privacy. “No, ma’am.”
“That’s my girl,” Spitfire said, puffing her chest out and turning to give Rainbow a sidelong hug. Rainbow returned the embrace and gasped as she felt Spitfire’s lips on her cheek.
“Love you, Dash.”
“Love you too,” Rainbow said, her foreleg squeezing Spitfire’s shoulders. She grinned again and winked. “Ma’am.”
Pulling away, Spitfire sat back on her haunches and pointed down the hall. “Breakfast time, cadet!”
Rainbow leaned back and saluted the best she could, though it was all she could do to raise her hoof to muzzle level. “Yes, ma’am.”
Their eyes met, though neither mare spoke, there wasn’t a need for that anymore. Spitfire’s brow creased as she worried over Rainbow’s limitations. Rainbow’s eyes darted away and her ears fell ever so slightly. The Wonderbolt allowed her gaze to linger a moment before she sighed and made her way into the bathroom. Rainbow waited until she heard the shower start before she finally made her way to the kitchen.
Pale fog glazed the bathroom mirror as Spitfire gazed into it with a pained glare. The face that looked back at her hardly seemed to be her own. Her mane now hung down across her face, the windswept look that she’d built up over the years had vanished in her time bound to the ground. The days, which had at one time been more or less bearable, had ground on and on, steadily wearing away at Spitfire.
Her eyes drifted away from her own unyielding glare to the base of her crippled wing, the gauze wrap she had worn to brace it sloppily discarded on the bathroom counter. Her feathers had regrown, for the most part, making the scar where the surgeons had worked on her wing invisible to all but the most discerning ponies.
What was more obvious, however, was the atrophy. Both her wings had lost muscle mass after the accident; that was to be expected after any injury. Her right wing, however, had fared noticeably worse. Any passing pony could see how withered it was, how the once proud Wonderbolt had been reduced to a sickly cripple with one wing and one useless, quivering appendage.
Cringing, Spitfire gritted her teeth and scraped her hooves across the cloudstone counter. She could see the traces of bags starting to form under her eyes. When the pain in her wing and the endless string of worries that clouded her mind finally let her sleep, nightmares all too easily stole it away.
She could still hear the cacophonous blast of thunder. She could see the blinding light filling the skies. She could taste the static in the air. Worst of all, she could still see Rainbow, broken and motionless on the cold earth.
Spitfire slammed her hoof against the cloudstone counter, sending a bolt of pain up her foreleg and through her crippled wing. She gritted her teeth and stifled her growl as best she could, one eye clenching shut while the other glared into the mirror. Her grimacing reflection stared back at her, a poor facsimile of what she should have been.
Her eyes drifted to one of two orange bottles set upon the counter. Both contained the same type of elongated white pills to ease their pain. Rainbow’s was almost two thirds full, Spitfire’s was barely half. Two pills at a time would quickly eat away at her supply, and she didn’t know if the Ponyville doctors would fill her prescription as easily as Cloudsdale or Manehattan doctors probably would.
An angry scoff escaped her as she grabbed the bottle and dropped two pills into her waiting hoof. Popping them into her mouth, she took a disposable paper cup from the counter and filled it with water that she pulled to her lips. Swallowing the pills with a grimace, she set the cup down and shook her head.
Running her hoof through her mane, Spitfire gazed at her reflection again. With a resigned sigh, Spitfire turned and walked to the shower, letting the hot water saturate her coat and mane in a futile attempt to wash away the troubles plaguing her mind.
Despite her reputation, Rainbow kept her home in good order. Sure, there were papers, trinkets, cups, and the odd magazine or two scattered about the various counters, coffee tables, and couch cushions, but to her mind they just proved that an actual pony lived there.
Not that Twilight wasn’t an actual pony, despite her occasionally overwhelming need for order. Well, unless it was Spike who really ran the show.
The thought gave Rainbow pause as she placed two bowls on the counter. Every time she’d been to the library Spike was usual shelving books, dusting, cooking, or helping Twilight with her experiments. Rainbow was, in fact, hard pressed to recall a single time she hadn’t seen the dragon attending to some task that Twilight needed.
Rainbow gave a thoughtful hum, her hoof lightly scratching her chin. It was a perfectly silly idea of course. Twilight was anything but a phoney. Complete bookworm, obsessive compulsive, perfectionist, pedantic, anal retentive nerd? Absolutely. But certainly not a phoney bookworm, obsessive compulsive, perfectionist, pedantic, anal retentive nerd.
‘And may she never change,’ Rainbow thought, chuckling to herself.
Pouring herself a bowl of cereal, she ate quietly as she looked through the small pile of mail that had built up during her extended trip. Much of it was unimportant, reminders from the Weather Factory on shipping schedules, a shipment of updated forms for the manager-on-duty to pass out to the local weather team so they could request time off, and a few of the flying magazines Rainbow subscribed to.
Setting those aside, Rainbow gave her attention to the mail she actually cared about. Aside from a new Daring Do book that must have arrived a few days after she’d left, there had been a letter from her Grandpa that contained his semi-regular care package of fifty bits. Rainbow made a mental note to herself to write him a thank-you letter later, and another gentle appeal to get him to stop.
Of course he never would. Not for Rainbow, not for her dad, not for her aunts, uncles, or cousins. Nothing pleased the moustachioed stallion like providing for his family. It also made him insufferably hard to find Hearth’s Warming and birthday gifts for. There were only so many ways to creatively frame a family picture.
Maybe her dad’s idea of photographing a bag of mixed nuts wouldn’t be the worse idea after all.
Spitfire’s voice cut through Rainbow’s thoughts. “Hey there, stranger.”
To Rainbow’s eyes, Spitfire practically sashayed into the kitchen, her mane still damp from the shower.
“Hey yourself,” Rainbow said with a bright smile. “Have fun in there?”
“Mmhmm.” Spitfire nodded, taking the seat opposite of Rainbow and letting loose an easy sigh. “Not gonna lie, Dash, the water pressure you get in here is amazing.”
Rainbow chuckled as she nodded. “It’s pretty great, yeah.”
“No, seriously, Manehattan hotel showers don’t get pressure that good! How the hay did you get it in a cloud house?”
“Grandpa has black magic super powers,” Rainbow suggested with a slight shrug of her shoulders.
Spitfire’s jaw dropped to speak, but no words came out. After a moment she closed her mouth, lips pursed and brow furrowed as she thought. She rubbed her hoof thoughtfully against her chin for a moment before shrugging and holding her hooves up in defeat. “Fair enough.”
Chuckling, Rainbow motioned to the extra bowl on the counter. “Hungry?”
“You know it!”
Pouring herself a bowl of cereal, Spitfire and Rainbow settled into a comfortable silence. Only the hushed ruffle of papers and the muted crunch of cereal accompanied their morning. They didn’t mind the quiet, and in fact there was a strange comfort in it. Neither mare needed to fill the silence with vapid noise just to indulge in the sound of their own voices. They each had other’s company, and for the Wonderbolt and the weather manager, that was more than enough.
Glancing over her mail, Rainbow’s lips pulled into a delicate frown as she observed Spitfire. She wordlessly slid one of the flight magazines to Spitfire, who took it with a grateful smile after finishing her breakfast.
“So, what should we do today, Dash?” Spitfire asked, her tongue licking a bit of milk from her lips.
“Well, I figured we could bum around town for a bit and maybe get lunch with the girls if they’re free. Sometime this afternoon I gotta mosey on over to the hospital and check in with the doc, otherwise I’m sure Grandpa will have the National Guard drag me in.” Rainbow’s head sunk as her tongue slipped from her lips with distaste.
Spitfire somehow doubted that Rainbow had been joking. “Anything else?”
Rainbow hummed thoughtfully for a few moments, her hoof tapping against her chin. Shaking her head, she looked up to Spitfire. "What about you?"
"I think that's more of an evening activity, Dash, but I'm certainly game," Spitfire teased, waggling her eyebrows and winking at Rainbow.
The low groan from Rainbow echoed off the walls of the kitchen. Placing her head in her hooves, Rainbow took a moment to peel herself off of the mental brick wall she'd slammed into. "Were you born this way, or did you have to work at it?”
“Yes.”
“Ugh!” Rainbow grunted, her shoulders sinking.
"It's a dirty job," Spitfire said, walking around the table to pat Rainbows back. "But some pony has to do it."
"I'll do you with a gourd."
Spitfire chuckled, a tender smile pulling at her lips. Reaching under Rainbow’s chin, she lifted the younger mare’s head until their eyes met. “Kinky,” she whispered, leaning forward to press her lips against Rainbow’s.
Rainbow felt Spitfire’s hooves slip around her body to rub at the sensitive muscles between her shoulder blades. Her body shivered from the touch, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end, her ears folded back, and felt a rush of heat blossom across her cheeks.
The world around them faded away along with all their worries. For those precious few moments Spitfire and Rainbow Dash focused only on each other. The beating of their hearts, the sound of their breaths, and the feel of one another’s—
“Hey Rainbow Da—” Cloudchaser’s words died as issue #112 of Wonderbolt’s Annual collided with her face.
“KNOCK FIRST!”
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There really aren't many things worse than being interrupted right in the middle of sexy fun times. It takes disappointment to a whole new level.
Oh Cloudchaser, you silly pony, go back home and be a lesbian with your sister Flitter. lol
Aww, Spits and Dash are so adorable and funny! Get Cloudchaser, get!
Not gonna lie, I thought it was gonna be Pinkie.
And our lovelies are back!
5251825
Oh. Oh damn. If that Cloud Kicker met with Spits then everything would be an innuendo. The pervy jokes would comprise their entire dialog... It would be epic.
5251825
Not a fan of winningverse, personally, so nope!
5252106
Fuuuu <.< Traitor.
On a side note, I love the ending. Always good with the "Knock first!" jokes xP
5251746
What would the pegasi equivalent of a "cock-block" be? Wing-block?
Aw, Clouuuud. Stop cock-blocking.
Why can't i thumb up and favorite this more!
Honestly, once is NOT enough...
Long hiatus bud, but a good chapter nonetheless! Good to see you back in the saddle so to speak!
YAY new chapter! I missed this story :-)
5253310
5253192
It's not much of an excuse, but it was a hella depressing summer. But that's over, I'm finally employed, I like my job, and the horsewords shall flow! Tune in Monday for chapter 10!
5253360
Awesome, glad to hear things are getting better for you :-)
5253360
media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8cu5xCur41r84fi8.png
5252764 5252936 Actually when it's lesbians it's known as twat-swatting.
5254254 lol
5254254 how eloquent
5257568 I know, I'm classy like that.
5257574 But are you British? Because we are the definition of classy *sips a cup of tea whilst adjusting my monocle*
5257582
So British he shits the queen
5253360
I just reread the whole thing to refresh my memory, so its good to hear we may get more frequent updates again :) And grats on getting a job, I know it ain't always easy (I'm still trying myself :P)
I am divided between feeling great for how good they're doing together, and sad for the terrible shape they're in.
Maaaaaaaaaaaaaan... Duuuuuuuuuuude... you're a bucking poet. I have never ever ever read a romance novel as good as this, and the Masterpiece (That's what i call it no shit) is coming close to my favorite fan-fiction ever--of ANYTHING! Also, i actually quite disliked the idea of Rd and Spits, but hay to the hell you got be transferred to the heavenly side!! I really hope you update this frequently as i may not live without it.
5252071
I'm actually fairly certain local spacetime would collapse into some sort of innuendo-based singularity.
OH MY MOTHER BUCKING CELESTIA!! YOU'RE BACK!!!! WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS HOW HAPPY I AM RIGHT NOW SO ALL CAPITAL LETTERS MUST DO!!!! YOU SWORE BY YOUR HAT YOU WOULD RETURN AND YOU HAVE AND IT IS AS GLORIOUS AS EVER!!!!
5270909 WHAT HE SAID!!!
5274757 She* but it's cool. I get it all the time. Even in real life
5275341 it's really hard to tell whose what and stuff...
Everyone is anonymous. Sorry about the mishap!
5276594 Nah it's cool made me laugh. I have short hair and I get it all the time.... allllll the time.
5277666 Aallllllll thhhheeeee tiiiiiiimme
Fantastic chapter.
always so much detail and very well written realistic situations.
I somehow feel as though the author must have such solid knowledge and maybe even real life experiences with how well the author can portray a standard household morning for new couple.
I know because I am one of those new young couples in that sense.
Anyhow, I am always happy to read more chapters so perfectly written by Ruirik.
Another I say!!
5251825
Just once I'd like to see a stable non jongoistic monogamous Cloud... just for a bit of variety. Rainbowdoubledash did a asexual one, and it was a breath of fresh air
speaking as a Chengar fan and clan Kicker writer... God I hope not
5322053
Good point, but not the one I had. I mean... how to explain it... Cloud Kicker doesn't need to be a "proud slut" or lady of war or anything else to get folks to like her as a character, but often times her "proud slut"is all many writers focus.
Not only is it shallow, and frankly unfair to chengar's Cloud (a lot of things I dislike about her, but promiscuity and a habit of being a useful idiot are not her only aspects) its flat out boring! SO many folks are hitting the same note, and its one of the more tiresome aspects of our fandom.
To wit, I was near giddy when I beheld RDD's stories in which a frassled Kicker mare shuddered after making a "eww" towards Lyra and Bon Bon's "banging stuff"
5324561
Well... I kinda did
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/106553/the-winning-pony-and-the-templar
Mind you, I took a rather biased view point... Anyway, I agree with you. Cloud Kicker could fit very well into this verse, and Ruiruk does have the talent to do so.
But that doesn't mean she has to be is my point.
5324626
true
That was a great chapter,
Loved the scene with Cloudchaser at the end 
I WANT MOAR SOON! 
If that is alright with you 
Wow
Please continue your awesome work
Ah, just thinking of this story brings an inward smile to my heart.
Unfortunately, this is a torture, as if you do not post another chapter,
I will find you and repeat what the guy below me said - just replace Pinkie with you.
Happy new years!!!
I'm gonna go into conniptions soon
(It may be your last)
Finally got around to reading this after fire & rain. Keep it up
This was a fantastic chapter. it's great to have some casual DashFire romance again, makes a nice little break between all the drama and excitement, and feels closer to all the stuff from before all that excitement took place. Lovely chapter to read, very fun and heartwarming~
Lots of snuggles~ >w<
5257608
WHAT THE FUCK??!!??!!??!!??!!???!!!!!
