Harmony and Courage: Running Parallel

by SSJRandomMaster

Chapter 10: Breaking One's Code

Chapter 10: Breaking One's Code
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It was amazing how fast things moved in Ponyville. Five days had passed already between Fluttershy's scaring of the fully grown dragon, and she'd returned completely to her meek demeanor, with no evidence at all to show she'd caused such a snarling beast to break down crying. Of course, with some of the more recent happenings, the weekly rain that was supposed to come along last week had been cancelled, and thus, a massive storm was being orchestrated to make up for lost time.

Which is why Azure Courage had a day off; though he wasn't going to spend the first part of it indoors. There were so many trees in town to prune, and everypony was pitching in. Some were using their magic to snap off branches, others were pulling them off with ropes, and some others were just snapping them off manually.

However, the colt had a radically different approach. After making sure the trees were clear, he decided to use the branches to be pruned as target practice for his lasers. His horn lit up, and he began launching magical energy at the large branches, snapping them clean off. It wasn't too hard to find the correct amount of power to snap a branch without scorching it too noticably or failing to snap it off, period.

Though the entire town was pitching into the effort, Azure had managed to do quite a few trees on his own. A crowd of several ponies had crowded around him to watch him snap the branches off another tree using the offensive spell he'd been taught. As he finished, there was some applause for his effort. However, a very familiar voice soon cut into the "celebration".

"Do you really have to do it like that?" Azure turned in the direction of the question, and saw none other than Twilight Sparkle standing there with a mildly skeptical look on her face.

"I was told to take down the branches," he responded, "Nopony told me to do it one way..."

"Ugh, you are impossible to argue with," Twilight said while rolling her eyes.

"I'm the only pony you argue with that I know of; and you seem to enjoy doing it on a daily basis, too." Azure stated.

"I wouldn't have to if you didn't have--" Twilight continued. Azure didn't really feel up for arguing on this matter, though he had to admit it was tempting.

"Shouldn't you be finishing up preparations for the storm right about now?" Azure asked, looking up. The clouds were gradually getting darker as the weather patrol agitated the clouds. He'd estimated it would be about twenty minutes before the storm started at this rate.

"Oh, right," Twilight said, turning around, but keeping her eyes on him. "Just don't stay outside when the storm starts!"

With that, she left, leaving Azure alone with his thoughts. He didn't quite know why, but something in him was telling him to do that.

"Right..." Azure lied, already knowing he had other plans for today's storm.

With the Shadow Ghouls potentially behind the dragon incident, as well as the fact Azure wasn't sure if whoever sent them was no longer a threat, the pony had been feeling a little restless lately. He couldn't keep up just meditating forever.

Training out in this big storm? Why not? The unicorn thought to himself, starting to get on the move for a training spot on the outskirts of Ponyville. He had to be careful to avoid Twilight's notice, given that she could probably be anywhere helping other ponies with their own clean-up efforts. He tried to trot about as nonchalantly as possible. The other ponies seemed to be wrapping up the cleanup efforts and heading inside. The clouds above seemed ready to burst with fresh rain at any moment.

As he considered what exactly he was going to do while in the storm, his ear twitched. At first, he didn't get it, but after a couple of seconds, he realized the sound he was hearing was two feminine voices bickering.

There's an argument, and neither Twilight nor me are part of it? Azure thought to himself, blinking. I guess I can try to take a look...

He followed the voices, and as he got closer, he could hear the words slightly more clearer, but was still having a bit of a hard time making it out over the rumble of thunder above. However, he managed to see the argumentative ponies in question.

If Azure could say he was surprised, he'd have been lying. Rarity, the fashionista unicorn, was apparently arguing with Applejack, the headstrong earth pony. From the looks of it, it was about the tree branch disposal they were doing. Azure could see where their contention could come from. He had saw the radically different approaches they had taken to pruning the trees.

Applejack physically tore them off using more of the lasso manipulation; Rarity...well, she didn't seem to be tearing them off so much as sculpting them magically. Azure felt as though he should stay out of it, but thankfully, he didn't get a say in the matter. The clouds above seemed to open up and cry, sending everypony not already in a home running for cover. The colt quickly made his move, making sure to dodge the library when he galloped to the outskirts of Ponyville for his training.
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Lightning was already splitting the sky and Ponyville had become dangerously dark when Azure found his spot. It was a clearing, surrounded by several paths lined with trees. The trees were dripping, and Azure's mane and tail were already sagging with excess moisture by the time he'd found his spot. He was soaked down to his skin, and his headband felt saggy with all the water it had absorbed. Yet, despite the fact he felt like a used washcloth, Azure felt ready to train.

"Let's see," Azure said, more to himself than anything, as a sheet of lightning split the sky and turned it a bright white color. "Everything's got to be pretty slippery..."

He recalled a detail from the dragon incident. When he had been climbing over the rocks with Fluttershy, he'd lost his footing, and though he hadn't injured the pegasus when he'd slid down the rocks on his stomach, he still slipped to begin with. So, with this in mind, Azure arrived at a decision.

"Looks like I'm going to try and work on my traction. Should be pretty slick, and challenging..." The cyan colt stated, more to himself. Thunder sounded loudly above his head, but Azure didn't blink. He took a ready stance, and began running, already feeling his hooves slipping about on the grass and mud beneath him. It was rough on him, but Azure figured he couldn't have it any other way. He noticed that at the rate he was going, he was going to collide with a tree.

Azure began to apply the brakes, digging his hooves into the ground and skidding along through the moisture and mud. He was going to see if he could stop himself before he could hit the tree, without using magic. If he'd used the gravity spell to increase his weight, well, that'd be cheating in this case.

The colt continued to slide, and still had more than enough momentum to have the tree knock the wind out of him upon impact. He fell to the wet roots, soaking his still somewhat-dry stomach fur a little in the process. A gust of wind blew by, and Azure heard some snapping above. He looked up, seeing small twigs being hurled by the air current heading for him. He wrestled to his feet, and just barely managed to avoid the storm, though one of the twigs did poke him in the knee.

Let's try this again... Azure continued, already on course for a different tree. He tried to mimic the speed he was running at, but the slick ground was making it a little difficult for him to find his momentum. He once more tried to skid to a halt. He forced more weight into his hooves. His hooves managed to dig into the mud just a little, but it wasn't nearly enough, and he still managed to hit his side on the wood, once more drawing pain from his ribs.

Darn it... he thought to himself, trying to once more get back to his feet. Most would have been discouraged when a flash of lightning went overhead, but it only fueled Azure's desires to pull ahead. Just think, every day would be kinda like this if you hadn't been as ready as you were for Nightmare Moon...

Thunder crackled loudly above as the colt rushed back to his feet. The rain pounded his body as he took off running again, water dripping off what felt like each individual hair by this point, adding to the already slippery conditions. Azure had to force some of his weight down on his feet just to be able to run straight with all the moisture, but he wasn't about to abandon his training now.

As lightning split the sky, Azure could see he was starting to approach a third tree. He grit his teeth and once more slid, applying the brakes and forcing as much of his natural weight as he could down into his hooves. The mud didn't give way straight away, but as Azure continued to approach the tree, he continued to press down as hard as he could in his posture, and the mud gave way. He started to dig in, finding some level of traction. His hooves were up to their ankles in the mud on one side, but his momentum was not slowed enough.

He bumped the tree, just enough to give his body a small jitter and cause a slight soreness, but certainly not sufficient enough.

"Now that I know how to do it...I think it'll be good to try again."

Though his training was ill-advised by Twilight, she didn't have to find out about it. As the minutes blended together, lightning slit the skies open, and thunder crackled and roared above, the mud started to cake on his feet, and his stomach from where he would occasionally fall over after slowing to a stop. However, Azure tried to take his training a step further.

After about twenty minutes of trying to gain some ground on traction, he decided to start freegalloping through the trees, taking a roundabout route through the foilage. The mud that covered his legs and stomach made it hard for him to get his usual traction that he'd had when the trees were dry. Azure leapt forward toward one of the wet trees, aiming to bounce off it as he usually would were everything not so slick, but what happened instead: he slipped down the side and faceplanted into the mud at its base.

"No pain, no gain..." Azure struggled back to his hooves, and rushed forward again, mud now caking part of his mane, headband, and horn, as well as some parts of his face. He wasn't quite able to see a good deal in front of him except when the lightning flashed. However, the cyan colt was confident he'd be able to navigate his way through the storm...
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Rainbow Dash could sum up her mental state in four words: bored beyond all reason. Ever since finishing up on the storm meant to make up for lost time, she'd been idling out on her cloud home, listening to the sounds of the storm. Though most ponies would be content with this, the blue mare knew one thing about herself: she wasn't into that kind of stuff like Twilight was. She'd have rather been doing anything but waiting for the rain to subside.

The lightning made practicing stunts dangerous, and ever since a very close brush with it; so close in fact the mare had no idea how she'd dodged it, she wasn't exactly up for risking it again. The rainbow-maned pony considered herself a daredevil, but she wouldn't be able to become a Wonderbolt if she'd gotten hit by an errant bolt.

However, she had to admit not being able to fly about like she wanted was boring and dull. The pegasus almost fell asleep listening to the sounds of her boredom.

I hate rain... she thought to herself, starting to doze off. What else is there for me to do but--

The sounds of what could have been anything slapping something wet tickled her ears. Rainbow's ears pricked up, and with her curiosity piqued, she gazed out over the clouds of her home, which today had also been used to create the storm. It was so dark she couldn't see it, but she could have sworn she'd heard it--

The sound replayed again, and this time, the flash of lightning illuminated the ground below. She squinted, but for that instant, she could have sworn she'd seen somepony. The sound grew closer, but was drowned out momentarily by the boom of thunder. The lightning soon flashed again, and this time Rainbow was able to see a certain colt, caked with so much mud he looked like he'd been swimming in it, running along.

"Was that...Az?" She stood up, alarmed, yet not completely surprised by this development. "What's he think he's doin' out here in a storm like this?"
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Azure had changed up his training tactics slightly. Since he was no longer in an obstacle course, he decided to practice just sharp turns and braking. Of course, much like with his attempts to avoid hitting trees, this wasn't exactly getting any easier. The area around him only seemed to be getting darker, and the rain seemed to be falling even harder now. He was pretty sure he could have passed for a pony-sized washcloth if not for the mud splotches all over him, the way he knew he looked.

And the ground becoming even less sturdy was not helping any, either. He had to throw all his weight onto his hooves just to make significant forward progress, and it was a wonder how he'd been able to keep his momentum up this high. The lightning flashed above, and thunder crackled as Azure tried to sharp turn to his left, only to wind up slipping out of the ground and winding up with even more muddy splotches on his left side.

"C'mon..." he grunted, wrestling himself to his feet to try again, running forward, this time trying to brake and go right. This time, he somehow managed to slip and fall straight onto his back. He'd managed to find an especially moist spot. He rolled back to his feet, continuing to grunt encouragement to himself as he continuously attempted, paying no mind to where he was going.

"One more time!" he called out to himself, launching himself forward and preparing to break again. Something in him forced him to look in the direction he was going as he tried to brake left, and lightning flashed. His hooves continued to slide along through the mud, but as that lightning flashed, Azure resisted the natural urge to panic.

He was careening toward a cliffside, and the unicorn was not finding sufficient traction to slow down. Sure enough, he went flying off the edge. Gravity started to assert itself, and Azure chanced to look down just as another brilliant flash of lightning filled his vision.

Even if I slow my descent down, I'll just be trapped down here 'till tommor-- The feeling of his body halting in mid-air unceremoniously jolted him out of his thoughts. What in the-- Something had caught around one of his back legs, stopping his descent. He looked up, and the lightning flashed again. Though it was only for a second, he'd know that mane color anywhere.

"Rainbow Dash?" Azure asked, his voice wavering only slightly from the near-death experience. The mare looked down to him as she began to ascend.

"Are you out of your little pony mind?" Dash asked, fixing him with that all-too familiar stare.

"You sound just like Twilight right now, you know tha--" His sentence couldn't quite finish, for his ascent stopped and he flopped around like a fish as the sudden stop jerked him around.

"Do not give me a reason to drop you," Rainbow responded. He could tell from her tone that she was only half-joking, but deciding to err on the side of caution for a change, Azure opted to spout more sarcasm when he was out of her hooves and back on semi-liquid ground.

However, Rainbow was not content to simply drag him away from the ravine. She continued to fly until they were under the shelter of a large tree. The colt was finally set down on the ground, where he rose to his hooves.

"Thanks, Rainbow," Azure said, breathing in and out just a little to ease the anxiety his near-death experience had caused him. "That might have gotten ugly..."

"What the hay were you doing out here?" She sounded angry. He didn't want to remind her again she sounded like Twilight, since, while they were away from the ravine, he knew that Dash was likely to attack him.

"Oh, you know, just going for a run..." Azure said, sounding as innocent as he could put up with sounding in the situation. However, while Dash wasn't as hard to lie to as Applejack, even the blue pegasus knew when something was up.

"I'm...not buying it." Dash crossed her forelegs while being bipedal, still hovering. The cyan colt could see her Twilight side coming out in full force, but he wasn't about to bring it up again. She was physically capable of smacking him across the face if he did so, so he kept the same look for as long as he could stand to. However, the gears in his head began moving again, and only after this did he get that he wouldn't be walking away from this.

"Alright, fine," he sighed, "The reason I was out in the storm was to practice traction control, since everything was slippery." It was also the reason he was currently blanketed in mud.

That, and I'd be less likely to be interrupted by a water balloon...

The mare's glare eased away after a few seconds, and she landed on the ground at last, standing straight up.

"Why didn't you just say so?" She sounded unusually excited to hear it, but it was so subtle Azure didn't pick up on it until she continued to speak. He couldn't help but notice Rainbow sounded...impressed, in a rare display for her. "I didn't think anypony would actually come outside in a storm like this..."

"So then, why are you out here?" The cyan colt asked, wondering if she was just out enjoying the rain when he'd almost fallen down. For her part, it was literally her being in the right place at the right time.

"I saw you runnin' around from my place." She made a motion to something in the distance. It was only when the lightning flashed that he could see what she was pointing to. From what he got to see of it for that small speck of time, it looked...like some kind of castle.

"Guess I wasn't keeping track of where I was going," Azure was once again reminded of his inability to keep a sense of direction. He began to walk again, intent on finishing his workout. "Well, thanks again for helping me out back there. I'll be sure to keep an eye out this time..."

It took Rainbow Dash a few seconds for her to realize what he was doing.

"Seriously?!" she asked, flying in front of him faster than he could blink. She cut off his path, causing him to stop walking forward and look up to her again. "After what just happened, you're going to keep running in this storm?!"

You really sound just like Twilight, Dash...

"Well, why not?" Azure asked. He wasn't quite sure why Rainbow was so concerned straight away. She was the one that attacked the dragon first, not him. "Just because I almost fell down a ravine isn't an excuse to call it quits. I've got to get out of my comfort zone and push myself further." Just as he finished saying this, he could have sworn the mare was looking at him strangely. Of course, he soon abandoned that train of thought.

Rainbow Dash was easily the most athletic out of the mares he'd befriended. After that incident over at Fluttershy's, Azure had to admit he was starting to get curious. Curious to the point he was about to put a question he'd been thinking about for a while now to her.

"Hey, Rainbow, why don't you join me?"

The mare's expression scrunched up as though confused further by this question. It was clear she did know some limitations.

"You really have a horse shoe loose, don't you?" Right before the lightning lit up the sky again, Dash landed. "I'm like a lightning rod in this storm. I can't fly in these conditions!"

"So don't fly too high..." Azure responded. "You did manage to avoid the lightning when you were saving me from falling, maybe if you stay low, you won't get hit."

The pegasus took up a gesture of thought. He could tell by the gleam in her eyes she was sorely tempted to...

"Fine, I'll play," she said. "But only if I get to pick. Knowing you, you'd probably do something dangerous." He wasn't sure if she meant for him to hear it, but under her breath, she commented, "you rough pony, you..."

"Anything done in this storm would be practice..." Azure noted aloud. "Alright, I'll let you pick, so what do you want to do?"

Rainbow Dash took a few steps forward.

"Let's see..." she took a gesture of thought, lifting off so that her feet were just off the ground. "...how about..." There was that gleam in her eyes again, and she was smiling crookedly, so Azure could guess she was making him wait for--

Her forehoof suddenly pushed forward. Azure braced himself for the inevitable hit. But none came. Confused, he opened his eyes, and got a hoof to the nose for his confusion. It was a gentle tap right on his snout. He fully expected Dash to say "two for flinching", but what she said next left him even more confused.

"Tag," she said, immediately turning around and flying away at an almost purposefully slow pace. "you're it..."

It took forever for Azure to shake off his mental lag following that, and for a few seconds, he swore he felt himself blushing. His feet pounded the slippery ground, and just as he began to catch up to her, Dash increased her speed.

"Hey, get back here!" the colt called out, running forward. It wasn't completely what he'd expected, especially considering Rainbow's nature, but he wasn't about to complain.

Trying to keep up with her in these conditions on its own was going to be a punishing exertion in itself. And by the end of this, he was certain he was going to be completely coated in mud. But it would be worth it. Doubly so if he could make her eat her words for a change.
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Rainbow Dash was initially skeptical about her friend's sanity, but he did sort of make a challenge she found herself, surprisingly, unable to refuse. It had surprised herself that she was willing to put up with the storm just to hang out with a pony that clearly had more screws loose in his head than she thought.

Only after the dragon incident had been resolved did it ever occur to her that she had pulled an Azure and mindlessly attacked something. But hey, that was taking Twilight's terminology, and she was no bookworm.

She heard the wet slapping of hooves against the ground, and sure enough, Azure was having an especially hard time attempting to keep up, yet he was clearly determined to try. Who was he kidding? He didn't know the same magic Crimson knew. Not to mention, she was actually trying a little less. Even having to fly so low, she probably could have outpaced him the whole storm while avoiding becoming a lightning rod.

However, this wasn't to say the sight of the colt running after her covered in mud wasn't just hilarious, it was also--

"C'mon, Az," she taunted, even as the last flash of lightning briefly illuminated the forest again. "You're not even making this a challenge!" It soon became dark, and though she could still hear his hooves hitting the ground, she couldn't make him out except for a darkened shape several yards behind him.

"You know, this isn't exactly fair," Azure complained, though he didn't halt his forward momentum. "I don't have wings...and you do."

Rainbow felt herself smirk. Sure, she shouldn't have to listen to him complaining, and had a majority of a mind to call him out on it, but the colt did have a point. Besides, while she wasn't exactly fond of being ground-bound, she still had quite a bit of running ability to her. She halted, and almost snickered when Azure slid completely past her. She landed on the ground, feeling the water on the ground tickle her hooves only slightly.

"Fine, have it your way," she said. "But you still can't catch me!" To prove her point, she immediately took off at a running speed. It wasn't nearly as fast as her flying speed, but she could still hold her own in a footrace. Though there was one other besides Azure she felt she could compete with...

"We'll see about that!" In all the time she'd known him, the only time Azure had ever indicated any sort of aggression was--well, actually, whenever presented with a clear threat to himself or his friends (usually the latter more than the former), he almost always got aggressive. Well, that and when he had those hilarious arguments with Twilight.

But the aggression that Rainbow heard in his voice as he took off after her was different, and something that, if you had told her he had this side to him at the time she'd met him, she would have quite viciously told you otherwise. When she'd first met him, he literally had no interest in competition, judging from what he'd said.

But now, running in the pouring rain with lightning and thunder above, hearing him shout like that was almost--

Rainbow's ears twitched as she heard the pounding of his hooves stop. Then, she heard a hard "thwack", almost like something heavy bouncing off a tree. She turned her head around just as lightning filled the sky again, just in time to see Azure Courage, hooves outstretched, ready to tag her back.

"Uh-oh!" she gasped, more out of shock than anything. The mare quickly dug her hooves into the ground, managing a sharp turn to her left, managing to get out of the colt's way, leaving him to unceremoniously drop to the ground and slide along. She turned to him, and as soon as he turned to face her, she wanted to laugh. Now his whole chest was covered in mud.

"Nice try, Az," Rainbow taunted, already about to start moving again. "but you ain't going to touch me without my consent."

The lightning flashed above, and the look on Azure's face was priceless.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, clearly not getting it at all. Subconsciously, Dash found herself wondering if this was his "studies".

"Just a joke, Mr. Muddy," Her taunts continued, almost laughing again when Azure's face lit up when she reminded him of how coated he was in wet dirt. "Now, c'mon, you're still 'it'."

"Not for long!" He soon was again, chasing after her. After at least a minute, the sounds of his hooves slapping the wet ground faded. Rainbow kept moving, her hooves already covered in mud, but after noticing this, she eventually stopped, looking around for him.

"Az?" she asked, looking around. Her guard was up, especially when she thought she heard a hoof splash in a puddle. "Oh, I get it. Tryin' to sneak up on me, huh?"

"You could say that," he responded, but the way he echoed made it hard for Rainbow to pinpoint her location. "I was trying to find traction, but I suppose sneaking around in the rain works too..."

Rainbow grinned fiendishly, not that Azure could see it from whereever he was.
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Azure watched his quarry patiently, aiming to tag her while she wasn't looking this time. He had managed to find a way to hide within the foilage, and grinned to himself when he saw he had a straight shot. He could see he was exposed to her, due to the fact he could see her full body, but if he moved fast enough, he'd finally be able to tag her back.

"That's creepy, Az," Rainbow stated, sounding exclusively creeped out among everything else. The colt felt his eye twitch.

"Stop mixing my words!" He yelled, pointing a hoof at her, forgetting in his carelessness he forgot to direct his voice upwards to cause an echo. Rainbow turned to him just as the lightning flashed, and from the look of pure amusement on her face, he knew he'd given himself away. Of course, she was toying with him when she said that...

"Got'cha!" She said, immediately running off again. Azure snorted in frustration.

"Alright then!" he called after her. "I'm not going to play nice anymore..." He began trying his tactic again, chasing after her.

She had noticed he'd stopped following her and slowed down. If he could just get her to do that again, he might be able to tag her, and get her to chase him for a change. Regardless of how many times she teased him in this storm.

With this in mind, Azure realized something else as he continued to set up his hiding spot again. Rainbow had literally played mind games with him there, causing him to snap at her and reveal his position in the process. That was, by all accounts, a tactical error on his part, but if he could just remember to keep his cool and make her lose hers, he could catch her.

"C'mon, this isn't hide and seek, you know!" Dash called out, having come to another stop, annoyed. Azure creeped around, grinning somewhat. He had her right where he wanted her this time.

"True, but you never really laid down any ground rules," He made sure to call out to her, throwing his voice skyward so he'd echo in the storm again.

"Alright, I see what you did there," the blue mare said, moving around a little. "But you aren't gonna catch me."

"You know, I didn't get to say it before," Azure continued his brilliant tactic, moving around in the shadows while managing to keep his voice echoing so she couldn't pinpoint him. "but you're acting an awful lot like Twilight today..."

He managed to find his way into a bush, just as the lightning flashed. Dash looked like she'd slap him if she knew where he was.

"How about you say that to my face, Courage, and I'll show you exactly how much like Twilight I am!" she shouted, clearly having lost her cool on the matter. Azure grinned as he saw the statement worked, and saw no reason to stop the conversation now.

"See, that's the Rainbow Dash I know," he continued to throw his voice, trying to figure out how to get her off-guard from here. If she looked at the bush he was in, she probably wouldn't have been able to see him inside it even if the lightning flashed, but if he moved too soon, he was bound to get seen again.

"If it wasn't so dark, I'd be able to find you by now!"

"Funny, a friend of mine would have been able to pick me out by now..."

"What does that have to do with this?"

"Just making conversation," Azure said, forgetting to throw his voice as thoroughly as he had before. Rainbow Dash turned to his direction and slowly walked to him, though it was clear she wasn't quite sure if he was there. If he moved, he'd definitely be found out now.

Turn around, Rainbow, turn around... thought the unicorn to himself as he began to subtly adjust in the bush. One of his hooves touched a hard object, and he picked it up. After a while, he was able to see what it was. A rock...? Hmm...I think I can make use of this...

He prepared to flick the rock out so she'd turn completely away from her, watching her carefully. Lightning flashed, and Rainbow instinctively turned around behind her to make sure he wasn't sneaking up on her that way. The thunderclap above covered the noise of Azure's forehoof moving. He flicked the rock out, managing not to clip Dash with it. The rock made a small splashing noise in a puddle behind Rainbow, causing her to turn completely around.

"I can hear you movin'!" She said, starting to back away slowly, no doubt preparing to run away should Azure pop out. Well, he was, but not from that direction. However, his tactic didn't work out completely. She was still not quite moving toward where he was.

She's gonna make me work for it... he thought to himself, trying to be quiet as he adjusted in the bushes. Azure had to be extra careful, since she still was moving toward him and the slightest noise would tip her off. The blue pegasus mare continued to back toward him at an angle. He couldn't quite see her except when the lightning flashed, so he was going to have to make an educated guess. However, the lightning flashed again, revealing she was in position. He prepared to reach out for the tag like a leopard about to pounce.

"Looks like I'm gonna win this one, Az..."

The lightning flashed, and Azure made his move, launching forward with a hoof outstretched. He felt his forehoof collide with something firm. Dash barely moved in response, though she gave a surprised gasp. Azure stopped as well, keeping his forehoof where he'd landed it as he spoke up.

"Tag, you're--"

The sentence completely broke off in his mouth. At the proximity he was now at to her, he could quite plainly see what he'd performed was a tag, but where his hoof was caused him to start to blush and he didn't quite know how to react for a few moments. His cyan foreleg was extended, extended perfectly to a spot just behind the cloud with the rainbow lightning bolt; her cutie mark, which now had a small trail of mud going through it where he'd pulled his hoof back somewhat. The lightning flashed again, and he saw that Rainbow Dash was fixing him with a piercing glare and a smirk.

"You perv..." Strangely, she didn't sound as mad as he expected, but still...

Azure flew back faster than he expected to, and landed square on his back, scooting backwards slowly away, already aware he was blushing a bright cherry red at that moment.

"I-i-it--that--it was an accident, I swear!" He was stuttering more than Fluttershy did; he was that nervous. Rainbow began to advance toward him at a painfully slow pace to match his own retreating pace. In all his life, Azure had never been this skittish around another pony. But now here he was, backing away from Rainbow Dash because he'd accidentally gotten a feel for her--

"And here I thought training was all you were interested in..." she casually observed, still with that tone she'd taken with him.

"I-it's not like that!" Azure responded, his face becoming even redder and warmer as his embarassment at what had happened magnified.

"So you aren't into mares?" Her tone changed to playful, but the colt didn't even care about that.

"No--wait, yes, I mean..." All his life, Azure had relied on his talent of making split-second decisions, which had mostly helped him, but there was no way he could think straight in this situation! He was completely flustered and couldn't get his thoughts straight--no wait, his thoughts were definitely straight, but--

"Well then, I'd better get you back for that..." Lightning flashed again, and now Rainbow Dash was ready to pounce. Azure feebly tried to roll over and start running, but it was too late. The two ponies tumbled over each other, but when it was all over, the blue pegasus was definitely on top. Azure was helpless, pinned below a very rough mare.

"Got'cha now..." she giggled. She brought one of her forelegs across the front of his chest. At first, Azure didn't get what she was doing, but as soon as she applied pressure...

SQUEAK!

"Ugh..." Azure gasped.

"Found your squeaker..." Dash said playfully, still pinning him to the ground. Azure threw his head back, convinced he was as red in the face as Big McIntosh right now.

Someone kill me... was all he could think, hearing Rainbow laughing at the whole spectacle. Both of them were now covered in various patches all across their bodies with mud, and both were soaked thoroughly now, dripping with excess water. He continued to look away, thanking all the powers-that-be that it was just the two of them around to witness that spectacle.

Then, something happened. Rainbow Dash's laughter was halted by her own sneeze. Azure immediately snapped out of it. How long had he been chasing her? The colt raised one of his muddy hooves, aiming to push her off if he had to.

"Uh...think we'd better get out of the storm before we both get sick..." The cyan colt suggested, also really wanting Rainbow off of him before she squeaked him again.

"Hmm, guess you got a point," she said, fluttering her way off of him before once again landing on the ground. She rubbed at her own nose. "Now...where are we?"

Azure looked around at this question, and grit his teeth when he realized he hadn't been keeping track of his surroundings like he'd thought he'd been.

"Good question," he said. The colt wasn't sure if it was the fact he'd just had a mare on top of him for accidentally violating her, but he found it awfully hard to think. "Now what?"

"Guess we just gotta keep moving until we find something familiar..." Rainbow immediately took the lead, keeping at a moderate pace, not fast enough to be considered running but not slow enough to be considered a trot. Azure followed, trying to keep pace. It was only when lightning flashed and he saw the mud smear he'd created that he realized he was behind her.

"Hooves to ourselves, now," said the blue mare, as though she were capable of reading his mind. Azure grit his teeth and felt himself blush again. His ear flicked when he realized something else about that accidental touch.

"Uh..." Azure started, sounding uncomfortable. "You...aren't going to tell the others about what happened are you?"

"Maybe..." The pegasus giggled, though the sarcasm was clear. The unicorn nevertheless sighed in slight exasperation. As if the fact she had been teasing him nonstop since he'd accidentally touched her...

It was relatively quiet for the trip back, but two minutes later, the ponies eventually started to see more light breaking through the trees.

"Hey, I think I see something up ahead," Rainbow pointed out. The two continued onward, when another flash of lightning filled them. It was enough for them to see that it was in fact Ponyville they had managed to navigate their way back to. Azure grinned.

"Good, we can get to my house from here," he said, already starting to take the lead. Meanwhile, Dash smiled somewhat. "Let's go..."

"You know," the pegasus continued. The unicorn's ear immediately flicked up. "I don't usually do this on the..."

Azure whipped around just as another lightning bolt went off, throwing an acidic glare her way. Though the light died down immediately afterward, the mare put on the sweetest of smiles and chuckled lightly.

"Alright, alright," she said defensively. "Man, oh man, aren't you ever sensitive..."

Thankfully, Azure's sense of direction had momentarily been shaken free of its rust for the night. The colt managed to find his way home, and unlock his door using the key he'd stored under the mat. Ordinarily, Azure would have wiped his feet, but given the mud was on both him and Dash in large patches, especially following that little wrestle they'd had, he'd figured it would be pointless at this point.

He threw open the door, both ponies immediately stepping inside. The temperature in the home was warmer than outside by a slight amount. Azure didn't know if it was rainwater or mud that was dripping off of his body, but he didn't really care. He needed to warm up the house fast or being inside wouldn't do much good. He began making his way over to the fireplace, taking off his muddy, soaked headband as he went.

"Feels good to be out of that storm..." Rainbow observed, shutting the door behind her. The fire roared to life before Azure, filling him with warmth.

"This should make the place warmer..." he observed, already starting to feel the effects.

"Now, there's just one other problem..." The colt turned to the pegasus mare, who, as he was so reminded, was now coated in mud just like he was. If that wasn't washed off, it would start to smell awful.

"Right...well, um..." Azure found himself floundering about again, but he managed to get control of it, "If you want, you can use my shower..." At first, she didn't seem to believe what he'd said, but a smile lit up her face soon afterward.

"Thanks." Rainbow said. She began trotting towards the bathroom to do just as suggested, but then she turned around. "No peeking..."

Azure merely scoffed and rolled his eyes. She wasn't going to let him live that down anytime soon, was she?

That, and most of the time we're basically naked anyway, so what does it matter? the colt thought to himself. He heard the water start running, and nodded. To help with warming up, he'd have to prepare something while she was in the shower. As he went about his business waiting for his turn, he thought about the circumstances in itself. Good thing nopony was out to see us, that could have started some rumors...
---------------
Rainbow Dash stood in the colt's shower, washing away all traces of mud from her blue coat and rainbow mane and tail. She had to admit, Azure liked to play rough. What he'd done was clearly an accident, but still, the way he reacted to accidentally touching her like that was hilarious. And somewhat cu--

She banished those thoughts from her mind, trying to keep her mind only on washing the clumps of mud from her fur. The hot water allowed her to get warm quick as it ran through, chasing out the moistened soil and rainwater that was in her fur. It didn't take too long for her to get clean, and as soon as she was, she turned the water off.

Much better...I needed that...

The mare managed to get herself somewhat dried off before returning to the area with the fireplace. It had taken her all of ten minutes to get herself cleaned up and dried, but Azure seemed ready with a mug of brown liquid which, judging from its scent, was coffee.

"Here, drink it," he said simply. "I'll go clean up. Hope you didn't use up all the hot water on yourself..."

Dash was too caught off-guard by the offering to refuse or offer her own commentary on the colt's statement. She stared at the mug, blinking. It was coffee, which she barely drank, but under the circumstances, she supposed it couldn't hurt.

"Az..." she mumbled, taking a sip of her drink as he went to the bathroom. "Hm, maybe Rarity was wrong about you..."
---------------
As Azure Courage let the water run over his body, washing away the evidence he was out in the rain, he had plenty of time to think. He was more covered in mud than Rainbow was, and had been outside longer. The colt cleaned himself, thinking about what had happened during the storm.

That was actually a lot of fun... thought the colt to himself. Thought I'd be doing it alone, but I'm glad Rainbow decided to join. Even if it was something as simple as tag.

He remembered the feel he'd accidentally copped while going in for the tag-back.

Though I could have done without the awkward moments...

He finally cleaned the last patches of mud from his fur, and stepped out to dry himself off. Still alone as the storm raged outside, he continued to think.

Though, come to think of it, Rainbow isn't so...playful, when the others are around... Azure thought to himself, recalling not only what had happened during this time, but also when they were over at Fluttershy's on the night of the Shadow Ghouls. He stood still for a few seconds, allowing the clean water to drip from his mane for a few. Best not to worry about it.

Just as he finally chased the last bits of water off of him, a startling thought came into his mind, accompanied by the loud boom of thunder.

Can't expect her to fly home from here with that storm raging above... the pony thought to himself. The realization sunk in, and he blushed slightly. L-looks like I've gotta ask her to stay...and hope she isn't going to tease me...This is Dash you're talking about, Azure...

Azure stepped out of the bathroom, heading back for where he'd left Rainbow, just a little hesitation evident in his step.

Alright, Courage, you can do this. You can do this. You can ask a mare to stay in your home for one night. You can...you c-- He halted, and realized these pep talks weren't exactly going to get him anywhere. D-darn it, just don't faint...

"So, Rainbow, I was thinking..." Azure started as he felt the warmth of the fireplace reach his body again. However, he didn't get to finish when he heard a very loud snore. "...Dash?" He continued to walk, the words breaking off in his mouth.

The mare was already curled up, fast asleep, a drained mug of coffee nearby. She apparently didn't respond to stimulants, or the whole game of tag had left her more worn out than she cared to show. Either way, Rainbow Dash appeared to be sound asleep on the floor. Azure blinked slowly, sighing in relief at his good fortune.

"Guess this makes it easier on me, then..." he said to her. He started to trot for his room, when he stopped, and looked back. The floor was uncomfortable. Though she seemed content to just sleep by the fireplace all night, Azure just couldn't leave it alone. With a sigh, he trotted over to her, and focused magic into his horn, being careful not to wake her up.

I'm sure were the roles reversed, she'd do the same for me... He lifted the mare carefully, quickly moving her from the fireplace to the comfort of his own bed. After placing her down on the bed, she moved the blanket over her, which she moved to accept in an almost blind fashion.

You know, when she's sleeping, she really does look cu-- The cyan colt immediately interrupted his thoughts, and blushed horribly from the thought. --uouch...Guess I'd better sleep on the couch, tonight...

As he took a spare blanket to the room with the fireplace for the night, Azure gave one last look to his bed, and the mare that now occupied it. He gave a smile despite his best efforts to resist doing so.

"Night, Rainbow Dash. Thanks for the help..." he said, though he was aware she couldn't hear him. He went over to the couch, and pulled the covers over himself, using the armrest as a pillow. He only understood why the mare in question fell asleep as he made his attempt.

The exertion of having someone to run with him had in fact made him more tired than he realized after all.
---------------
The storm had halted at some point during the night. The clouds were allowed to disperse, leaving the sky clear in time for the morning sun to rise. The town dripped with fresh rainwater, and there was quite a bit of mess throughout the streets and surrounding areas. The sun continued to rise. At some point early on in the morning, the light came in through Azure's window.

As the sun rose higher and higher into the sky, the rays of light eventually shone on Rainbow Dash's face, causing her to scrunch her face and stir beneath the covers. She tried to regain her sleep, but with a sigh, she began to rise back to her feet, displacing the covers, rubbing at her eyes sleepily.

As soon as she actually opened them, however, she was met with a rather odd sight. She had remembered crashing out on the floor next to the fireplace while Azure had cleaned up in the shower. So why was she here?

"How'd I get...?" she started, quietly, to herself. She noticed there was a sleeping pony, no doubt the owner of the house, snoring softly, on the couch. As soon as she realized what had happened, Rainbow realized she felt her heart rate rise just a little bit. "Az...let me sleep in his bed?"

She began trotting towards him, being careful not to wake him. There was something in the back of the female's head telling her to wake up the unicorn colt, but something else was forcing her to ignore her calling. Eventually, she reached the area directly in front of him, and just looked upon him, thinking about not only the preceding night, but to her days before she moved to Ponyville.

"Jeez, why do I tease him so much...?" Rainbow quietly wondered, more to herself than anything. "I mean, sure, sometimes, it's funny to watch him react to it, but still..." There were other colts in her past, three of which stood out prominently in her memory. They were the most titanic of jerks that Dash could say she had ever encountered. Most others she either didn't get to know too well or were in about the same boat: jerks.

"He's..." Dash started, her volume abnormally low even for Fluttershy's standards, "nice..."

Her eyes stopped on his open mouth, and she found she couldn't move her gaze. The blue mare felt herself start to blush, and almost against her will, she began to move forward.

Oh gosh, what am I doing... The pony thought to herself, unable to stop herself. Her heart was beating faster and louder, her face growing redder and redder. What am I doing, what am I doing whatamIdoing...

Her snout was almost touching his, the air from his nose tickling hers, and try as she might, all Rainbow Dash could do was freak out over what she knew was going to come.

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound of somepony knocking at the door was heard, and Rainbow gave a startled, quiet gasp as she took four steps back from the colt she'd nearly kissed subconsciously. The knocking repeated, and Azure stirred just a little from the noise. Against her better judgment, the mare figured she'd answer the door.

When she opened it, she was met by the bookworm that Azure had been comparing her to all night.

"Good, you're--" Twilight started, stopping short when she noticed it was Rainbow that answered the door. "R-Rainbow...?" The purple mare blinked, before her brows furrowed, clear confusion in her features. "What are you doing here?!"

The cyan mare winced and checked behind her to make sure the male unicorn was still asleep. Then she looked around to make sure nopony else was around.

"Keep it down, Az is still asleep..." Rainbow said as casually as she could in this situation, which wasn't very much. She closed the door, leaving it slightly ajar.

"If he's asleep, then why are you here?" Twilight asked, now seeming even more confused.

"Well, uh..." All of a sudden, Dash found herself unacceptably, incorrigibly sheepish when confronted with the subject. She fought for control over her composure as she tried to relay last night's story. It failed, leaving her cheeks heating up. "I spent the night..."

The unicorn's face blanked out, as though she didn't quite understand what she heard at first. The look on her face was priceless, but Rainbow wasn't really able to laugh in the position she was in, as much as she wanted to.
----------
"You did...what?!"

The sound of a familiar feminine voice admonishing somepony startled Azure, causing him to leap off the couch and land flat on his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He groaned and rubbed at his eyes sleepily with a foreleg as he looked up.

Was that...Twilight...? he thought to himself, shakily getting back to his feet, both from the rude awakening and the impact. He looked over, seeing that Dash had gotten up before he did. Then, he turned to his door, noticing it was slightly ajar. He noticed her, and who else but the purple unicorn, talking outside. Oh, this can't end well...

He walked quickly over to the door, opening it completely and poking his head out.

"Hey, what's going on?" he asked, still sounding like he just got up.

"Apparently," Twilight said heatedly, "I was interrupting something..."

"Interrupting...something...?" Azure responded, not picking up on the cause for her anger straight away. It wasn't until he saw a rather embarassed-looking Rainbow Dash that he finally got it. "Wait, y-you mean...you t-think that we--!" He tried not to blush too, though he felt like he'd gotten slapped for just being in the presence of the cookie jar, never mind actually having a hoof in it.

"What exactly should I think!?" Twilight continued, seeming to be a little too offended by the implications alone. "I come here to ask you for help with the clean up only to find Rainbow Dash spent all night with you..."

Azure sighed. Given the choices, he'd have rather been yelled at again for being reckless than having done something else entirely. So, with that in mind, he looked over to Twilight and began to speak.

"I can explain," The cyan colt said as calmly as he could manage given his previous embarrassment at the accusation. "I was...actually out in the storm after everypony else went inside."

"You went out in that storm?!" Twilight asked. "Ugh, why am I surprised? It's you I'm talking to!"

"Can I finish my story?" Azure asked, slightly indignant that he was interrupted. "I was practicing keeping my traction. The wet ground was essential. Anyway, I didn't watch where I was going carefully. Almost fell down a ravine. However, Dash saved me from falling at the last second."

Twilight seemed to perk up upon hearing this. She glanced to the pegasus, who asserted that the story was true.

"After that, I asked her to join me in this, and she suggested we play tag," Azure's features didn't show it, but he was glad that Dash wasn't about to bring up the accidental grope now. "We played for quite a while, but eventually it got too cold for us and we found our way back to my house first, so we took turns cleaning off the mud."

"Of course, I wasn't about to ask her to go home in weather like that, but she'd already fallen asleep while I was taking my turn, so I just let her sleep." In my bed.

"Oh, I see..." Twilight looked embarassed she'd gone off about that other issue. "Well, um, sorry about that..."

"It's okay," Rainbow responded, looking better now that the purple mare had accepted the truth.

"No harm done," Azure said. Though I am surprised that you'd jump to such a conclusion...

"Well," There was no mistaking she looked slightly hesitant to leave now, "I'll just...go back to helping in the cleanup effort. So um, come help when you can." She trotted off, leaving Azure slightly confused as to what was going through her head. After rubbing a hoof against his mane, he decided to let the subject drop.

"So, hey," Rainbow sounded unusually skittish, which was a first for her, as far as Azure could tell, anyway. He turned to her. "I'm going to go. Thanks for letting me sleep over."

"It was the least I could do after all the help you were," responded Azure, thinking nothing of the mare's emotional fluctuations.

"Yeah, last night was fun," She spread her wings and began to lift off. She kept her eyes on him, and a very familiar competitive grin filled her face. "Let me know if you ever need help again."

"I'll be sure to do that," Azure responded, a warm smile crossing his face. Only now, did he notice that Rainbow's grin changed. It was...strange, coming from her. There was some sort of memory flashing across those reddish-violet eyes of hers.

"And um..." Again, shyness was visible in her demeanor, and she looked discomforted by this fact, patting her front hooves together as though she didn't understand why she was being the way she was. "Thanks."

"For what?" Azure raised a brow, not really knowing what it was he'd done. A feeling of deja vu was starting to surface, but for the life of him, he couldn't place it.

"For..." She seemed almost hesitant to explain it as well. "For being so nice to me. Most of the colts I'd met before were jerks." The cyan colt felt his eyes widen at this. One, that Rainbow Dash had bullies; two, because she never really opened up like this to begin with. "Sure, you're rough around the edges, but you're a nice pony deep down. 'True blue, just like me'..."

He wasn't sure if he imagined the shade of rose on her cheeks before she flew off at top speed, no doubt heading back to her home. He was far too distracted with a more basic truth.

"So...was she only acting like that earlier..." Azure said, more to himself, "because she felt comfortable around me?" Heat tugged at his cheeks as he considered the implications of his statement. "She must not have had many nice ponies back where she'd come from." Subconsciously, he remembered the teasing, and he felt the embarrassment lessen as he looked back up to where he could see a rainbow blur, receding to go back to her home.

"You're welcome, Rainbow..."

With this in mind, he turned around, heading back into his home, to prepare to assist in the clean-up efforts.

Step one: Wash off the mud from this headband.

Author's Note:

So this chapter's "technically" a re-enactment, but since it's just taking place at the same time as Look Before You Sleep, well, it's "original" in its own right.

The whole thing with Rainbow Dash only knowing "jerks" for colts references her foalhood bullies who all happen to be males that are mean. It was sort of a last-second thing, but it fit.

Comments

[Tesla Moon]

Very impressed with this so far I think I'm gonna cry

[Phys]

Azure x dashie? or azure x twi...

Or both...

Or shy

[Nightlight 6]

I wonder who else will fall for him