The sun peaked over Ponyville on one fine morning. The rays of light banished the shadows of the previous night, awakening those from their slumber to the land of the living. On the bare outskirts of the town, local wildlife began to sound and add to the chorus of mornings events. It was starting to appear that the day would proceed in a fine and wonderful fashion for all involved - until one specific pegasus awoke in her cloudhouse. This pegasus, a mare of fine reputation and excellent loyalty, was named Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash was well known in Ponyville for her willingness to help a friend in need. Indeed, on this specific and present fine morning, she had priorly accepted to assist her friend Fluttershy with a very specific assignment. For Fluttershy, as a docile and gentle pegasus mare, was sometimes incapable of assigning herself to the dangers of the everfree forest. Rainbow Dash would quite often make up for her inability to traverse the scariness of the Everfree out of genuine loyalty and concern for her friend. Thus it was on this fine morning, at this present hour, at this present minute, that her eyes did open and she felt a surge of-
“Auuugh!” cried the pegasus mare in dismay. “It’s too early!”
-a surge of incredible laziness that did forsook her willingness to assist her friend. Unbeknownst to the now-sleeping pegasus, hours passed. Many hours, in fact. So many hours that Fluttershy - timid as she is - decided to undertake her mission on her own. Unfortunately, this led to a series of unfortunate events that would lead Rainbow on her most perilous rescue mission yet.
Rainbow awoke with a start. She was breathing quite heavily, her cerulean coat soaked with perspiration. She was having the most fantastic dream about Soarin. They had been flying together, and then afterward watched a sunset, and then-
“RAINBOW DASH, I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE!”
To Rainbow’s utter shock the dream was quickly fading from her conscious mind. The cause of this deprivation of dream material was quite obvious. The pegasus mare quickly pushed two clouds into her ear canals, thereby relishing in the complete and utter silence that engulfed her. She could just barely grasp onto the dream. Her eyes were heavy. She slipped back into her dream.
*~~*~~*
Soarin was right in front of her, his majestic emerald green eyes lustfully gazing back into hers. His lips, just minutes before releasing words of promises, now were closed to enact them. To her surprise, he began to lean close to her, and she felt butterflies within her stomach. All thoughts pertaining to the bewilderment concerning her luck now gone, her instincts took over and she began to lean forward and her eyes closing as she released herself to the progression of events. Their lips met, and sparks began to fly as passion erupted. It was then she began to taste something quite familiar. Her eyes swiftly opened.
Her snout was pressed against Twilight Sparkles. Their eyes were locked. Surprised filled both faces. Then Twilight screamed something despite the snouts interlocking.
“RAFMPBOW ASH AKE UP!”
*~~*~~*
Rainbow Dash yelled, “I’m awake!”, before instantly zipping out the cloudhouse. She quickly saw Princess Twilight Sparkle down on the field below. A slight blush appeared on her cheeks as she recalled the dream. She felt confused feelings, almost to the point of flying back into her cloudhouse, when Twilight stomped her forehooves on the ground.
“Rainbow Dash, where have you been?!”
“I uh-” Rainbow found it hard to concentrate as she descended, avoiding the Alicorns gaze with every possible technique known to ponykind - namely that of avoiding eye contact. “I’m, um, uh..”
“Are you okay Rainbow?” Twilight inquired, genuinely concerned for her friend. She reached out a hoof and to her surprise watched as Dash took a few steps back.
Twilight blinked, confusion still apparent. “Fluttershy is missing,” she said nonchalantly, completely bewildered by her friends refusal of social interaction.
“FLUTTERSHY?! OH CELESTIA I FORGOT!”
Quick as lightning, Rainbow was off. Then, a few seconds later, she was back. Twilights expression was not of amusement. She rolled her eyes, pointing in the direction of the Everfree. “That way,” Twilight said in monotone. She then chanced a gaze upward towards her hovering friend, noticing how stiff her wings appeared to be and how she struggled to maintain her height. “Wait, Rainbow, do you have a w-”
“CANTTALKOKAYBYENOW!”
Rainbow quickly extracted herself from the completely embarrassing situation, leaving a dumbfounded Twilight to gaze onward in complete bewilderment of what had transpired. Then, she began to think, piecing things together that a pony shouldn’t be able to. She placed a hoof to her chin. Her eyes then widened in realization. A tinge of pink appeared on her cheeks.
Upon entering the general vicinity of the Everfree Forest, Rainbow Dash was forced to land. Her wings were experiencing a prolonged period of rigidness, thus negating her ability to fly. Until such time as she was able to properly recuperate from the previous dream - both mentally and physically - she would be stuck on all fours. It was then that she enacted her best tactic for finding anypony who was every lost in the history of the world. She called out her name.
“FLUTTERSHY!”
Her voice echoed, the local wildlife silent for a period of two seconds before erupting again in their chorus of mating calls. She blamed Fluttershy for her knowledge of that and for the fact it did nothing to ease her present condition. Rainbow tried again.
“FLUTTERSHY! WHERE ARE YOU?!”
Again a period of two seconds elapsed before the the chorus of wildlife resumed. The pegasus mare groaned, deciding her best tactic of finding her friend had failed. Rainbow then proceeded to trot forward at an eager pace, ears flattened against her head in a desperate attempt to drown out the organic ambience. She was thereafter halted in her hoof-steps as something hard impacted the side of her head with a loud THUNK.
“OW! Hey!” Rainbow glared around for her assailant, only finding a large rock that looked eerily familiar. Grumbling at her inability to figure anything out, she continued on her way - or tried to.
THUNK
“Ow! By Celestia and Horseapples!” screamed Rainbow as she began to turn in a circle, anger across her face. “Come out, you pansies! Afraid to face a mar-”
THUNK
The resulting impact of the very hard object against her skull caused the pegasus mare to trip over a rock in the ground, emitting an exasperated groan after she impacted. Her eyesight was, by chance, aimed at the large rock. she made out what appeared to be a large set of sunglasses on the top of the rocks structure. It was then she made out the impossible sight of a rock - or pebble - being thrown by some unnatural force at her.
THUNK
Rainbow Dash subsequently passed out from a concussion resulting from too many impacts to the head. It would have been quite normal for her had it not been coming from an inanimate object. Minutes later, two squirrels appeared from behind the oddly familiar rock with excellent shades. They then gave each other a high five.
When Rainbow awoke, it was nighttime. The moon had a fantastic place in on the horizon and, as the mare observed, it filled nearly half of it. She understood very well the science behind refraction and conditions involved for such an event, but nevertheless she still felt awe. Oddly enough - upon remembering prior events - she felt no headache. The moon was bright enough to illuminate her surroundings, and she quickly made out the rock from earlier. It did not have the shades she had observed previously.
Cautiously she stood, wobbling for but a second, before realizing that she could once again move her wings. She squealed in excitement, happy to be able to fly again, before becoming extremely disheartened. She had not been able to find her friend. Her eyes downcast, she felt an overwhelming sense of guilt overtake her.
“Hello my little pony,” greeted a voice to her side. It was very familiar and, to her surprise, very motherly.
Rainbow looked up, “Princess Luna?”
The Princess of the Night had somehow managed to appear undetected. It was not a surprise to the pegasus mare, but what was the surprise was how caring her expression was - and how the alicorns eyes bore into her own. Rainbow could not maintain eye contact for long. Luna stopped just a few hoofsteps from her, leaning down to nuzzle gently.
“Feeling guilty, are we?”
“Yes Princess,” Rainbow said. Tears began to form in her eyes.
“Do tell us why,” Luna gently inquired.
Rainbow sighed. She finally managed the courage to look up at the Princess - albeit from the corner of her eyes. “I overslept, and-” she choked on her words, sniffling, before drawing a hoof over them “-and I lost my friend Fluttershy! I failed her!”
She could have mentioned the rock, but that would have been weird. Not to mention that it was an excuse. Nevertheless, the Princess of the Night seemed to take pity of the Element of Loyalty, granting another nuzzle before saying, “There, there,” in an attempt at comfort. After a few moments, Rainbow stopped crying, her sniffles dying down. She glanced up at the Princess like a lost puppy. Luna smiled back.
“What have you learned, my little pony?”
Rainbow sniffled, looking down. “To keep my promises, no matter how I feel. I promise to never oversleep again.”
“Good,” Luna said, comfort in her voice. “Now, wake up Rainbow Dash!”
“Wait wh-”
“RAINBOW DASH!”
Rainbow gazed up, bewildered. The voice that came from the Princess of the Night was none other than that of Twilight Sparkle. She caught a wink coming from the Princess before, once again, her name was called. Her mouth hung open. Past events until present weighing heavily upon her.
Rainbow Dash awoke with a start, hearing Twilight call her name a second time. She quickly flew from her bed, out of her cloud home, then to the ground. She landed beside Twilight Sparkle and, to her amazement, Fluttershy. Both of her friends smiled joyfully at her.
“Oh I’m so excited!” Fluttershy said with a shriek of glee.
Rainbow rolled her eyes, chuckling. It did not surprise her in the least that her yellow pegasus friend was excited to see the petals of a mystical flower open. In fact, had it not been for Fluttershy begging her the day before about how important this was for her, she wouldn’t have woke up. Then again, something else caused her to wake up, something scratching at her consciousness. Something about Luna and Twilight and To-
“Thank you Rainbow,” Twilight said from her side. “I’m very happy you could join all of us this early in the morning.”
“Psshaww, it was nothing!” proclaimed Rainbow as she waved a hoof. “I’d do anything for my friends! Especially keeping promises!”