Soarin likes Rainbow Dash and enlists his best friends to get her to go to the Gala with him. Will Rainbow Dash accept?
Soarin had never noticed Rainbow Dash this way until she came to check on him after an intense crash. Now, he can't stop thinking about her. He finds out the Grand Galloping Gala is coming up and enlists his friends to get her to go to the Gala with him. It's not as hard as he thought...
Soarin was ready! They had practiced this routine countless times and he felt confident with his part. Of course, his best friends Orange Breeze, Cloud Blaze, and Dust Storm being in the audience didn't hurt either.
"You're going to be awesome out there, alright?" assured Cloud Blaze. "You got this!"
Soarin nodded, confidently. "I'm going to earn the title of best flyer today for sure!"
Orange Breeze snickered. "Rainbow Dash always gets that," he said.
Dust Storm nudged Orange Breeze. "Dude, we're here to encourage Soarin," he scolded.
An announcer was in a small room behind a window, using a microphone to amplify his voice across the crowd.
On the other side of the entrance, Rainbow Dash's friends were encouraging her.
"Are you ready today, Dashie?" Pinkie Pie asked her with an unhidden excitement.
"Definitely," said an unnerved Rainbow Dash. "You know, you girls don't have to come to all of my performances."
"No way!" Twilight exclaimed. "We're not missing one!"
"Go, Rainbow Dash! Woo!" cheered Pinkie Pie.
Rainbow Dash giggled. "Better get going! See you girls after the show!"
"Good luck!" Twilight said.
"Not gonna need it," Rainbow Dash said.
"Ladies and gentlecolts, may I present the Wonderbolts! My name is Rugged Mountain and I will be your announcer today!"
Soarin stood readily to take off. As soon as the captain Spitfire flew into the air, the rest of the Wonderbolts followed.
"A great turn once again from Misty Fly!" announced Rugged Mountain. "Ooh, loved Fleetfoot's smoke underfly! Nice job, Rainbow Dash! Awesome Speed Zoom trick!"
The performance was going well and Soarin was flying smootly. His friends were shouting words of encouragement from the bleachers.
Then, the exact moment that earned him his embarrassing nickname, Clipper, returned. Soarin accidently brushed past a sharp edge on one of the flagpoles. He yelped and began plummeting towards the ground.
The crowd gasped.
"Oh no, a Wonderbolt's crash! Haven't seen one of these since Crash's first day!" exclaimed Rugged Mountain.
Rainbow Dash shot Rugged Mountain a glare.
Soarin hit the ground with a yell of pain. The only Wonderbolt who was good spirited enough to check on him was none other than Rainbow Dash.
"Soarin!" Rainbow Dash cried. "Are you alright?"
Soarin looked up to see Rainbow Dash and immediately paused. He was in a daze. Since when did Dash ever look so beautiful?
"Soarin? Hello?"
Soarin didn't respond from his daze.
"Hello?"
Still no response.
"Hello?"
This time, Rainbow Dash tried waving her hoof in front of his eyes. Soarin didn't even blink.
Rainbow Dash's friends came onto the field to help as well.
"Oh, wow," Rugged Mountain said. "Sorry, looks like our performance must be cut short! See you next time!"
The crowd groaned in unison and got up to leave.
"My guess is that he has a concussion," Rainbow Dash conncluded.
"We better get going, so somepony can take him to the emergency room," Applejack said.
"Okay," Rainbow Dash said. "Bye, Soarin! Get well soon!"
Rainbow Dash and her friends walked away.
Now, Spitfire, the Wonderbolts captain, had a rule the worst flyer of the day has to clean the compound room.
"Falling for Rainbow Dash," Spitfire said. "Nice. I'm not even gonna make you clean the compound."
After everypony left, Soarin finally snapped out of it.
"What just happened to me?" Soarin asked aloud.
His friends approached him.
"Hey, that was a nasty crash, you okay?" Cloud Blaze asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks," Soarin said, just now realizing how much it hurt.
"You still up for game night tonight?" Dust Storm wondered.
Soarin nodded. "Wouldn't miss it for the world!"
Orange Breeze, Cloud Blaze, and Dust Storm grinned.
"Okay, see you there!" called out Orange Breeze.
His friends left. Soarin rubbed the side of his aching head.
But, as much as the crash pains ached, he couldn't help wonder what Rainbow Dash was doing.
Soarin and his friends were playing Dungeons and Dragons. They were very addicted to the game, especially Soarin, but he just couldn't focus tonight.
"Okay," said Orange Breeze. "What spell would be good for defeating the European Fire Dragon?" Orange Breeze looked at Soarin, narrowing his eyes. "Why are my only spells 'love' or 'crush'? Is 'crush' literal or figurative?"
Soarin realized his mistake. "Oops. Sorry, Orange Breeze..."
"Do you have a concussion? Here, I'll take you to the emergency room," said Cloud Blaze.
"I don't have a concussion!" Soarin exclaimed, angrily.
"Okay, whatever you say," said Dust Storm.
"Now, I'm turning the crush spell to a literal worded spell and taking my chances," Orange Breeze said. "Target number is 10."
"Roll the d20," said Dust Storm, eagerly on the edge of his seat.
Orange Breeze rolled the d20 and got a 6.
"No!!!" exclaimed Orange Breeze. "I just got fried! How many damage points do I take?!"
"Fifty" Cloud Blaze told him. "Sorry, dude, but you're long gone."
"No!!" Orange Breeze cried. "RAGE QUIT!"
"Well, it's kind of hard to rage quit when you're already burnt to a crisp!" said Cloud Blaze.
"Well, then I CRISP QUIT!"
"Okay, your turn, Soarin," Cloud Blaze said.
Soarin was lost in a daydream.
"Soarin!!" exclaimed Dust Storm.
"AHH!!" Soarin yelped.
"It''s your turn, dude," Dust Storm said. "You're so out of it today."
"Yeah," Orange Breeze agreed. "He's been this way ever since..." He realized something. "Ever since Rainbow Dash came to check on him."
Orange Breeze got excited. "Ohhhhh!!! Oh! I get it! You have a crush on Rainbow Dash, don't you?"
"What?!" Soarin felt his cheeks getting burning hot.
All his friends burst out in a laughing fit.
"Guys!!" Soarin scolded.
"Oh, boy," Dust Storm said. "This is just awesome!"
Soarin sighed. "Fine, you got me!"
"It's okay, dude," Orange Breeze said. "We've all been there."
"If you really like Dash, the Gala is coming up," Cloud Blaze said. "You could her ask her on a..." He grinned. "Date."
"Yes, I do," Soarin said. "But, I barely know Dash and she barely knows me! How am I gonna do that?!"
"We'll help you," Cloud Blaze claimed. "Just take it from us."
"There are four trials in this process," Orange Breeze said.
"Trial one," Dust Storm said. "Talking to her. Just getting to know her and her best interests to keep at heart."
"Trial two," Cloud Blaze said. "A trick to lure her in. Something that will trick her into getting her closer to you... but how?"
"I overheard Rainbow Dash in a conversation with her friends earlier," Dust Storm said. "They'll be going to the fair this Thursday. They'll all be riding the new roller coaster: Mountain of Doom. Maybe, you can grab a seat next to her on the coaster and get her wrapping her arms around you."
"Great idea! Let's do it!" Soarin agreed.
"Trial three," Orange Breeze said. "Do something nice for her. You know, give the mare a compliment on her speed or help her carry her saddlebags."
"And trial four is to ask her to the Gala?" Soarin guessed.
His friends nodded.
Soarin gulped. "I don't know if I can do this."
"No worries," Orange Breeze said. "We'll be there to help you every step of the way."
It was the next practice and Soarin was feeling the most nervous he had ever felt before. Today was the day he was supposed to do trial one of asking his crush to the Gala: talk to her.
"It's not too hard to talk to someone," Cloud Blaze encouraged him. "I mean, you talk to us all the time."
"Yeah, well this is different," Soarin said.
"Don't sweat it," Orange Breeze said. "You'll do great!"
Rainbow Dash walked onto the field, confidently.
"There she is!" Dust Storm exclaimed.
Soarin took a deep breath and made his way, awkwardly up to her. He arrived behind her, but she turned to greet Spitfire and discuss the routine.
Soarin had to wait a tiring long time for them to finish. Just after it had seemed years, Spitfire flew away.
"Hi!" Soarin said, rather quickly and loudly.
Rainbow Dash turned to face him and her eyes lit up. "Hey, Soarin! You're feeling better! How are you?"
Soarin's heart thumped loudly in his ears. He started to sweat and his knees buckled. Then, he forgot the English language all at once.
Soarin's friends watched the disaster unfold.
"Ummm," Soarin said.
"Are you okay, Soarin?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Her concerned tone made his ability of speech return. "Heh, uh, yeah. What are your best interests to keep at heart?"
Orange Breeze did a facehoof. "Too direct, dude. Just too direct."
"Well, of course, flying makes me happy as you know," Rainbow Dash replied. "But, I love pranking and my favorite chocolates are those little boxes you can get at the Food Mart."
"Oh! You mean Delicious Devils?" Soarin asked.
Rainbow Dash nodded, eagerly. "Hay, yeah!"
"Actually, this is going pretty smooth," Dust Storm said, interested.
"I love those, too," Soarin said, sincerely. "Especially the filling."
"Best part, for sure!" Rainbow Dash agreed.
Soarin grinned. He knew he was doing well with her.
"You're a really awesome guy," Rainbow Dash told him. "Getting to know you was great."
Soarin's heart pounded in his chest. "Thanks," he said, as coolly as he could.
"We should hang sometime," Rainbow Dash said.
Soarin could only nod. He felt himself begin to blush.
Spitfire's firm, strong voice was heard across the field. "All Wonderbolts in position!"
"Yes, ma'am!" they all said, in unison.
"Come on, Soarin," Rainbow Dash beckoned. "You can fly with me today."
Soarin followed Rainbow Dash to position.
All day, as they practiced, they asked questions, complimented the other's moves, and talked. They got to know a lot about each other. Now, practice was over and the two ponies were talking near the bleachers together.
"Pinkie Pie did WHAT?" Soarin asked.
"It was during a prank war," Rainbow Dash giggled. "I was about to take a shower only to found out there was red food coloring in the shower head!"
They laughed for quite a while.
"Hey, Rainbow!" Twilight greeted, trotting towards them. "You ready to go?"
Rainbow Dash nodded. "Of course! Bye, Soarin! See ya next time!"
Rainbow Dash ran off to join Twilight and they walked off.
Soarin's friends came up to him.
Orange Breeze clapped him on the shoulder. "Dude, you were awesome out there!"
Cloud Blaze nodded, in agreement. "Yeah, you slayed it!"
Soarin grinned. "Thanks, guys."
"Now, the next trial," Dust Storm said. "Tomorrow is Thursday, the day Dash and her friends will be at the fair. That's when you'll ride the Mountain of Doom and get the mare clinging to you."
Soarin took a deep breath. "I think I can do that."
"Oh, dude," Orange Breeze said. "I know you can do that."
Soarin agreed. Rainbow Dash holding onto him did sound like an amazing thought.
Soarin and his friends stood in front of the intimidating fair. It was crowded and screams of joy could be heard from every area of the park.
Soarin swallowed a nervous stream of saliva. "I can't do this! I've never ridden a roller coaster in my life!"
"Then, you start today," said Cloud Blaze. "You can do this! This is what you came for!"
Soarin nodded. "You're right," he said.
Soarin took a deep breath and forced himself into the fair's entrance. He searched for any traces of Rainbow Dash and her friends, but he seemed to be having no luck. He couldn't find them anywhere. He was starting to think this was a lost cause. But, he then heard some familiar voices playing the knock-over bottle game.
"I really want the giant stuffed butterfly," said a voice, timidly. He recognized it as Fluttershy.
He did a silent cheer in his mind as he turned and found Rainbow Dash and her friends surrounding Fluttershy. Fluttershy was playing to try to win the jumbo stuffed butterfly on the top shelf. She really wanted it.
"Give it your best shot," the host said.
Fluttershy focused on the bottles as best she could. She threw the baseball with all her might. She was dismayed to find one of the bottles only wobbled.
"Oh, so close!" the host exclaimed. "Try again!"
Fluttershy took a deep breath and threw the ball a second time. The bottles once more only shook a little from side to side. Fluttershy sighed, in defeat. Did she get to go again?
"Ooh, game over!" cried the host, clearly having fun. "Better luck next time."
"Wait, just let me play again!" begged Fluttershy.
"You gotta pay to play," the host said.
Fluttershy scrambled through her saddlebag. "I don't have any bits left," she finished, sadly. "Can I just play one more time?"
"Nope, sorry," the host said. "And do you know what that means? It means you don't get the butterfly. Too bad, so sad."
The way the host had said it had been hurtful. Tears stung Fluttershy's eyes, as her friends comforted her.
This had also angered Rainbow Dash. She didn't want to see her friend cry.
She slammed a bit down on the table and slid it to the host. "This one's on me."
She had said it firmly. Her friends smiled a bit. They knew she meant business.
The host grinned and gave the ball to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash took the ball and narrowed her eyes.
She focused as best she could on the bottles. She threw the ball and all the bottles came crashing down at once, thus shocking the host.
"A-a-anything from the t-top shelf," the host stammered.
Rainbow Dash grinned and grabbed the butterfly. Rainbow Dash gave the butterfly to Fluttershy who responded embracing Rainbow Dash very happily.
"Thank you! Thank you!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "Oh, thank you so much!"
"Hey, it's what friends do," Rainbow Dash said. "Now, who's up for some Mountain of Doom?!"
Her friends cheered and followed her to the coaster.
All of that had made Soarin like Rainbow Dash even more.
This was his chance. He made his way to Rainbow Dash.
"Soarin? Hey there! I didn't expect to see you at the fair," Rainbow Dash said.
"So, you're riding the coaster?" Soarin asked.
Rainbow Dash nodded. "Totally! Are you?"
Soarin nodded.
"Thing is Rarity and Fluttershy chickened out and Twilight agreed to stay with them. Pinkie Pie already insisted on going with her 'cousin'. So, I have no one to ride with. Wanna go with me?"
Soarin grinned. "I'd love to!" he exclaimed.
They waited in line for what seemed like hours to Soarin. Everypony in the fair seemed to be clamoring for a chance to ride the Mountain of Doom.
Then, finally Soarin took a seat next to Rainbow Dash.
"You ready?" Rainbow Dash asked him.
"Yeah," Soarin said, a smidgen nervously.
"I heard the roller coaster takes off already at a speed of 150 miles per hour and only gets faster as it goes on," Rainbow Dash claimed, eyes shining.
"Say what?" Soarin said.
The roller coaster shot off through the entrance track and Soarin let out a scream. As it began to slowly ascend the coaster, Soarin breathed heavily, his heart pounding from the adrenaline.
"Scared?" Rainbow Dash teased.
Soarin laughed, nervously. "I fear nothing!"
"Soarin, it's just like flying," Rainbow Dash assured him.
"Well, in flying, you control where you go," Soarin said.
Soarin then remembered the plans. "Hey, it's getting pretty high. You might wanna hang onto something."
"You're not supposed to hang onto something. You're supposed to put your hooves in the air!"
"Are you sure we can't fall out?!" Soarin cried.
"Do you think this bar is here for decoration?" Rainbow Dash asked him.
The roller coaster finally paused at the top. When Soarin realized how high he was, he started to hyperventilate.
"Here we go!" Rainbow Dash yelled.
The roller coaster plummeted down. Soarin never stopped screaming the whole way through. Rainbow Dash whooped and laughed endlessly through the entire ride.
After what seemed like an eternity, the roller coaster slowed to a stop.
They got off.
"Did you have fun?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Yes," Soarin lied.
Pinkie Pie and Applejack met with Rainbow Dash.
"That was one wild ride!" Applejack exclaimed. "But, way fun!"
"Oh my gosh! That was the funnest fun ride I've ever been on!" Pinkie Pie squealed.
"Come meet us at the food court when you're done talking with Soarin, alright, sugarcube?" Applejack said.
They walked off and Rainbow Dash waved a goodbye.
"So, you like roller coasters?" Rainbow Dash said. "There's a lot more we can go on together!"
"Uh, game nights take a lot of my time," Soarin said, nervously.
"Oh, I understand," Rainbow Dash replied. "But, riding with you was lots of fun!"
"Yeah, it was!" Soarin said, realizing it had been sincere.
Soarin had been like this all morning. Hiding his face with his hooves.
"It's not a total loss, dude," Orange Breeze comforted. "It worked... in a reverse kind of way."
"It is a total loss," Soarin moaned. "I held onto her and now she probably thinks i'm a scaredy pony."
"No, I think she likes you," Dust Storm said.
"How can you be so sure?" Soarin asked.
"Well, notice how when she talks to others, she has sort of a high-pitched raspy voice," Dust Storm told them. "But when she's around Soarin, it gets more low-pitched."
"It does?" Soarin said.
Rainbow Dash was walking past. "Hey there, guys!" she said in her normal voice. She caught sight of Soarin and her voice immediately dropped a few octaves, making it sound a little flirty. "Hey, Soarin."
She walked away.
"Oh my gosh, that's weird," Soarin claimed.
"You're on trial three," Cloud Blaze said. "Do something nice for her."
Soarin nodded, slowly. He hoped he wouldn’t mess up.
After the practice ended, Soarin saw Rainbow Dash struggling with two heavy looking saddlebags.
Soarin jumped at his chance. "Let me help you with your saddlebags."
"Thank you, Soarin," Rainbow Dash said, relieved. She dumped her saddlebags off on Soarin and trotted away.
Soarin grunted, loudly. The bags felt like he was holding a baby elephant on his back.
"What are in these things?! Rocks?!"
He accidently spilled the bags from their weight and a bunch of rocks fell out of the bags.
Pinkie Pie skipped by, merrily. "Oh, you're taking over Rainbow Dash's delivery to my sister, Maud! Thank you so much!"
She hummed as she walked off.
"Oh, the dramatic coincidences of life," Soarin said.
After finally getting the bags to where they needed to be, he collapsed exhausted on the ground.
"Ugh, I'm beat," Soarin said, breathing hard.
"But, you showed this trial who's boss," Orange Breeze said.
"I did? Yes!"
His friends congratulated him with hoof bumps and encouragement.
"Oh, I'm glad that's over," Soarin said.
"And now that you've done all of that," Cloud Blaze told him. "There's one last trial you need to do."
"Soarin is the dungeon master as always," Orange Breeze said. "My character is a wizard named Golden Arrow."
"My character is also a wizard," Dust Storm replied. "His name is going to be Shaded Moss."
"Shaded Moss, I like it!" exclaimed Cloud Blaze. "But, my character is a rogue and his name is Red Moon."
"A rogue," Orange Breeze said. "Wow, this is going to be interesting."
"Okay, take it away, Soarin!" Dust Storm encouraged.
"Golden Arrow, Shaded Moss, and Red Moon all meet in a dark forest. They creep through quietly, but find they run into a pack of Orcs. They look hungry. What do you guys do?" Soarin asked.
"I'm going it alone!" Cloud Blaze said.
"You rogue," Dust Storm joked. "We need to stick together!"
They laughed and played all night.
Although Soarin could focus as usual, he just felt so happy he finally got Rainbow Dash to go to the Gala with him.
That's where his mistake came in. "The Orcs want to take you to the Gala. Do you accept the invitation?"
"Soarin!" exclaimed Dust Storm. "Are you kidding me?!"
"Oh, they want to take you to their dinner place! Do you fight them off?" Soarin contradicted.
"Dinner place?" Orange Breeze said. "Dude."
"I'm sorry," Soarin said. "I'm just so excited for the Gala in 2 days. I already have my outfit picked out and everything."
"I'm sure you do," Orange Breeze said, with a smile. "You'll have lots of fun. No worries."