You'll Dash and I'll Soar

Falling for You a Little More

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Falling for You a Little More PreviousChapters Next
The next week Rainbow Dash was flying over Ponyville, scolding herself. 
'Why didn't I establish a meeting place with Soarin in Ponyville last week?  Now I have no idea if he is here or not! Sigh, I just hope I can find him.' 
Rainbow Dash lightly landed on a cloud to scan over Ponyville for Soarin.  Suddenly, she felt someone tap her shoulder.
"Wah!" she yelled as she flew upward.
Rainbow looked down to see a chortling Soarin beneath her.  Rainbow Dash quickly came back down, her face red from embarrassment.
"Soarin, you scared me! Er, I mean, I wasn't expecting you to do that," Rainbow recovered.
"Oh, did I?  I thought nothing could get the toughest pony around," Soarin said, as he nudged her gently.
"Well, I'm glad I found you.  Sorry, I forgot to establish a meeting place last time."
"Oh, it's fine.  All I had to was look for the rainbow," Soarin explained, causing Rainbow Dash's cheeks to flush a little.
"Alright, let's see if your synchro flying improved shall we?" Soarin asked.
"Sure," Rainbow Dash said, as she crouched down and spread her wings in preparation of flight.
The two burst into the open sky and Rainbow Dash began to cruise smoothly.  Rainbow started to feel her pegasus sense kick in again as Soarin came closer to her, but she willed herself to keep flying.
"On the count of three, we do a flip.  Ready, one...two..three!" Soarin said, as the two pegasi pulled away from each other and performed a backflip before landing on a cloud.
"Dang Rainbow, you improved a lot in just a week!" Soarin complimented.
"Thanks, always knew I was a fast learner," Rainbow Dash bragged.
Soarin smirked. "Well if you're such a fast learner, then I assume you're ready for a real challenge then."
"Bring it!" Rainbow said with a daring grin.
Soarin reached behind his ear and pulled out a blindfold.
"Where'd you get that?" asked Rainbow Dash, eyeing blindfold suspiciously.
"A Wonderbolt never reveals his secrets." Soarin said, as he tied the blindfold over Rainbow Dash's eyes.
"H-hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Rainbow protested.
"Woah, calm down Dashie!  I thought you wanted a challenge, remember?" he reminded.  "Ok, this time you are going to cruise along again, but I'm going to come up on any side of you, making it harder to control your pegasus sense and putting your skills to the test."
"Easy as pie," Rainbow said, as she tried to lift up her blindfold.
"Hey! You're not allowed to take off your blindfold either," Soarin said as he slid it over her magenta eyes again. 
'Oh well, it was worth a shot.' 
Rainbow Dash cautiously ascended into the sky and began to glide, relying only on her flying experience.  Rainbow began to feel her right wing seize up a little, and knew Soarin was on her right side.  She fought the sensation though, and continued to glide.  Rainbow Dash kept feeling her pegasus sense turn on and off as Soarin flew around her, but she kept herself steady, beads of sweat rolling down her face.  Suddenly, Rainbow felt her pegasus sense surge and she couldn't feel her wings anymore.  The next thing she knew, Rainbow Dash was plummeting towards Equestria, the world pitch black under the blindfold.
"Waaahh!  Soarin, help!" Rainbow Dash screamed, as she tried to get her wings to work again.
"Don't worry Rainbow, I'm coming!" Soarin called to her as he shot after her.  Soarin watched as Rainbow Dash kept falling, fear written all over her face as she kept spiraling down. 
'Almost... there... gotcha!'
Soarin thought as he caught Rainbow in the nick of time and carried her to a cloud in his hooves.  He immediately tore off the blindfold from her eyes and began to inspect her wings for any injuries.  Rainbow Dash's eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the light, before they landed on Soarin massaging her wings gingerly.  Her face lit up on fire and she tried to hide her blush with her hoof.
"Uh...what do you think you're doing?" she asked meekly.
"Massaging your wings.  They seized up because you were straining them so much in order to resist the pegasus sense," Soarin said angrily.
"Oh, sorry.  I didn't mean to make you mad," Rainbow said quietly.
Soarin lifted her chin with his hoof so their eyes met.  "Hey, I'm not mad at you Dashie.  I'm mad at myself.  I was so foolish to introduce you to this exercise when you're so new to synchro flying.  If you had gotten hurt or... or worse, I would've never forgiven myself."
"It's ok, really.  I've been through a lot worse falls than that.  Ask the Ponyville hospital, I practically live there!" Rainbow Dash said, as she stood up and ruffled her feathers.  "Thanks for massaging them, they feel as good as new."
"No problem.  I think that's all the training for today," Soarin said, still silently scolding himself as Rainbow's fear stricken face kept appearing in his mind. 
'How could I have been so stupid!  I've never seen her so scared before, and the fact that she forgave me so easily still surprises me.'
"Hey, you wanna grab some grub at Sugar Cube Corner?  I'm famished." Rainbow said, pointing to her grumbling stomach.
"Uh, sure."
Soarin began to fly towards Sugar Cube Corner, when Rainbow Dash grabbed the end of his tail and pulled him back onto the cloud.
"Ow, hey!  What was that for?" Soarin asked annoyed.
"Don't you know you first gotta race to determine who pays for the meal, fly boy?  First one to that cloud over there doesn't have to spend a single bit," Rainbow explained, flaring her wings.
Soarin gave her a skeptical look. "Are you sure this is a good idea?  You did just almost plummet to your death a few minutes ago."
"Hello, this is Rainbow Dash you're talking to.  Of course this is a good idea!  Plus, I won't be dealing with pegasus sense this time."
"Alright then," Soarin said, crouching down into a starting position.
"Readysetgo!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she streaked towards the cloud, leaving a rainbow trail behind her.
"Hey, no fair!" Soarin yelled as he rocketed after her.
The two pegasi were neck in neck, when Rainbow Dash gave an extra burst of speed and touched down on the cloud first.
"Aw yeah!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she fist pumped the air.  "You know what this means..." she smirked at Soarin, as he landed on the cloud out of breath.  He sighed in defeat. 
'I can't believe I just got beaten by a recruit in a race'
____________________________________
Ka-ching! went the cash register.
"Thanks Mrs. Cake," Soarin said, as he and Rainbow Dash carried an apple pie and a mug of apple cider to a table.
Soarin was about to chow down his apple pie, when he remembered Rainbow Dash's reaction last time, and decided to calmly nibbled at it instead.  Rainbow gave a little sigh of disappointment.
'Aw, I was hoping he would gobble it up again!  Oh well...' Rainbow Dash shrugged as she picked up her mug of cider and glugged it down, before letting out a satisfied "Aah".  Soarin tried to swallow his laughter, but he couldn't help, but let out a snicker.
Rainbow Dash eyed him disapprovingly, "What's so funny?"
"I don't know, Star Swirled the Bearded," snorted Soarin.
Rainbow immediately wiped her muzzle with her hoof, and found it covered with foam.  She tried to look angry at Soarin, but failed at doing so, and ended up joining in his laughter too.
"I guess I love apple cider as much as you love apple pie, huh Soarin," Rainbow Dash chuckled.
"You bet!" Soarin said as he tore into his pie eagerly, not caring how ridiculous he looked anymore.
"Hey guys!  Whatcha up to?" asked Pinkie Pie as she sprung up between them.
"Ahh!  Pinkie, where'd you come from?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
"What do you mean Dashie? I live here, silly!  Hey, who's you're friend?  Oh, is he that wonderbolt stallion that you have a crush on?" blabbed Pinkie Pie.
"Pinkie!  This is Soarin, and I do not have a crush on him," Rainbow Dash said through gritted teeth, her cheeks burning.
"Nice to meet you Pinkie Pie." Soarin greeted, a slight tinge of red on his cheeks as well.
"Sooooo... are you guys on a date?" asked Pinkie Pie, batting her eyelashes innocently.
"What?! No!  Soarin and I are just having lunch, that's all," Rainbow Dash explained, her cheeks growing redder.
"If you say so Dashie!  It looks an awful lot like date though."
"No, Dash is right.  We're just out for a friendly meal," Soarin agreed, his face still red.
Just then the bell by the door rang as Rarity waltzed into Sugar Cube Corner.
"Oh, there you are Pinkie Pie!  I was looking for you everywhere and- oh! Hello Rainbow
Dash, you didn't mention that you were on a date with Soarin!"  Rarity said delightedly.
Rainbow Dash face hoofed.  "Why does everypony think that we're on a date?"
"Why, it's because you never eat alone with stallions!  You do look a little underdressed for the occasion though.  Do come to me first next time, darling, as I am an expert in these things."
"Ug, why do I even bother.  C'mon Soarin, let's go," Rainbow muttered before flying out the door.
"Nice meeting you ladies, but I should be going too," Soarin said awkwardly before following Rainbow out the door.
Pinkie Pie and Rarity looked at each other and started a giggle fit.
"Oh, when will they open their eyes and see the truth?" sighed Rarity.
"What do you mean, Rarity?  Their eyes are always open!  Otherwise they would be crashing into things like that wall, or that table, or each
other!"  reasoned Pinkie Pie.
Rarity rolled her eyes dramatically.
____________________________________
"Rainbow Dash, wait up!" called Soarin as he flew after her.
Rainbow slowed down, and waited for Soarin to catch up to her.
"Sorry about all that, my friends have been bugging me about that stuff forever," Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.
"It's fine.  Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and Surprise are doing the exact same thing to me right now too," Soarin chuckled.
Rainbow Dash laughed along.  "I guess all friends are the same, huh."
Soarin smiled.  "They sure are."
"Hey Rainbow Dash!" hollered a voice from below.
Rainbow looked down to see an orange filly on a scooter looking up at her with a big grin.
"Scootaloo!" Rainbow said as she fluttered down to meet her.
"How are ya doin squirt?" Rainbow asked while giving Scootaloo a noogie.
"Awesome as always!  Who's the stallion that's with you?  Is he your coltfriend?" Scootaloo asked, turning her attention to the iceberg blue stallion.
"What?! No!  That's Soarin, the Wonderbolt!" Rainbow said flustered.
Scootaloo's eyes grew twice the size and she zoomed over to where he was standing.
"You're the Soarin from the Wonderbolts!  Oh my gosh!  That is sooooo cool!  What are you doing here if you're not on a date with the most
awesome mare in Equestria then?" Scootaloo asked while bouncing up and down.
Soarin chuckled.  "Woah there kid, I'm just here to help train Rainbow Dash."
"What?!  Rainbow, why didn't you tell me about this?!  You know I'm a big fan of the Wonderbolts too!" Scootaloo whined.
"Sorry squirt, just have been busy with the weather patrol and training," Rainbow explained.
"So what's your name?" Soarin asked the filly who has gone into fan-girl mode.
"I'm Scootaloo!  I'm such a big fan of you guys, especially you Soarin!  Not as big as a fan of Rainbow Dash though, but close!"
"So you're Rainbow's number one fan, huh?" Soarin smirked.
"Oh yeah!  I even started the Rainbow Dash fan club!  I'm even her sister!  Hey, do you wanna join?" Scootaloo asked with hopeful eyes.
"Sure?  I mean, she is the most awesome mare in Equestria isn't she?" Soarin agreed, causing Dash to blush slightly.
"Yeah she is! Woohoo!  Now we have a Wonderbolt part of our club!" Scootaloo said as she spun around on her scooter.  "When I grow up, I want to be just like you!"
"I'm sure you'll make a great wonderbolt, kid," Soarin assured her.
Scootaloo stopped spinning around and screeched to a halt.
"Actually, I can't really fly..." she said quietly while staring at the ground.
Rainbow face hoofed. Great job Soarin!
Soarin looked confused at first, but something clicked in his mind as he looked at her wings, and he wrapped a comforting hoof around Scootaloo's neck.
"Hey kid, just because you may not be able to fly yet, that doesn't mean your dreams can't take off," Soarin told her.  "I've seen your moves on that scooter.  Heck, I bet you're better than me on that thing!  I'm not saying that you'll never fly, I know you will someday, but for now focus on your own talents that make you who you are, not just some other random pegasus."
"Th-thanks Soarin..." Scootaloo said before hugging him.
Soarin's eyes widened in surprise, before hugging her back.  Scootaloo released the hug, her face full of determination.
"I have some dreams that need to take flight!" Scootaloo said before scootering away.
"That was a close one.  Scootaloo's wings are a touchy subject..." Rainbow said coming up next to him.
"So she's your sister, huh?" Soarin asked.
"Scoots?  No, not in blood.  I kinda adopted her as my sister because she was looking for companionship," Rainbow explained.
That's very nice of you, Dashie.  I wouldn't have been surprised if she really was your sister, as she's an awful lot like somepony I know..." Soarin said cheekily.
Rainbow playfully shoved him.  "Well she did learn from the best."
Soarin chuckled.  "I really enjoyed meeting Scootaloo today and hanging out with you, but I have to get back to headquarters now before Spitfire skins my hide!"
Rainbow laughed.  "Alright fine.  See ya next week, fly boy!"
"See ya!" Soarin called, before flying towards Cloudsdale.
____________________________________

Back at her cloud dominium, Rainbow Dash was sprawled on her bed with Tank by her side, providing consolation for her.
"Ugh, Tank, why do I feel this way around him?  And why does he always go out of his way for me?  And he so good with Scootaloo, encouraging her to never give up on her dreams.  And he keeps complimenting me?!  He's just doing it as a friend, right?  I mean, my friends can't possibly be right about the whole crush thing, right? Right?!"  Rainbow said as she shook Tank.
Tank just gave her a slow nod.
"So, are you saying yes my friends are right, or yes my friends or wrong?  Ugh, why do tortoises have to give such ambiguous answers!"  Rainbow Dash complained as she collapsed back down onto her bed. 
Tank just smiled slowly.
Rainbow sighed.  "Thanks for listening to me Tank, I am totally overreacting right now, aren't I?  Oh well, goodnight buddy."
Rainbow Dash covered herself and Tank with her blanket and drifted off to sleep, the two snoring soundly in harmony.
____________________________________

Back at his house, Soarin threw his wonderbolt goggles onto his bed before flopping onto it as well.
'Ugh, why do I always feel this way around her?!  We're just friends, right?  And why does she have to be so darn cute in everything she does! 
Could Spitfire and Fleetfoot be right?  Could I really have a crush on her?  And could she, maybe, like me back too?  I mean, she's different than all the other mares I met.  Yes, sometimes she has those cute fangirling moments, but I feel like I can communicate with her as just Soarin, and not a famous wonderbolt. C'mon Soar, this is Rainbow Dash we're talking about!  She's too cool for love, and would probably reject me immediately if I tried. '
Soarin sighed as he rolled over to one side.
'This is too much for me to think about.  I just got to concentrate on her training right now.'
He closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep into pie-filled dreams.