My Little Pony: The Portal

Chapter 30: By The Lake

Alex heard a knock on his door as he was about to step out. He stretched his arms out a bit, and opened up his door. Rainbow Dash was on the other side.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash. What's up? I thought Twilight wasn't coming for another hour." He said, letting her into his apartment. He looked around for someone else, but was surprised to find that she was alone.

"Yeah, but I figured I'd stop by early, see if you were up. You going on a walk?" She asked.

"I am. Wanna come?"

"Sure! Where're we headed?"

"I was gonna head to a park about 15 minutes away. It's a lot nicer there."

"Let's go." Rainbow Dash said, following him into the car. They buckled up and were quickly on their way.

"How're you doing this morning?" Alex asked.

"I'm good. Feeling a little energetic, I guess."

"Haha, I can tell."

"How are you doing?" She asked him.

"Pretty good. I just wanted to get some fresh Earth air before I trade my hands out for hooves again." Alex said with a chuckled.

"Hahaha, right. Did you enjoy your first days in Equestria though?" She asked hopefully.

"I did. It was fun; you've showed me some very cool places. I look forward to spending more time there." Alex said with a smile.

"Awesome. There's plenty more places to go see." Rainbow Dash said with a grin.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure." Alex said with a chuckle.

Rainbow Dash smiled a bit, sitting back and falling silent. Alex put on some music for the drive, casually humming and singing along a bit quietly as they drove. Rainbow Dash just closed her eyes and listened as they went on their way.

"You're not falling asleep on me, are you?" Alex asked with a chuckle.

"No." Rainbow Dash answered with a scoff.

"Good, 'cause we're here now." Alex said as he pulled into the park area.

They stepped out into a sandy parking lot with lots of trees and wooden tables around. There was no apparent trail nearby from where the car was parked. Rainbow Dash looked around curiously.

"Where are we going?"

"It's just over the hill." Alex gestured her to follow, walking the same direction the car was facing. Rainbow Dash fell in step next to him, and very quickly the trail came into view.

It was a paved sidewalk trail that led around a large lake. The morning sun reflected light off the surface of the water. In the center of the lake stood an island of trees. The trail itself circled around the lake, crossing over a wooden bridge before continuing into the forest.

"Wow, this is...really nice." Rainbow Dash admired the location. Alex nodded in agreement.

"It is. We'll head this way." Alex said, gesturing towards the bridge. She nodded, and all they went.

As they walked, Rainbow Dash could see other people jogging and riding bicycles up and down the trail. Out on the water, she could see one singular boat with a man and a woman inside; they were pedaling it across the water. She turned away from it.

"So...how're you doing?" Rainbow Dash asked slowly and awkwardly, unsure what to say.

"Heheh, fine. How are you?" Alex asked.

"I'm good, you know...? Walking." Rainbow Dash answered with a chuckle.

"Right?" Alex chuckled. "What brings you by? You seem like you want to say something." Alex observed.

"Heheh, is it obvious?" Rainbow Dash asked, scratching the back of her head awkwardly.

"What's up?" Alex asked.

"Um...well... I'm not really sure how to talk about it."

"It's alright, you don't have to. Take your time." Alex said with a reassuring nod.

"Okay... So I was giving a lot of thought, like, a lot of thought to when you first took us in." Rainbow Dash began.

"Mhmm?"

"Yeahhh. When we were all there staying in your apartment, at first I kinda thought that you were annoying and weird." She admitted.

"Understandable, some people get that vibe from me." Alex nodded.

"Yeah, but you're actually...pretty cool, and I like you." Rainbow Dash finally said.

"Aww, thanks. I like you too." Alex said with a smile.

"Uh... I mean, I like you as in...like like you...?" Rainbow Dash tried. Alex seemed to get the point this time, inhaling sharply.

"Oh..." Alex trailed off. Now it was sinking in what Rainbow Dash was really telling him. Her nervousness had built to an all-time high now as she waited for his response.

"I...uh, don't know what to say." Alex admitted slowly.

"I don't know either, heheh... I've never really liked anypony else before, so I don't really know what happens now... Do you like me too...?" Rainbow Dash asked, hoping her question would finally bring out an answer.

The question brought out feelings in Alex that she wasn't able to read; all she could see was that he looked confused and conflicted, unsure what to say. That just made her worry more. Had she made a mistake?

"I...don't think we should date." Alex finally said.

"Oh," Rainbow's heart sank. "I get it..." She nodded slowly.

"It really isn't anything to do with you," Alex tried to save it. "It's just...you know, it's me." Alex trailed off, realizing that nothing he could say would likely help the situation.

"Maybe we should just head back..." Rainbow Dash suggested. Alex nodded quietly.

"Alright, if that's what you want... Twilight should be here soon anyway." Alex pointed out, looking at the time.

The rest of the walk back was extremely tense, uncomfortable, and silent. Rainbow Dash kept sneaking glances at Alex to see what he was thinking, but he just looked upset, almost as upset as she probably looked. The whole thing was a very discouraging experience.

The drive home was pretty much the same. She spent the trip back slumped against the seat with her arms folded. Alex drove silently as well, occasionally looking over as if he was going to say something, but then deciding against it and looking back at the road.

Finally they pulled up to the apartment, and Alex parked the car. Neither of them got out right away, but just waited to see if the other would speak. Finally, Alex did speak.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"Just forget about it." Rainbow Dash said quickly.

"Okay... I'd just disappoint you anyways." Alex remarked strangely.

"Please, just don't." Rainbow Dash said, getting out of the car finally. Alex sighed, and followed after her...