The Fate of Two Hearts

"Are you sure you want to practice out here?"

"Yeah, Ruby", Cloud replied, "It's too early in the morning to do it where I usually do."

"What do you need us for?" asked a small cream-colored filly.

"Somepony's gotta catch me, Cutie Pie."

"Yeah", Sugar agreed, "I can't fly and Mind Fracture is at that tournament thing."

"Ah, that makes sense."

"Yeah."

The four ponies watched the sunlight climb down the walls of the canyon. Cloud's runway was already set, but he wasn't ready to take off yet. He sat on the northern edge of town and watched the morning come. "It's been a while huh?"

Ruby Rose nodded. "Everypony started to think that you gave up."

"Ha! As if!" Cloud laughed. "I'm going to do it, or die trying!"

"Do you remember what to do?"

"You bet!"

They fell silent again while they waited for Cloud to make up his mind about leaving the plateau's edge. She might not have been one of his closest friends, but Ruby did know that something was bothering the colt more than anything else had before. She was hesitant to ask, unsure of if he would even tell her, and nervous of the mint mare sitting beside her. She scooted closer to him inconspicuously. It was too bad her coat was as white as snow, because her blush shown clearly across her whole face. "Uh…is something wrong, Cloud?"

C

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was getting ready to take off herself. She waited for the sun to bounce off of the mountain side of the range to light up Ponyville before taking flight. Her bloodshot eyes were clear indicators of her sleepless night. She rubbed her face in some attempt to wake herself up for the task ahead. Rainbow wished she could get at least a small nap in, but was way too worried about her and Cloud to even blink properly.

"More coffee?"

Rainbow looked around to see Rarity holding out the pot of caffeinated liquid. She shook her head. "It's not really helping, Rarity."

"I suppose not", Rarity replied, "It can only help so much with no sleep."

"Mmhmm."

"Do you know what you're going to say?"

Rainbow shook her head again. "I know I'm going to say 'sorry' a lot."

"I wish I could come with you, maybe I could explain that we have settled our differences…"

"If I can't pull this off, you won't have too…" Rainbow accepted the comforting hug Rarity gave her. It wasn't everyday she had a huge performance to fly into, and this was the biggest one of her life. A little support was needed to keep her nerves from fraying more than they already were. She pushed herself up from Rarity's kitchen table. "Better get going…"

"Good luck, Rainbow Dash."

"Thanks."

Rarity walked with the Pegasus to the back door. Rainbow opened her wings uneasily. Her racing heart didn't mix well with the caffeine of the coffee, making her jittery and depressed at the same time. She wordlessly took off. Rarity watched from the door until she could no longer see the rainbow tail of her friend against the pink sky. She emptied her lungs with a sigh. The weight of her guilt still bore down on her. If Rainbow couldn't patch things up with Cloud, Rarity feared that it would crush her into a fine paste.

Rainbow Dash usually found endless enjoyment when she flew, especially when her destination was Canyon Run. However, this was no leisure flight. She was flying head first into what would either be the best or worst day of her life. She let the cool air currents pull her down into an accelerating dive since she couldn't find the strength to flap her wings any harder than as to just stay aloft. Absently she let her mind wander to the night before, fueling her tear ducts to threaten her eyes with tears.

The reverie of seeing the furious look stuck to Cloud's face blinded her from the surrounding obstacles, namely the tops of the trees she was flying right for! "Whoa!" She dodged left to avoid the first tree, and then shot up to miss the second. She stopped to idle and catch her breath.

"This is harder than I thought", she said to herself, "I'm so going to crash and burn…"

She looked onward to the eastern horizon. Through the blazing sunrise she could just see where the earth parted in the canyon that housed the colt she was hoping to see. Most of her wanted to fly as fast as she could to it, while the other parts didn't want to ever go back again. It was strange; she had never ever been afraid of anypony in her life and now one colt had her more terrified than she had ever been in her whole life. "Ugh, I really don't feel so good." Rainbow held her heart and stomach, wondering which hurt more.

She fought through it, knowing there was way more at stake than a fluttery heart and upset stomach. The rate at which she was now flying would take her about an hour to reach Canyon Run. She knew the longer she took the worse it would be, but she couldn't at all move as fast as she wanted. Fortunately she was high enough to go into a glide, which was moderately faster than sluggish fluttering. She was sure that even Fluttershy could outfly her at this rate!

Canyon Run was finally below her after ten grievous minutes. Standing on the high wall, she saw the town down below her, only barely awake. Maybe only one or two ponies were out and about. Cloud's home stood dark against the far wall where the sun had yet to light it up. She gulped. Something about the way it looked now didn't set right with her already blending emotions, adding fear to the mix too. It loomed ominously over the town, providing the cyan mare with plenty of paranoia about what lay in store for her behind the dry, sandy walls.

Holding the deepest breath she possibly could to dispel the fear plaguing her, Rainbow Dash set out for the giant building. The updrafts made it easy on her weakened wings to get her across the plateau to the opposite wall. She landed shakily. The mailbox bearing Cloud's name reminded her of the countless times she visited on good terms. Now instead of a sign that she was going to see the stallion she had come to love so much, it was a foreboding omen of unknown things to come.

When Rainbow Dash finally made it to the door, she could do nothing more than stare at it as if making contact would suck her soul out through her hoof. Now that she finally had gotten to the door, the last molecule of courage evaporated from her being. "Is this what hopelessness feels like? Is this the opposite of awesome?"

"Probably."

"Aipe!" Rainbow Dash yelped. She landed on the sides of her hooves and hit the ground. She looked up to see Cirrus looking down at her. Turning over, she found that the older mare's smile was actually a deep frown.

"Cloud's not here", she said, "He didn't come home last night."

"What?" Rainbow gasped.

Cirrus nodded. "That's right."

"W-where?"

"Do you think we would tell you?" Sprinkle asked from her mother's back.

Rainbow recoiled. She dropped to her flank. "P-please…"

Cirrus exchanged a sympathetic glance with her daughter. Sprinkle shook her head. "No, Mama."

"Are you sure, Breezy?" Cirrus nodded down to the heap of crying Rainbow Dash at her hooves. "She looks pretty sorry to me."

Sprinkle glared at the crying Pegasus. "Crocodile tears, Mama."

Cirrus knew it wasn't true. She had been a young pony once too, and knew exactly what fake tears looked like. "Sprinkle, go inside. I'll be in soon, okay?"

Sprinkle would have objected, but knew better than to disobey her mother. She hopped down from her mother and disappeared into her home. Cirrus waited for Rainbow to stop crying, which took a little longer than she first thought. Once the worst of it was over, Rainbow Dash's tear filled convulsions slowly crawled to a stop. Keeping her eyes on the ground, she stood up.

"Rainbow Dash", Cirrus said sternly.

"Yes, ma'am", Rainbow replied timidly.

Cirrus smiled at her advantage. "Do you love my son?"

The younger Pegasus nodded. "Yes."

Seeing no indications of rushing blood to Rainbow's face, Cirrus continued. "Do you really mean that."

Rainbow nodded again.

"I don't believe that."

Rainbow looked up to see that Cirrus wasn't lying. "W-what, why?"

"Because you are not the Rainbow Dash HE loves!"

Now embarrassed, Rainbow stared at the Cloudsdale Snow and Hale Department foremare in confusion. "What?"

"Exactly", Cirrus snapped, "The Rainbow Dash he knows is the Best Flyer in Equestria. She doesn't get nervous or scared. She just stays awesome!"

"Hey", Rainbow retorted, "I'm the same Rainbow Dash. I am awesome!"

"Not from where I stand!" Cirrus shouted, "You're acting just like every other preppy mare after him! Weak and unwilling to go head first into the storm!"

"I'll fly right into a fire for him!" Rainbow yelled, standing on the very tips of her hooves to get even with Cloud's tall mother.

"Then you better prove it", Cirrus laughed, "He's flying at North Peak at the northern most part of town. He's got a couple of friends with him and I know for a fact that one likes him!"

That final spark ignited the powder keg that was Rainbow's temper. "Oh no she doesn't!"

Cirrus watched in admiration her work fly away. Rainbow arrived puny and unsure and was now set ablaze with confidence and determination. She streamed off for the top of the canyon, leaving Cirrus to brace herself against the release of low pressure in the sonic shockwave.

Rainbow Dash was only in the air for ten seconds before she saw where Cloud was practicing whatever it was he was practicing. She grabbed a small cloud to hide behind to get a better look. She saw him take a running start from the plateau and shoot off toward the north end of the canyon. And boy was he booking it. He was flying faster than she had ever seen him before! "What is he doing?"

Her question was answered when he hit a wall of slow moving air and bounced backwards through his path. He rolled through the air until a white Pegasus with a maroon and black mane and tail caught him and held him up until he regained his posture and could fly by himself. "He's trying to do a Sonic Rainboom?"

"Alright, Chief", the Pegasus said, "That's another one down. Tell me about her."

Rainbow Dash drifted right over head to better hear what Cloud had to say about her. "Alright, alright", he heard him say, "She pretty much is the most selfish and rude pony I know. Ever since I met her she was always trying to keep me for herself. You know how I feel about that."

"Yeah, after what happened with Fox Trot I'm surprised you didn't snap on her right off the sword."

"Bat", corrected Cutie Pie.

"Ugh, whatever!"

"So what else?"

"Well, Ruby, it got so bad that she practically destroyed last night. It took me some time to figure it out, but I really don't like her now."

Rainbow Dash had her fill. She hadn't thought about how clingy and possessive she was of him before he said something. Was she really that bad? From what Cloud said down below she was just downright horrible. When she was sure they weren't looking she shot away in tears refreshing the crusty paths that they previously made. Now that her life was thoroughly over, Rainbow had no place in mind to go; she just wanted to get as far away from Cloud as she could.

Unknowing of the recently departed Pegasus, Ruby continued the conversation. "So what about the other girl, Rainbow Dash?"

Cloud blushed. "Rainbow Dash is the best pony I have ever met. I was a little mad at her about last night, but not as much as Rarity. I really need to go apologize…but I don't really know if she'll want to see me…"

Before any more questions could be asked, he took off in another attempt to break the sound barrier while at the other end of town the very mare to whom he was referring was busy trying to tear the shingles from every building in Canyon Run. Rainbow flew faster with every pout and flap of her wings, zipping by other Pegasi and nearly grounding a flock of migrating geese with her tailwind. Everypony who looked up only caught a glimpse of her rainbow Tail Streak fade away.

She kept speeding along even after she left the southernmost part of the town. She didn't see the two junior Pegasi practicing new tricks right in her direct line of flight with the tears blurring her vision. She flew right in between them, missing Gale by an ear's length. The resulting wind nearly knocked them both right out of the sky.

"Hey, watch where you're flying, skyhog!" Gale screamed at the shrinking mare.

"…Wasn't that Rainbow Dash?" Gust asked.

"Say, I think it was."

"Is she headed—?"

"To Drop Point?"

"Oh no", they said in unison, "We have to go tell Cloud right now!"

"Indeed!"

The twins shot for where their brother was practicing his skills. They used a combined corkscrew maneuver to boost their speed to way beyond what either of them could achieve alone. The two were hoping to use it in a demonstration, but this was a matter of life and death. Gust, while he was rotating inward noticed that Gale wasn't spinning in the corkscrew.

"Gale, I know this is hardly the time, but might I suggest you put your ego aside and actually try to improve our acceleration!" The brother pretended not to hear, prompting Gust to use a little persuasion. "You do know that should anything become Rainbow Dash, our flanks are next, right?"

That was just the kick in reality Gale needed to pick up the pace for the pair of them to really get moving through the sky. The ponies wandering around the ground below that had just recovered from the hurricane-force winds once again had to hold on for dear life once more against the tornado-force winds generated by the moving cyclone going in the opposite direction.

"Cloud, Cloud, Cloud!" they yelled upon arrival to North Peak.

The four ponies sitting at the edge of the ground turned to see Gale and Gust crash and come to a rolling stop right in front of them. Gale scrambled to his hooves first. Sugar and Cloud saw that there was something clearly wrong going on.

"We just saw—"

"Rainbow Dash flying to—"

"Drop Point!"

"What!?" Cloud exclaimed. "Are you sure?! Wait, never mind. Go get mom and tell her!"

In the second that it took for the others to blink, Cloud had vanished in a flurry of wind and dust. He flew upwards at an angle to keep the downdraft near the buildings from weighing him down and slowing his approach to the most dangerous part of the canyon. He was soon traveling Mach 1.1 through the sky. He was currently at his limit for speed, but that was fine considering he had cleared South Peak. He didn't know how fast Rainbow Dash was going, but so long as she wasn't going supersonic, he would catch her hopefully before things started to literally fall apart.

He scanned the forest of giant stalagmites that stood just before Drop Point for Rainbow Dash. He looked as hard as he could, but saw no sign of the rainbow-maned mare. He flew higher to improve the cone of his vision. With his trained eyes he spotted Rainbow Dash entering the deadliest zone he had come to know of. His heart nearly exploded with fear. He dropped into an almost vertical dive.

Rainbow Dash felt something was very off about where she was flying. The air got very cold and the wind whistled through the porous rocks around her. Rumbling followed right after, and then the sky started to fall in the form of giant boulders. The avalanche shook loose hundreds of jagged rocks from the high walls above. She dodged through them, using her best aerial acrobatics to get around them. She was making good headway. Not one rock could touch her. That was, until a torrent of wind blew her right barrel into an inward loop. She streaked right into a boulder above her.

Cloud saw her take the hit and go limp. He was still some distance away, but seeing her unconscious body fall through the air ignited something very deep within him. He bent his wings inwards to make a delta shape. Instantly he managed to achieve a greater rate of speed. He braced himself for the minefield of chunks of canyon wall and stalagmites. He entered without slowing down. His agility made it possible for him to dodge every falling rock with blinding effectiveness. Cloud kept avoiding until he entered a large clearing in the air.

At that point, everything slowed down to an adrenaline-filled creep. His pounding heart drummed through his head. He could see Rainbow Dash had landed on a small underhanging cliff. The next thing he noticed directly above her was a rock readying itself to flatten the mare. Cloud swallowed. He tightened his wings even more. Even in the slow motion state he knew he was going even faster now.

Cloud eventually made it out of the clearing. Just on the other side was the largest rock in the whole avalanche. Going around it would have cost him precious speed and time, so he did the only sensible thing. Inverting his wings, the transonic Pegasus spun into a micro-drill, driving himself head on into the giant lump of sediment. He spun and spun into it until he proved to be too much for it. The rock shattered into millions of pebbles giving him a clear pathway to Rainbow Dash.

The falling cliff above her was already too close. If he didn't do something fast he would be too late to save her. "I don't think so!" Cloud flexed his wings tighter and tighter. Everything around him began to blur. "RAINBOW DAAAAAAAAAAASH!"

Gust, Gale, and Cirrus were just clearing the top of the canyon when they saw the most incredible thing happen. From Drop Point, two rainbows exploded out in a cross-spherical pattern. They exploded out, arcing massive lightning chains out in every direction. Even from the distance they were watching, the three could hear booming echoing against the walls toward them.

"Mom, did Cloud just…"

"Yeah", Cirrus answered Gale, "He just broke his father's record.

"Look. Here he comes now."

A small figure launched out of the lightning and aimed for them. The trio moved to meet him halfway, but saw he wasn't exactly vectored right for them. Cloud was slowly veering off to ground below. He landed much sooner than they expected, so they decided to jog up to meet him there.

Cloud grinned upon seeing his family running up to him. He had no idea what he just did outside saving the life of the blue mare he carried on his back. As the endorphins drained from his system, Cloud began feeling the toll of his achievement. His muscles ached and his head had developed a splitting migraine. He managed to hold on just another few steps before his vision went black and he felt himself hitting the ground.

What happens now? Will our Pegasi lovebirds be okay?

Let me say that I loved writing this chapter no matter how many straight hours it took to right. I wasn't kidding when I said that I was going to get back into my writing schedule, no matter what it takes.

Chapter Trivia:

Everypony say hello to Cutie Pie and Ruby Rose! They are the OCs to my reader PrincessCrystalRoseHeart3! Sorry it took so long to feature them, I know you requested so long ago, but this was the perfect chapter to feature them. I will definitely include them again in a future update!

Cirrus's encounter with Rainbow Dash was actually supposed to be just Sprinkle, but I decided that they could all use a little more interaction so I changed it up a bit.