"Alex?" A voice whispered.
...I thought I was dreaming of...That's Rainbow's voice, not Fluttershy's...?
"...Alex." The voice said at a normal tone, albeit with a bit of annoyance hiding in the tone as well.
"Mmf..." I groaned, keeping my face glued to my pillow. Someone let out a huff of annoyance, and poked my bare shoulder.
"Aaaaaalex." Rainbow Dash sang. After poking me a good five times, I reached out and snatched her hand.
"...Can I help you?" I said, after raising my head and looking up at her.
"Wanna go for a run?" She asked with a grin. I furrowed my brow in annoyance, and glanced at my phone on the dresser. Clicking the button on it's front, I saw it was barely five that Sunday morning.
"...Rainbow, it's five in the morning." I reminded her. She gave a small shrug.
"Yeah, so?" She replied. I gave it a quick thought, and sighed, nodding.
"Yeah, sure. Lemme get dressed." I sighed, eliciting a chuckle from the girl.
It was a crisp Sunday morning, and the sun was barely poking up out of the mountains. I stretched my legs out for a second, before starting off at a slow pace with Rainbow Dash. It had been a while since I've actually been jogging- I usually just get my cardio done by using an elliptical. Though, my stamina and endurance were solid, so I was able to keep up.
I gotta say, the girl is pretty athletic for being so small. While she was a little ahead of me, I couldn't help but observe her. Compared to the other girls, who were between five foot five, to about my height, which was five foot eight. But Dash? She was a solid five foot two, to take an educated guess. Thin, yet with an athletic build. Perfect example of a healthy and fit young woman. She seemed to feel my eyes on her, so to speak, and glanced back at me.
"Enjoying your view?" She teased. I blinked and looked up at her, smirking.
"Totally." I snarked, speeding up to catch up with her.
We ran for a good hour, just around the neighborhood. We ran through residential areas, small paths that interconnected different streets, and even along the golf course that was relatively close by. Finally, the last few blocks to my house, we found ourselves sprinting, trying to surpass one another in a deadlocked race. When we were only yards away from our finish, Dash suddenly found a burst of speed in her, and bolted ahead of me, slamming her feet to the ground as she tried to stop herself going up the driveway. I slowed myself as well, and panted, collapsing into the grass. Dash, also breathing heavily, chuckled, and fell to the grass next to me.
We layed there and laughed for a few moments, staring up at the morning sky and the intense bursts of red and orange the rising sun gave the few clouds that were floating in the sky. Suddenly, Dash stopped laughing, and reached her arm out to the sky, as if trying to grasp the clouds, as she did back in Equestria.
"It's like...I'm so close to them...I can almost feel them...But they're still so far." She said quietly, smiling sadly. I looked over at her, giving her a sympathetic smile. "Alex?" She called, not looking at me.
"Yeah, Rainbow?" I replied quietly.
"...You think I'll be able to do it again? Fly, that is. Go back up in the clouds...Feel the wind in my mane, again..." She asked, slowly dropping her hand. I sighed, turning to look back at the sky.
"I dunno, Dash," I admitted. My answer definitely saddened the poor girl, as she sighed heavily, looking up at the sky with a dull and lazy expression. Suddenly, an idea hit me. "Hey, why don't you try out for the track team?"
"The wha?" She asked, snapping out of her daydreams.
"The track team. It's a sports team at school. They compete with a bunch of different activities. Running, hurdling...Some other stuff I really don't know about." I said with a slight chuckle. She gave the idea some thought, and, judging by the smile on her face, she must have liked the idea.
That very next day, the first thing I took her to do was sign up. I left the others for Gray to take care of, much to his dismay, as Pinkie had gotten into my Pixie Stix stash (God help him), so it was just the two of us. The coach was a bit skeptical, as it was a bit last minute to sign up, but he recognized her from being in his Fitness class, so accepted her.
"This is gonna be so awesome!" She squeed, hugging me. "Thanks, Alex! This was a great idea!" She beamed. I chuckled, nodding.
"Ah, come on. Like I'd let the fastest flyer- er, I mean. Like I'd let the fastest runner in Equestria just laze about at my house. Come on, I'm smarter than that." I joked.
Later that day, I had to take Dash back to school for track practice. I had decided to bring the girls along, as well, seeing as the had really nothing better to do. We sat in the bleachers, watching the team run laps around the track, do practice in the jumps, and even practicing a four-by-four hundred relay. And damn, did Dash kick some serious ass in the relays and the 400 meter dash. She was one of the fastest ones out there, zooming right past anyone the even got a chance of surpassing her. It was funny, even though it was just practice, the girls and I all cheered her on. I was so proud of her, especially when she looked up and waved at us, smiling brightly. The coaches and the captain, I'm assuming, of the team approached her, and talked with her. While the girls behind me were all discussing how proud they were, I couldn't help but notice the looks on the other track kids. They were looking at Dash with...Scowls. Glares. Looks of disapproval and disdain. It worried me.
The worries were quickly laid to rest, as throughout the week, Dash kept up with practice, doing excellent each time she went. They moved her to some important position for an upcoming meet, and she finally got the approval of her teammates.
"Alex! You'll never guess what!" Rainbow exclaimed Thursday night, after I picked her up from her friend's house- thankfully, a closeby friend of ours, also on the track team, offered to give her rides.
"You're right, Dash. I never will." I quipped, stirring the stir fry in the pan. She rolled her eyes and punched my shoulder.
"My teammates invited me to a party tomorrow!" She said, giving off an excited squeal. I smiled at first, but something about it didn't sit right with me.
"A party? What kinda party?" I asked. Rainbow thought for a moment, and just shrugged.
"Hm. Dunno. But, they all said they'd really like it if I could go! So, can I?" She asked. I chuckled a bit, feeling like a father, considering she was asking permission to go.
"I gotta admit, Dash, I'm not entirely sure you should. I don't feel too comfortable sending you out to some kids' party, especially since I don't know them." I admitted reluctantly. Rainbow, obviously upset, decided to question me.
"What? Why? What's the worst that could happen?" She asked. I literally had to stop what I was doing, and gave her a look that screamed, 'Really?'
"Okay, you got me there." She admitted. She pouted and folded her arms, huffing in defeat. I shut my eyes, trying to keep my will strong, but, in the end...
"Okay, one condition." I said.
"What? What is it?" She shouted, darting up to me and smiling wildly.
"...Try and see if I can go. Just so I can keep an eye on you." I explained sternly. She nodded vigorously, jumping up and down in excitement.
"Alright! I'll ask tomorrow! Thanks, Alex!" She squealed, hugging me tight, and running back towards the living room with the girls. I groaned in slight discomfort, feeling something off about the whole thing. But, I tried being happy for Dash, so I shrugged it off.
The next night, Rainbow and I got all prettied up for a 'fun' night out. She was secked out in a white track jacket, with a cyan and navy blue stripe running down each arm. It was zipped up, so as to show the sky blue v-neck underneath. Her blue jeans were tucked into her shin-high navy blue boots, and, finally, she had a pair of dark cyan shades atop her head- obviously not to wear. For that weird hair thing girls do. I, myself, just decided on a black crew neck shirt, with a grey denim jacket, worn black jeans, and jet black boots. Call me plain.
We took off, leaving the other girls with Gray and Dana, and reached the address. Seemed like the party was in full swing, apparent by each window being illuminated by a light, and cars parked all outside the place. Rainbow was practically bouncing up and down in joy.
"...Dash, you're acting like Lyra right now." I said with a chuckle, turning off my truck's engine.
"Oh, heh, whoops." Dash chuckled, stepping out of the vehicle, and walking in with me. I recognized a few faces, but Dash seemed to be the center of attention. People were complimenting her, high fiveing her, the whole lot of them knew about Raven Davis.
Dash began mingling, while I hung back and decided to support the nearest wall, with a soda in my hand. Now, it was kind of upsetting, seeing as how I was the only one with a non alcoholic beverage in my hands. All of these other brickheads insisted on drinking a beer, or winecooler, or, hell, even one of those alcoholic lemonade drinks. Tequila and vodka shots were everywhere, and, they later it got, the more wild it got.
Why does this bug me so much? No, I'm not straight edge- I don't do drugs or drink, but I don't feel the need to label myself as anything. Hell, when Gray calls me a Brony, it kinda creeps me out.
No, the reason I'm uncomfortable with alcohol goes back, not even a year. I had just gotten my license, and I, being the nocturnal bugger that I am, was randomly browsing the internet for ponies. That's when I got a phonecall from Gray. As previously stated, Gray was very popular. Everyone loved him, everyone wanted him to go to their parties. So, one night, he went.
It's always the worst luck, when you finally give in.
Who Gray thought was that night's designated driver actually took a few "Jell-O shots" or whatever, and drove head on into a pole. No one was killed, but Gray was in the passenger seat, and was seriously injured. The pole was just inches away from the both of them, but, somehow, Gray was the one who took the most damage. He was bruised, bloodied, and battered. When Dana and I visited him in the hospital, it was torture. He kept smiling and laughing, as if nothing happened, and as if he didn't regret his decisions. I never took a liking to alcohol in the first place, but those events pretty much set it in stone for me.
My memories were thankfully interrupted by a commotion going on in the backyard, where practically another party was going on. With curiosity taking over the better of me, I walked out to see what the commotion was all about. I saw Rainbow, crowded by a bunch of other idiots, with one handing her a bottle of some kind of hard liquor. She was looking at it questioningly. She knew what it was. She knew what it did. She was chuckling at the others, who were trying to get her to take "One little shot," or, "A sip!"
"Raven!" I called, and Rainbow snapped her attention to me.
"Hey, Alex! Wanna have a drink with me?" She asked, as if this wasn't a big deal. She was about to succumb to the peer pressure, and brought the bottle up to her lips, before I grabbed her arm, stopping her. The others who crowded around us boo'd at me, calling me lame, or implying I was ruining the party. I shrugged them off, waiting for Dash to reply.
"Alex, what's the big deal? It's just one drink, not like it'll do anything." She said, bringing the bottle up to her lips again.
"Raven, seriously. Don't." I said, my tone more pleading than demanding that time.
"Seriously, Alex, get lost! If she wants to drink, let her!" One of the guys shouted.
"Hey, piss off! If I want your two cents, I'll ask!" I snapped, wriling whoever this guy was up. We approached eachother, but Rainbow intervened.
"Alex, what are you doing?" She hissed.
"Raven, what are you doing? You have a meet tomorrow, you can't go hungover." I informed her. "Besides, that's alcohol! A, you're underage! B, it's just...It's wrong! Look at all of these idiots!" I said, pointing over to the bumbling and stumbling jerkasses. "Is that your idea of fun?" I then asked. It looked as if my argument had gone through her head, but, at the last second, she looked up at me with a scowl.
"You aren't my father, or anything, Alex. I can do whatever I want." She retorted. I blinked, completely thrown off by her sudden change of heart. This was Rainbow Dash, the very Element of Loyalty, completely corrupt by the fucked up and horrible morality of today's standard teenager. It completely broke my heart.
"Fine!" I shouted, catching her by surprise. "Fine! Go ahead! Drink the whole fuckin' night away! Go to your fuckin' first meet hungover, throw it all away! See if I fuckin' care!" I barked, turning around and walking off. The drunken assholes all cheered and laughed, but, I heard one distinct voice in the crowd.
"That's right! Get lost, ya fuckin' loner!"
I stopped dead in my tracks, turning around to see Jake as the source of the voice, with Aaron right next to him, holding a beer in his hand.
"The fuck did you say, you fuckin' arrogant dickhead?" I shouted, storming towards him. Rainbow, again, intervened to push me back. "Really? You're gonna stand up for this fucking guy! After all he's done! What, you think these people are your friends? Because they fucking pressure you into doing shit you don't want to do? Ask yourself, Raven, would you really do this shit if no one else was around?" I screamed. I didn't even give her a chance to reply, and turned around. "G'head, fuck it all up. See if I care. If you won't be loyal anymore, I can give up on it just as fuckin' easy." I growled, this time, ignoring the cheers as I left.
I stormed into my car, throwing my can of soda at the window on my way out, giving it a small crack. I opened the door, and placed my keys in the ignition. Before I turned the key, though, I thought about all the shit I said to Rainbow. How hypocritical of me! When she turned her back on me, I did the same, instead of trying to help her. I grunted in anger, slamming my fist against the steering wheel, and placing my forehead against it, breathing heavily. About half an hour later, quiet knocks on my window caught my attention. I looked up, seeing a very ashamed Rainbow Dash standing outside of my truck. She glanced up, but, the second her eyes met mine, she averted her gaze back to the ground. I sighed, and opened my door, stepping outside and pocketing my keys.
"Alex, I..." She began quietly, sighing and shutting her eyes.
"I'm sorry." I said quietly, shoving my hands in my jacket pockets and staring to my right, just at the little break in the neighborhood that gave a clear view to the mountains, which shone brightly in the moonlight.
"You...What?" She asked, completely baffled.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you like that." I said again.
"Alex, no...No, I'm the one that's sorry. I...I shouldn't have acted like that. I never meant to hurt you. I dunno why I acted like that, so...I'm sorry." She said, looking up at me. I glanced over at her, then back at the mountains, shrugging. "Alex! Come on, I'm tryin' here! I...I should have listened to you. You're my friend. Not them. I should have listened to you, and I'm sorry." She persisted.
"You don't get it, do you?" I snapped, looking back at her. She blinked in surprise.
"Get what?" She inquired.
"Dash, what's your element?" I asked.
"...Loyalty." She replied quietly.
"And what does that mean?"
"It means that I'm loyal to my friends, that I'd never give them up or give up on them. That I'd listen to them and help them." She replied, her confidence coming back.
"Right, and wrong." I stated.
"What do you mean?" She asked, a bit annoyed.
"Dash, there's more to loyalty than being loyal to other people." I began, removing my hands from my pockets. "It's also important to be loyal to yourself. To thine own self, be true." I told her, looking down at her. "Dash, you have to think these things through. Is this really what would have been best for you? Remember what I asked? Would you have acted like that if any of those prats weren't there?" She shook her head in response, sighing again.
"It's a great thing to be loyal to your friends, and always being there for them," I stated, placing a hand on her shoulder. "But it's also important to be loyal to yourself. To do what's best for you is alright when it's called for. Making promises to yourself, keeping yourself in safe hands and staying safe." I said, raising my other arm, and showing the scars on my wrists. "All this time, I've never held anything to these wrists. Because I was as loyal to myself as I was to my friends. I promised myself, no more of this. I told myself it wasn't good for me. Is this good for you, Dash? Putting all this on the line for other people?" I asked her.
"...No." She said with a small smile.
"That's my girl," I said with a soft chuckle. "C'mon. Let's go home. You have a big day tomorrow." She nodded happily, and I turned to walk back to my truck, when her hand caught mine, stopping me. I turned, and she embraced me.
"Thanks, Alex." She whispered. I didn't reply, only smiled softly and returned the hug.
The next day, wouldn't ya know it, was a blast. Dash exceeded in nearly all of the events, and even broke the school record in the 1600 Relay! Oh, man, my heart welled up, I was so proud of her. We all were, and we all cheered her on, and everyone gave her the recognition she deserved. Well, everyone but the mooks who decided to get drunk the night before, and were still recovering. In the midst of all of her praise, Rainbow looked up at me, giving me the greatest smile of all. I returned it, with a wide smile of my very own, and she hugged her teammates and coaches, thanking them for the help, opportunity, etc etc.
The entire time, I couldn't help but tear up a bit. My little Dashie did it. She was loyal to herself, and she did it.
That's my girl.
( Oh, good lord. That was quite the hiatus.
Sorry about that, actually. Kinda got a little too comfortable. But! Here's the latest chapter! Let's see, I got AJ, Pinkie, Rarity, Dash...Hrm. Wonder who's next ;]
At any rate, I hope you all enjoyed! Thanks a bunch for all of your support, I really appreciate it all! And I'd really appreciate it if you guys could check out my Tumblr. It has a bunch of cool info on it, including my Youtube, ponysquare, and the occasional witty post. What's not to love? :P
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Thank you all again so much for the love and support you've given me, it really makes me happy!
Have a good night, everyone! )