Rainbow Dash hummed a tune to herself as she trotted to a table outside of Perry’s Cherry Diner. A nice hot cup of cocoa was being prepared with her name on it, and it would be the most awesome cocoa ever! The sandwich would be pretty cool too, she supposed. Then again, even a boring cup of tea would have been an acceptable reprieve from her rampant thoughts. She was far from Ponyville, her friends, Tank, and her comfy cloud house. All she had was the Daring Do books stuffed at the bottom of her saddlebag, her toothbrush, and enough bits to get her by for a couple months if she kept to a tight budget. She wished she could’ve at least brought Tank along, but she was fairly convinced the weather committee in Cloudsdale would have been less than thrilled by the idea.
As she relaxed into the wicker chair, she stared up to the Manehattan skies. They were clear azure, speckled with cumulus clouds that resembled floating balls of cotton. To the casual observer, it was a picture-perfect day; to Rainbow’s practiced eye, either the previous weather manager was an idiot, or he hadn’t left the weather team with a clear schedule to follow between their departure and Rainbow’s arrival. Either way, it meant she had more work to do.
She shook her head and sighed, glaring at the folder of papers resting on the table in front of her. Inside, attached to the inner cover with a paperclip, was the letter from Manehattan’s normal weather manager, some pegasus named ‘Downburst’. She had met him briefly at a manager’s event in Cloudsdale last year; at least, she was pretty sure she met some pony named Downburst. Rainbow rubbed her chin with a hoof as she strained for the memory. Eventually, she gave up on it with a frustrated groan and turned her attention to the letter itself. She skimmed through it for any relevant information, but was unsurprised to see nothing more than typical office politics.
“Joy of my life,” she moaned to herself.
Most of the remaining papers in the file were a list of all her new employees, their specialties, and what was expected of her for the extent of her tenure as Manehattan’s weather manager.
“Stupid weather factory,” Rainbow grumbled to herself. “Stupid management exchange program.” With another annoyed sigh, she began the task of sifting through the dossiers. It wasn’t awesome, it wasn’t cool, and it certainly wasn’t fun. Rainbow was extremely proud of her work, though, and she was bound and determined to make this weather team good enough to compete with her Ponyville weather team.
Her initial pass through the file already gave her ideas for improvement. The Manehattan weather team was one of the largest weather teams in the terrestrial Equestrian cities, yet there didn’t seem to be any balance in how the team was set up. She had more than enough cloud pushers and rain handlers, but almost no pegasi certified to handle the lightning-producing thunderhead clouds. Even for pegasi like Rainbow, who specialized in working with thunderheads, the temperamental clouds could be extremely dangerous. She decided her first action right there; Manehattan needed lightning wranglers, and she was one of the best.
A unicorn waitress discreetly delivered her cocoa and sandwich. Rainbow thanked her politely, but didn’t lift her eyes from the papers in front of her. She’d rather get the boring stuff done so she could do something fun, like nap or fly. She skimmed through several dossiers before taking a bite of her sandwich.
“Rainbow Dash!?” a familiar voice blurted from somewhere behind her. Rainbow jumped a few inches out of her seat. She turned, her eyes going wide when she saw who was calling her.
“Spiurhk!” she sputtered, her traitorous brunch lodging itself in her throat.
Spitfire panicked slightly, her good wing flaring out as she feverishly patted Rainbow’s back. The younger mare coughed heavily until the last bits of her sandwich were dislodged and she was able to breathe again.
“Sorry, sorry, sorry!” Spitfire apologized profusely.
“Th-thanks,” she wheezed to Spitfire while she caught her breath.
“Don’t mention it,” Spitfire chuckled. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Rainbow chuckled nervously, her brain torn between starstruck excitement that she was talking to her idol, utter mortification that she had almost choked to death on a sandwich in front of said idol, and the fact that Spitfire’s hoof was gently rubbing her back.
“It’s cool.” Rainbow gave Spitfire her best carefree smile, though the act was somewhat marred by her flushed cheeks and the occasional post-choke cough. Spitfire innocuously patted Rainbow’s back a few more times before retracting her hoof.
“Glad to hear it,” the Wonderbolt answered with a relieved smile.
“S-so,” Rainbow started nervously, her mind panicking for something clever to say. Unfortunately, the best she got was an anxious: “What’s up?”
‘Good going, Dash,’ she mentally chided herself. ‘Real smooth.’
“Well, not me anymore,” Spitfire admitted with a doleful sigh.
Rainbow tilted her head slightly, her confusion written plainly on her face. Spitfire turned slightly so Rainbow could see her bandaged wing.
“Oh my gosh!” Rainbow gasped. “Are you OK? What happened?”
“It’s a dumb story,” Spitfire admitted with a chuckle. “Mind if I join you?”
“O-of course not!” Rainbow’s heart fluttered in her chest. Her idol wanted to sit and chat with her; that alone was almost enough to make it the best day ever! She enthusiastically waved a hoof to the empty seat beside her own.
Spitfire snickered even while she trotted over to it, her amber eyes watching Rainbow the whole time. The cyan pegasus looked like she was doing all she could to keep from bouncing in place. It was an energy Spitfire wished all her team showed on a daily basis.
“Might wanna fold your wings though, Dash; other ponies might talk,” Spitfire said with a playful wink. As bad as she felt for embarrassing the poor girl, it was still worth seeing Rainbow’s cyan cheeks turn almost as red as the streak in her hair while she frantically got her body-language under control.
“Sorry!” she blurted once she got the excitable appendages under control.
Spitfire couldn’t contain herself any longer, and burst out laughing. “It’s fine, Rainbow. I was just playing with you,” she admitted apologetically.
Rainbow mumbled and hid her face behind her cup of cocoa.
Spitfire had to admit; the mare was cute when she was embarrassed. ‘Whoa there, brain,’ she warned herself. ‘Lets keep out of the gutter, she probably doesn’t even swing that way.’
“So,” Rainbow started, attempting to derail the conversation with what little dignity she had left, “what happened to your wing?”
“Well,” Spitfire paused long enough to thank the waitress who delivered her coffee and meal, “I uh, I tore the bicep.”
Rainbow’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and her mouth acted before her brain, again. “Oh my gosh! It’s not too serious is it? Cause, you’re like one of the best fliers ever!”
Spitfire chuckled, her cheeks feeling slightly warmer than usual from the complement. “I did a pretty good job tearing it,” she admitted ruefully. “I’m kinda grounded until it gets better.”
“That stinks,” Rainbow winced. “I hurt my wing a while back. I couldn’t fly properly for over a week... It was the worst.” She shuddered at the memory. Granted, that experience had also introduced her to the Daring Do series that she now loved, but she’d trade those for flying any day of the week, and twice on Saturdays.
“It’s gonna be at least a month till I can glide again,” Spitfire admitted, staring sadly into her coffee.
“Whoa,” Dash gasped. “How’d you mess it up that bad?”
This time it was Spitfire’s turn to blush. As nice of a mare as she thought Rainbow Dash was, she wasn’t about to admit she almost buried her career on a warm up exercise. It was bad enough the rest of the Wonderbolts knew it. She’d never live it down if she made it back to the active team roster.
“Well...” Spitfire clucked her tongue, stalling until she could think of a decent response. Eventually she settled on Arcus’ favorite words of wisdom. “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.”
Rainbow giggled. “Especially crashes?”
“Buck yeah!” Spitfire grinned manically, earning a full-throated laugh from the cyan mare.
“So,” Spitfire started, popping a hay fry into her mouth, “What brings you to Manehattan?” She paused to swallow and have a sip of her drink. “Discord break loose again? Changelings invading? Some other super-special save the world kinda thing?”
Rainbow blushed faintly and shook her head. “Nah, just my day job. The weather factory in Cloudsdale was looking through the last few years of performance assessments from all the weather teams in Equestria, and they decided that if they exchanged the managers from all the teams for a couple months, then performance in all territories would improve.” Rainbow took a leery bite of her neglected sandwich, the experience proving happily choke-free.
“Really? How do they figure that will help things across Equestria?” Spitfire leaned forward slightly, genuinely interested in the conversation.
Rainbow swallowed before she spoke again. “Well, on one hoof you’ve got Ponyville, where we’re on schedule with the weather ninety-eight percent of the time, we have a nonexistent accident rate, and the only complaints we get are occasional water distribution errors to the various farms. On the other hoof, there’s the Manehattan weather team, which is regularly behind schedule, and often gets complaints sent to headquarters. The bigwigs in Cloudsdale believe that if they switch around managers for a couple months, then the underperforming teams will benefit from a good manager taking control, and the bad managers will learn from the better teams,” Rainbow paused for another drink, sighing contentedly as the warm chocolate drink slid down her throat. “Personally, I think it’s all a bunch of crud.”
“Huh,” Spitfire mused, her eyes drifting up to the sky. “I never worked in the weather offices; I joined the Air Force and soon as I was old enough. To me, today looks like just another perfect day. So Dash, tell me what’s wrong with this picture.” She waved a hoof to the mostly-sunny skies.
Rainbow looked up to the sky, an annoyed scowl spreading over her face.
“Well first off, today was scheduled for a light shower to keep the midtown parks green and to keep the air from getting too dry. Second, those cumulus clouds were placed at too high of an altitude; they’re getting caught in the trade winds, which means that the cloud pushers are spending too much time keeping them in the city limits instead of setting up the rainclouds. It also means that some clouds are being lost, which means we can’t recycle the water for rain. The height also means that unicorns and earth ponies aren’t getting the optimal amount of shade from the cloud coverage, which also means that the temperature is a bit higher than planned.”
Rainbow sighed and paused for another drink.
“They aren’t a lot of big things, but they’re simple details that shouldn’t be getting overlooked.”
Spitfire found herself taken aback by Rainbow’s keen understanding of the weather. What little she knew of the younger mare had painted the impression of a capable and highly-competitive flyer, but hiding under the surface was a pony who took her job very seriously, and was very good at it.
“Well, color me impressed, Dash,” Spitfire smiled. “You know your stuff.”
The complement brought another blush of color to Rainbow’s cheeks. She smiled sheepishly and chuckled. “Thanks,” she answered. “So, uh, what brings you to Manehattan? Are the rest of the Wonderbolts here?”
“Yeah, we— They had a show...” She paused to remember the date, her ears falling flat as she recalled the information, “… last night,” Spitfire said sadly.
“I missed a Wonderbolts show by one day!?” Rainbow blurted. “That is so lame!” she lamented, her head flopping onto the table. Spitfire laughed and patted the younger mare’s back.
“Well if it makes you feel any better, I missed it too,” Spitfire admitted, earning a giggle from Rainbow.
“Is there another one coming up anytime soon?” Dash asked hopefully.
Spitfire shook her head; seeing disappointment fill Rainbow’s expression saddened her as well.
“That was our last one for a couple months. This is the time we take to schedule our next batch of shows and fulfill our commercial obligations,” Spitfire explained, silently ecstatic that she would get to miss out on advertising shoots and interviews. As much as she loved her job and the fans around it, she absolutely hated the press side of it. “Guess I get a surprise vacation out of it at least,” she said with a chuckle.
Silence briefly settled over the two as they worked through their lunches. Spitfire noticed Rainbow trying to subtly steal a glance at her every so often, her eyes darting back to her own plate every time Spitfire caught her looking. An idea popped into the Wonderbolt’s mind.
It was probably stupid, reckless, and altogether ill-advised, but at the same time she was getting mixed signals from the weather mare. Deciding to at least satisfy her own curiosity, she swished her tail just enough so it brushed against Rainbow’s. It was a trick she’d picked up in high school, a good way to subtly test if another mare might swing her way, and yet easy enough to brush off as an accident if they weren’t. With great interest, she watched Dash’s reaction from the corner of her eye.
Rainbow was many things, mostly pure awesomeness and speed, but subtlety was never something she had been any good at. When Spitfire’s tail brushed against hers, she tensed visibly, her cheeks flushing crimson, and her eyes going wide for a second until she managed to regain control of herself. She stole another glance at Spitfire, who was sipping her coffee with what seemed disinterest to the weather pony.
Rainbow hesitated. Had the touch been an accident? Had it been a test? With any other mare she would have returned the gesture and seen how things played out, but this wasn’t any other pony: this was Spitfire, her hero, her idol, and the captain of the Wonderbolts! And Wonderbolts were exemplars of what made pegasi great. They wouldn’t seriously flirt with the likes of her... right?
Rainbow couldn’t remember feeling quite so nervous as she flicked her own tail, the polychromatic hairs brushing along Spitfire’s ginger tail. Her cheeks burned fiercely when Spitfire looked her in the eye, the Wonderbolt confident, the weather manager terrified.
“So tell me, Rainbow,” Spitfire started calmly, “any special somepony back home?”
“Wh—er…well, no,” Rainbow stammered.
Spitfire quirked an eyebrow. “No special stallion… Or mare? I’m surprised.”
Rainbow just blushed deeper and offer a noncommittal shrug.
Spitfire allowed a small smile when Rainbow didn’t comment on her use of both genders. “I’d think a mare like you would be swamped with dates.”
Rainbow laughed nervously, wondering if her cheeks would stop burning anytime soon. “No. Not really, no.”
“Not really?” Spitfire asked. “Does that mean you’ve got your eye on somepony, but you don’t think they would be in to you?”
Rainbow fidgeted uncomfortably and managed a nod. “Sort o—” She caught herself just in time. “It’s a friend. I just know they wouldn’t feel the same though.”
Spitfire didn’t miss the slip and decided to take a leap of faith. “Rainbow.” She started a bit nervously, the shift in her tone catching the younger mare’s attention, “I’m gonna tell you a secret, something that only my family, Soarin’, and a few other Wonderbolts know. Can I trust you not to tell anypony else?”
Rainbow nodded, her heart pounding in her ears.
“I like mares,” she whispered, watching Rainbow’s reaction very closely. “And if I’m wrong about this I will grovel your hooves and beg for forgiveness, but, I suspect, so do you....”
Rainbow flinched noticeably, her ruby eyes blinking rapidly to prevent tears from showing. Spitfire understood that look. It was a look she had for years after she first came out to her friends and family. The confusion, the fear, all took time to work things out. In the end it had cost her many ponies she considered friends and damaged her relationship with her family for a long time. She put a reassuring hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder.
“Hey, it’s alright. There’s nothing to be ashamed about,” Spitfire cooed, earning a small nod from Rainbow. “Have you ever told anypony?”
“My dad knows,” Rainbow answered, her voice nearly a whisper. “And Fluttershy, my best friend.”
Spitfire nodded, vaguely recalling the timid mare. “What about your mom?”
“My mom died a long time ago,” Rainbow answered, sending Spitfire’s brain into panic mode.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s alright, really,” Rainbow cut her off. “I was too young to know her, so it doesn’t hurt to talk about.”
Spitfire nodded, somewhat relieved. “Is your dad good with it?” she asked.
Rainbow nodded and smiled fondly. “Yeah. When I told him, he just hugged me and told me to be happy.”
“That’s good,” Spitfire grinned. As the conversation lulled again, she had a thought, an idea she could easily see blowing up in her face in spectacular fashion in any number of ways.
‘Keep out of trouble.’ Her brother’s words echoed in her mind.
‘Sorry Rapid…’ Spitfire thought regretfully.
“Say, Rainbow…” She waited for Dash to look her in the eye. “What are you up to today?”
“Uh...” Rainbow blushed again. “Well, I gotta find a hotel to stay at, and then tomorrow I start running the Manehattan weather team.”
Spitfire sat up slightly, a smile on her lips. “Well, Rainbow Dash, I happen to know my way around Manehattan, and I have suddenly found myself with a lot of time and not a lot to do, so would you like to hang out today, then maybe get some dinner together later?”
Rainbow was fairly convinced that her heart had stopped at some point during the proposal. “Are...are you asking me out?” she asked in nervous astonishment.
Spitfire pretended to think it over for a moment. “Well we could make it a proper date if you’d like. And I promise, no strings attached. If you don’t like it, I’ll never bring it up again and word of it will never reach Wonderbolt ears. Cross my heart, hope to die,” she said as she pantomimed the gesture on her chest.
Despite all her concern and nerves, nothing in the world could’ve stopped the smile that bloomed on Rainbow’s face. “That sounds awesome!”
It is when we are at our lowest that we are subject to the greatest change.
- Aang
I just felt that kinda fitted for Spitfire.
As for the story itself; Another one on my Read Later list... There's so many xD
wooooo hoooo RD got a date with the best wonderbolt there is .
ps i love this story so far
Oh boy, things are gettin' good. I like it so far, especially the part of Rapid and Spits being twins, I haven't seen that before. Makes for a rather entertaining dynamic, well done.
i hate any pairing that involves Dash with another mare. i imagine that the great irony would bethatDash would turn out to be the only straight one out of her friends.
But I d like this story, there's something about it bust i just cant put my finger on it. Anyway, good job and keep up the good work.
1528552
They're the same color pallet and hair style, so it just seemed like an amusing idea to me, thanks for the comment!
1528732
I'm glad you're enjoying, especially if your not a fan of lesbian Dash. Frankly I can't see her as being straight. Bi, sure. Straight, not so much
1528799 Actually that's how I do picture her but I digress. Great story and keep up the awesome work
I love DashFire.
Also, I definitely agree with your statement. No way she's straight xD
I am really liking this story, keep up the great work!
1529091
I must first say, This story = Awesome sauce... I rarely see DashFire anywhere, and when I see them, they're often halfbaked and such (Though, Primalcorn's trilogy thing is probably one of my favourite stories (Though, it was the second story I everread so I might be biased a bit...))
And I really must say, this is going to be one heck of a ride (Right? RIGHT!?)
1529219
Thanks so much for the comment!
I'd like Primalcorn's trilogy better if it was more focused on Dash and Spitfire instead of Scootaloo and OC's. But thats just my bias against OC shipfics. As for where this story is going, well, fasten your seatbelt. We're going places.
1529355
Much appreciated! I do my best
Finally, I have found a GOOD Dashfire, one of my preferred ships.Looking forward to more chapters!
Unsure Dash for best Dash!
And now you have my attention.
Hurry up with the next chapter, you lazy bum.
Cant wait for more keep it coming!!!
I.....HAVE....NO......IDEA.....HOW.....TO....EXPLAIN......MY .......JOY......FROM.....READING..THIS IT IS Magnificent Can't wait for next Chapter
1535482
Thanks for the feedback and the favorite! Care to point out where those issues were so I can fix them?
Holy CRAP! Why dose this have to be so good, congrats Ruirik!
1536091
Doing what I can, with what I got
Well, you're doing a fine job. One question, what date do you predict to have the next chapter out?
1536215
Tomorrow morning or Thursday morning.
DashFire has got to be one of my favorite ships right along VinylOcti and BraeSoarin.
1528799 meh, everybodys a little gay right
I love me some DashFire... It has to be more popular. It makes sooo much sense!
I'm rather liking it so far but something that is confusing me, and this goes for all MLP stories where being homosexual carries the same or similar labels, taboos and emotional issues as modern day English-speaking nations (Largely America, Australia and UK) views; WHY?
All the issues associated with homosexuality as understood in modern America and the such are directly a product of the current socio-political climate with a massive contribution by Religious factors.
Both of which are, as currently understood by canon, are not present in Equestria.
It's doubtful that there is any discrimination abound in Equestria in relation to which side of the Kinsley scale you fall.
Then there is the biological factors that really set the system up differently, with such a wonky gender ratio (estimated by several fan 'studies') to be around a 7 - 1 female to male, Lesbian relationships would be a rather likely concept. There just isn't enough men short of polyamorous, 'open' or harem relationships to really have a system that worked differently.
Sorry about all this but it's something that's been really bugging me for quite a number of fics now.
1529119 You say 'yay'? I counter with an (At 30 seconds, since the share time thing doesn't work on here, apparently. ~_~)
~ura~
wow... Spitfire is pretty outgoing huh? Well I guess she isnt the captain of the Wonderbolts for nothing^^ Also, I dunno why but I love it when characters are having arguments with their own brains^^ It always makes me laugh.
As for RD being lesbian or not.... I gues sthe problem is that there are like 10 mares for every stallion in Equestria. It would be only natural that there are alot of gay people (or ponies in this case) in a world like that. Still, I've read a good straight Dash story and I've read a good lesbian Dash story and I love both. I guess it just depends on the idea the Author of the story has in mind which works better. Personally, I can see her being staright as well as being into mares.
Well, maybe straight women have kinda an excuse to not accept lesbians, but guys certainly DON'T! After all, why would you blame anyone for liking what you like? not that many geniuses out there, I guess.
A bit of a shaky start on the suggestiveness, but that went rather well. For a moment I was worried, lol (reading stuff like Luna and Twilight both basically thinking "oh she's hot. WAIT WHY DID I THINK THAT? meh" in other fics kinda made me all ).
Now that the romantic premise has shown its face, I can still say this seems promising, so onward I read.
Totally late in this comment and I hate when people give criticism five years after the fact but I'm going to be a hypocrite this time.
RBD was outrageously out of character, and this scene moved far too fast. The setup for this story was great only to be utterly destroyed in the last half of this chapter. I'll continue reading only because you still have me interested, but really, this here is the definition of laziness.
2483968
I too don't like to wait for things to go on too long without comment. So I would like to know how exactly Rainbow Dash is "outrageously out of character" in this chapter. Just because someone doesn't act one way all the time doesn't mean they are different. I bet you act differently around your crush/idols than you would around your normal friends. But then, I can't say for sure HOW you thought she was out of character because you only complained and gave no actual details as to why.
Also, how is the story utterly destroyed? I am curious if you have even read the rest the story yet because it in fact hasn't been destroyed. While the scene may have moved faster than you would have liked, doesn't mean it ruins everything. Another note, calling the author lazy just because you don't like the way they did something is just dickish. Especially when the author puts out weekly chapter, through injuries to keep the story going for readers. So next time you want to criticize story, why don't you give some actual details and be positive about it, and not just complain like a spoiled child.
2483968
Strange. I don't see lazyness. I see a well-made chapter designed to keep the pacing steady.
2484455
Agreed with the lazy bit of your comment.
~Skeeter The Lurker
So far, I'm luvin' it.
Wow, this was seriously Rainbow's lucky day, huh?
That part is just so Rainbow Dash.
Spitfire had to admit; the mare was cute when she was embarrassed. ‘Whoa there, brain,’ she warned herself. ‘Lets keep out of the gutter, she probably doesn’t even swing that way.’ YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
OMG THE Last SENTANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
First thing that caught my attention in this chapter was the title. Love it and its connection. Then Spitfire's little test was pretty clever as well. I had gotten to wondering why Dash would be in Manehatten, but you explained that well. Onward to the date!
~SolidFire
iambrony.dget.cc/mlp/gif/373805.gif
Started slow, you picked up speed, and now you're in steep dive.
Well im new to reading and commenting on fanfics...but here goes nothing.
I enjoyed the progression of the story, personally, mild comedy here and there, the haphazard way that spitfire and rainbow dash crossed, the personality expressed...also the title of the chapter gave me a good laugh first time I read this--hehe evil sandwiches! Yes I've read story before as more of an...annon pony but ah well these things do happen. So I'll be leaving my compliments as I re-read the story; this time with an actual account.
Also...this was my first fanfiction to read ever! So...yeah congrats to you Ruirik for thoroughly being able to catch my attention and following up with such a well written story! Anyways I've prattled on enough and I'm sure everypony will see more of me soon.
I'm enjoying this so far. I like how the relationship gets established early on — while the "hopelessly crush on someone from a distance and only gather up the guts to tell them in chapter 896" approach certainly has its appeal looking at you, SS&E, having the characters hook up early gives the relationship time to develop within the span of the story.
When I first saw the chapter name, I was expecting a lot of LOLs, but this kind of ship in interesting...
Went from talking to going on a date in one chapter? Well, at least you didn't beat around the bush.
7754273
In some circles its said that they don't linger too awful long on the 'maybe' they just take a leap of faith and see how it goes
Three chapters read so far... It's a good beginning. Can't wait for the rest.
Also Rainbow Buckin' Dash + (If I was in WW2, they'd call me) Spitfire is an awesome ship!!
8084924
Panzerbrony metallicom spitfire is a R.A.F fighter plane from WWII not a ship
This came highly recommended, I’m finally getting around to it, and it isn’t disappointing at all. This chapter was adorable.
Yay for happy Rainbows!