Cloudsdale Love

Chapter 1: How We Met

"I was trying to be 'cool.' But not the type of cool I like. I was trying to fit in with the popular crowd, at flight school. But, they weren't exactly model people..."

"Come on, Dash!" Gilda exclaimed. "You don't even know her! What could she possibly mean, to you?"

"N-Nothing!" I replied. "I-I just don't think its-"

"Look, Dash," Gilda interrupted me, "if you want to be cool, you've gotta do what the cool ponies do. So, come on! Mare up!"

"I-I guess..." I relented. As we walked over to a certain yellow pegasus filly, I glanced around. The school's hoofball field was mostly deserted. Only me, Gilda, and four other pegasi were here. Two of them were Gilda's 'cool' friends. The third was the yellow pegasus we were going to bully. The fourth was some random colt, lounging around on the far side of the field.

We walked to the filly. "Hey, you!" Gilda yelled.

The filly squeaked, and tried to hide behind her huge mane.

Gilda just ripped it out the way. "I'm talking to you!" She yelled in the filly's face.

The filly merely squeaked, in response. She was terrified.

"You know, how are you so shy?" Gilda exclaimed, beginning the bullying.

"Yeah, what'd you do?" One of Gilda's two friends spoke up. "Kill someone?"

"W-What?" The filly gasped. "No! I would n-never-"

"Shut your trap!" The second friend yelled.

"P-Please don't h-hurt m-m-me!" The filly squeaked out.

"W-We'll do what we want!" I exclaimed, trying to fit in.

"Eep!" The filly squeaked, again, as she tried to back away. Unless she could phase through a wall, though, we had her cornered.

Gilda and her friends started laughing. I tried to chuckle, but it was hollow. This wasn't funny.

"Hey!" A colt's voice yelled from behind us. We turned. Walking up to us was the colt that I'd seen earlier. "What do you think you're doing?" He said, angrily.

"None of your business, dweeb!" Gilda replied. "Get lost!"

"Thanks, but no thanks. You're bullying her. You're tormenting her! I won't stand for that!"

"You don't have to! All you've gotta do is walk away."

"I won't leave, when someone needs my help."

"What, do you know her?" One of Gilda's friends spoke up. "Is she your fillyfriend?"

"I don't even know her name." The colt replied. "But what difference does that make?"

"If you don't know her," Gilda's other friend said, "then why would you care?"

"Because I care about ponies!" The colt stated, hotly. "You obviously don't!"

"Ah, just scram!" Gilda exclaimed, fed up with him.

"How about you!" The colt screamed.

"Oh, you're asking for it!" Gilda yelled back. She strode over to the colt, and bared her talons. "You really want to take me on?" She threatened.

"You use your claws to excuse your actions," The colt stated, suddenly calm, "but you're really just a heartless bully!"

"Why you-! Come here!" Gilda lunged, but the colt sidestepped, flew over Gilda, and kicked down with his hooves. Gilda went sprawling.

Wow!

"What's going on, here?" A mare's voice shouted.

We all turned. One of the flight school's top coaches, Ditzy Doo, flew to Gilda and the colt.

"This stupid dweeb-!" Gilda started.

"Gilda!" Coach Ditzy interrupted her. "In Cloudsdale, we respect everypony, not just our friends and elders."

"Ergh!" Gilda yelled, wordlessly. She was enraged. "This... colt provoked me!"

Ditzy looked up at the colt, one eyebrow raised. "Firestar?" She said simply.

"That's part of it." He admitted. "They were bullying Fluttershy." He pointed at the yellow, pegasus filly. Fluttershy squeaked.

Ditzy's head lowered, and her eyes closed. I heard her sigh. "Gilda..." She began softly, "Windfall... Cloudy Summer. Rainbow Dash. This is not something that should be done. It's wrong." She sighed, again. "Go home. All of you. Your parents can decide your punishments."

We started to walk off. I was almost in tears, but I kept them down. Kept them hidden.

"Wait." The colt, Firestar, spoke up. "Can I talk to Rainbow Dash?"

I looked at him, confused. As Gilda and co. left the hoofball field, I walked up to him.

He didn't look that mad, at me, so I relaxed a little. "What?" I asked softly, awaiting some kind of transformation into rage, and a terrible shouting match. Most ponies that suddenly go this calm, are just waiting for an opportunity like this one.

"You didn't want to do it." He began. "You didn't agree with them. You felt forced. But all you had to do was say 'no,' even before you were on the field. Why didn't you?"

"I... I wanted to be cool..." I mumbled, my vision seeing only the field beneath my hooves. Then, my eyebrows scrunched together. "Wait, how did you know that?"

"I wasn't always on the far side of the field." Firestar replied. "Plus, you weren't exactly being quiet."

"Oh." I said. I looked down, again. A couple hoof-taps on the ground made me look back at him, though.

"I think, on the inside, you're a nice filly, Rainbow Dash." Firestar said, making my face feel warm. "You like ponies." He explained. "Is this really the path you want? Was that really right?"

I sighed. "No...!" I croaked. I blinked, and felt moisture.

Wordlessly, I stepped into his embrace. I let go of my tears, and they flowed down my face. I cried freely into his non-judgemental shoulder.