[Backdated to Friday/Open]

[elementofloyalty]

[Not everyone was off having a grand old time at the Homecoming Dance.]

[For example, take this pegasus pony, who -- after clearing the clouds out from around Balamb as promised -- has snuck a purloined cumulus into the Training Center. Not terribly deep inside, but high enough to be out of range of danger, she lies on her cloud and looks miserable.]

[She is, after all, clearly not cool enough to go to the stupid dance where no one wants her around anyone and it's not like she has anyone to impress so she gets an invite onto the Wonderbolts so why should she bother even showing up.]

[Stupid dance. Stupid Garden. She's way too cool for ANY of them.]

Comments

[elementofloyalty]

Oh yeah. "Ed Elric, Homecoming Prince!" How terrible that people like you enough to wanna vote for you.

[Bitter? She's not bitter. Rainbow Dash is the least-bitter pony in the entire world! NOT BITTER!]

[rewritethis]

Look, we went over this... [More importantly, now he suspects something. But all he did was say hi...] What got into you, anyway?

[elementofloyalty]

NOTHING! I'm PERFECTLY HAPPY here on my NICE RELAXING CLOUD!

[Suuuuure.]

[rewritethis]

Sounds like it. [Nope, he really can't see how anything he just said could have pissed her off that badly. He raises a hand to his chin. What else could there be?] Okay, did they throw you out of the party? Is that it?

[elementofloyalty]

No one threw me out of anywhere. I'm just fine, sitting here, on my cloud, alone, all night.

[She obviously means it. She says it so insistently, it has to be true, right?]</small.

[rewritethis]

Really? Because from where I'm standing, it doesn't look like you're fine. I'd call it being a brat. [And he should know!] What happened?

[elementofloyalty]

YOU'RE the brat!

[Note the convenient lack of response to his question, instead taking a challenging tone designed to provoke a squabble that will distract Ed from any further questions of that nature.]

[If she'd really thought about it, it would have been a short joke.]

[rewritethis]

[That's a ridiculously transparent ploy, so it should probably be at least a bit embarrassing how well it works. He bridles. So much for being the slightly less immature half of this conversation.] What? What did I do?!

[elementofloyalty]

All sorts of things! Like.... be a brat!

[Why does hassling Ed make her feel better? That can't be healthy...]

[rewritethis]

[Maybe it's cathartic? He's full-on shouting now.] Like you can talk! Acting like you're too cool for some stupid dance, when the only problem is you're still just bitter it's not gonna be your name they attach to a damn pointless title tonight!

[...It's a plausible guess, to be fair.]

[elementofloyalty]

What kind of hayfeathers are you spewing?! I don't care about that! Twilight deserves the chance!

[She actually sounds mostly sincere in her protests. Oh sure, she would've LIKED to be Princess, but really, Twilight's more suited for it.]

[rewritethis]

Okay, so what happened that you do care about? [Nope, not letting this go just yet. Mostly because she is acting cagey about it, to be honest.]

[elementofloyalty]

[Here's where Rainbow ought to make a short joke -- err, a smart remark, or some sort of snark.]

[Here's also where Rainbow remembers the conversation they had at the date auction.]

[...Maybe Ed would understand. Well. No, there's no way he'd understand. But maybe he would listen.]

[She looks over the edge of the cloud at him as all this goes through her mind, then she takes off from it to land on the ground next to him.]

Promise not to laugh.

[rewritethis]

I'm not laughing. [He does his best to look indifferent. ...Although, privately, he's a little relieved already. Scowling up at her like that was going to make his neck ache sooner or later.]

[elementofloyalty]

I mean it. Actually promise not to laugh, don't just say you won't laugh and then as soon as I say it, start laughing.

[She knows how these things work.]

[rewritethis]

[HOW DID SHE GUESS]

Okay, fine. I promise. But I bet it's not as big a deal as you think it is. So?

[elementofloyalty]

[That's probably the wrong thing to say, because Rainbow turns away, dropping to a disconsolate seat on the ground.]

You'll just think it's stupid and yell at me. Or insult me.

[rewritethis]

[He sighs and starts counting off on his fingers.] No insults, no yelling, no laughing. Happy? Because you won't be as long as you're just sitting around up there and moping by yourself.

[elementofloyalty]

[For some crazy reason, she's starting to regret this, but...]

...Nopony bid on me at the auction.

[rewritethis]

[He waits expectantly for a few more seconds after that, but nothing else seems forthcoming. Huh.]

...And what, you wanted them to?

[Well, he isn't laughing...]

[elementofloyalty]

[She waves her forehooves angrily, almost plaintively.]

I'm fast! I'm awesome! I'm cool! People should have been lining up for miles for the chance to bid on me!

[rewritethis]

[To his credit, he stops himself from laughing.] I dunno. I didn't get the impression anyone was taking it that seriously. [...Apart from him before he stormed off.] And you didn't sign up for it in the first place, so what's the difference?

[Yeah, remember that part of your master plan, Rainbow?]

[elementofloyalty]

The POINT is that if -- I dunno -- if a Wonderbolt were on an auction like that, half of Equestria would show up for the bidding. How can I every be that cool if I can't get one bid?

[rewritethis]

[Shrug.] If you'd been paying attention, you'd know being cool or good at what you do doesn't have a damn thing to do with what's popular. Who cares how many bids someone else would get in some other world? You're here. [...And most of the people in that auction weren't ponies. He doesn't want to press the point, though.] That's not your fault.

[elementofloyalty]

You don't understand because you don't care what anyone thinks about you. But no one comes to see someone perform if they don't LIKE them.