Rainbow Dash's POV

The same tree. The same training ground.

Only this time, Soarin just sat there, watching.

Not training. Not talking. Just there.

And I refused to acknowledge him.

I didn't care if he was staring. I didn't care if he felt guilty. This was my choice.

Silver Lining, however, wasn't buying it.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "You didn't talk to him?" His voice was calm. Too calm.

Oh cool. He's calm now.

I crossed my arms. "Well, I thought it wasn't the right thing to do—not after what he did."

Silver hummed. "You didn't want to tell him what he did wrong? So he can apologize and you two can get over it?"

I frowned. "When you put it that way, you make it seem like I'm the villain."

Silver's eyes darkened. "You are not even telling him what's wrong!" His voice rose, sharp and cutting.

My patience snapped. "Well IT'S MY LIFE! AND YOU HAVE NO IDEA THE PAIN I'M GOING THROUGH!" I shot back, voice shaking with frustration.

The wind rustled through the trees, but the tension between us was thick.

Silver exhaled, shaking his head. "I had the same feeling."

I froze.

His gaze flickered to the side, like he wasn't sure if he should continue. But then he turned back to me, eyes serious.

"If you wanna know it..." he muttered, "then you better put all that shitty pride away."

I stiffened.

I wanted to snap back. I wanted to tell him he didn't know anything about me.

But I didn't.

Because something about the way he said it—something about the way his voice dropped, quiet but heavy—made me pause.

So I sat down on the grass.

I didn't say a word.

I just looked at him.

And I waited.

Silver ran a hoof through his mane, exhaling. "Well... I once had this friend."

His voice was different now. Not sharp. Not teasing. Just... tired.

"He was my best friend. The kind of friend you trust with everything. The kind that's supposed to have your back, no matter what."

I swallowed. "What happened?"

Silver scoffed, but there was no humor in it. Only bitterness.

"I let him down."

The wind blew through the trees, but Silver didn't seem to notice.

"He was in trouble. I knew he was. I could see it, I could feel it. But I didn't say anything. I thought, 'He'll tell me when he's ready.'" His jaw tightened. "He never did."

A lump formed in my throat.

"And by the time I realized how bad it was..." Silver's eyes darkened. "He was already gone."

I blinked. "Gone?"

Silver's expression didn't change.

"Not dead," he muttered. "But I might as well have lost him."

I didn't know what to say.

I didn't know how to respond to that.

So I just sat there.

Silver turned his gaze to me, and for the first time, his voice wasn't mocking or scolding.

It was raw.

"It's funny," he murmured. "You keep pushing Soarin away, acting like you don't care. But what if one day, you wake up and realize he's not there anymore?"

I stiffened.

Silver's words hit. Hard.

I opened my mouth to argue—to say that Soarin wasn't going anywhere, that he'd never do that.

But then I remembered the look in Soarin's eyes yesterday.

The quiet, aching look.

And for the first time, doubt crept in.

What if Silver was right?

What if I was pushing Soarin away too much?

What if, someday, he gave up on trying?

My chest tightened.

I didn't want to think about that.

I didn't want to admit that I was scared of it.

So instead, I stood up.

"I—" My voice cracked, so I cleared my throat. "we should train."

Silver studied me for a long moment. Then, finally, he sighed.

"Fine."

He stood up too, shaking his head. "But just know this, Dash—you can act tough all you want."

His eyes locked onto mine.

"But deep down, you already know I'm right."

I turned away before he could see the truth in my face.

I didn't want to admit it.

Not yet.

Maybe not ever.

But the doubt was there.

And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shake it.

Maybe I should talk to Soarin.

---------------------

Soarin's POV

I sat there.

Just watching.

Silver and Rainbow trained near the tree, their voices sharp, cutting through the silence like a blade. I wasn't paying attention to what they were saying, but I could feel it.

The tension. The frustration.

I wanted to speak. To say something—anything.

But every time I opened my mouth, I remembered the way she looked at me. The way she turned her back. The way she ignored me like I didn't exist.

So I stayed quiet.

I was just... there.

"Alright, what the hell is this?"

A sharp voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I looked up to see Spitfire standing over me, arms crossed, eyebrow raised in that way that made me feel like I was about to get a lecture.

Great.

Next to her, Fleetfoot smirked. "Yeah, we were wondering when you'd stop moping around like some lovesick idiot."

I groaned. "I'm not moping."

Spitfire scoffed. "Oh really? Because from where I'm standing, you're just sitting here, staring at her like a kicked puppy instead of doing something about it."

I clenched my jaw.

I didn't want to have this conversation. Not now.

Not when I was barely holding myself together.

"She doesn't want to talk to me." My voice came out quieter than I intended.

Fleetfoot huffed. "Yeah, no kidding. She's mad. But you not talking isn't helping either."

"What am I supposed to do?" I muttered. "She won't even look at me."

Spitfire rolled her eyes. "Then make her."

I frowned.

"Look, Soarin," she sighed, sitting down beside me. "You know how stubborn Rainbow Dash is. She's not going to come to you first. If you keep waiting for that, you'll be waiting forever."

"And?" I asked flatly.

Fleetfoot nudged my shoulder. "And that means you need to stallion up and talk to her before this turns into something worse."

I exhaled, rubbing my face. "You don't get it. She—" I stopped myself.

Spitfire and Fleetfoot exchanged a look.

"She what?" Spitfire pressed.

I hesitated.

Then, finally, I admitted, "She's really mad at me. Like... beyond mad. I don't think talking will fix this."

Fleetfoot let out a sharp laugh. "Oh please. You and Rainbow Dash have fought before when she was a reserve. What makes this so different?"

I hesitated again.

Because this time, it was different.

This wasn't just an argument. This wasn't just bickering over a stupid mistake.

This was her shutting me out.

And it scared me.

Spitfire studied me for a moment before sighing. "Okay, let me put it this way: Do you want to fix this, or do you want to sit here and watch her slip away?"

My breath caught.

Spitfire's words hit way too hard.

I swallowed.

I didn't want to lose her.

But what if talking to her made things worse?

What if she didn't forgive me?

What if I was already too late?

I turned my gaze toward Rainbow Dash. She was training hard with Silver, but her movements were stiff. Frustrated.

And even though she was ignoring me...

I could tell.

She was hurting, too.

I clenched my fists.

Spitfire was right. I couldn't keep waiting.

I had to do something.

Even if she didn't forgive me right away...

Even if she yelled at me, pushed me away...

I had to try.

I took a deep breath.

"Alright."

Fleetfoot blinked. "Wait, seriously? That was fast."

I shot her a look. "You two weren't going to leave me alone until I agreed, were you?"

Spitfire smirked. "Nope."

I rolled my eyes but stood up anyway. My chest felt tight with nerves, but I ignored it.

It was time to talk to her.

Time to finally face her.

And this time, I wouldn't let her ignore me.

No matter what.