Rarity stood there, stunned. Rainbow Dash, of all ponies and of her own free will, had just entered the Boutique and asked to commission a dress. Prior to the interruption, the unicorn was fairly unoccupied, her only work being to stitch together a pair of saddlebags.
"Uh, Rares? You okay?" Rainbow waved a hoof in front of her friend, who jumped.
"Oh! Yes yes yes of course, Rainbow Dash! I'm just...surprised to be getting business from...you?"
Rainbow looked away and crossed one hoof over the other. "Yyyeahhhh, I know it's weird. But I have a reason."
"For a dress? Why, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were smitten with somepony!"
"But you do know better, right?"
Rarity narrowed her eyes. "...right."
The pegasus looked around the front room, noting the designs on the ponnequins. Everything was so girly. Most of them had big puffs and frills around the neck and trim, while others poofed up around the midsection. Not one of them looked sleek, instead opting toward extravagant and flaunting. Dash didn't mind flaunting in a design, just not like-
Wait, since when did she have an opinion on fashion?
"See anything popping out at you, dear?"
"Yeah, basically all of it."
Rarity blushed a little. "Oh Dash! You do know how to flatter-"
"They all offend me."
"...yourself, apparently. Well, come on around the back. I don't have any current measurements of you, with how often you come by."
Obeying, she followed the fashionista through a doorway. The back room had scraps strewn everywhere. Large swathes of various cloths hung from ponnequins, from the lamp, or even just on the ground. They were cut in the strangest of shapes, or some had shapes cut out of them. There were even a few pieces so small and so oddly shaped that Dash had doubts they were even useful at all and Rarity was just too lazy to pick up.
"Oh, please don't mind the mess. I've been trying to come up with a new line, and it's just escaping me. But enough of that," Rarity jerked one of Rainbow's hind legs back, nearly throwing her off balance. "What sort of appearance are you going for?"
"Uh...good? I hope?"
Rarity trotted around in front of her, standing nose-to-nose with the pegasus and glaring. "Yes. Clearly. What do you want your outfit to say about you, Rainbow Dash?"
"Okay, um, give me a minute to think about that."
"Take your time." Rarity continued to work out various measurements all over Dash's body while she thought. What did she want to say about herself? Well, no doubt everypony knew Rainbow was cool, so the dress should show that. Or should it? Did she need clothes for that? No, she decided, I need the dress to show something she wouldn't think unless she gave me a chance. But what about me do I need to say before we even talk?
Rainbow looked at her friend, who was finishing writing down the numbers. "Rarity, could I ask you for a weird favor? I mean, besides that I'm already asking for a dress?"
Said unicorn raised an eyebrow. "Ehm, I suppose you could ask. I might not be able to fulfill your request."
"Just...describe me."
Rarity stared at her for a few moments. "Well...you're...blue? With a rainbow mane. Certainly, a fun challenge to-"
"No no no. Like, describe what you think about me."
She sat, putting a hoof to her chin and thinking. A full minute passed in silence as she thought, and just before Dash was about to bug her to get on with it already, she answered. "I think you're fast and arrogant. Not 'fast' as in speed, or well I guess you are that too, but, you need to live fast. You can't stay still and you have to be doing something at all times. This makes it hard to just sit and have a conversation with you, to get to know you, really. As for arrogant, it can be a bad or a good thing. Sure, you've gotten carried away in the past, but you really are the fastest pegasus alive. Or at least, I have yet to hear of anypony else fast enough for a Sonic Rainboom. You're always spouting how great you are, and it's very grating after a while. We, that is, your friends, do love you because you're great and you always come through. And the other part of that is that you don't let your pride bring others down; in fact, it's quite the opposite. Nowadays, you've stopped expecting the best out of everypony and instead expect everypony's best. And you stick with them and offer encouragement to bring them up, rather than compare them to yourself and put them down.
"Yes, I think...I believe that's what I think about you, Rainbow Dash."
Wow. Rainbow Dash wasn't entirely sure why she asked what she did, but she sure didn't regret it. Even if Rarity's speech cut a little at parts, it was very informative. She slowly nodded, lost in thought.
Rarity laughed. "Oh dear, I seem to have broken Rainbow Dash. Quiet and contemplative? Who would have guessed?"
Dash was brought back to the present. "That's what I need."
The unicorn cocked her head. "I'm afraid I don't quite follow..."
Rainbow Dash began to pace, slowly at first but building up speed as she spoke with more feeling. "Quiet. Contemplative. Well I mean, at least in part. I'm not those things, and I don't want to claim to be. I don't want to be, even. But, like you said, I need it to say that I can stop, and that I can listen and think and not be bored. Something...calmer. And, I guess, less extravagant. I don't want frills or flashes or be the center of attention. Because for this dress, it's not about me." Rainbow Dash stopped and turned to the side while Rarity watched, stunned, as she continued her speech. "It's about her. I'm there for her, not for myself. I'm there to talk with her, to get to know her. I need it to get that across immediately. I need to say, 'Hey, I'm excited to just be here with you. I want to hear your geeky rants. I like to see when you get interested in something, even if I can't follow what you're talking about. Flying is cool, but I'd stay on the ground and read and discuss whatever latest magical discovery with you, too. Or maybe at least listen and get lost in your voice."
By the time Rainbow Dash turned to Rarity, they were both blushing heavily. "Yeah. I think that's what I need."
Rarity trotted over to her work desk and cleared her throat. "Well, I think there's little doubt about who you're after now. And you seem to be rather serious."
Rainbow looked down and kicked a hoof, feeling completely exposed. "Y-yeah. I guess I got carried away," she mumbled.
A few seconds later, she was pulled into a hug from Rarity. "Dear, I'm so proud that you're willing to open up to me like this. I promise you, I'll do my absolute best on this piece. You've given me quite a lot to work with, but also a clear goal."
Rainbow returned the hug with one foreleg. "Thanks, Rares."
The designer trotted back to her seat, spinning it around and bring a stand up in front of her, going to work on a sketchpad. Dash stood there awkwardly for a couple minutes before Rarity spoke up again. "So, what is the plan, exactly?"
"Huh?"
"Well, I mean, you're serious, aren't you?"
"Of course I am!"
"Then what exactly are you going to do about it? Other than get a dress, of course."
The pegasus sat on the ground and looked elsewhere, lost in thought. "I dunno. I haven't planned that far ahead, yet."
Rarity chuckled. "Well then, let's come up with a Rarity-quality plan, with a Rainbow Dash spin."
The sound of learning was a wonderful one, in Twilight's opinion. It was really a combination of sounds. It was the crackling of pages turning, the soft scratching of quill on paper, and the pervading aura of nothing else. A focused environment was paramount for studying, Twilight Sparkle knew. It was just a shame that Rainbow Dash didn't appreciate it as well.
The sound of Rainbow Dash's environment of never learning her lesson was a yell, starting quiet and getting loud, the whoosh of her flying through a window and right by Twilight, and then the crash and tumbling of books when she was forced to a stop by a bookcase. The alicorn idly noted that it was never a wall or a door, always a bookcase, like she was trying to make more work for her.
"Another sudden crosswind?"
Rainbow dug herself out of the book pile and brushed herself off. "Yeah. You know how it is. Never my fault I was blown off course. And landed in your library. Through your window. But anyway!" Twilight jumped as Dash sidled up right next to her. "Whatcha got here?"
"Magimagnetic Field Theory. The sort of stuff that'd put somepony like you to sleep."
"Oh yeah? Somepony like me? What's that supposed to mean?"
Twilight placed a bookmark, closed it carefully, and then slammed it onto the table startling the pegasus into the air. "It means I'm very busy and I either don't have time, or am not willing, to put up with you pestering me for no reason."
"So, this isn't important?"
"Wha-of course this is important!"
"Okay, show me."
Twilight stared at her. "How can I show you something that can't be seen?"
Rainbow Dash scoffed. "Well what does it do?"
"It...I don't..."
"So you don't know?"
The alicorn was at the end of her patience. "It doesn't have any application yet! It can do plenty!"
"Seems dumb." The pegasus struggled not to smile or laugh at the glare she got for that one.
"You did not just call magic dumb."
"I think I did." Twilight was about ready to burst into flames. Dash was still perfectly calm. "All I'm hearing is 'theory' this and 'hypotheis' that-"
"Hypothesis"
"-That's blasphemy. You're one of the best at magic, right? Then show me how powerful magic is."
Twilight glared at her still. "How?"
Dash reached in and bopped her lightly on the nose. "Duel me. Ten paces each, first to land a hit. Loser has to do one thing for the winner."
"Violence? Rainbow Dash, magic is wonderful and useful and you want to waste it on something so, so, so barbaric?"
"Who are you, Rarity? Oh, I get it. You know your magic is no good when actually put to use!"
"You've seen me cast-"
"Talk, talk. Show me, don't tell me."
Twilight fumed for another second. "SPIKE!" she nearly screamed.
In the room above, a thud was heard before Spike came sprinting out and slid down the railing, landing perfectly in front of Twilight. "What! What is it!? Are we under attack?!"
She snorted. "No. First of all, I told you not to slide down that railing."
"But it sounded like an emergency!"
"It is, Spike. I need to you to moderate a duel between me and Featherbrain."
Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash stood nose-to-nose, glaring their hardest at each other. They were currently in an open field outside of Ponyville. Off to one side, the other bearers lined up in a row. Pinkie Pie had caught them on their way out of town, and from there gathered the rest for the show.
"Alright!" Spike spoke loudly. "The duel is first blood! First to land a hit is declared the winner! The loser must do one thing the winner says! The competitors will turn, walk ten paces at my count, and then begin when I yell 'turn'!" Pinkie Pie cheered. "Are the duelists ready?"
The two nodded. Both their faces were a little flushed, but Spike wrote it off as anger. He began counting slowly and loudly until he reached "TEN!"
The ponies and dragon were completely silent for a while. A breeze picked up for a second, producing a soft wooooooosh as air caught on grass, making it rustle. Spike took a few steps back, not wanting to be caught in the middle of the two. Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash stood facing away, both wearing faces of determination. The crowd was silent and tense, anxious to see who would land the first hit.
"TU-" wham!
Before anypony else could even register that Spike had yelled, Dash stood over Twilight, having tackled her to the ground. Wearing a smug grin, she looked down at the alicorn. She raised a forehoof over the stunned mare's face, before touching her lightly on the nose.
"Boop."
"And the winner is, RAINBOW DASH!"
The crowd erupted into applause, Pinkie Pie cheering and Applejack giving off whistles. They began walking away, since the show was finished. Rainbow stepped off Twilight, laughing. "Your magic's no good if I don't give you a chance to use it. Anyway, I'll pick you up at seven thirty. Dress nice and bring a telescope."
Twilight just lay there looking up at the sky, thinking over and over, what?
Rainbow Dash stood there blushing like a filly. Twilight looked damn good in her dress. Dash hadn't seen it before; it must have been recently made to accommodate her new wings and growing height, though of course she was only an inch or two taller than Rainbow at the moment. She snapped back to reality after noticing Twilight's hoof waving in front of her face.
"Uh, hey Twi! Ready to go?" Dash flinched at the volume of her voice, but Twilight didn't comment.
"Yes...let's get this over with."
"Hey now!" Rainbow put a hoof in front of the alicorn, stopping her from walking out the door. "None of that. We're going to have fun, okay?"
Twilight narrowed her eyes. "You mean you're going to have fun collecting on your victory. Hanging over my head is the fact that I'm probably, willingly and knowingly, walking into an embarrassing prank."
Rainbow said nothing, instead turning and gesturing Twilight to follow with a wing. The librarian, who was no longer oblivious to wing gestures, noted and trotted next to her. Dash breathed heavily of the cool night air. The wind from earlier in the day had died down, removing any notion of a chill that spring night. The sky was completely clear, revealing the entirety of Luna's masterpiece to the world. Under the light of the half moon, the duo arrived at a respected establishment.
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "That's a pretty fancy restaurant you're taking me to. Isn't this a little much for you to spend on a joke?"
"Twilight, forget about the duel! I promise you, look at me," Dash spun her around and stared into her eyes, "I promise you, you will enjoy tonight just as much as me." The alicorn nodded slowly, blushing slightly at how genuine Dash was being. "Great. Now come on, we have a table reserved."
"We?"
The two sat at their table, staring at each other. One occasionally tried to start a conversation with some small subject, but it never stuck. Rainbow Dash shifted uncomfortably in her chair. This night was not going as well as she had hoped. "So...what have you been working on?"
"Well, like I tried to say earlier, I was studying Magimagnetic Field Theory. It's fascinating how certain kinds of crystals holding a magical charge can exhibit a magnetic field like a common lodestone. For the past couple hours before you came by, I was reading about those."
Rainbow knew she didn't understand some of the words said and it would only get worse, but she decided to dive into it anyway hoping Twilight would enjoy giving a lecture. "Yeah? What have you learned so far?"
Twilight stared at Dash for a few moments before narrowing her eyes and charging her horn for a spell. Rainbow flinched as she felt magic take hold of her body, but was released a few seconds later as the alicorn let her spell fall. "Sorry. I had to check if you were a changeling. Because, you know, the Rainbow Dash I know would never be interested in anything she deemed 'eggheaded.' She would also claim that to be a word."
"Um..." Dash looked down at the table, frantically trying to come up with something to say to that, but was saved by the waiter coming by to deliver their food. Both ponies were excited to dig in. The dishes were extravagant affairs, rather than going for 'dainty' like many fancy restaurants try to do. That's why it was so successful in a town like Ponyville, Twilight knew; the money was there, but the customers demanded food in high quality and high quantities, unlike the nobles and upper class. One couldn't go wrong with lots of delicious food.
A minute passed in silence as the two began eating. "So, crystals? What makes them so special?"
Twilight looked up at her. "Well basically, they retain a certain portion of magic that is put into them. They feel heavier than normal crystals because they absorb part of the levitation spell, so they're sometimes called 'heavy crystals'. Once the crystal has a charge, it can be stored to fuel a spell at a later time. Many powerful rituals require the use of them in order to power the spells. Well, for unicorns, at least." Twilight smirked and flared her wings out a little, bringing to light her ascension.
Rainbow blushed a little at the normally provocative gesture. A pegasus', or in this case alicorn's, wings are special and sensitive. One usually only shows them off like that to somepony one wants to get with. Twilight may or may not have known what it meant, but the fact is she did it. "Nice. Anything else they can be used for?"
"Yes. Each crystal, or cell, can be linked up in combination to act as one power source more powerful than each cell alone would be, creating a battery. The battery can then be hooked up to a machine, providing energy to the machine that is fairly easily replaced. One only needs to...wait, why do you care?"
Crap. Rainbow thought. She had gone back to questioning Dash's motives, and she didn't want to explain herself. Not yet, at least. "Well, uh...you were interested. In the crystals, I mean. And I was kinda mean earlier about it, so, I thought maybe you'd like to talk about them?"
Twilight seemed to accept that answer. Dash sighed in relief internally. The waiter came by offering the desserts menu, but both declined. The duo took turns going to the bathroom. While Twilight was away, the pegasus slipped payment for the dinner to the waiter. The two left the restaurant, with Rainbow thankful that the alicorn had loosened up enough to forget about the duel. She led Twilight through town toward a certain location that probably wouldn't be recognized until they arrived. Not that she was complaining; the usually reserved mare was walking a little closer than was probably normal, much to Rainbow Dash's enjoyment.
The alicorn was the first to speak once they were outside. "I like your dress, by the way. I don't think I've seen you wear it before."
"Yeah, I had it made recently. It was a pretty specific request, but I think Rarity did a good job on it."
Twilight looked away, blushing a little. "Yes, it's very...somber. You requested it like that?"
"Yeah."
The lavender mare chuckled. "Rainbow Dash not only commissions a dress of her own free will, but wants the design to be something reserved rather than bright and show-offy?"
Rainbow chuckled, nudging her. "That's not a word."
"How would you know? Have you ever looked at a dictionary?"
The two laughed together before lapsing back into silence. The two had reached the edge of town, and Rainbow was thankful that the alicorn wasn't asking where they were going.
Dash decided to keep her focused. "So, what kind of machines?"
Twilight startled out of her silent thinking. "Huh?"
"You said the crystal things could power machines. What are we talking, like trains? Maybe even flying machines?"
The alicorn chuckled. "Of course you'd go right back to thinking about flying." Rainbow huffed. "Oh, calm down. I think it's kind of great you're so dedicated. But no, I don't think it's likely they could power something so intensive. A vehicle would have to run on the same battery for a while without stopping. That's not so useful when it comes to heavy crystals because they bleed their energy out pretty rapidly."
Dash blushed and smiled at the compliment, but didn't say anything. "How fast?"
"I could give you numbers but you wouldn't understand the measurements. Basically, higher volume means it holds more charge, and higher surface area means faster decay. You at least know what those mean, right?"
"Yeah. You have to know those in weather work. We measure clouds in volume because they can expand in any direction, and if they have too much surface area rubbing against the others, they make lightning."
"Oh yeah, that's right. Anyway, this is where you get magically-induced magnetization. The energy doesn't just spread out away from the crystal like you might expect. It actually..." Dash tuned out at the explanation. It's not that it wasn't fascinating; it's just that it wasn't fascinating to her. What she was more interested in was how excited Twilight was over it. It was great to see how passionate the alicorn was about anything involving magic, kind of like how she was with flying. Being reminded of her own passion and commitment to aerobatics was heartwarming, especially when she could share that level of dedication with one like the mare walking next to her.
"...and then the field can act on...Sunset Hill?"
"Wait, what?" Dash was taken aback at the sudden nonsense.
"No no no, I mean, you took me to Sunset Hill? Why?"
Rainbow Dash laughed. "What, did you forget about the telescope you've been carrying this whole time?"
The alicorn's ears flapped down in embarrassment. "Maybe...wait, you're taking me stargazing? Are you sure you're Rainbow Dash?" She cast another detection spell to be sure. "Yup, that's a pegasus. Fluttershy in disguise again, maybe?"
Dash realized that would have been an amazing prank to pull, especially given the circumstances. But, she needed the whole setup to get Twilight out like this, and it would only work once. She decided to confirm that she wasn't the timid pegasus by performing her roar at Twilight. Another benefit of a gryphon friend.
The alicorn squealed and fell backwards, while Dash burst out into laughter again. "Okay, okay, you're Rainbow Dash." She sat up and began putting together the telescope in front of her. "I just don't understand what you're doing."
Rainbow sat down next to her, maybe pressing a little too close but hoping Twilight wouldn't mind. "What, I can't just spend time with my best friends?"
"You've never wanted to do what anyone else wants to do, unless it's the same as you, like Applejack and physical competition or Pinkie Pie and pranking. And certainly nothing so..."
Dash waited, but never received a finish to that sentence. She decided to let it hang, instead basking in the silence of the night. It was still completely peaceful, but Rainbow had already made sure of that earlier in the day. It was just the two ponies and the open sky.
The next hour or so was spent with Twilight chattering about stars and constellations like an excited filly, even including the "Oh! Oh! Look at this one!" Dash knew she was wearing a big, dumb grin on her face the whole time but she didn't care. She was so happy to just be sharing this moment with the mare next to her like this. The events of the last couple days fell away from her like she had been hoping happened to Twilight. They were two spirits enjoying each other's company over something beautiful.
And then Twilight had to ruin it with a realization. She was ranting about the legends of Orion and his belt when she suddenly stopped and turned to Dash. The pegasus was worried; the smile on her friend's face was gone. She could make out a small blush on her cheeks, probably at the proximity the two had, bringing some warmth to her cheeks as well.
"Rainbow...was this your plan all along?"
"Uh, what do you mean?"
"Was this...did you trick me into going on a date with you?"
As much as she wanted to make an excuse to avoid making her friend feel awkward, she decided it was time to be forward. "...Yeah. That was the idea."
"Did you get me to accept your challenge, to a duel of all things, so you could get me out for a night?"
Rainbow's ears were flopped down in shame. "Yes," she squeaked out.
"I...I just...that is surprisingly manipulative of you. And, why couldn't you just ask me out? I would have at least given you a chance."
"And if you had known you were going on a date, you would have stressed over it the entire day. You'd probably drag Spike into it too, and exhaust him while you fret about it. Then there's all the reading you would do trying to learn what you're supposed to do, because you're so silly sometimes you forget that books can't teach you everything. By the time I came by to pick you up, you'd be a nervous wreck and you'd spend the whole evening being really weird trying to make sure it fits your definition of 'perfect.' Am I wrong?"
Twilight's ears and wings were drooped, and she looked like she was about to cry. Dash wrapped a wing around her and pulled her close. "Twi, do you remember what I said about the duel?"
"Um...you said to forget about it."
"And what did I promise you?"
"You promised I would have fun tonight, too."
"Close enough. Have you had fun tonight?"
The alicorn slowly perked up before replying. "Yes. Yes! I had a good dinner and interesting conversation. I had a lovely walk through town on a beautiful night and now I get to stargaze with somepony else for once." She leaned into the crook of Dash's neck. "Though I wouldn't have expected the somepony to be you, I'm not complaining."
The two lay together in silence for another half hour or so before packing up and going home. Rainbow offered to carry the telescope on the way home, since Twilight had carried it all night so far and also set it up, which was graciously accepted. The two talked about crystals and magnets all the way back to the Golden Oaks Library, arriving before they realized it. Twilight opened the door, revealing the dim interior which clued them in that Spike was already in bed. They knew they had relative privacy on Twilight's doorstep.
"Thank you for doing this, Dash."
"Of course, Twi. It's not like I didn't enjoy this too."
"Yeah...I had a lot of fun tonight."
"Since you got me hooked on Daring Do, I've learned a lot about reading and writing. You know what my favorite thing I've learned is?" Dash leaned in closer near the end of her sentence.
Twilight blushed heavily, but didn't back away. "W-what's that, Rainbow?"
The pegasus managed to get out, "Show me, don't tell me," before she met her lips.
Author's Note
Thanks muchly to SinMuerte and my scarce friend Devan for prereading!
And to everyone else for postreading, and somehow getting this featured, if only for a couple days.
