Head in the Clouds

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Epilogue

Chapter 1

“No!” Dr. Negative cried, scrambling backwards on the ground as his own groaning servants began to swarm him. He managed to get a short distance across the courtyard before he backed into a wall. “What have you done? Wha-what have you done?” He fumbled through his satchel and seized a small vial with his hoof. His triumphant cheer was cut short though, as the vial was knocked out of his grasp and crushed beneath the hoard of drugged ponies. Frantically, he reached for his bag again, only to find it trampled beneath the hooves of a large red stallion; multi-colored fluids coating the ground around him.

“No!”

“It's no use, Doctor,” Daring Do called out as she watched the physician's struggle from her perch on the balcony above. “You did this to yourself.” She hopped off the railing and started for the door, walking past a fedora-wearing earth pony.

“You're just going to leave him?” he asked, following her back into the manor. “Seems a little cold, even for you, Do...”

Daring paused as the door shut, canceling out the screams of agony now echoing about the place. Her gaze fell to the floor. “It's not like he doesn't deserve whatever happens to him down there,” she shuddered. “Brainwashing ponies like that... It's... It's just wrong.”

When no response came, Daring's eyes shot up. She could handle danger; give her a crazed doctor with way too many drugs or an ancient temple filled with traps and she couldn't care any less—but him? She needed him. If she upset him—scared him off or ignited his righteous fury—she'd never forgive herself. A quivering desperation seeping into her tone, Daring asked, “You... You don't think I'm a horrible pony for this, do you?”

A brown hoof settled on her shoulder as Manehatten Silver looked her straight in her watery eyes. “No,” he said softly, pulling her into an embrace. “Negative's the monster here, not you.”

Daring choked back a sob as she nuzzled deeper into Silver's chest, “Wh-when he had you—back at the lab... You... a-and the syringe... When you... When you...” Her words failed her and turned into incomprehensible sobs. Gently, a hoof patted her back. Soft words were whispered into her ears, causing her to only hold on tighter to the stallion she'd come so close to losing.

“I was so scared,” she whimpered. Her whole body trembled in his forelegs, but he only held her tighter. “I wanted to kill him—I wanted to rip his throat out and stomp it into the dirt! I-I—”

“Shh,” Silver whispered, running a hoof down the pegasus's gray-scaled mane. “It's over now,” he said. “It's all over.”

“All I could think about was that night in Fillydelphia,” Daring continued, “And how stupid I was for walking out and... I'm so sorry...”

Biting his lip, Silver shifted his weight and looked away from his long-time friend and rival adventurer. “Look, Dare, you don't have to—“ A tan hoof interrupted him and jarred his face down towards Daring Do's. Her eyes shone like rubies in the dim light of the hall.

“Just shut up and kiss me,” she whispered, pulling him closer. Her wings flared as their lips furiously collided in a passionate—

“What?” Rainbow Dash cried indignantly, raising her hooves in the air. She glared at the book before her with furious distaste. “That's... that's...”

“So sweet,” Twilight sighed dreamily. She closed her eyes and smiled, her tail lightly sweeping across the wooden floor of the library. “Don't you think so, Rainbow?”

“So stupid!” the pegasus finished, batting the novel aside. It flew across the room and smacked the wall with a ruffled thud. Paying no mind to Twilight's irritated stare, Rainbow began pacing around the room. “What about Rosetta?” she growled, flapping her wings furiously. She glared out the window at the sunset.

“What about her?” Twilight asked as she picked up her new copy of Daring Do and the Devious Doctor Negative and carefully placed it back on her personal bookshelf. “She's still back at the college, right?”

Dash huffed and blew a stray bit of her mane out of her face, “So?”

“So...” Twilight rolled her hoof in the air, gesturing for her friend to explain further. When Rainbow didn't turn around, she sighed and continued, “what's the problem?”

“Everything!” Rainbow roared, spinning around. Twilight stumbled back in surprise as Dash's hooves slammed into the floor and shook the picture frames on the walls. Nostrils flared, she began prowling around the room, circling Twilight like a hungry lioness. “How can Daring just... Why would she...”

Twilight's brow furrowed. “Rainbow?” she asked slowly, watching Rainbow curse and kick another book into a wall. “Are you okay?”

“No!” the pegasus exclaimed, bringing her hoof to her forehead. “Yes!” She growled at the floor as Twilight stood up and stepped closer. “Ugh! I don't know! I don't get it!”

“What don't you understand?”

“She kissed him!” Dash spat; just saying the words left a bad taste in her mouth. “I can't believe it!”

Frowning, Twilight gave her friend a curious look, “What's wrong with that? I think it's a very sweet conclusion to the story.”

“But what about Rosetta?”

Twilight brought a hoof to her head and rubbed her temple. “I don't think I understand where you're going with this, Rainbow,” she groaned. “What do you mean?”

Dash rolled her eyes. “I mean that Daring totally belongs with Rosetta—not stinkin' Silver!”

Jerking her head back, Twilight's curious expression quickly switched from bemused to amused. An eyebrow raised as Twilight shook her head. “What?” she snorted. “You're joking, right?”

Rainbow's face hardened. Her wings ruffled. “No,” she said. “I'm not.”

“But there's been no evidence that Rosetta and Daring feel anything more than platonic friendship at all, Rainbow,” Twilight giggled despite Rainbow's steadily growing scowl. “Not a single scrap in the whole series.”

Dash's eyes drifted down to the floor and cursed silently. Without thinking, her gaze shot back to her friend and she protested, “They got milkshakes in the beginning of the book!”

“Oh,” she said, smirking, “then it must be true love!”

“It was a date!” Rainbow stuck her tongue out. “And that's way better than some stupid kiss!”

“It was not a date!” Twilight countered, “Daring Do has never gone to her for more than advice or to hang out!”

“That's not dating?” Dash huffed, glaring at Twilight. “Daring's totally crazy for her!”

“Just because somepony gets a milkshake with somepony else doesn't mean that they're romantically involved, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said, a hint of annoyance seeping into her tone. “How many times have we gotten milkshakes on reading days?”

Dash's wings flared and her ears slicked back behind her head as she turned to the side. The setting sun peered through the window and lit her face, coloring it red. Her cheeks felt warm. “I-it wasn't about the milkshakes, Twi...” she mumbled to the floor. “I mean, I could totally see that... that they were happy together...”

Twilight shook her head. “Rainbow, I'm sorry. I don't know how you got the idea that Rosetta and Daring love each other—let alone the fact that they are both homosexual—but it just isn't there.”

Rainbow's eyes never rose from the floor. There was a crack traversing the length of one of the boards on the far side of the room, she followed it across the floor to Twilight's hooves. “But... but it has to be...” she whispered so low that Twilight didn't manage to catch it. “Daring... Daring totally loves her...”

“Besides,” the unicorn added, tapping her chin with her hoof. “Daring and Rosetta would make for a very strange couple—don't you think so, Rainbow Dash? I mean, Rosetta's a professor at Canterlot University—it'd be awfully hard for somepony as adventurous and free-spirited as Daring Do to stick around and be in a real relationship with her.”

Dash jumped to her hooves, her hackles raised. “She could do it if she wanted to!”

Twilight raised her hooves. “I'm not saying that she couldn't,” she reasoned calmly. A scroll on a shelf on the far side of the room lit up in a purple light. It floated over to the duo and presented itself to Twilight, who opened it. An illustration of a unicorn wearing glasses and a lab coat draped over her back. “And I guess I don't see any major flaws in their dynamic...”

Rainbow's face lit up for a ghost of a second and she looked at the floor once more. “See?”

“But, there's still the complete lack of anything beyond friendship exhibited in their actions, Rainbow,” Twilight sighed, setting the scroll down on her desk. “Just because they get along doesn't mean that they'd make a good romantic couple. Daring Do has been known to have a soft spot for Manehatten Silver—she is obviously in love with him if she asked him to kiss her.”

Dash’s smile faltered. Her eyes narrowed as she opened her mouth to say something, but before she’d even started to speak, the door to Twilight’s bedroom burst open and a little purple dragon crashed through. He fell to his knees, huffing and puffing as he tried to catch his breath.

“Spike?” Twilight cried out in surprise. The dragon continued to wheeze, but looked up at her when he heard his name called.

“Twilight!” he gasped, clutching his chest. His eyes were wide with panic. “She... they... help! It’s horrible!”

“What is? Spike, what are you doing here?” Twilight asked, rushing over to help the baby dragon to his feet. “I thought you were supposed to be at Sugarcube Corner all day to help Pinkie with a cupcake order!”

“Cupcakes!” Spike wheezed, body going rigid and gripping Twilight’s leg in terror. “The batter... everywhere! Cakes home soon! Not enough time... big trouble... me and Pinkie baking... Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle... the twins... the horror! Need help! Cupcake emergency!”

Rainbow trotted over to the pair, giving the panicking dragon a confused look. “Umm, you gettin’ any of this Twi’? All I got is something about cupcakes and an emergency.”

Twilight shrugged at the pegasus, turning back to the dragon, “Spike, you’re not making any sense. Take a couple of deep breaths and calm down.”

He nodded quietly, taking several deep breaths as Twilight led him over to one of the cushions she and Rainbow had been using just moments ago. After a few moments, he raised his head to meet the bewildered gazes of both ponies. “Alright... I think I’m okay now, sorry about bursting in here like that,” he smiled apologetically at the unicorn. “I guess I got carried away.”

“It’s fine, Spike.” Twilight said reassuringly, moving over to sit next to him. “Now try again, this time remember to breathe. What’s wrong?”

“Oh, right!” Spike jumped to his feet and began pacing back and forth as he began to explain. “There’s an emergency down at Sugarcube Corner and we need some help!”

“What happened?” Rainbow interrupted. “I thought you were just helping Pinkie make some cupcakes? Did she get her confetti and cake cannons mixed up again or something?”

“No, not this time...” Spike looked down and nervously scuffed at the hardwood floor. “Umm, you see... everything was going just fine. Pinkie and I were a bit behind, but we were making as many cupcakes as we could between the two of us. Then... Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo showed up asking if they could help.”

Rainbow facehoofed and groaned, knowing exactly where this was going.

“And, well... they really wanted to help out and try to get their cutie marks in baking cupcakes... so Pinkie and I didn’t see any harm in letting them try and help, but then...” he shivered and bit his lip, eyes glazing over as the memory replayed itself, “I don’t even know what happened, but it was horrible. There’s batter everywhere and most of the cupcakes we had made were ruined! What’s worse is that the Cakes are going to be home from their trip to Manehatten later tonight and if they see this mess they’re gonna lose it and won’t trust Pinkie with the shop ever again!” Spike exclaimed, throwing his arms up into the air.

Rainbow snorted through her hoof, barely containing her laughter as she pictured the mess. Twilight shot her a glare before turning back to Spike. “I’m sure it can’t be all that bad, Spike. The Cakes trust Pinkie, and that won’t change because of a little mess and a few ruined cupcakes!”

“Oh yeah, says the pony who was sure Princess Celestia would send her back to Magic Kindergarten for not sending her a friendship report on time?” Rainbow snickered but fell silent once she caught sight of the glare Twilight was sending her way.

Twilight sighed heavily. “One, that was an honest misunderstanding and I’ve learned my lesson since then, thank you very much. Two, Mr. and Mrs. Cake aren’t rulers of Equestria and they’ve practically raised Pinkie, so I doubt they can do anything as bad as sending her back to Magic Kindergarten. Besides, how much damage could those three have caused making cupcakes?”

“Oh really?” Spike challenged, crossing his arms over his chest. “When I left to get help a couple of minutes ago Scootaloo was stuck to the ceiling with cupcake batter and Pinkie was trying to get her down with a giant spatula while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were wrestling with the cake mixer, and it was winning! Trust me, it’s worse than it sounds and I promised I’d bring some help!”

“Oh, this I have to see!” Rainbow laughed.

“Rainbow! This isn’t a joke!” Twilight scolded, levitating her saddlebag onto her back. “Come on, let’s go see what we can do to help before the Cakes get home.”

A few minutes later, the group arrived at Sugarcube Corner. On the outside, all appeared to be normal with the exception of a ‘CLOSED’ sign hanging over the front door. Ponies milled about in the mid-afternoon sun, paying no mind to the sweets shop.

Rainbow alighted in front of Sugarcube Corner. “You sure there’s an emergency goin’ on down here Spike?” She asked as she eyed the shop, looking for any sign that something was wrong. “Everything seems normal out here.”

From his position on Twilight’s back, Spike gulped audibly and pointed with a shaky claw at the front door. “I-in there.”

Rainbow and Twilight exchanged a confused look before Rainbow slowly opened the door to the bakery. Inside was a display of chaos that would make Discord proud. Batter covered the walls, floor, and ceiling, sticking to any surface it was thrown onto. Flour, sugar, salt, and many other ingredients were spilled over the countertops and tables while dirty bowls and utensils of all kinds were scattered about. In the middle of the room, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were hopelessly trying to contain an egg beater gone wild.

The screaming fillies held on for dear life as the beater spun around out of control, spraying bits of batter and raw egg everywhere. The Cake Twins were bawling loudly in the corner of the room from their playpen, only adding to the chaos of the situation. Pinkie, meanwhile, was poised on top of a ladder and, sure enough, was using a large spatula to try and pry Scootaloo from her battery prison on the ceiling. Twilight and Rainbow stood aghast as they looked at the display before them, jaws dropping in disbelief at the chaos caused by three fillies making cupcakes. Neither of them moved, slowly taking everything in and trying to process what was happening.

“See! I told you it was a disaster!” Spike cried from Twilight’s back. Neither Rainbow or Twilight registered what he said as they watched in fascinated horror at the scene before them. Apple Bloom somehow managed to get herself hooked onto the beater by her bow and was spinning around frantically as Sweetie desperately tried to reach the power switch.

Twilight could only manage to think, Is it even possible for a mixer to spin that fast?

“Rainbow Dash! Help!” Scootaloo pleaded from up above at the gobstopped pegasus.

“Twilight! Dashie!” Pinkie cried from the ladder. “I’m so, so, so, so, so glad you’re here! We were trying to make cupcakes when I don’t know what happened! I was mixing up another batch when suddenly pow! Whirl! Woosh! Blammo!” Pinkie jumped and twisted at each word, the ladder swaying precariously underneath her. “And then the batter was everywhere and then Scoots got stuck up here and everything kinda went kablooey! I would really appreciate your hel-whoah!” The ladder finally toppled over, crashing onto the ground. Pinkie quickly wrapped her hooves on the spatula, now stuck in the batter holding fast to the ceiling and suspended in midair.

Pinkie and Scootaloo exchanged a sigh of relief before an ominous crack was heard overhead. Both heads slowly looked upwards at the ceiling. Eyes widened in terror, Pinkie held onto the spatula with both forehooves in desperation. Scootaloo, trapped in her battery prison, helplessly watched as the batter began to creak and stretch beyond its limit until it finally snapped and the two were sent plummeting to the ground.

Twilight and Rainbow, still frozen in shock, only continued to watch as Pinkie and Scootaloo fell onto a large sack of flour. The combined weight of the two caused the contents of the bag to be forced outwards in a pressurized burst that promptly covered everything in the near vicinity in a pale white powder. Fortunately, the fall managed to unplug the out-of-control mixer, sending Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle sprawling against the wall, eyes rolling in their heads.

Twilight, covered in a fine coat of flour, slowly blinked as she took in the scene, finally beginning to get over her initial shock. A few gooey pieces of batter dripped from the fixtures above and the room fell silent. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were recovering in the corner, covered in a combination of batter and flour. Pinkie and Scootaloo somehow ended up underneath the empty bag of flour, white powdered limbs sticking out.

Twilight’s eye twitched.

She turned her head to look over at her formerly chromatic-maned friend. Rainbow, much like herself and everything else in the room, was covered in a coat of fine white flour, changing her normally sky blue coat to a ghostly white. Her eyes were wide in surprise, much like Twilight’s own. Already Twilight was calculating the time and energy required to clean this mess up and make a few dozen batches of cupcakes all before the Cakes returned home in a few hours.

Twilight’s eye twitched again.

The silence was broken by the soft sniffles from Pound and Pumpkin in their playpen. Pinkie and Scootaloo clambered out from underneath the ruined flour bag as all heads turned to the sniffling babies. Rainbow reared her head and let out a powerful sneeze, sending the flour clinging to her coat in all directions.

The sniffles quickly turned to giggles, and then into full-blown laughter as the Cake Twins rolled around their pen gleefully. Twilight turned back to Rainbow to see the pegasus’ eyes watering, a smile growing on her face as she tried to contain her own laughter. Rainbow shared a look with Pinkie before the two ponies collapsed in a mirthful fit of laughter. Their happiness proved to be infectious, as Scootaloo, Sweetie, and Apple Bloom joined them, clutching their sides in breathless laughter. Twilight soon found herself holding back her own giggles before collapsing in her own fit of merriment, leaning on Rainbow in a vain effort to remain standing.

After a couple minutes, the laughter began to subside. Twilight wiped a tear from her eye as Pinkie and Rainbow gave their final bouts of laughter. Twilight dusted some of the flour off her coat, revealing the lavender underneath. Still giggling, she addressed everypony in the best ‘lecture-voice’ she could muster, “Okay everypony, we have a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it in. Let’s get to work!”

Author's Note

And here it is! The first chapter of my contest entry for the TwiDash's second contest dubbed the "Abandoned Fic" challenge in honour of The_Incredible_Blunderbolt.

Just to note, as per the contest rules, the first 1,600 words or so are more-or-less the original prompt for the contest. Everything after that is all me.

Questions/comments are always appreciated!

Chapter 2

“I can’t believe we were actually able to clean everything up and finish the cupcakes before the Cakes got home,” Twilight giggled wearily, leaning against Rainbow for support as they slowly wound their way back to the library. “Ugh, though I think I’ll be sick if I ever see cupcake batter ever again.”

“Yeah no kidding,” Rainbow shook her hoof limply, trying to relieve it of its ache. “I still can’t feel anything after all of the scrubbing we did. I don’t even wanna know how those fillies got so much batter everywhere.”

“Mhm,” Twilight agreed quietly, lifting herself away from the pegasus to stretch out her stiff back. She was rewarded with a series of loud pops. “Oh Celestia, I needed that.” Twilight paused, examining the state of both her and her friend. “Rainbow.” Her eyes traveled along the form of her friend, past her batter-covered wings, and up her coat stained with flour, sweat, and other bits of batter from earlier and caught her gaze. “You’re a mess!” she giggled, prodding at a particularly flour-coated part of her shoulder. “There’s more flour on your coat than we put in most of those cupcakes!”

She fell against Rainbow, trying to hold back her laughter. Rainbow rolled her eyes but smiled, “Har har, look who had clown for breakfast.” She prodded the exhausted unicorn with a hoof. “You aren’t looking much better yourself, egghead!”

Twilight immediately stopped laughing, standing away from Rainbow to get a better look at herself. Truth be told, Rainbow was right. Batter and flour clung to her coat, stubbornly refusing to be brushed away and matting it down in several places. Her mane was plastered to her forehead from the sweat of the day’s exertions, and her face was caked with flour.

“Heh heh, yeah, I guess we both really need a bath, huh?” Twilight scratched the back of her head with a hoof sheepishly. After a shared laugh, the two continued down the road, leaning on each other from support. “It may have been exhausting, but I’m glad we helped Pinkie. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her that frantic before, at least not nervously frantic. I guess she must really value the Cakes’ trust in her.”

“Yeah I guess,” Rainbow shrugged, letting her wings hang limp from her side as she brushed up against Twilight. “It was a lot of work, and I think I’m gonna head home and just sleep for the next ten hours, but it was also kinda fun. Scoots and her friends may be little bundles of chaos, but they sure know how to make baking a few cupcakes way more interesting than it has any right to be.”

“Yeah, I’ll never understand how those three manage to cause so much destruction wherever they go...”

Rainbow shivered against her friend at the thought, “It didn’t help that we needed to babysit the twins on top of all of that. I swear, those two thought I was some sorta pegasus jungle gym.”

“Oh!” Twilight cried, jumping in front of Rainbow in a playful crouch. “But remember when the twins started crying again and you went to go play with them? That was so adorable!” Her eyes sparkled and her tail swished a few times happily behind her, giggling at Rainbow’s deadpan glare.

“Hey! Rainbow Dash does not do adorable!” Rainbow huffed, blowing an orange lock of hair out of her face. “Or cute either! So don’t even think about saying that, Sparkle! If anything, I’m awesome. I’ll leave the ‘cute’ stuff to you.” She stepped forwards, lightly bopping Twilight on the nose.

Twilight wrinkled her nose, sticking her tongue out at the pegasus. Not giving her a chance to say anything, Twilight turned and continued walking, playfully flicking Rainbow’s own snout with her tail. “My my, Rainbow, I didn’t know you thought so well of me. Cute? Me? I thought that was more Fluttershy’s area.”

Whether it was due to exhaustion or because she honestly felt that way, Rainbow blurted out the next bit without thinking, “Nah, you definitely got cute under wraps.” She caught up to the unicorn and spared a sidelong glance. “After a shower you could probably give even Fluttershy a run for her money.”

“Oh is that so?”

“Yeah totally. I’ve seen you when you really get into a book,” Rainbow chuckled, averting her gaze towards the approaching library. “You curl up in front of the fireplace or at your desk and you’re just so focused that you tune everything else out. The way your nose scrunches up when you try to work something out... and how peaceful you look... it’s actually pretty awesome, and adorable too.”

Twilight laughed slowly, cheeks burning at the compliment. She fell in line with the pegasus, using her as a support once more. “You really must be tired, Rainbow. You’re getting all mushy, that isn’t like you. We’d best get you home before you get even sappier on me.”

“Heh heh, yeah I guess. Now if only it were that easy,” She groaned, lifting a batter-coated wing. “Takeoff is gonna be next to impossible with my wings like this, let alone flying. And preening is gonna be worse than normal with all this batter stuck between my feathers.” She shook her wing, trying and failing to dislodge some of the batter persistently clinging to the appendage as if to emphasize her point.

“Oh, did you need some help with that? I’ve actually read a couple of books on pegasus anatomy, and I have a fairly good understanding of the preening process I think.”

“Umm,” Rainbow blushed, thinking about the implications of Twilight preening her wings, “err, Twilight? Thanks for the offer, I really appreciate it, but-”

“Oh, right, sorry!” Twilight interrupted, afraid that she overstepped her boundary. “I didn’t mean to offend or anything, I was just trying to be a good friend!”

“No, no, it’s not that, it’s just...” Rainbow paused, clicking her tongue as she thought of the best way to explain. “Preening another pegasus’ wings is a really... intimate act. It’s normally something that pegasi only let family or, uhm, really close ponies do, like their special somepony,” she said slowly, watching the dawn of realization grow on Twilight’s face in the form of a bright crimson streak colouring her coat.

“Not that I don’t appreciate the offer!” Rainbow said quickly, backpedaling. “It’s just that...” She trailed off, waving a hoof in the air to try and say what her words were failing to do.

“No no no no, I completely understand,” Twilight raised her hooves, remains of a blush still warming her cheeks. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply anything... like that.”

“No worries,” Rainbow said simply, willing the last of her own blush to die down. She coughed awkwardly, gesturing to the library with a hoof. “Come on, let’s get you home. It’s starting to get late and we’ve both had a long day.”

Twilight nodded silently, falling in line with her friend once more as they half walked, half stumbled down the dirt road. A comfortable silence fell between the two as they journeyed through the small town mere inches apart, now both very aware of how close together they were walking, coats brushing against each other and tails swishing past their legs. Yet neither felt any desire to separate, minds too fogged and bodies too drained to be apart and feel the cool kiss of the wind against their coats.

As they walked, Rainbow’s mind couldn’t help but wander back to this morning’s argument over Daring Do. She didn’t know exactly why, but the very thought of Daring with Silver left a vile taste in her mouth.

It was so obvious to her that Daring totally belonged with Rosetta. The bookworm university professor was the perfect match for Daring! While Daring was rash, adventurous, and competitive, Rosetta was smart, collected, and thought things through, not to mention (at least in Rainbow’s mind) smokin’ hot with her bright lavender eyes, sleek coat, and neatly trimmed mane that framed her face in the best possible way. They were the perfect couple! One thing that bugged her was that Twilight couldn’t see it. She turned to look at the exhausted unicorn, head resting on her shoulder while they walked. Now that she thought about it, Twilight bore a striking resemblance with how she pictured Rosetta would look. Rainbow shrugged it off as a coincidence before going back to her grumbling.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a lavender, flour covered hoof entering her field of vision, bopping her on the nose. Breathing in from the surprise, Rainbow inhaled a bit of flour, causing her to sneeze loudly.

“Equestria to Rainbow, you still there?” Rainbow turned to glare at the unicorn. “Sorry about that, but you zoned out there for a bit and were grumbling to yourself. If it counts for anything, I called out your name a good few times.” Twilight smiled sheepishly, pawing at the ground.

“It’s fine, you just took me by surprise is all.”

“So...” Twilight started as they continued their slow pace to the library. “What were you grumbling about anyways? You seemed pretty upset about something.”

“Oh that? Umm, nothing really important I suppose.”

“Are you sure?” Twilight asked with a touch of concern in her voice. “You were pretty agitated and focused on whatever it was, are you sure you don’t want to talk about it? You know you can talk to me about anything, don’t you?”

Rainbow sighed, “It’s stupid, you’ll just think I’m being silly or something. Really, it’s nothing.”

“Rainbow, you know me better than that. I won’t think you’re stupid if it’s really bothering you.”

As the library door approached, Rainbow furrowed her brow, licking her lips as she forced the words out. “Well... I dunno, I was just thinking about what we were talking about this morning, and it still bugs me that Daring is with Silver.”

Twilight moved to unlock the library door, rolling her eyes. “This again? Rainbow, I don’t understand why you’re so fixated on this whole Daring and Rosetta thing. I get that you like the idea of them being romantically involved, but like I said before, there isn’t anything at all in the entire series that suggests that they’re even interested in each other.”

“So much for not thinking this is silly,” Rainbow deadpanned, fluttering her battery wings in frustration.

“I’m sorry Rainbow, I don’t mean to be condescending or anything, I just can’t understand why you’re so insistent on this,” Twilight turned back to address Rainbow, a pleading look on her face. “Daring clearly loves Silver, not Rosetta. I’m sorry Rainbow, but that’s just how it is, and before you say it,” she raised her hoof as if to interrupt the pegasus, “just because they got milkshakes at the beginning of the book does not mean that they’re romantically inclined towards one another.”

“Oh come on!” Dash exasperated, chewing over her thoughts for a way to convince Twilight. “But what about that whole ‘opposites attract’ thing?! Even you have to admit it’s Romance 101! The nerdy, closed off, university professor with the adventurous, totally radical Daring Do? It’s classic romance stuff! How can you not see that? It makes total sense!”

“‘Opposites attract’ is no way to justify a meaningful romantic relationship, Rainbow Dash. It’s shallow to assume that as solid grounds for a relationship. So much else matters, and it’s an overused petty excuse anyways,” Twilight countered calmly. “Besides, just because it’s classic romance in fiction doesn’t mean it’s realistic at all!”

“Whaddya mean it’s not realistic? You live in a library, Twilight, and I’m sure you’ve seen how many books use that kinda shlop! You even admitted earlier that there wasn’t anything wrong with their dynamic!”

“Again, in stories, not in real life.” Twilight sighed and rubbed her head with her hooves, fighting down a migraine. “Look, even if they can theoretically work well as a couple, that doesn’t mean anything. Daring Do may have stretched reality a lot, but at least they were pretty accurate in this regard. I mean, it’s way more likely for a pony like Daring to fall for somepony like Silver, especially with how they structured it in the series.”

“Think of it this way, have you ever read Sleeping Beauty? Snow White? They’re both considered classic stories, but it doesn’t make them realistic!” Twilight continued, fighting to keep the annoyed edge out of her voice.

“But what about-”

“Listen, Rainbow.” Twilight interrupted, raising her hoof to her friend’s lips. “I’m sorry, but unless you can give me some real life examples of that kind of romance situation working out, then I don’t buy it. The kind of romance you’re suggesting is overdone, unrealistic, and does not apply to Daring Do just because you want it to.”

“But-” Rainbow stammered. “Daring has to be meant for Rosetta...” She whispered, her gaze returning to the ground, unable and unwilling to meet Twilight’s eyes. “She just has to be... Why can’t you see it?”

“Rainbow,” Twilight stepped forward, placing a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, but I really don’t understand why you can’t accept this, or why Daring has to be with Rosetta. Really, their relationship is just one of platonic friendship, almost exactly like ours. Why is this so important to you?”

“Because... well, because...” Rainbow paused as she tried to come up with a reason. She scoured her brain, asking herself why this was so important to her anyways. She bit her lip and let out a frustrated groan. Why was this so important to her anyways? She could not come up with an answer, too frustrated, too tired, and mind too muddled to think clearly. Twilight jumping on her certainly was not helping.

“Look, Rainbow, I’m tired, and I can tell you’re not going to let this go and I frankly don’t have the energy to deal with it right now,” she sighed again, turning away from the disheveled pegasus. “Thank you for walking me home Rainbow, really, it was very sweet of you. But I just need to have a bath and sleep right now, and I think you had best do the same. I’ll see you later, okay?”

Rainbow grunted something to the ground, lifting her gaze to see Twilight opening the door to her home and walking inside. “Fine, but this isn’t over Twilight! Rainbow Dash never gives up! One way or another I’m gonna convince you that Daring belongs with Rosetta and that it’s not just for fiction!” Rainbow emphasized the last point by spreading her wings and jumping into the air for a grand exit. The batter still stuck in her feathers, though, would have none of that and the pegasus fell back onto her haunches on the unforgiving ground.

Twilight grimaced. She watched her friend try to take off a few more times, each ending the same with her falling back to the ground. Twilight could not in good conscience leave her friend out here, no matter how annoyed she was with her. She sighed. Sometimes friendship could be a pain. “Rainbow? Would you like to stay the night?”

“Huh? Wuzzat?” Rainbow asked, picking herself up from her latest attempt at flying.

Twilight cleared her throat, speaking up, “I said, would you like to stay the night? Your wings are in no condition for flying, and it’s already getting late. You can use my shower to clean up, and by the time we’re both clean it’ll be dark, so you may as well sleep here.”

“Umm...” Rainbow muttered, kicking at the dirt with a hoof. “You sure? I mean, not that I have a problem with it, it’s just that...” She trailed off, looking at Twilight expectantly.

Twilight nodded resolutely, opening the door with a flick of her horn, “Yes, Rainbow, I’m sure. I don’t mind.”

Rainbow smiled gratefully, “Thanks Twi’, I really appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem at all, but on one condition,” Twilight raised a hoof, halting the pegasus mid-stride. She smiled tiredly at her. “No talking about Daring Do or Rosetta or Silver or any of that stuff, please? I’m too exhausted to even think about it.”

Rainbow smiled sheepishly, raising her hoof to meet Twilight’s in a hoofshake, “Deal. No Daring Do, I promise.”

“Good, now let’s get cleaned up. I’ll take the first shower so I can get the sleeping arrangements set up while you shower,” Twilight explained, leading Rainbow into the library.

“Isn’t that normally Spike’s job? Speaking of the little guy, where’d he run off to?” Rainbow inquired, searching for any sign of the baby dragon.

“Celebratory Cutie Mark Crusader sleepover for a successful cupcake mission, or at least that’s what he told me.” They cantered in through the library, both still a little terse with the other over Daring Do, but doing their best to act normally. “Erm, why don’t you make yourself comfortable while I go clean up?”

“Uh, sure, no problem,” Rainbow trotted over to the fireplace, settling down on a worn-looking cushion to avoid messing up Twilight’s cleaner pillows while Twilight went up to the bathroom for a long shower.

After what seemed like forever to the speedster pegasus, Twilight descended the stairs and Rainbow dashed up the stairs for her long awaited shower. By the time both had finished and were no longer covered in cupcake batter and flour, the moon was high in the sky, the sun long since set. Twilight had spent the better part of the last hour searching for the spare bed she used the last time she hosted a sleepover only to remember she had to throw out the mattress after the storm.

The two stood awkwardly in front of Twilight’s bed, both waiting for the other to say something. Rainbow was the first to break the silence, “Umm, I can always just sleep downstairs on the sofa or something Twi’. I don’t want to make this any more awkward for you.”

“No no no Rainbow, it’s fine, really. I don’t mind sharing my bed,” Twilight coughed. “Besides, what are friends for... right?”

“Right,” Rainbow squeaked, her wings fluttering by her sides and her stomach doing backflips. She furrowed her brow, confused by her own nervousness. Twilight was just a friend, and friends share beds and sleep next to each other all the time, so why was she acting so uncool right now?

Without speaking to the other, Twilight and Rainbow crawled under the covers. Twilight’s bed, not meant for two ponies, was a small fit for the two of them. Legs brushed against each other, a wing would bump the side of the unicorn, and their tails would entwine as they made themselves comfortable.

“Goodnight Rainbow.”

“Y-yeah,” Rainbow stammered, “g’night Twi’.”

Author's Note

And here's part two!

Expect the third chapter to be uploaded sometime today/tomorrow. Considering the contest deadline is this Saturday, the chapters will be uploaded fairly frequently (i.e. one a day most likely).

Questions/comments as usual are appreciated!

Chapter 3

Rainbow rolled over onto her side for what felt like the hundredth time that night, trying to find a comfortable position to fall asleep. It seemed that no matter what she did, sleep was determined to elude her.

To hay with this, Rainbow thought to herself, gritting her teeth. “There’s no way I’m gonna let sleep get the better of me. If I can perform a sonic rainboom, then willing myself asleep should be a piece of cake!” She whispered to the bedroom, envious of the unicorn who had so quickly fallen asleep next to her.

A minute passed, and yet sleep still eluded her. Twilight’s soft snores filled the room, frustrating the pegasus even more. It seemed so unfair to her that Twilight could peacefully slumber while Rainbow struggled for even the slightest wink of sleep. Rainbow forced her eyes shut and focused all of her willpower in falling asleep. Her wings began to twitch in agitation before she clamped them back to her sides. She shuffled around in her bed and tried some of that meditation stuff Fluttershy and Rarity kept on yammering about, forcing herself to relax.

Meditation was boring. Fed up, Rainbow quietly shimmied out from underneath the covers, determined to find a means to aid her in her quest for sleep. A glass of warm milk snatched from Twilight’s kitchen later, Rainbow floated back to bed, confident that sleep would be achieved.

Sleep seemed just as determined to avoid her as Rainbow was to obtain it. Rainbow rolled onto her back and put her pillow over her face, letting out a long, frustrated groan. Clamping a hoof over her mouth, she glanced over at Twilight, hoping she did not wake the sleeping mare. Luckily for her, Twilight was still blissfully asleep, oblivious to Rainbow’s torment.

Physically drained, her hooves flopped down to the bed on either side of her, splayed out on her bed. Her talk with Twilight played itself through in her mind for the upteenth time that night, and no matter what she did, her mind would wander back to that conversation over and over again.

“Stupid Twilight,” she mumbled into her pillow. Turning her head, she watched the offending unicorn sleep peacefully next to her. “Get out of my head. Let me get some sleep; I don’t even care anymore.” Even though she said it, Rainbow knew that wasn’t true. Maybe it was because she just couldn’t let it go.

Rainbow sighed, dragging the pillow off of her face and hugging it in her hooves as she watched Twilight’s chest softly rise and fall with her breathing. Twilight mumbled something involving Rainbow, before rolling over and smiling adorably at Rainbow in her sleep. Rainbow’s own mind was a muddle. Things that Twilight had said were bouncing around in a cacophony of chaos that prevented her from falling into the sweet oblivion of sleep.

Amidst the mayhem, a few bits pushed their way to the forefront of Rainbow’s mind, repeating on an endless loop for the daredevil’s torture. She sighed again, there was no point in doing anything. Her body was too tired to move, yet her brain refused to stay silent. The only option left was to wait it out. Rainbow accepted the grim reality that either she would lie here until morning or eventually she would pass out.

”The kind of romance you’re suggesting is overdone, unrealistic, and does not apply to Daring Do just because you want it to.”

Rainbow’s eyelids began to grow heavy. The moonlight shone softly on her friend through the bedroom window, illuminating Twilight’s features in the dark night.

“But, there's still the complete lack of anything beyond friendship exhibited in their actions, Rainbow.”

Rainbow yawned widely, finally beginning to drift off to sleep as Twilight’s voice ran through her head. She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping, it was hard to believe that she was arguing with the same pony just a few hours ago.

“Just because somepony gets a milkshake with somepony else doesn't mean that they're romantically involved, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow huffed tiredly, the claws of sleep pulling her under. Why did Twilight have to be so stubborn? She shuffled a little closer to Twilight, almost muzzle-to-muzzle with the unicorn, barely conscious of her actions.

“How many times have we gotten milkshakes on reading days?”

For whatever reason, Rainbow felt her heart speed up a bit as this thought pressed its way forward and she hazily recalled all of the times she went for milkshakes with Twilight. Quite a few of them involved them sharing one. She had to admit, Twilight was actually quite pretty.

“Really, their relationship is just one of platonic friendship, almost exactly like ours. Why is this so important to you?”

Her head buzzed and her cheeks felt warm, and the last thought Rainbow had before finally succumbing to the sleep she craved was Why do I care so much, anyways? With that, Rainbow’s mind finally went silent and her soft snores could be heard echoing throughout the room.

Thunder rumbled overhead as the intrepid hero and adventurer Rainbow Daring Dash prowled through the jungle underbrush, searching for the lair of her adversary Dr. Negative. He had somehow survived his own brainwashed ponies turning on him, going into hiding for the last three years.

That is, until now. A month ago, while she was on a dig in Saddle Arabia, Dr. Negative had resurfaced, laying siege to the university where she worked. By the time she was able to return, she found her office in shambles and repair crews scattered about. Dr. Negative had stolen various different artefacts and treasures that could be sold for millions on the black market. Rainbow Daring Dash wasn’t about to be stopped there though. Through her impeccable knowledge and experience in tracking crazed villains, she had managed to pinpoint Negative’s current hideaway deep in the jungles south of Equestria.

Though, it was not because of the trinkets that Rainbow Daring Dash was crawling through the muck of the jungles. It was not even because Dr. Negative had the audacity to attack her home, though that did hurt her pride. No, Dr. Negative had taken something much more precious to her and had squirreled her away deep in the heart of this Celestia-forsaken jungle. She slashed a piece of the underbrush away with her machete, sweat, slime, and mud covering her from head to hoof. The thought of her imprisoned by the mad scientist was all the motivation she needed to push onwards.

With another swipe of her machete, the jungle underbrush gave way to reveal a waterfall cascading down a rocky outcrop high above. Even in the pouring rain, she could see the outline of a cave behind the waterfall. Stabbing the machete in a nearby tree, Rainbow Daring Dash adjusted her trusty hat, determination shining in her eyes in the night.

Hang on Rosetta, I’m coming for you...

With a flap of her wings, she took to the sky, silently flying towards the mouth of Dr. Negative’s nefarious lair. Angling downwards in her descent, Rainbow tucked her wings into her sides as she flew through the waterfall with a splash, landing in a run inside the cave. She was greeted by a long, winding dark tunnel of stone that led deeper into the cliff where Dr. Negative was no doubt holding Rosetta captive.

Her hooves clacked against the cave floor as she made her way deeper into the confines of the lair. Her senses on high alert, Rainbow Daring Dash continued her hunt for Dr. Negative and Rosetta as quickly and as silently as possible, nothing more than a cyan blur darting through the shadows.

Sure enough, she found the heart of the cave. From a rocky outcrop concealed by the hanging stalactites, she peeked over to see Dr. Negative himself pacing around a lab bench where Rosetta was being restrained.

“It’s only a matter of time, little Rosetta, before Daring finds us here,” he cackled as he paced. “And when she does...” He stopped, looming over Rosetta and obscuring Daring’s view of her. “It’ll be the end of her adventuring days. But first I’m going to make her watch as I kill you slowly. You’re going to scream and she’ll be helpless to do anything. The last thing you’ll see will be her screaming out to you, and the last thing she’ll see will be the light leaving your lifeless body!”

Daring tensed up above, shaking with barely controlled fury. How dare he threaten Rosetta like that...

“Y-you’ll have to do better than this, Dr. Negative,” Rosetta spat back, struggling against her restraints and her violet eyes twinkling with resilience. “Rainbow Daring Dash is without a doubt the smartest pony I have ever met, and she’s told me all about you. You don’t stand a chance.” Daring could practically hear the smile form on her face. “She’s undeniably, unquestionably, unstoppable.”

Despite the situation, Daring smiled at her resilience and felt herself blush at the compliment. No, this wasn’t the time for that, she needed to get Rosetta out of here. She began looking around the cavern for anything that she could use. She spotted a loosely hanging stalactite above Dr. Negative’s work station, where several vials and beakers filled with strange concoctions were resting. She smiled as an idea took root.

“Well, we’ll just have to see about that... won’t we Daring?!” Dr. Negative shouted, turning on the spot to face the intrepid hero up above.

Her cover blown, Rainbow Daring Dash jumped up to the ledge, standing proudly above her foe. “Let her go, Negative! I’m the one you want; she has nothing to do with this!”

Dr. Negative laughed, cupping Rosetta’s face with his hoof, “Oh, but she has everything to do with this! You ruined my life’s work, Daring, and now I’m going to make you pay by taking away the one thing you care about the most!”

Daring’s face contorted in pure anger as Dr. Negative raised a needle filled with a bright green liquid. “Do you know what this is? This is the world’s most deadly poison! It kills in the most painful and horrible way possible once it enters the bloodstream. And once Rosetta here gets a needle-full of it, you can only watch as her insides burn and listen to her screams until she finally dies! But it’s so much better than just that! First, it will target her brain, making her lose control of her body. Her bowels will go first, writhing and boiling. Then, her lungs. Her breathing will become frantic and ragged as her lungs fill with fluid. Oh, but don’t worry, she won’t drown. No, the last thing to go will be her heart. And once she’s dead, you’ll be next!”

He lowered the needle to Rosetta’s exposed leg, ready to inject her. “No!” Daring pleaded. “Please! Don’t hurt her! Do whatever you want to me, just leave her alone!”

Without turning to face his quarry, Dr. Negative’s insane laughter reverberated around the cavern. “Oh, I’m positively going to enjoy every second of this!” He continued to bring the needle lower and lower to Rosetta’s leg, the unicorn trying to squirm away as she called out to Daring for help. Tears welled in both their eyes until Daring snapped. Unleashing a battle-cry, she charged at the loose stalactite, delivering a powerful kick with her hind legs.

“What?!” Dr. Negative stopped, looking upwards at the pegasus just in time to see the large piece of rock plummet and crash onto his desk, completely destroying all of his work. “Nooooo!” He howled, throwing the needle of poison off to the side against the cavern floor as he ran over to his ruined work. All of his plans, all of his brainwashing serum and notes were gone. The needle shattered, its contents harmlessly seeping into the ground.

While the Doctor was preoccupied, Daring flew over to Rosetta and set to releasing her restraints. “C’mon, let’s get you outta here.” She whispered to her long-time friend and companion.

“Rainbow...” Rosetta choked out, tears beginning to flow. “You came... to save me...”

“Of course I did! Like I’d ever leave you hangin’!” Daring paused to quickly hug Rosetta, Dr. Negative still pouring over his ruined work, hopelessly trying to save what little he could. “Now help me out here! We can talk later, okay?”

Removing the last restraint, Rosetta jumped to her hooves and snapped the magic inhibitor ring off of her horn. Dr. Negative wheeled around, snarling at the pair. “No! I shall not allow you to escape! If it’s the last thing I do, I will have my revenge!”

Daring stepped in front of Rosetta, shielding her from Dr. Negative’s wrath. He made to lunge forward, but fell prone as the ground beneath him began to rumble and quake. The entire cavern began to shake as the area around where the stalactite fell began to crack. Dislodging the stalactite must have done more damage to the structural integrity of the cave than Daring estimated it would.

All three ponies in the room froze in horror as the ground beneath them gave way. “Nooooo!” Dr. Negative howled, falling into the abyss. “Daring! I shall have my revenge!”

As the mad scientist fell to his demise, Daring forced herself to look away as she scooped Rosetta up in her hooves and took flight. Dr. Negative’s last promises of revenge and curses at Daring followed them as Daring flew the two through the winding tunnel and back to the surface. Daring sped up the closer they got to the mouth of the cave, pushing Dr. Negative’s screams to the recesses of her mind, and she and Rosetta emerged out of the waterfall in a spray of colour and water.

The storm was ending; thunder and lightning long since past as the last remnants of the rain spattered on the terrain. Daring alighted on the clifftop, gingerly letting Rosetta down. In an instant, Rosetta was back at her side, checking for injuries.

“Rainbow, are you alright? You aren’t hurt, are you?”

Pushing the frantic unicorn away, Daring grabbed her by the shoulders, “I’m fine Rosey! You’re the one I’m worried about!” Daring began looking Rosetta over herself. “Did he hurt you? Oh my gosh, Rosey, I was so worried about you!”

Before she could go any further, Rosetta lunged forward and enveloped Daring in a bone-crushing hug. Daring could feel her cheeks warm as she slowly returned the hug, nuzzling her friend’s mane as Rosetta cried into Daring’s shoulder. Sobs wracked her body as Daring rubbed her back on slow circles, comforting the traumatized unicorn.

“I-I’m sorry I got you s-so worried, Rainbow,” Rosetta sniffled.

“Shh,” Daring cooed, “it’s okay, it’s all over now, Rosey,” she broke away from the hug to lift her friend’s head and stare deeply into her lavender eyes, “I’m so, so sorry I got you involved in all of this in the first place.”

Rosetta hiccuped, smiling weakly at her savior and nuzzling into her hoof. “I... I was so scared... I didn’t think I was ever going to see you again...”

“Hey, it’s okay. There’s no way I’d ever let my favourite egghead down. And there’s definitely no way that I’d ever let anything happen to you. Not as long as I can do something to stop it.”

Rosetta smiled warmly at Daring, and Daring smiled back. The cloud cover broke overhead, just as the first fingers of dawn stretched out over the landscape, bringing light to the desolate and gray jungle. The light of the sun warmed Daring’s cold and damp coat, and shone brightly over Rosetta’s lavender coat.

Wait, was Rosetta’s coat always purple?

Her deep purple mane billowed around her neck in the morning breeze, pink highlights positively shimmering in the morning light. Rainbow Daring Dash and Rosetta Sparkle slowly leaned in closer together, closing the gap between the two until only a mere few inches separated the muzzles.

Then, in a passionate fury, Daring closed the gap entirely, meeting Rosetta’s lips in-

Rainbow Dash woke with start, her heart hammering in her chest as she wildly looked around for Rosetta, the clifftop, and her hat. Remembering where she was, Rainbow began to calm herself down, eyes settling on the mare still quietly sleeping next to her.

“Just a dream... It was just a dream...” Rainbow told herself, placing her hoof over her heart. She took several deep breaths until her heart rate returned to normal. Her eyes began tracing Twilight’s sleeping form, fondly watching the unicorn sleep. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

The dream played itself through in her mind’s eye, and Rainbow found herself willing the heat in her cheeks to die down as she watched Twilight sleep. She shook her head, dispelling the thoughts, “...A very weird dream.”

She tore her gaze away from the sleeping mare and instead focused on a lamp sitting on Twilight’s writing desk. She hummed quietly to herself as she thought over her dream. Dreaming herself as Daring Do was not that uncommon to Rainbow. She would never admit it, but the prospect of being the adventurous, quick-witted, and all around awesome mare was very appealing to her.

Rosetta, however, had never been in her dreams before. Rainbow certainly never dreamt of kissing her. She also knew for a fact that Rosetta’s coat was not lavender, nor did her mane have any pink highlights in it.

“So why did...” Rainbow glanced sideways at Twilight. “Oh.”

The dots connected in her head. If Daring was Rainbow, then Rosetta was Twilight, and Rainbow had dreamt of saving Twilight from a mad villain and... kissed her. Rainbow blushed at the realization.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Twilight stirred, yawning and blinking blearily at Rainbow. “Mmm... morning Rainbow, did you sleep well?”

Rainbow smiled a bit too widely at the unicorn, “Yeah. Totally. I slept like a log.” She awkwardly shuffled out of the bed, unable to take her eyes off of Twilight. Her leg caught in the blanket, sending her sprawling onto the hardwood floor.

Twilight’s head peered over the edge of the bed, looking at the mess that was Rainbow quizzically, “Rainbow? Are you feeling okay?”

Picking herself up quickly, Rainbow rigidly shuffled over towards the bedroom window. “Of course I am! One-hundred percent over here! I just, err, have a lot of weather work to do today! I’ll catch ya later Twi’!”

Before Twilight could respond, Rainbow had already thrown open the window and had taken off to the skies, leaving a rainbow trail and a very confused unicorn in her wake. Waving a hoof absent-mindedly, Twilight muttered to the empty room, “Yeah... see you later, Rainbow.”

Twilight set to work cleaning up and making the bed. As she finished, she poked her head out the window in the direction Rainbow flew off in, bewilderment still etched on her face, “I wonder what got her feathers so ruffled?”

Rainbow stared blankly at the clock, watching as the seconds ticked by from her kitchen table. It had been almost a week since she slept over at Twilight’s house, and still that dream was all she could think about. It was pretty uncool to up and go like she did the morning after, and avoiding Twilight altogether for almost a week probably was not helping any, but she needed time alone to think.

It wasn’t something she normally did, but Rainbow would be damned if she would let this beat her. There was no way a silly little dream was going to keep her from hanging out with one of her best friends... right?

At first Rainbow had shrugged it off as just that, a dream. A random occurrence and nothing more. But then the next night she had another dream much like the first one. She, Rainbow Daring Dash, had saved Rosetta Sparkle from the villainous plots of another evil mastermind. Then another, and another, then one where she was rescued by Twilight/Rosetta, and finally, last night, one where there were no outfits, no personas, but just her and Twilight.

And every dream had ended the same as the first. Just as she was about to kiss Twilight, Rainbow would wake and search the room desperately for any sign of the purple unicorn, only to remember it was only a dream. It was strange, every time she came to realization there was a pang of disappointment that she could never quite understand.

It had gotten to the point where Rainbow could not picture her friend without heat rushing to her cheeks and her heart beating a mile a minute. She began to question if it was only a dream.

Rainbow sighed, letting her head fall to the cloud surface of her kitchen table. Her head landed with a small oomph. “Why is this happening to me?” she asked herself, voice muffled by the cloud. “It’s not like anything has changed, so why can’t I just sleep in peace?”

She bet Twilight would know exactly why. A small smile crept up Rainbow’s lips, she could almost hear Twilight explain that it was just some connection her mind was making between Daring and Rosetta with herself and Rainbow. After all, they were very similar in terms of personality, and Rainbow had been thinking about Daring and Rosetta dating, so it was only natural.

Rainbow groaned, lifting her head from the pillowy table to rub her head with her hooves. There she was again. It mattered not what she was doing, somehow the bookish mare would worm her way into Rainbow’s thoughts. A glance at her calendar (purchased on the insistence of Twilight) made Rainbow groan again.

“Great... it’s reading day...” Rainbow mumbled into her cup of coffee, staring at her reflection in the brown liquid. She sighed. “I can’t avoid Twilight for much longer. She’ll get worried if I skip out on our weekly reading date-” Rainbow froze, her entire body going rigid. “Reading day. Ugh, what’s wrong with me?”

She returned to watching the clock tick away. Nine-thirty. Rainbow was supposed to meet Twilight at her house in an hour. She groaned again, she was going to have to figure this out quickly.

Her mind wandered to her conversation earlier with Twilight about Daring Do and Rosetta. Rainbow frowned. It was clear to her that this was where all of her problems started, but she could not figure out why. Twilight’s voice filled her mind, though this had become a common occurrence to Rainbow over the last few days.

“I’m sorry, but I really don’t understand why you can’t accept this, or why Daring has to be with Rosetta. Really, their relationship is just one of platonic friendship, almost exactly like ours. Why is this so important to you?”

Rainbow sat up, her ears perked. When she thought about it, that was where everything had started for her, though she could not answer it.

“Why is this so important to me anyways?” Rainbow asked herself. “It’s just a stupid story! Why should I care if Daring ends up with stupid Silver! It’s not like I’m the one ending up with...” She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. Despite what she said, she did care; she cared a lot.

Rainbow huffed and started pacing around her kitchen; this was easily the most use it ever had. She was on the verge of something, some realization that would make everything make sense. It was on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn’t reach it.

“Stupid Daring Do...” Rainbow grumbled, her pacing becoming more and more hectic. “Stupid Silver!” She stopped pacing, glowering at her copy of Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone, a gift from Twilight. “Stupid Rosetta!”

Her voice growing, she batted the book to the side. She reached her breaking point, fed up with not understanding what was happening, and slamming her hooves into the table, she shouted, “Stupid sexy Twilight!”

Rainbow’s eyes went wide and she put a hoof to her mouth as if to take what she just said back and seal it away. “Where... where did that come from?”

Her mind drifted back to all of the dreams that she had since that first night. She saw herself dressed as Daring Do, rescue Rosetta/Twilight from the clutches of some crazed villain and carry her out into the sunset. She saw herself embracing Rosetta/Twilight once they were safe, letting out tears of relief. She saw herself leaning in to kiss Rosetta/Twilight, but most importantly she saw how happy she was with her. Rainbow could feel herself smile at the memory, even if it was only a dream.

“Do I... do I have feelings for Twilight?” She paused, staring blankly at the calendar where she had clearly marked reading days with Twilight in bright red ink. There was always a slight tingle of anticipation that Rainbow rarely felt save for when she was flying when reading day came. She had always thought that was because of the books, but now... “No! No way, I can’t feel... that way towards Twilight. Besides, I don’t do dating. The romantic mushy stuff is for ponies like Fluttershy and Rarity...”

“Nah, you definitely got cute under wraps.”

Her own words bounced around in her head, her own mind trying to prove her wrong. Her thoughts drifted back to all of the times that she and Twilight had curled up together in front of the fireplace with a good book, and of how happy she had been. She remembered sharing a milkshake with Twilight after finishing a book, and how close their muzzles had been. Rainbow blushed hard as she recalled the walk home from Sugarcube Corner and how close they had been walking. She could almost feel the warmth from Twilight’s coat pressing up against hers and her breath against the nape of her neck, making Rainbow shiver.

Rainbow glanced around the room, making sure that nopony had somehow materialized without her knowing. “Okay, so maaaybe I have a crush on Twilight.” Rainbow admitted to the empty kitchen. “Now what? I can’t just go down and ask Twilight out... or can I?”

Rainbow began to pace around the table again, gaze downcast. “I don’t even know if Twilight feels the same way. Asking her out could totally ruin our friendship!”

Yet, despite her worries, even thinking about not trying sent a painful pang through Rainbow’s core. No matter what she told herself, her heart yearned for more. Her mind wandered back to that night at Twilight’s house. She may have been exhausted, but she could clearly remember watching Twilight sleep and waking up next to her.

Rainbow smiled as she pictured waking up next to Twilight every morning. She would like that. A lot. The only question left, though, was it worth the risk?

Rainbow imagined reading with Twilight, getting milkshakes with Twilight, and just being with Twilight, except as more than friends. She tried to imagine Twilight as her special somepony, filling a hole in her heart that she did not know was there.

“Oh yeah,” Rainbow smiled. “Totally worth it. Besides, even if she says no things will only be awkward for a little while and then it’ll get back to normal... right?” Rainbow tried to convince herself. She breathed deeply, stepping towards her kitchen window. “Twilight’s not the type of pony to ditch her friends just because things get weird.”

Taking to the sky, Rainbow repeatedly told herself, “Everything’s gonna be fine, everything’s gonna be fine...”

Chapter 4

Twilight stood in the middle of the library, going over her regular checklist for her and Rainbow’s weekly reading day. “Drinks, check! Cushions, check! Snackfood, check!” Twilight chimed, merrily ticking off the items on her list. It always brought her a sense of satisfaction unparalleled to hear the sound of her quill scratching against the parchment.

“Let’s see... Spike’s out playing with the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’, check. Book of the day, check! What am I missing?” Twilight pondered, tapping the quill against her chin as she double and triple checked the list. Satisfied everything was prepared for the day, Twilight smiled as she rolled up the parchment, returning it and her quill to her work desk. Her smile turned to a frown as she surveyed the room. “All that’s missing... is Rainbow...”

Twilight sighed, she had not seen head nor tail of her rainbow-maned friend for almost an entire week. The last she saw of her was the morning after she slept over, and even that was only for a few minutes before she flew out like she was being chased by a swarm of hungry parasprites.

Twilight could not help but wonder if it was something she had said or done to make Rainbow want to avoid her. The only thing that came to mind was their disagreement on Daring Do. Twilight slumped over her cushion, prodding the latest copy of Daring Do with her hoof. She would hate for something so trivial to put a wedge in her relationship with Rainbow.

A knock at the door shook her from her thoughts. “Come in! The door’s open!”

The door creaked open, revealing a slightly flushed and somewhat nervous-looking Rainbow Dash. “Hey Twi’, sorry I’m a bit late.”

“Rainbow!” Twilight cried, leaping to her hooves to give Rainbow a quick hug. “I was starting to think you weren’t going to show up.”

Squirming out of the hug, Rainbow patted her windswept mane down with a hoof. “Me? Nah, c’mon Twi’, you know I’d never ditch ya, especially not on reading day.”

“That’s good to hear,” Twilight said, leading Rainbow into the central room of the library where their usual setup awaited. “I was just getting a little concerned since I haven’t seen you since last week when you slept over.” Twilight blushed sheepishly. “I know it’s dumb, but I thought you were purposely trying to avoid me.”

Rainbow laughed awkwardly, her movements suddenly stiff. “Me? Avoid you? Never! Why would I do that?”

Twilight shrugged ahead of her. “I don’t know, maybe something to do with our, umm, talk about Daring Do last week? I didn’t mean to make you upset about it Rainbow, really. I’m sorry if I was short with you, I was just exhausted and grumpy from earlier.”

“Oh, that? Don’t even worry about it Twi’.”

Now this is strange, Twilight thought to herself at the brevity of Rainbow’s response. Normally, the brash pegasus would try and justify her own beliefs even at a time like this. Twilight was expecting her to make some statement to explain why Daring belonged with Rosetta. Instead, Twilight noticed she was acting very jittery and while Rainbow tried to exude her trademark confidence, something about it seemed off.

Twilight studied the pegasus who was now shuffling her hooves, avoiding all eye contact with Twilight. “Rainbow? Are you feeling okay?”

Rainbow snapped to attention, sitting rigidly on her haunches, “Me? Okay? Of course I am! Err, why do you ask?”

“Well it’s just,” Twilight paused, watching as the pegasus shifted around uncomfortably. “Rainbow? You’re acting a little... twitchy.”

Rainbow looked up at Twilight, a grimace of panic flashed across her features before she sighed, her entire body relaxing. “Yeah... I guess there isn’t really hiding anything from you, is there?” A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “You know me too well, and I guess there’s no easy way to say this...”

“Rainbow?” Twilight stepped forwards, placing her hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “What is it? You know you can tell me anything, right?”

Rainbow smiled gratefully, placing her own hoof over Twilight’s, “I know, and thanks. It really means a lot to have somepony like you lookin’ out for me.” Rainbow breathed deeply, steadying herself for whatever she needed to say, and Twilight was prepared to support her friend in any way she could. “Look, Twilight... the thing is... ugh! Why is this so hard?!”

“Why is what so hard Rainbow? What’s wrong?” Twilight asked, concern colouring her voice as Rainbow pulled away from Twilight. She stared at the floorboards as she paced around the room.

“Alright,” Rainbow huffed, turning to face Twilight with a gleam of determination in her eyes that was not there before. “I can’t think of any other way to say this, so I’m just gonna say it.”

“Rainbow?”

“Just... just promise me that you won’t freak out.”

“What are you-”

“Please, just promise me Twi’.” Rainbow pleaded, determination slowly fading from her eyes as her nervousness began to set in and threatened to take control.

Twilight stared uncomprehendingly at Rainbow. She had never seen her act like this before. The pegasus’ air of confidence and regular bravado that Twilight had come to adore were all but gone, replaced with a nervous energy. “...Okay, I promise Rainbow.”

It seemed to do little to ease Rainbow as her wings continued to twitch at her side. “Alright, here it goes...” Rainbow cleared her throat, standing her tallest in front of her friend. “Twilight Sparkle, will you go on a date with me?”

A minute passed and an uncomfortable silence fell on the library. Twilight stared dumbstruck at Rainbow. Did Rainbow just... No, I must have misheard.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” Twilight smiled a bit too widely. “I’m not sure I heard that correctly.”

Rainbow gulped, her confidence failing her. “I asked... if you would, y’know, want to maybe go out sometime... with me... like a date?” Rainbow squeaked out, gritting her teeth at how uncool she sounded.

“...A date?”

Rainbow nodded resolutely. She had come too far to back down now. She had just put her heart on the line, and now it was up to Twilight to make the next move.

“As in... you,” Twilight pointed a hoof at Rainbow, “and me?” Twilight placed her hoof over her chest.

Rainbow nodded again, willing herself to stay focused on Twilight. She gulped again after another moment of silence had passed. She fought the urge to turn tail and fly out the door back to her cloud house. It crossed her mind that it was not too late to play this off as a kind of prank, just for Twilight’s expense to get back at her for the Daring Do argument, but she discarded the idea the moment it took root. This was important to her, and she needed to see it through.

“Like... a date date?” Twilight asked, her mind reeling. “With... flowers, and sharing food, and-”

“Yes! A date. You and me, nopony else, with flowers and sharing food and all those things that happens on dates with couples okay?” Rainbow exasperated, her cheeks flushing as she thought about what a date with Twilight might entail.

Twilight, her hoof still placed over her chest, could feel her heart hammering a mile a minute. Rainbow Dash, her best friend, was asking her of all ponies out on a date. Twilight’s mind raced to catch up as question after question bombarded her. Why her? When did things change? How long has Rainbow felt this way? Is this why she hadn’t seen Rainbow for a week? What should she do now?

This was happening way too fast for Twilight. She needed to stall for time. “Are you serious?!” Twilight blurted out without thinking.

Rainbow flinched like she had just been struck and could already feel the tears welling in her eyes. She looked away from Twilight, she could not and would not let her see her cry.

Twilight huffed, rubbing her forehead with a hoof. She tried again, this time more controlled and composed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for that to come out like that. It’s just that... why? Why me, and why now?”

“Well, why not you? You’re smart, funny, determined, and you’ll do anything to help somepony.” Rainbow asked incredulously, her voice growing in strength with every word. “I know for a fact that I can talk to you about anything, and even when it’s about your magic stuff you make it interesting. We already get along great, and... and, well, why wouldn’t I want to ask you out? It’s not like I’m asking out some total stranger here, and I guess that doesn’t really help much.” Rainbow smiled sheepishly, daring to meet Twilight’s gaze. In Twilight’s eyes she saw confusion, fear, but a small glimmer of hope.

In Rainbow’s eyes, Twilight searched for any sign that this was all some kind of ruse but found none. Instead, she saw honest affection and hope. “Twi’... you’re like my best friend, and I guess... well, I guess that I just wanted to see... if we could, y’know, take things to the next level.” Rainbow flushed, her cheeks burning, and looked away, her courage spent.

“Rainbow, I...” Twilight trailed off, unsure of what to think. “I’m sorry, I just need some time to think.”

It was Rainbow’s turn to sit and watch as Twilight paced about the library, gaze downcast. Twilight’s brow was furrowed, going through everything Rainbow had said, mind travelling back to their interactions, searching for any signs that Rainbow had felt this way towards her. Rainbow looked onwards, nervously awaiting Twilight’s answer. If Twilight was going to turn her down, Rainbow hoped she would get on with it. This waiting was killing her more than the idea of rejection ever could.

Twilight thought back to her last conversation with Rainbow. She remembered how upset Rainbow got when Twilight called the idea of Daring and Rosetta as an item unrealistic, and how determined the pegasus was to prove her wrong.

Twilight stopped her pacing, scrutinizing the pegasus before her. She wouldn’t... “Rainbow, this isn’t just some twisted way for you to prove me wrong about the whole Daring Do and Rosetta thing, is it?” Twilight asked slowly. “Are you just trying to show in some deranged way that that type of romance is possible?”

“What?! No!” Rainbow yelled, panic flashing across her face and hurt seeping into her voice. This was not where she was expecting things to go. “Twi’, I would never toy with another pony’s feelings like that, least of all my best friend’s! That’s just...ugh! I thought you knew me better than that!”

Twilight cringed. The hurt was evident in Rainbow’s voice, and Twilight feared she may have gone too far. She needed to fix this. “I’m sorry Rainbow, I shouldn’t have said that,” Twilight said earnestly, taking a hesitant step towards the pegasus who was caught somewhere between outrage and hope. “But can you really blame me entirely? I mean, the last time we were together it ended with you trying to fly off saying that you were going to prove me wrong.”

Rainbow fell silent, her ears folding back and her wings drooping. “Well... okay, that may have been the start of this, but I’m telling you it isn’t why I’m standing right here, right now, asking you out, I promise. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

“Then why?”

“I already told ya, egghead. I’m here because... well because I think there’s something there, something between us. And I can’t say for sure about you, but I want to give it a shot,” Rainbow took a tentative step forwards, slowly closing the gap Twilight had created between herself and Rainbow. “I want to see if there really is something there, and I want to find out with you.”

Twilight bit her lip and rubbed her leg with a hoof, unsure of what to do next. Rainbow took another step towards Twilight, “Twilight? Please just say something. If you don’t want to, I get it, just tell me already, I don’t think-”

“When?” Twilight interrupted, halting the pegasus’ advance.

“Huh?”

Twilight took a deep breath to steady herself. Looking back up to Rainbow with a scrutinizing gaze, she asked again, “When did you... start to feel this way about me?”

“Oh, that,” Rainbow scratched the back of her head with a hoof. “Well, honestly? I don’t really know when this all started... but I know when I figured it all out. I guess I owe you at least that much for not freaking out on me.” Rainbow chuckled weakly. Clearing her throat, she began. “Remember last week, after we helped Pinkie with her cupcake emergency?”

Twilight nodded slowly, wondering where Rainbow was going to go with this.

“Well, I guess that’s when I started piecing the puzzles together. Even you have to admit, we were walkin’ pretty close together there the way back here, even for friends. I’m not sure if you remember, but we got into this conversation, and I ended up calling you cute.” Twilight’s cheeks flushed at the memory, but she did her best to ignore it as Rainbow continued. “I thought about it, that whole chat, and everything we’ve been doing together lately, and I realized I meant it. That wasn’t just the exhaustion talking.”

She paused, staring into Twilight’s eyes. With a cough, Rainbow averted her gaze, pink dots colouring her cheeks. “Anyways, after that we started to go on about Daring Do again, and when you asked me why I cared so much about it, I couldn’t come up with an answer. I just couldn’t. I thought about it for days, but believe me when I say that I couldn’t accept it, though I didn’t know why. At least, not at the time. That night, when you asked me to sleep over, things started to make sense... kind of.”

“Kind of?”

Rainbow nodded resolutely, her blush growing to leave a bright scarlet stain on her muzzle. “Yeah, well, I was having some troubles sleeping, I guess you could say. I kept on going through what we had talked about over and over. When I finally did drift off, I had this... dream.”

Twilight’s own blush grew in intensity to match Rainbow’s, her ears folding back against her head at the implication, “Oh...”

“What? No! Not anything like that!” Rainbow backpedalled, wings flaring out as she realized the implications of her words. “It was a dream about Daring Do and Dr. Negative! Yeesh Twi’, I know I’m fast, but I’m not that kind of fast! Anyways, the only thing was that I was Daring Do and you were Rosetta. And... well, after I rescued you, we kinda... kissed. Or at least, we almost did, then I woke up.”

“So,” Twilight started, weighing Rainbow’s words. “That’s why you were in such a hurry to leave?”

Rainbow nodded silently. Twilight had to admit, she was relieved that she had not done anything to force Rainbow away that morning. She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. As she thought about what Rainbow had said, about the dream, Twilight felt a frown tug at the corner of her lips.

“But Rainbow... that was just a dream. It was most likely your subconscious mind connecting things that you were just recently thinking about, it’s only natural. You were so obsessed with Daring Do and Rosetta that of course you would dream about them. On top of that, we were the ones talking about them, so your subconscious linked yourself with Daring and me with Rosetta. Our personalities are similar enough, which made it easier for the connection to be made in the first place.” Twilight sighed, she should have been happy to have found a way out of this, a way to hopefully reverse everything that had just happened. Yet, she found herself disappointed, almost as if she wished what she said was not true. “It doesn’t mean anything Rainbow...”

Rainbow smiled bashfully, her gaze focused on a crack in the floorboards. “Y’know, I actually thought you were gonna say something like that. And you’re wrong, it does mean something.” She followed the crack to Twilight’s hooves. “After that night, I took the rest of the day to think about that dream and what it meant. At first I thought that is was just that, a silly dream, and that I’d move on and everything would be back to normal. But then I had another dream like it, then another, and another. Some were more intimate than others I guess, but my point is that it didn’t just go away.”

Rainbow breathed deeply, willing herself to look up and face the unicorn. “Then, the other night, I had another dream. Except this one was different from the others...”

“Different how?” Twilight whispered, enraptured by the pegasus.

“This time there was no Daring Do, no Rosetta, and no villain. It was just you and me.” Rainbow’s stomach was doing backflips as she explained and every instinct was telling her to run, but she couldn’t stop now. “I know I do a lot of things without thinking, but I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. I could have not showed up or done something stupid, but this was too important to me... you’re too important to me. I care about you Twilight, a lot, and it took me until now to figure that out.”

For several minutes, the two sat in silence as Rainbow waited for Twilight to say something. Twilight’s mind had come full-stop, trying to digest everything Rainbow had said on top of trying to figure out how she felt.

“Y-you know, I think I’ll just go,” Rainbow mumbled dejectedly. “I’m sorry I ruined reading day for you, Twi’. I hope we can still be friends...”

As Rainbow started the slow march out Twilight’s door, head lowered, a small voice caught her ear, “I... I care about you too, Rainbow.” Rainbow turned back to look over her shoulder at the mare, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

“What?” Rainbow asked, not believing her ears despite the smile growing on her face.

“I care about you too. A lot,” Twilight said again, her voice growing in strength, though confusion and pleading shone in her eyes. “It’s just... this is a lot to take in. I need some time to think, please.”

“Sure, yeah I get it,” Rainbow nodded enthusiastically. It may not have been a ‘yes’, but it definitely wasn’t a no. “Umm, hey, you know that carnival that’s in town?”

Twilight nodded dumbly, gears slowly turning in her head.

“How about this, I’m gonna wait down by the carnival gates tomorrow around noon-ish,” Rainbow gulped. “I’ll be waiting for you there, and if you don’t show...”

“Rainbow, I-”

“No, it’s okay,” Rainbow smiled sadly at Twilight, her face a mixture of hope, understanding, and worry. “If you don’t show, I’ll understand. It’s a big change, and I did kinda just drop it on you without warning. Like I said, I don’t know if this’ll work out, but I can feel something there, and I’m willing to give it a shot.”

As Rainbow left the library, she turned back to Twilight one last time, regaining some of her regular confidence, “But if you do show, I can promise that you’ll have the most awesome day of your life!”

Author's Note

Bam! Double update time! I think I had the most fun writing these two chapters (especially chapter 3) out of everything I've written for this.

Questions/comments, as always, are greatly appreciated!

Chapter 5

Twilight paced anxiously around the library, her mane disheveled and her eye twitching. A glance at her clock informed her that it had been exactly six hours, twenty-four minutes, and thirty-three seconds since Rainbow had left, and Twilight was no closer to an answer than she was six hours, twenty-four minutes, and thirty-three seconds ago.

“Ugh! This doesn’t make any sense!” Twilight exasperated, slamming her copy of 101 Dating Tips for Every Mare shut with distaste.

“What doesn’t make any sense?” Spike asked from his perch on a ladder, safely out of reach from the unicorn’s own brand of destruction. He had lived with Twilight long enough to know to steer clear of her when she got like this.

“How can none of these books have any answers!” Twilight continued, ignoring the baby dragon as she paced through the mess of books littering the floor of the library. “A pony would think that for an area so written about in literature, there would at least be some hint for a pony to figure it out for herself!”

“Figure what out?” Spike tried again to attract her attention. If Twilight had heard him, she chose to ignore him. At some point during the last six hours he had returned home, though Twilight had paid him no mind. What she was working on was much more important.

“I’ve gone through every book in the library on the subject, but none have any useful information!” Twilight flipped through her notes, scrawled haphazardly as she went through every book on romance and dating in her possession. Her resources were fairly limited, but she had hoped there would have been something to help her. “All of these are on how to ask somepony out and what to do with them on a date! How does that help me figure out if I should say yes?!”

“Whoa!” Spike cried in surprise, losing balance on the ladder and crashing down into the pile of books below. Digging himself out, he stared at the unicorn flabbergasted. “Did you say dating?”

“Yes, why else would I have every single book on the topic out Spike?” Twilight asked, as if the answer should have been obvious to the baby dragon. Spike raised a claw to say something before Twilight continued, her back still turned to him as she read through her notes. “I’ve skimmed through everything from those romance novels Rarity and Fluttershy keep on going on about to... what is this one again? The Perfect Date For Your Special Somepony. And so far nothing!”

“Twilight, could you just-”

“They all keep on going on and on about how a mare should listen to her heart at times like these, but they don’t tell you how to do that! How does a pony know when they’re listening to their heart and not their head? And how does that make any sense anyways?! The heart can’t think, it can’t send brainwaves or other messages that can be translated as basic thought!”

“Twilight!” Spike jumped in front of the unicorn to get her attention.

“What?!”

The twitch in her eye was all the warning Spike needed to turn tail and run. However, against his better judgement he stood his ground. “What are you even talking about? What date? I thought today was reading day with Rainbow Dash anyways? I was expecting to come back to you two reading together in front of the fireplace or something, not... this!” Spike waved to the disaster that was the library. “Would it kill you to just back up and explain what the hay’s going on here?”

“Explain?! I don’t have time to explain, Spike! I have less than a day to figure this all out or everything’s ruined! Rainbow will hate me, and then I’ll have to move away from Ponyville because everypony else will hate me for hurting her! I said I’d have an answer for her, but I just don’t know what to do!” Books flew around the library in erratically as Twilight rapidly flipped through them. Each book was soon discarded and replaced by another faster than Spike could follow, the unicorn’s eyes darting from page to page. “Maybe I overlooked something... No, this isn’t any good. No, what does spaghetti have to do with any of this? No, nothing here either. Maybe this one? No, no, no! Ugh! Spike, are these all of the books on romance we have?”

Spike sighed, looking around the library, “I think so, but it’s hard to say anything for sure with the library like this! I mean…” He reached down, plucking a book from the floor. “Why is there a cookbook down here? It’s gonna take forever to organize this,” he groaned, dropping the book on the floor. “C’mon Twilight, will you just tell me what’s going on? It can’t be that bad.”

This caught Twilight’s full attention. Turning to face Spike, her face one of pure shock and disbelief at the young dragon’s words, she asked in a high-pitched voice, “Not that bad? Not that bad?!”

Twilight’s horn began to glow brighter, amassing a large amount of energy. Spike laughed nervously, slowly backing away from her as the library itself began to shake. “Umm, maybe?”

Just as the shaking and brightness of Twilight’s horn hit its peak and Spike braced himself for the worst, everything stopped. Books, previously held aloft in Twilight’s magical glow, fell to the floor as Twilight fell to her haunches, eyes shut and shoulders hunched in defeat. Spike cracked an eye open as a book bounced off of his head, falling open next to him.

Cautiously, Spike ventured forwards, risking placing a comforting claw on Twilight’s shoulder, “Twilight?”

“You wouldn’t understand...” Twilight mumbled dejectedly, shrugging off Spike’s clawed hand.

“Maybe I would if you would tell me.”

Twilight raised her head to meet Spike’s concerned gaze. How could she tell him about this? On one hoof, he was still a baby dragon who couldn’t get over his own crush on Rarity. She couldn’t help but think that telling Spike about all of this would just get him worried or make him want to get involved in something Twilight felt should be dealt with by her and her alone. On the other hoof, Twilight needed someone to talk to, and Spike knew her better than anybody in Ponyville.

She sighed, admitting defeat, “Okay, you win. It’s Rainbow.”

“Hold that thought,” Spike said, shuffling over to the kitchen as fast as he could. “Why don’t you sit down at the table or something and I’ll go make some tea? Fluttershy always says it helps calm her down.”

A few minutes later, Twilight found herself nursing a cup of tea while Spike busied himself with tidying up the library. It had taken some work, but somehow Spike convinced Twilight to sit down and stop worrying, at least for the moment.

“Okay, now what’s this about Rainbow Dash and dating?” Spike asked, picking up a small stack of books to be re-shelved, his eyes gauging the unicorn’s response carefully.

Twilight took a long sip from her cup to calm her nerves. She was close to the breaking point, but she knew she needed to stay in control. She licked her lips, suddenly wishing for some milk and sugar to go with her tea as she tasted its bitterness on her palate. Delicately lowering the cup, she began, “Well, this morning, Rainbow came over for our weekly reading day. Except she was very jittery and nervous, like before the Best Young Flyer’s Competition. And... I guess long story short she asked me out.”

Spike stared at Twilight, books in his arms forgotten, “Rainbow Dash? Our Rainbow Dash asked you out? On a date?”

Twilight nodded, swirling her tea around to avoid making direct eye contact.

“A date date? Like with flowers, and walks under the moonlight, and fancy dinners and all that romance stuff?”

Twilight nodded solemnly again, staring into the dregs of her tea. Despite the situation, she couldn’t help but admire how the light, when caught just right in her tea, created the fleeting image of a rainbow that danced in her eyes.

“That’s great! I’m happy for you Twilight!” Spike cheered. His smile faltered when he saw Twilight’s glare. “Or maybe not so great?” The baby dragon backpedalled, taking a few steps away from the table. When Twilight lowered her glare back to her tea, Spike cleared his throat. “So? What did you say?”

“I...” Twilight started, looking helplessly at her tea as if it may have all of her answers. “I told her that I needed time to think. She said that she’ll be waiting for me down at the carnival gates tomorrow at noon if I decide to say yes.”

Spike nodded sagely, or at least what he thought would look sagely, “Okay, so what are you going to do? Are you going to see her tomorrow or not?”

“I don’t know!” Twilight groaned, letting her head fall to the table. “I don’t want to ruin our friendship! Rainbow means a lot to me, but so do all of the other girls! If something goes wrong, then everything could fall apart!”

“Twilight, you need to calm down. This isn’t the end of the world, and it’s just one date. You don’t have to go off and marry her or anything.”

Twilight blushed as the images of Rainbow in a long, flowing white wedding dress perfectly fitted to accentuate her toned form danced through her mind. Shaking her head to dispel the thoughts, she pushed her chair away from the table as she fought down her blush. “But what if it doesn’t go well and things get weird between us! I don’t know what I’d do or how to fix it.”

“Well, isn’t it kind of impossible to not let things get weird between you two already? I mean, Rainbow pretty much guaranteed that when she asked you out. Besides, I know I’m young and all, but isn’t the whole point of dating to figure out if you can be somepony’s special somepony?” Spike blinked, somehow what he had said even confused him a little. “Somepony’s special somepony?” He muttered to himself so that Twilight couldn’t hear. “Does that even make sense?” He shrugged it off when he noticed Twilight shift around in her chair.

“I... guess so, but it still doesn’t help me figure out if I should even say yes in the first place.”

“I think only you can answer that one, Twilight. I mean, do you think you could see yourself dating Rainbow Dash?”

“I don’t know... maybe?” Twilight sighed, standing up from the table to resume her pacing. Her mind was drawn to her analysis of Daring and Rosetta, and couldn’t help but compare it to her situation with Rainbow.

I guess I don't see any major flaws in their dynamic.

It was true, there was no reason why she couldn’t date Rainbow. Wordlessly, Twilight trotted over to her desk, levitating her copy of Daring Do and the Devious Doctor Negative out in front of her. She turned to where she and Rainbow had left off, so close to the end but not quite there. Carefully placing the book down, she pulled out the blue feather that they had used as a bookmark.

Twirling the feather in her magic, Twilight’s mind drifted to all of the time she had spent with Rainbow. She could feel the warmth of Rainbow’s coat pressed up against hers as they read in front of the fireplace. She could see the twinkle in her eyes as they delved into a new book every week, a twinkle of joy and hunger that Twilight had only ever seen in herself. Twilight smiled fondly at the feather and at the memories.

“Before Rainbow left, she said something to me... She said that she wasn’t sure if this would work out, but that she could feel that there was something there. You know,” Twilight giggled, smiling earnestly at the little dragon. “I think she may have been right. And you know what else?”

“What?” Spike asked, beaming back at Twilight, happy that she had figured this out.

“I agree with her. It may not work out, but I think... I think that I want to give it a shot!”

“That’s my Twilight!” Spike cheered, placing his stack of books on a nearby stool. “Come on, let’s get you something to eat! After all, tomorrow you’ve got your date with Rainbow Dash to look forward to, right?”

Twilight giggled again and followed Spike into the kitchen, “Yeah... you’re right.”

“Should I start setting the table for three from now on? Or would you prefer if I just take my meals upstairs and let you have some privacy?”

“Careful buster, or I’m cutting you off from your gems,” Twilight teased, cantering with her head held high to the kitchen table as Spike set to preparing their dinner. Now that she had figured out what she was going to do, she was filled with a giddy anticipation for her day with Rainbow. The thought of Rainbow not just as her friend, but her date made her stomach churn with a nervous excitement.

She was going on a date, her first date, tomorrow with none other than Rainbow Dash. Twilight squealed on the inside at the prospect as she took the first mouthful of the casserole Spike had prepared. In her opinion, it was the best casserole she had had in a long time.

Rainbow paced impatiently outside the carnival gates, her wings twitching in anticipation and uncertainty. How does my mane look? Should I have gone to the spa or something? Maybe I should have asked Rarity for a dress? Wait, this is a carnival! Why would I get a dress?!

Rainbow groaned, she was starting to sound like Rarity with all of this worrying. She took a deep breath, making sure the lilac she bought for Twilight was still safely tucked inside her saddlebags. The flower itself was magically enchanted to never wilt under normal circumstances, making it the perfect surprise for the unicorn at the end of the day. She told herself she just needed to be her regular awesome self and everything would turn out equally as awesome if Twilight showed.

She cringed. “Once Twilight shows, once Twilight shows,” Rainbow repeated to herself over and over again as if it were some kind of chant. She could feel that there was a spark there with Twilight, and she hoped that Twilight would see it too. But even then, Rainbow couldn’t shake the feeling that this would be too big a leap for the unicorn. After all, she didn’t even have friends until she moved to Ponyville, and now one of her closest friends had just asked her out on a date. Twilight seemed okay when Rainbow left, maybe a little confused, but not Celestia’s-going-to-send-me-back-to-magic-kindergarten bad. How did she react after she left though? She could have locked herself in her room and gone crazy for all Rainbow knew, maybe she-

“No. Gotta stay positive. Can’t think that way. Twilight’s gonna show, I can feel it,” Rainbow shook her head, dispelling the thoughts. She had always trusted her instincts, and right now they were telling her that everything would work out. Then again, there was always the miniscule chance that she wouldn’t. Rainbow gulped, “I hope.”

Her worrying was interrupted by somepony calling her name. “Rainbow!” Rainbow knew that voice. Hearing it call her name filled her with a warm tingly feeling that spread from hoof to wing. Turning with a smile of relief, Rainbow saw Twilight galloping down the dirt road towards her.

With a flap of her wings, Rainbow took to the sky to meet her halfway. Twilight skidded to a halt as Rainbow landed a few feet away, breathlessly beaming at the pegasus who wore a smile matching her own. They simply stood there for a few minutes, smiling widely at each other, waiting for the other to say something.

“So...” Rainbow coughed, fluttering her wings excitedly behind her. “Is that a yes?”

Twilight’s tail swished happily as she nodded silently to Rainbow, still catching her breath from the running. “Uh-huh,” she finally managed to breathe out. “I’d love to accompany you to the carnival, Rainbow.”

Rainbow’s smile only widened, “As... as my date?”

“Yes Rainbow, as your date.” Twilight’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she realized the full meaning of the moment. Rainbow Dash, her date.

“Awesome!” Rainbow jumped into the air, zipping around in loops and dives, cheering all the while in joy and, while she would never admit it, relief that Twilight had said yes. Alighting down and falling in line with her official date, Rainbow slung a leg around Twilight’s neck. “Then what are we waiting for? We have an entire day of sheer amazingness just waiting beyond those gates! Rides, games, food, and Luna knows what else!”

Twilight giggled, ducking out from underneath Rainbow’s leg, “Rainbow, you sound like one of those Flim-Flam brothers.”

Rainbow puffed her chest out in pride, “Hey, can ya blame me? Probably the cutest and smartest mare in Ponyville just said yes to a date with me!” She blushed and looked away sheepishly. “Plus, I wasn’t even sure if you were gonna show at all. I was kinda scared that I may have ruined everything we had, and that’s the last thing I want. I love what we have right now, it’s just... I want it to be something more, something even more special with you. I know it sounds really cheesy and all, but this is something I can’t describe with words. That’s your area, the best I can do is show you.”

Smiling, Twilight leaned in and pecked the pegasus on the cheek, “Well I’m here now. Why don’t you go on and show me Rainbow?”

Twilight trotted ahead to the ticket gate, leaving a violently blushing Rainbow in her wake. Looking over her shoulder, Twilight giggled at the very surprised pegasus, “Well, are you coming?”

Snapping herself back to attention, Rainbow half-galloped, half-stumbled to catch up to Twilight, “You bet!”

Epilogue

The sun was slowly setting on the horizon, bathing the landscape in bright golds, vibrant oranges, and ruby reds as the light glinted and sparkled off of the Ponyville lake. Twilight snuggled in closer to the cyan blue wing wrapped around her back and pressed up against her date. The sky itself was another story. A myriad of colours painted the sky, each vibrant enough to stand out but not so much as to overwhelm the eyes. It was as if Celestia and Luna were working together to create the perfect sunset to end a perfect day.

Twilight chuckled to herself; she would have to send a thank you letter to her mentor.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about Twi’?” Rainbow asked, taking Twilight’s hoof in her own as they sat together, watching the sunset from high up on the Ferris Wheel.

“Oh, nothing much. Just today I suppose. It really was wonderful Rainbow, I’m glad you asked me out and I’m glad I said yes.”

“What did I tell ya? I promised you the most awesome date ever, and Rainbow Dash always delivers!” Twilight chuckled, leaning further into the embrace. “That... and I’m really glad I asked you out too, and I’m even happier that you said yes. Why did you say yes anyways? What made you make up your mind?”

Twilight shifted around, sitting up a bit to help clear her thoughts, “Well, honestly? I spent the first six hours or so freaking out about it.”

“You did?”

Twilight nodded, smiling at how silly she realized she had been acting, “Yeah, I didn’t know what to say. You know I went through every book I had in the library dealing with romance and dating looking for an answer?”

“Sounds like you,” Rainbow scoffed playfully, poking the unicorn in the tummy with a hoof.

Twilight stuck her tongue out at Rainbow in response, growing silent for a minute, “I guess I owe this one to Spike and Daring Do. If Spike didn’t calm me down, I would probably have spent all night and all morning freaking out. And if it weren’t for Daring... well, I don’t know.”

Twilight hugged a unicorn stuffy Rainbow had won for her earlier that day. Twilight tried to insist that she didn’t need one and told Rainbow that the games were all fixed anyways, but Rainbow was determined to win her date a prize. It had cost Rainbow a good number of bits and several tries, but eventually she somehow managed to win and Twilight walked away with a unicorn stuffy.

“You should totally name that little guy!” Rainbow chirped victoriously as they rounded the bend to a food stall.

“Hmm, okay then Rainbow, but what should I call him?” Twilight asked, regarding the toy nestled carefully on her back.

“How about Terry?” Rainbow blurted out, handing the vendor a few bits for the fair food.

“Why Terry?”

“I dunno, it just reminds me of something, can’t put my hoof on what though...”

“How did Daring Do help make up your mind?” Rainbow’s voice drew Twilight back to reality. “I thought you said that kind of romance-stuff was unrealistic?”

“It wasn’t that. I went over to the latest book we were reading and looked at your feather, the one we used as a bookmark. Anyways, it brought me back to all of the time we’d been spending together lately, and how much you mean to me. I guess everything just clicked after that. I wanted to give this a shot, and I couldn’t be happier that I did.”

Rainbow smiled adoringly and nuzzled the unicorn’s cheek, “Neither could I, Twi’, neither could I.”

A comfortable silence fell over the two as the sun neared the horizon and the golds and reds of the sky slowly began to fade to black. The yells of joy from the ponies down below began to grow less frequent as they returned home from a day of fanfare and fun.

“Y’know,” Twilight started, looking into Rainbow’s eyes. “We still haven’t finished that book. We at least have another couple of chapters to go through, and for some strange reason I can’t help but hope that things may turn around for Rosetta and Daring.”

“I guess that gives us something to look forward to,” Rainbow smiled mischievously, cupping Twilight’s cheek in her hoof.

“That, and so much more,” Twilight whispered as she nuzzled the hoof.

As the first stars began to shine in the growing night sky, Twilight leaned in wordlessly towards Rainbow. Rainbow closed the last few inches between them, meeting Twilight’s lips with her own, Twilight’s hooves snaking around her back as she drew her in deeper into the kiss as the last light of the sun faded beyond the horizon.

Author's Note

And with that I bit you all adieu!

I entered this contest with two weeks left before the deadline, so I clearly hate myself to some degree. But overall it's been fun. A light, fluffly story like this was just what the doctor ordered for me and I enjoyed writing it. I can only hope that you all enjoyed reading it!

To my fellow contestants, good luck! I will see you all in the competitor's ring!

Timaeus out.