Of Females and Feathers

Chapters

1. Big Deal
2. Hidden Reasons
4. Snowflakes
5. Old Friends
6. Conversations
7. First Steps
3. Dreams & Reality

1. Big Deal

"Damn, Dash, I'm not gonna eat you," she said through a laugh. "You're so tense… just relax, alright?"

The blue Pegasus suddenly averted her gaze, the blush that was coating her cheeks only growing darker as she realized just how noticeable her nervous feelings were. She swallowed down a bit of them as best she could before again meeting the golden eyes of the griffon who rested atop her.

Gilda released another short laugh. "You want me to stop yet?"

"N-No! I mean…um," she trailed off before she could get much else out, again looking away for a moment. Hesitantly after, she gave a shake of the head, unable to keep a small smile of embarrassment from showing itself.

She was nervous, yes, but also a jumble of so many other emotions, some of which she'd never felt up until now. Like the excitement that came from being so close to someone, so vulnerable. The desire for said someone to stay so close.

It'd all happened so fast: they'd been merely talking just a few moments ago, laughing, the way they always did, as the best friends they were; and now, they were in a position they'd never been in before, close, bodies gently pressed against one another, large griffon wings draped over her protectively. Her heart was racing. As it was the first time she'd ever done anything like this, Rainbow Dash was indeed a little scared…but she didn't want to stop.

"Then relax, and trust me."

Perhaps she really had always noticed it, just chosen to ignore it – the way she'd always been more drawn to the female gender, and tended not to notice the male all too much. It was never something she'd thought about, though. Just something that'd been with her forever, that she'd assumed was harmless, and didn't mean anything real. Perhaps she hadn't noticed, however, how much this tiny way she had, had grown into something a little bigger.

Every now-and-then, she'd catch herself eyeing another girl, feeling an attraction to said girl's looks that seemed a little different than the normal, friendly attraction she had for those she considered her friends. She'd stop whenever she noticed it, a little confused by it, but she'd always kind of brushed it aside in ignorance, along with the fact that she'd never felt that way for any male she'd ever come across.

Then Gilda came along.

There had always been random girls that Rainbow Dash had found attractive, but none of them had gotten as close to her as Gilda the griffon had. The two of them had almost instantly become best friends when they'd met in flight school, and over the few years of being there together, growing even closer, was when Rainbow had honestly begun to worry a little about the attractions she had. Gilda was someone unlike any she'd ever seen, or known; everything about her only gave the pony more of those moments she tried so hard to ignore. It'd actually worked fairly well…until Gilda noticed it, and decided to edge on a little more than Rainbow had bargained for. But though it had surprised her, even scared her a bit, she hadn't been able to say no. She hadn't wanted to say no.

It was now morning. Rainbow Dash could scarcely believe the happenings of the previous night were actual memories now, real moments of the past. Nor could she scarcely believe she was a major part of those moments becoming memories. She'd always had that strange attraction to others of her gender, but she'd never thought she'd actually act upon it. But…she had.

Looking back, she could easily remember the touch of Gilda's sharp beak brushing down her neck, how wonderful it felt to have those brown wings around her, her breath and whole mentality being swept away from her as their bodies did things she'd never even imagined could feel so good. She could hear herself crying out for more, and she could feel herself truly wanting more. Now that it was over, though, now that all those sensations were memories, they didn't feel the same anymore. The only thing Rainbow Dash wanted to do now, was forget them.

She could no longer call herself a virgin. She could no longer cling to the old lies she comforted herself with whenever her thoughts were on females, and not on males. What she'd gotten herself into now was much bigger than anything else she'd ever done. And it frightened her.

A part of her felt like crying. But Rainbow Dash wasn't a cryer. She'd never been a cryer. Another part of her just wanted to disappear, go back to the safety of her own home and start over, pretending none of this had ever happened. She knew such a thing was pointless, though: these new memories would always be with her. As would the newfound revelation that she simply was not attracted to males, and never would be.

"What's wrong with you? C'mon, Dash, it's time to fly!"

It was almost as if the previous night hadn't happened at all with Gilda; she was completely unfazed, wanting only a few moments after waking up to head back to the skies. This confused Rainbow Dash, quite a lot. Wasn't having sex supposed to be more of a big deal? Especially sex with another…girl.

She looked away, shaking her head. "I-I'm sorry, Gilda…I think I might just skip lessons for today."

"Skip! Why would you skip? You're one of the best flyers we got!"

It was true. Rainbow was a natural in the skies, and usually loved flying, but today, she really didn't feel like doing anything. Everytime she tried to think of other things, her mind only wandered right back to the thought that she'd given her virginity to another female, and loved it. She almost felt sick inside thinking about it. And her distress was quite visible, especially to the griffon who knew her so well now.

When Rainbow had no response, Gilda sent a suspicious glance her way. "Don't tell me this is about last night. You liked it, didn't you?"

The glance quickly became a more worried one, as the thought of Rainbow actually not liking her first time passed through Gilda's mind; but Rainbow had certainly enjoyed it, wanted it, hell, she'd had multiple chances to stop it, and she hadn't attempted to take even one of them. Looking up to meet the griffon's gaze, and catching the worried look, Rainbow Dash immediately stood to her feet with a similar expression.

"What? No! I mean…I did like it!" The Pegasus gave a short whimper, crouching down now and covering her head with her forelegs. "I-I just…"

"You just what?"

"…I don't…like girls."

Slightly taken aback by the sentence, and very confused, Gilda raised a brow. "Huh?"

Rainbow quickly realized how stupid such a sentence sounded when compared with the happenings of the previous night. She obviously couldn't both enjoy being with a girl in that sense, and not like girls at the same time; moving her forelegs and giving a small groan of annoyance, the pony tried again.

"I'm not supposed to like girls!"

She looked up to Gilda after the second go, awaiting her response. For a moment the griffon only kept her confused gaze, while Rainbow's own eyes stayed hopefully widened. She'd begun to worry that she still wasn't making sense, when suddenly, a small smirk came onto her friend's beak, though she kept the same expression. Gilda laughed just a bit before regaining her normal, cool demeanor once again, and rolling her eyes affectionately.

She said, sounding slightly amused, "Honey, you can't just decide what you're supposed to like. Lots of girls like girls. It's not a big deal."

At the words, Rainbow's worry was overshadowed by a tinge of fear. She was nearly frozen for a moment, staring back at the griffon. How Gilda could see this as something that wasn't a big deal, she'd no idea. Maybe lots of girls did like girls, but Rainbow Dash didn't want to be one of them.

Flight school had once been enjoyable. Perhaps one of the most enjoyable things Rainbow Dash had ever been a part of. Now, though, she wasn't so sure how the rest of it would be. What she'd do about her new self-discovery, or her new loss of virginity, she really didn't know. It was very possible that no one would even notice the differences in her, except herself and Gilda, which was definitely what the Pegasus hoped for. But she couldn't help but feel like there was now some big neon sign following her every step of the way, pointing out that she liked girls.

It was more than enough to make her wish she could forget all about the rest of her days there, and just go home, even if the sign wasn't actually there.

2. Hidden Reasons

t'd simply been too much for the young Pegasus. She didn't want to be a lesbian. She couldn't think straight, or even barely fly properly with the thought that she might actually be one stuck in her mind. For nearly a week she'd tried to brush it behind her and continue on with the current summer's flight camp as if everything was normal, but with no luck at all she'd finally come to her conclusion, and the only way she'd be able to get past the discovery: she needed to leave the camp, and go back home to Cloudsdale.

Her current term in the camp wasn't over yet, but that was hardly a concern at all to Rainbow Dash at the moment. She couldn't go on with the state her mind was in; she'd just have to come back and finish her term once she'd gotten over her newfound issues. Gilda, of course, hadn't been happy to hear she was leaving, and had tried to convince her not to, to carry on until the near-coming end of lessons, but Rainbow had disappointed her, hoping the griffon wouldn't stay mad over it. She knew it was a stupid decision, to leave when this close to the end, but she had bigger problems now.

She was still young enough to come back for one more term of lessons, if she left during this one (which she had). The Speedster Flight Camp lessons were offered every summer for any young Pegasus, or other flying creature, who wanted to improve his or her flying; it was Junior Speedster for the younger ones, and simply, Speedster for the ones who'd already gone through the Junior. Rainbow and Gilda had been through all of Junior together, and the term after this one would be their last of Speedster – the camps were only offered up through the middle of one's teenage years. After that, flying was left up to the individual to pursue on his own. So, next summer, if everything was sorted out by then, Rainbow would consider returning to at least finish the term she'd now left.

But for the time being, flight camp was the least of her worries.

Rainbow Dash had finally made it back to her home, in Cloudsdale. It'd been a couple months since she'd been there, and while she was usually overjoyed to be back, this time was frightening. She knew her parents would want to know why she'd come back so early, but she certainly couldn't tell them the truth. She was still a fairly young age, especially to be having sex. It wasn't as if she'd be doing it again anytime soon, but…still. She wasn't ready for her parents to know about that yet, nor about the fact that she might be a lesbian. Until further notice, that was something she'd be keeping strictly to herself.

Nevertheless, she still had to get this over with. She hesitated another moment before giving the door a few solid knocks.

It was finally her mother who pulled the door open to see her, eyes wide. The two stared at one another for a good moment, Rainbow with a slightly pitiful gaze, and her mother with one of surprise: she obviously had not expected to see her daughter. After the awkward silence passed them, though, Rainbow's mother suddenly gave an exasperated "oh" and pulled her into the house, her surprise instantly changing to utmost worry, as that was just how Rainbow's mother was.

"Rainbow, darling! Why are you here so early?" she began frantically. "Not that your mama is unhappy to see you, but, oh honey, did something happen! Are you alright?"

The hug Rainbow Dash had been pulled into was slightly uncomfortable, but she said nothing, just allowed her crazy mother to get the overprotective worries out of her system. She tried to smile, though, even though her face was now smushed against her mother's chest. Rainbow's mother was a Pegasus like herself; both of her parents were. She'd inherited her sky blue coat from her mother's side, but hadn't inherited her mother's pale orange mane – the rainbow colors came from her father's side.

After a few more moments of hugging and frantic questioning, the mother Pegasus suddenly released her daughter with a quiet gasp, getting back down to all fours. She still appeared quite worried, as she tended to forget that her hugs often prevented any answers from being given.

She continued, "Oh dear, I'm sorry, sweetie. But please now, do tell me what happened!"

"It's alright, Mom," the younger coughed once released from the embrace, clearing her throat. Her mother's somewhat spastic personality could be quite annoying at times, but Rainbow couldn't be angry when she knew she was only worried about her; that's what moms were supposed to do, after all. Plus, with everything else she had on her mind, dealing with her mother's worrying wasn't the least bit difficult. She'd much rather only have that to deal with. "Nothing…bad happened, though. I'm fine."

It was partially true: it wasn't as if she'd been physically hurt by someone, or kicked out of the camp. Her distress was on a mental level, and in her opinion, it was nothing her parents needed to know about.

Still, her mother didn't seem anymore assured by the answer. "Nothing happened? But something had to have happened! You know as well as I do that camp isn't over for another month, Rainbow Dash."

"I…I know," she replied, averting her eyes as she racked her brain for an actual excuse. She really had no idea if her mother would buy anything she made up, but she had to say something. "…I didn't wanna stay there anymore, though…I…um, well…I missed being home."

Rainbow Dash hesitantly looked up to meet her mother's eyes again, brushing a hoof against the floor nervously. She really hoped her mother couldn't see right through the excuse, even if it was half-true. She had missed being home, but it'd been the incidents at the camp that'd brought upon the missing. A small blush began to creep over Rainbow's cheeks, and she looked away again, but no sooner had she done so was she pulled into another of her mother's breathtaking embraces.

"Oh honey! You were homesick? You don't have to say anything else! I told your father you were going to that camp too much! Don't you worry about a thing, you can stay home with us as long as you like!"

Again, the hug was quite uncomfortable, tighter than the last one, even. Rainbow was so surprised at how her mother so readily welcomed the "missing home" excuse, though, that she didn't even care. Eyes wide and face smushed against her mother, the younger pony tilted her head upward a little. She blinked, but soon attempted another smile.

She spoke as best she could through the embrace, "Thanks, Mom."

"No need to thank me at all, dear!" she replied, and loosened the hold. "Now that you're home, though, I think dinner is in order! So you go along and make yourself back at home, while I pull something together before your father gets here. Go on! There's even something waiting for you in your room! Just a little surprise we got while you were away!"

Rainbow's mother used her head to give her a light push on the rump, in the direction of the hallway leading to her bedroom. The push surprised her, almost making her stumble a little, but Rainbow caught herself and turned back to give her mother a funny look; she couldn't help but keep smiling, though, before following orders and hurrying off to her room.

It'd been almost two months since Rainbow Dash had been in her room. While she'd had it her whole life, she still never failed to feel awkward when stepping into it again after the few months she spent every summer at flight camp. She truly had no idea what kind of surprise her parents had gotten her, and was pretty excited to find out; the curiosity had even freed her mind from her newfound lesbian worries, if only for a short while.

Cautiously, once she'd reached her door, the young Pegasus pushed it open, and flipped on the lights. She peeked in first, but instantly at the sight she saw, her eyes widened, and she dashed all the way in, looking around in complete, mesmerized shock. Her parents had decorated her room with three of the most amazing Wonderbolts posters she'd ever seen in her life. Rainbow stayed silent for a moment, only gazing one by one at each of them, jaw dropped open. Her obsession with the Wonderbolts had been with her for a few years now, but she'd never thought her parents would actually contribute to it like this; it wasn't even a special occasion! She was at a complete loss for words.

It was finally the poster they'd gotten of just Spitfire alone that caught more of her attention than the others, and got her mouth closed again as the shock slowly faded, leaving only mesmerism. Rainbow couldn't remember if she'd ever mentioned to her parents before that Spitfire was indeed her favorite of the group, so she didn't know if this poster was something random they'd done or not. Not that it mattered, really. Nevertheless, the picture used was breathtaking, as all pictures of the yellow pony were, in Rainbow's opinion.

Spitfire had only become her favorite this past year. It hadn't been a change she'd thought too much about, beyond the newer realizations of just how beautiful this mare was to her. Everything about Spitfire was amazing, and thinking about her only made Rainbow want to meet her in person more than any of the others. The thought brought a shy smile to her face, but quickly after noticing how warm her cheeks felt now, she gasped, tearing her gaze away from the poster and rushing to her mirror.

"No…" she breathed quietly at the sight of her reflection.

The blush on her face was completely obvious, as was the faster pace of her heart that could only be felt. She'd known it would be there, she just needed to see it for herself; but did she really have a…crush? on Spitfire? Not only was it stupid, as all celebrity crushes were, it was also just another piece of evidence that she indeed liked girls. She'd never felt a blush and heartbeat like this over a male.

"No, no, no! I don't like girls!"

With a devastated whimper, the Pegasus dropped to the floor and covered her head with her forelegs for a moment. She knew full well the statement wouldn't change a damn thing; there was no use at all trying to lie to herself about it. She'd willingly had sex with a girl, and liked it, and now she was crushing on another. At least she knew now why Spitfire had suddenly become her favorite, though…even if she'd rather the reason be something else.

Rainbow stayed in the position for a little longer before getting to her hooves again with a sigh. She looked back at her reflection in the mirror sadly, wishing she could get rid of her newer discoveries and go back to how everything used to be, before she'd hit puberty, before she'd had any feelings about anypony, male or female. Shaking her head, she turned back around to look at the posters again, but immediately after, her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Do you like them?"

The younger Pegasus jumped at the words, quickly turning around to see her mother again. She blinked, eyes wide, as she'd indeed been quite startled, but before she could say anything, her mother continued.

She said, "Oh, honey! I'm sorry! I know I'm supposed to be in the kitchen, but I just had to come see if you liked them or not! …Do you?"

Rainbow Dash relaxed after the continuation, relieved to know her mother hadn't been there long enough to see or hear her reaction to Spitfire's picture. She smiled before rushing closer to give her mother a hug, which she happily accepted, again turning it into one of her signature squeezes. It was still shocking to Rainbow that her parents had gotten her the posters to begin with, and even if one of them had brought up the feelings she'd been trying to avoid, she was nevertheless entirely grateful, not to mention happier than she'd been in a few days.

"Like them? Mom, they're perfect!" she responded with a soft giggle.

Her mother gave a whimper of joy as she nuzzled Rainbow lightly. "Oh, wonderful!"

She kept the embrace for short while longer before letting go with a happy sigh, and rubbing her daughter's head with a hoof; she was obviously quite pleased with the response she'd gotten; it was almost as if she'd honestly spent a good deal of time worrying whether or not Rainbow would like the new gifts. Rainbow couldn't help but silently wonder if she really had, but said nothing. Truthfully, though, she would've liked any poster of the Wonderbolts. Another short moment passed before her mother broke out of the seemingly relieved state.

"Alright, well…I best get back to dinner. I'll call you when it's ready!"

"Kay," Rainbow answered as her mother turned to leave, and gave a sigh, turning back to her room again.

It really was perfect now, with the new posters. Even with the Spitfire one. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at her annoying thoughts, again trying to push them away. It was a poster, and Spitfire was the lovely leader of the Wonderbolts, whom she admired. That was all there was to it. And nothing, even if it was a crush, should keep her from enjoying the generosity of her wonderful parents. With that in mind, the Pegasus put on a smile as she approached her bed and dropped onto it leisurely, waiting for her mother to finish dinner, and her father to arrive home.

It'd taken a good forty-five minutes for everything to get in order, but soon enough, Rainbow Dash was headed back to the kitchen and took a seat at the dinner table. Her father had looked quite surprised to see her, and uttered a small "hey" at his daughter's slightly more excited-sounding greeting, which only made Rainbow feel the tiniest bit uncomfortable; she couldn't say she expected anything different, though. Her father wasn't a mean pony at all, he just always seemed a little indifferent, and always had been a good deal stricter than her mother. Though while he was more on the quiet, stricter side, he was also who Rainbow had gotten her mane from, and her speed; knowing that, the young Pegasus had always held a respect for him that even she sometimes couldn't place. He sure never showed off his skills like she did.

Rainbow and her father were now seated at the table as her mother fixed their plates. They'd both rather just fix their own sometimes, but her mother always insisted that she do it for them, something they'd learned to accept over the years. Things were silent in the room for a moment, and it was finally Rainbow's mother who tried to start conversation amongst them.

"I know it's surprising to see Rainbow here so soon, honey, but she missed us and wanted to come back home for a while," she said as she finished his plate and gave it to him.

She turned back to fix Rainbow's now, as her father looked down at his own for a moment, then back up, waiting for everyone to be at the table before he ate anything.

"Alright," he replied. "She just staying for the rest of the weekend, then?"

The question brought a pause throughout the kitchen before Rainbow's mother finished the next plate, and came to set it down in front of her daughter. Rainbow lowered her head quickly, a small blush of embarrassment coating her cheeks as she knew her father wasn't going to be too ecstatic about her being home for the rest of the term.

Her mother continued hesitantly. "…Well…darling…she wanted to come back home for the summer, and I…told her she could."

There was another awkward pause before her father tilted his head over to give a confused glance to her mother, and then brought his attention to Rainbow, herself. The younger Pegasus met his gaze, though averted her eyes a quick moment, before trying again.

"You just left?" he asked her.

"Yeah…"

She knew her father wouldn't be happy to hear this, and she really didn't want to have this conversation. But she knew she had to. At least he didn't know everything regarding the situation.

"Before it was over?"

"…uh, yes sir."

He gave her a weird look. "So did you learn anything?"

"Well, yeah!" Her remark sounded a little too sassy than she'd hoped for, but she hated when her father tried to act like she didn't take anything seriously enough. Even though a lot of things, she really didn't take seriously enough. Flight camp, though, had always been one of the few things she gave her all in, and this was the first time she'd ever come home early. Was that not even crossing her dad's mind at all?

When he raised a brow at her tone, she quickly looked away again, though she kept a slightly annoyed expression without even really realizing it. Finally, her father gave a sigh as her mother made it to the table with her own plate of food.

"Alright. What exactly did you learn then?" he asked a final question.

That I'm gay… was the only thing that came to Rainbow Dash's mind, but the thought only made her give a small groan of exasperation. She didn't want to be gay! As her mother had no idea of the real reason for the groan, though, she took it as a sign that her daughter was tired of the questions. Which she was, even if other things were also on her mind. Lightly, her mother bumped her father's shoulder with a hoof.

She said, "Honey, come on. You know she's a wonderful flier, she'll be fine missing one month. Let's just eat now."

After her mother's comment, things at the table became a good bit more relaxed, much to her and her daughter's relief. Rainbow Dash had planned on thanking her father for the new posters they'd gotten her, but with the previous tension, she decided it might be better to wait a little longer, perhaps when her father was in a better mood. Then again, it wasn't as if he was in a bad mood; he just never really liked it when Rainbow didn't pull through with the great expectations he had so often for her. It was just how he was.

The rest of dinnertime went along fairly smoothly, as Rainbow's father gradually got over the fact that she'd ditched flight camp's current term. Rainbow was just thankful neither of them had questioned her reasoning for leaving, even if her father had dropped a suspicious glance when he'd heard it. He hadn't said anything of it, though, and that was good enough for her.

Rainbow excused herself from the table once she was finished, and headed back to her room for some sleep. She was awfully tired from the trip home, as well as from her own now distraught mentality. She hoped things would be clearer once she'd gotten a good rest for the first time in a few days, or at least that being home would make things easier. Not having to face everyone at the camp, including Gilda, would be a nice change for a while, even if she did miss having someone to talk to who sort of understood her. Gilda liked girls too, right? She really had no idea, but she supposed so.

All her thoughts soon dissipated, though, as the world around her went dark, and she fell into slumber.

4. Snowflakes

Rainbow Dash had partially hoped that perhaps if she didn't wake up early, or either pretended to still be asleep, her parents would leave her alone and drop the whole idea of her joining her father at work. Knowing her mother, though, she didn't fully expect the hopes to happen. And they didn't.

Father and daughter were now on the way to the weather factory, the place Rigel always referred to when he spoke about "work." Rigel had worked at the weather factory for as long as Rainbow could remember; she'd only been there a couple other times, back when she was a young filly, and she didn't remember all too much about the place. She really didn't care about getting a memory jolt, either. But most importantly, she didn't want to be around all the other ponies that would be at the factory.

The factory wasn't far from their home at all, and as most of the short trip was spent flying in awkward silence, there wasn't much time for conversation. It wasn't that Rigel didn't want to talk to Rainbow; he loved his daughter, and had always been proud of her, even if she had ditched flight camp. Rigel Dash was simply a more quiet, indifferent pony in general. And small talk was absolutely not his forte. He still attempted to make use of the time, though, even if it wasn't a lot.

"So, uh…you remember this place?" he asked.

Rainbow quickly looked to her silvery-coated father, her magenta eyes wide at the question. She blinked after a short moment and averted the gaze, shrugging her shoulders just a little as they flew on. She really didn't, but she hoped he wouldn't care.

She responded, "Not really."

"…Ah. Well, we'll be there in a minute. Maybe it'll come back to you."

"…Maybe."

The short talk came to an end, and there was silence again for the rest of the few minutes. Neither Rainbow nor Rigel could say they were surprised by that. Like her mother, Rainbow was quite a talker at times, but like her father, she was terrible at pointless, filler conversations. Small talk was nearly a foreign language to her; give her a topic she loved, though, and Rainbow Dash could go on for hours. She couldn't help but wish sometimes she was more naturally quiet like her father. Rigel could stay so collected and relaxed, in pretty much any situation, while she tended to get over-excited as easily as her mother did sometimes. Rainbow would rather seem cool than spastic, but at least she could hide excitement…fairly easily.

It wasn't long before the two Pegasi reached their destination – the weather factory.

Rainbow only grew more hesitant as they approached, as well as fearful, but she knew there wasn't a way out of the situation this time, so she did her best to stay calm. Still, would the other ponies notice? Would they be able to look at her and know her secret? The thought sounded ridiculous, but she couldn't stop fretting over it. As they entered the factory, she felt like everypony was staring at her. And, well, they were. Just not for the reason she worried over.

"Oh my goodness!"

Almost as soon as they'd walked through the door, one of the mares had already confronted them. She was a purple pony, with quite a surprised, yet enthused expression. For a short moment, she only gazed at Rainbow, then back to her father, almost in shock, but quickly, she gave a grin.

She continued, "Rigel, is this…?"

"Rainbow Dash. Yes," he answered, only stopping for a second.

The mare gave a short "awwww" and lightly touched Rainbow's nose with her hoof.

"I haven't seen you since you were a little filly! You look just like your father!" she continued.

Rainbow was frozen at the attention at first, eyes wide. She felt herself growing tense, and her heart speeding up as all the familiar worries ran through her mind, but when the mare didn't seem to care about anything except her status as Rigel's daughter, she relaxed a bit, giving a relieved, silent sigh. The rest of her worries were interrupted by the mare's last statement. All her life, Rainbow had been told she looked just like her father; it was rather annoying at this point, especially since she'd always disagreed. She resembled Rigel in some ways, but she often felt like if it weren't for the rainbow mane she'd inherited from him, fewer ponies would make the observation.

Aside from her mane, Rainbow had always thought she looked more like her mother: she had her mother's sky blue coat and magenta eyes, not to mention she was built a lot more like her in general. Did nopony even notice that at all? She was used to being compared to her father by now, though, even if it did annoy her.

As Rainbow followed Rigel through the factory, more and more glances were thrown at her, and a few more greetings similar to the one they'd received from the purple mare. Some ponies asked if Rainbow remembered them, which she didn't; she went back and forth between either beating around the question, or simply telling them no. Her father didn't seem to care about the answers, which was nice. If Breezie had been there, she would've certainly given Rainbow a nudge and told her to answer more politely. But Rainbow really couldn't help herself at times – she was blunt, just as Rigel was.

The young Pegasus had calmed down quite a lot more upon the realization that nopony cared at all about her secrets. She hadn't received one dirty look, or suspicious glance, or any questions about her sexuality. Everypony was either surprised to see her, or ecstatic. She couldn't tell if they were excited merely because she was Rigel's daughter, or because she was herself, but it didn't take her long at all to see that her father was a very loved employee, despite his apathetic attitude.

Rigel briefly pointed out all the different weather stations as he and Rainbow passed them, as she didn't remember any of them. When they finally reached the snowflakes area, though, the younger blinked, her eyes widening just a little. Something about the station was incredibly familiar to her, even if she couldn't quite place it. She tilted her head just a bit as she wondered, but finally settled for looking up to her father.

"I think I kinda remember these…maybe," she spoke before returning her gaze to the other ponies' delicate work. She was pretty glad to see that none of them were paying any attention to her, but rather keeping focused on the snowflakes they were making.

Rigel approached one of the empty spots and slipped on a pair of ear muffs, looking back to her with a slight smile, one brow raised.

He said, "Well, I'd hope so. This is where you usually stayed when I brought you here before. It is my station, remember."

Rainbow Dash blinked, her eyes widening again at the statement, and suddenly she coughed a bit, giving an embarrassed grin. She really had forgotten that little detail for a moment; it wasn't as if Rigel never brought it up at home. Finally, she sighed, rolling her eyes to herself as she stifled an awkward chuckle.

"Oh yeah. Right."

At the small conversation, a few of the other ponies at the station looked up to see what was going on, and at the sight of Rainbow, they smiled, but only one of them gave a hello before getting back to his work. Rainbow smiled back awkwardly. She was glad that this station seemed to be a lot quieter and more laid-back than the other ones, and as to not draw much more attention to herself, she lowered her voice down a notch.

She began again, "So, um, I stayed here a lot?"

Rigel had just begun working on a snowflake, but he paused to offer his daughter some ear muffs of her own. He smiled again just a little before bringing his attention back to his work as he answered the question.

"Yep," he told her. "Your mom didn't really like you staying in this cold, but it never bothered you. You're like me that way. I could barely get you to keep your muffs on."

Blinking at the statement, Rainbow was quite surprised to hear that side of things. She'd always been told she was brought to the factory a few times when she was younger, but neither of her parents had ever mentioned that detail. Of course, she was quite familiar with the cold not bothering her; she'd always loved high altitudes, and the excitement of the sudden temperature change if she sped fast enough.

"Is that why you're not wearing a coat?" she asked after a moment, removing her ear muffs just to look at them a moment before placing them back on her head.

He answered, "Pretty much. I get one if I need it, but usually I'm fine. Good to wear something in this temperature, though, so I always keep the muffs on. You need one?"

"Nah."

Silence came again as Rainbow took a seat next to her father and watched as he worked on a couple snowflakes. She could easily see why this particular job was so well-suited for him, as there wasn't much talking, and as he'd said, he was good with the cold. Being here with him now, Rainbow randomly found herself wondering about his fillyhood. It was a topic they didn't speak of a lot, but she was still curious about: had he always been so modest with his flying talents? Was he just as quiet as he is today? Had he ever gotten into any trouble? She knew the kind of pony her father was, but she didn't know much about his past, except small bits he briefly mentioned every now and again. She'd thought about asking him for more details before, but always kind of felt like it was something he'd rather not talk about.

After a moment, Rainbow's thoughts were pushed aside as Rigel spoke again.

"You wanna try your hoof at one?" he asked her, motioning to the new bundle of ice he'd just gotten prepared for more flake making.

The younger hesitated a moment before realizing just what he was asking, and finally giving another of her awkward smiles. She'd never attempted to make a snowflake before, but she supposed there was no point in not trying. Besides, she was at work.

She stood again. "…Sure, I'll try one I guess."

Snowflakes were harder to make than they looked to be, that was for sure. Rainbow Dash tried for a few minutes, but didn't succeed in making anything too special. When she finally gave up, her father stifled a small smirk and assured her it got easier with practice. She found it a little hard to believe that she could ever make one as lovely as those Rigel and the other snowflake stationed ponies were making, though. Once Rigel took over, Rainbow decided it'd be best to just observe again.

For a little while longer, things went back to the way they'd been before – silence. A part of Rainbow was getting a little bored, but another part of her loved that nopony here was paying attention to her at all. She felt safe. Her nervousness had even left her, for the most part, which was nice. But of course, nothing that good was lasting forever: a few more minutes passed before Rigel looked to her again, with another suggestion. Rainbow knew with the tone he used, though, that he wasn't necessarily asking this of her as much as telling her it was a good idea, or rather, hinting that he wanted her to do it.

"Why don't you go look around at the other stations? Maybe somepony will let you help out a little… it'd be a good experience for you," he said.

Her father and his "good experience" reasons. She'd heard it said so many times now, that it was getting annoying. It'd also been his reason for her to continue with flight camp even after she'd proved herself to be an excellent flier (of course, she hadn't minded continuing at all – she loved flight camp). But nevertheless, she supposed she could see some sense in it, even if she really didn't want to leave the safety of this particular station.

Rainbow Dash hesitated just a moment, looking toward the exit of their station, and suddenly feeling a pang of worry return to her. What if somepony really did notice her? Everything had been fine up until now, but that didn't guarantee an entire safe day. Still, she tried not to get too carried away with the thoughts.

Pushing them back as best she could, she forced a weak smile. "O-Okay."

It'd be okay…she hoped.

As Rainbow left the snowflakes station, she took a few quiet, deep breaths; she was fine. Virtually all the ponies in the factory were older than her by a good bit, which didn't exclude the mares. She'd only been attracted to mares that were closer to her own age…hadn't she? Well, almost only. She rolled her eyes as the thought of Spitfire crossed her mind again. As far as she could recall, though, Spitfire was the only older mare she'd crushed on yet. Yet. It took her a second to realize she really didn't like the sound of that.

Cautiously, the younger Pegasus made her way through the factory stations she and Rigel had passed before, until she came to the cloud station. This one had seemed fairly interesting, she supposed. She did love clouds. And she was interested to see more of how thunderstorm ones were made. For a moment, she wondered if her father would accept just plain observation as experience, given that she really didn't want to "help out." Whatever that meant. Rainbow wasn't a skilled employee, nor did she want to be; whatever help she could offer wasn't something these workers would need.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash! Decided to look around?"

Rainbow jumped at the voice, then quickly turned only to see the purple mare who'd been the first to speak to her before. The mare gave a bright smile, obviously overjoyed to see the younger again. Looking at her now, Rainbow couldn't help but notice how young she looked…but she couldn't be that much younger than her father if she'd been around to meet her back when she was a filly.

Yet…

As the word passed through her mind again, Rainbow Dash suddenly gasped, backing away from the mare; she looked away as she felt her cheeks growing a little warmer. She couldn't stay around these mares. She didn't ever want to risk crushing on another older pony. Even though she wasn't crushing on this one yet, the possibility was just too great a hazard. She hadn't even realized what a hazard it was until now, being in the presence of one. This couldn't happen again!

She stuttered in response, "U-Uh…yeah."

She tried to make a run for it, to get away from the situation and go someplace safe. The purple mare spoke her name once more, sounding a little more confused this time. Rainbow couldn't stay around any longer, though; she frantically took to the air. She didn't care where she was going, where she would end up, as long as it wasn't there. But not caring was the biggest mistake she could've made. The last thing Rainbow Dash heard was another call from the mare, a rather distressed one, before she felt a sudden, enormous surge of pain unlike any she'd ever felt before, and the world around her went dark.

When Rainbow finally drifted back into consciousness, she could barely make out anything of the situation she was now in. She felt confused, lost, but most of all, she felt horrible. Almost like somepony had run her over with a plow. It took a moment for her ears to tune in to the familiar voices close by, and for her eyes to blink open in exhaustion. She couldn't move, though. Not yet. Partially because even a small twitch was painful, but also because she felt as if every ounce of energy had been zapped out of her. This was an experience she'd never had before. And her only question was, what the hell was it?

"I'm so sorry, again, Rigel… This is all my fault. I had no idea she was so shy…"

"Valerie, it's no one's fault. And she'll be fine, she just needs a couple days. Tell the others I'll be back in as soon as possible."

Rainbow recognized the voices as her father and the purple mare, and she wondered what they were talking about. They could've very possibly been talking about her, but…whatever had happened, was it really that bad? Trying to move her head again, she only got another shock of pain, and winced; it sure felt that bad. Not to mention the purple mare (Valerie? she asked herself) sounded completely devastated.

"Alright. Are you sure there's not anything I can do for the three of you?"

"Thanks, but we're fine."

"…Okay. Please tell her I'm sorry."

The voices stopped after that. Rainbow couldn't see why, but she supposed the conversation had just ended. But what happened? Neither of them had said anything about the specifics, which was rather annoying. It didn't take long for her to realize she wasn't at the factory anymore: she was back home, in her own bed. From the position she was in, she could see that her door was open, and she could see Rigel's shadow on the wall outside of her room. She wanted to call him in, ask for the details, but she couldn't speak in her current state. She wondered where her mother was. They must've been leaving her alone to get more rest. But she didn't want rest! She wanted to know what had happened.

Rainbow Dash waited for her father to come into the room, but he never did. When she saw his shadow leave the wall, she gave a barely audible groan of annoyance. She waited for a few more minutes for someone to check on her, but it wasn't long at all before her exhaustion won the battle, and she drifted back into slumber. She'd just have to get her answer another time.

5. Old Friends

While Rainbow Dash had once wanted to stay at home as much as possible, she now wanted more than anything to get away from it. Well…that is, now that her mother was hovering over her as if she would die at any moment. Rainbow hadn't been allowed to get out of bed for three solid days. She'd been okay with it for the first day, but she didn't understand why it had to keep going like this now that she could sit up, move, as well as talk perfectly again. Maybe she could still feel a bit of the pain, but pain had always been something she dealt with pretty well.

The young Pegasus had been shocked to discover that she'd run stupidly right into a thundercloud, and gotten stupidly struck by lightning. Not only was it painful, shocking, and stupid, it was also completely embarrassing, especially for such a skilled flier as herself. She really hoped her mother wouldn't tell anyone else about it; all she needed was for those assholes back at flight camp to find out, and never let it go. Luckily, it seemed that Breezie was much more interested in caring for her "dying" daughter than spreading news around.

Rainbow had been left alone for a moment, though. While she'd been following orders for the past few days, and staying in bed as often as possible, she planned on changing things around this time. Cautiously, she slipped out of bed, and got to her hooves; it was quite early in the morning, so not only was she still a little sore from her injuries in general, but her muscles hadn't been stretched much yet. Of course, she had been in bed for three days. She gave a giddy grin, though, aimlessly walking around a bit for the first time since then. But almost as soon as she'd begun, she was stopped in her tracks.

"Rainbow Dash!" her mother exclaimed upon entering the room. "Get back into bed! You are still recovering!"

She jumped in surprise, having not expected her mother to catch her at all. She'd just left the room a moment ago! After a second or two, though, Rainbow gave an annoyed growl, and did as she was told. She made sure to turn her back as she lay down again. Her mother's stern expression softened a bit after that, and she gave a sigh, approaching Rainbow's bed. Breezie rested her forelegs on the side of the bed, just watching her daughter a moment before she spoke again.

She said, "I'm sorry, baby…but you know it's going to take at least a few more days before you're healed enough to do anything too major."

A few more seconds passed before Rainbow gave a huff and rolled over to face her mother, obviously both annoyed and desperate. She didn't even want to think about having to stay in bed for another long day, let alone a few more days.

"Mom, it barely even hurts anymore!"

"You were fine staying home all the time a week ago! This isn't too much different…"

"It is so! I was just home, not bedridden. And that was then."

Breezie didn't argue anymore. She sighed, knowing her daughter well enough to understand how difficult the situation must be for her. Still, she simply couldn't allow her to go running off when the possibility of hurting herself even more was in the balance.

Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, was starting to feel more miserable over staying in bed all the time than she was over the fact that being a lesbian had caused her to nearly kill herself. She'd almost forgotten her lesbian worries, to the point where she was telling herself that if she ever got out of bed again, she'd never spend another day in her room, or even in the house. That was obviously all spur-of-the-moment thinking, though. Rainbow's patience had always been quite short when it came to staying in one place for too long; she could get around it when times were tough, as how she'd been doing for the past few weeks, being fine with staying at home as long as she wasn't in the same room the whole time. It was beyond difficult staying in bed for longer than a night, though, so difficult that the need for freedom had nearly outweighed the need for staying away from the public.

Rainbow hesitated before speaking again. "Can I least get out of bed tomorrow if it doesn't hurt anymore?"

"Honey, I don't know…"

"Mom, please! I need to get out of here!" she whimpered.

Again, Breezie didn't answer her. She averted her gaze, and continued to rest against the side of her daughter's bed. Another moment passed before she gave a soft sigh and surprised Rainbow with her next reply.

She began, "That's what your father and I have been talking about, Rainbow."

Rainbow's magenta eyes widened a bit at the unexpected statement. She didn't say anything, though, just waited for her mother to continue. She'd no idea they'd been talking about anything to do with her, other than the accident she'd gotten herself into. Breezie went on quickly.

"Well, I was planning on telling you this after you'd gotten better, but I think it's best I give you something to think about while you're still in bed," she hesitated a moment, finally meeting her daughter's eyes. "You haven't been yourself lately. We're concerned. And, really, we do think it might be best if you start getting out of the house more once you're all better."

Rainbow Dash's mentality quickly went from curious to suspiciously confused at the statement; whether her face reflected it or not, she didn't know, nor did she care. She knew her mother had some otheragenda besides just getting her out of the house more: if it was that simple, Breezie surely wouldn't be bringing it up like this.

"What do you mean?"

Breezie continued, "Well…we want you to start spending more time with your friends! Ponies your own age… It seems like the older you get, the less you care about keeping connections. I know you've been going through that little stage of teenage independence, it happened to me when I was about your age. But honey, you can't let yourself lose all your friends like that. It might not seem that way now, but friends are so important for a growing pony's happiness."

When her mother ended the little speech, Rainbow Dash had no doubts her face reflected her feelings now. She was nearly dumbfounded. They were worried she was becoming a recluse or something? And what friends were they even talking about? Rainbow had a few friends, but flight camp wasn't completely over yet – most of them were still there. She finally raised a brow, tilting her head away just a little as she answered in a slightly annoyed, very unimpressed tone.

She asked, "You mean the friends who aren't here?"

Breezie blinked in surprise, almost as if she'd completely forgotten that little piece of information. Hesitantly, she tried again.

"Oh. You don't have any friends who aren't in flight camp?"

Rainbow Dash kept her annoyed-sounding monotone. "No."

Her mother almost seemed a little distressed at the realization. She looked away in thought for a moment. Finally, her face lit up again with another idea, and she looked back to Rainbow expectantly.

"What about Fluttershy? She was your friend, right?" she asked.

"She moved to Ponyville."

Though Rainbow Dash wasn't enjoying this new idea very much, she had to admit her mother's last suggestion had been a pretty good call. Not that she actually wanted to "hang out" with Fluttershy. But Fluttershy was one of the few fliers who hadn't stayed with flight camp for more than a summer or two: she'd just disappeared one day, then had come back a few days later to tell everyone she was leaving for good. Rainbow had never been all that close to her, really. She remembered her, though. Fluttershy had been one of the nicest ponies she'd ever met, even if she hadn't been that big on flying. Had anyone been that close to her? She couldn't remember if the shy pony had had any friends or not, but she certainly remembered being pissed off at everypony who'd messed with her.

"I think it's a great idea."

It was only then that Rainbow realized she'd completely zoned out of her conversation with her mother for a minute there, thinking back on Fluttershy. She blinked, magenta eyes wide, and no idea what was going on now.

"Wait, what?" she asked.

"Visiting Fluttershy in Ponyville!"

"Huh!"

"I'm sure your father will be fine with it! You just rest now, darling! I'll bring you some tea a little later!"

With that, her mother left the room, much too quickly for Rainbow Dash to even respond properly. Jaw dropped open and still completely dumbfounded, Rainbow remained in a silent shock for another moment, before finally releasing a breath and honestly wondering if all that had really just happened. Did her mother do that kind of shit on purpose?

She didn't know why her mother would assume she'd be completely against the idea of visiting Fluttershy in Ponyville. It was just a random earth town, right? Full of…ponies. Suddenly at the thought, Rainbow's eyes widened. It would be full of ponies – including ponies her own age. Ponies she'd have a much higher risk of crushing on, because she was a stupid lesbian. She couldn't go to Ponyville! But how could she tell her mom that now that she and Rigel were starting to seriously worry over her odd behavior? If this had happened a few months back, Rainbow would've been beyond excited to go on a trip away from home; they both knew that about her.

"Oh hell…" she mumbled to herself.

This was exactly what she needed: a situation which if she seemed to have a problem with, her parents would know without a doubt something was wrong with her.

Over the next few days, Rainbow Dash's injuries continued to heal, as well as her mentality. She still would've rather not gone to Ponyville, but the more she thought about it, the more relaxed she became at the thought that nopony in Ponyville even knew her name, other than Fluttershy. She would be surrounded by a whole new setting, and a whole new array of acquaintances. None of them would know who she was, so none of them would have an expectation of how she would be. It didn't matter how she appeared, as long as she could hold back enough of her lesbian thoughts.

She was still unsure about the trip, as well as about seeing Fluttershy again for the first time in so long. She'd never even known her all that well to begin with, just defended her. Fluttershy had been grateful, but that was about all there'd been to it; and Rainbow couldn't help but worry the next time they met would only make for awkwardness.

Nevertheless, she also couldn't help but wonder if perhaps her mother had the right idea: perhaps she really did just need a complete change of scenery, and some new friends who, maybe, she could talk to about her situation. Of course the talking thing was her own idea, not her mother's. Rainbow was still prepared to keep her sexuality a secret from her parents forever. Even if – for all she knew – they might not necessarily react as badly as she worried they would. That chance just wasn't one she planned on taking, though.

"You're sure you can get there on your own, sweetie?"

Rainbow was healed now and almost immediately, her mother had insisted that she get ready for her trip. From the urgency alone, the younger could tell she truly believed that seeing old friends, having someone closer to her own age to spend time with, was really the answer to whatever it was she and Rigel were worried over. Rainbow had thought about asking them what the deal was, but her mother had already went on about keeping friendships, and well, that was enough for her; she'd rather not any questions she might ask accidentally cause them to think twice and grow even more worried.

She would only be in Ponyville for a little while, she hoped. It'd be okay. She was really trying to be optimistic about it, even if she was still afraid of some of the possibilities. Fluttershy was her main hope at the moment, if she was still as sweet and shy as she remembered, anyway. If she wasn't then…Rainbow didn't know what she'd do in Ponyville.

Once she assured Breezie and Rigel that she could get there on her own, and would have a safe trip, she hugged them both goodbye and started for her journey. Ponyville actually wasn't too far away from Cloudsdale: the longest it took to get there was about an hour, and that was flying slowly. Which, as Rainbow Dash was quite a bit nervous about getting there, she couldn't help but fly slower than she usually flew, so the trip ended up taking her close to a good forty-five minutes (even if she wanted to, she could never fly as slowly as to take the whole hour).

Nopony really seemed to notice Rainbow when she first arrived in the town, which she was quite relieved over. It was about the same as the factory, only this time, she wasn't known as Rigel Dash's daughter; and as much as she liked being his daughter, she was still more than happy to be just another random pony for a while. It was a refreshing start.

Very cautiously, Rainbow Dash wandered around the town, keeping to herself, staying out of crowds, and keeping a lookout for Fluttershy. She remembered what the other Pegasus looked like when they'd been in flight camp together, but as far as she knew now, Fluttershy could've completely changed her style by this point in time. It'd been years since they'd seen one another. Finally, after about a half an hour of searching in the sidelines, Rainbow knew her method was turning out to be pointless: she'd have to find somepony who knew Fluttershy, and get directions. Her only problem though, was that she had no idea whatsoever, which of these ponies knew Fluttershy, and which ones didn't.

Rainbow was surprised to see that for an earth pony town, Ponyville actually had a lot of unicorn and Pegasus inhabitants as well. She was especially glad for so many Pegasi living around, as that drew even less attention to her. Sometimes she even felt as if she were invisible, just walking around barely noticed at all. She wondered if this meant Ponyville got a lot of visitors, just other ponies coming to see the place; Cloudsdale was certainly like that a lot of the time. Of course, most of its tourists were other Pegasi.

After hesitantly joining the crowd, Rainbow decided maybe it'd be best to ask another Pegasus of Fluttershy's whereabouts first; she actually hadn't had all too much interaction with earth ponies or unicorns before, so she stuck with what she knew. It turned out, however, that Fluttershy still didn't have too many friends, even in Ponyville.

"U-Um…excuse me?"

"Hm, yes?"

"Do you, um, know where Fluttershy lives?"

"Who?"

"…Nevermind."

The pattern continued through the few other Pegasi Rainbow tried to get directions from. Including the genders of these Pegasi, as Rainbow had made quite an effort to only confront males: she was still uncomfortable talking to the females after what had happened with Valerie, not to mention female ponies still always seemed to make her blush. So, naturally, she felt safer talking to ponies she was positive she wouldn't be attracted to. After the fourth try, Rainbow found herself wondering if maybe she really would need to get over herself and ask a female, but luckily (or maybe not so luckily), a female found her first.

"Did you say you were looking for Fluttershy?"

Rainbow Dash jumped at the question, and quickly turned toward the voice to see a fifth Pegasus, only this one female. She felt herself tense almost immediately. But before she could get much more nervous over being so close to a female again, her attention was drawn to an even more startling aspect of this particular pony: her eyes. Rainbow was frozen for a short moment, just looking at the pony's face, until she quickly realized there had to be something wrong with her eyes which couldn't be helped, and looked away with a small blush, not wanting to seem rude. She'd just spoken to her, though; she had to ignore the awkwardness, and respond. Especially since this pony seemed to know Fluttershy, unlike any of the others.

She answered, "U-Um, yes..?"

Rainbow couldn't help but want to apologize for her moment of staring, but the grey Pegasus who'd spoken to her instantly gave a happy chibi smile and grabbed one of her forelegs, dragging her away from their current area. She seemed to have not even noticed Rainbow's staring, or if she had, she didn't seem to care. Rainbow gave a surprised yelp at the sudden gesture, but really had no choice but to follow.

"Come on, then! I know right where she lives!" the pony exclaimed as she pulled Rainbow along a short ways, and then let her go to follow on her own.

Along the way, the grey Pegasus didn't hesitate at all to explain that she worked as a mail carrier, and Fluttershy's home was one of the places on her route, which was how she knew exactly how to get there. Rainbow couldn't tell whether the pony was trying to sound impressive or not, but either way, she was thankful she didn't have to do any of the talking – that was taken care of by this odd new pony.

Rainbow found herself not too bothered at all by her worries as the grey Pegasus led the way to Fluttershy's house. She couldn't quite place why, but there was something about this Pegasus that made her feel…comfortable. The Pegasus was pretty much completely open, as if she already considered Rainbow to be some long-time, trusted friend. It was actually pretty quirky, but at the same time, Rainbow kind of liked it. She couldn't help but wonder if this Pegasus was the same way with everypony she met. Not that it really mattered. It certainly helped Rainbow Dash feel more at ease with herself, though.

When the two of them reached a small cottage near the edge of a forest, the grey Pegasus came to a stop, and pointed a hoof in its direction. She beamed the same smile as before as she did so, as if nothing made her happier than doing random things like this. It was so weird, and yet, so charming. Rainbow gave an awkward smile before looking toward the cottage, and at the familiar sight, her eyes slowly widened.

Fluttershy.

The yellow Pegasus looked exactly the same as Rainbow Dash remembered her. She hadn't noticed that Rainbow was there yet; she only stood with her backside to the other two, fixing one of her flowerbeds. After a moment, Rainbow looked back to the grey Pegasus, who only gave a friendly wink and took to the air, as she'd completed the mission she'd set out to do. And with that, only Fluttershy and Rainbow were left, standing a short ways apart.

Rainbow Dash remained silent for a moment longer, feeling a bit of her nervousness returning to her. She hadn't the first idea how to begin a conversation, or even what to say to get her old friend's attention. Finally, though, Rainbow took a breath and settled for clearing her throat.

"Hmm?"

At the throat clearing, Fluttershy quickly turned her head to look behind, eyes wide. She turned herself completely around to face Rainbow a second later, and instantly, she froze, blinking once in surprise. Fluttershy almost appeared as if she'd seen a ghost, and for a moment, she and Rainbow only stared at one another from across the yard.

The longer the moment passed, the more nervous Rainbow became. She swallowed, averting her eyes finally as she felt her cheeks growing red again. It hadn't even crossed her mind that crushing on Fluttershy was a possibility, another one that she really didn't want to happen. Strangely, though, she didn't really feel as worried about it as she'd felt with the other girls she'd run into. Perhaps it was the old memories she had with Fluttershy, or just the hope that she might actually have someone to talk to. She didn't know. But hesitantly, she lifted her magenta gaze back up to meet Fluttershy's again.

She released a breath, readying a greeting, but before she could get one out, the other Pegasus beat her to it.

"Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy almost said the name with a quiet, stifled giggle, as if she really couldn't believe what she saw. Her shock had transformed into a brightly curious smile.

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but smile back awkwardly as she uttered a quiet affirmation. She was glad to know her name had been remembered, but she supposed she could never forget the name of someone who'd defended her either. Almost so quickly Rainbow didn't have time to notice, the shy Pegasus galloped closer, giving another stifled giggle, and causing Rainbow to flinch back just a little in confusion. Not that the move bothered her, it was just…unexpectedly bold for a pony like Fluttershy.

Immediately after, though, Fluttershy gasped quietly, and edged back away just a little. "Oh! I'm sorry…it's just…it's been so long. I never expected…you."

The yellow Pegasus took a seat after the apology, and tilted her head downward as she averted her gaze. As soon as a lock of pink hair fell over the side of her face, Rainbow recognized the look. This was definitely the Fluttershy she remembered. Hesitantly, Rainbow lifted a hoof from the ground and smiled again.

"It's okay," she began. "I know it's been years since flight camp. Well, for you, anyway."

Fluttershy returned the smile, just a little, but still paused. "Yeah…"

Another moment of silence passed between the two Pegasi, which only brought Rainbow's awkwardness back, much to her dismay. She again lost her words, and finally, Fluttershy again got to her hooves, and spoke first.

"So…um…what brings the visit? N-Not that I didn't want a visit, but…is there something I can help you with?"

It was as if the specific question had been destined for their conversation. Rainbow Dash blinked in response to the words, eyes wide again. Help. Almost instantly, she felt her heart speeding up again. Ever since she'd left flight camp, she'd lost the only other one she believed she'd ever be able to talk to about all this. Even if Gilda wasn't exactly great at talking about things like these, she still knew what it was like to be attracted to girls. Rainbow was frozen now, with just the memory of feeling like there was at least one other who'd been in a similar situation. And Fluttershy's question echoing through her mind.

She indeed needed help. Big time. She'd no idea if Fluttershy was the proper pony to get help from, or even if Fluttershy would understand her situation at all, or even close to how Gilda did. One thing she did know, though, for sure, was that if she didn't tell somepony about it soon, she'd be on the brink of losing her mind. Whether Fluttershy realized it or not, the question had an answer. And this time, Rainbow Dash was ready to take the chance of giving it.

Heart still speeding, she forced herself out of her freeze, and very slowly looked around, just to be sure nopony else was near. She didn't know why the simple question had sparked such a longing in her to share what she'd been hiding for weeks now. But it had. She didn't understand it, but she knew the time had finally come, for somepony else to hear the truth.

Was there anything she could help her with?

Rainbow shakily breathed, not even realizing that her next statement barely seemed to be an answer to the question, because the fear of what would come from it, had completely taken her over.

"…Fluttershy…I'm gay."

6. Conversations

Fluttershy…I'm gay.

Even though she'd just said it, the sentence replayed over and over in Rainbow Dash's mind as she waited for any kind of response whatsoever from Fluttershy. Each second she waited felt like sixty, and her heart had sped up so fast she felt she might collapse at any of those seconds. Fluttershy's expression had again turned to shock, blue eyes wide. Of all the things Rainbow Dash could've said, she'd never expected that would be one of them.

Finally, though, after the moment of shock had passed, she released a breath, and choked out the only thing she could. "…Oh."

The moment instantly became nearly horrifyingly awkward, for both Pegasi. Rainbow flinched back slightly at the response, almost in confusion, but quickly averted her gaze, feeling a blush coming on. She knew it'd been a mistake to even consider telling Fluttershy this; why had she even done it! Now that it was over, though, she felt the urge to run returning to her again, as it always did when she fell into situations she couldn't bring herself to face. She'd successfully ruined any chances of rekindling her old friendship. Now that that was done, there really wasn't anything left.

"I-I'm sorry," she spoke, feeling her eyes beginning to sting. "I'll just…"

Quickly, she turned to make a run for it, ready to crash into something else, die this time for all she cared, but before she could take to the sky, she was stopped by the shocking scream she'd never dreamt she'd hear.

"WAIT!"

The blue Pegasus froze in her tracks, hesitating a moment before looking back to Fluttershy. Fluttershy only caught the gaze with a worried one of her own, but after another moment, she galloped closer again, breaking the new gap between them that had been made. Before she got too close, she stopped, looking away briefly as she tried her best to say something that would calm Rainbow down.

She said, "Rainbow, it's…it's alright. I-I mean, I don't care…if you're gay. I-I've just…well, nopony's ever…"

Obviously the shy pony had never been in a situation like the one she was now a part of. Rainbow Dash barely even cared about that at the moment, though, as the only thing flooding her mind was the fact that she'd just been told it was okay. She hadn't scared Fluttershy off, after all; Fluttershy didn't care. It was almost too good to be true, and Rainbow was still in complete shock. She instantly turned to face the other Pegasus, eyes wide, just wanting to be sure everything would actually be okay.

"I'm not trying to hit on you," she blurted out, cutting off Fluttershy's explanation.

It would forever go down as one of the stupidest first things she'd ever tell anypony, but now that she knew Fluttershy didn't care, the only thing she wanted was to refrain to freaking her out anymore than she already had. Fluttershy dropped her own words and blinked once in surprise. She averted her eyes again for a second, a small blush coming to her cheeks as her jaw remained dropped open slightly. Immediately after, though, she breathed another of her stifled laughs, and shyly smiled back up at Rainbow.

"W-Well…I kinda figured that," she answered.

"You did?" The question was asked in near-complete disbelief.

Fluttershy only gave a small nod.

Rainbow Dash almost seemed a bit taken aback by this, as if it was an answer she definitely shouldn't have gotten. She looked to the ground, a bit more dazed after a moment, and for a while longer, there was only silence between the two ponies again. She'd not only refrained from freaking Fluttershy out, but also from making her think she had some weird, lesbian crush on her? It seemed almost impossible, so Rainbow thought. She definitely wasn't complaining, though.

Once she'd taken a moment of settle into the reality of what had just happened, Rainbow finally met Fluttershy's gaze again, her magenta hues shimmering just a little, with held back emotion. She released a sigh of stunned relief before dropping to the ground in mental exhaustion.

She breathed, "Oh Fluttershy… You have no idea what I've been through."

Apparently, the shy Pegasus noticed that her friend was on the brink of tears. Her eyes widened at seeing Rainbow's collapse, and very hesitantly, she tried to work up some kind of response. It was obviously Rainbow who needed to do the talking, though, so Fluttershy offered the only thing she really could.

"O-Oh my…" she began worriedly. "Um…come on inside. You can tell me everything."

Fluttershy led Rainbow Dash into her cottage, and so began the very first real conversation Rainbow would have about newly-discovered sexuality. It took a moment or two to get started, but once Rainbow began, she didn't stop. She told Fluttershy everything. The Spitfire poster, the Spitfire dream, the situation she'd gotten into with Valerie, getting struck by lightning, she even told her about Gilda. Nothing was left unsaid. And finally, once she'd gotten to the end, the only thing she could do was try not to cry, which turned out to be a lot more difficult for her than it'd been in the past.

It was then that Fluttershy quickly left the living room of her cottage to go to the kitchen and get some tea for the both of them. She'd done her best to make Rainbow feel comfortable about telling the stories, but she didn't want to make her feel awkward about getting the emotion out that went with it. It had obviously been a while for her, since she'd first started holding everything inside. Once Fluttershy returned with tea, silence also returned for a short moment.

Shortly, though, after taking her cup, Rainbow spoke again. "I can't even go around girls anymore. I don't even know how I came around you."

Fluttershy hesitated a little longer before attempting a small smile, trying once again to be soothing. She really wasn't sure what to tell Rainbow about everything, but she knew one thing for sure; she just didn't know if it would be any help.

"Well…ya know, Rainbow," she told her. "Just because you like girls…it doesn't mean you'll…like…every mare you meet."

Rainbow looked up to meet her friend's gaze, almost helplessly. Fluttershy continued.

"W-What I mean is, well, I'm sorry if this is kind of obvious, but…mares who like mares…they aren't really that different than mares who like stallions. I-It's the same thing, just…not…with stallions."

"…Do you like mares?" Rainbow asked, confused.

Fluttershy's eyes widened, and she instantly looked away, another blush coating her cheeks. "U-Um, w-well…no, not exactly…but…"

"Then how do you know?"

"I…um…I don't know, I just do," she paused, looking back up. "Why would it be any different?"

Rainbow gave a silent sigh, averting her eyes this time. "…I don't know."

She knew Fluttershy was right. There really was no sense in worrying over if she would crush on everypony who was a mare, but she still couldn't help it. There was a possibility of crushing on any mare, and she hated that possibility. And as unlikely as it was, she still couldn't quite let it go. She wasn't crushing on Fluttershy, though…nor had she crushed on the strange Pegasus who'd helped her get here. Hell, she hadn't even crushed on Valerie, just tried to get away from her so it wouldn't happen. That was three ponies she'd run into recently, and refrained from liking that way. But would that pattern really continue? Was her crush on Spitfire, the sex with Gilda, really just a random coincidence?

She wanted them to be coincidences. She wanted to completely accept Fluttershy's weird knowledge on the subject of things. But she just didn't know.

Fluttershy didn't try to argue the topic anymore. She knew Rainbow would see for herself that she didn't need to be scared, once she'd had more time to interact with other mares. She was still pretty surprised to know that Rainbow Dash was a lesbian, since she didn't remember anything like that at all from her flight camp days; then again, they had been quite young back when she was still going. She really didn't care, though. Rainbow had helped her a lot through flight camp, and if Rainbow needed her now, she wanted to be there.

The conversation went on through the night. It'd gone from Rainbow pouring her heart out, to Fluttershy convincing her that there really wasn't anything wrong about being a lesbian, or anything to fear (though Rainbow still had a hard time believing it). Rainbow Dash was a bit surprised to find that her old friend actually seemed to be interested in what all had happened; she really hadn't expected to be up so late still telling her about it, or answering questions she had. After a while, though, the subject took a small turn, as the ponies began discussing how their lives had been since Fluttershy moved away. And eventually, as it carried on into the wee hours of the morning, the two fell asleep.

When the next day arrived, and Rainbow Dash finally awoke, she realized she'd ended up staying at Fluttershy's home overnight without even knowing if Fluttershy was okay with it. She couldn't help but feel a little rude, and she really hoped her friend wouldn't mind. Fluttershy, of course, didn't mind at all. She was already awake and trying to make pancakes (which wasn't going as well as she'd hoped).

It took Rainbow a moment of coming to before she noticed the burning scent from the kitchen, and immediately jumped to her hooves, rushing into the adjacent room to see what was going on.

"Oh dear…oh dear!" The yellow Pegasus whimpered as she frantically tried to use her wings to clear the smoke that the burning pancakes were now making.

"Fluttershy! What the—"

Hurriedly, Rainbow took control of the situation and made Fluttershy get back. She moved the burning pancakes, turned off the stove, and in minutes, she had the smoke, and the kitchen settled down again. She then turned to the other, unable to hold back a immensely dumbstruck look, though it was also painted with a bit of confusion. Based on the way the kitchen looked, the shy pony obviously had no idea what she was doing.

Rainbow sighed. "Pancakes?"

Fluttershy looked away in embarrassment, her cheeks reddening just a little.

"U-Um…yes."

"…Why?"

"I-I…I just wanted to make some breakfast…for us. I-I mean…well…I don't have guests often."

Even if she tried, Rainbow simply couldn't be annoyed. She rolled her eyes, giving another sigh. Fluttershy was only trying to be hospitable. Finally, the blue one shook her head.

She answered, "Well, thanks, but…let's…not burn your cottage down today. Kay?"

"Yes…okay."

For a moment the kitchen was silent, until the two ponies began cleaning everything back up. Fluttershy tried to assure Rainbow Dash she could do it all herself, but Rainbow wasn't about to let her do everything alone. Two ponies could clean up faster than one, after all. Rainbow was actually kind of surprised to see how messy the table was now, from Fluttershy's attempt to mix good pancake batter, but she'd watched her parents clean the kitchen enough to know how to fix everything. Back when she was so young that her mother wouldn't let her go out alone, she spent a good bit of time in the kitchen, just because it was less boring.

When she and Fluttershy were finally close to being done, the shy pony spoke up again with her own question.

She asked, "Um…well…do you wanna help me cook something?"

Rainbow turned to give a weird look, brow raised. She couldn't cook. She knew a few things about the kitchen, but she'd never wanted to try cooking for herself.

"…Me?"

"Well…" Fluttershy averted her gaze a moment. "I-I mean, if you want to… You know how to make pancakes?"

Eyes widening, Rainbow finally got it. Her weird knowledge of kitchen stuff had thrown Fluttershy off. She stifled a weird smirk. "Oh. Not really. I've just watched my dad do it. And my mom made me clean sometimes… I never did the cooking part."

"…Oh…sorry," the yellow said through her own sheepish giggle.

With the burning pancakes and the cleaning, Rainbow Dash hadn't even thought about her lesbian worries yet. Her worries over accidentally being rude to Fluttershy by staying at her cottage overnight had left her for a little while as well, but now that things were settling back down, they slowly returned to her. Fluttershy wouldn't have even tried to make the pancakes in the first place if she hadn't had company; so Rainbow couldn't help but feel like this was partially her fault. And her lesbian worries, well, while they'd been gone all morning, Rainbow was about to find them again.

Fluttershy spoke after a pause. "Well, we need to get something to eat, at least. Do you wanna come to town with me to find something? …I could show you around, too."

It wasn't that Rainbow didn't want to come: she really needed to find a place to stay at while she was here. But town meant public, and public meant mares. Everywhere. Upon hearing the question, she backed away just a step or two, her ears lowering slightly as she gave a nervous grin.

"Uhhhh…no…not really."

Fluttershy's eyes widened as she remembered what she'd forgotten for the second there. Of course Rainbow didn't want to go into town again just yet. Immediately, she closed her eyes a moment, giving a smile before she opened them again.

She said, "O-Oh. Right. Sorry. Well, you can just stay here, then, if you want. I'll go get us something. It won't take long."

Staying at the cottage sounded like a much better plan to Rainbow Dash, even if she did really want to find someplace else to stay, so she wouldn't be getting in Fluttershy's way the whole time. And as Fluttershy wanted her to stay comfortable, especially given that it was only the second day she'd been in Ponyville, she did leave after a few moments to get the two of them something to eat, letting Rainbow stay behind. She assured her she'd hurry and get back, but Rainbow really didn't mind how long it took, as long as she could stay where nopony else was. She knew eventually, she'd have to go out. Perhaps tomorrow, or another coming day. For the time being, though, she just wasn't ready yet.

While there weren't any other ponies around, Fluttershy's cottage (or the outside of it, anyway) was home to many animals. They didn't bother Rainbow much, though. Before she'd left, Fluttershy had told Rainbow that she was more than welcome to explore around outside, and that no other ponies lived nearby. Rainbow had stayed inside for a little while after the shy one had gone, but she soon got bored, and decided maybe exploring outside wasn't such a bad idea. After all, she had stayed cooped up at her own home everyday, back when she'd still been there. Being outside just to be outside was something she hadn't done in a while, and something she couldn't deny she missed. Quite a lot, actually.

Rainbow had seen the outside of her friend's cottage when she'd first arrived, but she hadn't really made an effort to look at everything. Now that she was doing so, she was pretty impressed at how nice everything was. Fluttershy certainly knew how to keep a yard looking welcoming, even if she didn't have visitors that often. Rainbow couldn't help but wonder if she preferred it that way or not.

She hadn't expected to find the chickens, and wondered why Fluttershy had them. Did she just like chickens? Ponies didn't eat chickens, so she knew they weren't for that purpose; the thought of chickens as food alone was disgusting. Still, that was so weird to her, to have chickens. Maybe it was because she'd been in Cloudsdale so long and wasn't around them that often. In any case, she still stayed by the pin for a few minutes, just looking at them, head tilted in confusion.

Finally, Rainbow Dash gave a sigh and headed down Fluttershy's driveway, toward the entrance of the nearby forest. She'd never been in a forest before, as she'd lived in the sky her whole life, but had always been kind of interested in them. She'd heard other Pegasi talk of them, mostly either about all the horrors in them, or all the wonders. Which of the sides she believed, she didn't know. Still…being here now, right in front of one, she could just find out for herself.

Rainbow waited another short moment, and ever so cautiously took a step forward. Before she could take another, though, she felt a hit to the head, and instantly jumped from the ground in surprise, using her wings now. She quickly turned around to see what had happened, but nothing was there. Her eyes widened a little at the finding, but it wasn't frightening her as much as it was confusing her. Until a small pebble came out of nowhere, and she dodged it just in time.

"Hey!" she said aloud, despite not knowing where it'd come from, or who did it. Something had definitely been thrown at her, though.

The Pegasus looked around this time, and finally stopped when her eyes rested on a small white rabbit on the ground a few feet in front of her. For a moment, she only stared at it, blinking once, magenta hues still wide. It didn't look very happy, but of course, she hadn't seen many rabbits, so she had no idea if this was how they typically looked, or if this rabbit was legitimately unhappy. It wasn't like it mattered, though: the rabbit was the only one around, and thus was the only one that could've thrown the pebbles.

Rainbow snorted in annoyance, coming a little closer as she stayed a few feet above the earth. "What'd I do to you, huh?"

The rabbit only gave a sly smile, though, before hurriedly dashing away from the scene. Maybe it was the smile, maybe it was the pebbles, maybe it was simply that he was one of the only rabbits Rainbow Dash had ever seen, but as soon as he made a run for it, she could do nothing but follow after him.

"Hey! Wait!"

The awkward chase carried on for a few minutes. Rainbow didn't even know why she was chasing the rabbit, really; she was a little annoyed, but it wasn't anything worse than other times, where she'd just brushed it off. Not to mention it was just a rabbit. Still, as silly as it seemed, she wanted to know why the hell this rabbit was throwing pebbles, what the hell his motives were. She'd never had an animal throw anything at her. What could she even do, though? It wasn't like she intended on hurting the rabbit, or expected him to understand her.

Finally, the chase came to an end as the rabbit ran inside a small hole under the side of Fluttershy's cottage, which was much too small for Rainbow to even try fitting into. She still stayed on the outside, though, peeking in as she continued to speak.

"Oh come on! That is so not fair!"

"Rainbow?"

Rainbow Dash instantly lifted herself up from the ground at the inquisition, only to see Fluttershy back again and looking very confused. The shy pony looked her friend over, even more confused to see that she was now covered in dirt, and seemed to be quite tired as well. Which, Rainbow Dash certainly was after all that chasing. She blinked, taking a seat and hoping she hadn't done something too bad. A slightly embarrassed blush coated her cheeks.

She answered, "Uhh…hi Fluttershy."

"…What happened?"

"Well…," the blue one looked back over to the side of the cottage again, where the white rabbit had finally poked his head out of the hole he'd been in, and was again, smiling. At this point, though, Rainbow wasn't even annoyed anymore, and she could do nothing but smile as well. Fluttershy stifled a weird giggle as she caught sight of the rabbit.

She said, "Oh. I see you've met Angel Bunny."

"He has a name?"

"Oh yes," Fluttershy nodded, closing her eyes a moment as she kept her smile. "I hope he hasn't caused you any trouble, though…he can be a little mischievous at times. Just don't take anything he does too seriously…"

Rainbow Dash stifled a small, sheepish laugh of her own at the tip, still feeling a bit silly for chasing the rabbit around, even if it had been fun. What she didn't know, however, was that Angel Bunny had only been trying to stop her stupid idea of going into the Everfree Forest, and as he'd successfully done that, he now felt quite proud of himself.

Now that Fluttershy was back with the fruits and vegetables and hay she'd gotten from town, she and Rainbow Dash went back inside the cottage to finally have something to eat. Rainbow took a bath first, though, to get all the dirt and dust out of her coat that she'd gotten into from chasing Angel. Once she finished the bath, she came back into the kitchen where Fluttershy was, and the two shared a meal of hay and apples. Both ponies were hungry, especially Rainbow, who hadn't had anything since she'd left Cloudsdale, so anything edible would've tasted good at the moment.

The ponies talked for a bit about how things had gone at the cottage while Fluttershy was away, but Rainbow Dash changed the direction of the conversation shortly, as she still had something on her mind that she needed to ask her friend about.

"So, um," she began. "Are there any inns around here?"

The yellow Pegasus gave a confused glance at the question. "Inns?"

"Yeah. You know…somewhere I can stay while I'm here?"

She took another bite from the apple she now had, waiting for Fluttershy's response. Fluttershy only kept the confused expression before looking away, though, and keeping her gaze averted for a moment. She almost looked troubled, and it wasn't too long before Rainbow Dash was the confused one. Was it really that hard of a question to answer? Finally, after what seemed like much longer than the short moment it was, Fluttershy responded.

"Oh," she hesitantly looked up again. "U-Um, well…yes, but…you don't like it here?"

Silently, Rainbow sighed. That wasn't what she'd said. Quickly, she answered, trying to remove any accidental rudeness she may have dropped.

"No! I mean, I do like it here, I didn't mean it like that. I'm just gonna be staying here a while, and I need to find someplace."

Fluttershy hesitated. "Well…okay."

The shy pony still didn't seem too happy with the idea, which kept Rainbow in confusion. A moment of silence passed the two; Rainbow continued to glance up at Fluttershy every so often, but nothing changed. She expected Fluttershy would be glad to tell her about places she could stay. Rainbow Dash really didn't want to keep sounding rude with her questions, but… she didn't get it.

"…What is it?" she finally asked.

"O-Oh, it's nothing…"

"…Nothing?"

Fluttershy looked up for a quick second, then away again. There was more silence before she gave a tiny smile, and shook her head a little. She'd actually been a little excited about Rainbow staying at her cottage for a while, as she still didn't have too many friends in Ponyville, due to her shy nature. Rainbow being a lesbian hadn't even crossed her mind as something that was all that big of a deal. She was just happy to see her again. She wanted to help her out, maybe even become better friends, as Rainbow had done so much for her in flight camp, and especially since… Fluttershy took a second to glance down at her cutie mark, and couldn't help but smile a little more.

She continued, "It's really nothing. I just thought you were going to stay here. But it's fine, I can show you some of our lodgings tomorrow, maybe, if you want."

Rainbow's pink eyes widened at the statement, and this time, it was her turn for silence. She was nearly speechless, really; had she heard that correctly?

"Wait… you want me to stay here?"

The yellow pony quickly met her gaze again, almost worriedly. "N-not if you don't want to! It's fine, really, Rainbow Dash."

Unable to speak for a short moment, Rainbow only left her jaw dropped open. She tried again, though, as she didn't want Fluttershy thinking she was the one who wanted to leave.

"That's not what I meant! I mean…" she paused for a breath, suddenly feeling very hopeful about what her friend was getting at. "I-I can stay here! If you want me to. I don't have a problem with it, I just… I didn't think you'd… You really don't mind?"

One thing for sure was that Rainbow had never thought Fluttershy would actually want her to stay. She figured the shy pony wouldn't say anything about it if she asked to stay, but Rainbow wouldn't have dreamed of ever actually asking so much, especially not from the pony who didn't seem to mind her sexuality issues at all. If Fluttershy truly did want her to stay at the cottage, though, Rainbow couldn't deny she'd much rather do that than stay in town, with ponies she didn't know in the slightest.

Fluttershy looked a bit surprised at the words, but quickly, her expression grew into another smile. She stifled a small laugh, quite relieved to know she hadn't run Rainbow off.

"Of course I don't mind," she assured her. "I told you, I don't get many visitors. I'd enjoy the company."

"…Well…then I guess I'll stay! …Thanks!"

With the last response, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but give a small laugh of her own. She hesitated before finishing her apple, still nearly unable to process that she officially had somewhere to stay now, somewhere she'd feel comfortable. But she did. It wasn't a fantasy, or a joke, or a dream. She still felt the same small worry that Fluttershy might just be trying to show hospitality again, but it wasn't nearly as bad as before; the shy pony had seemed nearly sad to find out that Rainbow was actually trying to find another place to stay.

Fluttershy, though she didn't let it show too badly, was very excited about Rainbow staying at her place. She'd never forgotten her, not only because of flight camp, but also because she'd always held Rainbow at least partially responsible for helping her discover her cutie mark. She loved Rainbow. Not in a way that was more than the friendship she wanted to have with her, but nevertheless, she did. Fluttershy had never even expected to see her again, and now that she was here, visiting her town, seeking out her help, she wanted nothing but to be able to help her as much as she'd done in the past. She'd never be able to thank her enough. But for the brave mare she admired so much, she could try.

When the two ponies finished their food, Fluttershy gave her new roommate a real tour of the cottage, as it was officially her home as well now, at least for a while. Neither of them knew at the moment how soon that would change, or if it would change at all, given that Rainbow was only visiting. But it wasn't something they needed to worry about at the moment. At the moment, both of them were content, and, especially for Rainbow, that was all that was currently needed.

7. First Steps

Rainbow still wasn't sure what she was feeling about Ponyville as a whole. It was a nice place, even if also a little scary. Having somewhere to stay, though, as well as knowing Fluttershy truly didn't care that she liked mares, were both things that were slowly, but surely, making her stay a whole lot better than she'd imagined it would be. Even if she hadn't quite realized it yet.

It'd only been a few days since she'd moved in with Fluttershy, making it her current home until she either found someplace else to go, or went back home. She still didn't know how long she'd be in Ponyville: before she'd left, she'd asked her parents how long she was staying, but her mother had only given her a funny look, and told her she could stay as long as she wanted to, or, as she knew her mother was really thinking, as long as it took her to feel like herself again.

Rainbow Dash hadn't been looking forward to staying in Ponyville at all at first. Now that she'd told Fluttershy everything, though, and Fluttershy had still accepted her, and she even had somewhere to stay, even she couldn't deny she felt a lot better about it.

As it had only been the first few days, Fluttershy hadn't asked her to come to town anymore yet, which Rainbow was happy about. She continued to stay at the cottage whenever Fluttershy went out, usually wandering around outside like she'd done the first time. She'd actually grown quite fond of Angel Bunny, even if he could be a trouble-maker, and often than not, she found herself playing whatever weird games they managed to make up together. Though it was still annoying as hell how the rabbit always seemed to win those games. Rainbow was used to being the winner; she'd just have to get used to it, though.

But it wasn't only that. Rainbow had also discovered that she could pretty much fly all she wanted around Fluttershy's home, and still not be seen by anyone else. It was definitely the coolest part about the temporary home so far, as flying was what she missed the most out of everything she'd stopped doing recently. She didn't care too much who saw her flying all the way out here, though, as there wasn't a very big chance anyone would confront her about it. She'd even finally gotten as bold as to go on up to the clouds above the cottage sometimes, and watch Ponyville from afar, or just sleep, whichever she was in the mood to do.

It was barely no time at all before those few days expanded into a fortnight, though. And the more time that passed, the closer Fluttershy came to her return to the suggestion she'd had in the beginning. She wanted Rainbow to be happy, and to get over her issues, but even she knew that as long as Rainbow continued to avoid the issues, they would only continue to stay.

So on the night after the fortnight of Rainbow's stay had hit, Fluttershy decided it was time to try again.

"U-Um…Rainbow Dash?"

The two ponies were eating dinner together, as they did every night. Tonight it was daisy sandwiches, and Fluttershy had gotten a coconut cake from the town's Sugar Cube Corner to have for dessert. Rainbow happily ate her sandwich, as she was currently in a great mood from the flying she'd done earlier; she started to answer her friend, but quickly, her mind went elsewhere.

"Yeah?" she asked. "Oh! I almost forgot, I have an amazing new trick I did today, and I have to show you tomorrow! I was gonna show you earlier, but I forgot."

The pony's polychromatic tail flicked in excitement as she took another bite of her sandwich; she also barely remembered that Fluttershy had just tried to get her attention. Fluttershy took a pause, looking away and giving a polite smile at the remark. She could easily see Rainbow's mind was on other things besides listening to her, but she continued, nevertheless.

She said, "That sounds really great, Rainbow…I can't wait to see…but, um…I-I'm sorry, but I need to ask you something."

"It's totally great! And you'll be the first pony to ever see it! You could tell the Wonderbolts about the experience for me whenever they realize I'm the perfect new member for their team!"

Again, Fluttershy was silent for a short moment, but kept her patience. She was actually more than happy that Rainbow had gained a good bit of her confidence back since she'd been staying over, but she also knew that only intensified the fact that it was time for her friend to take the next step. If only she could get it out.

The shy one smiled again, though used a more serious tone this time. "I'd love to, but, Rainbow…?"

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry. What?"

Finally, Rainbow Dash was paying attention. She remained as happy as she'd been a moment ago, still smiling, which Fluttershy hoped would bring something good. Perhaps if she was in a good mood, she'd be more willing to go along with the new suggestion. Otherwise, Fluttershy really didn't know how she would convince her to go along, if she wouldn't from the start. But she knew she had to try. Two weeks was quite a while to avoid troubles, after all. Especially ones that really weren't all that bad.

"W-Well, you see," Fluttershy began. "You've been here for…a good while, now, and…I was just thinking…"

Rainbow suddenly frowned as worry overshadowed her face, which only caused Fluttershy to pause again. Did Rainbow know what she was getting at? Well, she had her worries, even if they weren't exactly correct. A brief moment passed before the blue pony's worried expression mixed with a bit of sadness.

She asked, "You don't want me to stay anymore?"

The question brought instant surprise to Fluttershy, and her face showed it. Quickly, she corrected Rainbow's worries.

"Oh no! That's not it! It's just…well…I was wondering if…you'd come to town tomorrow? With me?"

As her reply carried on, it got progressively softer; the shy one did want Rainbow to finally get out of the house, but she knew she'd be much too afraid to edge the suggestion on anymore than simply asking it. Which meant this was her only chance to suggest it, for at least another week. She knew Rainbow needed it. She knew it was time for her to face her fears. But being the pony she was, Fluttershy would never try to force this. It was all up to Rainbow now.

It took Rainbow Dash a moment to realize what exactly Fluttershy was asking her. And immediately, of course, she felt herself growing a bit tense with the very thought of going out into the public, filled-with-mares world. Her immediate answer was indeed no, though she didn't give it aloud. For a while, only silence filled the kitchen where they were eating. Rainbow looked away as a nervous blush coated her cheeks. When she finally looked back, though, contemplating whether she should just go ahead and give the no or not, it was Fluttershy's worried gaze that caught her attention more than anything else: it was almost identical to the ones her mother had given her back home.

They truly were worried. Her mother, father, and now Fluttershy. This worry was different, though, even if it looked the same. It was only then that the thought crossed Rainbow Dash's mind, that Fluttershy was completely serious about this. She really wanted her to try, to climb this mountain she'd been stumbling on for over a month now. And she also really believed, that if she did try, she would be okay. It was still scary. Rainbow still didn't want to do it. But with these new thoughts, she couldn't say no. Not anymore.

It was time.

Finally, Rainbow sighed, shakily. Her heart felt as if it would stop, but she could no longer deny that Fluttershy was right. It was time to stop hiding.

"…With you?"

Fluttershy hesitantly gave a nod, keeping her same demeanor.

Rainbow swallowed, continuing. "…How long?"

"I…don't know. I guess…however long it takes me to show you around," she told her, then added quickly. "I'm sure it won't be too long."

That brought a bit more of a relief. If it was going to be with Fluttershy, and not too long, perhaps it really wouldn't be so bad. Rainbow had no idea, but she certainly hoped so. She knew Fluttershy was truly doing anything she could to make this future trip easy for her, though, and she knew at this point, she'd said no enough times.

"…Okay."

Fluttershy's eyes widened, and she shifted back just a little, blinking once. She was very obviously in complete shock at the word. Quickly, though, she became nearly confused, as if she doubted what she'd heard. She leaned forward again.

"O…Okay?"

Rainbow Dash forced the tiniest smile she'd ever given as she affirmed, "…Yeah. I'll go."

It took a few seconds for the answer to process in Fluttershy's mind, as she honestly hadn't been expecting a yes. Eyes still wide, she only stayed dumbstruck, but in no time at all, she'd nearly leapt from across the table to tackle her friend with joy, a move that shocked Rainbow almost as much as her answer had shocked Fluttershy. The shy one's burst of excitement was definitely something Rainbow had never seen until now.

"OH THANK YOU! Rainbow, it's going to be so much fun, I promise! Promise promise! You won't regret it!"

If it'd been any other female doing this, the move would've been another of those things that didn't help Rainbow in the least. Hell, it would've made her even worse. But it was Fluttershy, and though the blue pony couldn't help but blush just a little from the awkward proximity, she was also weirdly happy that she'd apparently made Fluttershy's week.

"…Yeah," she answered with a small smile.

As it usually went when Fluttershy did something that wasn't quite Fluttershy-ish, though, the shy pony almost immediately jumped off of her, backing away a bit and returning to her original place from across the table.

"Oh…I'm sorry," she said, but kept her smile. "I'm just really happy you said yes."

Rainbow only stifled a short laugh. "It's okay."

It seemed like no time at all before tomorrow hit, and it was time for Rainbow Dash's second trip ever into Ponyville. She still couldn't honestly say she was ready for this at all, but as long as she had Fluttershy alongside her, as well as the memory that she really hadn't been noticed all too much the first time she'd been in the town, she supposed she would try to stay optimistic. Maybe it wouldn't really be as bad as she worried it'd be.

Fluttershy made sure to plan the trip more toward mid-morning than afternoon, simply because fewer ponies would be in town then, and that would hopefully make things easier for Rainbow Dash. When she told Rainbow Dash the detail, the shy one was relieved to see that her friend liked the idea. And Rainbow was indeed quite grateful. The fewer ponies, the better, for now. She just wanted to get the whole visit over with, and if fewer ponies would be in town, it'd take less time to see everything Fluttershy intended on showing her, along with having fewer females to worry over. It really was a good plan.

So with hopes that everything would work out as imagined, the two set off for Ponyville.

Rather than flying, they'd decided to walk their journey. It'd take a little longer to get there, but Fluttershy preferred walking most of the time, anyway, and in the current situation, so did Rainbow. Still, they didn't dawdle too long, as the morning wouldn't last all day, and the later it got, the more ponies would arrive. It only took about ten minutes to get there; Rainbow Dash couldn't decide if she was happy with this or not. Either way, they had finally arrived, and it was time to face Ponyville.

"Just try to stay calm, okay, Rainbow Dash? Stay next to me and everything will be alright."

The words didn't do as much to help as Fluttershy's presence did, which Rainbow discovered rather quickly. She did as Fluttershy said, though, and followed her lead as they walked through Ponyville. Just as the shy one had said, it wasn't nearly as crowded as it'd been the first time Rainbow had visited; rather easily, the two made their way through the town, and Fluttershy pointed out the different shops and other places of interest, as well as mentioned a few of the ponies that lived around.

"Remember that coconut cake?" she asked, pointing out another shop. "I got that from this place, Sugar Cube Corner. Mr. and Mrs. Cake run the shop, by the way. They're such nice ponies."

Though the trip wasn't turning out to be nearly as bad as Rainbow had worried, she was still nervous, and not paying as much attention as she should've been: she couldn't stop herself from looking around, just to make sure nopony was staring in her direction. Staying calm was both easy, and difficult at the same time, in her situation.

She replied quietly, "…That's cool."

As they passed the shop and continued on their way, Fluttershy introduced a few more of the places to her, including mentioning the apple farm that was close by; she told Rainbow she would see more of it another day, rather than this one, which the blue-coated pony was quite content with. Rainbow Dash could easily tell how happy Fluttershy was taking her on this tour, but despite that, and despite her own worries, she found herself growing a little more on the bored side as time went on. Ponyville was nice, very nice, really, but there was only so much walking around and looking at buildings that Rainbow could find all that interesting.

She soon found herself looking up at the clouds, and feeling the need to be up there again. But almost as soon as the longing hit her, Fluttershy finally came to a stop, and turned to her again with a small smile. Rainbow brought her attention back to her shy friend, but couldn't help noticing the small, almost baroque-style structure they were now standing in front of.

"Um…so what's that one?" she asked, pointing a hoof in the direction.

Rather than answering the question directly, though, Fluttershy kept her smile, and quite quickly, it became a little more awkwardly nervous. She averted her eyes for just a moment, before bringing them back and finally speaking again.

"W-Well…Rainbow Dash," she began. "I actually have sort of a confession to make."

Rainbow instantly brought her attention back completely to Fluttershy, now that she'd made the strange, unexpected comment. She honestly had no idea what the other was talking about, but something told her it wasn't good. A confession? Was she hiding something? Suddenly, Rainbow found herself completely focused on whatever Fluttershy was speaking of, and forgetting all about the other worries she had. She even raised her voice a little more now, though she really wasn't sure if she wanted to know what this was or not.

Confusedly, she asked, "W…What?"

She felt a little more panic rising up again, but tried to push it away; she didn't even know what it was yet. It couldn't really be all that bad, could it? The word alone kind of made it feel that way, though…confession. What kind of confession was she even talking about?

Fluttershy took a short pause before she continued, ever-so-hesitantly.

"Well…you see…I…kind of…told a friend of mine about you…and that we might visit today."

Instantly, magenta hues widened as Rainbow flinched back, releasing a near-silent gasp. Also instantly, her previous worries crept up behind her again as the shadowing fears they'd been in the beginning. Fluttershy, the one she'd entrusted everything to, had told someone about her? She'd no idea what all had been told, but hearing such a thing still nearly took the breath right out from under her. Fluttershy hadn't even told her she'd been planning this! Hadn't even gotten her permission!

"WHAT?"

It was all Rainbow could get out, as she backed away a little more, wings and ears folding back and her heart speeding up again. She could feel her paranoia returning, as well as a bit of anger; who the hell did Fluttershy even think she was, telling something like this? Quickly, though, the shy pony raised a hoof, her own expression nearly coming to match Rainbow's.

"I-I didn't say anything about—that!" she frantically assured. "P-Please don't be upset! I-I promise I didn't! I just told her about…you. As my friend. A-and she wanted to meet you! That's all!"

At the assuring words, Rainbow felt a wave of relief hit her almost instantly, and she could do nothing but fall into a sitting position as her eyes closed a moment, ears and wings still tucked.

She sighed deeply. "Geeze Fluttershy..."

The shy pony blinked, her gaze quickly becoming a more guilt-ridden one, as she wondered if maybe she shouldn't have even said a word about Rainbow Dash at all, even as just a friend. She truly hadn't meant to cause any trouble; but she didn't want Rainbow to remain friendless for the whole time she was here (well, remain with only one friend), and not to mention, she knew that if Rainbow didn't eventually see that she could both be gay and have friends, she would only continue to spiral downward. Some good friendships were exactly what the distraught pony needed, so Fluttershy believed.

"U-Um…is that okay?" she finally asked, much more softly. "You're not mad, are you?"

Rainbow looked up at her again, and couldn't help but give another silent sigh. She knew Fluttershy meant well. And she wasn't angry with her. Still, she could've said that to begin with, instead of scaring the shit out of her. She couldn't say she was overjoyed at the idea of meeting somepony else, but she'd take that in a heartbeat over somepony else knowing her secret. As for somepony else guessing her secret…she'd just have to trust Fluttershy, and her other experiences, that that wasn't exactly as likely as she worried.

The blue one shook her head. "No. I'm not. It's fine."

"Oh...I'm so glad," Fluttershy sighed, letting another smile grace her lips. She then turned to the small store they were in front of, and looked back to Rainbow, who was getting to her hooves again. "Well, my friend is in here. And this will also be the last stop before we go home. I promise."

That was good to know, at least. Rainbow Dash tried her best to swallow down her worries, and hesitantly followed Fluttershy into the place. She stayed behind her as they entered, and tried to be optimistic again: perhaps, since this pony was Fluttershy's friend, she'd be a lot like Fluttershy. She wouldn't mind another sweet, quiet, understanding pony as a friend. It was actually a nice balance, she thought, as Rainbow herself wasn't exactly the quiet type at all. If this pony really was like Fluttershy, she probably didn't have anything to worry about. The thought almost made Rainbow feel better as they entered the store.

As soon as they were in, Fluttershy called the pony's name, and asked if she was busy; and almost immediately, the two got an answer as the pony came out from the back room to greet them.

"Fluttershy, you know I'm never too busy for you, dear!"

The snow-white unicorn gave a bright smile as she approached them, her lovely styled purple mane bouncing along slightly as she walked. She was definitely a sight to see, and suddenly, Rainbow didn't feel so good about this visit after all. If this pony's personality matched her looks, she definitely wasn't like Fluttershy. At all.

Fluttershy smiled back. "Yeah. I know. Well, um…"

She stepped aside just a bit, and looked back behind her at Rainbow Dash, whose ears were lowered back again with worry. At the sight of her, Rarity's blue eyes widened, and she and Rainbow only stared at one another for a short moment. Rainbow finally attempted a small smile, but before she could barely do so, the unicorn gasped, quite loudly, and rushed forward to her new acquaintance. The gesture instantly caused Rainbow to jump away as she felt her heart nearly stop, for no other reason than the complete unexpectedness of it; she fell back into a sitting position, but even with all that, Rarity only jumped closer, practically invading every bit of personal space Rainbow had as she brought a hoof to the side of the scared one's face.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Fluttershy! Is this your friend?"

"Y-Yes…this is Rainbow Dash…"

From the look on her face, Fluttershy obviously hadn't been expecting Rarity's move either, but soon, the reasoning behind it came to light. Rarity looked back to Fluttershy, then to the now-terrified Pegasus again; she brought her hoof back down as she sighed her next words in excited awe.

She began, "Oh, darling! Your mane! Fluttershy never mentioned this!Oh, how lovely! Those colors! Is this natural, dear?"

Once she'd gotten the words out, the white pony gave a grin, obviously expecting a real answer to her question. Rainbow, though still completely in shock, was relieved to know this was only about her mane, even if with or without anything else, Rarity was still scaring her…quite a bit. The unicorn finally moved back again, realizing her mistake.

"Oh my, do forgive me. My name is Rarity. I am a fashion designer, and I simply could not help but notice it! …And you are Rainbow Dash, hm?"

Fluttershy was friends with a…fashion designer? Maybe it really wasn't as surprising or weird as it seemed, but Rainbow certainly never would've guessed it. She remained in her position, ears still lowered a little, but she was more than grateful that Rarity had moved out of her bubble now. Hesitantly, Rainbow looked over to Fluttershy, who gave a weak smile that was both apologetic and pleading; it wasn't hard to see that the shy pony was mentally begging her to give Rarity another chance, despite the outburst. With a silent sigh, Rainbow brought her gaze back to the unicorn, and attempted the smile again.

She said, "Y-Yeah. Rainbow Dash."

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, darling," the unicorn gave a charmingly polite bow of the head. "Welcome to my boutique!"

Rarity then stepped back a bit more, and lifted a hoof in an outward direction, smile still bright.

She continued, "Please, feel free to look around. I also have filtered water, and coffee, if you'd like some, completely free of charge; any friend of Fluttershy's is a friend of mine!"

Rainbow Dash finally did take a look around at the suggestion, as she'd had other things on her mind when she and Fluttershy had first walked in. The inside of the boutique was nearly just as fancy and baroque as the outside, which wasn't really all too surprising, especially if this unicorn was indeed a fashion designer. She didn't want anything to drink, though, so she only shook her head with a nervous smile.

"Um. No, it's okay. I'm fine."

Rarity blinked. "Hm. Suit yourself, then..." within a short moment, the familiar grin returned to her face. "About that mane, though… is it natural?"

At the question, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but stifle an awkward laugh, as a small blush crept its way upon her cheeks. She averted her gaze; nopony had ever been this interested in her mane before. But now knowing the career of Rarity's choice, she supposed she could understand the interest. Did no other ponies really have similar manes, though? Now that she was thinking about it, Rainbow couldn't recall any others she'd ever seen with the rainbow colors of her and her father.

"Yeah. It's natural. I got it from my dad," she answered her finally.

"Oh how lovely!" Rarity complimented, before a pause. "Would you ever be interested in modeling, you think?"

As the next question completely threw Rainbow off guard, she couldn't help but flinch a bit again, magenta eyes widening. Never in her life had she even considered modeling, or dreamt anypony would ever ask her to. She definitely wasn't model material, though, she knew that much: being a part of anything that involved photoshoots and standing still forever would definitely be torture.

"…Modeling?" She made certain her tone matched her dumbstruck confusion.

"Why, yes! Those colors you have would match with absolutely anything! You'd be perfect."

The unicorn was starting to frighten her again, and luckily this time, as she took a couple steps back, Fluttershy took a few forward, finally breaking the conversation and knowing her friend needed such a break.

She said, "U-Um, well, Rarity… Rainbow's actually kinda new here, and she doesn't want much attention yet. I-I don't think the modeling would be such a good idea…"

"…No?" Rarity asked, looking to both girls a moment and then nervously rolling her eyes to herself. "I mean, yes, of course. Maybe some other time then."

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash stayed at the boutique for a while longer, just so Rainbow could have a little more time to get to know Rarity. Fluttershy knew Rainbow wasn't exactly ready to stay for too long a time, though, so after a few more minutes, she told her unicorn friend they needed to be on their way, and they left the boutique to head back home.

Rainbow Dash was more than happy to be going back to the cottage again, especially since Rarity had freaked her out just a little, even if she was also quite a nice pony. She was again relieved to see that her homosexuality was virtually undetectable. She didn't quite understand what Fluttershy's motives had been with her meeting Rarity, though, as it certainly didn't seem like the two of them would ever be all that close. Rainbow sure as hell wasn't planning on being a model, nor was she planning on playing the role for some glamorous unicorn.

Though her shy friend could gather that much pretty easily, she still commenced conversation on the way home, in hopes to smooth things out a little.

"That wasn't so bad…right?" she asked. "I know Rarity can seem a little…overexcited…sometimes, but she's a very nice pony. One of my only friends here, too. I know she's so happy that you came to visit."

Rainbow gave Fluttershy a funny look as they walked on: it almost seemed to her that Fluttershy was the one who was happier about it. Sure, Rarity had enjoyed the visit, and had loved Rainbow's mane, and wanted her to model, but none of those things had been planned.

The blue one snorted softly. "Well that's cool…but I hope she knows I'm not modeling for her. Ever."

Even if she'd tried, Fluttershy wouldn't have been able to hold back her giggle.

It was great to be back at the cottage again once they'd gotten there. They'd only spent about an hour and a half in Ponyville, but even though there was still a while before the day was over, Rainbow was perfectly fine spending it in the skies above Fluttershy's place.

3. Dreams & Reality

Being home again had turned out to be exactly what Rainbow Dash needed. It'd been just over a few weeks since she'd gotten back home, and while she couldn't say she was completely over her experience with Gilda, she had come quite a long way. She could go out again, like she loved to do, be around the other ponies she knew without worrying they'd randomly know that she'd had sex with a girl, and best of all, she was happy. So happy she'd even begun practicing her flying tricks again on a daily basis.

Today was one of the days she'd decided to spend alone, and taken to the skies above Cloudsdale, in one of her favorite clearings. There were clearings all around the city, as it did reside in the air, but this particular one was one she visited a lot in her spare time.

Rainbow gave a happy sigh as she soared through the Cloudsdale air she knew so well, feeling the wind in her mane and feathers; her eyes were closed, as there was nothing around here that she could possibly run into. It was only clear skies, and the clouds nearby didn't get in her way at all. She loved being up so high, feeling the chilly winds from the altitude. As she sped around, doing her flips and curves in the air, she was lost. The world around her barely even existed anymore.

The only downside to this, though, being lost in her own world of contentment, was that when such a state was met, other outside disturbances could not even be noticed. Like birds that might be flying by. A slight change in weather patterns. Or the sound of another calling out, for her to be wary of these surroundings.

"INCOMING!"

It'd been instantaneous as far as Rainbow was concerned; she hadn't even seen it coming. Her flight felt perfect, and now, as quick and unexpected as a strike of lightning, the impact hit her. Eyes wide now, she watched ahead as she sped downward with whatever it was that had hit her. She felt the weight pressed against her, and tried to turn and look, but the fall prevented her from doing so. For a moment more it continued, until finally, she and the other crashed into a huge cumulus cloud.

Rainbow Dash was in complete shock, stunned at what had just happened, which even she didn't know the cause of yet. Nothing like that had ever happened to her before. It took her a few seconds to get over the sudden crash, but before she could stand, the one that was now with her spoke again.

She said, obviously worried, "Oh gosh, I am so sorry! I tried to warn you, but…I dunno, I guess you were in the zone. That was still totally my fault though… Are you alright!"

Finally, at the voice, Rainbow got to her hooves, slightly annoyed now that she knew what had happened. Couldn't other fliers watch where they were going? She turned to face the other, about to drop a sassy remark in return, but at the sight she saw, she only froze, eyes wide and breath lost. That blue uniform…orange mane flipped back in that fiery texture she knew so well. Right before her very eyes, though she scarcely believed it, was her favorite member of the Wonderbolts – Spitfire.

The yellow Pegasus looked a little confused at Rainbow's reaction, but quickly, she gave an affectionate eye roll, and sighed with a smile.

"Oh! I see… You're a fan," she stifled a giggle. "Well, again, I'm really sorry about that. I don't even know how that happened. I guess I wasn't expecting that draft."

Rainbow remained at a complete loss for words. She'd always dreamt of this moment, but never thought it would happen like this. Quickly, as she felt her cheeks growing warmer, she looked away, frantically scraping her mind for something – anything – to say that didn't sound ridiculous. Inside, she was about to explode with a mixture of shock and bliss, but she really didn't want Spitfire to know that. And she especially didn't want Spitfire to know about her stupid crush. She had to keep it as cool as possible.

She finally forced her words out, unfortunately sounding a little more choked than she'd hoped for. "Y-You fly here, too?"

God, what a stupid question.

Spitfire didn't seem to mind, though. She blinked, before giving another smile. "Well, sometimes. You see, we have our own place to practice whenever we need to, but doing it in the same place all the time can get a little boring. So sometimes I go off on my own without the others knowing, just to have a little free time. Get away from celebrity life for a while. You know."

"Y-Yeah…that's cool," the younger breathed, still unable to say much of anything else.

She knew she was probably blushing horribly now, and she desperately hoped Spitfire would just assume it was because she was another crazy fan, rather than a crazy fan who also had a huge celebrity crush. In both cases, Rainbow Dash was now having one of the most exciting moments of her life. She couldn't ruin it by acting stupid! But just as she was about to try speaking again, the older mare beat her to it.

She said, "Anyway…I was kinda hoping to stay on the loose for at least another day or so, but…I don't really have anywhere to go."

Pausing from the words for a short moment, Spitfire cautiously continued.

"Sayyy…you wouldn't mind letting me crash with you for tonight, would you? I mean, if it's okay and all. I wouldn't want to impose."

It didn't even cross Rainbow Dash's mind that the Wonderbolt leader could've very well just been taking advantage of her celebrity status now that she was in the presence of a fan; and even if it had, the pony wouldn't have cared. She froze again at the question, unable to believe that Spitfire was asking to come to her home, or that Spitfire was asking if it was okay. Of course it was okay!

That was it. She couldn't act stupidly mesmerized anymore. She had to make sure her favorite pony in the world felt welcome! And not like she was in the presence of some silly teenage fan who couldn't keep a straight face around other ponies she admired! Taking a breath, Rainbow relaxed herself, standing up a little straighter as she smiled back, fighting the crushy feelings.

"Crash at my place?" she began, making sure to sound at ease. "Sure, if you need to. I don't mind at all!"

Very fortunately, Rainbow's parents were away on a vacation she hadn't felt like joining them on. Even if they were at home, though, they probably wouldn't have declined Spitfire a place to stay; still, the young Pegasus definitely didn't want them embarrassing her in front of Spitfire, so them being away only made everything perfect!

Rainbow Dash immediately led Spitfire on the short journey back to her home, not wanting to keep her waiting. If she wanted to get back to flying, Rainbow would gladly join her on the chance that she'd like a flying buddy, but if not, she could have just as much fun watching. Being in the presence of a Wonderbolt was more than enough to give her absolute bliss. She was still finding it hard to believe that she'd run into the leader like this. Once they'd made it back to Rainbow's house, Spitfire took hold of the conversation again.

She said, looking around, "This is a pretty nice place, Rainbow Dash. Thanks so much for letting me stay, again. You wanna show me around?"

"Sure, if you want!"

Over the trip home, Rainbow had introduced herself; the conversation hadn't been too exciting, just a typical one of acquaintanceship. She hadn't been able to tell if she was annoying Spitfire or not with her talking, but the older pony hadn't seemed anything less than glad. If she truly was glad, this little incident could turn into a dream come true for Rainbow! Perhaps Spitfire would never forget her; perhaps they'd stay friends even after she left; perhaps their friendship would lead to her finally getting noticed by them!

It didn't take long for her to show Spitfire around, as their house wasn't all that big – only she and her parents lived in it, after all. It seemed like no time at all when they finally got to Rainbow's room, which she was a little nervous to show, but Spitfire wanted to see it, so she took a breath and allowed her in to look around. Only then did the younger Pegasus begin to feel a lot more overtaken by her silly crush. And much to her dismay, Spitfire noticed.

The Wonderbolt gazed around the room, finally stopping once she got to Rainbow's poster of only her. After a moment, she turned back around to face her, with a slightly mischievous smile. Rainbow averted her eyes a moment at the look, feeling the blush from before returning as she froze up, trying to gather more words to say, but unable to get any together. Before she realized it, though, the yellow pony was inches from her, tilting her head a bit to bring her gaze back up.

"You really like me, Rainbow Dash…don't you?"

At the tone, Rainbow suddenly felt her heart jump, as well as another spark inside of her that she hadn't felt since…

Spitfire's voice had changed. It was a small change in tone, but a change nonetheless. With it, Rainbow had no choice but to raise her head again, to meet the older mare's knowing smile. She knew she was still blushing, furiously now, and her heart had sped up immensely. She wondered what Spitfire was thinking: the playful glint in her brown eyes only ignited the feelings further. It was just like what had happened with Gilda. She didn't want it to stay and ruin everything with Spitfire! Her inner panic was interrupted though, as the Wonderbolt spoke again.

She said, very softly, with a stifled giggle, "You need to relax. I understand."

Rainbow hadn't even noticed that their muzzles were a mere inch apart now, but now that she did, she gave a sharp gasp, only to be quieted as Spitfire kissed her. It was so sudden that the younger was in complete shock for a moment, but slowly, her eyes closed, and she couldn't stop herself from kissing back. The kiss went on for a short while, and in another sudden movement, Spitfire was pushing her back against her bed.

Finally breaking the kiss, the yellow one took a step back, and began to remove her Wonderbolts uniform. It took Rainbow a moment to focus herself again, as the kissing had completely thrown her off into a daze, but as soon as she realized what was happening, her eyes widened. She wanted to scream, tell Spitfire to keep her clothes on, but at the same time, she was excited. Her mind was telling her to put an end to what had now begun, but her heart, and her body, were winning this battle. Just as they had with Gilda.

A second time she gasped as Spitfire finished removing her attire, and came close again, giving another of her smiles. She stepped over her, making Rainbow fall back against the bed as she gazed down at her reddened face.

"What's wrong, Rainbow? Don't you find me attractive?"

Rainbow couldn't help but lower her head a bit to look over the Wonderbolt's now stripped form. Her body was lovelier than the younger could've ever imagined it to be, and looking at it now, she felt herself growing even more desiring for what she knew was about to happen. Before she could utter an answer, Spitfire lowered her own face down closer, their lips again an inch from contact.

She whispered, "Well? Do you want this, Rainbow?"

Instantly, with a hitch of breath, Rainbow Dash latched her forelegs around Spitfire's neck, pulling her into an embrace which only intensified the feeling of their proximity. She couldn't resist it anymore – she wanted this.

"Yes!" She breathed out the word quietly, desperately. And no sooner had the word escaped her had the sensation of their bodies pressed so closely together brought upon a shock through her that she'd only felt one other time in her life, and that she knew would forever be the one thing that could drag her down to such rapturous submission.

"NO!"

Rainbow Dash jumped up with a start from her bed, a pounding in her chest unlike any she'd ever felt before, along with an intense throbbing in her lower body that she could never forget even if she tried.

She felt as if she'd just woken up from a horrifying nightmare, but the dream itself hadn't been anything all that frightening. Not to the dream version of her, anyway. But to the part of her that'd been present, yet not in the dream, there was no other word to describe it. Slowly, Rainbow's heart calmed itself again. She still couldn't get the dream's happenings out of her mind, though: she'd come so very close to having sex again…with another female. Not just any female, either. Spitfire.

Instantly, the pony shut her eyes tight, her already blushing face only growing darker. She hated when her hormones did this to her, and even if she'd rather just pretend they didn't, she knew this feeling well. Not only was she horrified now by all that had occurred in her dreams, she was also massively turned on. She hadn't even been home an entire day yet!

Rainbow gave a devastated whimper before falling back onto her bed and rolling onto her side. Once she realized she had a perfect view of the new Spitfire poster, though, she gasped, and swiftly rolled over to face the other side of the room, covering her face with her hooves as a second whimper escaped her. She'd never be able to look at the Wonderbolt again! At least, at the current moment, that's what she told herself.

It was true, then. Her crush was real. Everything she'd felt since she'd hit puberty was real. At the thought, she internally panicked even more, and was almost ready to jump out of bed and tear the poster of Spitfire down; but she knew she could never do such a thing, not when her parents had been so amazing in getting it for her. She didn't want to imagine what they'd say if they ever came in to see the poster had been removed.

Softening her closed eyes, Rainbow took a breath. She had to calm herself. Of course, it wasn't an easy feat when her hormones remained excited, much to her dismay. When she noticed she wasn't sleepy at all anymore thanks to the dream, she gave an annoyed groan. Another sleepless night was all she needed. She wondered what time it was, but didn't get up to check; she'd rather not even know. It didn't feel very much later, though.

She still couldn't believe she'd come home to get away from all this, and in doing so, she'd only gotten into more of it. It was nearly enough to make her want to cry. Rolling onto her back and staring helplessly up out the window that was rested on the wall behind her, she sighed, gazing up at the crescent moon. There truly was no point in fighting it anymore.

It'd been nearly three weeks since Rainbow Dash's sleep had been plagued by her first almost-sex dream. She'd barely left her house any at all. And unfortunately for her, her parents were starting to notice.

Rainbow felt as though anyone who saw her would be able to tell just by looking that she was a lesbian. She also felt as though the mere sight of a pretty girl would send her on yet another crush, as silly as such a thing sounded. But all in all, she didn't want to leave the house, and risk either of those situations happening. It'd be fine. She could just stay inside for the rest of her life, and no one would ever know. At the time she'd created such a foolproof plan, however, she hadn't thought about her parents. They'd certainly been bound to notice her newfound asocial behavior sooner or later – especially since the young Pegasus had always preferred being out of the house in the past.

It'd only been a matter of time before her mother confronted her with the observation she so dreaded being noticed.

"Rainbow dear, you aren't sick, are you? You've been cooped up in here every day for the past few weeks."

Breezie sounded terribly worried, and when her daughter looked up to meet her gaze, her eyes reflected the same emotion. Rainbow had been lying down, but at the confrontation, she sighed, pushing herself up to a sitting position. She couldn't let her mother find out the truth, but at the same time, she didn't want her worried over her either.

She forced a smile, "I'm fine, Mom, I'm just…bored, I guess. And there's nothing I've really wanted to do lately. That's all."

"Hm," her mother still didn't seem satisfied with the answer. She continued. "Well, there must be something you can do."

Averting her eyes at the words, Rainbow Dash didn't answer her again. She waited for her mother to finish and leave her alone again, but Breezie only stayed put with a thoughtful gaze upward, obviously trying to think up a few suggestions. She gave a longer "hmmmm" as she pondered, but before she could say anything else, Rainbow's father walked by with his typical suggestion.

"You could practice your flying some more. Your mother's right, though, you need some fresh air. Summer will be over before you know it," he told her.

Great. Now both her parents were ganging up on her. It was a little annoying, but Rainbow couldn't really be angry, considering neither of them knew the truth.

She said, "I know."

Rainbow got to her hooves, about to assure her parents she'd do something later, before leaving the room, but she didn't have a chance to say anything else as her mother suddenly gave a loud gasp, jumping just a little in excitement. The suggestion she'd been searching for had finally hit her, much to Rainbow's dismay. The younger lowered her head a little, trying not to appear as worried as she was.

"Oh, what a wonderful idea!" Breezie smiled brightly. "Rainbow, why don't you go to work with your father tomorrow!"

"Huh?"

Rainbow and Rigel nearly had the reaction in unison as they immediately turned to look toward her, both with the same expression of confusion, though Rainbow's was slightly more worried.

Her mother continued, "It'd be a great experience for you now that you're older, darling! And I'm sure the factory could use some help! Couldn't it, Rigel?"

Rigel still held the same confusion, but there was really no reason why Rainbow shouldn't go. Or couldn't go, for that matter. She was indeed growing up fast. Nevertheless, it still seemed a little odd; but all he could do was agree, as there could never be too many ponies helping out at the weather factory.

"Uh…I suppose."

"Great! Then it's settled – Rainbow, you have something to do tomorrow! You better get a good night's rest!"

The younger pony only stood where she was, eyes wide and worried, jaw open. Neither of them had even asked her if she wanted to go to the factory tomorrow! She almost argued against the idea, but there wasn't even a point in it now; besides, if she continued to refuse to get out of the house, her parents would definitely begin to see through her boredom excuse. The excuses she held onto weren't ones she could reuse continuously. Still, she certainly hadn't expected this. She was going to work with her dad tomorrow.

Finally, and much too late, her mother asked, "That's okay, right, honey?"

"…Yeah…sure."