What a Mare Needs

Chapters

Lonely Tuesday
It's Just a Date, Right?
A First Date
An Evening of Wonder
What the Morning Brings
Sour Apples
Evening Chats

Lonely Tuesday

Of all days, it had to be a Tuesday.

Rainbow Dash grumbled to herself as she walked down the streets of Ponyville, or rather, the only road big enough to be called a street. She wasn't too fond of walking, being a pegasus, but sometimes, when you're depressed and lonely, flying just doesn't feel right. And that's how Rainbow Dash was feeling right now, depressed and lonely. It wasn't because of the day or anything like that, no, it was actually a really pretty day out. The sun was in the sky, thanks to Celestia, and Ponyville wasn't being attacked by some random monster. There were no clouds to be found and a light breeze flowed around the corners of shops and restaurants, shops filled with ponies and restaurants filled with lovers.

That was what had been bothering her, Rainbow Dash had seen lovers everywhere, but not a single one for her was to be found.

She used to not be preoccupied with that sort of the thing, but recently all her thoughts seemed to turn towards images of warm, strong stallions to cuddle next to and spend long evenings just doing nothing at all. Stallions that would always be there; dependable, responsible, practical stallions that wouldn't mind just talking about the weather or something stupid like that.

Frankly though, that image of a stallion was definitely not cool.

Which is why Dash was so depressed; she wanted some boring, plain, down-to-earth stallion to love, but she was also supposed to be the coolest pegasus in all of Ponyville, so having that stallion around would not help her whole idiom.

Wait, when did she start using Twilight words?

Oh no...

Oh sweet Celestia now she really was depressed and lonely.

Rainbow Dash was halted from her thoughts by the sudden appearance of a door in front of her face, specifically her nose, which now stung like she had just been hit by...well...a door. Dash brought her hoof up to open the wooden entrance, but was interrupted by the sound of somepony calling her name in a very specific way, almost like a cross between simplicity and kindness.

"Miss Dash?"

She let out a small sigh and turned around to greet the only pony that called her in that manner.

"Hey Big Mac."

The burly, red stallion stood a slight distance away from her, staring at her with inquisitive eyes that didn't really show whether or not he was curious or shocked.
It had been so long since they had last talked to each other - or even seen each other from less than fifty feet - she couldn't help but trace the rest of his body over with her eyes.

He was a rather impressive stallion now that she thought about it; strong, dependable, down-to-earth. In a really obvious way, he was probably the closest thing to the stallion she had described only a few minutes before. His face was quite handsome; a loose piece of straw stuck out from his mouth, dangling inconspicuously over the ground, never quite falling, but never really staying tight to his lips. North of that stood his eyes, which were still quite unreadable from her side, and were beginning to raise his eyebrows at her prolonged stare.

"Um...Miss Dash?"

Rainbow blushed.

"Oh... Um.. Sorry..."

Dash looked around her, at the houses, the shops, those couples still looking lovingly into each other's eyes. Basically, she looked anywhere except at Big Mac.

"Well then, you take care Miss Dash" He stated before nodding his head and continuing on his way to whatever chores needed to be done.

"Um... Yeah, you too." Dash stammered, but Macintosh was already out of listening range by the time she got the words out.

Just great Rainbow, way to show off your cool side. Getting all flustered over one stallion, especially somebody like Big Mac. I mean really Dash, he's boring and serious and responsible and dependable and strong and caring and he'll never leave you and...

Wait. Since when did she start blushing?! Rainbow dashed behind a brown building, rapidly trying to keep her "coolness" still in some shape. There was no way that she was attracted to Mac, no way! He was the complete opposite of her! She had lived her entire life on the edge, always trying to find that new thrill, it had taken her a while before she even admitted to reading books. Now she wanted to settle down with some boring, run-of-the-mill stallion? Wait. When did she start thinking about settling down with him?! When did that word ever even enter her thoughts?!!!

Breathe Rainbow, calm down a little bit.

Rainbow Dash had a rather long, at least to her, walk home in the sun. It had all been some sort of coincidence; she was lonely and had started thinking all of those things about the "perfect stallion" and he had just so happened to show up out of the blue. Kind of like it was fate!

Or not.

Dash flopped onto her mattress, it was all too confusing for her; it had been a long day of running into doors and walking around thinking about stuff, heck, it was only early afternoon! She still had a whole half-day ahead of her! Yeah, that was it. She'd go out and do something, anything, and that would bring her mind right off all this mess with stallions and loneliness. Or maybe just lay here and do nothing. She didn't have weather duty for a while now, she had taken off, so the past few days had been really filled with nothing. Actually, when did she start thinking about all of this, since when did the coolest flyer in all of town get downcast and distraught. Damnit, there were those Twilight words again! Maybe it had been Sunday, yeah, Sunday, after she had seen that couple in the park together. They had looked so happy, just being with each other, it was like the whole world was blocked off.

On Sunday night she was returning home after some work and flying practice for the Wonderbolts. She had just decided to take a casual stroll through the park when a peculiar sight caught her eye. Two ponies sat on a park bench; one was a unicorn male, brown with brown hair, and the other was a turquoise earth pony with orange hair that she had obviously dyed, Dash could remember thinking that it did not match her coat color at all. Dash had originally planned to just walk right past them, but it was something she heard that brought her to a bench nearby, but out of sight from the two ponies. She had heard the words " I love you".

There had been something Dash noticed about the way the two ponies said love to each other though, like they truly meant it, like they really loved each other with all of their hearts. She heard some more boring conversation about plans for a date on Wednesday, but by that time she was already walking away from them.

That had to be it, Dash thought. It was the way they said it, like they were pouring their entire hearts out in just three words. She wanted that, somewhere deep down inside of her heart she wanted to be loved. Not just for her body, not just for her flying, no, she wanted to be loved because she was Rainbow Dash.

That whole exchange between those two lovers had sparked an idea in Rainbow's mind that just wouldn't leave, no matter how many times she told herself that it didn't matter. She would be famous someday. She would be a star. Dash looked at the ground. Yeah, she would be a star someday, then tons of stallions would flock to her and fawn over her, but did she really want all of that? Did she really want to have hordes of ponies ready to love her because she was famous, or did she want one pony that would love her because she was her.

Rainbow Dash settled onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. It wasn't even close to evening yet, but she felt exhausted, like an extreme amount of pressure and passion was just welling up inside of her and she was doing her best to just keep it in.

You know it's all stupid Dash; you're just going through a phase, it will all stop when you start working again. Or maybe then it will just go back to some hidden part of her soul and she wouldn't think about it for a few days. Then she would take another stretch of days off and she would start thinking about it all over again. Rinse and repeat.

Or, maybe, she could do something about it. She could stop wallowing in self-pity and actually try and find some stallion to date, find out if they love her after a while, and then go from there.

Her thoughts returned to Big Mac. Maybe she shouldn't rule him out; she needed somepony to try and see if this ache in her heart could be settled, and he was open. All it would be is just a date between two mature ponies, nothing more, nothing less.

It's final then, Rainbow decided, I'll just go and ask Big Mac out for a night and see where that goes. Then if he turns out to be a good fit, I'll...Well...I'll go from there.

By this point, Rainbow's eyes had started to close on their own. With the decision to ask Big Macintosh firmly set in her mind, a spell of sleep washed over the tired mare. And for the first time in two nights, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Author's Note

Thanks for all the help Corwin Freiss! Like, seriously, this editor cleared up a lot of things I missed and definitely didn't double-check for.

Also, first story ever, yeah! Hopefully more to come, and considering I am writing this after the third chapter has been published, I think there will be.

It's Just a Date, Right?

Rainbow Dash bounced on her way. The sun signaled that it was sometime around late afternoon, but to her that wasn't important. What actually was important was the current topic of her worries.

What if he doesn't say yes? What if he already has his eyes on somepony else? What if I never find love?!

Okay, maybe she was overthinking this just a little, considering her tendency to never really "plan out" these sort of things. Actually she never really planned at all. Maybe that was what had her acting all nervous. Maybe if she just calmed down and took some slow deep breaths she would think clearly.

Big Mac.

Her thoughts strayed towards the pony of her worry. He was rather handsome, though Dash had never really thought about him in that light before. Plus he was likely to be a real nice guy, somepony to rely on when things got rough. What if he turned out to be boring and plain though? Dash had never really been one for ponies that weren't out doing "awesome" things, like the Wonderbolts.

The Wonderbolts.

Wasn't that supposed to be her dream? Getting into the Wonderbolts has been her goal for as long as she cared to remember, and frankly, Big Macintosh wasn't the most spontaneous of ponies, but then again she never had given him any real chance to date before! Yeah. Maybe he secretly lived a double life as some super-secret agent.

Rainbow Dash giggled a bit at that.

He probably wasn't a secret agent, no, he definitely wasn't a secret agent, but the point still stands, what if Big Mac is just too boring? Dash had never thought about including a special somepony in her life. Heck, it was only recently that she had even considered the option.

She stopped in her tracks.

What if she was just depressed? What if the only reason she was thinking about all of this was just because of some lull in her life? Just a phase? But even then, she had thought about this for a while, or at least two days, and that was way longer than she had thought about a lot of things.

Wow, she was really getting down on herself.

It was all just so confusing. Did she want to give him a shot, or was this just some passing moment in her life?

No.

She had already gone down this hole before; she would just end up repressing all of these feelings again. For what it was worth, this was the first time she had been feeling anxious over somepony in a very long time, since high school actually. Was that a good sign? Maybe all of this fussing was just her heart screaming at her that he really was the one!

But first she had to ask him on a date.

Great. That brought her all the way back to what she was previously thinking about. At this point she would just end up thinking herself in circles; now was the time for action!

Come on Dash, you can do this!

Rainbow Dash flew through the clouds rather aimlessly, at least to her. In reality, she dashed through the clouds trying to look for that one blot of red. It was time to act on her thoughts and try something rather new. She had to admit, the last time she had dated was back in high school. That didn't really count though, it was more like she had gone out for a night with a friend.

The stallion's name was Jack Pennypincher. He was part of the hoofball team at her old stomping grounds, so naturally she was going to have a crush on him. In hindsight, he was kind of a prick. Heck, their first, and last, date he hadn't even paid the whole bill.

"It's only fair," he had said.

Their date had been pretty much "by-the-books": a movie at the local cinema (she had paid for the popcorn and soda because it was "only fair"), an unimpressive dinner at a phony fancy restaurant had preceded that (all he talked about was his father's investment company in Manehattan), and at the end of the night he didn't even kiss her! The next day he tried to ask for another date; naturally she had said no.

Bringing up that memory was pretty hilarious to her now, but at the time she had been pissed. It was, all-in-all, a pretty terrible date. So considering her experience in the field, no matter how boring Big Mac could turn out to be he would still be shades better than Pennypincher. The last she had heard of the stallion, he was working for his father's company. Maybe she should call him up again, just to tell him how terrible of a date he was.

Now though, she had a mission, and at that moment her eyes caught the object of her search. He was currently manning his family's stand.

She landed a short distance away from him; he was with a customer right now and it wouldn't feel right to distract him.

He still looked amazing. His muscles were in their holster, so to speak, and his mane was being slightly blown around by small gust of wind, or maybe she was just imagining that. Considering how nervous she was starting to get, the later seemed probable.

Damn, why was she so nervous right now? She was Rainbow friggan' Dash, not some teenaged filly caught up in a crush.

No, this was pretty serious. She was hoping to go somewhere with this pony. Where, she wasn't quite sure, but definitely somewhere.

"Thank ya kindly, 'ave a nice day." He looked down at the bits in front of him and firmly pulled them into his bag. He looked back up to find a cyan colored pegasus approaching the stand.

Oh, gosh. Here goes nothing Dash! You've got this!

"H-Hey Big Mac."

"Howdy Miss Dash, mighty fine day 'ere."

"Yeah, it really is." Why is this so hard? All it is is a phrase, just some words combined together.

"So, uh, Big Mac."

"Eeyup?"

"I was w-wondering if you had any plans for this evening?"

"Nope," he stated flatly.

"Sweet!!! I mean, um, cool. Would you, uh, like t-to go on a, um, a... Well a d-date?"

"Say that again?"

"I said, would you like to go on a date?" Rainbow Dash blared.

Big Mac took a few steps back. This had been one of the only times he had heard Dash yell, and certainly the first time it had been directed towards him.

The marketplace seemed to stop for a minute, which to Dash seemed like an entire week. Had she really just yelled that out loud? For, like, the entire populace of Ponyville to potentially hear? Her face lit up in embarrassment, the undeniable tint of red flushing its way to her cheeks. Was it getting really hot right now?

The marketplace returned to its usual murmur, the outburst of the cyan pegasus long forgotten. Big Mac shook his head a little bit.

"Eeyup," his signature catchphrase let itself out.

Rainbow Dash would have jumped into the air and brohoofed the sun if it was possible, sadly she would just have to settle for a smile. She had to keep up the image, though after her little show it was going to be tough.

"R-Really?" She was on cloud nine right now.

"Eeyup, I got nothin' to do after tha stand. I'll meet ya at yer house?"

She blinked a few times. "Uh, yeah. You know where my house is?"

"Eeyup," once again that often enigmatic word came back. "Around three o'clock er so?"

"Sure, that will be fine."

"Till then, Miss Dash."

Author's Note

Alright, next chapter will be the big date! (Literally)

Thanks for the feedback and favorites! For my first fic I'm still feeling it out, so as time goes on be prepared for the occasional switch in point-of-view or other random thing. Or maybe not. Who knows? :D

The Next chapter should be up pretty soon and I've got some big plans for our two potential lovebirds ;)

Kudos to Corwin Freiss for the fantastic editing!

A First Date

Rainbow Dash paced to and fro in her house. Her mind raced faster than her hooves stepped on the cloud floor, her eyes darted from the wall to the floor and back again. Her breathing was attempting to be calmed down and her heart was making audible thumps against her chest. This was a rather odd feeling for the pegasus, normally she was only this nervous before a competition or before performing a new trick. In a way though this may have passed as both.

Dash continued her quick trotting.

Yeah, that's really all this was! Just a new trick called dating that she hadn't yet practiced well enough. Or for that matter in a very long time. Maybe she was a bit out of her game. Maybe she should just call it off! Yeah, that was it. She would just politely show up at the red stallion's door and let him down easy; then, come tomorrow, they would both act like none of this ever happened!

Just think, what if she screwed up? What if during the date she started stammering and couldn't come up with anything to say! Then she'd not only embarrass herself, but also give Big Macintosh a terrible night out! And then he'd never want to speak to her again and she'd go back to being all alone and sad and depressed and she'd grow old by herself and die in some pitiful hole.

But she did have friends. It's just that those friends wouldn't be the same, after all, she wanted somepony to love her. Somepony to take care of her when she was sick, somepony to be there when she had a terrible day, somepony that wouldn't mind just doing nothing.

Hadn't she already gone through all of this? Great. Now she was repeating the same thoughts over in her head, going in circles, like chasing her own tail and never really catching it.

The sun was beginning to start its descent, harkening the time called evening, when ponies would begin their intimate conversations. Ponies like her, only more humble, would be out at pubs and clubs, searching for their potential mates for the night. Though that wasn't what she was looking for at this point, no, she was looking for something a little more mature, or rather, less shameful.

There were also ponies that would be getting off work, trotting down the lanes of some far-off city, happily eager to return to their loved ones. They probably have a family, two kids and a partner, maybe they are just starting dinner, nothing too fancy, just some quickly tossed salad and an assortment of garden vegetables, then they would pour some wine for their lover and settle down for a warm night spent in each other's arms, engrossed in some silly sitcom about ponies in a city very much like their own. Then, they would bathe the children and send them off to bed, with a kiss and some encouraging words they would bless their pride and joy with bright thoughts about life. Then the two lovers would turn to each other and make their way to their own palace of comfort and solace to spend another night in the embrace of another.

By this point Dash had worn a trench into her floor. It would probably take only half of a day to rework the soft substance into its original shape, but the pegasus was still distraught. After all, this was just one more sign that she was worried about something. She, Rainbow Dash, was worried about something! That was like Pinkie Pie being normal. Actually, that was a terrible analogy. If anything, Pinkie Pie would have been acting calmer in this situation. Heck, she would probably just tell Dash something about dates being not worth worrying over because it was just one pony and only one date.

But it was more than that to Dash; it was more than just one date, it was the invitation to future chances at building a relationship! She wanted to be that pony in the city! She wanted to waste her time watching stupid sitcoms with the pony that she loved! She wanted to go to sleep knowing that the next day she would wake up next to somepony that cared about her and that she cared about just as much!

No, this wasn't just a normal date to Rainbow Dash. This was the beginning of a whole new period of her life!

If he wasn't late.

For a brief moment, Rainbow Dash's pupils retracted to the point of being a dot in a vast white expanse called eyes.

He wasn't anywhere close to being late; if anything he had to wait extra time for her to finish. It was worth it though.

Rainbow Dash came down the pearl white stairs of her house and put a stop to the poor stallion's heart. Her evening dress for the night was far from gaudy, but the red material draped itself elegantly over her flank, drawing itself to an end midway past her back legs. The dress continued itself up her barrel until it stopped just below her neck, coming to a point on the upper region of her chest that accented the pearl necklace she wore. Her lips were styled with lipstick, red as the sunrise, and her eyes were surrounded with a black liner that was only enough to bring out her two portals to the soul even more than usual. Her hair was only combed; the full length was left to flow freely down her right side.

Rarity would have died to be given this sight and the stallion wasn't in the best physical state himself.

"A-Are you okay Big Mac?" Concern overtook her face.

It was only a few seconds before he found his mind again, but those few seconds stretched for an entire lifetime. "Yes, just a little, er, shellshocked." The choice of words was by no means eloquent, but they conveyed his feelings as best as they could be. There were too many going through his mind. First and foremost was pure admiration; he had never seen a mare look anywhere near as stunning as the one before him. She was, how would his sister say, charming? Wait, he had the word, it was right on the edge of his tongue, ready to leap out.

"You look divine." Wow, that even amazed him, and clearly the mare was just as so. A blush overtook her face and her eyes found their old friend the floor once again.

"Thank you, it took longer than it really should have...Sorry."

"There is no need to apologize Miss Da-"

"Please, tonight, it's just Rainbow Dash."

"Then we should be going Rainbow Dash, your chariot awaits."

Hold on... How did he get up here in the first place?? Rainbow had wings, obviously, but Mac had legs. Unless...No way...
Oh definitely. Big Macintosh had specifically called, on short notice, one of his oldest compatriots and asked for a very special favor. Considering that Macintosh had helped him out of more than just a few troubles, the middle-aged pegasus was eager to lend his service.

So there waited a grand chariot, held upright by a team of four burly pegasi lead by the friend himself. The chariot was laced with gold along its edges and shined like a beacon of brilliant orange-tinted light, polished to perfection. The two red seats were practically calling for a pair of souls to grace them with their presence.

The chariot flew across the heavens above the clouds, held aloft by the winged chauffeurs. The two ponies sat in silence for the first portion of the trip, but due to either the cold wind that drew itself around them or the proximity to another body, or both, the two had gradually shifted until their bodies were enclosed in a close embrace.

"Where are we going?" the pegasus ventured.

"Hmm, just a little outside of town, not too far, but I wanted us to have some privacy, just for tonight." His accent didn't show through, it had hid itself for the night so far, and Dash was beginning to wonder why.

"Say, Big Mac, you haven't really been talking, well, normal, or at least as you normally would say is normal, tonight." She really should have paid attention when they taught Equestrian in class.

The stallion smiled. "Well Rainbow, let it suffice that not every book is as easily read as its cover."

"See, right there! That's not normal."

"Rainbow Dash, how long have you known me?"

"Well..."

"It hasn't been very long, has it? And that whole time you were more inclined to be with my sister, rather than with me."

"True..."

"It takes more than a passing knowledge to know another pony. Me talking like that was for appearance, more or less, but I'd rather just be frank with you for tonight."

"I never said that was wrong."

"No, but you said it was not 'normal'"

Great. They weren't even at the restaurant and she had already made him mad. This night was only confirming her fears; she was going to die alone at this point.

"Sorry..." she mumbled.

"Do not take my words for anger, Dash, but I would appreciate if you tried to not let my public appearance cloud your judgement. Just as I would imagine you would want me to do for you."

Well, at least somepony understands her predicament.

"So you won't mind if I just act completely natural?"

"Never. On the contrary, I implore you to act as natural as possible."

She breathed. Wait, had she been really holding a breath in this whole time?

"Thanks, I guess."

They exited the chariot, naturally the stallion had held the door and his hoof for the lady and thanked the team for their service.The four pegasi, including Macintosh's fellow, trotted off to find some quiet respite before they were needed for the last time that night.

The pair, hoof in hoof, walked into the restaurant, which Rainbow was shocked to find was rather prestigious, though she had never ran the restaurant circuit. The front door was shaded by olive trees, so they must have traveled some ways south, and the entire front was bathed in light form a pair of jeweled lights. They were way out of her league at this point, so it came to Macintosh to lead her.

The Maître d'hôtel seated the two and left in a flourish.

"Macintosh, this is quite, um, fancy, don't you think?"

The stallion looked up from his menu at the stunning mare across from him. She was looking in awe at their surroundings, something which brought no small amount of satisfaction to the stallion.

"Yes, it was introduced to me by my cousins from Manehatten. They were quite just as surprised by my accent change as you were."

Rainbow blushed a little at the memory, she had intended to forget it.

The waiter arrived to take their orders, which only occurred after some miscommunication between Dash and the unicorn. Thankfully, Big Mac had stepped in to redirect the doomed inquiry and had ordered for the two of them.

"I hope you didn't get something too fancy."

"I wouldn't worry about being fancy, considering where we are."

He seems to have a way with words. It's kind of funny, actually, he normally never talks and now here he is being as fluent as possible. Heh, fluent. Now there's a word she never used. Maybe more than just Twilight was rubbing off of her. It was kind of weird, actually; if he was intent on hiding this part of himself, then why did he accept her invitation? Wouldn't it have been easier to simply decline and then not risk anyone else knowing about this side of him? Really, who else knows about this? Does Applejack just keep it a big secret for her brother? Maybe she should actually start asking this, rather than just fretting over it all.

"So...Why did you come on a date with me?"

The stallion's eyes gained a quizzical quality, "Isn't it a bit early in the date to wonder about that? Normally that's reserved for the latter part of the evening, after some small talk and getting to know each other."

"So who made you the king of dating."

"Well I have been around the proverbial block before Rainbow Dash, you're not the first mare to have sought my affection, though you are one of the more competent ones...So far."

"So far?"

"Yes, there is more to this than just dinner, I thought you would have guessed that."

She didn't know if it was his deep voice, which was further stressed by his new fluency, or his particular implied meaning, but Rainbow Dash was feeling a feeling which had not been in her experience for some time now. Rainbow Dash was feeling passion. Not just any passion, no, this was the kind of passion that drove young lovers into lust and led them to much wanted consequences of that lust.

Really Dash, he had just said one little phrase and here you are getting all flustered. Though it was hard not to. She had been feeling a strong sense of loneliness and now here was a prime stallion sitting before her, obviously intrigued with her, and now implying more to follow after their dinner date.

The food soon arrived on the table and with it the signal to begin small talk. It wasn't really anything important, hence the name, but it was enough to break the ice, which saved Dash from having to draw up some emergency topics, namely the weather and her job.

"So you haven't always talked like that in public?" The conversation seemed to always come back to Macintosh's dual personality, if it could be called that, and refused to move anywhere else.

"Well no, I use to be just as articulate as I am now, but on a whim and a rather juvenile dare I began to change it. The whole concept behind it stuck and gradually I just used it as a barrier. I am not always so extroverted around others. Unlike you, Dash, I can't draw seemingly endless amounts of conversation."

"You'd be surprised how hard it is, I mean, most of the time I just talk about me and it never really goes anywhere."

"Is that on purpose?"

"I guess so. Like you, I just sort of grew this barrier around me to try and keep others at bay. I'm more expressive, but the reason remains."

They talked about their own private feelings for quite some time. It revolved in a circle of sorts, Rainbow would bring up a topic which was common with Mac, who would then comment and discuss before returning the favor. Most of the conversation kept in this similar manner, each pony consumed wine throughout, and the flow began to move towards the more amorous side of life.

"Y-You mean, you've only slept with 4 others?" The red stallion was beginning to lose his poetic rhetoric.

"Hey! Don't judge me, I can't just have sex with anypony, ya' know?" The cyan mare was in a similar position.

"Oh believe me, I do! I have only been with another just a dozen times."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It is though! I've been searching for that stability for some time, and here I have tried and failed more than I can count on my hooves."

The pegasus puzzled over that for a second. "You mean, y-you have been trying to settle down too?"

"Well of course! There comes a time in every stallion's life when one night stands just don't fulfill that void."

The similarity was electric.

"I've been thinking the exact same thing!" She was nearly shouting that; that realization sparked another.

"How long have we been here?"

"Some time now, I believe this is our third bottle?"

The two ponies agreed that time was flying too fast for them at this point and it would be best to retire from the restaurant.

The flight home seemed quicker, at least relatively. Maybe it was because the two laid in each other's comfort, smiles spread across their muzzles. Heats in synch, or at least emotionally, who knew that one date could elicit such response? The whole situation seemed too perfect to be true, yet they sat in a pearl dot bounding across the heavens, holding tight to the other.

The chariot delivered them to Dash's home as the moon was lighting the sky. Mac bid the pegasi to head home for the night. A smile crept its way up the leader's face. Big Mac simply let him know that he had his own plans for the night and with a wink sent the fellow off. The pegasus flew away with a grin, glad that his friend had found someone to stay with for the night.

Dash had groggily opened her own door and was about to take a step inside when she was alerted to the presence of a certain stallion behind her. She quickly turned around, her mind suddenly flashing the signals of arousal in a burst of activity. Even as she stood facing him her nethers were beginning to prepare themselves.

"Um...What are you still doing here, and how can you walk on this cloud still?"

Actually, he had never clued her in to why he was able to walk on her cloud in the first place!

"Well, I have some friends that were more than willing to grant me a certain ability for the night."

"You must have some great friends."

"Indeed, I do."

Since when had he closed the gap between them? His eyes were practically a wall in front of her own. Staring down into her very soul through glass portals.

"I, uh, guess this is where that other stuff comes in." Damn, he was really hot. She had long ago given up thinking with her intellect, instead, something was awakening from a long sleep inside of her, something which she had felt tenderly scouting beforehand. A fire was being lit that would ignite the passions of their night.

"Yes, Rainbow Dash, this is where that other stuff can come in, but only if you want to, though I think I know that answer."
Her whole body was readying itself for the primal dance of mating and so the phrase which she had thought would stay submerged in her conscious came forward.

"Big Macintosh, would you like to stay the night?"

His chuckle reverberated in her ears for what seemed an eternity.

"Of course."

Author's Note

I promise the next one will be sexy!

So, I'm trying to explore different sides of some classic ponies on the show. So far, the experiment is going rather well! I'm enjoying the feedback, and the writing, and as it goes things can only get better!

Right?

Anyways, my clop writing abilities will be tested next time, so stay tuned! It will be steamy.

Edited by the magnificent, the wonderful, the fantastic... Corwin Freiss!

An Evening of Wonder

I never thought that there could be a better feeling than flying, really I never did. I think that all changed in that one moment. That one beautiful moment when his hoof traced down my leg, reaching for that holy grail of pleasure. He missed though, the bastard, and only graced the side. It was enough though, really, by that point just having somepony near me was enough.

Though it would probably be a good idea to move out of the doorway first.

"Mac, hold up real quick."

He breathes in some air, practically smelling my body, though I really don't mind this. "Yes Dash?"

"Don't you think it would be a better idea to slip out of the door before we continue our, um, activity?"

"I figured that the location really didn't matter, but I guess a bed would be more comfortable than a hallway."

I practically drag him up the steps, though his resistance is hardly there, but I can't wait another second. My body is practically screaming for him, and judging by the smell that strikes my nose as we round the corner, it's only getting louder.

He stops me just outside my bedroom door. His eyes devouring my body, I find that a set of hooves begins the process of taking off my dress. First, he lowers the frontpiece, taking his time while sliding it off of my own front legs. It may have ridden the back part of the dress into my marehood, but at this point I could care less. His body comes into contact with my sides, removing the rest of the only barrier left to my naked beauty.

Unceremoniously throwing the dress off to some part of my room, he quickly undoes his own suit and I bring him to my bed.

I make it there in one piece, though droplets of my pussy juice have dripped to the floor. I never really knew just how much I needed this. Wait. Did I just call it pussy juice? I honestly just called my own justice "pussy juice". How weird is that? Honestly, I may be a sex-deprived mare, but that is just too much. You know what? I think it's kind of kinky. A lot better than just calling it "cum" or something like that. Heck, maybe even better than calling it "love juice" or something sappy like that. By this point, though, I am just stalling. Maybe I should start paying attention to the... Oh Celestia, is he going to actually touch it?

His hoof makes contact. It's a bursting sense of pleasure that I normally have to achieve with my own hoof, so naturally it is a whole lot better when it is somepony else doing it. Especially a big strong stallion like Mac. It's at that moment that he decides to gouge deeper into my pussy. I scream, really it's too much. I can feel his hoof moving it in all sorts of ways, ways that I would never have done on my own. It is kinda scary, that sort of scary where you don't really fear it. You just haven't ever felt anything like it before.
He's getting more aggressive now, pushing deeper still, to the point of my cries and moans reaching a new level of volume. Sweat is pouring down my sides, mixing with the current liquids accumulating around his hoof. He's sweating too - thankfully - I guess I'm not the only pony enjoying this.

I move my own hoof down towards his... Wow. I know that Big Mac is just a name, but I never figured he would be just this average. Really, his stallionhood is about the same as any other stallion's. Contrary to popular belief I guess, normally ponies tell me Mac is larger. Of course, such ponies are normally bullshitting anyways. Here I am doing the real thing with Mac. Or at least getting a nice working.

I start chugging his penis up and down, like a train, and his moans kind of sound like that too. Low and throaty, like he might just break my head with his sheer willpower. I hope he doesn't though. Really, at this point that would suck.

Speaking of suck, it's time I start taking things into my own hooves. Foregoing anymore pleasure that I could be relieving, I move his hoof away from my own sex and travel down his valley to his own personal mountain. My initial ministrations have done well, his precum is pouring out of the tip, begging to be lapped up by a willing mare, who just so happens to be me.

It doesn't really taste as good as ponies make it sound. Sort of like some weird sour taste mixed with hay and sweat. It's not really a bad taste, just different. I start pulling my mouth in and out over his tip, all while throwing my tongue over it, flicking my muscle over the middle open part to try and spice things up. His sharp moans tell me it is definitely working. I keep this going for some time, or at least what seems like some time, at this point I've lost track of time.

I can feel his body getting ready. He starts pushing my head down into his cock, desperately trying to ease himself into my throat. I am not going to do that. I may be willing to give somepony a blowjob, but that doesn't mean I am going to willingly swallow. So, I decide to pull my head off of his cock - despite his obvious chagrin - and tell him just that.

"Can you let me know when you are about to-"

Too late. His entire body lunges forward and streams of cum rocket onto my face. Their movements are rather haphazard and don't really follow in a straight line. A little bit of it hits me right in the nose, breaking a little bit into it. It doesn't really smell any better when it's streaming into your face, but I did voluntarily do this.

He settles down after a good 10 seconds, but I still can't keep track of time. He pants above me for a little while, trying to regain some sense of breathing I assume. He eventually looks down at me.

"That was... Well that was... You know what, that was pretty amazing."

Really, all that build-up for something like that.

"Well, I think it's time you returned the favor," I say.

"Just what I was thinking."

He lowers himself down to my pleasure conduit. By this point, his previous hoof-work has left me still wet and he wastes little time in flinging his tongue out to my pussy.

His first ministrations are light and subtle, probably leading up to something a bit more exciting. And sure enough, he starts going from the outer edges into the deeper parts of my sex. It definitely works, as I can feel the hot pressure of pleasure pump up my body. He keeps up the good work while I to buck my hips upwards. It's not like I can really help it, I haven't actually gotten an eat-out by another pony in quite some time, and he has definitely done this before.

My vagina is starting to let loose a lot more juice at this point. My body heats up, undeniably the result of Mac's tongue. I start to writhe in the bed, trying to scratch some primal itch that has lingered in my body for much too long. He keeps his tongue centered around my clitoris, venturing out into the surrounding territory to keep things fresh. Every time he meets my nub I spasm just a bit; those bursts of pleasure start to push me towards a very delightful end. I can feel the coming of an orgasm. My body is starting to move on instinct, bucking into his tongue harder and harder in a vain attempt at forcing it to dive deeper.

It comes, or rather, I cum.

It's glorious, all of that pressure flooding out in one swift shot. My juices spray onto his muzzle, coating it in a fine sliver of liquid. I feel rather relieved - my body is starting to relax - when suddenly a prodding sensation comes from my pussy. Looking down I see one stiff member trying to ask for entrance in its own special way.

"Dash, would it be alright if I do it?"

"No need to beat around the bush Big Mac, you can stick it right in." I grin a little bit, or rather, I smirk at his politeness, he really must be a gentlecolt.

He pushes his cock into my pussy, tentatively going in, probably so it doesn't hurt as much. Really though, I've already told him he's not my first stallion. But if he wants to take his sweet time, why not?

His member makes it in, full hilt, and he starts to slowly thrust in and out. It's a pimping action that begins to feel really good. I start to sync up with his rhythm, both of us see-sawing into the other. His cock is plunging into me; I let out a few moans for that. He picks up the pace and I respond with a lot more volume. Heck, even a few girly shrieks make their way out of my throat, which has proceeded to take over the moaning part.

He keeps up the tempo, even starting to go faster and harder, pushing up against my womb. The heat is rising again, though not as much as the first time, this would be my second orgasm of the night after all.

His cock is thrusting into me, sweat drips off of our bodies, moans from the both of us fill the room, and his cock starts to pulsate inside me. I can tell he is coming close and I am not too far behind. His tempo keeps increasing, faster and faster, we're close to cumming, and he makes it even more obvious.

"Rainbow, get ready, I'm nearly there."

"You really suck at... Ah... Bedroom language!"

He lets out rushed chuckle, but it’s tempered by the next few words from his mouth.

"Rainbow, I'm going to... Ahhhhhhh!!"

We disconnect just in time, his seed shoots out onto my underside, leaving a little river of cum on my stomach. Looks like I am due for a nice warm shower after this.

His breathing starts to return to normal, for the second time. He rolls onto the other side, his member disengaging and returning to its sheath.

"You want to shower first?"

You know, I really could call him "Captain Obvious" and I wouldn't be too far from the truth.
"Yeah, I guess the one with the cum all over her body should go first."

He really must have liked that, because his laugh echoes through the room. He nearly starts to cry - some tears make their way down his cheeks - but he calms himself down in time. "You really are one-of-a-kind, Dash."

I'd be lying if I said my heart didn't nearly burst out of my chest right there. "T-Thanks." I keep my calm as best as I can and proceed into the shower. All-in-all, it was a pretty good first date.

Author's Note

I hope it was worth the long wait, which I really apologize for! I didn't think it would take me this long to write such a short chapter, but then again, I kept getting caught up in school and my own reading.

Enough excuses though, the next chapter will be "the morning after."

Many thanks to the wonderful Corwin Freiss for editing this chapter, especially considering my amateur clop-writing skills.

Till next time!

What the Morning Brings

Rainbow Dash woke to the sunlight cracking in through her curtains. Well, maybe woke wasn't the right way to put it, rather, Rainbow Dash arose from her bed to greet the beam of light glaring at her. Yep, today is going to be great.

Her bedroom was actually in a pretty good shape, considering her resurfacing memories about what she did last night. Particularly what she did to a certain stallion resting just to her right. Big Mac hadn't made any indication that he was awake, or anything to the contrary. His body was kind of just there, languidly stretched out across the right half of her bed. His mane was tossed into a variety of directions, never settling in just one place. He looked absolutely adorable, sans the pooling drool next to his slightly open mouth. That was disgusting.

Dash figured it would be some time before he would wake up and realize where he was and that he was on a cloud. Damn Twilight, getting really good at spells now that you’re an alicorn. It was truly a feat of sheer magical skill that Twilight’s Cloudwalking Spell had not worn off yet, though Dash supposed this would happen eventually. Better to just let him find that out on his own, if need be I can always wake him up before 10.

Dash slipped into the shower to wash off what makeup was left on her. It was quite easy to get rid of the lipstick and eyeliner, even more so when she lathered in her shampoo. It was a practical soap, designed more for cleaning than for being aromatic. Her wings were cleaned and preened thoroughly, loose feathers and bits of dirt fell off into the basin of her shower, washed away.

And so it was that Rainbow Dash proceeded to begin making breakfast, after retracing her path from last night back downstairs. She could quite vividly remember the sex, but getting into her house was slightly skewed. There wasn't that much alcohol in her body last night, or so she thought. Time to lay off the booze for a while. Oh, who am I kidding, I’ll be back on the bottle in less than a day. This was not, thankfully, due to her loneliness.

Actually, Rainbow felt pretty great this morning, considering most of her previous mornings had been groggy and slow. This one was, so far, going pretty well. She had risen before her date and maybe even had some time to cook breakfast for both of them. Dash flipped a pancake. Yeah, I could get used to this, waking up to an actual warm body in my bed. She flopped two of the cakes onto her waiting plate. They were medium-sized things, enough for a filling serving, but not so much that it would leave the recipient too full. If there was one thing Rainbow had some skill outside of flying, it was cooking, or at least cooking breakfast. Maybe it was from all the lonely mornings she had gone through in her life that forced her to get really good at making something that wasn't just cereal or whatnot.

Rainbow watched the flapjacks crossing through the air, disrupting the quiet ambiance of her kitchen with the soft sounds of landing. She gazed out her window, taking in the massive amount of clouds drifting through the sky, noting how each one was unique in its own cloudy way. Really, each piece of fluff held some noticeable deformity that separated it from the rest of the clouds, such that all the clouds were both a part of something greater, and yet still just one cloud of a billion.

“Er, morning Rainbow.” Big Mac gave a slight yawn and trotted over to Dash’s counter. He seemed all too nonchalant in this wholly unfamiliar environment. His hooves gave barely visible dents into the cloud floor, an indication that the walking spell was beginning to fade.

“Morning Mac, you want some breakfast?” Rainbow glanced over her shoulder, and Big Mac was swept away. She was astounding, really, her mane was tossed up in any which way, part of it fell over her eyes. She was just so natural right now, her body utterly relaxed in every way.

“Of course.”

Rainbow shrugged and returned to flipping over pancakes and watching them return down onto her flat pan. Though she was more than content to let a simple silence fall over the morning, a nagging question bore itself into her mind once again, brought about by a curious inclination to know more about the stallion she had spent the night with.

“So, obviously you’re not the farmpony I thought, let’s work this back. You said yourself that you changed your accent on a dare.”

It had been when Big Mac was just an adolescent colt. He never talked much in school, or at all, but that hadn't hindered him so far. No, in fact, his short speech meant that mostly everypony kept it simple around him. Just the way Big Mac liked. There was, however, one pony that refused to be concise with the red stallion.

“Hey Mac, why don’t you ever talk?”

The speaker had been a friend of Big Mac for years, ever since they had met when they were just little colts. Their parents, back when Macintosh had them, had been close friends. So as per the cliche, they had hoped for their children to be just as good of friends. And though Big Mac was reserved even at such a young age, the other colt was odd enough to pique his interest.

It had been, in many ways, a friendship born of complementary parts. Mac, who was diligent, resourceful, and grounded, was the responsible part of the dyad. His friend was wild, extroverted, and never seemed to slow down, except for, of course, when Big Mac forced him to. Thankfully, or rather, unfortunately that hadn't needed to happen much, because Big Mac found that he actually enjoyed the crazy antics the two would get into.

From chasing cattle around the Apple’s farm to dunking unsuspecting fillies in the lake, the two tended to get into trouble. Macintosh got off the hook usually because he seemed harmless, or at least compared to his partner, who was more than a little rebellious. Even if Mac did have the opportunity to go, though, he would always choose to stay and keep his friend company while they sat in detention, or cleaned up the garden, or did random tasks (“punishments”) around town.

And so it was that when his companion asked him, Big Mac took it seriously, very seriously indeed. This had not been the first time that his buddy had asked about Mac’s speech, some hundred times it must have happened already. So, he resolved to change his ways and talk more. The first step was to actually start doing that. Which Big Mac did, albeit in one very peculiar way.

“Is this alright, my dear friend?”

There was a seconds pause, filled in with some blinks, before the other pony responded. “Yeah, I guess?”

“You guess? Surely, I begin to talk and this is how you regard me?”

“Well, I never expected you to just jump into some weird foreign language right way!”

“Foreign language? But is this not Equish? I do hope I sound alright, you see, my friend, I rarely speak.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty obvious.” There was another slight pause. “How did you learn to speak like that?”

“Like this? Oh, it may be a by-product of reading all the time.”

“You read?!”

Yes, yes Big Macintosh did read. He read a lot. Everything from the Golden Age of Classic Equestrian Literature to relatively modern works from the beginning of Realism and Romanticism. And, of course, everything in between. It was rather odd that Mac chose to speak in such a manner, after all he’d listened to others speak his entire life, but it may have been just Mac’s way of favoring the idols he admired.

Macintosh explained all of this to his friend, who mulled over for all of about three seconds, before turning back to Mac. “I guess I can get it. Just takes some getting used to.”

“Well, we do have all of our lives to adjust, yes?”

“Actually, I don’t”

The friend, who Big Macintosh had known for his entire life to that point, moved away a week later. Though they wrote constantly to each other, and still did to that very day, Big Mac never used his manner of speaking in public again, though he did continue to read as much as ever.

“Wow…” muttered Rainbow Dash. “I never knew you were such a, well, egghead.”

Big Mac laughed a genuine, deep laugh that echoed throughout the kitchen and resounded of the walls for some time after he was done. “Yes, Rainbow, I guess I’m an egghead. Though frankly, I thought you would be more interested in why I revealed something which has been kept secret for years from anypony else, just to you.”

“Hey, it’s your life, you can do whatever.”

Another silence settled on the two as Rainbow finished making breakfast. They ate their meal in subdued conversation, mostly revolving around their work for the week. It was enough, though, for Rainbow Dash. Having somepony else beside herself to talk to was rather relieving, especially considering she had given that same pony a big part of her last night. A very big part.

Actually, it was unusual, to Rainbow, how she could put so much trust in Mac. Maybe he’s just so easy to trust? He did whisk me away on a golden chariot, I mean really, who does that? Obviously Big Mac. But seriously, he put so much into it last night, the fancy restaurant, the dinner, the wine, the sex. He wouldn't have gone through all of that if he just wanted a one-night stand

Big Mac had taken to staring at Rainbow Dash for the last two minutes. She seemed deep in thought, probably mulling over what happened last night. And just what did happen last night? I have never really dated someone before, and then I not only court them with every last idea I had in my head, but had sex with her. I wanted something more from the date, but what do I do from here?

The two ponies didn't have much time to think, however, as a sudden, booming shout came through the cloud-walls.

“BIG MACINTOSH, YOU GET YER’ BIG TROUBLED ASS DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!!!”

It seemed reckoning, in the form of a certain orange mare, had arrived.

Author's Note

Edited by the genius of Corwin Freiss.

Alright, so it has been somewhere near three or four months since the last update...

Yeah, sorry about that.

Between a trip to Cancun, being sick, school, and getting into college, it has been kind of hectic. On the plus side, I did get into college. Go Notre Dame!

Anyways, next chapter should be up soon, I PROMISE! (And I mean that this time) So now that AJ is going to come stomping into our two new lovebirds lives, how will that pan out? Wait and see, maybe there will be a threesome? (Probably not)

Sour Apples

Applejack was mad. No, scratch that, she was far from mad. In fact, Applejack had left mad behind and progressed straight to thoroughly pissed.

“What in tarnation do you think yer’ doin’, Big Mac?”

Rainbow Dash and Big Macintosh sat across from Applejack on a spot of grass just below Rainbow’s cloud-home. It had been no small feat of strength for Rainbow to get Mac down from the cloud, although they both found to be somewhat enjoyable (at least for the physical proximity), and now the pair was sitting with their heads turned toward the ground. Rainbow had found a delightful tuft of grass to will into flame, and Macintosh was trying to discover all the little bumps on his hoof.

“Are ya even listenin’ tah me?”

Mac quickly moved his head to meet Applejack’s gaze. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. Now I asked, what wer’ you n’ Rainbow doin’ up in that cloud?”

Had it not been for the appearance of red, or at least a deeper shade of red in Big Mac’s case, on the cheeks of the two ponies, Applejack may have taken some time to think through what they could have done. But as she could plainly see what was written on their faces, the dots were, very quickly, becoming connected. Needless to say, Applejack was not amused.

“Oh no. No way. My best friend was sleepin’ ‘round with my brother?! Rainbow Dash, how could you?”

Dash lifted her head up in one fluid motion, “Wait. What? Why do you think it’s my fault?”

“Well clearly yer’ tah only pony who’d have it on the first date. I bet Big Mac probably stuffed it in there real nice too.”

There was a very awkward silence, complete with Applejack suddenly stuffing her hoof in her mouth. Sometimes, being the Element of Honesty could be a torturous thing. Rainbow Dash’s mouth was on the ground, her eyes shone wide with anger and a deep sadness, the kind of sadness that comes from being utterly betrayed by those who you are most loyal to.

“RD, I didn't mean…”

Big Mac rushed up and hugged Rainbow Dash, “Don’t listen to her Rainbow,” he whispered, “she’s just mad right now.”

It was too late. Tears had already started to form around Rainbow’s eyes, sliding down her muzzle and onto the grass below. Her breath came out in short gasps, her limbs had started to shake.

“What did you just say?” Rainbow could barely contain her voice cracking. She moved out from Macintosh’s embrace, slowly trotting towards Applejack. She took in a deep breath. “Is that what you really think about me?”

“Rainbow, you gotta know I didn't mean it.”

“No, AJ. I’m pretty sure you meant it, you are the bucking Element of Honesty.”

“Dash, come on, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? You’re SORRY? How dare you! You call me a whorse and then you expect me to take your apology just like that?”

“Rainbow Dash, my sister didn't know what she…”

“Stuff it blondie, I don’t want to hear it right now.”

“Hey. Don’t tell mah brother ta keep quiet.”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t keep it in any longer, not when her own friend had told her such a thing. She flew straight at Applejack and pounded her hoof into the side of Applejack’s muzzle, knocking the farmer down onto her right side.

“Don’t tell me what I can’t or can do, motherbucker.”

Big Mac edged away from the enraged mare, trying to keep his hoofsteps silent and hoping to sweet Celestia that Dash wouldn't turn around.

But she did.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Panic struck through Big Mac faster than lightening, his entire body tensed, ready to bolt at any moment. “Let’s not do anything irrational Rainbow.”

“Irrational? You’re hoping I don’t do anything irrational? Your sister just waltzed up here and told me off, and you call me irrational?

“Applejack didn't know what she was doing. She’s just a bit overprotective, Rainbow, you can’t blame her for that.”

“So? She doesn't need to bury herself in other pony’s business. What you and I did last night isn't anypony else's concern. ”

“Well, uh…”

“Well what? Your sister can’t let her bucking brother off some leash or something? Who gives her the right to tell me who I can or can’t spend time with? She’s a bucking trougheater. You know what, don’t talk to me, don’t even come near me. Both of you, go. Now.”

“Rainbow Dash, please. We can all talk this out. There’s no need to be so hasty.”

Rainbow Dash looked straight into Macintosh’s eyes. He could see hurt there, a wide breadth of swirling emotions that flew about in a tempest of confusion. She wasn't angry, oh no, she was beyond anger, or any other half rational emotion. It may have even been a miracle that she had kept the conversation going, considering what she had done.

Rainbow could barely think through the whirlwind of thoughts flying in her head. “Bye.” And with that, she flew back towards her cloud, her fortress. She slammed the door and bolted straight towards her couch, letting loose a sea of sadness into the pillows. Why can’t anything go right? Why does my life always turn around and smack me in the bucking face? Why?

Just when life had started to look up for Rainbow, another thing came and ruined it. Applejack didn't make any sense! So she had sex on the first date, what about it? She had felt something with Big Mac, something she had never really felt with any other pony before. Sure it was arbitrary, but then again, love never seemed to be completely rational.

But then, what if Applejack was right? Dash had been so depressed lately, maybe she was just looking for another warm body to be with? Was that all Big Mac had meant to her, just an outlet to let off her stress and worry? She was an adult mare, yeah, but even she needed someone to be there for her every now and again.

It was too confusing, a topic that had cropped up a lot in the past few days. She couldn't think any of it through. She needed somepony to talk to, someone who possessed sufficient knowledge about love. Her friends may know her better, and perhaps Fluttershy could bring some light to the situation, but there was only one pony that knew more about love than any other.

Rainbow Dash filed in line behind a family of ponies. Her saddle bag had one round-trip to the Crystal Empire.

Hey Cadance,

I know that we may have never really talked, but I could use some advice right now.

Thanks,

Rainbow Dash

The response had been fairly swift, thanks mostly to Spike’s rapid ability to forward messages to Celestia, who then sent the letter to Cadance. Cadance had then sent the message backwards, up the line, to Spike. The whole process had Twilight utterly lost, but Dash wasn't too worried about that. Twilight would understand once she told her, unless Applejack told her first.

Rainbow swished her head, no time to think about that, and took a seat next to the window, hoping to catch some sleep on the way to the Empire.

Dear Rainbow Dash,

Please, if you have any trouble at all, I can help. Day Court should end sometime in the afternoon, but if you arrive sooner, I can make time.

Best Regards,

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza

The Crystal Empire was usually busy, but today matters seemed to have settled for the most part. A few nobles were worried about the season harvests, but a quick reassurance that the weather would not interfere too much was all they needed to ease their worries. Now Cadance’s schedule was clear, I hope Rainbow Dash hasn’t gotten into too big of trouble. She always seemed to be the most rambunctious of Twilight’s friends.

The pegasus in question came in through the main doors.

“Hey Cadance.”

“Oh, Rainbow Dash! How are you doing?”

“You may want to grab some tea, I got a lot to get off my chest.”

Cadance,even though puzzled, had some tea sent to her room. As she and Rainbow walked to her room, a silent storm hung over them. Cadance didn't want to pry; she figured Rainbow would tell her sooner or later, but the normally upbeat mare was abnormally quiet and sullen. It wasn't until the two were set in Cadance’s room, on a mat of pillows, that Rainbow took a small sip of her tea and let out a long-held breath.

“It all started a few days ago.”

Author's Note

So trougheater is totally going to catch on, I swear!

Many thanks to Corwin Freiss for the wonderful editing (his advice more or less pushed me to rewrite the entire "angry Dash" scene). And I actually kept up on my promise! Woo hoo!

Now time to write the next chapter, wherein Rainbow goes through a complete emotional catharsis and gets into wonderful sexytimes with Cadance. (Not really the last part, but the thought is hot, no?)

Thanks for reading!

Evening Chats

“Wow.” That’s what Cadance said after hearing all of what Rainbow Dash had gone through the past few days. “I really don’t know what to say right now, Rainbow. You’ve gone through some intense things, but I do know there is definitely a way to solve this dilemma.”

“Dilemma?” Rainbow Dash laughed, “More like a freaking train wreck. The one pony I’ve had some interest for in the past six years or so and I get told off by my best friend over him. Now she’s mad, he’s lost, and I’m completely confused.” Rainbow looked out the window. The Crystal Empire was quietly sleeping, the lights of the city shining a muted light into the sky. “I mean, why would Applejack yell at me like that? We’re friends, even if I sleep with her brother she shouldn’t just scream at me like that.”

Rainbow Dash sipped her tea, it was hot enough to be soothing without burning, and the liquid fell down into her stomach to give her a warm feeling. Twilight had always tried to get her into drinking tea, it was one of the habits Twi had picked up from Celestia, but Rainbow Dash had always refused, tea drinking? That’s such an egghead thing. Now here she was, finding that tea can do a lot to comfort a pony.

Tea couldn’t solve her problem though, even if it was a really good distraction.

Cadance came out of her thinking space and turned to her friend,“Alright, Rainbow Dash, the way I see it you need to confront the two of them in a neutral place, maybe Sugarcube Corner, or Fluttershy’s house. Hey, speaking of Fluttershy, I am surprised you didn’t see her first.”

Rainbow Dash rubbed her neck, “Well as much as Flutters is my friend, she isn’t good with the romance stuff, ya know? She just gets all flustered and starts stammering or whispering. Most of the time, I’m the one telling her what to do in relationships, which is pretty backwards if you ask me.” Yeah, I can barely have a one-night stand without getting yelled at.

Wait, is that how I think about this? A one-night stand? I mean, the date was really nice and Big Mac showed a side of himself that he hasn’t shown anyone in a long time. Is that a sign that he wants more? Do I want more? Ugh, more tea. That should help.

“I can imagine she’s not the most open of ponies, so I guess coming to the Princess of Love is a smart second choice,” Cadance smirked.

“Good thing I’ve got a friend like that.”

“Yeah, good thing. Anyways, back to your situation,” Cadance took on a determined look, like this was her greatest mission, “Talk to them in a neutral place and be completely open about everything, and I mean everything. No secrets, no filter, you need to tell them all of your feelings. They may not like that, particularly Applejack if she got so upset with what happened, but it will clear the air before you can progress forward. That way you can talk about all of your futures.”

“Well, what if she doesn’t want to listen? What if she just wants to forget the whole thing ever happened? And what about Big Mac, maybe he just wants to move on too?”

“Hmm…” Cadance rubbed her chin in thought, “That’s tricky…”

After some time of thinking it over, Cadance responded, “I’d just let her do that then. If she doesn’t want to listen, then it won’t do much to try and change her mind. Even if she’s hurting from whatever it was that has her so upset, then she’ll have to come and talk to you on her own.”

“Well let’s hope it doesn’t come to that then.”

“Yeah,” Cadence smiled at her distraught friend, “it will work out Rainbow. Just hang in there for now, take some time to relax around here. For all we know, Applejack may be thinking this very same thing.”

Cadance suddenly smiled, as if trying to clear the depressing aura of the room, and took a sip of her tea, “So how’s Twilight doing? She looked like she hadn’t gotten out much the last time I saw her…”

The moon sparkled in the night sky as Rainbow and Cadence moved to talking about less serious topics, like Twilight’s weight and the Wonderbolts. The two laughed into the later hours of the night, enjoying the simple pleasure of each other. And though Rainbow was scared about what could happen, she knew that it would be alright.

Yeah, it’ll be alright.

*Knock Knock Knock*

The door shook slightly as Applejack announced her desire to enter. Her face was grim, the task ahead was not going to be painless or easy for her. Big Mac had been locked away in his room ever since he’d finished the chores and even then he’d barely talked, less so than usual. These were the signs that Applejack used to know her brother was not happy, and frankly they were obvious signs.

Another bout of knocking and Applejack sighed. It seemed her brother was not willing to open for her, but she decided to try and say something at least.

“Hey Big Mac, can I come in?”

“...”

“Listen, I know what happened today probably doesn’t make much sense, but I can explain everything.”

“Really?”

The gruff voice of her brother slightly startled Applejack, and her heart was racked with guilt from the contempt in his tone.

“Yes, I can, I swear on mah element.”

The door opened and on the other side stood Big Mac. He looked at Applejack with a harshly neutral glare, his usual straw piece was gone, replaced with just a pair of stern lips.

“Come in.”

Applejack took a seat on her brother’s bed, resting her hat by her side, and breathed.

“So, I may have said some things.”

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t really mean to say what I said, ya’ll know that…”

“No, I didn’t know that Applejack. You seemed to be resolute in what you said to Rainbow Dash, especially with what you did to her.”

Applejack glanced at her hoof, then went back to staring at the wood floor. She felt guilty, so guilty, for everything. She hadn’t meant to get so angry, but seeing Rainbow with her brother just sparked something she’d been trying to hide for years now.

“Big Mac, I need to tell ya something. It’s really important, and I need you tah keep it a secret. Can ya do that?”

“Sure, as long as you can keep one too.”

“Yer actually speaking all fancy like? I knew ever since I caught ya in the orchards recitin’ Tennyson.”

Big Mac turned towards Applejack, “You know Tennyson?”

“You weren’t tah only one that went to Manehattan...”

“Okay, I’ll take that, now what did you need to tell me?”

“Right, here goes. Ya ever know that something is wrong, but it can't be changed? Like how we don’t have wings or horns, but we just have tah accept that? Well, I’ve known something for a few years now and it’s been causing me, well, I can’t really tell ya what it’s been causing, but it sure isn’t anything nice.”

Pausing to take some refresher breaths, Applejack looked straight at her brother.

“I’m gay Big Mac.”

The next few seconds seemed to spread out over Applejack’s entire lifetime. Applejack felt her courage wilting away quickly as she saw the still neutral glare of her brother; it pierced her like a spear.

“I’ve known fer a few years know, but I never told anypony. I found out while finishin’ up school here, I had always felt - different around mares. Everypony else was talking about colts and I just felt so, unaffected, I guess? Then I hit my first estrus and mah thoughts kept going back to mares in mah class. They were so pretty, Big Mac, and I just couldn’t stop thinking about it.”

At some point Applejack had fell back onto her brother’s bed, her body tired from the constant struggle to keep going, because now it was coming like a wave, all of her private worries and thoughts about herself came gushing out. She told Big Mac about the first time she clopped, and how it had been to a magazine she’d found on the side of the road.

Sexy Mares Magazine.

She told him about her first time with a stallion and how it had been so…

“Terrible, Big Mac, it was terrible. Not because he wasn’t good or anything, but because I was so confused. Every one of my friends said that it would feel good, but it just didn’t work. I felt pleasure, yeah, but it wasn’t right here,” Applejack motioned towards her heart.

Big Macintosh had set himself on the floor, listening to his sister tell all of her stories and concerns. But then she said something that had to prompt a response.

“That’s why I got so angry today. I’ve had a crush on Rainbow real bad for, well, as long as I’ve known her in Ponyville. Even before the elements I would see her in town and think of how beautiful she was. So seeing her with you, well it just set off years of tension. Oh, you think I’m some crazy mare, doncha?”

“Well, not really. You just have strong feelings for Rainbow Dash.”

“It kept gettin’ worse, every time we were together I thought about it. When we ran in the leaves, when we went to the Gala, every time. I could never muster the courage tah tell her though.”

“Well, maybe you should.”

“What, after yellin’ at her like that? She probably hates my guts right about now. There’s no way that she’s gonna want tah listen to me.”

“I think you’ll find that she’s a lot more considerate than you think. Give it a few days to rest, hopefully Rainbow Dash will come back from wherever she ran off to, and then we can all talk about it. You can tell her then, Okay?”

Applejack sighed, “Thanks Big Mac,” a weight had been lifted from her heart. She hugged her brother and then went to sleep, happier that she’d finally told somepony, but anxious to what the object of her anger, and desire, would think.

Author's Note

... I am so sorry that this took way too long. I mean, apart from work and videogames, there is no reason I can give for how long this took. Even George r.R. Martin is faster! Actually, no, we're still waiting on those dragons...

Anyways, thanks for reading this chapter, lots of juicy development here, especially AJ being gay! I figured that this was something that would not only explain why she lashed out, but also bring in some new areas to explore with this story.

Next time won't take as long. I would promise that, but we all know how that will turn out.

Thanks!

Edited by the phenomenal: Corwin Freiss