A Night To Remember

The whole way to the library had been silent for the two of them.  Rainbow Dash just seemed to be lost in her thoughts, and Twilight was still trying to deduce what could be the matter with her friend.  As they approached the big tree house library in the center of town, Twilight hoped that Rainbow Dash wasn’t mad at her for the whole mind-reading threat thing; she made a mental note to spill the beans about the bluff after Rainbow Dash finished telling her what was wrong.  She was a rational mare, so with any luck, she wouldn’t be too mad.  Then again, it wouldn’t be the first time that Rainbow was acting unusual today, so perhaps her silence was just a side effect of whatever her problem was.  Either way, Twilight just wanted to figure out what was wrong with her friend and then help her in any way that she could.  Twilight never liked it when she had to see one of her friends saddened or in distress.

“Here we are,” Twilight said as she approached the door and then opened it for Rainbow Dash.  She smiled as she walked in behind her.

“Thanks,” Rainbow Dash said as she entered and stopped in front of the door.  “Are you sure Spike isn’t here?” Rainbow Dash asked, a hint of worry on her face.

Twilight smiled comfortingly at her.  “I’m sure,” she replied, “but I’ll check.”  She cleared her throat and then yelled, “Spike!  Spike!  Will you come down here Spike?  Rarity has a very important task for you again!”  They waited for a few moments, but there was no sound anywhere and no sign of Spike.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but chuckle.  She smiled at Twilight and cocked an eyebrow playfully.  “Is that how you get his attention?” she asked.

Twilight smiled back and replied, “Works every time!”  She winked at Rainbow Dash and the two of them chuckled.  “But hey, I respect your wish, so just to make sure…” she stopped in mid-sentence and used her magic to lock the door.

“Thanks Twilight,” Rainbow Dash smiled and looked down at the ground.  She was embarrassed to have one of her friends see her this way when it had always seemed that she was the bravest of the group, perhaps the bravest in Ponyville.

“No problem Rainbow,” she said gently and then hummed under her breath.  “Well,” she said after a few moments, and clapped her hooves on the floor, “make yourself at home.  I’ll go make up something to eat and bring us out some cider.”

Rainbow nodded and smiled at Twilight to show her appreciation and then took a seat on the plush sofa as she awaited her friend’s return.  She sat there for a few moments but eventually decided to stand up at look around.  Even though she had been inside of the library many times before, she had never actually had the opportunity to slow down and look around.  She began to walk around the main room of the library slowly as she observed the many tomes and titles.  “Hey Rainbow, what kind of bread do you like, white or pumpernickel?”  Twilight Sparkle called from the kitchen.

“White please!” Rainbow Dash called back as she continued to walk around the room.

“OK!” Twilight replied, “And what kind of cider juice do you want, apple or orange?”

“Apple!” Rainbow Dash called back in response.

“Alright then, it’ll be ready in just a few minutes!” Twilight called back and went back to work in the kitchen.  Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash continued to circle around the room, merely to observe the books, even though she would stop and pull one off the shelf every now and then.  Nothing really caught her eye though until she reached the shelf that was right next to the stairs.  There, she spotted a book titled The Lonely Pony’s Guide to Love.  She didn’t want to pick it up, but her curiosity and temptation got the best of her.  She glanced behind her back to make sure that she was still alone in the room and pulled it off the shelf.  She opened the cover of the book and began to hoof through its pages.  Inside, she saw pages upon pages of things that might just help her.  There was advice on what most males liked, and then there were tips on beauty and habit adjustments, and there were also tips on… sex.  Rainbow Dash blushed as she flipped through the pages in that section.  She was still a virgin and was only curious about what the book had to say.  She would die if anypony saw her with this book, but she wondered if perhaps there was some way she could sneak it out of the library.  No, Twilight would be sure to notice it when she did her library cleanup and Rainbow Dash could be the only culprit.  This looked to be her only chance with the book.  She continued to flip through the pages, but would return to the sex pages every now and then, mainly because they were the most interesting to her.  It made her feel dirty to read about it even though she had never had it, but it was just such a tantalizing thought to her.

She flipped one page over, still in the intercourse section, and saw that there were two diagrams on the page; one detailing the anatomy of the male and female genitals, and then another which actually showed “the proper breeding posture.”  Rainbow Dash couldn’t take her eyes away from the images.  She wanted to just look at the images, just study them.  While she observed the images, she felt a slight arousal start to brew inside of her.  She imagined that she was the mare on the bottom in the second diagram, allowing some strong, handsome stallion to breed her.  She looked at several parts of the female genitals and heeded the notes that were by the diagram and noted several places that seemed to have the most pleasure.  Sometimes, when she was all alone in her home, usually in the bed or the shower, she just couldn’t help but touch herself.  It was all very reminiscent of what she wanted to do now…

Then she heard the kitchen door open.  She slammed the book cover shut and threw it back into its place.  “Here we are Rainbow…” Twilight stopped in midsentence as she looked up to see Rainbow Dash hovering off the ground with her back turned towards the bookcase, her eyes darting all about, and a big blush on her face.  “Is something wrong Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked, “You don’t look so good.  Why are you flying?”

Rainbow Dash looked down and saw that she was in fact hovering just slightly off the ground.  She stopped her flapping and landed with a soft thud on the floor.  She laughed nervously a few times and began to walk towards the sofa to take a seat.  “Me? Oh, I’m fine.  There’s nothing wrong with me.  Just looking around, that’s all,” she said rather quickly.  She quickly sat down beside Twilight, but tried to keep herself angled away from her.

Twilight cocked an eyebrow.  “Are you feeling alright?  Your face is awfully red,” she noted Rainbow’s blush.

“My face, red?” Rainbow Dash asked with her quick, nervous tone, “My face?” she chuckled nervously once more, “Is it hot in here to you?” she asked and then brought her left wing up to fan herself quickly.

“Yeah…” Twilight hesitated, growing all the more concerned for her friend, “it is a little toasty in here.”  Perhaps it would help things if she humored Rainbow Dash, so she walked across the room, careful to keep one eye on Rainbow Dash as she did so, and cracked one of the vent windows.  She turned and walked back to Rainbow Dash where she took a seat across from her on the sofa.  “So, let’s talk,” Twilight got a serious tone and an even more serious look on her face.  “I’ve never seen you act like this Rainbow Dash.  I’m not trying to be rude or anything, but it just confuses me.  I mean, it’s nothing like you.”

Rainbow Dash sighed.  “Yeah,” she began slowly, “I know.”  She looked down at the ground with a pitiful look on her face.  It was that genuine look of sadness on her face that made Twilight go from being aloof to feeling pity for her friend.

“Rainbow Dash,” she said softly, “what’s wrong?  You can tell me.”

Rainbow Dash was silent for a time as she merely looked away from Twilight silently.  Every couple of seconds, she would look like she was going to open her mouth and say something, but also every time she would just close her mouth back and look further away from Twilight.  Eventually though, the words came to her mouth and she let her friend in on her troubles.  “Have you… ever been in love before?” she began rather dramatically.

Twilight cocked an eyebrow, but then a tiny smile came across her face as she asked, “Oh, so that’s what this is all about.  You have a special somepony?  Is that it?”

“N…no,” Rainbow Dash responded too quietly for Twilight to hear.

The unicorn continued on, rather excited for her friend.  It wasn’t often that one of your friends came to you for love advice after all!  “Oh!” she said with excitement, “what’s his name?  Is it somepony I know?  Oh, details, details!  Tell me Rainbow Dash!  Tell me!  Tell me!”

Rainbow Dash turned and responded just a little louder and a little ruder than she had meant to.  “It’s none of that, OK!  You’re wrong!” she said, not feeling any better.  “Answer my question,” she then demanded, “have you ever been in love before?”

Twilight was hunched back against the cushion, sheltered form Rainbow Dash’s outburst; she couldn’t believe the anger over something so small.  She just didn’t get it.  Either way, it wouldn’t pay off to upset Rainbow any more than she already was, so Twilight humored her and answered her question.  She thought back and then answered, “Once,” she said, “back in Canterlot though.  It was before I came here and was more or less just a puppy love kind of thing…” she was quiet for a moment as she reminisced about the stallion, “Anyway, what’s that got to do with anything?  I don’t understand Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow looked away from her once more.  “You’re wrong about it all,” she repeated, “I don’t have a special somepony.”

“Then why are you so…” Twilight tried to speak, but Rainbow Dash cut her off as she turned to face her.

“That’s just it!  I don’t have a special somepony, I  never have, and I never will!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed rather loudly.  Twilight closed the vent window so as to make sure that none of the yelling escaped and drew passers-by over to them.  “You wanna know why I’m so different today?” she snapped, “It’s because today I realized that nopony loves me.  Today, I finally realized that I’m not loveable.”  She turned back away from Twilight and laid her head down on top of her hooves on the armrest.  “What’s it matter though?  I don’t care,” she said quietly.

Twilight pondered the situation, still in a sense of surprise over many things that had just been revealed.  For one, she couldn’t believe that Rainbow Dash had never dated before.  She was fast, and fun, and cool, and that was what a lot of the stallions seemed to like.  For two, she couldn’t believe that Rainbow Dash felt this way about herself.  Sure, she was no Pinkie Pie, but she was bubbly and outgoing enough on the outside.  Who could have ever thought that she viewed herself in such a low light.  This was quite the conundrum and wasn’t something that Twilight was particularly skilled with.  She feared that it was going to be something that she couldn’t handle and was something that only she could put a metaphorical band-aid on.  But then suddenly, she felt like she knew just what to say.  “That’s… not true,” she began slowly, “I love you… as a friend.”

Rainbow Dash, still with her head down, turned towards Twilight with a stern look on her face.   “Yeah?” she said, “But what’s that got to do with anything?”

“You said that you weren’t loveable,” Twilight said pointedly, “but the fact is that I love you, and so do Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Spike, they all love you.  Not to mention all the other friends you’ve got around Ponyville.  Think about Scootaloo, why she practically adores you.  And that’s another thing, think about all the fans you have here.  Everypony know that nopony can ever beat you in a race or in an obstacle course.”

“Like I said, what’s that got to do with anything?  What’s that got to do with me not being able to get a coltfriend?” Rainbow asked as she turned her head away from Twilight once more.

“My point is,” Twilight began, “that you are loveable.  You are very loveable.  If I can love you as a friend, and if all those other ponies can too, then you have the capacity to make somepony fall in love with you.”

These words got to Rainbow and they touched her.  She turned back to Twilight and finally sat up straight.  “Do you really mean that?” she asked.

Twilight smiled gently at her and nodded her head.  “Of course I do,” she said.

“Wow,” Rainbow Dash began, “I never thought of it that way.”  She finished and a little smile spread across her face, but then it reverted back to a frown.  “Hold on.  Then what’s my problem?  Why can’t I get a special somepony?” she asked.

“Oh Rainbow Dash,” Twilight chided, “it’s not that you can’t get a special somepony, it’s that you don’t try to get a special somepony.  Any of us could tell you that.”

“What do you mean?”  Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow.

“I mean think about it.  The days you aren’t at the Weather Patrol, you’re always out doing some exercise or up at your house in Cloudsdayle, or hanging out with us.  You just seem so… independent,” Twilight pointed out, “and while I’m sure that there are plenty of stallions who find that intimidating, well, you never know until you try.”

“So basically what you’re saying is that I need to get out more?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“In a nutshell,” Twilight said and then chuckled.

“So wait a minute,” Rainbow Dash thought of another problem, “I’m out all the time but when one of the rare occasions pass that Fluttershy comes out of her house the guys are all over her like flies.  Does that mean I’m not pretty enough or something?”

Twilight laughed. “Of course not Rainbow Dash!  Personally, I think that you’re prettier than me, and you’re so much more fit too.  It’s got nothing to do with how you look.  It’s more or less how you act.  All the stallions follow Fluttershy around because they want to try to woo her, and even though they try, she just doesn’t submit to it.  So I think that you’re problem isn’t that you’re unlovable, it’s that you’re unwooable.”

“Oh,” Rainbow Dash frowned and looked down at the ground, “so  I guess I really don’t have any hope do I?”

“Nonsense,” Twilight replied firmly, “you do have hope.  All you have to do though, is make a couple of changes.  Like, instead of flying everywhere, why don’t you walk there instead?  You know, to draw some looks your way?  Oh, and don’t be so pushy.”

“Pushy?” Rainbow Dash asked, “What do you mean by that?  I’m not pushy,” she defended herself.

“I don’t mean that in a bad way, but what I do mean is that you seem to just push other ponies, particularly males away from you.  Maybe you’re shy…” Twilight toyed with the idea.

Rainbow Dash stood up and walked away from Twilight with a blush on her face.  “No!” she said with an embarrassed tone.  “I’m not shy,” she mumbled like a discontented child who had been placed in time-out.

“Well it’s the only conclusion I can come to,” Twilight said as she readjusted herself across the sofa and took a sip of her drink.  “What do you think it is then?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Rainbow Dash said, she opened her wings and hovered up in the air where she crossed her forelegs, “but I’m not shy,” she persisted.

Twilight smirked to herself.  “Tell you what, how does this sound?  I’ll get you fixed up, you know, maybe do what I can with your mane and eyelashes and whatnot and then take a walk with you.  See how many looks you get,” she smiled when Rainbow Dash turned back towards her.

“No, that’s OK Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said, “besides, isn’t that more Rarity’s field?”

Twilight cocked her eyebrow playfully.  “Hey!” she said, “I’m not just an egghead.  I know a thing or two about beauty.”

“Lemme guess,” Rainbow Dash turned the tables on Twilight, “from a book?”  Twilight scratched the back of her head as she blushed and chuckled avoidingly.

Twilight cleared her throat and declared, “That’s not important.  After all, this isn’t about me.  Look, Rainbow, even if you don’t want me to fix you up, at least take a walk with me.  If nothing, it would be good mare on mare bonding time for the two of us.  You know, just a time to talk without anypony else around.  And who knows, you today might just be the day that you find your special somepony after all.  The possibilities are endless my friend!” Twilight smiled an encouraging smile at her friend.

Rainbow Dash thought about it for a moment.  Maybe Twilight was right.  The more she thought about Twilight’s previous words, the more they got to her.  “Maybe she’s right,” Rainbow Dash thought with a sinking heart, “maybe I am shy.  No more.  No, today I’m gonna go out and find me somepony!”  She walked over to the table and confidently drained all of her cider in one swig.  “Twilight!” she said proudly, “I’m ready.”

Twilight squeed in excitement for her friend, and then the two of them headed up the stairs and into Twilight’s bedroom where she would work her knowhow on Rainbow Dash.  It took a while to fix Rainbow Dash up between her, “Not so much blush” and “Maybe just pluck up my eyelashes a little more” orders.  Several times passed where Twilight thought she had it only to have Rainbow tell her that she had too much makeup on and looked ugly.  Finally, after about the fifth try, Rainbow Dash seemed content with her looks.  She really did look quite stunning, out of her usual character at least.  Even Twilight herself was stricken with Rainbow Dash’s beauty.  She didn’t quite know why, perhaps it was the fact that this was the first time she had ever seen Rainbow Dash with makeup on, or perhaps it was the fact that she had added to Rainbow’s already good looks.  Either way, Twilight had to hoof it to herself, it was a job well done.

So after a few last minute touchups, mainly concerned with giving advice, the two were ready to set out.  As they left the library, Rainbow Dash felt an overwhelming sense of insecurity and nervousness overcome herself.  It wasn’t often she felt these emotions, so she was sure that this would be no easy task.  She followed Twilight’s advice that had just been offered to her; she took a deep breath and told herself that she needed to only act natural, yet calm and be herself if approached.  Twilight spotted her taking her deep breaths.  “You ready?” she asked as she locked the library up and then stashed the key away under a rock so that Spike would be able to find it.

Rainbow Dash took one final deep breath.  “Yeah,” she said afterwards, “let’s go do this thing.”  With that, Twilight smiled at her and then the two set off.  It was just a little past noon, so there were many ponies about, plenty to mingle with.  Some were out shopping, others taking in the amenities of the town, and others just out to enjoy the day.  They were sure to lure a couple glances there way as they walked on.  Once they arrived at the shopping district, they saw that it was a practical madhouse at this time of day, and for once, that was a good thing. Rainbow Dash gulped with nervousness, “Do we just… walk right into the middle of them?” she asked.

Twilight smiled confidently at her.  “Something like that,” she said, “but just remember to act natural.  Don’t act like you’re there for any other reason other than to shop.  Visit a few of the carts, maybe take a seat on a bench or something, you know, mingle.”

With that, Twilight began to walk off.  “Well wait!” Rainbow Dash called to her, “Where are you going?  I thought we were doing this together.”

Twilight turned and lied, “I’ll be back in just a minute.  I’m going to go see what kinds of books this cart over here has on sale!”

She then wandered off and got lost in the shopping crowds, pretending not to hear Rainbow Dash as she called out to her, “I’ll come with you then!”  But, of course, she didn’t.  Twilight knew that this whole dating thing was something that Rainbow Dash would have to do on her own.  It would be good for her to perhaps make a new friend or two.  Of course though, in between all of this, she would go see what kinds of books were on sale.  She made a mental note this time to not forget to go look for Rainbow Dash in about thirty minutes.  The last time she had been here and had come to the book vendor, she totally lost track of the time and found that Spike, who had been with her in the first place, beat her home by almost one hour.  She blushed as she recalled the details of her blunder.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was left to walk through the market all alone.  Though she was more than familiar with the area, a regular visitor to the vendors herself, she couldn’t help but feel lost and intimidated in the middle of all the ponies that walked around her.  But she remained steadfast, acknowledging that it was only the situation at hoof and heeding Twilight’s words that she absolutely nothing to worry about.  So, she put on a brave face and began to walk.  She visited a few of the carts, sat on a few of the benches, and even tossed a bit into the stone fountain.  As promised, she did in fact get quite a few glances from the stallions she passed, good ones too!  After some time even, a slight smile spread across her face.  “Maybe this isn’t such a bad idea after all?” she thought happily to herself as she walked on and then met eyes with another stallion.  She batted them at him a few times and watched with both joy and dismay as the blushing stallion smiled back at her and walked away.  “I wish one of them would at least talk to me,” she thought, “but maybe I should make the first move.”  She pondered it over, but then another thought crossed into her mind.

She remembered that now she was disobeying a key rule that Twilight had told her back before they left the library.  It was a crucial rule and it was sure to ruin her if she didn’t heed it:  “Don’t mistake friendliness for romantic interest,” she could hear Twilight’s voice reminding her.

Rainbow Dash huffed discontentedly, “Well that eliminates a couple of options,” she mumbled to herself as she walked on and recalled several of the stallions that passed her.  They didn’t have the look in their eye that said they were “checking her out.”  Most of them just nodded their head, smiled, and went on, but a few select others, they did seem to look her over once they met eyes.  What this meant, Rainbow Dash didn’t know, but perhaps it was a good sign.  She would have to ask Twilight about it when the met.  “Speaking of that,” she thought, “I’d better go find the egghead.  I think that’s enough for one day,” she called it quits right there.  As she walked on through the crowd, she did have a few more encounters with the stallions, but they were more or less casual if nothing.  Both as promised and as she suspected, she found Twilight sifting through the multitude of untidy stacks of books and scrolls, five or six in her saddlebag already.

She approached, but also as she expected to happen, Twilight didn’t notice.  You had to hoof it to that pony, when she started a task whether it be saving Ponyville from an enraged dragon or sifting through a pile of books, she didn’t let off until the job was done.  That was one of the many, many things that Rainbow Dash admired about Twilight Sparkle.  “Ahem!” she cleared her throat aloud which prompted Twilight to look up.

“Oh, hi Rainbow Dash,” Twilight greeted as she circled around a few more stacks and tables.  “Any luck?” she asked Rainbow Dash as she walked out from underneath the canopy that protected the books from the elements.  Rainbow Dash only shook her head in response and looked away from Twilight.  It didn’t seem to hit her all that hard at first, but the more that she thought about it, the more it seemed to hurt.  “Oh,” Twilight frowned and placed her hoof on Rainbow Dash’s shoulder in a comforting way, “Tell you what, let me pay for these books really quick and then me and you can head back to the library.  We’ll get that makeup off of you and talk about it… if you want to.”

“Yeah…” Rainbow Dash said, “that sounds good.  I wanna talk about it.”

Twilight smiled at her.  “Good,” she said cheerfully, hoping some of it would spread to Rainbow Dash and then walked a few paces off to pay for the books.  She then approached Rainbow Dash and the two of them headed back to the library, as silent as the first walk had been.

-     -     -     -     -     -     -     -

Once back at the library, Twilight unlocked the door with the key she had hidden under the rock, which lay unmolested and served as an indicator that they had the library all to themselves again.  They entered inside and Twilight closed the door behind them.  Just to be sure they really were alone and that Spike hadn’t locked the door back and absentmindedly put the key back under the rock, Twilight called out to him.  “Spike!” she yelled, “Are you back home yet?  If so, I need you to help me down here!  I bought a few new books and I need you to help me put them up!”  She was talking to the walls, nopony was home.  She used her magic to take the books, eight total, out of her saddlebags and place them on a nearby table.  “You wanna tell me how it went?” Twilight asked gently, as if she was talking to a small colt who just had a bad day at school.

Rainbow Dash nodded her head but then looked down at the books.  “You need help putting this up?” she asked Twilight.

Twilight smiled her appreciation and Rainbow Dash and replied, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.  I was really just saying that to see if Spike would come down.”

“Cool,” Rainbow Dash said softly and smiled, “No, I’ll help.”

“Great,” Twilight replied, “four for you and four for me?” she asked.

“Sounds like a plan,” came the reply.  Rainbow Dash stretched her muscular wing out and had Twilight place the four books on it.  “Any way you want me to sort these?” Rainbow Dash asked as she walked across the room.

Twilight, already putting one book in its new home, replied, “I usually sort by who wrote the book, but just any empty space on the shelves will do.”

Rainbow Dash laughed under her breath.  “Good luck finding one of those,” she mumbled and put one book authored by a pony whose name ended with C in the section labeled A-D.

“What was that?” Twilight asked as she put her second book up.

“Oh nothing,” Rainbow Dash smirked to herself, “I just saw one of the books over here and said the title to myself,” she lied.

“Oh,” Twilight said as she walked a few paces to a shelf that was just slightly parallel to where Rainbow Dash was standing, “OK then.”

Hitting two birds with one stone, Rainbow Dash stumbled upon two empty spaces right in front of her.  She slid the books into the space, and satisfied with the perfect fit, turned around to say something to Twilight.  Before she could though, Twilight dropped one of the books as she tried to slide it in by hoof, her magic distracted by holding up another book.  She cursed under her breath and bent down to grasp the book with her mouth.  It was then that Rainbow Dash took that famed glance, that glance that all the mares knew they were getting by at least one stallion when they bent over to pick something up or to merely smell a beautiful flower.  It was then that Rainbow Dash noticed that Twilight had quite a cute butt.  She blushed at the thought of it and of the low feeling it gave her for looking at her friend in this way, but she just couldn’t take her eyes off of Twilight’s rump.  It looked so firm, so young, so… delicious… Rainbow Dash shot her head upwards when Twilight put the books in their place and turned back around.

“Rainbow?” Twilight asked with a curious tone, “what are you looking at?” she asked and looked upwards as she walked across the room to stand beside Rainbow Dash in an attempt to see whatever she was seeing.

Rainbow Dash dodged the question though and walked away from her spot before Twilight got too close to her, careful to lower her head only when her face was clear from Twilight’s view.  “Nothing,” she said with the most normal tone that she could and then shrugged, “I was holding back a sneeze,” she lied and then walked to the bookcase in front of her to observe a few titles in the hopes that her blush would go away.

“Oh,” Twilight said and then smiled, “it is the onset of Fall,” she pointed out and then walked over to the sofa.  She took a seat and then patted the spot next to her when Rainbow Dash turned around, her blush finally gone.  “So… how’d it go?” she asked as Rainbow took her seat.

“Could’ve been a little better,” Rainbow Dash admitted.

“How’s that?” Twilight asked and made herself just a little more comfortable.

“Well…” Rainbow Dash started slowly and rubbed her hooves together, “I just don’t know if I was ready or not.  I couldn’t tell if any of the stallions actually liked me or if they were just being nice.  That’s gotta be the hardest part of all this.”

Twilight nodded her head and agreed, “It isn’t easy,” she admitted, “but with time, you’ll get it figured out.  On another note, did you actually talk to anypony?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head and replied, “No.  I was kind of hoping that they would approach me.  I sat around for a little bit, but nothing happened.  I’m beginning to think you’re right Twilight.  Maybe I am shy.”

“Oh Rainbow,” Twilight chided, “I was only joking about that.  Still though, I will admit that it’s a possibility.  It just doesn’t feel right to me though.  Remember what you were like back at the Grand Galloping Gala?  There’s no way you’re shy.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash said, “but I wasn’t myself that night.  None of us were…” she said and looked down, but then back up when a thought popped into her head, “None of us were,” she repeated, “I think I know what’s wrong.  I’ve been so distracted with preparing for the Running of the Leaves that I haven’t had time to be myself.  Don’t you get it?  The reason I’ve been paying more attention to this than normal is the fact that I haven’t been myself.  It makes perfect sense!”

Twilight processed over what she had just been told and it did in fact make perfect sense.  “Now that sounds like a real lesson to me,” Twilight smiled, “Wanna report it to Princess Celestia?” she asked.

“Do I?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed with excitement at the possibility she just found the key to her problems.  And so Twilight fetched her a quill and paper and she took a letter, a good one she felt.  Princess Celestia didn’t get many letters from Rainbow Dash as opposed to the other ponies in her clique, but this letter was sure to make up for it.  She wrote and she wrote until she couldn’t write anymore, and after Twilight proofread of course, it was placed in the basket of letters for Spike to send when he returned.

“So do you think you can do it now?” Twilight asked as they walked upstairs so that Twilight could take Rainbow’s makeup off.

“I think I can,” Rainbow Dash said with a considerably more cheery tone than the one she had had all day.

“That’s good,” Twilight said as they entered into her room, “take a seat in front of the mirror and I’ll go get the stuff to get the makeup off.”  Rainbow Dash did as instructed and sat down in front of the mirror.  As Twilight walked into the bathroom behind her, Rainbow Dash checked herself over.  “I do look… pretty,” Rainbow Dash said as she moved her head around and observed everything from the light shade of eyeliner, just darker than her coat, to the even lighter coat of lipstick on her face.  She didn’t usually like wearing all of this girly stuff, makeup and all, but she did have to admit that she looked good in it.  She wondered if perhaps she should wear it more often.  “Nah,” she thought, “Applejack would never let me hear the end of it and Rarity would be on my back wanting me to try something new every time I turn around.  Still though…”

That was when her eyes managed to avert away from the mirror and back towards the open bathroom door.  There, she got another look at Twilight’s beautiful body.  “Wow,” she whispered, “she even looks great from the side.”  Twilight’s rump and a portion up to her chest showed, the rest covered by the wall that was parallel to where the sink sat.  Unable to look away, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but notice Twilight’s near perfect features in the mirror.  Even from the side, her rump looked so perfect and so firm.  “Is it weird I want to use it as a pillow?” Rainbow Dash thought playfully dirty thoughts to herself.  It was for the first time too that she finally noticed Twilight’s seemingly perfect form and curvature.  “I wonder how she stays so… perfect without exercising.”  She glanced down towards her stomach in the mirror and noticed that she was slightly thicker than Twilight, and even if it was all in healthy muscle, it had nothing on Twilight’s natural beauty.

After a few more minutes of digging around for what she needed, Twilight returned back with a wet rag and a few other things to get Rainbow Dash back to her former self.  “Close your eyes for me Rainbow,” Twilight ordered politely and then maneuvered the rag with her magic to clean off the lipstick, eyeliner, and blush.  “How’s that?” she asked when she finished, “Does it feel like I got everything?”  Rainbow Dash checked herself out in the mirror a few times and moved her facial muscles a little bit before answering, and satisfied that Twilight had removed everything, she nodded her head and smiled.  “While I’m at it, I figured I could maybe brush your mane,” she suggested.

Rainbow Dash didn’t feel much like it.  Really, she just wanted to go home and lay down and take a nap, but then she remembered how kind Twilight had been to her throughout the day, aside from the fact she threatened to read her every thought, and felt it was the least she could do to spend a little more time with her.  Besides, she really had enjoyed the time that just the two of them spent together; it wasn’t often that they just got to see each other together.  She smiled softly at Twilight, “That sounds like an awesome idea Twi.”

“Did you just call me Twi?” Twilight asked playfully as she cocked an eyebrow and got the brush ready, using her magic to pull stray strands of hair out of it.

“Yeah.  Why?” came the reply.

“Just curious,” Twilight said as she finished up with the brush and swiped it once through Rainbow’s mane, “You’ve never called me that before.  I like it though,” she smiled at Rainbow Dash as she walked around her front to get at her forelocks.

“You mean I’ve never once called you Twi or anything like that?” Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief.

“Nope,” Twilight said as she walked back behind Rainbow Dash, “but that’s OK.  I’m not cool enough for a nickname like that anyway.”

“Aw, don’t say that,” Rainbow Dash said, “you’re really cool Twilight.”

“I thought you said I was just an ‘egghead’,” she pointed out and circled around in front of Rainbow Dash on the other side.

“Ah, you know I’m just poking fun,” Rainbow Dash defended and waved her hoof in the air, “I don’t mean any of it.  You know that I think you’re cool.”

“Is that so?” Twilight asked, intrigued to hear more, “Prove it.”

Rainbow nodded firmly, messing up Twilight’s work just a little.  “It’s for sure,” she said firmly, “and you’re cool in plenty of ways.  For one, how about all of those spells you can do?  I’ve never seen another unicorn do the things you can do with your magic.”

A flattered blush spread across Twilight’s face as she replied, “Oh that’s nothing… just the result of hard studying and a little know-how.  But thank you though.”

“Alright, tough pony eh?” Rainbow Dash said, “How about all the adventures you take us on.  How many ponies do you know around here that can say they’ve fought a dragon and then rescued him and another pony from certain death just a few minutes later?  Speaking of which, think about all the ties you’ve got back in Canterlot!  You and the Princesses are practically best friends.”

Twilight cocked an eyebrow as she tried to get a spot in Rainbow Dash’s mane untangled.  “How do you figure…” she ran the comb through and tugged it, “that?”

Rainbow Dash jerked from the pain a little, but continued on, “I bet nopony else can tell Princess Celestia they want five more tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala and then have them hoofed over on a silver platter.  Then there was the Royal Wedding…”

Twilight cut her off with a smile and the blush still on her face, “Alright, alright,” she said and waved her hoof, “I get it.  I guess all of that is pretty cool.”

“Who are you kidding?” Rainbow asked as she tilted her head backwards for Twilight to get a tricky spot behind her ears, “All that stuff is freaking awesome!  I’m telling you Twilight, name one pony, one, outside of me, you, and the girls that gets to do stuff like this.”

Twilight shrugged and continued her work, “You’re right Rainbow Dash, I can’t name one.”  She smiled and walked back around to the other side as she spotted a stray hair.

“Exactly!” Rainbow Dash pointed when Twilight stepped in front of her. “I’m just… sorry I never gave you the recognition you deserved for it.”

“Oh Rainbow Dash, I told you that it was alright.  Personally, no matter what you tell me, I don’t think I’ll ever be as cool as you.  I mean, I can’t fly, I certainly can’t pull off a sonic rainboom, and I can’t run at the speed of light,” came the reply.

“Yeah but that’s all athletic stuff, so it doesn’t count,” Rainbow Dash pointed.

“Why not?” asked Twilight.

“Because it just doesn’t,” Rainbow Dash said, “all the cool ponies know that, but since it’s your first official day, I’ll let it slide.”  Rainbow Dash then winked at Twilight as she put the comb down on the dresser in front of her.

“Oh, thank you!” Twilight said sarcastically and then walked behind Rainbow Dash where she used her magic to fluff her mane up and then smooth it out.  “How’s that look?” she asked.

“It looks great Twilight.  Thank you,” came Rainbow Dash’s reply.

“It’s no problem Rainbow Dash, anytime.  I’ve been reading up on this kind of stuff, so whenever you’re due for a manecut come to me,” Twilight said.

“Hey now tiger, take it one step at a time,” Rainbow Dash said in defense of her hair.  She chuckled at the thought of coming to Twilight for a manecut and then walking out with it chopped all to pieces.  They both laughed at the scenario when Rainbow Dash revealed it to Twilight.

“Well…” Twilight began, “this has certainly been a fun day hasn’t it?” she crossed over and sat down on the bed, “So… I guess you’ll be going now?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash replied and stood up to stretch her wings and legs out.  “That is of course, unless you’d have me for a sleepover?”

Twilight jumped off the bed and ran over to Rainbow Dash.  “Of course I would!  This is going to be so much fun.  We can eat popcorn and watch movies and read scary stories and…” Rainbow Dash put her hoof over Twilight’s mouth.

“Slow down Twi!” Rainbow Dash said, “I’ve got to fly home first and get my stuff and then we can start when I get back.  Think you can get a hold of yourself until then?”

“Mhmm” Twilight mumbled beneath Rainbow’s hoof and nodded her head quickly. Rainbow Dash cautiously took her hoof away from Twilight’s mouth.  “Sorry,” Twilight apologized, “you just know how much I love sleepovers.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, “That I do,” came the reply.  “I guess I need to go ahead before the sun starts to go down.  There’s plenty of time before dark, so would it be OK if I took a bath and took care of a few other things before I come back over?”

“OK, and of course, take all the time you need,” Twilight said with a smile on her face.  “Come on, I’ll walk you to the door.”

Rainbow Dash and Twilight walked downstairs and to the door where Twilight saw her friend off and waved at her as she flew off into the evening sky.  There was much to do before the night came, so Twilight shut the door behind her and set to work readying the library for the night ahead.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash soared through the sky full speed ahead towards her house in the sky.  It didn’t take her long to arrive, and once she did, she immediately set to work packing her things so that when she finished with her bath she would be all ready to go.  She packed her own brush, her toothbrush, a few little snack things that she liked, and some other things that a pony usually brought along on a sleepover.  Once she zipped the zipper on her sack closed, Rainbow Dash walked off to her bathroom, ready for the warm bath that was to come.  All day, and she didn’t know why, she craved for a bath.  Perhaps it was the fact that it was so quiet and relaxing and calming, the opposite of her usual day.  Either way, Rainbow Dash was just glad to see that the water was flowing and warm when she kicked on the faucet.  Usually, she would wait for the tub to fill a good bit before she climbed in, but not this time.  She gathered a towel from the nearby closet and then jumped right in.

Rainbow Dash flipped over onto her back and propped herself up against the support.  Before she got too comfortable though, she grabbed a nearby box that was full of her most favorite smelling suds and poured them under the faucet in front of her.  She put the box back in its rightful place and then made herself just a little more comfortable as the water lapped up over her and the wonderful scent of the suds, a peach smelling concoction, crept up into her nostrils.  She closed her eyes and allowed her head to fall backwards on a pillow that she had propped up.  As the water filled up over her, Rainbow Dash allowed herself to daydream.  At first, everything was perfectly innocent as thoughts of her victory at the Running of Leaves ran through her head, and then she imagined the look of approval on Princess Celestia’s face as she read her recent letter, but then everything took a more… sensual approach.  The thoughts switched and then Rainbow Dash remembered how she had observed Twilight’s flank while putting up books and while waiting in front of the mirror.  She had such a nice flank.  Better than Rainbow Dash’s, and she always did some sort of bun and thigh exercise.  Still, she wondered how Twilight’s stayed so fit and so beautiful even when she exercised very little.  “Maybe it’s a magic thing?” she pondered and then opened her eyes to inspect the water level; just a little further and she would be able to turn it off and really relax.

She closed her eyes once more and listened as the room echoed out the sounds of the falling water.  She tried not to think of Twilight, but those thoughts just kept popping back into her head.  Rainbow Dash shook her head a few times.  Perhaps she was only jealous of Twilight’s looks and wanted them for herself, so that was why she kept thinking of it.  Maybe it would help things if she found out.  “Hey!” Rainbow Dash thought to herself, “that’s a great idea.  There’s something to talk about at the sleepover.  We could compare fitness notes and stuff.  Then again,” she chuckled, “Twilight is eager to compare any sort of notes.”  The water was at the perfect level for her so she leaned forward and turned the faucet off.  All was silent now, and that was just how she liked it.

She closed her eyes and slid a little further down into the tub where she allowed the water to come up to her nose.  “I wonder what Twilight is up to?” she thought to herself.  “Oh wait, duh, getting ready for the best sleepover ever.”  Twilight might have had sleepovers before, but she had never had one with Rainbow Dash.  Anything that Applejack and Rarity could deliver, Rainbow Dash could deliver results that would be twice as awesome.  Rainbow Dash ceased her thinking and returned to relaxing.  Sometimes, she had to admit, it felt good to be alone.  She relaxed for a few moments, merely by just laying still and allowing the warm water to coerce her.  Soon after though, she grasped a sponge that was on the shelf next to her and began to scrub herself clean.  She did all of the usual spots, like her under her wings and then down her chest, but then she moved a little lower and began to scrub off her vagina.  It was totally for the purpose of cleanliness at first, but then, in a fit of déjà vu, it switched to something a little more sensual.

Those thoughts of Twilight’s magnificent rump and her perfect figure slipped back into Rainbow’s mind.  No matter how hard she tried to resist them, she just couldn’t.  She tried everything from switching the subject to even throwing herself on a guilt-trip upon the grounds that Twilight was her best friend and that it was wrong of her to think in this way; none of it worked.  Even though she knew that she shouldn’t, Rainbow Dash liked the thoughts.  She imagined Twilight’s nice firm butt and delighted at the thought of flipping a bit off of it; perfect reflect.  She smiled to herself as she rubbed the sponge just a little harder over her increasingly aroused organ.  Once more, she recalled looking at Twilight’s figure in the mirror, and oh what she wouldn’t give to caress those curves and kiss every inch of that figure; she rubbed just a little faster and a little harder.  Eventually, so many suggestive thoughts of Twilight ran through her head that Rainbow Dash let go of the sponge and began to pleasure herself with her hoof.

She was gentle at first, as she imagined her first time would be, and merely rubbed the outside of her genitals.  She moved her hoof around and around in a circle and then up and down a few times just to make sure that she was nice and aroused for what was to come.  To get a little more lubrication going, she grasped the sponge once more and gave it a good dunk beneath the water so that it could get coated with water and slippery suds.  Once she was sure that it was as full as it could be, she brought it back up and sensually ran it down from her neck to her pussy where she then circled it around and around.

Her organ coated with all the lubrication that it needed, Rainbow Dash dropped the sponge and resumed her sexual experimentation, or so she could imagine Twilight calling it.  It had been so long since she had last done this, and she rather missed it, so perhaps she should try to do it more often.  Either way, she had better things to occupy her mind than timing, things such as the luscious Twilight Sparkle.  Rainbow Dash felt her beauty and sexiness irresistible and it was all she could to rub herself harder.  Soon, the sensations that she was sending through herself began to gain the upper hoof on her and she began to thrust her midsection about, mildly at first, but increasing with the pleasure of the sensation.  “Oh my…” Rainbow Dash mumbled to herself as the pleasure swept over her.

She opened her eyes and looked downwards so that she could watch what she was doing to herself.  Perhaps she would have lasted longer had she not done so, but Rainbow Dash soon imagined that her hoof was instead Twilight’s tongue.  She loved the feeling and the sensation of “Twilight’s tongue” moving up and down her labia and creating a new type of magic.  Rainbow Dash was really into it, but before she could get in too deep, she felt herself begin to get closer and closer to the brink of orgasm.  She wanted to stop for the realization that she would cum in her own bath water and dirty herself all over again, but she just couldn’t bring herself to.  Instead, her body and the pleasure that coursed through it stopped for her and a after a few final rubs, Rainbow slid her hoof away and let out a muffled yelp as she came.  Taken into account that it had been so long, Rainbow Dash had quite a bit saved up, all of which amounted to one messy orgasm.  Really quickly, literally a second before she came, Rainbow Dash backed herself up against the support so that she was sitting atop the tub and was able to watch herself orgasm all while evading the mess that was to be.

The juices flowed out of her, like a miniature waterfall at first, but then like a dripping faucet afterwards.  Whether it was a waterfall or a faucet, Rainbow Dash was just glad to finally have it out of her system.  She had wanted to do it for quite some time, but the upcoming running and the preparation that it called for all but threw a stopper into her usual schedule.  She could never stop herself from doing it, and even though it felt wonderful during and after, she just couldn’t help but feel guilty for doing something like that.  Sure, it was natural, but it wasn’t really the feeling that she felt guilty about.  No, it was the thoughts that she pleasured herself to that she felt the worst about.  This was her fourth or fifth time of masturbating to Twilight; other times usually were to either Applejack or Rarity.  What hurt her the most was the fact that all of these ponies were her friends, her best friends at that.

She tried not to think about it as she climbed off the top of the tub and began to dry herself off with the towel.  As usual after these sessions, when she met her own eyes in the mirror adjacent to her she wasn’t able to manage anything other than a quick glance.  She turned away and draped the towel over her head so she could dry off her mane all while avoiding the temptation that would make her look back into the mirror.  She finished drying herself off and then tossed the towel into the hamper next to the door.  Afterwards, she walked back into her bedroom and checked everything over once more to make sure that she had everything and was ready; everything looked to be in order and she was ready to go.  Before she left though, Rainbow Dash plopped down on the bed and stared silently up at the ceiling.  After some time though, she took the brush out of her packed bag and began to run it through her mane.  She flipped back over onto her backside and continued to stare up at the ceiling as she brushed away, trapped in thought.  As she brushed, she told herself that she was only going to do the front and top of her head as she didn’t really care what the rest looked like.

A few more minutes ticked on and Rainbow Dash eventually put her brush back up.  She tried to look at herself in the mirror, this time with success; as usual, she was able to after some time had passed and she had the opportunity to think about her actions and the guilt it caused her.  Finally ready to go, she heaved a sigh and tossed the brush bag into her bag which she flung over her shoulder.  Before she left, she blew out the candles that she used to calm her and light her bedroom and then opened up her wings and gracefully jumped through the window and out into the sky.

As she flew on, she wondered what the night would bring.  Perhaps it wouldn’t be the best sleepover in history, but Rainbow Dash was sure that it was going to be far from boring.  After all, Rainbow Dash had a knack for spotting what was boring and what wasn’t.  After some time in the air, what she considered her “warm up” time for her wings, she shrugged it off and stopped thinking about it so that she could merely enjoy the flight.  However the night turned out, either boring or as a night to remember, Rainbow Dash was sure that she was in for a very interesting night.