Dancing for Eggheads
Rainbow Dash yawned widely as she flew through the air, lazily scanning the horizon for any stray clouds or unwanted weather. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, the sky matched the weather schedule perfectly. While this meant she didn't have any work to do for the day, it also meant she had nothing to do at all. Her two fall back options, training and napping, didn't seem all too appealing to her at this moment. Most likely because she'd just woken up.
Giving a few lazy flaps of her wings, she started flying aimlessly over the sleepy little town of Ponyville. Far from early in the morning, quite a few ponies speckled the streets and parks, mulling about and doing whatever it was they had to do for the day. Probably something boring.
“Ugh...” Rainbow let out a grunt, flipping over onto her back and folding her forelegs behind her head. “Why is there nothing to do today!?”
It seemed there was always something to do in Ponyville, even on the slowest of days. Some kind of party courtesy of Pinkie Pie or an emergency from some kind of thousand-year-old enemy. Today, though, everything was coming up normal. Nice, calm, boring normal.
With a tired sigh, Rainbow Dash resigned herself to her fate of boredom. She flipped back over, scanning the ground beneath her for something – anything – to do. Unfortunately, nothing was going on. Same old boring Town Hall. Same old boring tree-library. Same old boring – wait, there was something off. Something wrong with the library.
Rainbow's ear twitched as her suspicious were confirmed; music. It was faint, but the unmistakable sound of music emanated from Golden Oaks library. The sound was out of place to be sure; Twilight liked to keep her library quiet and that music, to be heard from such a distance, was anything but quiet. Not loud, certainly not loud enough to be disturbing, but louder than was expected from her unicorn friend.
Curiosity getting the better of her – as well as the promise of something interesting to do – Rainbow angled her wings and swooped down, the music growing louder as she approached the library. With a flourish of her wings she alighted on the balcony, craning her neck and peering in through the closed glass doors as she approached. What she saw made her stop dead in her tracks.
Inside her bedroom Twilight stood reared up on her hind legs. In the corner was a gramophone, the source of the music, but what was most interesting was the mare herself; in her hooves was what could only be described as a magical puppet without strings. It was transparent and glowed a slight shade of purple, same as Twilight's horn, and behind it, held in that same magical glow, was an open book.
Twilight took a pose, holding the puppet with both her magic and her hooves, and nothing in the world could have prepared Rainbow Dash for what happened next. As the song ended and the next began, Twilight's chest gave a small heave, and she started dancing with her magical puppet.
Rainbow slapped a hoof over her mouth before her chuckle could get loose; this was too good not to watch. Part of her couldn't even believe it, but here it was; Twilight was practising slow dancing. From the looks of it, she desperately needed the practice; even as the book followed her around the room, her hoof work was sloppy, and she somehow managed to trip on the puppet she was controlling. Strangest thing of all, though, was that Twilight herself was not leading the dance; the puppet was.
Under the influence of Twilight's magic, the puppet carried her around the room, just as clumsy as her. After every step it looked as though she'd fall over, and a few times she had to actually stop and adjust her stance.
After a particularly bad trip up, Rainbow couldn't hold it, and burst out laughing. Twilight jumped, her puppet fading and book falling as she lost focus on her magic. She shrieked as she fell back and onto the table with her gramophone, causing the music to stop as everything came crashing the ground. The display only made Rainbow laugh more as she fell onto her side, helpless gales of laughter escaping her as she rolled back and forth on the balcony.
“R-r-rainbow!” Twilight shouted, cheeks burning a furious red as she stood up, slamming her balcony doors open with a magical glow.
“T-twi, I...” Rainbow snorted, giggling uncontrollably as she pointed up at Twilight, the unicorn now standing over her menacingly. “You just..... you gotta... Bwahahahahaah!”
Cheeks even redder than before, Twilight's eyes hardened into a venomous glare that slowly quelled the pegasus' laughter. “What are you doing here?” She demanded harshly.
Chuckling quietly as she got back to her hooves, Rainbow smirked. “I was just out flying when I heard your music, so I came down to take a look at what you were doing... glad I did, too; you're priceless, Twi.”
“I am not 'priceless',” Twilight fumed, turning sharply and marching angrily back into her room.
“Aw c'mon, Twi; it was just a joke, don't be like that. Besides, even you have to admit it was funny.” Rainbow snickered again, following Twilight into the room as the unicorn set about fixing her gramophone. “What were you doing, anyway?”
“Dancing,” Twilight deadpanned without looking up.
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “I know that. I meant why; looked to me like you were practising. You think you'll need to slow dance sometime soon?”
Looking over her shoulder with an arched eyebrow, Twilight said, “Well, I hope I'll have to dance soon. The Spring Dance is this weakened.”
“Spring Da-... wait, are you telling me you have a special somepony!? And you haven't told me?”
Twilight jolted, keeping her back turned. “Not... exactly...”
Rainbow gave a sceptical frown, walking around Twilight. “Not exactly? What the hay does that mean?”
Fidgeting nervously, Twilight's eyes glued themselves to the floor. “I... uh... well...”
“Wait, let me get this straight; you're planning on having to dance with somepony this weekend, but you don't 'exactly' have a special somepony? Oh, I get it.” Rainbow gave a sly grin. “You have the hots for somepony, and you want to ask them to the dance.”
Twilight's cheeks flared a very obvious shade of red, making Rainbow's grin widen. “I knew it! So, who's the lucky stallion?”
“I... it's not.... I can't...” Twilight seemed unable to formulate a proper response in light of her friend's surprisingly sharp reasoning.
Rainbow shrugged. “Hey, if you don't wanna tell me, that's fine. I'm not exactly Rarity here. The one thing I can tell you, though, is that you really need to work on your dancing if you want to take this guy to the dance at Town Hall this weekend.”
Twilight, thankful Rainbow had allowed the subject to drop, sighed and fell back to her flanks. “I know! I've been practising for a week now, and I'm still no good at it! I don't get it; I've read every book in the library and none of them have helped.”
“Well there's your problem!” Rainbow exclaimed with an exaggerated role of her eyes. “If you wanna learn how to dance, you can't just read, you have to actually dance.”
“I was!” Twilight argued. “Remember? You found it so funny.”
Rainbow shook her head. “Not like that; I mean actually dance, with a real pony. Find yourself a teacher or something. Books can only teach you so much, and if you're focused on controlling that magic thing of yours and trying to get your own steps right, you're never going to get any better.”
“I guess...” Twilight admitted with a gentle slumping of her shoulders. “Say, how do you know so much about this anyway?”
Shrugging, Rainbow said, “Well, for one, it's not all that different from my stunts; I can't learn from reading or watching, I have to do it. Also, I actually know how to dance already.”
Twilight's jaw hit the floor. “You know how to dance? You? Miss 'never done a girly thing in my life' Rainbow Dash. You can dance?”
Rainbow scowled. “Hey, knowing and doing are two different things. I know how to dance, but I don't dance. I only know how to dance because it helps with balance and coordination for my flying.”
“That.... actually makes sense... wait, so you're saying that you could teach me?”
“What? Me? Whoa whoa whoa, I did not say that,” Rainbow stressed waving her hoof back and forth dismissively.
Twilight frowned. “Rainbow, please? You said yourself that I need an actual teacher, and you know how to dance.”
“I'm not a dance teacher, Twi. Flying? Sure. Dancing? Not a chance.”
Putting on her best pout and puppy-dog eyes, Twilight pleaded, “Please, Rainbow?”
She shook her head firmly. “Not gonna happen, Twi. Not my thing. Go ask Rarity; I'm sure she'd be more than happy to help.”
“Probably, but she'd only do it if I told her who I wanted to ask, and she'd never let it drop. Besides, she'd insist on doing my mane and a dress and everything.”
Rainbow sighed. “Applejack?”
“She'd teach me how to line dance, maybe,” Twilight deadpanned.
“Pinkie?”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think she has the patience to teach slow dancing?”
Slapping a hoof to her face, Rainbow offered, “Fluttershy?”
“You really think she'd be able to lead?”
Rainbow groaned, rubbing the bridge of her muzzle. “You're right.... ugh... I wish I never told you I knew how...”
“Come on, Rainbow,” Twilight urged. “You're my last shot at learning before the dance this weekend. This is really important to me.”
With a defeated, deflating sigh, Rainbow nodded reluctantly. “Ugh... I can't say no to that. Fine, but on one condition; if I can get you in dancing shape before this weekend, you tell me who you're going to ask. Deal?”
After a moment of hesitation, Twilight nodded slowly. “Deal.”
“Good. Meet me at the field under my house, tomorrow at 11 AM. And if you tell anypony about this, anypony at all...”
Twilight nodded, a grin stretching across her muzzle. “Of course. Oh.... thank you so much!” She rushed forward, wrapping her friend in a hug.
“Yeah yeah, I know; I'm awesome. Now let go,” Rainbow said, awkwardly returning the hug for a brief second. Twilight drew back, still smiling. “I'll see ya tomorrow, Twi. I have a few things to get if this is gonna work.”
“Thank you!” Twilight called again as Rainbow flew out her balcony doors.
11 AM the next day rolled around quickly for both parties, equally anxious for different reason about the first lesson. Twilight arrived exactly when she was supposed to, trotting up to the grassy field beneath Rainbow's cloud house with a pair of saddlebags slung over her back.
“Rainbow!?” She called, craning her neck up to the house. “Rainbow Dash!?”
A rainbow mane poked out over the edge of the cloud, followed shortly by the rest of the pegasus, carrying with her a small patch of cloud. On top of it sat a gramophone and a small pile of records. “Hey Twi,” she called as she rested the cloud on the ground. “Guess it's time, huh?”
Twilight nodded somewhat shyly. “I really appreciate this, Rainbow.”
“Yeah yeah,” Rainbow waved her hoof distractedly, shuffling through her records momentarily. Finding the one she wanted, the large black disk found itself taken from its package and placed onto the gramophone. “Let's get this over with as quickly as possible. Before we start, let's see what you got on your own.”
“Alright...” Twilight removed her bags, setting them next to the gramophone as rearing up on her hind legs. She lit her horn, summoning her magical dancing partner, when she felt Rainbow tap her shoulder.
“Without the magic thing, Twi. Just go through the motions without it.”
Twilight tilted her head. “But... how will I balance?”
“How will you-...” Rainbow slapped a hoof to her forehead. “Well there's one of your problems. You need to learn how to balance on your own; you can't put all your weight on your partner.”
“O...k...” Twilight took a breath, dissipating her puppet while still holding her stance. Her legs shook slightly, not used to supporting her in such a position.
Rainbow kicked the gramophone and it sputtered to life, a slow, gentle melody flowing out. Twilight took a moment to match the rhythm, and took her first step, only to immediately lose her balance and tumble to the thankfully soft grass below.
“We have a lot of work to do...” Rainbow muttered to herself, sighing as Twilight climbed back to her hooves. “Alright, let's try something else. Watch me.”
Nodding Twilight sat back on her haunches and watched as Rainbow stood on her hind legs, assuming a closed dance position. With a flawless step she joined in with the music, stepping lightly and keeping perfectly steady as she danced over the grass. If Twilight didn't know any better, she'd swear the mare before her was simply floating, so smooth was her hoof work. Mesmerized by the performance, Twilight failed to hear the tips Rainbow was trying to tell her.
After a few seconds, Rainbow stopped, and fell back down onto all four hooves. “Get it?”
“Uh...” Twilight jolted, the words finally piercing her mind. “I.... think so?” She offered with an embarrassed blush.
Rainbow groaned. “Focus, Twilight; we have one week to get you at least capable, or you're going to be stepping all over your date's hooves. Now, stand up, and try to keep your balance this time.”
After a moment, Twilight did as instructed, wobbling slightly as she stood up on her hind legs again. “Alright,” Rainbow continued, keeping a careful eye on Twilight's balance. “Try taking a few steps forward.”
“Alright...” slowly but surely, Twilight took a careful step, spreading her forelegs to try and balance herself. After a few moments, she'd managed to take about a dozen steps before being forced back onto all four hooves.
“There ya go!” Rainbow encouraged. “If you can do that, you can dance.” Reaching over with a wing, she replaced the gramophone's needle at the beginning of the record. “Now, try dancing. You've read enough books to know the steps. For now just focus on keeping balanced, don't worry if you're not stepping in time with the music.”
Sure enough, Twilight started dancing, keeping a careful eye on her balance and attempting to match up with the music. A few missteps lead to a couple close calls, but she managed to stay on her hind legs with relatively little issue. “How's this?”
“Better... alright, you can balance. Now comes the hard part; dancing with a partner.”
Swallowing nervously, Twilight nodded, forcing down the heat she could feel rising in her cheeks. “R-right...”
“Since you're learning, I'll lead. Come here,” Rainbow instructed, rearing up and offering her hoof to Twilight.
After a moment a nervous contemplation, Twilight accepted the offer and stood up as well, grabbing Rainbow's hoof. The pegasus pulled her into a closed dance position, frowning as she felt Twilight lean a little to hard against her. “Ease up, Twi; a little weight's okay, but you can't expect your date to carry you.”
Twilight took a breath, leaning slightly away from her partner as she adjusted her footing, eyes glued to ground she stood on. She shuddered slightly as she felt Rainbow's hoof come to a rest against her barrel. The pegasus noted it with a curious frown, but shrugged it off as she found a good place to join in with the music.
“You know the steps, just follow my lead and try to keep pace, got it?”
After receiving a confirmatory nod from Twilight, Rainbow took the first couple steps in time with the music. Already she could feel Twilight tripping over her own hooves, though not quite as bad as it could be. At the very least, the unicorn managed to keep up and stay fairly steady, though her eyes never once left her hooves.
“You know, your date might actually expect you to look at him,” Rainbow said quietly, jolting Twilight out of her focus.
“Right...” Twilight muttered uneasily, slowly lifting her head from the ground. She stumbled once, but Rainbow caught her before she could fall and she easily found her way back into the pace set by her instructor. After a moment her eyes left the ground entirely and she managed to look up at Rainbow's face... for a moment, at least: A jerky step tripped up not only her, but her partner as well, sending them both tumbling to the ground in a heap.
Rainbow groaned, looking over the the mare lying next to her. “Well, you were doing good. What the heck was that all about? It's like you completely forgot what you were doing.”
Staggering back to her hooves, Twilight's eyes found themselves once again wandering around the field as she offered a hoof to Dash. “I don't know...”
“Whatever,” Rainbow muttered, accepting the hoof and standing. “At lease you're making progress now that you have an actual teacher.”
“Really? I'm actually getting better?” Twilight asked eagerly, forgetting about her previous embarrassment.
Rainbow rolled her eyes, stopping the music. “Of course. A lot of your problems came from not having a proper partner. I'll have you dancing like a pro by the end of the week. But no more today; I have a few clouds to buck and some paper work to deal with. Today was really just about seeing what I was working with.”
Grinning giddily, Twilight giggled like a filly. “I'm getting better! I'll be able to dance this weekend!”
“Yeah yeah.” Rainbow rolled her eyes, lifting the cloud with the gramophone off the ground. “Same time and place tomorrow morning, alright?”
Twilight nodded. “Of course.”
“Good. I'll actually have some time; tomorrow's my day off. I'll see ya then, Twi.”
With that Rainbow took off, carrying her gramophone back p to her house before shooting off into the clear blue skies hanging above Ponyville, ready to tackle the stray clouds that had accumulated over the night. Twilight sighed, her eyes following the rainbow coloured blur until she could no longer see her pegasus friend.
She shook her head firmly when she noticed the position of the sun; it was almost noon, and she hadn't even started on her checklist for the day on account of her lessons. Making a mental note to reschedule in preparation for tomorrow, Twilight set off back into town with a smile and a slight skip in her step.
“This really does mean a lot to me, Rainbow Dash.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Twi, we're already dancing, you don't have to make this more sappy than it already is.”
“I was-” Twilight faltered as she stumbled, nearly falling onto her flank before Rainbow caught her and hoisted her back onto her hind hooves with a little flourish in time with the song they were dancing to. “Th-thanks...” she muttered, looking over Rainbow's shoulder as a small blush filled her cheeks.
Chuckling, Rainbow shook her head. “No problem, Twi; I'd be a pretty crummy teacher if I didn't catch you.”
“I know... still...” Twilight trailed off as she looked into the sun setting over the horizon. They'd been practising for most of the day, stopping for breaks occasionally as well as sharing a small lunch, and then later dinner, before resuming their training. “It's hard to believe it's only been two days and I can almost dance without falling over.”
“Almost,” Rainbow stressed with a sly smirk.
Twilight rolled her eyes, giving a playful jab with her hoof that nearly sent them both toppling over again. “Oh gosh, sorry sorry sorry! I didn't mean to-”
Rainbow's eyes narrowed challengingly, cutting Twilight off. “Oh, so that's how you want do this, huh Sparkle?”
“Rainbow?” Twilight asked wearily. “What are you-”
With a flourish Rainbow kicked up the pace of their dance, completely ignoring the music as she forced Twilight to keep up with her even as the unicorn stumbled over her own hooves. “Come on, Twi,” she taunted haughtily. “Keep up!”
“R-rainbow!” Twilight shrieked as her partner swung her around like a ragdoll, the pegasus's hooves still holding their bodies tightly together.
With a twirl Rainbow stopped suddenly, allowing Twilight's momentum to make her fall back, draping the mare over her foreleg as she panted heavily. Grinning wickedly, Rainbow loomed over Twilight. “So, how was that?”
“That...” Twilight paused as she grabbed Rainbow's hoof and pulled herself back upright. “That was amazing! Where did you learn to dance like that!?”
Rainbow shrugged. “Learn? Hah; it's all instinct, Twi. I'm just that awesome.”
Giggling, Twilight pulled herself away and allowed both of them to fall onto all four legs. “Seriously though, you must have been taught?”
“Yeah, I was. I took a class in Flight Clamp when my coach said it would help my flying. Most of it actually came from my dad though,” Rainbow explained, halting the music as the sun set fully beyond the grassy horizon. “He always said I'd need to know how to dance one day, I just didn't expect it to be today, or for teaching, either.”
Twilight smile, wiping the sheen of sweat from her forehead as she fell onto her back in the soft grass. “Well, I'm glad he taught you, otherwise I don't know what I would have done.”
“Make a fool of yourself, probably,” Rainbow noted with a chuckle.
“Hey!” Twilight shot a glare at the pegasus as she too laid on her back.
“What? It's true. Besides, I don't think it'd be so bad; I can't be the only one who thinks your attempts at dancing were cute. Borderline adorable, I'd say, and if I think that then you can bet your date would think so too.”
“That's truer than you know...” Twilight muttered under her breath, a scarlet heat rising to her cheeks.
Rainbow tilted her head to look at her friend. “What was that?”
“Nothing, Rainbow.” Twilight sighed, staring up into the darkening sky. “I should probably head home; Spike's going to wonder where I was all day.”
“Just say you were hanging out with the most awesome mare in Equestria; he'll understand.”
Twilight laughed, crawling begrudgingly back to her hooves. “Guess I should find out. Same time and place tomorrow?”
“Yep,” Rainbow confirmed, sitting up straight. “I have to work, so we won't have all day, but you shouldn't need too much more. Now most of it's just practice.”
“Great. I'll see you tomorrow. Oh, and Rainbow?”
“Hmm?”
Twilight averted her gaze, scraping a hoof along the ground. “Thank you. Really; it means more to me than you know.”
“Don't worry about it,” Rainbow said, waving a hoof dismissively. “Dancing with you... it's been kinda fun. Even when you trip us up.”
“Har-har. Good bye, Rainbow Dash.”
“See ya!”
Rainbow watched her go for a few seconds, her lavender flank bobbing enticingly as she crossed through the field. Groaning, Rainbow fell onto her back, lifting her hooves up and covering her eyes. “I did not just think that... oh who am I kidding; I totally thought that. I've been thinking that all day!”
She sighed, sneaking a peak at Twilight just before the unicorn disappeared over the crest of a hill. For a moment, Rainbow felt the chill of loneliness before she remembered Twilight would be back tomorrow morning. And the morning after that. Every morning for the rest of the week. Until the dance, then their little lessons would stop.
Another sigh escaped her lips as she stood up, preparing to bring her gramophone back up to her house. It was going to be nice while it lasted, and she was going to make the most out of their extra time spent together.
Guilty. Rainbow Dash felt guilty. So, incredibly, indescribably guilty. As the song came to a close, and she held on to her partner just a little longer than strictly necessary, she remembered why she felt so guilty, just like she had for the better part of a week. Pushing the twisting ball in her gut as deep as possible, she smiled. “Well, Twi, I'd say you're good to go.”
Twilight grinned happily. “This is amazing! I didn't trip or stumble or anything!”
“Heh, what did I say? The dance is still two days away and I have you dancing like a pro. I bet you could even lead if you put your mind to it,” Rainbow said, a little bit of pride slipping into her voice as she remember just how far her student had come.
“I can dance! This is amazing, Rainbow! I can dance!” Twilight hopped from hoof to hoof excitedly, acting more like Pinkie than herself.
Rainbow smiled, and the thoughts bubbling just beneath her exterior reinforced the guilt she felt. “So... uh... listen. There something I have to ask now...”
“Oh...” Twilight's joy stopped dead in its tracks. “Right... I promised I'd tell you who I was going to ask if you managed to teach me in time.”
“Right... that...” Rainbow flinched at the mention of the stallion Twilight was going to ask to the dance. “Listen, you really don't need to. I-”
Twilight shook her head. “No... I need to. I promised.” She took a breath, looked up into Rainbow's eyes, and opened her mouth.
“Wait!” Rainbow shouted suddenly. “Before... before you do, wanna.... umm... do one more dance?”
“Sure!” Twilight answered quickly. “What were you thinking? Anything specific in mind?”
Rainbow breathed a silent sigh of relief, even as the ball of guilt int he pit of her stomach grew, anxiety adding to its mass. “Well... I kinda had something special in mind. Kind of like a graduation present.”
“Present?” Twilight echoed, tilting her head.
“Yeah. Trust me, you'll love it,” Rainbow assured as she offered her hoof like she had so many times over the past week. This time, there was a slight shake to it, which only steadied when Twilight accepted. With a flourish the unicorn was pulled close. This time, however, instead of falling into a traditional closed dancing position, Rainbow's hooves snaked under Twilight's arms and around the unicorn's back.
“Rainbow?”
“Hooves on my shoulders, Twi,” she instructed, spreading her hings wide and offering a confident grin.
Slowly, Twilight nodded and did as commanded. When she was ready, Rainbow gave a final smile, twisted slightly by the guilt she felt, before giving her wings a strong flap. Pushing off with her hind legs, Rainbow brought them both into the air, her wings only slightly strained under the surprisingly light weight of her passenger. Higher and higher they flew, past Rainbow's house, past the clouds dotting the sky, higher and higher until it seemed like the whole of Equestria was laid out beneath them.
“Ready, Twi?” Rainbow asked.
Twilight gasped at the view, gawking at it for a few moments before nodding.
“Let's dance.”
Without wings, Twilight was at Rainbow's mercy as the pegasus guided her around the sky in smooth, elegant patterns, never too fast or too slow and keeping up with a rhythm only she could hear. The wind blew through their manes and the sun shone on their coats as they danced high in the sky. Twilight was speechless, looking between the amazing view below them, and the amazing view in front of her.
Rainbow caught Twilight's look and returned a smile of her own as she increased their pace slightly, adding spins to their gentle pattern in the sky.
“Rainbow....” Twilight whispered breathlessly, still unable to form a proper sentence.
“Twilight I...” Rainbow faltered as her guilt and anxiety rose into her throat, blocking her speech before it had even begun. With a forceful swallow she forced it back down, choosing to stay silent a while longer.
For what felt like hours the two soared through the sky, one safely nestled in the others' hooves as slow loops and gentle rolls were thrown in for a bit off added exhilaration. All through it, Twilight's grin never left her muzzle and laughs would occasionally escape her lips.
Finally, Rainbow stopped, once again hovering above the field where everything had started. “Twi I... I gotta tell you something.”
Twilight sighed, but kept a small smile. “So do I, but you go first.”
Nodding, Rainbow took a breath. “I... I've had a lot of fun over the past week,” her voice cracked as her guilt built, and she mentally groaned. She thought she was ready, she thought she could take it.
“Me too, Dashie,” Twilight agreed.
Rainbow's eyes widened at the nickname, and with a strong fluttering in her stomach, a decision was made. Rainbow leaned forwards and planted a small, almost fearful kiss on Twilight's lips, drawing back almost immediately after. She clenched her eyes shut, turning her head away. “Before you say anything,” she started quickly, “I want you to know that I'm sorry.
“I don't expect you to return my feelings or say yes or anything; I know you have your eye on somepony else. I just... I felt like I needed to let you know. You're amazing, Twilight, and ever since we started hanging out more, even if I was mostly just teaching you how to dance, I realized just how much you meant to me. I woke up every morning looking forward to our lessons, and went to bed every night eager for the next day to start, just so I could see you again.
“Whoever you ask is a really lucky pony to have you, Twi. You're smart and kind and beautiful and funny and just... perfect,” Rainbow paused, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. “I'm just happy to be friends with you, Twilight, and I hope you and whoever you ask have a good time this weekend.”
“Rainbow?” Twilight whispered, voice so low it was nearly inaudible over the gentle wind blowing over them. “Look at me.”
Tentatively, Rainbow did as she was asked, and felt a relief flood her system when she saw that Twilight wasn't mad at her.
“Rainbow I...” Twilight fumbled for words, looking down to the ground below them. “Nopony's ever said anything like that about me. Nopony's ever called me beautiful or.... anything like that and... and I want you to know that I think the same of you.”
“Huh?”
“It's you, Rainbow.” she said slowly, a grin gradually stretching across her muzzle. “I was going to ask you to the dance this weekend.”
Rainbow's jaw fell slack for a few moments of silence. “You mean-”
Twilight lifted her hooves from Rainbow's shoulders and instead wrapped them around the pegasus's neck as she darted forward and pressed their lips together. It was over as quick as it started, leaving both of them in a pregnant silence.
“So...” Twilight shifted awkwardly, glancing down to the ground. “You... uh...”
Rainbow blinked, taking a moment longer before realizing that they were still flying. “Oh right... that. Hold on a sec.” She slowed her wings and started lowering them back to the ground. They're hooves touched down on and the leaped apart from each other, both looking away with matching blushes and bashful smiles.
Eventually, Twilight cleared her throat loudly, bringing Rainbow's eyes back to meet her own. “Want to... um... go to the dance this weekend?”
Rainbow's blush grew in intensity. “Y-yeah... I'd like that.”
“Good... I'm glad,” Twilight said with a smile, one that grew larger by the second as she watched the blush deepen on Rainbow's cheeks. “Really, really glad.”
“Me too, Twi,” Rainbow agreed with a small smile of her own.
Glancing around the empty field, Twilight sighed. “I didn't think it'd be this awkward... especially after you said you liked me too...”
“Honestly? I'm still kinda trying to work through it all,” Rainbow admitted, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. “I mean... I've been trying to ignore these feelings all week because I thought you had your eye on somepony else, and then I find out that it was me all along?”
Twilight giggled. “How could it not be you? I mean... you're you; brave and daring and... beautiful... and just... amazing.”
“Aw, c'mon, Twi; I'm way too cool for all this blushing. Cut it out already.”
“What? I'm serious!” Twilight protested with another laugh, the awkward atmosphere fading from the field, the sun just beginning its decent towards the horizon.
Suddenly, a loud, low grumble ran through the field, and Rainbow chuckled nervously. “Heh... I kinda skipped breakfast this morning; I was a little nervous about telling you.”
Twilight smiled. “Well then, how about some lunch?”
“For real?” Rainbow's ears perked up eagerly. “Sounds great! Let's go!”
Author's Note
Well... after writing a dance portion into a previous fic I couldn't resist the temptation. I don't know all that much about dancing, but I tried my best and I think it turned out decently well.
Oh, and no, I wouldn't just end it like that; the epilogue with the actual dance will be coming soon, I just have to cap it off and edit it. Should be out in a few days.
As always, let me know what you thought!
Dancing for Eggheads
Epilogue; The Dance
“Rainbow Dash!?”
Rainbow rolled her eyes internally at her friend’s surprised gasp. “Hello, Rarity.”
The alabaster unicorn’s jaw was trying its best to hit the polished wooden floor of Town Hall. “W-what are you doing here!?”
“What, I can't have a date to a dance?” Rainbow asked rhetorically, smiling as she spotted Twilight walking over to join them. “Hey, Twi!”
“Rainbow,” Twilight greeted, before noticing the look frozen onto Rarity's face. “Either somepony just ripped a dress or she's surprised to see you at a dance.”
Rainbow chuckled. “Right on the money with the second one, Twi.”
Shaking her head forcefully and snapping her jaw closed with an audible click, rarity took a long drink of the punch floating int he air next to her. “You're telling me you have a date? To a dance? And you didn't tell me!?”
“Jeez Rare's, I don't gotta tell you everything,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “Besides, I'm not the only one with a date; Twi's got one too.”
Twilight giggled, rolling her eyes and elbowing Rainbow playfully. “Come on, Dash; give her a break.”
“What? She started it!”
“You both have dates, and neither of you told me!?” Rarity shouted, a sharp edge of anger cutting into her voice mixed with disappointment. “Well at least tell me who asked you two. Don't keep me in suspense!”
Rainbow sighed, giving a sidelong glance to the lavender unicorn next to her. “What do ya say, Twi, should we introduce her to our dates?”
“Well... she did say she wanted to know...” Twilight giggled again, playing along as she noticed the increasingly impatient look growing on Rarity's face.
The fashionista, shook her head suddenly. “No wait, hold on a second.” She dashed off into the crowd filling the decently sized Town Hall. Music filled the air, just loud enough to be heard of the din of the relatively large crowd. Though the dance portion of the dance hadn't officially started, the lowering lights and music implied it wouldn't be long.
Suddenly Rarity reappeared, bringing with her three other mares. “Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Twilight and Rainbow have some stallions they'd like to introduce us to!”
Twilight shared a glance with rainbow, who shrugged silently. Applejack took a step forward. “Wait, did you say Rainbow Dash? Here? At a... well I'll be! Finally found yerself a partner, huh Dash?”
“That's wonderful news, you two!” Fluttershy agreed eagerly. “I hope they're nice. Did they ask you or did you ask them?”
Pinkie bounced up, wrapping her hooves around both Rainbow and Twilight's necks. “Oh oh oh, can I throw you girls a party to celebrate them? Who are they? Do I know them? Well duh; of course I know them! I know everypony in Ponyville. Who are they?”
With a long look shared between them, Twilight and Rainbow both chuckled as the lights dimmed fully and the music switched over to a slower rhythm for dancing. All around the room, ponies either made their to the middle to dance or the sides to watch.
“Well, Rainbow, shall we go dance with our dates?” Twilight offered.
Rainbow grinned. “I think we should, Twilight.”
Rearing up on her hind legs, Rainbow offered out a hoof and bowed her head slightly. “May I have this dance?”
Giggling, Twilight placed her hoof in Rainbow's. “Of course.”
In a single, fluid motion Rainbow pulled them both onto the dance floor while bringing them into a familiar dancing position as the music started to play. With practices ease the two fell into a gentle dance, catching the shocked looks from their friends out of the corner of their eyes.
“Ah.... did not see that comin',” Applejack admitted, scratching her forehead. “Did anypony else see that comin'?”
Rarity shook her head silently, Fluttershy doing the same with a timid smile. “They seem happy, at least,” she noted, towards them.
“Oh my gosh! I'm gonna need to throw an extra big party now! I'm gonna needs streamers and balloons and cake and punch and cupcakes....” Pinkie disappeared, rambling all the way about the preparations she'd need to make.
Twilight grinned, taking her eyes off her friends and instead focusing on the mare in front of her. “Well, I think they get it now.”
“I should hope so. There's a line between oblivious and just plain blind. You're doing good, by the way.”
“well, I did have the best teacher in Equestria,” Twilight said happily. “But you know... the roof is pretty high in here, and this floor is kinda crowded...”
Rainbow gave a knowing smirk as they adjusted their position. “Say no more, Twi.” Glancing over her shoulder to make sure they were clear, she spread her wings and took them both into the air,
“And here I thought you didn't want ponies knowing you could dance,” Twilight teased.
“With a mare as awesome as you?” Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow as she started guiding them around the relatively limited airspace. “I'd admit to liking frilly dresses before not dancing with my marefriend.”
Not having to do much, Twilight allowed herself to relax, her head falling forward to rest against Rainbow's chest. “You know they're all looking at us, right?”
“Heh, I don't blame 'em. We're pretty awesome.”
Twilight hummed contentedly. “That we are...” she trailed off, enjoying the feeling of gliding slowly around the room in time with the music. She could feel the crowd's eyes on them, but gave them barely a passing thought as she drew her head back, staring deeply into her partner's bright cerise eyes.
Leaning forward, Rainbow met Twilight half way as their lips connected in a kiss, lasting much longer than their previous ones and becoming even deeper as their eyes closed and they stopped moving all together.
Mind lost in the feeling of Twilight's soft lips against her own, Rainbow lowered them both back onto the ground, finally drawing back with a dopey grin as she felt her hooves touch the floor. The ponies around the erupted in cheers and stomped their hoofs, igniting matching blushes on the couple's faces.
Twilight smiled, once again leaning her head against Rainbow as they started dancing on the ground again, taking slow steps in time with the music as the cheering faded and the crowd returned to what they were doing.
Resting her head atop Twilight's, careful to avoid the unicorn's horn, Rainbow sighed happily. “You really are beautiful, Twilight. I'm lucky you chose me.”
Twilight smiled, her eyes sliding shut. “I'm glad you accepted me.”