Formula Fangirl

Twilight never intended for this to happen. She had planned a nice, relaxing day free of any princess appointments. The only visitor she had scheduled was her friend Rainbow Dash, and as Princess of Friendship, Twilight had decided long ago that she would always make time for her friends.

This was the one time that Twilight wished she could've broken that oath.

It started out simply enough. There was a knock on the large, crystallized palace door. Twilight, knowing better than to answer it directly, decided that it would be better to open it from afar, utilizing her magic. As she had expected, Rainbow Dash flew at top speed into the palace. She crashed into a tall crystal pillar farther down the hall.

"Hello, Rainbow." Twilight called. "You wanted to see me?"

There was silence for a moment before Rainbow's head popped out from underneath the rubble. "Hey, Twi!" She shouted from across the room. "How are you today?"

Twilight chuckled softly as she said, "I'd be a lot better if you wouldn't break something every time you come to visit."

"Sorry," Rainbow cried. Then, she unexpectedly shot upward out of the rubble. Just as she was about to hit the ceiling, she did a nosedive for the floor. Just as she was about to hit the floor, she leveled herself so that she was flying right at Twilight.

Twilight barely had time to jump upwards as Rainbow shot like a cannon towards the door.

"Ooooohh." Twi winced as she looked onward at the rainbow-maned mare, whose pelt and hair were now ragged from the crash. "I'll start a bath for you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Thanks for the bath, Twi," Rainbow said.

"No problem, Rainbow," Twilight replied. She cut off the bathwater and allowed her friend to hop inside. "So, why'd you come here, anyway?"

"Oh, I just wanted to ask if you saw the new Daring Do movie yet." Rainbow had instantly perked at the question.

"Oh. Is that it?" Twilight was trying her best to hide her disappointment. "No, I haven't gotten around to it yet. Why, is it any good?"

"It's better than any good," Rainbow exclaimed. She shot into the air, sending water and soap flying everywhere. She quickly retreated back to the tub, leaving Twilight sopping wet and covered in suds. "Oops, my bad."

Twilight gave her a death glare, but then quickly made it vanish. "No problem. Nothing a heat spell won't fix." She cast a warm glare from her horn, and instantly, the water around her began to disappear, leaving her just as dry as before. "Please, continue your summary."

"It was incredible! They even managed to get A.K. Yearling herself to write the script AND play Daring. The effects were really good, too. I had a real fangirl moment just watching it, you know?"

That was it. The one sentence that would change the course of Twilight's life forever.

"No, I don't know," Twilight said. "What's a fangirl moment?" She had a look of pure confusion on her face.

"Oh, come on, Twi," Rainbow guffawed. "Surely you've felt one before."

"Maybe I have and I just don't know the name," Twilight thought hopefully to herself. "Describe it for me," she said aloud to Rainbow.

"Well, it's kind of hard to explain. I've heard that it's different for everypony, but for me, it's something along the lines of this."

"Yes, go on." Twilight had teleported away to her lab and retrieved some scrolls and quills to document her findings. "I'm ready now."

Rainbow looked at Twilight in awe for a few moments before realizing who it was she was talking to. "Well, first, you get really excited about something, usually something that you see or hear."

"So, this emotion is perceptible to the senses," Twilight muttered. "That in itself is valuable intel. What happens next?"

"After that, you get so excited and worked up that you get kind of sick to your stomach. But it's a good kind of sick."

"And... you like feeling sick like this?" Now Twilight was especially confused.

"Like I said, it's hard to explain. Anyway, the feeling only lasts a few moments, but it's a very memorable event. I usually don't forget a single one of these moments for a few weeks."

Twilight was scribbling away. She suddenly stopped, looked Rainbow dead in the eye, and asked, "Why is it called a fangirl moment? Why not a fanboy? Are mares the only ponies effected by this emotion?"

"Huh," Rainbow said. "I... don't actually know. I doubt that boys don't ever feel it, but maybe mares just experience it more often?"

"Maybe..." Twilight said doubtfully. "But why? I have to run more tests."

"Tests? Twilight, I hope you aren't planning something crazy," Rainbow remarked nervously.

"Oh, this isn't crazy." Twilight pulled a thick book from underneath the tub.

"You keep a reference guide to the scientific method... in your bathroom?" Rainbow questioned.

"Of course," Twilight said. "Who doesn't?"

"Um, actually..." Rainbow didn't get the chance to finish.

"The first step in the scientific method is to Find a Question. My question is this: What Causes A Fangirl Moment?" Twilight said triumphantly. "I need to get started right away!"

She galloped out of the bathroom, leaving a confused Rainbow Dash alone in the bathtub.