Chapters “Do you think we can tell them?” asked Rainbow Dash, as the two trotted along to Twilight’s castle. “I mean we’ve all been friends for so long now. What if it ruins what our friendships?" She paused and then added, "Or my reputation!”
Fluttershy patted her hoof against Rainbow's back. “I don’t think it’ll do either of those. But if you want we can keep it a secret.”
“Great!” Rainbow said. “Now all we have to do is not act too intimate when around them. That shouldn’t be too hard!”
Fluttershy rolled her eyes. “Sure,” she said.
They shared a glance before entering into the castle doors.
It was a party. It wasn't a big party but it was a nice little gathering. Applejack and Rarity were sitting in the corner with fruit punch. They sipped it and talked about their respective work. Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie were playing a game of bobbing for apples. Pinkie Pie was pulling apple after apple out of the barrel and tossing them into a basket. Twilight swung the basket wildly with her levitation powers compensate for Pinkie's lackluster aim. Starlight Glimmer and Spike discussed something boring and irrelevant while they watched the game between Pinkie Pie and Twilight. One could guess there were more than a few snide comments. And then there was Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy situated herself on one of the chairs. Her gaze hovered on the other ponies. Rainbow Dash was right next to her. She stared solely at Fluttershy.
Fluttershy gazed back towards Rainbow Dash. Their eyes met one another's. A large red blush flashed across Fluttershy's face and she hid her eyes under her messy bangs. They squirmed in their seats, though Fluttershy had much more subtle motions than Rainbow. Rainbow Dash darted her eyes away. She turned over to Pinkie’s game and watched them play. Some of the Apples tumbled out of the basket and bonked Twilight's horn. Twilight frowned and pushed the apples away with her magic. Spike applauded. Rainbow Dash half-heartedly chuckled. Normally she'd find that hilarious. But at that moment it was a convenient distraction.
Fluttershy leaned into Rainbow Dash and put her mouth by Rainbow's ear. Her long hair caressed Fluttershy's head and lay on Dash's cheek, hiding her. "Um...” she whispered. “What do we do?"
"I don't know," Rainbow muttered.
"I'm not talking about that," she replied. "I mean we're both here and they're over there. Shouldn't be over there with them?"
"Of course we should be!" Rainbow Dash whispered back. "I was lost in thought. That's all."
"Me too...” she whispered. She nuzzled subtly into Rainbow's cheek. Rainbow's face turned bright red and her hooves shook in her seat. She jolted out of her seat and dashed over to Spike and Starlight.
In a flash, Pinkie Pie pulled an apple out of the basket and flicked it with her tail. It launched across the room before landing between Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Pinkie jumped up and followed the trajectory of the apple. She landed right between the two ponies and wrapped her hooves around them. Heya buddies! Wanna join in on the fun!"
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash glazed at each other and back at Pinkie Pie. "Uh sure..." Fluttershy said.
Rainbow rolled her eyes. She placed her hooves against Pinkie's chest using them to push her back. "I was already going to," she said snapping her tail behind her.
Everyone gathered together by Spike and Starlight. Twilight, the last to arrive, ran up to Pinkie with a basket full of apples. Heavy breaths funneled from her mouth as she tumbled the basket down in front of Pinkie. "What was the point of that?" Twilight asked.
"I don't know! It seemed like fun!" Pinkie replied.
Twilight sighed and shook her head. Still there was a satisfied smile planted on her face. Pinkie ignored it and trotted towards the center. "Gather up girls, and Spike, because I planned a very very very fun party!"
"What is the plan this time darling?" Rarity asked.
"I'm glad you asked!" Pinkie Pie exclaim. "Because I have something very SPECIAL planned today," when she uttered the word special she winked towards Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy hid behind her bangs while Rainbow Dash winced.
Rainbow whispered to Fluttershy. "She doesn't know right?"
"Of course she doesn't. How would she know? I haven't told anyone." Fluttershy whispered back.
"Good," Rainbow answered.
"I have a trifecta of games!" Pinkie Pie announced. "I planned them special for a special day like today!"
"Today's special?" asked Applejack. "What's so special about today?"
"My Pinkie sense told me that today would be a very special day!" Pinkie exclaimed.
A bit of laughter could be heard around the room. "If you say so," Applejack answered back.
"Super Duper!" Pinkie cried. "Let's have a six legged race!"
They all observed the spacious confines of the castle party room. While it was big it was still a room. "Are you sure this is big enough?" asked Twilight.
"That's what she said!" Pinkie chimed in.
"And what about wings?" asked Applejack.
"Wings are cheating, we'll have to tie them down." Pinkie announced. "And this castle is perfect. We can set a course through the halls!"
Rainbow Dash huffed when she heard that. "Fine, I guess. Otherwise it'd be too easy."
"Well duh," Applejack answered. "Wings remove the whole point of a six-legged race."
Dash rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
Twilight trotted over to Pinkie and looked over her shoulder. "Are you sure it'd be safe to run around like that in the castle? Someone might get hurt."
Pinkie shook her head. "It'll be fine Twilight! Nothing could possibly go wrong!"
Twilight bit her lip. "Well, I hope you're right."
"Terrific!" cheered Pinkie. "Time to randomly pick teams!" Pinkie spun around and grabbed a bucket filled with many ping-pong sized balls. She pulled them out one at a time while nodding at each one. The others watched along not sure what Pinkie was doing but all the same going along with it. At the end of it all, she held up the eight balls before dumping them into the bucket.
"I got it!" she cried out. She pointed her hooves at Applejack and Rarity. "You two are a team!" The two of them looked at each other before sharing a silent questionable nod. She then pointed to Starlight and Spike. "You two are a team!" Starlight watched her while Spike looked at Pinkie quizzically.
"But how can I do it if I'm a dr-" Spike said. Pinkie cut him off by waving her hooves.
"And you two are a team," she announced pointing to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. The two of them glanced at each other and exchanged worried faces. Rainbow shuffled herself around and fidgeted. Fluttershy tapped her wing against Dashie’s back and subtly stroked it. Pinkie trotted over to Twilight. "And that leaves me and Twilight as the last pair." She beamed and put her hoof around Twilight. Twilight subtly grinned but quickly reverted back to her natural neutral expression. "Any questions?"
"I still don't know how I can participate in a six legged race if I only have two legs," Spike said.
Pinkie blinked and her head tilted around. "That is true," she said to herself. Pinkie tapped her hoof on her chin a couple of times before shrugging. "I don't know. You'll make it work somehow!" she exclaimed. She grabbed a bushel of rope and tossed it around the room like she was throwing confetti. "Grab some rope and let's have fun!"
Rainbow grabbed a couple pieces of the rope in her wings. She lifted them up to show Fluttershy. "I guess we tie ourselves up then?" she asked. Her hoof rubbed up against the back of her head.
Fluttershy extended her hoof out towards Rainbow. "I guess we do," she responded.
Rainbow lined herself up next to Fluttershy. She used her wing to cross the rope against their hooves. It was a messy loose knot but it was a knot. She turned to Fluttershy. "Ok Fluttershy, are you ready to win this thing?"
Fluttershy shrugged. "I'm not sure. I'm more confused than anything."
Rainbow swung her untied hoof forward. "Me too. But I still want to win."
“Of course you do,” she teased. She dragged her wing against Rainbow's back. She giggled but stood tall. Somehow everyone l managed to get themselves prepared, somewhat. Pinkie and Twilight were not ready due to Pinkie. She was busy painting lines into the floor of the castle.
"Yo Pinkie, we're ready!" Rainbow called out.
"Okie Dokie Loki!" Pinkie exclaimed. She gave a couple strands of rope to Twilight. She pushed herself next to Twilight. "If you could do the honor please?~"
Twilight rolled her eyes but smiled. “Sure Pinkie.” She used her magic to bind the rope against their adjoined hooves. Pinkie moved her tied front hoof forward dragging Twilight’s hoof with her. "Perfect!" She cried out.
"Alrighty!" Pinkie announced. "I painted a trail of arrows. Follow the arrows until you get to the end. The first one there wins!" She beamed and swished her tail. "Are you ready?” she paused a second before yelling, “Go!"
The runners were off and it went about as well as one could expect. Applejack galloped while Rarity leisurely trotted. The difference in their speeds caused them to trip over each other.
Spike and Starlight trotted along but didn’t get far due to the difference in their body shapes and sizes. Spike tripped over himself causing Starlight to fall onto the ground as well.
Pinkie Pie hopped along the path. Twilight tried to follow her but her movements were ill timed to the party pony’s. She fell onto the ground as well. However, Pinkie didn’t notice. She continued to hop along causing Twilight to drag behind her.
Rainbow galloped as quickly as she could. Of course this was too fast for Fluttershy and they soon tripped over each other. Rainbow Dash glared back at Fluttershy only to meet her sad face. She winced and quickly hid her own face. “Sorry.”
Pinkie bounced along as the groans in the background piled up. She turned around and noticed the ponies on the ground in a mess. “Oops. Maybe we should play a different game then.”
Twilight picked herself up from the ground. She used Pinkie’s body to get her balance back. “You think?”
Pinkie untied the rope from their hooves. “I got something great in mind! We could play a game that I heard of. Each contestant is in a team of pairs. Someone will ask a question and the designated answerer has to answer what they think their partner would say.”
“Ooh that sounds interesting,” Twilight noted. Her nose crinkled as her eyebrows furrowed. “I wonder how much we know about each other.”
“Probably too much,” Spike snarked.
“We’ve been good friends for a long time, it’s bound to happen” Applejack said.
“Perfect!” Pinkie Pie said. “Let’s do it! We’ll keep the same teams!”
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy narrowed their eyes. “Wait a minute!” Rainbow Dash barked. She stomped her hoof into the ground. “Something here feels off!”
Pinkie squeaked and jumped up and down. “What do you mean? Everything is perfectly normal!”
“Why are all these games team games? With the same teams.” Rainbow asked.
“I don’t get what you’re implying,” Pinkie Pie replied. A bead of sweat poured down her head. “I was thinking it would be fun!”
Rainbow Dash glared at Pinkie pie. She couldn’t help shake the feeling in the back of her head. What if Pinkie knew about her relationship with Fluttershy? Was this some way to get her to let it out? While she knew that she should let it out she was afraid of what would happen if she did so. Her friendships, her reputation, these were the thinks she feared she could lose. But there was nothing more to it than that. She was just nervous about it.
“Sure,” Rainbow said gritting through her teeth.
“Perfect!” Pinkie announced. She bounced up and down. “I’m so excited I could burst! Quickly pick someone to answer the question!”
“If you don’t mind darling I’ll take the question,” Rarity said.
“Sure,” Applejack replied.
Spike and Starlight looked over at each other. “I guess I’ll answer the question,” Spike said.
Fluttershy tapped Rainbow on the shoulder and said, “I can answer the question if you want me to.”
Rainbow shook her head. “No thanks. I got this.”
“Alrighty!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Here's the first question. If you were to get together with your partner in this game, would your partner want to tell the rest of us that you were dating?”
Rainbow Dash bolted out of her seat and tackled Pinkie Pie to the ground. “Pinkie Pie!”
“Huh? What?” Pinkie said with a smile and a chuckle. “What’s wrong Dashie?”
“If you know about it stop trying to hint at it with these vague games!”
Pinkie Pie’s eyes grew wide. She eased out of Dash’s tackle and jumped up and down. “You mean you’re dating someone too! How exciting! We should throw a party for it! It’ll be a special super awesome big party! It’ll be so exciting!”
Rainbow Dash tilted her head. “You mean you didn’t know?” she asked. She then paused for a moment and pawed at the ground. “Wait. What do you mean too?”
Pinkie Pie froze and looked back at Twilight. Twilight sighed and placed her hoof firmly on her forehead. Pinkie shivered. “Nothing!” she squeaked out. She dashed her way out of the room.
Rainbow darted out in front of Pinkie and grabbed her. “Don’t try to escape!”
Pinkie squirmed around more and fidgeted her hooves in every direction. “Are you sure I can’t? Why not?”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“Well somepony doesn’t want me to tell you because they’re worried that a relationship will ruin their very close friendship group that they care very very very much about."
Fluttershy added, “I know someone like that too.”
Rainbow groaned. “I can’t tell if this is all some sick joke or if there’s something else going on here.”
Pinkie shook her head. “It’s not a joke. My jokes are funnier than this.”
Rainbow broke eye contact with Pinkie and let her go.
“Don’t worry, we’ll never think of any of you any differently no matter who you’re dating,” Rarity said in her soothing tone.
“Eeyup,” Applejack added. “In fact. Rarity and I have been thinking about dating ourselves. So you’re not the only one in that position.”
Rarity nudged Applejack on the side. “I thought we agreed to wait until we made a clear decision.”
“I think this is a good time to let them know. Considering what they’re going through,” Applejack replied.
“I guess that helps,” Rainbow Dash said. She flew over to Fluttershy and grabbed her in her wings. She pet her head softly. “I’m dating Fluttershy,” she said, pushing Fluttershy forward. Fluttershy blushed and hid behind her bangs, but it wasn’t enough to hide her smile.
“Wow! Did we all decide to date each other within the span of a week?” Pinkie Pie announced. “That’s so awesome! We should have a party!”
Rarity shook her head. “Technically we haven’t decided yet.”
Twilight sighed. “Sorry girls,” she said. “I guess I got a bit worried about what would happen if you all knew. You’re all so special to me. I didn’t want to lose you so I hid the truth.”
Twilight reached over to them and put her hooves around Pinkie. “But I should have just let you all know after all.”
Pinkie responded by giving a big lick up Twilight’s cheek. This made Twilight smile, the two of them pulled each other closer.
Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, I guess we all could have saved the worry.”
“Did you all really think that would change anything?” Pinkie asked. “We’re best friends. And we’ll be the bestest of best friends forever! Even if we’re all doing each other!”
“Pinkie!” Twilight shouted as she nudged her side.
The girls all laughed along, warm with the thoughts that nothing could change their friendship.
Rainbow Dash knocked hesitantly at the door of Fluttershy's house. It was the middle of evening and she had finished her weather shift and her daily practice. Sweat coated her body.
Fluttershy opened up the door and smiled as she saw Rainbow Dash standing there. She leaned in towards her and gave her a small peck on the cheek. "It's nice to see you again Dashie."
Dash blushed and turned her head the other way. A giddy smile creaked on her face. "Eh, it's nice to see you too," Rainbow Dash replied. Her legs wobbled as she stood in front of Fluttershy. Her eyes darted around the empty living room. A solitary lamp lit in the corner. Her animals including the devious Angel Bunny were not present. "Can I uh… come in?"
Fluttershy nodded and stepped to the side to allow Rainbow to come in. She inched a hoof into the room, carefully looking around as she did so. Once she was inside Fluttershy closed the door behind her. Rainbow jumped in place.
Fluttershy's eyebrow raised as she noticed Rainbow's jumpiness. She curled up into her and rested one of her hooves on top of Rainbow Dash's head. She coasted it down her head, patting at it.
Rainbow Dash gazed at her friend. Her heart raced. Her hooves fidgeted. She pulled her body back away from Fluttershy. She tried to conceal the large blush that took over her face. The two of them exchanged glances. Rainbow took a couple of steps back. “Is something wrong?" Fluttershy asked.
Rainbow cast her gaze to the ground herself. She lifted herself up with her wings and glided towards the couch. She sat down on it, easing her body into the soft plush. "No there's nothing wrong," she said. Her hooves pressed into her lap and she stared down at them.
Fluttershy eyed the quiet room. It was just the two of them. Her limbs started to shiver and her breathing rate increased. She creeped to the couch as well. Soft hoofsteps creaked against the ground.
She sat down on the other end of the couch leaving air to fill the void between the two ponies. It was almost as if they tried to take as little room as possible. Rainbow turned her head to Fluttershy. She grabbed one of her own wings and rubbed it with her hooves.
Fluttershy responded by playing with one of the pillows. Her body leaned forward into it and she embraced it tightly with her hooves.
Three minutes passed. Rainbow sighed and mumbled to herself, "Is the whole night going to be like this?" Her hoof fidgeted against the couch edge.
Fluttershy’s hid her head by curling it into the couch. "What do you mean?" she whimpered.
Rainbow's whole body shivered. She hesitantly dragged herself across the couch until she was right next to Fluttershy. She put her hoof on Fluttershy's head like Fluttershy had done earlier. She softly patted her head. Messy pets cascaded down Fluttershy's head. Often they accidentally dug into Fluttershy's head rather than dragging down it. This was enough to get Fluttershy to look up.
Rainbow's other hoof gripped the edge of the couch. Her wings curled up around herself. "Nothing," she said. Slowly she scooted away to the other side of the couch. But this time Fluttershy grabbed her with one of her wings and pulled her back.
Rainbow squeaked but did not fight it. "Please tell me," Fluttershy whimpered.
Rainbow sighed and stared at the ground. "I'm a bit nervous," Rainbow Dash admitted. Her hooves kicked out in front of her. She pushed her body back into the couch.
"I guess that's natural," Fluttershy said. "I'm nervous too." She smiled and curled her head into Rainbow.
Rainbow nodded. "Yeah." Silence filled the room. An eerie haunting surrounded the two of them. The dim light offered only enough light to showcase them. Yet Rainbow made sure to look anywhere but at Fluttershy.
Minutes passed. Finally she blurted out, "Let's just do it already!"
Fluttershy popped up her head up. She stared at Rainbow Dash with her mouth agape. Slowly she mustered a response. "Do it?"
"You know, that thing that ponies always do on first dates! The thing my friends back in flight school would brag about that they got to do every night. You know that thing!"
Fluttershy broke into laughter and thumped a hoof against an armrest. She patted Rainbow on her leg. "Is that why you're worried?"
Rainbow shivered and nodded.
Fluttershy pat her hooves on Dash's back. "I thought that happened in the third or fourth date at the earliest," she explained.
"No way!" Rainbow Dash replied. "My friends said it always happened on the first date!"
Fluttershy blinked and tilted her head. "Really? It's hard to imagine those ponies doing it that much." She turned to Rainbow. "Did you do it on the first date too?"
Rainbow sunk into the space between the cushions couch. "I... never went on a date before."
Fluttershy blinked. "You hadn't? I thought you had. Weren’t you and Gilda together back at flight school?"
"Gilda was my friend," Rainbow answered. "It's just like the rumors of us back in flight school. I never had anything with anypony! The stupid rumor mill likes to make things up."
Fluttershy grabbed Rainbow with her wing. She pulled her even closer and wrapped her body around hers. "Don't worry. We're in this together."
"Right!" Rainbow answered back. She rested her head into Fluttershy's. "I guess we should wait then."
Fluttershy nodded. “Probably…”
The two of them kept their embrace for the rest of the night. However, both of their minds were filled with questions. Questions of what they should be doing.
It was a relaxing day at the spa. Fluttershy and Rarity were in one of the hot tubs relaxing as the jets propelled against their backs. Rarity sighed as she leaned up against the jets letting them massage her aching back muscles. Fluttershy, however, sat in the edge of the pool and stared into the water. "Rarity?" she murmured.
"What is it darling?"
Fluttershy swished her tail in the water. "You remember that Rainbow and I started dating right?"
"Of course I remember! You told us at the party and everything. That was quite an interesting experience."
Fluttershy blushed. She dipped into the hot water, hiding as much of her face as she could. "Well, what do you actually do on a date? I read lots of books but..."
"Rainbow Dash doesn’t seem to be much of a prince?" she asked.
Fluttershy blinked and shook her head. "No Rainbow Dash is great."
"Don’t get me wrong. Rainbow is a wonderful friend and we all do love her so very much, but let's not kid ourselves, she's not what you'd expect from a lover."
Fluttershy placed one hoof against the side of the tub. She raised her voice and stated, "I know that and I love her all the same. But that's not the issue. It's that the only experience I'd had with relationships are from books."
Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Romance novels?"
Fluttershy nodded.
"Darling, that's the same thing as no experience. Do not under any circumstances think that those books portray the truth of the beauty that is love. Each couple works in their own special little ways. Do not expect her to sweep you off your hooves with the most handsome and kind thoughtful gestures one could imagine. This is Rainbow Dash after all."
Fluttershy whimpered. "Yeah I know."
Out of the corner of her eye Rarity could see Fluttershy sinking into the tub. She reached in and pulled Fluttershy back up. "I'm sorry, that was quite rude of me," Rarity corrected herself. "I do not mean to besmirch the good name of Rainbow Dash, but please do not hold her up to the standards of those books you read."
"I wasn't trying to." Fluttershy paused. "I wanted to ask for help. Rainbow Dash is fine. What isn’t fine is that I feel like I have no idea what I should do."
"Help?" asked Rarity.
"Yes..." Fluttershy said.
"Well then," Rarity said. She wrapped her arm around Fluttershy. "Then don't you fret dear. I will give you the best advice I can think of!"
"Yay," Fluttershy whispered. Her ears perked up.
"Now first thing first, love is a special bond that you get to share with the one most dear to you. Remember to always love them as much as you can. Remember why you came to love them in the first place. Never lose track of that love if you can help it."
"I'll try not to."
"Now what was it specifically that you needed help with?"
"Well," Fluttershy started. She shuffled her hooves under the water. "Yesterday we met up at my place..."
Rarity's eyes lit up and sparkled. She leaned into her friend and drew her even nearer. There was very little distance between the two ponies. "And how did it go?"
"Not so well," Fluttershy sighed.
"Oh," Rarity remarked. "What happened darling?"
"Nothing..."
Rarity tilted her head and put her hoof around Fluttershy rubbing her back. "Don't worry darling, you can say it to me. I am here to listen."
"I mean literally nothing happened," Fluttershy remarked her voice growing in volume and sharpening in tone. "Neither of us have any clue what to do. Rainbow Dash seemed to be nervous the whole time. She also seemed to be under the idea that we were going to do it on the first date."
Rarity rolled her eyes. "How did she get a ridiculous idea like that?"
"I don't know," Fluttershy said. "You should ask one of her high school friends, they'd probably know."
"Noted."
Fluttershy sighed and sunk into the relaxing pool. "I'm not sure what I expected. I hear so much about love and I'm glad to finally have someone who loves me. Someone I love. But we have no idea what to do. It doesn't feel like a relationship. It feels more like stress." She flopped her head against the side of the tub. "I want to have a relationship."
Rarity patted Fluttershy's head. "And you do darling. You really do. Don't worry it'll get better with time. If you want something to happen you can be the one to make that change."
Fluttershy blinked twice. "Do you really think I can do it?"
"Of course you can," Rarity replied. "Rainbow Dash loves you and I'm sure she would like to go along with you in your romantic endeavors. Why not give it a try? Were you waiting for Rainbow Dash to do something that whole time?"
Fluttershy whimpered. "Well the princes in those novels always seem to-"
"As I said earlier, Rainbow Dash is not a prince," Rarity interrupted. "And from what it sounds like she doesn't know what she's doing either. Why not help her out?"
"I guess I could do that. Do you have any ideas of what to do?"
Rarity's eyes lit up. "Of course I do!" she chittered. The fashionista proceeded to supply many different ideas for Fluttershy. The amount was so numerous that by the end of it Fluttershy was fed up with hearing about romantic overtures.
______
Rainbow Dash camped herself out in front of Carousel Boutique. Unlike the other pony that situated itself out on the porch steps she was not there to buy clothes. Rainbow Dash buy clothes? As if! Rather she was there to meet with the maker of the clothes. "It's been thirty minutes already,” she groaned. “Where could she be?"
The other pony shrugged but Dash flicked her tail back at him. "Argh! I don't want to wait here forever," she pouted. "Rarity better get here soon."
As she said that Rarity trotted up to the boutique with her head held high. "Hmm I didn't expect to have any ponies waiting," she said. "I thought I put up a sign that said the store is closed.”
The other pony noticed the sign. "Ooh." He sulked away with his head lower than the dirt itself.
Rarity eyed the other pony. She felt bad for him as he sulked off. Meanwhile Rainbow Dash jumped in front of her. She dug her hooves into the ground and flicked her tail defiantly. "Rarity! I need your help."
Rarity chuckled to herself. Considering her earlier conversation she already knew what it was. But she rather have Rainbow explain it herself. "What is it darling?" she asked.
"Well let's say I had a friend," Rainbow Dash said. Rarity nodded along. "And let's say this friend recently got into a relationship and they had never been in a relationship before. They don't know what to do now that they were in one. What should I tell my friend to do?"
Rarity rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe that Rainbow Dash went for the ‘it's for my friend’ type of hook. This would likely be much harder than Fluttershy. "Well it depends on what this friend is looking for. Do you happen to know what your FRIEND wants help on?"
"She wants to know what to do on a date! How to be romantic."
"And has she learned anything before?" Rarity asked.
Rainbow shook her head. "She's very new to this. Even though she was super popular in school she never went out with anyone. She didn't care about romance so she never listened to what others said about it. Now that she's in a relationship she's worried about messing it up for her partner."
Rarity grinned and patted Rainbow's back. "That is quite noble of you Rainbow Dash." she said. "You want to learn how to be romantic?"
"My friend does!" Rainbow shot out. "I'm totally fine with it. I may not seem like one but I am a natural charmer." she paused before adding, "and I've had lots of dates before and did it many times."
Rarity blinked and placed her hoof onto her head, digging her face into it. "Very well darling. That is quite noble of your friend. Now let's see. To be romantic is to fulfill your partner’s desires. To set an intimate mood where the two of you can bond and share yourselves with each other. A night that will etch into your hearts forever."
"How do I do that?"
"Well how about something simple? Like a romantic dinner. A dinner date is a staple in romance. Tell your friend to take their loved one and set them up a nice dinner. It doesn't have to be anything too complex, make it something your friend will enjoy. Tell her all the heartfelt things that you feel about her. Give her flowers or something sweet, something that she'll enjoy. You know Fluttershy well Rainbow. I'm sure you could think of something that would make her feel happy."
Rainbow crossed her hooves in front of her body. "I don't know. That sounds really sappy."
"Well of course, it's sappy," Rarity replied. "Romance is sappy. And while I prefer not to be too sappy at least a little sap is necessary for a proper romance."
Rainbow Dash huffed and her tail flicked behind her. "Well I'd rather it not be sappy."
"Yes I'm sure you don't. But why don't you give it a try and see how it goes? If it really is that bad surely you won't ever have to do it again. It would be a nice starting point. No one is saying for you to give up yourself. Try out things and see what two like."
“Yeah you’re right," Rainbow Dash stated. She shuffled in place and swayed from side to side. “I guess I should try that.”
Rarity beamed. “Well I’m glad you understand Rainbow. I hope it goes well for you and Fluttershy.”
“Thanks,” Rainbow said before pausing and adding. “I said I was asking this for a friend."
Without further comment she zoomed away from Rarity. Rarity watched as she left and put a hoof on her chin. "I certainly do hope my advice got through to her. That Rainbow Dash can be stubborn as a mule sometimes. Although not quite as stubborn as Applejack."
Rainbow Dash inched her way over to the door to Fluttershy's humble abode. The words of Rarity were sharply on her mind. She wanted to make Fluttershy happy and share something special with her but she wasn't sure how to do it. Rarity said to be sappy and romantic but Rainbow Dash didn't know how to be either of those things. She had never tried to and she wasn't sure how she was going to be able to try to. How would she even start?
She felt bad to go to Fluttershy's empty hoofed and empty ideaed. Still she wanted to see the mare that she cared for so much. So she inched over to the door of Fluttershy's cottage. She peered over one of the windows to see a dark room. Only two candles were perched inside giving Rainbow Dash a very limited view. There seemed to be some movement inside. The lack of a strong light source made it so that Rainbow Dash couldn't make Fluttershy out. Solemnly she went over to the door and knocked on it lightly with her hoof.
There was no answer. Maybe she had knocked on it too lightly? Rainbow Dash put her hoof up to the door and barreled it into the door. She could hear hurried shuffling from the inside. The door swung open and there was Fluttershy standing with an apron on. "Oh, sorry about that. I was getting everything ready," Fluttershy noted.
Rainbow Dash’s vision glazed at the apron that Fluttershy was wearing. It wasn't anything special. Actually it was just a plain white apron with a pink heart in the center. Still it was enough to make Rainbow’s nose bleed. Her mouth opened agape. "Getting everything ready?" she asked. She started to stammer and her tail curled itself around her leg. Had she forgotten something? It hadn’t been a week and she had already forgotten something important. She hoped it wasn't anything too major that she forgot about. She couldn't even remember anything like that though.
Fluttershy nodded. She grabbed Rainbow with her hooves and pushed her towards her body. The rainbow haired mare responded with a big blush on her face. "Do you remember when you said I needed to be more assertive?" she asked.
Rainbow froze in her hooves. "That was a long time ago!" She shouted. "Don't bring up things I said that far back! It's cheating!"
Fluttershy shook her head. "Rainbow, I'm not mad."
"Oh cool!" Rainbow responded. Her shoulders eased. "But why are you bringing it up?"
Fluttershy smiled and looked at Rainbow Dash. She gazed at her sleek cerulean body. She eyed her rainbow mane and sniffed in the smell of the active pony’s musk. She wrapped her hooves around her back and felt the softness of Rainbow's fur. She leaned in to her and placed her head by Rainbow's. Rainbow blushed and stared back at her lover. Then in a quick motion Fluttershy lowered her head to Rainbow's and placed her lips on Rainbow's. She kissed her with all her might. Rainbow sunk into the careful kiss of Fluttershy. Her lips met the other Pegasus's. She returned the kiss with her own lips.
Fluttershy finally broke away. She looked back at Rainbow Dash. She grabbed a strand of her hair and twirled it around her hoof. "It's because I love you Dashie," she said. "And it's clear neither of us know what we're doing."
"Yeah so?" Rainbow Dash. She kept her eyes peering away.
"So if I have to be the one who get us started than I will." She leaned back into Rainbow and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Her tail wrapped around Rainbow Dash’s body.
Rainbow’s hooves relaxed into Fluttershy. Her eyes closed and she rested there for a couple seconds before she forced herself out of Fluttershy's arms. She flipped herself onto the ground. She stood there and eyed Fluttershy. "Now wait a minute!" she said. "I can initiate stuff too!"
Fluttershy smiled. "I look forward to it," she said as she leaned down and nuzzled Rainbow's cheek.
Rainbow Dash huffed and curled into her partner. She twitched one of her back hooves against the ground and looked up at Fluttershy. "What if I show you now?" she asked.
Fluttershy pet her hoof through Rainbow Dash's mane. "Sure,” she said. “I just have to be careful about the soup, it’s still shimmering in the kitchen. What do you have in mind?”
Rainbow Dash blinked and kicked at the ground idly. “Well I uh... I didn’t think of that part yet,” she admitted.
Fluttershy grabbed Rainbow tightly. “You don’t need to push yourself you know.”
Rainbow huffed. “Yeah I know.” she replied as she slumped in her place.
Fluttershy tilted her head. She flew Rainbow over to the couch and laid her down on it. She patted Rainbow Dash’s head with her hoof and snuggled her muzzle into Rainbow’s cheek. “Relax while I get everything ready.” Fluttershy cooed.
Rainbow lifted her head up and stared over into the kitchen. “I could help if you want me to.”
“Everything is almost ready but sure if you’d like to.” She looked away and pawed her front hoof at the ground as she talked.
“Why wouldn’t I want to help?” Rainbow said. She jumped off the couch, her eyes scanned the room. “What do you want me to do?”
Fluttershy craned her head to look towards her dining room. “Well I wasn’t able to set up the table yet. Do you think you can set it up for me?”
“Sure.” She then darted her head around. “How do I set it up though?”
“There’s a tablecloth I borrowed from Rarity that’s sitting on it. I also have some silverware in the counter. That should be all I think.”
“Got it!” Rainbow dashed over to the dining room. It was a pretty small room caked with dust on some of the built in cabinets. There were a couple of candles surrounding the room adding dim light. She scurried to find the floral tablecloth folded neatly on the table. She grabbed it and dragged it across the table. The cloth dropped askew. She smoothed it out a couple times with her hoof before she flied back into the kitchen.
In the kitchen Fluttershy churned the pot with a large wooden spoon. The tomato basil soup swirled against it. Her head was looking down straight into the pot as she stirred. Rainbow could smell the sweet aroma of tomato. She flew over to the pot and lifted her head up above it, browsing down into it.
“Does it smell good?” Fluttershy asked.
“It smells awesome!” Rainbow remarked. “I can’t wait!” Rainbow then grabbed the silverware out from the cabinet and darted over to the table. Fluttershy smiled and went back to her cooking.
She waited a minute before determining the soup done. Fluttershy turned the burner off and poured the soup into two bowls that she laid out on the counter. She took the two bowls into her hooves and flew over to the dinner table. The tablecloth was disheveled across the table. The silverware placed by the two chairs were in completely different orders. Rainbow was sitting in one of the chairs. She leaned back and caused the front legs of the chair to lift up into the air. The back of the chair went up against the wall. Fluttershy grinned and placed one of the bowls down in front of Rainbow Dash. She put the other in front of herself before sitting down in her own chair. “I hope you enjoy it.”
Rainbow Dash smiled and snapped her chair back. “Well you cooked it so of course I’ll enjoy it.” Fluttershy blushed from the comment. Her eyes fixated on the rainbow pony and her bowl. Rainbow put her lips to the bowl and tasted the soup that she had hoof crafted. Fluttershy eagerly waited to see Rainbow's reaction.
Rainbow tipped the bowl down towards her mouth and sipped at the sweet taste of the tomato basil soup. The hot liquid poured into her mouth and filled it with its sweet elixir. It funneled down her throat and into her belly filling her up with warmth. She slammed the bowl down onto the table with a long bang. “It’s really good Fluttershy!”
Fluttershy’s shoulders and body eased back into the chair. Her smile returned. “I’m glad you liked it.” She then took the soup and put it up to her own lips. She sipped the scolding hot liquid. It poured into her mouth and burnt her tongue. She squeaked and jumped up in the air. “Hot!” she cried out. She slammed the bowl down and tried to air out her tongue by flailing her hooves in front of her mouth. She panted with her tongue out.
Rainbow started laughing at that and flew up next to her. She put her wing around Fluttershy's body and grinned. “Come on Shy it’s not that hot.”
Fluttershy huffed and crossed her hooves. Her lips pouted out of her mouth. “It seemed pretty hot to me.”
“Maybe that's because you’re hot,” Rainbow answered.
“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked before blushing bright red. “Rainbow Dash!” she stammered. She buried her head into Rainbow’s chest, who then rubbed it gently with her wing.
“What? It’s true!” Rainbow replied.
Fluttershy dug deeper into Rainbow’s fur. “That was a cheap shot.”
“Don’t be so grumpy,” Rainbow replied. She pet her head. “You know that line was as awesome as you are!”
“Stop it!” Fluttershy whined. Her face turned a bright red, as if that was possible. She sniffled and nuzzled her head deep into Rainbow’s chest. She gripped her tightly and embraced her.
“Fine,” Rainbow pouted. She grabbed Fluttershy in her arms and gently placed her down onto the ground. She held her tight with her wings. Meanwhile she took her bowl of soup and drank more of it.
Fluttershy watched Rainbow as she swayed in rhythm with Dash’s munching. Her tail swished behind her. She shuffled back and forth in Rainbow’s arms. “Are you sure the soup isn’t too hot for you?” she asked.
“Of course not!” Rainbow replied. “It’s fine. Have some yourself.” She lowered the soup bowl down to Fluttershy’s head. Fluttershy sniffed at the bowl of tomato soup. The aroma was still a wonderfully crafted sweet tomato smell. Hesitantly she leaned into the bowl and stuck her tongue out towards the broth. She licked it at a couple of times. Tiny bits of tomato broth reached across her taste buds. She felt the heat from the soup still course through her tongue and her body. She recoiled back from it and panted out onto Rainbow’s hoof.
“Sorry. It’s still too hot for me.”
Rainbow Dash cocked her head to the side. “Didn’t you try it out when you were cooking it?”
Fluttershy shook her head. “I forgot to,” she said. “I was too busy with you coming over earlier that I forgot that I needed to try it out. And when you were here I was too focused on…” she paused and stared down at Rainbow’s legs. “Well thinking about you... I probably over cooked it because of that. I’m sorry.”
Rainbow Dash pulled Fluttershy close to her. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “It’s delicious!” She grabbed the bowl and scarfed it down her mouth.
Some of the tomato soup dripped from the bowl. It tumbled down the edge and landed on Fluttershy’s head below it. Fluttershy whimpered and lifted up her hooves to block the liquid from pouring onto her head. She leaned back into Rainbow. “Uh Rainbow...”
Rainbow blinked and held the bowl up. She stopped her drinking. “Yeah what is it?” she asked.
“You’re spilling the soup onto me.”
“Oh!” Rainbow said. She grabbed the bowl and placed it back on the table. Then her eyes glazed over the table. She scanned for napkins, and realized there were none there. “I’ll get you something!” Rainbow said as she dashed out of the room. Fluttershy leaned forward against the table, using that to support herself now that Rainbow left.
Rainbow Dash soon came in with a bunch of napkins. She quickly patted the napkins on her head and on the tips of her hooves. Once done she threw the napkin aside. “Is that better?” she asked.
Fluttershy smiled. “Yes thank you.” She looked over at the chair she used to be sitting in. She inched over towards it but before she could get there Rainbow cruised over to Fluttershy’s chair. She pulled it out and lifted it over to Fluttershy and snuck it back under her. “There you go,” she said.
Fluttershy leaned back into the chair and eyed Rainbow Dash. She nuzzled Dash’s side. “Thanks Dashie.”
“Don’t mention it!” Rainbow nudged Fluttershy’s soup to her with her wing. Rainbow picked her own soup up and flew back to her chair. She sipped down on the soup and looked over at Fluttershy. Fluttershy traced her hoof around the rim of the bowl. Rainbow leaned in and watched her. She sipped and sipped until the soup was all gone. “Are you going to drink it?”
Fluttershy nodded. “Yes I am... I’m just waiting for it to cool down.”
“Alright then.” She slipped back into her chair. She leaned back into the chair and pushed it back into the air.
Fluttershy smiled as she watched Rainbow do that. “Wow. Even with this romantic atmosphere, you’re still messing around,” she commented.
Rainbow's eyes grew like a deer’s in highlights. She rammed her chair forward. Her belly pressed against the table and squeaked out in pain. She winced and leaned over the table. “Is that bad?”
Fluttershy chuckled and shook her head. “Not at all. I find it funny,” She flew towards Rainbow. She leaned over into Rainbow Dash. “Honestly it’s kind of cute.”
“It is?” Rainbow squeaked.
“Yeah… it is,” Fluttershy said. She nuzzled into Rainbow's shoulder. “You’re always cute. And awesome.”
Rainbow smirked. She pushed herself off the table and sit straight in her chair. Her head lifted itself high. “Well I like to hear that!”
Fluttershy curled into Rainbow. “Do you think we could go into my bedroom?”
Rainbow squealed and turned redder than red paint. Her hooves fidgeted and her legs kicked around. “You want to do it?” she squeaked out loudly. Her eyes darted away and shivered.
Fluttershy started laughing. She patted Rainbow’s head while shaking her head. “No Rainbow. I just want to cuddle.”
“Oh,” Rainbow said. She relaxed back into the chair and her hooves stopped fidgeting. “Oh ok. I guess that’s better.”
Fluttershy winked to her. “Besides we can do it when you’re ready.”
“But I am ready!” Rainbow spat out.
Fluttershy pet her head. “Oh Rainbow. Next time,” she kissed Rainbow on her cheek and grabbed her in her hooves. “Come.”
Rainbow nodded and flew behind Fluttershy. Fluttershy flew up the stairs and made her way over to her room. When she got there she placed Rainbow down onto the bed. Rainbow kicked at the blankets and lifted them up. Fluttershy peered into the opening. She floated into the blankets and rested her head onto Rainbow’s chest.
Rainbow noticed Fluttershy reached into her. Red was now the color of their faces. She took a pillow and put it under her head. She then used her hooves to push Fluttershy back into her. She let her lay down on her body. There was no space between them and there was no difference between the two of them. They could feel the warmth cross their bodies and flow into each other. This warmth warmed their hearts. Fluttershy’s tail wrapped around Rainbow’s legs. She pushed her closer.
Fluttershy wrapped her arms around Rainbow as well. They shared their embrace with each other. There they rested peacefully, not moving an inch. Rainbow held Fluttershy tightly towards her and nuzzled her head up against Fluttershy’s. Fluttershy responded by nuzzling her back. The two of them ogled at each other and wore the biggest grins. The room was peaceful and quiet. They didn’t say a word but continued to embrace each other.
“You know,” Rainbow said. “I was sorta nervous about this whole thing.”
Fluttershy nuzzled deep into Rainbow’s side. “Yeah... me too.”
“But this is nice.”
“Really nice.”
“Can we continue doing this?”
“Sure, Rainbow. We can do whatever we want.”
And that night they slept better than they ever had before. They slept filled with love.
Author's Note
Wow! That was tough to write. x3 I haven't written many romance stories so it was certainly a new experience for me. I hope it came out good and that you all enjoyed it. I look forward to reading comments from all of you all. Thanks for reading! :3
-Fir
“Do you ever want to tell someone something so bad but you worry what they’ll say?” asked Fluttershy. She sat on the ground overlooking a lake. There were many stars in the night sky, but the one that shone the brightest was the one sitting next to her. One Rainbow Dash.
“Well sorta, maybe.” Rainbow Dash replied. “Do you?”
Fluttershy nodded. “Yeah,” she whispered. “But I get so scared. I worry about all the bad things that could happen. I sometimes fear the worst. Sometimes I don’t think it could be true.”
“What couldn’t be true?”
Fluttershy shivered and brought her head down. “It’s nothing. Just forget that I said that.”
Rainbow blinked. “If you want me to,” she said. “But it’s not like anything too bad could happen. Sometimes you got to let it out. I wouldn’t change how I feel about you, if that helps.”
Thanks, Rainbow Dash.” She paused and kicked her hooves idly against the ground. “But I don’t know if I’m ready to say it.”
“Alright. But I’ll be here to support you when you want to.”
Fluttershy smiled and patted Rainbow on her back. “What about you? Was there something that you’ve kept in that you wanted to share? I’ll listen like, I always do. I’m good at listening.”
Rainbow responded with a blush. Her hooves fiddled around with each other. “I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
Rainbow sighed and her ears drooped. “Because I’m scared. There's a lot on the line. I don’t know if I can handle the answer.”
Fluttershy sighed. “I know what you mean. But maybe its better doing that than worrying over it. I’m sick of the worry.”
“Me too,” Rainbow said. “How about this? I’ll tell you what I want to say and then you tell me what you want to say. Then we’re both putting ourselves on the line. Maybe it’ll help.”
Fluttershy blushed and nodded. “That seems fine to me, I guess...”
Rainbow sent her eyes on a search party. She gazed at the star lit sky. She searched for anyone that could be nearby. There was no one. She looked around for any reason that she could use to prolong her statement. Her heart was fluttering. Her hooves were fidgeting. Her tail burrowed into the ground. She coughed into her throat and she gazed up at Fluttershy and bluntly stated. “I love you.”
Fluttershy jolted up into the sky. “Really?” she cried out. A light from a house in the distance shone. Rainbow winced. She flew up to grab Fluttershy and flew her down to the ground.
“Not so loud,” she whimpered. “I don’t want everyone to know.”
Fluttershy tilted her head. “What if I loved you too?” She shifted her eyes towards the ground struggling to meet eye contact.
“Then that’d be perfect,” Rainbow said. She gaped at Fluttershy and then tilted her head as well. “Wait. Are you saying?”
Fluttershy nodded and pushed herself closer to Rainbow Dash’s body. She nuzzled her softly on her cheek. ”I love you Rainbow Dash. That’s what I wanted to say.”
Rainbow smiled and embraced Fluttershy in a big hug. Fluttershy returned the hug and smile, this was the night they finally got together.
