Via Prisma

   Up until that point, it had remained unspoken. It hadn't been around long at all, but it had certainly been there, with a pulse - real, for both of them. And Rarity knew it was both of them. She could see it in her eyes.

   Up until that point, they were at the party in the library. It wasn't a common occurrence, and when it happened, everyone attended. Of course, by then there had only been one birthday party for Twilight since her arrival in Ponyville, but it had somehow become rather tradition. And they had, of course, both shown up.

   Up until that point, they hadn't even greeted one another. They'd both had their conversations and laughed and played impromptu games all the rest they did at Pinkie's parties, but though they'd seen one another, they hadn't spoken. And Rarity felt something the first time they made eye contact; just like her, there was something sitting uncomfortably at the back of Dash's mind. She could see it in her eyes.

   They'd found their way, one after another, onto the empty balcony. The night brought a wind with it, but no real chill. And they'd both looked out at Ponyville, lit up below, each not acknowledging the other. Up until that point.

   "... Are you going to kiss me?"

   She felt their proximity as the words left her lips. They were sitting on the bench behind the railing, close. Close enough, at least.

   Dash didn't say anything. Instead, she finally raised her head to look at her, and looked back down as quickly. Her eyes, for that moment, were... dark. Curious, perhaps, or even conflicted. But there was no positivity in them.

   For a brief moment, Rarity was about to take the matter into her own hands. Just for that brief moment, she felt herself lean forwards and tenderly, as tenderly as she could, break the tension with what could be a gloriously memorable first kiss. But it didn't happen. Something kept her back.

   She stood silently. "Tell me when," she added, her voice soft, and she walked back into the upper library, trying with every fiber not to look back.

   Everything was an odd blur for the rest of the night, and Rarity didn't see her anywhere.

   "I suppose I should get going," came the phrase eventually. She'd grown tired of the distractions - something had put her out of the mood. She thanked Twilight and Pinkie quietly, and gathered her hat and coat. "I'll certainly attend next year, too," she added with a smile, and said goodbye, stepping out of the warm, bright, populous party to the cool, dark, lonely night.

   It wasn't often that she left any party first. It hadn't occurred to her until then, but it was generally rude to leave a party as early as she did. But at that moment, she couldn't feel very much but lightheadedness and a desire to walk home silently and collapse into bed to bring tomorrow around.

   She pulled the coat more firmly around her with a sigh, listening to the steady 4/4 of her footsteps on the path. The fact that it was finally out there split her in pieces, fragmented and dissimilar, but all confused. How dare Rainbow Dash not respond. How lucky she was that Rainbow Dash didn't respond. What if she would eventually respond? How terrifying. But what a joyous day that would be. Perhaps.

Maybe it wasn't even worth it, she thought as she passed through the empty town square and into the suburb, counting her shadows as she passed under the street-lamps. Maybe that undefinable something about her isn't what you're really looking for.

   But, Celestia. Every time she saw her make a face she was unaware of, or lose her train of thought and stare with thoughtful, gleaming eyes into the sky, elegant music played in her head. Perhaps it was simple disdain, but the way she spoke, even to her, was bold and pointed, and something about it sparked some indistinct dramatic tragedy. And she didn't know the minutiae, but she knew Rainbow Dash felt something as well whenever she returned her glances.

   She stopped to stand just outside of where the street-lamps' light reached, looking back at the lit city thoughtfully. Maybe it wasn't even healthy to think so much about it. Maybe -

   Suddenly, she heard rapid footsteps from behind her. She sighed and put a hand to her temple out of habit. Not now.

   "Rarity."

   It felt like it'd been months since she'd heard her name in that voice. She looked up at her - brow furrowed in worry, short of breath. Eyes locked with her own. "... I... didn't mean to be so melodramatic. I just don't..." She trailed off, trying to find the best way to phrase it. "I didn't want to tiptoe around it any longer."

   Dash opened her mouth as though to say something, and motioned vaguely, but instead took a cautious step forwards. "When you..." she began, stumbling over her words. "Y - you c-" She took another half-pace. "It..."

   Dash was flustered. Blushing - embarrassed. Even if her face didn't show it, Rarity could feel her heart thumping against the inside of her chest. Was this it? The start to something? Would it be good? Would she regret it? Thought after thought overlapped and spun together like ink in water, putting her in a sort of daze.

   "You - you know -" Dash continued, and stopped herself, covering her mouth with a hand. Rarity only had to look closer to see the moistness on her cheeks.

   "Dash -"

   "No, no, it..."

   "Dash, I can't understand you."

   "I - I know, just - I'm trying, but it's not exactly -" she tried again, but cut short and clenched her teeth together and turned her gaze to the ground.

   "Is everything okay, darling?" Rarity began, walking closer to her. It was starting to scare her.

   "No, I'm fine. Look, there's something that, um, when it..." Her mouth moved wordlessly for a moment, and she wiped at her eyes. "I - I'm sorry. I didn't -" She cursed quietly and stepped back at Rarity's pace, the sound quick and sharp above her voice.

   "I didn't mean to put you on the spot, Dash, that wasn't my intention -"

   Dash shook her head, clearing her throat and composing herself. Rarity saw her force herself to start again, and saw her realize she was failing. "I... want to..." came the final attempt, squeaked and distorted. With a final, terrified look - electrifying her, paralyzing her - she took another step backwards and walked briskly away. Rarity could see her strain to keep from running.

   For a moment, she didn't follow. That moment lasted until Dash was well out of sight, until a stiff breeze woke her again.

   She wasn't even entirely sure of herself as she began to walk down Main Street, down to the edge of town. She didn't even see where Dash was going, but was following regardless, periodically feeling herself break into a jog, periodically saying her name.

   Eventually, as the chill of night began to set in, she turned her stare from the black alleys of the inner village to the cobblestone path with a drawn, quiet sigh. What could she have done? What did she do? Eventually, as the chill of night began to set in, she turned and headed for the Boutique.

   She didn't expect to see Dash again the next day - not really. What she felt as 'expectation' may have been hope.

   It was an empty day, a day when there wasn't much to do but sit somewhere and read or listen to music or nap in the sun. It was too still to work. Rarity had found herself in the middle of two pillowy time periods - the nothing of morning and the nothing of the coming evening. Eventually, therefore, she'd decided to take a walk through the park to the west of town, nothing more than a stroll just to occupy her time. And Rainbow Dash was hovering in the farthest reaches of her mind, only vaguely even there.

   It was overcast, and the scents of the restaurants in town wafted over to the park on the light breeze. She was taking her careful time, rolling some work-related things over in her mind, and looking up and around at the trees that just starting to change colour. Then, she heard her name behind her, spoken lowly. "Rarity."

   She turned, hardly deigning to believe. But smiled regardless when she saw her, her hoodie up over her unkempt bangs but open over her sea-green v-neck. "... Hello."

   "Sup," Dash murmured. "I wanted to, uh, say sorry for... yesterday."

   "What about?"

   "I just - shouldn't have run off like that. You know. And the whole, uh..." she trailed off, putting a hand to her neck. "Stammering thing. It's not my bag."

   "That's alright," Rarity replied, not about to ask. For a moment, she left space for her to speak again, maybe... ask something. Maybe that was too hopeful.

   Dash stuffed her hands in her pockets, stretching them out. She was still maybe a yard away, an uncomfortable distance. "It..."

   Rarity expected the pause, and it lent a clue, perhaps, to the subject matter of the following sentence. Her heart jumped a little.

   "It took a lot... for me to, um, come over here," Dash continued, belaboured. "'Cause... did - did you say, when we were on..."

   She was going to be patient, wait for her to speak, but her excitement took over. "On the balcony."

   "Yeah. So... you did say what I thought you said?"

   For a moment, she nearly nodded, but kept from it; instead, she met Dash's rosaline eyes, though she looked away. "I should have been more straightfowards," she said, stepping forwards a little. "Do you... would you like to meet for dinner tonight, Rainbow Dash?"

   She saw Dash freeze ever so slightly, but this time she didn't break her stare. That anxiety and dull fear from the previous night was replaced by a hesitant glimmer. In a moment, she badly tried to conceal a small smile. "... Sure."

   Rarity somehow maintained her composure. "How about you come by the Boutique at around... seven?"

   Dash ran a hand through her casually messy hair. "That - that's - that sounds good. Uh, what do I - what do I wear?"

   "It depends on where you want to go."

   "I mean, there's only eight or nine restaurants in town, and none of them are, like... fancy."

   "Then wear what you like," Rarity replied, finally showing a cheeky little grin. She wasn't making her so flustered intentionally, but in a way it was rather sweet.

   "Right." Dash paused, her hands still in her pocket. "I, uh... I'll see you then, then. I mean... you know what I mean." With this, she turned around and took off, not waiting for a response.

   Rarity watched her go again. This sudden shift in attitude was both understandable and endlessly confusing; it only makes sense for something like this to be briefly awkward, considering the positive but platonic repertoire they'd had before, but... she couldn't help feeling perhaps she had taken some kind of misstep somewhere.

   It was a lot of luck and a dash of skill that brought her this far, though, and it would be nothing less than unbecoming not to see it through.

   "What to wear" turned out to be a good question. Dash was obviously going to go casual, as was her nature; how far did she want to stray from that? As soon as she got back to the Boutique, she set to work at her closet.

   Hours trickled by. It was two, then three, then four before she decided on one of her favourite casual suits - a cool colour combination, shapely but not extravagant. It only just beat out three of her other favourite suits. She wondered whether Dash would notice.

   She stared into the mirror for a moment after fixing her hair and face. There was a glitter in her eye that she hadn't seen in a very long while. And it was then she realized: the willpower she had been using to 'keep it casual' would drain quickly. She faced the realization with an anxious smile.

   Then, she waited. She couldn't even begin to focus on her book, so instead she just sat on the loveseat, entertaining various interesting thoughts. Night rolled around quickly, and in the last few minutes before 7, she heard a noise at the door. Not a knock - a shuffle, a quiet footstep or two. She walked as stealthily as she could over to one of the side windows that had a good view of the staircase and moved the cutrain aside slightly. Dash was there already, her messy hair in a loose half-ponytail, wearing a dark leather jacket over her usual athletic jeans and shirt. She almost giggled. That was her idea of accessorizing.

   She was looking at the chartreuse door, her hands in her pockets, stiff as a board. Then, she turned away, shaking her head and putting a hand on the back of her neck. Rarity's stomach knotted as Dash froze in place, stuck in thought, then undid itself as she turned back around, placing both hands on the guardrail and leaning on it. She watched Dash step away and inhale heavily, almost exaggeratedly, putting a hand to her forehead as though to steady herself.

   At exactly 7:00 PM, thirteen seconds later, the doorbell rang.

   Rarity couldn't stop herself from giggling this time. She stepped over to the door and as she opened it, she saw Dash completely drain of colour.

   She didn't say anything for a moment, but grinned. "Evening."

   Dash put a hand on the back of her neck again. It was a nervous reflex, most likely. "Hi," she managed. "Uh... you look... great."

   Rarity turned a bit, showing the dimensions of the jacket. "Do you like it? It's a design from a few years ago."

   "Well, it definitely holds up," Dash said. "Are you, like, alright with what - with what I'm wearing?"

   "Of course, darling. This is meant to be casual."

   "Jeez. Really? I kinda feel underdressed."

   "Let me put it this way," Rarity began, her smile as amused as it was excited, "who among us is a professional fashion designer?"

   "That's true," Dash admitted, breathing out some anxiety. "Well, uh... there's the Cloverhoof grill on Second Street. If that's where you want to go."

   "I'm ready," Rarity said, turning out the light and closing the door behind her. The speckled, dewy chill of a late-summer night wrapped around her as she did, and in the semidarkness, she saw Dash finally offer a hint of a smile. "Lead the way."

   After a moment of hesitating to offer a hand or an arm or something, Dash stuffed her hands back into her pockets. "So, to make sure," she said lowly, clearing her throat, "this is - this is a date, right? Like, a date date."

   Rarity looked over incredulously, pursing her lips. "... No, not at all."

   "... And that was sarcasm, right?"

   "Yes," Rarity replied, playfully exasperated. "Honestly, Rainbow Dash, I'm not sure how much clearer I have to be."

   Dash looked away sheepishly. "You might have to be pretty blunt about some stuff."

   "I'm only playing, darling." They'd started walking - more strolling, with their pace. For a moment, the night settled. Then, Rarity began again, more softly: "You know, you don't have to be so nervous around me. About this."

   "That's true for a lot of things," she murmured.

   Rarity paused. "Yes, I suppose it is." They walked in silence again for a moment. "Is there anything I can do to make you... less anxious?"

   Dash hadn't blushed very much. Surprising, given her state. But, for some reason, it surfaced now, just a light pink flush to her cheeks - only noticable if you were looking for it. "Look, I..." She trailed off for a moment, and Rarity remained quiet, patient. "This kind of thing... it's been sort of at the back of my head for a while. Like, we've been friends for a while, so I'm usually alright... uh, talking to you, but..." She turned away, her voice droppoing even more. "You're actually exactly my type."

   That pulse set about in her chest once more, and Dash finally returned her stare, her eyes dark. That darkness wasn't fear. It was softness. Dash just wasn't used to it.

   The realization set her back a little in conversation. She had to re-evaluate what was last said, and it did nothing but send another wave of pressurized heat through her. "I'm flattered," she replied, suddenly compelled to break their stare. She felt herself smile before the intent of the statement was turned back on her. "May I be honest?"

   "Yeah."

   She looked back up, but only for a moment. "I'm not sure of the reason behind my attraction to you," she murmured. That darkly glimmering stare kept her from making eye contact again. She could feel it on the back of her neck. "But... it's there." She adjusted her purse, unsure of what else to do with her hands. "And it's strong."

   "... That's not helping."

   Rarity laughed. "With the anxiety?"

   Dash chuckled

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