Two Eyes, One Heartby AppleOfThineEyeChaptersChapter Two - Unintended ConsequencesChapter Three - Help Without Words and Help With PromisesChapter Four - Close UnderstandingChapter Five - The SpreadChapter Six - Force to be Reckoned WithChapter Seven - The Diary VisitsChapter Eight - LossChapter Nine (Final) - Two Eyes, One HeartChapter One - Just a Friendly GestureChapter Two - Unintended ConsequencesThey made their way to Sugarcube Corner. The sky had grown quite dark. Maybe the storm lasted longer than Rainbow thought. “Do you wanna stay here for the night?” Pinkie asked excitedly, holding the door open for her. “You know me, Pinkie… once a loner, always a loner.” Rainbow Dash turned away, but then she saw the unlit town of Ponyville. Although she kept it a secret, Equestria creeped her out at night. Only when there was danger involved did she relish in it. Now was not one of those times to enjoy. “On second thought,” she said, looking back at Pinkie, who had never left the door, “maybe I’ll take you up on your offer. Just for tonight.” “Yay!” Pinkie cheered with a bounce. Dash smiled and walked through the doorway. The bell above the door jingled as it closed. The two of them headed up the stairs to the top floor - to Pinkie’s room. Dash stood there in awe. There were colors of all kinds. The cushions strewn in piles on the floor and on her bed held every color Dash could think of; the walls were lined with painted-on party balloons, streamers, and treats; and the pink. Oh, Celestia, the pink was overwhelming. Her comforter was pink, her wall’s background was pink, and her carpet was a pale (though still recognizable) pink! She practically blended into the scenery as she entered the room. Dash would go as far to say that she looked like a walking prop, but she stopped herself. “You sure spend a lot of time re-decorating, don’t you?” she asked instead of stating her odd comment. “Not really!” Pinkie replied, “I did all this soon after moving to Ponyville and getting a job!” “Huh. That’s cool. How much is rent?” “Zero bits!” Rainbow’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding, right?” “Nope! The Cakes told me I could live here if I help when they need it. They even give me a fair share of the profits!” “Wow. So they’re downstairs, I’m guessing?” Rainbow asked. “Yup!” Pinkie nodded, “Probably snuggling each other like couples do!” “Right.” Pinkie turned to her bedroom window overlooking Ponyville. She frowned at the lack of any rainbow in the sky. “Awwwww….” “What is it, Pinks?” “There’s no rainbow,” she replied sadly, but then perked up, “Can you make one right now?” “It’s late, Pinkie. I don’t wanna wake up the whole neighborhood,” Rainbow reasoned. Then she saw the pleading eyes of Pinkie. She couldn’t ever look at that with a straight face. Nopony could. “Fine,” she finally said, “Fine.” The cyan pegasus opened the window and flew through it. Now that she had a reason to be outside, it wasn’t so bad. In an effort to make the sound not reach as far, she began flying up as high as she could. At one point, where it became hard to breathe, she stopped. Pinkie couldn’t even see her at that point. No matter how hard she looked, she couldn’t find a trace of Rainbow Dash. But soon she would. Rainbow assumed a position of perfect directory and rocketed down. Performing the sonic rainboom would be easy. It was pulling up and around that was the hard part. The clear air of the night allowed for little wind resistance, and, as Pinkie spotted her shooting down through the sky high above, there was a loud BOOM as Rainbow broke the sound barrier - sending a flurry of colors out from where she did so. The pegasus zipped upwards right before hitting the ground. On her fast ascension, she noticed a few lights in the town’s windows turning on. She guessed that she hadn’t gained enough altitude to account for the light sleepers, but that didn’t matter now. All she cared about in that exact moment was making a perfect rainbow to brighten Pinkie’s world. It came out beautiful. A perfect curve of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple illuminated the sky. Dash slowed her speed and stopped the rainbow’s formation when it was at its completion. She glided back through the town. A couple ponies were looking out from their windows. Some had on faces of irritation, others smiled at what she had made. One of them - a grey pegasus with crossed yellow eyes opened her bedroom window and waved excitedly to Rainbow Dash. Derpy Hooves. It nearly threw her out of the two-story house. Rainbow waved back happily. Seeing the acknowledgement, Derpy closed the window with a wide smile. Rainbow flew back into Sugarcube Corner’s top floor and panted several times. “THAT sonic rainboom was me.” Pinkie Pie giggled. “Why didn’t you want to at first? Were you scared?” “Me?” Rainbow snorted, “Scared? Of what, the dark?” “Yeah! Like Fluttershy!” Rainbow gave up the act. “How’d you know?” “Just a hunch.” “Alright, that’s it,” Rainbow said threateningly, getting into a wrestling stance, “Put ‘em up, Pinkie.” The pink mare obliged with another giggle. She got into a position that might offer some advantages and surprises, but Dash had her pinned against a pile of multi-colored pillows in seconds. “Oh, come on. Is that all you got?” “You say that like I had a chance!” Pinkie observed. “Okay, fair enough, but shouldn’t you be struggling right now? It is a hoof wrestle,” Rainbow asked smirking. “Actually, it’s really comfy here! I don’t wanna move,” Pinkie laughed. Rainbow’s laugh followed shortly after. The pair were stopped in silence for the good half of a minute. Rainbow took that time to just look at Pinkie. She looked so happy… those soft, yet ecstatic blue eyes… that twisty mane… that pink face…. Pinkie’s voice broke into Rainbow’s thoughts. “What’s that about, Rainbow Dash?” she asked, pointing behind the pegasus. Rainbow turned back and immediately gulped. Her wings were sticking straight out and practically bulging. She blushed a bright shade of pink. “Uhhhhh… adrenaline..?” she lied. Pinkie saw straight through it. The pink pony let her mind wander. A look of realization swept over her face. “Ooooohhh…” she said, “is that a wing-” “Yeah,” Dash nodded and let go of Pinkie. She stepped away from the earth pony. “I should… get going,” she frowned and turned to the window again. Pinkie got to her hooves and called out as Rainbow walked towards it. “You can still spend the night if you want!” Rainbow stopped, but she didn’t look back. She only shook her head and dove out of the building and into the town. “See ya tomorrow..!” Pinkie yelled, feeling rather worried about her friend now. Was she THAT embarrassed? Dash still didn’t answer. Not loud enough to be heard, anyway. “Yeah…” she whispered - more to herself than Pinkie - “see ya tomorrow, Pinks….” Chapter Three - Help Without Words and Help With PromisesRainbow Dash arrived at her cloud house not five minutes later. She slammed the door behind her - unknowing that she’d awoken her pet turtle, Tank, in the process. She proceeded to stomp around the room, but the soft cloud didn’t produce the noise she wanted. Dash groaned in self-pity. “Stupid wings!” she yelled, jabbing one of them. She grunted. That wasn’t enough. She punched the other one, much harder this time. She bit her lower lip, holding back a tear as a result of pain. That would leave a mark. Rainbow fell on her bed and rolled around for a long time - partly because of her now aching wing, and partly because of confusion. How did Pinkie know what a… who was she kidding? That kind of thing became common knowledge upon a certain age. Everypony knew that. Even Pinkie Pie. But no, that wasn’t the main reason she was confused. Rainbow was mystified by her feelings. She knew when her wings extended back in the shop that adrenaline played no part. It was all Pinkie and the way she just laid there looking back. There wasn’t an ounce of lust or anything like that in those blue eyes, but Rainbow saw something beyond friendship. The first word that came to mind made Rainbow shake her head and outright gag. Love? No, never! Rainbow couldn’t just fall in “love” with somepony she saw as a friend. However… a sick feeling in her stomach and a fluttering in her heart told Dash that the opposite may be true. She reached over for Tank and held him close. “Oh, Tank… I made a total fool out of myself tonight,” she admitted. The turtle tried his best to look interested - still very tired. Dash squeezed him tightly. “Pinkie and I were messing around, and I got too excited.” The sadness in her voice concerned him, and he licked her hoof. She ignored it and continued. “I don’t know what happened… maybe I can ask AJ tomorrow.” The tortoise blinked in response. Dash nodded. “Yeah, tomorrow is good. I can figure everything out then.” Rainbow loosened her grip and put Tank back where he was. “Goodnight, Tank,” she whispered. * * * The shining of the sun through one of Rainbow Dash’s skylights left her eyelids twitching and her subconscious in a momentary daze as she woke up. She was excited for what a new day would hold, but then she remembered the night before - how she had made a mockery of the pegasi name and fled the scene because she didn’t own up to it. Now Rainbow had to go to Applejack and see if the farmpony could help with the circumstance Dash had put herself in. She got off the bed with a sigh. “Outside, Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack,” she thought. Tank was left sleeping on the bed. He spent most of his day lazing about, so Dash wasn’t worried about him as she left the comfort of her cloud home. She was more scared that Pinkie might see her. Luckily, once outside, the pink party pony wasn’t underneath Rainbow Dash waiting for her to emerge. Dash let out a sigh of relief and continued on in the direction of AJ’s farm. Not seeing the poofy, pink mane below didn’t help. It only made here paranoia increase more each minute. * * * She never got lost because she knew her way around, but she felt like she was being watched. She wasn’t, of course. Not Pinkie, not another pegasus, nopony was even in her vicinity after she left the town. Seeing the farmhouse getting closer, Rainbow touched down. Her wings folded in snugly to her body. Upon reaching the door, she knocked. It wasn’t exactly what a pony, especially Applejack, would call “early,” so Dash was surprised when the door was answered by the one she sought discussion with. “Howdy there, Rainbow! Whatcha doin’ over here at Sweet Apple Acres?” the orange earth pony asked politely. “Hey, AJ,” Rainbow greeted very nonchalantly, “I… didn’t expect you to answer the door.” “Huh? Oh, yeah, we don’t start harvestin’ in the fall until about noon. The house has plenty of work that needs to get done. Do ya need somethin’?” “Yeah, I wanted to talk to you in private,” Rainbow said discreetly, “Is there somewhere we can do that?” Applejack stepped out of the house and closed the door behind her. “The barn’s empty,” she said, leading Rainbow to the big, red building a hundred yards away. When they got there, AJ unlatched the door, opened it, went in with Dash, and closed it. “Alright, what’s on your mind, sugarcube?” Rainbow Dash started out slow. “Pinkie and I were playing in the meadow yesterday… and then it started raining. We took shelter under a tree; I went to sleep,” Dash’s voice began to speed up, “and Pinkie woke me up to show me a heart she made on the tree. I was embarrassed, but I hid it. We got zapped by lightning, laughed at what happened, and headed over to Sugarcube Corner when the storm was over.” She took a breath. “When we got to Pinkie’s pink bedroom, she convinced me to do a sonic rainboom. I did it, and thenshemadefunofhowIwasscaredofthedarkandthatleadtoahoofwrestleandmebeingatotalidiot!” Applejack put one of her hooves in the air and motioned for Rainbow to slow down. “Cool it there, Rainbow. What happened after you did the rainboom?” Dash took a very deep breath in an attempt to slow her racing heart. “She made fun of how I was scared of the dark…” she started, and AJ snorted. “Sh- shut up! I don’t like to talk about it, okay? Anyway, that lead to me wanting to show her a thing or two, and I made her hoof-wrestle me.” Rainbow chuckled. “I pinned her in seconds.” “Alright, and?” “We just sat there looking at each other for awhile. I stared into her eyes, and she stared into mine. She was beautiful…. Then she pointed at my wings. They were…” “Ah,” Applejack nodded knowingly, “adrenaline from the wrestle, huh?” “Well, that’s what I tried to tell her it was.” “She believe it?” “N- no…” Rainbow confessed, “and I don’t know if I did either.” Applejack looked around for anypony that might be watching, despite the barn being free of other life. “Listen, sugarcube,” she said softly, “Y’all are askin’ the wrong pony about this. Ah don’t know the first thing about love beyond my family.” “Please, AJ… I need your help,” Rainbow pleaded. “...But maybe Twilight does,” Applejack replied hopefully, “She’d at least know more than me from all the books she’s read.” Rainbow Dash pointed her head at the ground and nodded silently. “...You aren’t gonna try to convince me it was adrenaline?” “Ah’ll let you figure that one out, sugarcube.” “Can you promise me that you won’t tell anypony about this?” AJ shrugged. “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” she said, slightly smiling. Dash knew she couldn’t just ask AJ to lie for her, so she smiled back - knowing that this was the best she could get out of the Element of Honesty. “Hey, AJ?” “Yep?” Applejack acknowledged after breaking open the barn door an inch and making sure nopony was listening to anything that was being said. “Thanks.” “My pleasure.” Chapter Four - Close UnderstandingWhere the flight to Sweet Apple Acres made Rainbow feel paranoid, the trot to Ponyville made her feel almost terrified. She was so nervous Pinkie was going to jump out at any moment and greet her with a question about the previous night. Rainbow wouldn’t be able to handle that kind of pressure… yet the pink mare hopped right in front of her just before she caught a straight shot to the Golden Oak Library - Twilight’s tree home. “Oh, Celestia, kill me now,” Rainbow thought. Pinkie smiled, unaware of her friend’s still raging embarrassment from the night before. “Hi, Dashie! How’s it shaking?” “Um… it’s shaking,” Dash replied. Why did Pinkie have to talk to her now as opposed to, like, five minutes later? “Crazy time last night, huh?” Rainbow Dash cringed. This was what she was afraid of, and she was afraid of very few things. “I- I don’t wanna talk about it….” she stuttered, “Maybe later, Pinks.” The party planner lost her smile. “Oh… okay.” But she quickly perked back up with; “Where ya headed?” “Twilight’s place,” she answered. “Can I come?” “Sure thing. I just need to talk to her on my own for a bit about something. Is that alright?” Pinkie zipped her mouth shut and nodded. She moved out of Rainbow Dash’s way and followed her straight ahead to the door. Rainbow knocked instead of entering as she normally would. “I just need a few minutes. I’ll come get you when we’re done. Sound good?” “Oh,” Pinkie said, surprised, “yeah, I can wait.” “Thanks, pal.” Twilight answered the door within seconds. “Hello, Rainbow Dash. Hey, Pinkie.” “Hi!” the pink pony greeted the purple unicorn familiarly. “What do you two want?” Twilight asked curiously. “I… need to talk to you,” Rainbow Dash replied. She was sweating already from the pressure she felt she was under. She knew Applejack was trustworthy… but could she tell the Element of Magic as easily? “Of course! What is it?” “In private, please.” Twilight gave Pinkie Pie a worried look. “Is she alright?” “Dashie? Yeah, she’s fine!” Pinkie assured, “...I think,” she added. “Come in, then…” the unicorn directed to Dash cautiously. She slowly entered - being careful not to knock over the pile of books near the door. Rainbow closed it behind herself, sparing the mare outside the tree one more glance. The Pinkie Pie outside still looked as alive as ever. “So what did you need to talk to me about, Rainbow Dash?” Dash lowered her voice to a whisper. “Last night, after Pinkie and I chilled at the meadow where I told you we were going to spend the day..?” “Yes?” “Well…” * * * “Anyways, I think I might be starting to take a real liking to her, y’know?” Pinkie Pie put her ear to the door and listened intently to the quiet conversation. “Are you sure, Dash?” Twilight asked for confirmation. “I’m not sure about anything,” Rainbow replied, “That’s why I came here.” “If you like her, you should tell her.” Pinkie’s ears perked. “But I don’t know if I do.” “Pinkie is your friend, isn’t she?” Pinkie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Did Dash really..? “Yeah, but I can’t just tell her outright. I mean… what if one of us just came up to you and said we liked you?” “I’d probably ask if they meant as a friend.” “And if they said it was as something more?” Twilight closed her mouth tight and bit her lip in thought. How WOULD she have answered that? “I’d give them a chance,” she finally decided. Rainbow looked at her, not believing what she said. “Yeah right.” “I would!” Twilight insisted. Rainbow Dash smirked. “Wow, Twilight, I didn’t think you swung that way.” “I don’t,” she said honestly, “and I didn’t think you did either.” “Touché, but I really doubt Pinkie would be that way.” Twilight groaned loudly. “Rainbow… she is your BEST friend. All six of us are, so don’t act like you couldn’t be friends just because of a feeling that you didn’t share with each other. If there’s anypony who doesn’t leave their friends behind, it’s you, so you need to trust others to do the same.” Dash hung her head down, realizing that the unicorn was right. “Okay, so let’s say Pinkie DOES give me a chance. What then?” “Then you play it by eye and play it by ear.” “I think I got it now,” Rainbow said, glad she got this out of the way early on and looked for advice to something she had no clue about. She turned to leave, but Twilight stopped her quickly by tapping her shoulder. “I’m going to have to tell the princess about this.” Dash spun around. “What? Why?” Twilight took a deep breath and tried to calm her friend down. “I just need to know if this could influence the Elements of Harmony in any way. Plus… she’s a PRINCESS, Dash. I think she can keep things confidential.” “Confi-what?” The unicorn groaned again. “Confidential: secret or hidden from the public eye.” “Okay, okay, don’t bust a spell. As long as it doesn’t get out there to everypony, I don’t care.” “As long as what doesn’t get out there..?” The two turned to see Spike coming closer. Twilight hurried Dash along. “Time to leave, Rainbow Dash. Remember what I told you.” Pinkie Pie wanted to explode with excitement and anger at the same time. She didn’t know how she felt about Dashie, but what she did know was that the pegasus liked her and hadn’t told her about it first. The pink pony bounced giddily as the door slowly opened again. “Thanks a bunch, Twilight,” Rainbow said casually whilst walking out. She closed the door behind her before Spike could ask again what they were talking about. Pinkie wanted to ask Rainbow about the whole conversation and what she had heard, so she decided to do just that. She kept her voice low. “Dashie? Do you like me?” Rainbow Dash wanted nothing more than to run away in that moment. She wanted to zip from the scene. She didn’t wish to talk about it so soon. “Pinkie Pie…” she responded quietly, “can we talk about this later?” “Why not now..?” Pinkie asked, concerned about Rainbow’s hesitancy to answer her question. “Look, just meet me at Sugarcube Corner before nightfall. I promise we can talk then.” That made Pinkie feel a little better, but a promise wasn’t enough. “Pinkie promise?” Rainbow Dash chuckled and did the special vow. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Pinkie smiled. “Alright, see ya at Sugarcube Corner!” she said happily and began bouncing away. Rainbow looked up at the sky. The sun was all the way on the distant west of the sky. She wouldn’t have long to get her bearings. For the second time in twenty-four hours, Dash heard the jingling of that small bell above her head. From behind the open door to the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner came the sounds of pots and pans seemingly being put away. Pinkie’s voice followed Dashie’s arrival. “Just give me a minute, Dash; I’m making cupcakes for us!” Rainbow nodded silently at the doorway as if Pinkie Pie was there. She then took a seat at the first table she saw. It had a cyan top that reminded Rainbow of her coat and a red rim similar to the first stripe in her mane. Across from her was a standard, wooden chair the same as the one she sat in now. A wonderful smell came from the kitchen within the next few seconds, but they weren’t cupcakes. They would only be very cake-like muffins until Pinkie put the frosting on them. Rainbow Dash took a second to entertain the idea of how fast they’d be gone now if Derpy was with them. Then another smell filled Dash’s nostrils; it was the frosting she’d waited not ten seconds for. Pinkie emerged from the kitchen with a chef’s hat, cooking apron, full pan of a dozen cupcakes, and a smile. She set the tray down on Dash’s table and removed her hat. Rainbow watched as the pink pony proceeded to wipe her forehead, take off her apron, and hang both it and the hat on a hook protruding from the wall. She temporarily forgot the whole reason she was there and just sat there smiling while Pinkie took her seat. “So,” Pinkie started, grabbing a cupcake, “can we talk about it?” Rainbow almost asked her what she meant, but she remembered in no time at all and grabbed a cupcake of her own with a sigh. She didn’t eat it; she only turned it in her two hooves as Pinkie began eating hers and waiting for a response. “Yeah…” the pegasus said with a pause, “we can.” “How long?” “Until we pass out, I guess?” “No, I meant how long have you..?” Pinkie trailed off knowing that Dash would get the meaning of her question. “I don’t know. You’ve always been a great friend, Pinkie. I’ve always liked you and the other girls.” They both sat in silence for a few minutes. Pinkie wanted more of an answer, and Rainbow wanted a different question. The pegasus took a bite out of her cupcake after fiddling with the frosting-covered top for the thousandth time. Pinkie finished hers and grabbed another. The light blue frosting on the new one she chose caused Rainbow Dash to give a small smile. “You pick that one for any reason?” “Maybe,” Pinkie replied with a grin, “What about you?” Dash raised an eyebrow before looking at the cupcake she had picked up several minutes ago. The frosting was a hot pink. She shifted her gaze to the metal tray that was still holding an assortment of the delectable treats. She was upset to see each cupcake had a different colored frosting. Rainbow never intended to grab the pink one; it was only chance… but she began to feel as if maybe, just maybe, she did grab the pink one on purpose. “N- no,” she answered quietly with the internal conviction that she was lying. For another minute, neither Pinkie nor Rainbow said a thing. It was Pinkie Pie that finally broke the silence a second time. “Dashie..?” “Yeah, Pinkie?” Rainbow acknowledged without looking at her. “Do you really like me?” That caught Rainbow’s attention. She looked up into Pinkie’s blue eyes again. Dash felt a tingling sensation in her wings, but she held them in place with all the willpower she could muster. “I…” It was then that Rainbow Dash saw something reflect off her friend’s eyes. They shined something more than the admiration she occasionally saw in Fluttershy, but they shined less than the obsession often expressed by Scootaloo. Was that shine the thing that Rainbow had mocked for her entire life? “I do,” she finished. The mare she liked stared back into her magenta eyes and saw the same thing - something balanced, beautiful, and perfect. She took in a breath of air and exhaled slowly. “I like you too,” Pinkie confessed. They both, once again, sat in silence. All they did was take in the feelings of each other and put their cupcakes down. There was nothing to be said now: no more secrets to hide because they already knew everything about one another and no arguments to be had about hiding said secrets. Before either of them knew it, they were slowly leaning forward over the edge of the table and towards each other. Both of them stopped with less than half of a foot between them. “Is it really this easy?” Rainbow asked. “You tell me,” Pinkie said back with a smile. Rainbow Dash made her decision. As Pinkie knelt forward another inch, Dash reached the last five. She let her wings extend out now, no longer feeling a need to hold them back. After a few wonderful seconds had gone by, they retracted from one another. They smiled at what they’d done and the beautiful mare they saw in front of them. “I think this happened in a dream once,” Rainbow chuckled absentmindedly. “Do you want a do-over of last night?” Pinkie asked hopefully. “My sleepover was cut off a little short... so why not?” Pinkie Pie smiled happily at the majestic pegasus that sat inches from her face now. She leaned forward again and planted a kiss on Rainbow Dash’s cheek. “Great!” she cheered after pulling back and getting out of her chair. Rainbow followed the earth pony up the stairs of the building again with more confidence this time around. She glanced at the pile of cushions in the corner of the room with a slight smirk. It was a love-hate relationship between Dash and those pillows. Because of them, she got pressured into telling Pinkie how she felt; but without them, she may never have even known her feelings toward the pink mare. “What do you usually do in here?” “Not much,” Pinkie replied, “It’s almost always nighttime when I come up here, so I just get in bed, think about everything I’ll do tomorrow, and go to sleep.” “No video games?” “Nope!” “No television?” “Nope!” “Doesn’t it get boring?” “Super nope!” Rainbow looked around the room for anything productive to do, but she could find nothing. Time and time again, Pinkie’s bed took up the bulk of her peripheral vision. “Well, as long as there’s nothing else to do…” she said, “I guess I AM a bit tired.” Pinkie flipped the light switch down as Rainbow pulled the covers back and got half in. She trotted right on over to the other side of the large bed and got in beside Dash, who was just now bringing the blankets up to her neck. They laid there together for a long time, but neither one of them could get to sleep. “I can’t fall asleep, Pinkie.” “Me either!” she said back, suspended in thought. They simultaneously turned to each other. Pinkie had a lightbulb go off in her head. “Do you wanna have another hoof wrestle?” Rainbow shook her head. “It’s late, Pinks….” Pinkie inched closer with an extra shine in her eyes. This shine was bright and heartwarming in the otherwise dark room. Rainbow Dash grinned at her. “Oh,” she said, realizing, “cuddling. I’m not really much of a cuddler, but we can if you want.” Pinkie Pie smiled at that, and Dash allowed her to come closer. They embraced each other with open arms. Their warmth transferred between the two of them, the bed started to feel hot, yet they only pressed their bodies against each other. At the first feeling of physical pleasure from down below, Rainbow Dash pulled back quickly and flopped over. She fell onto the floor with a small thud. “Dashie! Are you okay?” Pinkie asked, leaning over the side of the mattress. “Uh… yeah, I’m as fine as can be, thanks,” was Dash’s only able response. “I’m sorry; it was an accident!” the pink pony called from above. “I know… but wow. I was NOT ready for that….” Rainbow Dash got back into the bed. Pinkie scooted backwards to her side and sighed half regrettably and half upset. “Is this how you felt last night when you..?” “Mm-hm.” “Now I know why you wanted to leave….” “Relax, Pinkie. It was my fault too, so don’t get too upset,” Dash reassured. Pinkie Pie, now embarrassed by what she wanted to ask, whispered quietly, “Can… can we do it again?” Rainbow rolled onto her side to face the mare again. “Why?” she calmly asked. Pinkie Pie laid there dumbfounded. “I don’t know…. I love you, and I just want to feel you beside me as more than just a friend.” Dash gave a little grin. Things were moving fast, but Pinkie was right when she said they’d known each other for a long enough to time to really, REALLY know each other. “Well, in that case… if you’re up for it, I am too,” she accepted. After hearing this, Pinkie again snuggled up to the blue pony’s long, slender body and instantly made themselves both feel at home. When they inevitably kissed and felt their nether regions touch again, they looked into the eyes of one another. The rest felt like a daze, and Rainbow Dash began to believe it was a dream as she gently closed her eyes and pushed against Pinkie’s soft, exhilarating - yet also soothing - body. * * * When Rainbow opened her eyes again, she assumed that it HAD just been a dream. Pinkie was in nearly the same spot she was lying before, and Rainbow was lying the same way she was when she first got into the bed. Then she felt the wetness of the sheets under her. Dash turned on her side to face Pinkie, who was facing away from Dash, almost asleep. “Pinkie?” she whispered. “Dashie?” Pinkie answered from the dark. “Did we really just..?” “Uh-huh,” she replied lovingly - and then added with a giggle, “You fell asleep, silly.” Rainbow felt blood rising to her cheeks. “S- sorry. It wasn’t boring; it was just-” “Warm?” Pinkie asked mid-sentence. Dash nodded although Pinkie couldn’t see. “Yeah… warm.” Rainbow scooted her way closer to Pinkie. “Sorry about your sheets,” she apologized awkwardly. “It’s alright; I can clean them tomorrow!” Pinkie assured. Rainbow Dash got all the way over until she was next to the one she loved most. For the first time in her life, she felt no disgust thinking about that four-letter word. She really did love Pinkie with all her heart, and she showed it as best she could by giving Pinkie a strong hug from behind. The earth pony turned her head up so that one eye could see Rainbow, but she kept her body facing away. If there was ever something that felt so perfect, it was this moment without a doubt. “I l-” Dash stopped only a moment, “I love you, Pinkie.” “I love you too, Dashie.” Chapter Five - The SpreadAgain, Rainbow Dash awoke with the terrible thought that some amazing events were nothing more than faraway dreams that she wouldn’t get back, but the feeling of Pinkie’s soft body twisting around in her arms reassured her. “Hey there, dollface,” she greeted. Pinkie wrapped her hooves around Dash’s neck and giggled. “Good morning, sunshine! How’d you sleep?” “Slept just fine with you here.” “Really?” “No doubt.” The two equines got out of bed and got ready for the day. Getting ready for the day meant making the bed and, for them, sorting out how to go about their situation. “So what do we do now?” Dash asked. Pinkie didn’t quite know the answer, but she knew that both of them HATED keeping secrets. “Who already knows?” “Twilight for one, obviously. I also told Applejack and Tank, but we both know they aren’t gonna tell anypony. One because they promised, and one because he can’t say anything. And you? Did you tell anypony?” “No… but I told Gummy!” she yelled, pointing to the toothless alligator in its pen. “Great. So two ponies and two pets know about us. That leaves, what, a hundred more ponies to tell?” “Two-hundred and fourteen,” Pinkie corrected. “How do you know… never mind.” Rainbow Dash didn’t even try. What Pinkie Pie knew, Pinkie Pie knew for a reason. Dash guessed it was the number of birthdays Pinkie had to keep track of throughout the year. “Okay, two-hundred and fourteen ponies to tell. Do we just go from door to door telling them? Or maybe we should just walk around holding hooves? What do we do here?” “Well… why not?” “Huh?” “Not the part about going to everypony’s door; but the part where we hold hooves and just walk around, yeah! Let them figure it out, maybe!” Rainbow Dash scratched her chin, considering the idea. It might take awhile for word to get around, but once it did, it would be out there. Neither of them really wanted that, but it seemed like a better alternative compared to not telling anypony. Dash nodded her head in agreement. “Okay then, let’s go with that. Start from Sugar Cube Corner and work our way from the inside out?” “Sure!” Pinkie agreed, grabbing a hold of Rainbow’s hoof. * * * When they got outside, Rainbow Dash nearly let go of Pinkie’s hoof, but Pinkie tightened her grip when she felt Dash’s pressure starting to leave her. “It’s not going to get any easier,” Pinkie pointed out. “You’re right,” Dash agreed, “it’s not.” And so they took deep breaths and began walking around the center of town - heads held high and hooves held in love for one another. To say the least, they got some weird looks. Some smiled, some cheered; some pouted in disgust, some mumbled a quiet curse under their breath. The farther out Pinkie and Dash went, the easier it got. The houses were more spread out, and the ponies there seemed more friendly. Two in particular, Bon Bon and Lyra, even stopped to verbally congratulate them and wish them on a merry way. The new couple smiled at Bon Bon and Lyra as they trotted away. Finishing up the outer edge of town, Pinkie turned to Rainbow Dash and asked, “What now?” “Now we wait for the word to spread,” Dash answered simply, and spread it did! By the time they’d reached Sugarcube Corner again, over two hundred residents were aware of them now being together. Almost everypony knew - all but two: Fluttershy and Rarity. The couple looked at each other and sighed. They knew that it would be better to tell them directly. “Do you want me to tell Fluttershy?” Rainbow offered. “That sounds good! I’ll tell Rarity.” “I’ll come find you when I’m done. I have something I want to do for you.” “Who’s gonna tell Spike?” Pinkie asked, tilting her head. “We can both tell him later if Twilight doesn’t. For now, let’s just take care of Rarity and Fluttershy to get them out of the way,” Dash answered, “Like you said, it won’t get any easier,” she added. They split apart - Rainbow Dash heading to the outskirts of town, and Pinkie Pie bouncing toward Ponyville’s edge. * * * A cottage came up over the horizon along with a beautiful twilight making itself known in the sky. Turning her head to the left, Dash could see the first signs of stars. Scattered all about in clusters through an ever-darkening afternoon, they twinkled. Rainbow hovered in the air a foot or so as she closed the distance between herself and the door. She knocked politely - lowering herself to the ground and closing her wings beforehand. After a short minute, the yellow pegasus Fluttershy answered the door, right eye covered by her flowing, pink mane. It reached almost all the way to the ground; she must not have had it cut in a while. She gave Rainbow a soft, welcoming smile. “Good evening, Rainbow Dash,” she said. “Hey, Fluttershy,” Rainbow greeted in return, “Can I come in?” “O-of course! Please, make yourself at home!” Fluttershy stepped aside, allowing Rainbow Dash to trot inside and, very quickly and subconsciously, admire the cozy feeling that came with her friend’s home. She knew what she was there for, but that didn’t mean it was good to say it outright. To most ponies? Perhaps. To Fluttershy? No, she didn’t work like that. Her mind was all too fragile. Rainbow would have to take it slow. “Where are all your animals at?” “I just got done putting them to bed. Why do you ask?” “Oh, I was only curious,” Dash shrugged. “Are you just stopping by to say hi? I can get you some tea if you want..?” Fluttershy offered. Dash shook her head. “I’m okay, I won’t be here that long anyway. Hey, can we talk about Pinkie and me?” Fluttershy saw a worrisome look on Rainbow’s face and was immediately concerned. “Didn’t you say that you two were going to the meadow? Is everything okay?” “Everything is better than ‘okay,’ Fluttershy. It’s great; we love each other!” Dash’s hoof reached for her own mouth to stop the words from spilling out, but they had already left. She slowly put her hoof back down and shyly wrapped it around her other front hoof. “S- sorry, I didn’t mean to say that so suddenly… it just kind of slipped out,” she apologized. Fluttershy didn’t say anything; she just stood there blinking. For awhile, Rainbow thought she’d broken her. When the yellow mare finally spoke, it was with a smile and a giddy tone. “Oh, Rainbow, that’s wonderful!” Rainbow Dash gawked. “Come again?” “I said that that’s wonderful..!” “You’re not upset?” Fluttershy, still smiling, understandingly shook her head - whipping her mane upward for a brief moment. “Two of my friends just found their special somepony. How could I be upset?” Dash couldn’t argue with that. Fluttershy HAD no reason to be upset. Still, what she had expected was at the very least a question asking for confirmation or a statement that would surely fill her with doubt… ANYTHING besides praise! Just then, a new voice entered the cottage. It was male. “My, my! I had no idea you were capable of feeling such affection, Rainbow Dash.” Dash turned to an open doorway to see the draconequus Discord standing with his griffon hand resting on the door frame. “I suppose appearances can be deceiving, though,” he added, smiling with that mischievous intent glinting off his one long fang. “Why I oughta…” Rainbow grumbled. She felt a bit robbed of her pride; she didn’t feel as strong with her emotions out in the open for everypony (and every draconequus) to see. “Rainbow, please, not in the house. Fluttershy and I just spent all day cleaning it!” Discord teased, which only helped to further the cyan mare’s rage. She took a deep breath and turned away with a quick “Hmph.” Fluttershy glared at Discord before putting a hoof on Rainbow’s turned back. “What he meant to say was that he’s very happy for you just like I am. Congratulations, Rainbow Dash. Are you sure you don’t want to stay for tea so we can talk about is some more?” “That’s okay, Fluttershy. I just came here to tell you, was all. I have to go pick Pinkie up.” The yellow pegasus gave a look of excitement. “Can I come?” she asked, and Rainbow nodded. Chapter Six - Force to be Reckoned WithThe walk back to Ponyville was accompanied with, not Discord, but a setting sun and a sky full of pegasi placing several storm clouds into position. A recognizable pair of purple twins, Flitter and Cloudchaser, descended upon seeing Rainbow Dash enter the area. “Hey, Dash!” the first said. “How’s it going?” asked the other, and the other quickly followed up with another question before Rainbow could answer. “We heard about you and Pinkie, and we both agree that it’s pretty cool you two are so open about it!” Rainbow Dash chuckled casually and gave a small nod. “Thanks, girls. What’s with the clouds? Didn’t we have a pretty big storm two days back?” “Yup! But the weather factory kinda went a little haywire for a bit, so we have to let the clouds empty themselves.” “Huh… mind if I join you guys later when it’s time to clear ‘em out?” Flitter, still hovering a few feet in the air, shook her head. “Not at all! See ya then!” The twins flew back up to another small group and helped with a particularly big rain-cloud. “RAINBOW DASH!” a voice shouted from somewhere nearby. It was definitely Twilight’s; Rainbow could tell before she had turned her head and saw her galloping over. The unicorn stopped momentarily to catch her breath. “Rainbow! I just got done telling the princess everything.” “Good to hear. Are you alright? You look like you’ve been running forever.” “I HAVE been! Once I got to the part where you two got struck by lightning, she told me to come get you two immediately. You could be in a LOT of trouble if you’re not indoors by the time the storm hits!” “It’s just a storm,” Rainbow half-muttered. “It’s not the storm; it’s the lightning! Do you know where Pinkie’s at?!” Dash nodded quickly, beginning to get more nervous. “She said she’d go to tell Rarity about her and I.” “You started telling everypo-” “We can talk about that LATER, Twilight!” * * * “I’m sorry, darling! I had no idea it was so urgent! Pinkie left a little while ago and said she was heading somewhere secret. But I think it’s absolutely fabulous that-” “‘Someplace secret’?!” Rainbow shouted through the wind that had built up over the couple of minutes it took to get to the Carousel Boutique, “She must have meant the meadow!” Dash spread her wings apart and prepared to get there as fast as she could. “Wait, Dash..!” Fluttershy started, “Let us help you!” Rainbow folded her wings back, swiveled her head around to the three of her friends. All it took was one look at Twilight’s horn for the blue pegasus to hatch an idea. “Twilight, quick! Can you teleport us there?!” The wind almost roared completely over Twi’s response. “I can try!” she yelled back, lighting her horn and encasing the group in a ball of magic that didn’t last longer than a second. The first drop of rain fell as they were instantly ported to the very edge of the meadow not far from ponyville. All around, the sky darkened and practically became one long blanket of storm-clouds. There wasn’t a sign of any living thing until Rainbow spotted the tree a few hundred yards away. It took another few precious seconds to see the vague figure that was Pinkie Pie in the distance. Rainbow pointed it out with a quick shout. “There!” The other friends gathered by Rainbow and helped in raising a collective yell to her. “OVER HERE!” Pinkie looked in their direction. She tilted her head in confusion as they started running. It was dry under the tree; maybe that was why..? From the sky fell many more small droplets into the manes of the four running through the now wet grass. They began to huff as the clouds above rumbled. “Hi, Dashie!” Pinkie squealed - oblivious to the danger she was in. The rain was falling fast now as the wind continued to blow hard against the path of her friends. Rainbow was the first to see the sky lighting up above the tree. “PINKIE!” she cried, “GET OUT OF THERE!” Hearing a crackling noise from above, Pinkie turned her head up. “Huh..?” BOOM! Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight shielded their eyes as the lightning struck down on the pink pony. The only one unable to look away was Rainbow Dash, who only blinked from the flash and watched Pinkie. Dash’s marefriend was instantly changed by the weather. Pinkie Pie’s hot pink mane and tail frizzed up as they did the couple of days before, but they were also left badly burnt. Her coat was very much the same. What concerned Dash more was Pinkie’s eyes. The life in them… the blue shine of her irises… just faded like a forgotten dream. The mare collapsed on the ground. “Oh my gosh… Pinkie!” Rainbow called out as the wind began to die down ever so slightly. She ran to the burnt body and knelt beside it, eyes tearing up. “No, no, no… wake up, Pinkie. Wake up. Please!” The pegasus took a hold of Pinkie’s still-hot hoof and pushed it against her face in the hopes of rousing her in some way with the feeling of her lover beside her. This attempt was futile, but it helped Rainbow do something else; she felt something inside Pinkie move. “A pulse!” she shouted, “SHE’S ALIVE!” Rainbow yelled back to her friends before getting Pinkie secured in her front hooves. Dashie took off for the Ponyville Hospital, and she didn’t slow down or look back for anything. * * * The waiting room was sterile and silent. It only took a couple of extra minutes for the rest of Dash’s friends to show up. All except for Twilight; she’d apparently told the other two she would go to Sweet Apple Acres to get AJ. Rainbow paced the room as the others took a seat - occasionally muttering a curse or two to herself every few minutes. The well-renowned Doctor Horse entered from a set of double doors wearing his standard medical attire and a thin coat of ash over some parts of his white clothing. Walking over to Rainbow Dash, he bowed his head down and sighed. “She gave us some trouble; let’s just say that. Her heart stopped twice, and I’m not lying when I say she was testing our skills.” “But d- did you save her..?” Dash asked sheepishly. “It was difficult, but we managed to get her stable. Now is the time I ask you; do you want the bad news or the good news first?” “Just tell me what I should know… please….” “Okay. If there’s nothing else that can be said, I’d let you know that the both of you are extremely lucky to have lived through that first strike you told me about, and it’s miraculous that she survived the second. Now for the bad news.” “Oh boy....” she thought. The doctor’s voice bordered on somber when he next spoke. “She hasn’t woken up yet, and the chances are that it’s going to take a while for her to stir at all.” “You mean she’s in a..?” “Exactly. Tonight will be the hardest part for her,” the doctor looked behind Dash and at the two friends that still remained. It wouldn’t be long before the other two arrived. “And we ask that you all stay here to help her through it. As for you, Rainbow, we’ll need you to stay here overnight so that we can treat any effects of the first lightning strike.” “What about Pinkie’s ‘effects’?” “She’ll receive the same treatment as you, miss Dash. Only when she awakes will we know if there were any lasting detriments to her well being. Please, come with me.” The yellow stallion led Rainbow Dash through the set of double doors and down a long hallway. The rainbow-maned mare followed behind him, looking through all the door windows she passed hoping to catch a glimpse of her love. In one window, the curtains were drawn. In another, there was a grieving family. Inside the last one she was able to look in was a normal unicorn with a fractured horn being treated by the kind Nurse Redheart. Doctor Horse stopped at the entrance to a door on his right. He kindly ushered Dash in and left her to get what he needed. He came back a bit later with a hospital gown, an IV bag already set up on its rack, and a small bottle of pills: probably some sort of powerful drug especially designed for her and Pinkie’s situation. Rainbow wrapped the gown around herself and tied it onto her back as she was meant to. Then she got into the hospital bed and watched while the doctor hooked her to the IV rack and set the container of drugs on a small, wooden table within Rainbow’s reach. “Can I trust you not to try to overdose?” Rainbow Dash huffed and crossed her arms. “I’m not like that.” “Good,” Doctor Horse gave a lighthearted chuckle, “because you can’t overdose with these anyway. I just needed to know if you were going to drain our resources. These things don’t come cheap you know! Anyway, would you like me to get you some reading material? Daring Do, perhaps?” Dash glanced around the room. She could’ve sworn this was the exact same room she was in when she first got into Daring Do - but that wasn’t what she wanted. “Can you just bring me a pen and something to write on?” “One pad and pen coming up!” Once Doctor Horse got back in the room, Rainbow Dash was already looking at the clock on the opposite wall and counting the seconds until she’d get to get out. He laughed a bit to himself as he handed her the pad and pen. “About the pills, miss Dash? Just make sure you take at least two before you go to bed. Take another every two hours after you wake up, and you should be okay to go home within a day or so.” Rainbow nodded, grabbing the pen with her wing and making a quick note to herself. The doctor gently closed the door behind him as he left. The pegasus prepared to get writing. Chapter Seven - The Diary VisitsRemember; two pills before bed, one pill every two hours afterwards. ______________________________________________________________________________ Since I’ll be here awhile, I thought it’d be a good idea to have something to write my thoughts down on. I’m not really in the mood to read. I’m too worried about Pinkie… she’s in a coma, and it’s my fault. Let’s be clear; I don’t want to die or anything. What kind of friend would I be then? No, what kind of MAREFRIEND would I be? It’s just that I’m… frustrated? With how I could’ve easily stopped this. If I’d just made a hole in the clouds or just brought us back to Ponyville, she’d be fine right now. Well, Pinkie… when you read this, (because I’m going to make you eventually. You won’t die this easily.) I told you so. There’s a reason you and I are still alive, and it’s not just luck. You’ll see. Oh, awesome. Friends are here! ______________________________________________________________________________ Dash set the notepad on the table, the pen resting on the paper. “Howdy, Rainbow. Heh… ah heard Pinkie ain’t doin’ so good?” Applejack questioned. “Well no, but she’s alive. That’s something,” Dash answered hopefully; then she looked around at the otherwise empty room. “Did the others go home?” “Nope. Ah actually asked ‘em if ah could speak to y’all in private for a few minutes while they went to see Pinkie Pie.” “What about?” “About yer new relationship with Pinkie,” AJ said, closing the door, “Now ah understand if y’all are serious about it, and it seems like ya are, but both of ya need to know that not everypony will be so happy. Ah can’t say the girls won’t accept you… because they already have… but ah CAN say that this kinda thing is pretty frowned upon by some ponies. Some might even go as far to go out of their way to make yr lives a livin’ hell.” “AJ…” “Ah know what ah’m talkin’ about, Dash!” Applejack assured whilst looking around. The next statement came in a whisper. “Ah’ve seen it before.” Rainbow Dash snorted. “YOU’RE a lesbia-” “That’s not what ah’m saying,” the farm pony interrupted, blushing, “Ah’m just SAYIN’ that ah’ve seen it happen. That’s all, and ah want ya to be careful once y’all are up and about again.” “Yeah, okay, AJ. Thanks for the heads-up… you’re a good friend,” Dash smiled. “And y’all ain’t too bad yerself,” Applejack smiled back before backing up again to the door. “Do me a favor, Applejack? “Hm?” “Tell the others I don’t want company. I’m tired, and I should get the rest so I can leave earlier.” “Sure thing, partner,” Applejack nodded, backing out of the room and closing the door behind her. Rainbow Dash let her head fall and crash against the soft pillow below it shortly after taking a couple pills. Sleep came quickly. * * * I just woke up, and that medicine is definitely NOT non-drowsy like I was hoping for. I don’t even want to get up; I’m so drained. Somepony must’ve came in last night, because there’s a vase of flowers on the table right next to me. It was probably Fluttershy. Or Rarity. Wait, there’s a note…. It was the fillies. The note says that they’ll be over later today since I was asleep last night. Good thing I have somepony besides my friends that’ll check up on me. I love this town. ______________________________________________________________________________ Well, Vinyl Scratch just stopped in to say hi. She congratulated me on my relationship and let me know that she could throw a couple of parties (She called them “raves,” but I’ve been to one before, and they’re just louder versions of your parties, Pinkie.) while we wait to see if you recover. I told her that the parties sounded awesome, but I also told her that she could shut it with the “if.” I know you, Pinkie; you’re gonna be fine. ...Right? ______________________________________________________________________________ Just like they said they would in their note, the CMC showed up like a bolt from the blue (just the opposite I guess, actually). They all told me that Pinkie was doing okay in terms of the fact that she was stable. I smiled when they said that. I don’t know why though. It’s like I didn’t actually think in my head that you’d make it. Anyway, then they asked why I was in love with another mare (go figure), and I had to play teacher for the next ten minutes to tell them about sexuality, love, and all that jazz. It was pretty embarrassing to talk about with fillies so young… but maybe it helped me a bit. You never know. It’s about 2:00 in the afternoon now. If I got here at 6 (which I think I did), I should be able to go home soon and relax while you finish recovering. I should take another pill. ______________________________________________________________________________ Now THAT knocked me out faster than anything ever has. And I’ve been knocked out a LOT while doing a bunch of crazy stunts. Doc’s the one that woke me. He says it’s time I get home and sleep the rest of my drowsiness off there. The guy also made an extra big point about the lack of any lasting effects of me, but he never said anything about you. Until proven otherwise, I’ll just assume you’re fine. ______________________________________________________________________________ I didn’t wanna cut the entries short just because I was leaving the hospital, so I asked Doctor Horse if I could take the pad and pen home with me. He said it was fine and that it could be “a kind courtesy.” Whatever that means. So I’m home now, and the sun is setting pretty quickly. Maybe I should take his advice and sleep off the rest of the drugs. See ya tomorrow, dollface. ______________________________________________________________________________ It’s the next day, and I came to see you like I said (wrote?) I would. What you looked like, Pinkie… it’s gonna haunt me. You were a lot better looking than after you first got burnt, but it wasn’t by much. I mean, your coat and mane were closer to being the pink they were beforehoof and everything, but it wasn’t you without seeing you jumping around like a maniac or seeing your eyes shine. You looked like you were dead. I know. I need to be strong or whatever… you’re not actually dead. There’s nothing I have to be upset about. I may not be in the hospital anymore, but I’m still counting the seconds. ______________________________________________________________________________ Fluttershy stopped by and gave me some pretty awesome news. You’re getting discharged tomorrow, and I’ll be ready at Sugarcube Corner to see you again. For REAL this time! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna sleep on it to make the hours go by faster. ______________________________________________________________________________ Soooooo yeah. Remember when I wrote that I didn’t want to die? I’m not so sure anymore. ______________________________________________________________________________ * * * Chapter Eight - LossRainbow Dash woke up the morning following the good news feeling refreshed and ready to greet the day. Today, Pinkie Pie would be released from the hospital, and she was recovered! The pegasus tossed the covers off her cloud bed and bolted for the door. She decided that she wouldn't stop until she got to Sugarcube Corner; that was where Pinkie would be for sure. The breeze gave her the assurance that everything was fine. Was that the truth, though? After all, the weather was what brought Pinkie's downfall in the first place. The cyan mare glided down through the marketplace, only slowing herself once or twice to steer around the cart vendors. Once she saw the bakery was within a hundred foot radius of her, she planted her hooves into the ground - a move that would cause most pegasi to stumble and fall flat on their face. Not Rainbow Dash, though; she was trained in doing that. She skidded with perfect balance to a dead stop. The marketplace was bustling that morning with several ponies whose names were unknown to her, yet their talents were perfectly described by what they sold and the images on their flanks. Rainbow stood by the door to Sugarcube Corner and waited. And waited. Minutes felt like years as the sun moved ever slightly across the eastern side of the sky, warming the skin of those in its light. That same light crept slowly over Sugarcube Corner, Rainbow Dash, the cart vendors, and the plain. Dash watched while it did this. She was bored; she wanted to see Pinkie again already! And as her eyes met the edge between the horizon and the plains, she saw her. She saw her love rising up with that pink, poofy mane she loved seeing so much. That small curve of pink seemed to bounce with each small step. That was strange to see Pinkie walking as opposed to bouncing like she normally does... maybe the earth pony was trying to sneak up on Rainbow Dash but to no avail. Rainbow shook away the small wave of uneasiness as Applejack appeared by Pinkie's side, gently holding onto the party pony's hoof in an effort to lead her forward. The group of friends didn't often do that without actual reason, but Rainbow Dash did hear once that they were cousins. Yeah! That was the reason, right? The two ponies rose up from the horizon and made their way steadily over to the bakery. Pinkie wasn't smiling. "She just hasn't seen me yet," Rainbow thought, "She'll smile when she does. Come on, Pinks." They passed many vendors. If the sellers were wearing hats, they quickly removed them and bowed to Pinkie and only put their caps back on when she was out of range. Applejack spotted Rainbow Dash and gave her a look of regret, softly shaking her head. They came within speaking distance, only feet away, and stopped. AJ patted Pinkie on the back. "Hey, Pinkie? Rainbow's right here," Applejack said softly. Rainbow Dash tilted her head; Pinkie was already looking right at her. Then the rainbow-maned pegasus saw the film over her lover's eyes. Her heart dropped into her innards and kept her in disbelief as Pinkie moved her head around. "Dashie? Where are you?" Rainbow's world was broken in that moment. There was no way. She must have been faking it. "Pink- Pinkie..?" she stuttered. Pinkie leaned forward and hugged Rainbow Dash tightly. Rainbow obviously hugged back, but she could feel the tears coming. "You're... blind?" Pinkie Pie started to cry at the same time as Rainbow. "Surprise." "How could this happen?" Rainbow sobbed, but she already knew the answer to that question. "I'm so sorry, Pinkie.... I could've stopped this. If I had just helped march you through that damn storm-" "Dashie," Pinkie whispered into Dash's ear, "it's okay. I chose to go to the meadow the second time." "It ain't either of yer faults," AJ cut in. "Nopony decides where lightning strikes, so neither of ya are to blame. C'mon, partner, let's get y'all inside so that we can talk." * * * From that point to the end of the day, Pinkie and Dash spent their time discussing what they'd do. All the while, they were squeezing each other in some way. AJ was simply set to be her guide because she was the closest-living relative recognized by the hospital. She was entrusted with helping Pinkie around with her daily routine until she could get it down herself using the vibrations around her and memory. Perhaps that wouldn't be that hard; there were only so many things one could do as a baker. The real problem came at night. The first night was the worst. Pinkie had no idea where she was in the dream or what was happening, but she could feel something attacking her. Cuts and scrapes and bruises and even burns could be felt sprouting up all over her body, and she was powerless to stop what was doing this. No matter how hard she tried to shake the things in the dark away, they latched onto her. Luna took no more than a minute to arrive in the desperate Pie's dream, but that minute felt like hours upon hours for the one under assault. In quick action, the princess of the night cast away the shadowy beings and put one hoof around mare - attempting to comfort her. Pinkie, however, thought it was another attack and began to punch, buck, and bite at whatever it was. Only the soothing sound of Luna's voice stopped her. "It's okay, Pinkie Pie. It's me... Luna." Princess Luna took one look into Pinkie's faded eyes and shook her head. "Oh dear... you cannot see, can you?" Pinkie sniffed up tears as she shook her own head, confirming what Luna had asked. "These beings will not leave you alone easily. Please, allow me to link your dream with another." "Dashie!" Pinkie begged. "I wanna be with Dashie!" "Of course." The rest of that horrible night consisted of Rainbow Dash getting the biggest mental exercise of her life dragging dark creatures from Pinkie and beating them into small puffs of smoke. Every night for the next two weeks was the same way. Pinkie's dream would be linked with Dash's; Rainbow would spend the night fighting what monsters came, and Pinkie would thank Rainbow Dash the following day. The days themselves were much different. Pinkie had to cope with her blindness during everything. Her good memory helped to keep her from misplacing things and locations in the bakery, but there was still the occasional slip where she'd accidentally put pepper into the cookies instead of salt. Often, she was excused for this action, and she was thankful for this... but she still felt slightly down when she made silly mistakes such as that. On a warm Sunday, when the day was warm and when the air was reinvigorating, Rainbow Dash offered to take Pinkie Pie to the park. There was something for her to see. Well... at least know. * * * Chapter Nine (Final) - Two Eyes, One HeartBefore leaving the bakery, Dash had made sure that this trip would be unlike the others; it would be clear this time. There'd be no lightning to worsen Pinkie's fate or bring Dash the same. While Pinkie had a job that didn't necessarily demand her sight, Rainbow Dash was not so lucky. Without being able to see, Dash would only be able to swing blindly in the hopes of hitting the clouds. No doubt she'd be fired soon after and also have to give up her dream of being a Wonderbolt. So yes, of course she deemed it necessary to double check and triple check with the weather team. No storms for the next month. Applejack trusted Rainbow Dash to do just as good a job, if not better, as Pinkie's guide. She had to; after all, Pinkie clearly meant the world to that pegasus. The lovers set off slowly for the meadow. Rainbow took it extra slow. No matter how badly she wanted to get there as fast as possible, she knew she shouldn't do that, so she didn't even try. Instead, Dash let Pinkie have all the time she needed and then some. After an hour and a half of walking cautiously rolled by with small comments like "You'll love it!" and "Oop, watch your step, Pinkie," the big, lone tree in the meadow came into view. Rainbow Dash tightened her grip on Pinkie's hoof lovingly. "We're almost there. Feel the breeze? That's us... tangled in the wind, Pinkie. We'll find a way forward just like we found this tree again." "Golly, Dash... I had no idea you could be such a poet." Dashie's cheeks turned pink. "I'm just trying to keep the spirits up. Thanks for coming out here with me." Pinkie nodded as they neared the tree's base. Pinkie couldn't feel the breeze the way Dash did. Sure, they loved each other, but how easily could a relationship be held between one who couldn't see and one who could? A blind puppy and an adopting mother? Only one answer was seen in her mind; it wouldn't be easy. She yawned sleepily as Rainbow stopped her before her head hit the trunk. Rainbow Dash pointed at the tree for a few seconds with her free hoof (The other was still holding onto Pinkie's own front hoof.). She then promptly facehoofed herself for being dumb. Right... she couldn't see. Dash lifted Pinkie's hoof and touched it to the bark. Over the past couple weeks, she'd used her free time to peel all the burned bark away. She went a step further by doing something Pinkie wouldn't expect. Pinkie rubbed her hoof over a heart-like shape and felt the plus sign in the middle of it. She moved her hoof to the left to feel that letter marking Rainbow Dash's name. "R" she searched for, but she didn't find it. Pinkie Pie instead felt a "P" engraved in the tree. She turned her head to the pegasus, who was now eagerly awaiting her reaction like she had done herself a couple weeks ago before all the mayhem. "Dashie?" Pinkie asked. "Did you..?" "Twilight would be proud to see I put something in alphabetical order for once," Rainbow Dash chuckled. Pinkie moved her hoof to the right of the plus sign. There it was... an engraved "R." But wait... was that slash just the natural bark? Was the heart really depicting "P + P forever?" Pinkie Pie doubted it, but it hurt knowing that she would never know for 100% positive whether Rainbow Dash was lying or not. Her hoof went limp, and she broke down crying. Pinkie's body curled up into a small ball as she shivered like she was in the midst of that awful storm again. Rainbow Dash knelt down to comfort her. The pegasus wrapped her wing over the saddened, pink pony, but there was no indication given that Pinkie even knew she was there. Somepony tapped Dash's shoulder, grabbing her attention. Rainbow looked up to see Princess Luna towering over her with her head held high and a soft smile on her face. She beckoned for Rainbow Dash to stand up, and the weather pony did so. Luna discreetly whispered something into Rainbow's ear. The ear perked. "Really?" Dash excitedly asked for confirmation, and Luna nodded in response. Rainbow took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and bowed her head down. "Do it." There was a bright flash seen through her shut eyes. Both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie lost consciousness. * * * Pinkie rubbed her head, still in a tizzy from whatever hit her. The party pony's eyelids fluttered opened. Blades of green grass greeted her as she pushed on the ground to stand up. "Huh?" She waved a hoof in front of her face to make sure she wasn't just remembering what grass looked like. A flash of pink met her gaze. Pinkie Pie looked around with a smile bigger than any other she'd had in all her life. She could see the plains around her! She could see the heart of the tree in front of her! She could see Rainbow Dash sleeping in the grass and Luna standing next to her! ...That last one sent shivers down her spine. She was just sleeping, wasn't she? Rainbow let out a loud yawn as she spread her wings out and stretched her body out as she got back on her hooves. A sigh of relief escaped Pinkie's mouth, and she felt happy knowing that Dash hadn't given up her life to give Pinkie her sight back. Instead, Pinkie's jaw hung open when Dash turned to look at her. One of the pegasus's eyes, the right one, had a glossy film over it. Pinkie then put a hoof over the left eye attached to herself. She couldn't see her hoof. Before Pinkie Pie could say anything, Rainbow tackled her lover to the ground and tightly wrapped her hooves around the pink mare. "An eye for an eye," she whispered. Pinkie Pie was free of any doubt that Rainbow did what she did for herself. She did it for the benefit of both of them. As Luna took her leaving, flying into the sky, Pinkie too could feel the breeze that Dash spoke of. Things still wouldn't be easy (just like they never would be), but now the two of them stood together in the world. In this moment, however, they laid on top of one another next to a single heart. The blue and magenta of their eyes seemed to mix in the same way their love was made in Sugarcube Corner and - soon - here: warm... and perfect. Chapter One - Just a Friendly Gesture“There are things that you can change, but there are also things you can’t control,” Dash remarked, looking up at the bright blue sky, “Like the weather, for example. We pegasi can clear the clouds, but we can’t change the color of the sky behind them.” “Gosh!” her filly-like friend Pinkie replied, “You sure like talking about weather, Dash!” “Ha! Yeah, I guess so. One of the habits of a weather pony.” Pinkie giggled as a blade of grass tickled her nose. She wondered momentarily what it would be like to be grass - always wanting to follow the wind and swaying in its direction. Talk about being the ultimate party animal. Or plant. It was thoughts like this that kept the pink mare always smiling. That and the time she spent with her friends, obviously. “Anyway,” Dash continued as the wind threw her rainbow-colored mane backwards, “I’m just saying that I don’t think us and our friends being alive after so much is luck. There’s something or somepony making sure we stay safe. There must be.” “What makes you say that?” “Remember when I performed that sonic rainboom and saved Rarity?” Pinkie nodded. “That sonic rainboom wasn’t me. The one when I was a filly? Maybe, but the other one wasn’t. The upward draft of air was too strong, and I almost got flung away by the sound barrier… but I didn’t. Somepony gave me a boost through it.” “Why haven’t you told anypony else?” Pinkie inquired. “Because…” Dash reasoned, “you’re the only one I know who believes in some REALLY weird crud. You’re the weirdest pony I know.” Rainbow heard her own voice leave her mouth. “Sorry. I didn’t mean for that to sound so-” “It’s okay, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie interrupted, “I know you don’t mean everything the way you make it sound!” Rainbow blushed. Nopony knew her better than Pinkie did. She quickly smiled and ruffled the pink pony’s mane. “Maybe sometimes I do.” “Oh?” “Yeah,” Rainbow replied, “like when I say you’re my best friend. You just listen to me. You don’t care if I’m saying something upsetting or mean. All you care about is putting a smile on my face.” “Silly Dash!” Pinkie Pie giggled in response, “I do that for all my friends!” Rainbow Dash just shook her head with her grin still wide spread from ear to ear. “And yet I always seem to be your top priority every time you see me,” she pointed out. At that, Pinkie didn’t respond. She knew it was true, but she didn’t want to admit it. Instead of answering her friend’s accusation, Pinkie pointed up at a cloud. “Hey, that one looks like you!” Rainbow stared up at the sky. It didn’t look like any more than a vague shape against a blue background. She tried looking at it from every conceivable angle, and she eventually convinced herself that one edge of the cloud bore a level of resemblance to the lightening bolt on her flank. She smiled and looked around for another shape. Spotting a big cumulus cloud directly above her and Pinkie, Dash pointed it out. “And that one reminds me of you!” Pinkie Pie looked at Rainbow Dash, as if confused. “Cotton candy,” Rainbow explained very briefly. “Oh, and that one looks like-” “THAT ONE looks like a storm cloud, Pinkie. So does that one, and that one, and that one….” Rainbow lost count of the gray and black clouds now accumulating above Pinkie and herself. “Come on,” she said with slight urgency, “Let’s take shelter under that tree over there.” Rainbow pointed to a tall oak tree across the clear, grassy meadow. “Isn’t that one of the worst places to be in a storm?” Pinkie asked, although it was also true that it wasn’t fun being in the rain and they were far from the closest actual shelter. “I don’t want you to get wet,” Rainbow answered. They made their way to the tree, and then the first bolt of lightning hit the ground somewhere far away. “Here we go….” Rainbow sighed. The downpour escalated instantly. Pinkie frowned as the rain drenched the grass outside the cover of the tree. She didn’t want to be one of them anymore. “What a horrible way to ruin a beautiful day!” she complained. “Aw, come on, Pinks. It’s not so bad. Look on the bright side!” Dash patted Pinkie on the back. She hated seeing the pink pony not smiling more than she hated not smiling herself. “There might be a rainbow when it’s over!” “What if there isn’t..?” Pinkie asked innocently, turning to her blue friend. “Then I’ll make one for you. In the meantime…” Rainbow laid her head against the tree and used her hooves for extra support, “wake me when the storm’s over. Then we’ll see if it’s me or the weather making the rainbow.” Dash laughed at the last sentence. She closed her eyes and fell asleep with her head resting on the hard bark. * * * “Wake up, Dashie!” Pinkie shouted far louder than necessary. Rainbow shot upward and hit her head on a low-hanging branch. “Ooooowww….” she moaned, “What IS it?” The clapping of thunder and drops of rain still leaking onto Rainbow let her know that the storm hadn’t stopped. “I wanted you to see what I made!” Pinkie explained, “Sorry for scaring you, Dash.” “What’d you make?” “Come look over HERE, silly!” Rainbow pinpointed the sound of Pinkie's voice to be coming from the other side of the tree. She walked over - curious about what crazy thing she spent the past downpour doing. Her answer was a heart engraved on the oak tree’s strong bark. Pinkie threw a stick to the side. “‘R + P forever’?” Rainbow read with a slight blush. “I figured since you said we were best friends, I’d make something to remember it.” “No, I got that, but why’d you put ‘R’ first?” Rainbow asked. “I thought you’d like it more if you came first,” Pinkie replied, smiling widely and waiting for her friend’s critique that would surely follow. “Thanks for, uh… making this, Pinkie. It’s pretty cool.” Pinkie overreacted to the opinion the same way she overreacted to everything.; she took Rainbow’s critique as if she called it the next best portrait of Equestria. Rainbow rolled her eyes. Suddenly, the sky crackled overhead. Lightning struck the tree in a fraction of a second. The sound sent both Pinkie’s and Rainbow’s hearts flying about a hundred miles an hour. For that fraction of a second, they truly felt scared. Pinkie jumped into Dash’s arms, and Dash into hers. After realizing they hadn’t suffered more than a large shock, Rainbow was the first to let go and pretend like, “I- I wasn’t scared..!” Pinkie didn’t answer. She was trying to suppress a giggle at the look of Rainbow’s mane - which had stuck straight up from electricity. Little did she know, Dash was doing the same. The storm hadn’t exactly left Pinkie untouched. “What’s so funny?” Dash asked through clenched teeth. Pinkie Pie couldn’t hold it in anymore. She exploded with laughter - falling in the damp grass. At the very beginning of that pleasant sound, Rainbow also fell flat on her back and let her own laughter mix with Pinkie’s. This kept up for several minutes. Every time they would stop laughing, they would get right back to it after seeing each other’s ridiculous-looking manes, tails, and coats again. When they finally got a hold of themselves, they got to their feet and helped one another pat down their loose strands. “Thanks, Pinkie,” Rainbow said as Pinkie went a step farther by preening the feathers on Dash’s wings. “Don’t mention it!” The storm started to slow down after that. The two ponies frowned as they took notice to the charred tree behind them. The message was gone. “Wait a minute,” Rainbow said with a sudden grin. She walked up to where Pinkie’s art once was, and she began rubbing and scratching at the burnt bark. Sure enough, under a layer of charred wood, there was the heart. Pinkie Pie smiled again, and Dash smiled wider after seeing it. “There we go,” Rainbow said, satisfied.
Chapter Two - Unintended ConsequencesThey made their way to Sugarcube Corner. The sky had grown quite dark. Maybe the storm lasted longer than Rainbow thought. “Do you wanna stay here for the night?” Pinkie asked excitedly, holding the door open for her. “You know me, Pinkie… once a loner, always a loner.” Rainbow Dash turned away, but then she saw the unlit town of Ponyville. Although she kept it a secret, Equestria creeped her out at night. Only when there was danger involved did she relish in it. Now was not one of those times to enjoy. “On second thought,” she said, looking back at Pinkie, who had never left the door, “maybe I’ll take you up on your offer. Just for tonight.” “Yay!” Pinkie cheered with a bounce. Dash smiled and walked through the doorway. The bell above the door jingled as it closed. The two of them headed up the stairs to the top floor - to Pinkie’s room. Dash stood there in awe. There were colors of all kinds. The cushions strewn in piles on the floor and on her bed held every color Dash could think of; the walls were lined with painted-on party balloons, streamers, and treats; and the pink. Oh, Celestia, the pink was overwhelming. Her comforter was pink, her wall’s background was pink, and her carpet was a pale (though still recognizable) pink! She practically blended into the scenery as she entered the room. Dash would go as far to say that she looked like a walking prop, but she stopped herself. “You sure spend a lot of time re-decorating, don’t you?” she asked instead of stating her odd comment. “Not really!” Pinkie replied, “I did all this soon after moving to Ponyville and getting a job!” “Huh. That’s cool. How much is rent?” “Zero bits!” Rainbow’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding, right?” “Nope! The Cakes told me I could live here if I help when they need it. They even give me a fair share of the profits!” “Wow. So they’re downstairs, I’m guessing?” Rainbow asked. “Yup!” Pinkie nodded, “Probably snuggling each other like couples do!” “Right.” Pinkie turned to her bedroom window overlooking Ponyville. She frowned at the lack of any rainbow in the sky. “Awwwww….” “What is it, Pinks?” “There’s no rainbow,” she replied sadly, but then perked up, “Can you make one right now?” “It’s late, Pinkie. I don’t wanna wake up the whole neighborhood,” Rainbow reasoned. Then she saw the pleading eyes of Pinkie. She couldn’t ever look at that with a straight face. Nopony could. “Fine,” she finally said, “Fine.” The cyan pegasus opened the window and flew through it. Now that she had a reason to be outside, it wasn’t so bad. In an effort to make the sound not reach as far, she began flying up as high as she could. At one point, where it became hard to breathe, she stopped. Pinkie couldn’t even see her at that point. No matter how hard she looked, she couldn’t find a trace of Rainbow Dash. But soon she would. Rainbow assumed a position of perfect directory and rocketed down. Performing the sonic rainboom would be easy. It was pulling up and around that was the hard part. The clear air of the night allowed for little wind resistance, and, as Pinkie spotted her shooting down through the sky high above, there was a loud BOOM as Rainbow broke the sound barrier - sending a flurry of colors out from where she did so. The pegasus zipped upwards right before hitting the ground. On her fast ascension, she noticed a few lights in the town’s windows turning on. She guessed that she hadn’t gained enough altitude to account for the light sleepers, but that didn’t matter now. All she cared about in that exact moment was making a perfect rainbow to brighten Pinkie’s world. It came out beautiful. A perfect curve of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple illuminated the sky. Dash slowed her speed and stopped the rainbow’s formation when it was at its completion. She glided back through the town. A couple ponies were looking out from their windows. Some had on faces of irritation, others smiled at what she had made. One of them - a grey pegasus with crossed yellow eyes opened her bedroom window and waved excitedly to Rainbow Dash. Derpy Hooves. It nearly threw her out of the two-story house. Rainbow waved back happily. Seeing the acknowledgement, Derpy closed the window with a wide smile. Rainbow flew back into Sugarcube Corner’s top floor and panted several times. “THAT sonic rainboom was me.” Pinkie Pie giggled. “Why didn’t you want to at first? Were you scared?” “Me?” Rainbow snorted, “Scared? Of what, the dark?” “Yeah! Like Fluttershy!” Rainbow gave up the act. “How’d you know?” “Just a hunch.” “Alright, that’s it,” Rainbow said threateningly, getting into a wrestling stance, “Put ‘em up, Pinkie.” The pink mare obliged with another giggle. She got into a position that might offer some advantages and surprises, but Dash had her pinned against a pile of multi-colored pillows in seconds. “Oh, come on. Is that all you got?” “You say that like I had a chance!” Pinkie observed. “Okay, fair enough, but shouldn’t you be struggling right now? It is a hoof wrestle,” Rainbow asked smirking. “Actually, it’s really comfy here! I don’t wanna move,” Pinkie laughed. Rainbow’s laugh followed shortly after. The pair were stopped in silence for the good half of a minute. Rainbow took that time to just look at Pinkie. She looked so happy… those soft, yet ecstatic blue eyes… that twisty mane… that pink face…. Pinkie’s voice broke into Rainbow’s thoughts. “What’s that about, Rainbow Dash?” she asked, pointing behind the pegasus. Rainbow turned back and immediately gulped. Her wings were sticking straight out and practically bulging. She blushed a bright shade of pink. “Uhhhhh… adrenaline..?” she lied. Pinkie saw straight through it. The pink pony let her mind wander. A look of realization swept over her face. “Ooooohhh…” she said, “is that a wing-” “Yeah,” Dash nodded and let go of Pinkie. She stepped away from the earth pony. “I should… get going,” she frowned and turned to the window again. Pinkie got to her hooves and called out as Rainbow walked towards it. “You can still spend the night if you want!” Rainbow stopped, but she didn’t look back. She only shook her head and dove out of the building and into the town. “See ya tomorrow..!” Pinkie yelled, feeling rather worried about her friend now. Was she THAT embarrassed? Dash still didn’t answer. Not loud enough to be heard, anyway. “Yeah…” she whispered - more to herself than Pinkie - “see ya tomorrow, Pinks….”
Chapter Three - Help Without Words and Help With PromisesRainbow Dash arrived at her cloud house not five minutes later. She slammed the door behind her - unknowing that she’d awoken her pet turtle, Tank, in the process. She proceeded to stomp around the room, but the soft cloud didn’t produce the noise she wanted. Dash groaned in self-pity. “Stupid wings!” she yelled, jabbing one of them. She grunted. That wasn’t enough. She punched the other one, much harder this time. She bit her lower lip, holding back a tear as a result of pain. That would leave a mark. Rainbow fell on her bed and rolled around for a long time - partly because of her now aching wing, and partly because of confusion. How did Pinkie know what a… who was she kidding? That kind of thing became common knowledge upon a certain age. Everypony knew that. Even Pinkie Pie. But no, that wasn’t the main reason she was confused. Rainbow was mystified by her feelings. She knew when her wings extended back in the shop that adrenaline played no part. It was all Pinkie and the way she just laid there looking back. There wasn’t an ounce of lust or anything like that in those blue eyes, but Rainbow saw something beyond friendship. The first word that came to mind made Rainbow shake her head and outright gag. Love? No, never! Rainbow couldn’t just fall in “love” with somepony she saw as a friend. However… a sick feeling in her stomach and a fluttering in her heart told Dash that the opposite may be true. She reached over for Tank and held him close. “Oh, Tank… I made a total fool out of myself tonight,” she admitted. The turtle tried his best to look interested - still very tired. Dash squeezed him tightly. “Pinkie and I were messing around, and I got too excited.” The sadness in her voice concerned him, and he licked her hoof. She ignored it and continued. “I don’t know what happened… maybe I can ask AJ tomorrow.” The tortoise blinked in response. Dash nodded. “Yeah, tomorrow is good. I can figure everything out then.” Rainbow loosened her grip and put Tank back where he was. “Goodnight, Tank,” she whispered. * * * The shining of the sun through one of Rainbow Dash’s skylights left her eyelids twitching and her subconscious in a momentary daze as she woke up. She was excited for what a new day would hold, but then she remembered the night before - how she had made a mockery of the pegasi name and fled the scene because she didn’t own up to it. Now Rainbow had to go to Applejack and see if the farmpony could help with the circumstance Dash had put herself in. She got off the bed with a sigh. “Outside, Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack,” she thought. Tank was left sleeping on the bed. He spent most of his day lazing about, so Dash wasn’t worried about him as she left the comfort of her cloud home. She was more scared that Pinkie might see her. Luckily, once outside, the pink party pony wasn’t underneath Rainbow Dash waiting for her to emerge. Dash let out a sigh of relief and continued on in the direction of AJ’s farm. Not seeing the poofy, pink mane below didn’t help. It only made here paranoia increase more each minute. * * * She never got lost because she knew her way around, but she felt like she was being watched. She wasn’t, of course. Not Pinkie, not another pegasus, nopony was even in her vicinity after she left the town. Seeing the farmhouse getting closer, Rainbow touched down. Her wings folded in snugly to her body. Upon reaching the door, she knocked. It wasn’t exactly what a pony, especially Applejack, would call “early,” so Dash was surprised when the door was answered by the one she sought discussion with. “Howdy there, Rainbow! Whatcha doin’ over here at Sweet Apple Acres?” the orange earth pony asked politely. “Hey, AJ,” Rainbow greeted very nonchalantly, “I… didn’t expect you to answer the door.” “Huh? Oh, yeah, we don’t start harvestin’ in the fall until about noon. The house has plenty of work that needs to get done. Do ya need somethin’?” “Yeah, I wanted to talk to you in private,” Rainbow said discreetly, “Is there somewhere we can do that?” Applejack stepped out of the house and closed the door behind her. “The barn’s empty,” she said, leading Rainbow to the big, red building a hundred yards away. When they got there, AJ unlatched the door, opened it, went in with Dash, and closed it. “Alright, what’s on your mind, sugarcube?” Rainbow Dash started out slow. “Pinkie and I were playing in the meadow yesterday… and then it started raining. We took shelter under a tree; I went to sleep,” Dash’s voice began to speed up, “and Pinkie woke me up to show me a heart she made on the tree. I was embarrassed, but I hid it. We got zapped by lightning, laughed at what happened, and headed over to Sugarcube Corner when the storm was over.” She took a breath. “When we got to Pinkie’s pink bedroom, she convinced me to do a sonic rainboom. I did it, and thenshemadefunofhowIwasscaredofthedarkandthatleadtoahoofwrestleandmebeingatotalidiot!” Applejack put one of her hooves in the air and motioned for Rainbow to slow down. “Cool it there, Rainbow. What happened after you did the rainboom?” Dash took a very deep breath in an attempt to slow her racing heart. “She made fun of how I was scared of the dark…” she started, and AJ snorted. “Sh- shut up! I don’t like to talk about it, okay? Anyway, that lead to me wanting to show her a thing or two, and I made her hoof-wrestle me.” Rainbow chuckled. “I pinned her in seconds.” “Alright, and?” “We just sat there looking at each other for awhile. I stared into her eyes, and she stared into mine. She was beautiful…. Then she pointed at my wings. They were…” “Ah,” Applejack nodded knowingly, “adrenaline from the wrestle, huh?” “Well, that’s what I tried to tell her it was.” “She believe it?” “N- no…” Rainbow confessed, “and I don’t know if I did either.” Applejack looked around for anypony that might be watching, despite the barn being free of other life. “Listen, sugarcube,” she said softly, “Y’all are askin’ the wrong pony about this. Ah don’t know the first thing about love beyond my family.” “Please, AJ… I need your help,” Rainbow pleaded. “...But maybe Twilight does,” Applejack replied hopefully, “She’d at least know more than me from all the books she’s read.” Rainbow Dash pointed her head at the ground and nodded silently. “...You aren’t gonna try to convince me it was adrenaline?” “Ah’ll let you figure that one out, sugarcube.” “Can you promise me that you won’t tell anypony about this?” AJ shrugged. “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” she said, slightly smiling. Dash knew she couldn’t just ask AJ to lie for her, so she smiled back - knowing that this was the best she could get out of the Element of Honesty. “Hey, AJ?” “Yep?” Applejack acknowledged after breaking open the barn door an inch and making sure nopony was listening to anything that was being said. “Thanks.” “My pleasure.”
Chapter Four - Close UnderstandingWhere the flight to Sweet Apple Acres made Rainbow feel paranoid, the trot to Ponyville made her feel almost terrified. She was so nervous Pinkie was going to jump out at any moment and greet her with a question about the previous night. Rainbow wouldn’t be able to handle that kind of pressure… yet the pink mare hopped right in front of her just before she caught a straight shot to the Golden Oak Library - Twilight’s tree home. “Oh, Celestia, kill me now,” Rainbow thought. Pinkie smiled, unaware of her friend’s still raging embarrassment from the night before. “Hi, Dashie! How’s it shaking?” “Um… it’s shaking,” Dash replied. Why did Pinkie have to talk to her now as opposed to, like, five minutes later? “Crazy time last night, huh?” Rainbow Dash cringed. This was what she was afraid of, and she was afraid of very few things. “I- I don’t wanna talk about it….” she stuttered, “Maybe later, Pinks.” The party planner lost her smile. “Oh… okay.” But she quickly perked back up with; “Where ya headed?” “Twilight’s place,” she answered. “Can I come?” “Sure thing. I just need to talk to her on my own for a bit about something. Is that alright?” Pinkie zipped her mouth shut and nodded. She moved out of Rainbow Dash’s way and followed her straight ahead to the door. Rainbow knocked instead of entering as she normally would. “I just need a few minutes. I’ll come get you when we’re done. Sound good?” “Oh,” Pinkie said, surprised, “yeah, I can wait.” “Thanks, pal.” Twilight answered the door within seconds. “Hello, Rainbow Dash. Hey, Pinkie.” “Hi!” the pink pony greeted the purple unicorn familiarly. “What do you two want?” Twilight asked curiously. “I… need to talk to you,” Rainbow Dash replied. She was sweating already from the pressure she felt she was under. She knew Applejack was trustworthy… but could she tell the Element of Magic as easily? “Of course! What is it?” “In private, please.” Twilight gave Pinkie Pie a worried look. “Is she alright?” “Dashie? Yeah, she’s fine!” Pinkie assured, “...I think,” she added. “Come in, then…” the unicorn directed to Dash cautiously. She slowly entered - being careful not to knock over the pile of books near the door. Rainbow closed it behind herself, sparing the mare outside the tree one more glance. The Pinkie Pie outside still looked as alive as ever. “So what did you need to talk to me about, Rainbow Dash?” Dash lowered her voice to a whisper. “Last night, after Pinkie and I chilled at the meadow where I told you we were going to spend the day..?” “Yes?” “Well…” * * * “Anyways, I think I might be starting to take a real liking to her, y’know?” Pinkie Pie put her ear to the door and listened intently to the quiet conversation. “Are you sure, Dash?” Twilight asked for confirmation. “I’m not sure about anything,” Rainbow replied, “That’s why I came here.” “If you like her, you should tell her.” Pinkie’s ears perked. “But I don’t know if I do.” “Pinkie is your friend, isn’t she?” Pinkie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Did Dash really..? “Yeah, but I can’t just tell her outright. I mean… what if one of us just came up to you and said we liked you?” “I’d probably ask if they meant as a friend.” “And if they said it was as something more?” Twilight closed her mouth tight and bit her lip in thought. How WOULD she have answered that? “I’d give them a chance,” she finally decided. Rainbow looked at her, not believing what she said. “Yeah right.” “I would!” Twilight insisted. Rainbow Dash smirked. “Wow, Twilight, I didn’t think you swung that way.” “I don’t,” she said honestly, “and I didn’t think you did either.” “Touché, but I really doubt Pinkie would be that way.” Twilight groaned loudly. “Rainbow… she is your BEST friend. All six of us are, so don’t act like you couldn’t be friends just because of a feeling that you didn’t share with each other. If there’s anypony who doesn’t leave their friends behind, it’s you, so you need to trust others to do the same.” Dash hung her head down, realizing that the unicorn was right. “Okay, so let’s say Pinkie DOES give me a chance. What then?” “Then you play it by eye and play it by ear.” “I think I got it now,” Rainbow said, glad she got this out of the way early on and looked for advice to something she had no clue about. She turned to leave, but Twilight stopped her quickly by tapping her shoulder. “I’m going to have to tell the princess about this.” Dash spun around. “What? Why?” Twilight took a deep breath and tried to calm her friend down. “I just need to know if this could influence the Elements of Harmony in any way. Plus… she’s a PRINCESS, Dash. I think she can keep things confidential.” “Confi-what?” The unicorn groaned again. “Confidential: secret or hidden from the public eye.” “Okay, okay, don’t bust a spell. As long as it doesn’t get out there to everypony, I don’t care.” “As long as what doesn’t get out there..?” The two turned to see Spike coming closer. Twilight hurried Dash along. “Time to leave, Rainbow Dash. Remember what I told you.” Pinkie Pie wanted to explode with excitement and anger at the same time. She didn’t know how she felt about Dashie, but what she did know was that the pegasus liked her and hadn’t told her about it first. The pink pony bounced giddily as the door slowly opened again. “Thanks a bunch, Twilight,” Rainbow said casually whilst walking out. She closed the door behind her before Spike could ask again what they were talking about. Pinkie wanted to ask Rainbow about the whole conversation and what she had heard, so she decided to do just that. She kept her voice low. “Dashie? Do you like me?” Rainbow Dash wanted nothing more than to run away in that moment. She wanted to zip from the scene. She didn’t wish to talk about it so soon. “Pinkie Pie…” she responded quietly, “can we talk about this later?” “Why not now..?” Pinkie asked, concerned about Rainbow’s hesitancy to answer her question. “Look, just meet me at Sugarcube Corner before nightfall. I promise we can talk then.” That made Pinkie feel a little better, but a promise wasn’t enough. “Pinkie promise?” Rainbow Dash chuckled and did the special vow. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Pinkie smiled. “Alright, see ya at Sugarcube Corner!” she said happily and began bouncing away. Rainbow looked up at the sky. The sun was all the way on the distant west of the sky. She wouldn’t have long to get her bearings. For the second time in twenty-four hours, Dash heard the jingling of that small bell above her head. From behind the open door to the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner came the sounds of pots and pans seemingly being put away. Pinkie’s voice followed Dashie’s arrival. “Just give me a minute, Dash; I’m making cupcakes for us!” Rainbow nodded silently at the doorway as if Pinkie Pie was there. She then took a seat at the first table she saw. It had a cyan top that reminded Rainbow of her coat and a red rim similar to the first stripe in her mane. Across from her was a standard, wooden chair the same as the one she sat in now. A wonderful smell came from the kitchen within the next few seconds, but they weren’t cupcakes. They would only be very cake-like muffins until Pinkie put the frosting on them. Rainbow Dash took a second to entertain the idea of how fast they’d be gone now if Derpy was with them. Then another smell filled Dash’s nostrils; it was the frosting she’d waited not ten seconds for. Pinkie emerged from the kitchen with a chef’s hat, cooking apron, full pan of a dozen cupcakes, and a smile. She set the tray down on Dash’s table and removed her hat. Rainbow watched as the pink pony proceeded to wipe her forehead, take off her apron, and hang both it and the hat on a hook protruding from the wall. She temporarily forgot the whole reason she was there and just sat there smiling while Pinkie took her seat. “So,” Pinkie started, grabbing a cupcake, “can we talk about it?” Rainbow almost asked her what she meant, but she remembered in no time at all and grabbed a cupcake of her own with a sigh. She didn’t eat it; she only turned it in her two hooves as Pinkie began eating hers and waiting for a response. “Yeah…” the pegasus said with a pause, “we can.” “How long?” “Until we pass out, I guess?” “No, I meant how long have you..?” Pinkie trailed off knowing that Dash would get the meaning of her question. “I don’t know. You’ve always been a great friend, Pinkie. I’ve always liked you and the other girls.” They both sat in silence for a few minutes. Pinkie wanted more of an answer, and Rainbow wanted a different question. The pegasus took a bite out of her cupcake after fiddling with the frosting-covered top for the thousandth time. Pinkie finished hers and grabbed another. The light blue frosting on the new one she chose caused Rainbow Dash to give a small smile. “You pick that one for any reason?” “Maybe,” Pinkie replied with a grin, “What about you?” Dash raised an eyebrow before looking at the cupcake she had picked up several minutes ago. The frosting was a hot pink. She shifted her gaze to the metal tray that was still holding an assortment of the delectable treats. She was upset to see each cupcake had a different colored frosting. Rainbow never intended to grab the pink one; it was only chance… but she began to feel as if maybe, just maybe, she did grab the pink one on purpose. “N- no,” she answered quietly with the internal conviction that she was lying. For another minute, neither Pinkie nor Rainbow said a thing. It was Pinkie Pie that finally broke the silence a second time. “Dashie..?” “Yeah, Pinkie?” Rainbow acknowledged without looking at her. “Do you really like me?” That caught Rainbow’s attention. She looked up into Pinkie’s blue eyes again. Dash felt a tingling sensation in her wings, but she held them in place with all the willpower she could muster. “I…” It was then that Rainbow Dash saw something reflect off her friend’s eyes. They shined something more than the admiration she occasionally saw in Fluttershy, but they shined less than the obsession often expressed by Scootaloo. Was that shine the thing that Rainbow had mocked for her entire life? “I do,” she finished. The mare she liked stared back into her magenta eyes and saw the same thing - something balanced, beautiful, and perfect. She took in a breath of air and exhaled slowly. “I like you too,” Pinkie confessed. They both, once again, sat in silence. All they did was take in the feelings of each other and put their cupcakes down. There was nothing to be said now: no more secrets to hide because they already knew everything about one another and no arguments to be had about hiding said secrets. Before either of them knew it, they were slowly leaning forward over the edge of the table and towards each other. Both of them stopped with less than half of a foot between them. “Is it really this easy?” Rainbow asked. “You tell me,” Pinkie said back with a smile. Rainbow Dash made her decision. As Pinkie knelt forward another inch, Dash reached the last five. She let her wings extend out now, no longer feeling a need to hold them back. After a few wonderful seconds had gone by, they retracted from one another. They smiled at what they’d done and the beautiful mare they saw in front of them. “I think this happened in a dream once,” Rainbow chuckled absentmindedly. “Do you want a do-over of last night?” Pinkie asked hopefully. “My sleepover was cut off a little short... so why not?” Pinkie Pie smiled happily at the majestic pegasus that sat inches from her face now. She leaned forward again and planted a kiss on Rainbow Dash’s cheek. “Great!” she cheered after pulling back and getting out of her chair. Rainbow followed the earth pony up the stairs of the building again with more confidence this time around. She glanced at the pile of cushions in the corner of the room with a slight smirk. It was a love-hate relationship between Dash and those pillows. Because of them, she got pressured into telling Pinkie how she felt; but without them, she may never have even known her feelings toward the pink mare. “What do you usually do in here?” “Not much,” Pinkie replied, “It’s almost always nighttime when I come up here, so I just get in bed, think about everything I’ll do tomorrow, and go to sleep.” “No video games?” “Nope!” “No television?” “Nope!” “Doesn’t it get boring?” “Super nope!” Rainbow looked around the room for anything productive to do, but she could find nothing. Time and time again, Pinkie’s bed took up the bulk of her peripheral vision. “Well, as long as there’s nothing else to do…” she said, “I guess I AM a bit tired.” Pinkie flipped the light switch down as Rainbow pulled the covers back and got half in. She trotted right on over to the other side of the large bed and got in beside Dash, who was just now bringing the blankets up to her neck. They laid there together for a long time, but neither one of them could get to sleep. “I can’t fall asleep, Pinkie.” “Me either!” she said back, suspended in thought. They simultaneously turned to each other. Pinkie had a lightbulb go off in her head. “Do you wanna have another hoof wrestle?” Rainbow shook her head. “It’s late, Pinks….” Pinkie inched closer with an extra shine in her eyes. This shine was bright and heartwarming in the otherwise dark room. Rainbow Dash grinned at her. “Oh,” she said, realizing, “cuddling. I’m not really much of a cuddler, but we can if you want.” Pinkie Pie smiled at that, and Dash allowed her to come closer. They embraced each other with open arms. Their warmth transferred between the two of them, the bed started to feel hot, yet they only pressed their bodies against each other. At the first feeling of physical pleasure from down below, Rainbow Dash pulled back quickly and flopped over. She fell onto the floor with a small thud. “Dashie! Are you okay?” Pinkie asked, leaning over the side of the mattress. “Uh… yeah, I’m as fine as can be, thanks,” was Dash’s only able response. “I’m sorry; it was an accident!” the pink pony called from above. “I know… but wow. I was NOT ready for that….” Rainbow Dash got back into the bed. Pinkie scooted backwards to her side and sighed half regrettably and half upset. “Is this how you felt last night when you..?” “Mm-hm.” “Now I know why you wanted to leave….” “Relax, Pinkie. It was my fault too, so don’t get too upset,” Dash reassured. Pinkie Pie, now embarrassed by what she wanted to ask, whispered quietly, “Can… can we do it again?” Rainbow rolled onto her side to face the mare again. “Why?” she calmly asked. Pinkie Pie laid there dumbfounded. “I don’t know…. I love you, and I just want to feel you beside me as more than just a friend.” Dash gave a little grin. Things were moving fast, but Pinkie was right when she said they’d known each other for a long enough to time to really, REALLY know each other. “Well, in that case… if you’re up for it, I am too,” she accepted. After hearing this, Pinkie again snuggled up to the blue pony’s long, slender body and instantly made themselves both feel at home. When they inevitably kissed and felt their nether regions touch again, they looked into the eyes of one another. The rest felt like a daze, and Rainbow Dash began to believe it was a dream as she gently closed her eyes and pushed against Pinkie’s soft, exhilarating - yet also soothing - body. * * * When Rainbow opened her eyes again, she assumed that it HAD just been a dream. Pinkie was in nearly the same spot she was lying before, and Rainbow was lying the same way she was when she first got into the bed. Then she felt the wetness of the sheets under her. Dash turned on her side to face Pinkie, who was facing away from Dash, almost asleep. “Pinkie?” she whispered. “Dashie?” Pinkie answered from the dark. “Did we really just..?” “Uh-huh,” she replied lovingly - and then added with a giggle, “You fell asleep, silly.” Rainbow felt blood rising to her cheeks. “S- sorry. It wasn’t boring; it was just-” “Warm?” Pinkie asked mid-sentence. Dash nodded although Pinkie couldn’t see. “Yeah… warm.” Rainbow scooted her way closer to Pinkie. “Sorry about your sheets,” she apologized awkwardly. “It’s alright; I can clean them tomorrow!” Pinkie assured. Rainbow Dash got all the way over until she was next to the one she loved most. For the first time in her life, she felt no disgust thinking about that four-letter word. She really did love Pinkie with all her heart, and she showed it as best she could by giving Pinkie a strong hug from behind. The earth pony turned her head up so that one eye could see Rainbow, but she kept her body facing away. If there was ever something that felt so perfect, it was this moment without a doubt. “I l-” Dash stopped only a moment, “I love you, Pinkie.” “I love you too, Dashie.”
Chapter Five - The SpreadAgain, Rainbow Dash awoke with the terrible thought that some amazing events were nothing more than faraway dreams that she wouldn’t get back, but the feeling of Pinkie’s soft body twisting around in her arms reassured her. “Hey there, dollface,” she greeted. Pinkie wrapped her hooves around Dash’s neck and giggled. “Good morning, sunshine! How’d you sleep?” “Slept just fine with you here.” “Really?” “No doubt.” The two equines got out of bed and got ready for the day. Getting ready for the day meant making the bed and, for them, sorting out how to go about their situation. “So what do we do now?” Dash asked. Pinkie didn’t quite know the answer, but she knew that both of them HATED keeping secrets. “Who already knows?” “Twilight for one, obviously. I also told Applejack and Tank, but we both know they aren’t gonna tell anypony. One because they promised, and one because he can’t say anything. And you? Did you tell anypony?” “No… but I told Gummy!” she yelled, pointing to the toothless alligator in its pen. “Great. So two ponies and two pets know about us. That leaves, what, a hundred more ponies to tell?” “Two-hundred and fourteen,” Pinkie corrected. “How do you know… never mind.” Rainbow Dash didn’t even try. What Pinkie Pie knew, Pinkie Pie knew for a reason. Dash guessed it was the number of birthdays Pinkie had to keep track of throughout the year. “Okay, two-hundred and fourteen ponies to tell. Do we just go from door to door telling them? Or maybe we should just walk around holding hooves? What do we do here?” “Well… why not?” “Huh?” “Not the part about going to everypony’s door; but the part where we hold hooves and just walk around, yeah! Let them figure it out, maybe!” Rainbow Dash scratched her chin, considering the idea. It might take awhile for word to get around, but once it did, it would be out there. Neither of them really wanted that, but it seemed like a better alternative compared to not telling anypony. Dash nodded her head in agreement. “Okay then, let’s go with that. Start from Sugar Cube Corner and work our way from the inside out?” “Sure!” Pinkie agreed, grabbing a hold of Rainbow’s hoof. * * * When they got outside, Rainbow Dash nearly let go of Pinkie’s hoof, but Pinkie tightened her grip when she felt Dash’s pressure starting to leave her. “It’s not going to get any easier,” Pinkie pointed out. “You’re right,” Dash agreed, “it’s not.” And so they took deep breaths and began walking around the center of town - heads held high and hooves held in love for one another. To say the least, they got some weird looks. Some smiled, some cheered; some pouted in disgust, some mumbled a quiet curse under their breath. The farther out Pinkie and Dash went, the easier it got. The houses were more spread out, and the ponies there seemed more friendly. Two in particular, Bon Bon and Lyra, even stopped to verbally congratulate them and wish them on a merry way. The new couple smiled at Bon Bon and Lyra as they trotted away. Finishing up the outer edge of town, Pinkie turned to Rainbow Dash and asked, “What now?” “Now we wait for the word to spread,” Dash answered simply, and spread it did! By the time they’d reached Sugarcube Corner again, over two hundred residents were aware of them now being together. Almost everypony knew - all but two: Fluttershy and Rarity. The couple looked at each other and sighed. They knew that it would be better to tell them directly. “Do you want me to tell Fluttershy?” Rainbow offered. “That sounds good! I’ll tell Rarity.” “I’ll come find you when I’m done. I have something I want to do for you.” “Who’s gonna tell Spike?” Pinkie asked, tilting her head. “We can both tell him later if Twilight doesn’t. For now, let’s just take care of Rarity and Fluttershy to get them out of the way,” Dash answered, “Like you said, it won’t get any easier,” she added. They split apart - Rainbow Dash heading to the outskirts of town, and Pinkie Pie bouncing toward Ponyville’s edge. * * * A cottage came up over the horizon along with a beautiful twilight making itself known in the sky. Turning her head to the left, Dash could see the first signs of stars. Scattered all about in clusters through an ever-darkening afternoon, they twinkled. Rainbow hovered in the air a foot or so as she closed the distance between herself and the door. She knocked politely - lowering herself to the ground and closing her wings beforehand. After a short minute, the yellow pegasus Fluttershy answered the door, right eye covered by her flowing, pink mane. It reached almost all the way to the ground; she must not have had it cut in a while. She gave Rainbow a soft, welcoming smile. “Good evening, Rainbow Dash,” she said. “Hey, Fluttershy,” Rainbow greeted in return, “Can I come in?” “O-of course! Please, make yourself at home!” Fluttershy stepped aside, allowing Rainbow Dash to trot inside and, very quickly and subconsciously, admire the cozy feeling that came with her friend’s home. She knew what she was there for, but that didn’t mean it was good to say it outright. To most ponies? Perhaps. To Fluttershy? No, she didn’t work like that. Her mind was all too fragile. Rainbow would have to take it slow. “Where are all your animals at?” “I just got done putting them to bed. Why do you ask?” “Oh, I was only curious,” Dash shrugged. “Are you just stopping by to say hi? I can get you some tea if you want..?” Fluttershy offered. Dash shook her head. “I’m okay, I won’t be here that long anyway. Hey, can we talk about Pinkie and me?” Fluttershy saw a worrisome look on Rainbow’s face and was immediately concerned. “Didn’t you say that you two were going to the meadow? Is everything okay?” “Everything is better than ‘okay,’ Fluttershy. It’s great; we love each other!” Dash’s hoof reached for her own mouth to stop the words from spilling out, but they had already left. She slowly put her hoof back down and shyly wrapped it around her other front hoof. “S- sorry, I didn’t mean to say that so suddenly… it just kind of slipped out,” she apologized. Fluttershy didn’t say anything; she just stood there blinking. For awhile, Rainbow thought she’d broken her. When the yellow mare finally spoke, it was with a smile and a giddy tone. “Oh, Rainbow, that’s wonderful!” Rainbow Dash gawked. “Come again?” “I said that that’s wonderful..!” “You’re not upset?” Fluttershy, still smiling, understandingly shook her head - whipping her mane upward for a brief moment. “Two of my friends just found their special somepony. How could I be upset?” Dash couldn’t argue with that. Fluttershy HAD no reason to be upset. Still, what she had expected was at the very least a question asking for confirmation or a statement that would surely fill her with doubt… ANYTHING besides praise! Just then, a new voice entered the cottage. It was male. “My, my! I had no idea you were capable of feeling such affection, Rainbow Dash.” Dash turned to an open doorway to see the draconequus Discord standing with his griffon hand resting on the door frame. “I suppose appearances can be deceiving, though,” he added, smiling with that mischievous intent glinting off his one long fang. “Why I oughta…” Rainbow grumbled. She felt a bit robbed of her pride; she didn’t feel as strong with her emotions out in the open for everypony (and every draconequus) to see. “Rainbow, please, not in the house. Fluttershy and I just spent all day cleaning it!” Discord teased, which only helped to further the cyan mare’s rage. She took a deep breath and turned away with a quick “Hmph.” Fluttershy glared at Discord before putting a hoof on Rainbow’s turned back. “What he meant to say was that he’s very happy for you just like I am. Congratulations, Rainbow Dash. Are you sure you don’t want to stay for tea so we can talk about is some more?” “That’s okay, Fluttershy. I just came here to tell you, was all. I have to go pick Pinkie up.” The yellow pegasus gave a look of excitement. “Can I come?” she asked, and Rainbow nodded.
Chapter Six - Force to be Reckoned WithThe walk back to Ponyville was accompanied with, not Discord, but a setting sun and a sky full of pegasi placing several storm clouds into position. A recognizable pair of purple twins, Flitter and Cloudchaser, descended upon seeing Rainbow Dash enter the area. “Hey, Dash!” the first said. “How’s it going?” asked the other, and the other quickly followed up with another question before Rainbow could answer. “We heard about you and Pinkie, and we both agree that it’s pretty cool you two are so open about it!” Rainbow Dash chuckled casually and gave a small nod. “Thanks, girls. What’s with the clouds? Didn’t we have a pretty big storm two days back?” “Yup! But the weather factory kinda went a little haywire for a bit, so we have to let the clouds empty themselves.” “Huh… mind if I join you guys later when it’s time to clear ‘em out?” Flitter, still hovering a few feet in the air, shook her head. “Not at all! See ya then!” The twins flew back up to another small group and helped with a particularly big rain-cloud. “RAINBOW DASH!” a voice shouted from somewhere nearby. It was definitely Twilight’s; Rainbow could tell before she had turned her head and saw her galloping over. The unicorn stopped momentarily to catch her breath. “Rainbow! I just got done telling the princess everything.” “Good to hear. Are you alright? You look like you’ve been running forever.” “I HAVE been! Once I got to the part where you two got struck by lightning, she told me to come get you two immediately. You could be in a LOT of trouble if you’re not indoors by the time the storm hits!” “It’s just a storm,” Rainbow half-muttered. “It’s not the storm; it’s the lightning! Do you know where Pinkie’s at?!” Dash nodded quickly, beginning to get more nervous. “She said she’d go to tell Rarity about her and I.” “You started telling everypo-” “We can talk about that LATER, Twilight!” * * * “I’m sorry, darling! I had no idea it was so urgent! Pinkie left a little while ago and said she was heading somewhere secret. But I think it’s absolutely fabulous that-” “‘Someplace secret’?!” Rainbow shouted through the wind that had built up over the couple of minutes it took to get to the Carousel Boutique, “She must have meant the meadow!” Dash spread her wings apart and prepared to get there as fast as she could. “Wait, Dash..!” Fluttershy started, “Let us help you!” Rainbow folded her wings back, swiveled her head around to the three of her friends. All it took was one look at Twilight’s horn for the blue pegasus to hatch an idea. “Twilight, quick! Can you teleport us there?!” The wind almost roared completely over Twi’s response. “I can try!” she yelled back, lighting her horn and encasing the group in a ball of magic that didn’t last longer than a second. The first drop of rain fell as they were instantly ported to the very edge of the meadow not far from ponyville. All around, the sky darkened and practically became one long blanket of storm-clouds. There wasn’t a sign of any living thing until Rainbow spotted the tree a few hundred yards away. It took another few precious seconds to see the vague figure that was Pinkie Pie in the distance. Rainbow pointed it out with a quick shout. “There!” The other friends gathered by Rainbow and helped in raising a collective yell to her. “OVER HERE!” Pinkie looked in their direction. She tilted her head in confusion as they started running. It was dry under the tree; maybe that was why..? From the sky fell many more small droplets into the manes of the four running through the now wet grass. They began to huff as the clouds above rumbled. “Hi, Dashie!” Pinkie squealed - oblivious to the danger she was in. The rain was falling fast now as the wind continued to blow hard against the path of her friends. Rainbow was the first to see the sky lighting up above the tree. “PINKIE!” she cried, “GET OUT OF THERE!” Hearing a crackling noise from above, Pinkie turned her head up. “Huh..?” BOOM! Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight shielded their eyes as the lightning struck down on the pink pony. The only one unable to look away was Rainbow Dash, who only blinked from the flash and watched Pinkie. Dash’s marefriend was instantly changed by the weather. Pinkie Pie’s hot pink mane and tail frizzed up as they did the couple of days before, but they were also left badly burnt. Her coat was very much the same. What concerned Dash more was Pinkie’s eyes. The life in them… the blue shine of her irises… just faded like a forgotten dream. The mare collapsed on the ground. “Oh my gosh… Pinkie!” Rainbow called out as the wind began to die down ever so slightly. She ran to the burnt body and knelt beside it, eyes tearing up. “No, no, no… wake up, Pinkie. Wake up. Please!” The pegasus took a hold of Pinkie’s still-hot hoof and pushed it against her face in the hopes of rousing her in some way with the feeling of her lover beside her. This attempt was futile, but it helped Rainbow do something else; she felt something inside Pinkie move. “A pulse!” she shouted, “SHE’S ALIVE!” Rainbow yelled back to her friends before getting Pinkie secured in her front hooves. Dashie took off for the Ponyville Hospital, and she didn’t slow down or look back for anything. * * * The waiting room was sterile and silent. It only took a couple of extra minutes for the rest of Dash’s friends to show up. All except for Twilight; she’d apparently told the other two she would go to Sweet Apple Acres to get AJ. Rainbow paced the room as the others took a seat - occasionally muttering a curse or two to herself every few minutes. The well-renowned Doctor Horse entered from a set of double doors wearing his standard medical attire and a thin coat of ash over some parts of his white clothing. Walking over to Rainbow Dash, he bowed his head down and sighed. “She gave us some trouble; let’s just say that. Her heart stopped twice, and I’m not lying when I say she was testing our skills.” “But d- did you save her..?” Dash asked sheepishly. “It was difficult, but we managed to get her stable. Now is the time I ask you; do you want the bad news or the good news first?” “Just tell me what I should know… please….” “Okay. If there’s nothing else that can be said, I’d let you know that the both of you are extremely lucky to have lived through that first strike you told me about, and it’s miraculous that she survived the second. Now for the bad news.” “Oh boy....” she thought. The doctor’s voice bordered on somber when he next spoke. “She hasn’t woken up yet, and the chances are that it’s going to take a while for her to stir at all.” “You mean she’s in a..?” “Exactly. Tonight will be the hardest part for her,” the doctor looked behind Dash and at the two friends that still remained. It wouldn’t be long before the other two arrived. “And we ask that you all stay here to help her through it. As for you, Rainbow, we’ll need you to stay here overnight so that we can treat any effects of the first lightning strike.” “What about Pinkie’s ‘effects’?” “She’ll receive the same treatment as you, miss Dash. Only when she awakes will we know if there were any lasting detriments to her well being. Please, come with me.” The yellow stallion led Rainbow Dash through the set of double doors and down a long hallway. The rainbow-maned mare followed behind him, looking through all the door windows she passed hoping to catch a glimpse of her love. In one window, the curtains were drawn. In another, there was a grieving family. Inside the last one she was able to look in was a normal unicorn with a fractured horn being treated by the kind Nurse Redheart. Doctor Horse stopped at the entrance to a door on his right. He kindly ushered Dash in and left her to get what he needed. He came back a bit later with a hospital gown, an IV bag already set up on its rack, and a small bottle of pills: probably some sort of powerful drug especially designed for her and Pinkie’s situation. Rainbow wrapped the gown around herself and tied it onto her back as she was meant to. Then she got into the hospital bed and watched while the doctor hooked her to the IV rack and set the container of drugs on a small, wooden table within Rainbow’s reach. “Can I trust you not to try to overdose?” Rainbow Dash huffed and crossed her arms. “I’m not like that.” “Good,” Doctor Horse gave a lighthearted chuckle, “because you can’t overdose with these anyway. I just needed to know if you were going to drain our resources. These things don’t come cheap you know! Anyway, would you like me to get you some reading material? Daring Do, perhaps?” Dash glanced around the room. She could’ve sworn this was the exact same room she was in when she first got into Daring Do - but that wasn’t what she wanted. “Can you just bring me a pen and something to write on?” “One pad and pen coming up!” Once Doctor Horse got back in the room, Rainbow Dash was already looking at the clock on the opposite wall and counting the seconds until she’d get to get out. He laughed a bit to himself as he handed her the pad and pen. “About the pills, miss Dash? Just make sure you take at least two before you go to bed. Take another every two hours after you wake up, and you should be okay to go home within a day or so.” Rainbow nodded, grabbing the pen with her wing and making a quick note to herself. The doctor gently closed the door behind him as he left. The pegasus prepared to get writing.
Chapter Seven - The Diary VisitsRemember; two pills before bed, one pill every two hours afterwards. ______________________________________________________________________________ Since I’ll be here awhile, I thought it’d be a good idea to have something to write my thoughts down on. I’m not really in the mood to read. I’m too worried about Pinkie… she’s in a coma, and it’s my fault. Let’s be clear; I don’t want to die or anything. What kind of friend would I be then? No, what kind of MAREFRIEND would I be? It’s just that I’m… frustrated? With how I could’ve easily stopped this. If I’d just made a hole in the clouds or just brought us back to Ponyville, she’d be fine right now. Well, Pinkie… when you read this, (because I’m going to make you eventually. You won’t die this easily.) I told you so. There’s a reason you and I are still alive, and it’s not just luck. You’ll see. Oh, awesome. Friends are here! ______________________________________________________________________________ Dash set the notepad on the table, the pen resting on the paper. “Howdy, Rainbow. Heh… ah heard Pinkie ain’t doin’ so good?” Applejack questioned. “Well no, but she’s alive. That’s something,” Dash answered hopefully; then she looked around at the otherwise empty room. “Did the others go home?” “Nope. Ah actually asked ‘em if ah could speak to y’all in private for a few minutes while they went to see Pinkie Pie.” “What about?” “About yer new relationship with Pinkie,” AJ said, closing the door, “Now ah understand if y’all are serious about it, and it seems like ya are, but both of ya need to know that not everypony will be so happy. Ah can’t say the girls won’t accept you… because they already have… but ah CAN say that this kinda thing is pretty frowned upon by some ponies. Some might even go as far to go out of their way to make yr lives a livin’ hell.” “AJ…” “Ah know what ah’m talkin’ about, Dash!” Applejack assured whilst looking around. The next statement came in a whisper. “Ah’ve seen it before.” Rainbow Dash snorted. “YOU’RE a lesbia-” “That’s not what ah’m saying,” the farm pony interrupted, blushing, “Ah’m just SAYIN’ that ah’ve seen it happen. That’s all, and ah want ya to be careful once y’all are up and about again.” “Yeah, okay, AJ. Thanks for the heads-up… you’re a good friend,” Dash smiled. “And y’all ain’t too bad yerself,” Applejack smiled back before backing up again to the door. “Do me a favor, Applejack? “Hm?” “Tell the others I don’t want company. I’m tired, and I should get the rest so I can leave earlier.” “Sure thing, partner,” Applejack nodded, backing out of the room and closing the door behind her. Rainbow Dash let her head fall and crash against the soft pillow below it shortly after taking a couple pills. Sleep came quickly. * * * I just woke up, and that medicine is definitely NOT non-drowsy like I was hoping for. I don’t even want to get up; I’m so drained. Somepony must’ve came in last night, because there’s a vase of flowers on the table right next to me. It was probably Fluttershy. Or Rarity. Wait, there’s a note…. It was the fillies. The note says that they’ll be over later today since I was asleep last night. Good thing I have somepony besides my friends that’ll check up on me. I love this town. ______________________________________________________________________________ Well, Vinyl Scratch just stopped in to say hi. She congratulated me on my relationship and let me know that she could throw a couple of parties (She called them “raves,” but I’ve been to one before, and they’re just louder versions of your parties, Pinkie.) while we wait to see if you recover. I told her that the parties sounded awesome, but I also told her that she could shut it with the “if.” I know you, Pinkie; you’re gonna be fine. ...Right? ______________________________________________________________________________ Just like they said they would in their note, the CMC showed up like a bolt from the blue (just the opposite I guess, actually). They all told me that Pinkie was doing okay in terms of the fact that she was stable. I smiled when they said that. I don’t know why though. It’s like I didn’t actually think in my head that you’d make it. Anyway, then they asked why I was in love with another mare (go figure), and I had to play teacher for the next ten minutes to tell them about sexuality, love, and all that jazz. It was pretty embarrassing to talk about with fillies so young… but maybe it helped me a bit. You never know. It’s about 2:00 in the afternoon now. If I got here at 6 (which I think I did), I should be able to go home soon and relax while you finish recovering. I should take another pill. ______________________________________________________________________________ Now THAT knocked me out faster than anything ever has. And I’ve been knocked out a LOT while doing a bunch of crazy stunts. Doc’s the one that woke me. He says it’s time I get home and sleep the rest of my drowsiness off there. The guy also made an extra big point about the lack of any lasting effects of me, but he never said anything about you. Until proven otherwise, I’ll just assume you’re fine. ______________________________________________________________________________ I didn’t wanna cut the entries short just because I was leaving the hospital, so I asked Doctor Horse if I could take the pad and pen home with me. He said it was fine and that it could be “a kind courtesy.” Whatever that means. So I’m home now, and the sun is setting pretty quickly. Maybe I should take his advice and sleep off the rest of the drugs. See ya tomorrow, dollface. ______________________________________________________________________________ It’s the next day, and I came to see you like I said (wrote?) I would. What you looked like, Pinkie… it’s gonna haunt me. You were a lot better looking than after you first got burnt, but it wasn’t by much. I mean, your coat and mane were closer to being the pink they were beforehoof and everything, but it wasn’t you without seeing you jumping around like a maniac or seeing your eyes shine. You looked like you were dead. I know. I need to be strong or whatever… you’re not actually dead. There’s nothing I have to be upset about. I may not be in the hospital anymore, but I’m still counting the seconds. ______________________________________________________________________________ Fluttershy stopped by and gave me some pretty awesome news. You’re getting discharged tomorrow, and I’ll be ready at Sugarcube Corner to see you again. For REAL this time! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna sleep on it to make the hours go by faster. ______________________________________________________________________________ Soooooo yeah. Remember when I wrote that I didn’t want to die? I’m not so sure anymore. ______________________________________________________________________________ * * *
Chapter Eight - LossRainbow Dash woke up the morning following the good news feeling refreshed and ready to greet the day. Today, Pinkie Pie would be released from the hospital, and she was recovered! The pegasus tossed the covers off her cloud bed and bolted for the door. She decided that she wouldn't stop until she got to Sugarcube Corner; that was where Pinkie would be for sure. The breeze gave her the assurance that everything was fine. Was that the truth, though? After all, the weather was what brought Pinkie's downfall in the first place. The cyan mare glided down through the marketplace, only slowing herself once or twice to steer around the cart vendors. Once she saw the bakery was within a hundred foot radius of her, she planted her hooves into the ground - a move that would cause most pegasi to stumble and fall flat on their face. Not Rainbow Dash, though; she was trained in doing that. She skidded with perfect balance to a dead stop. The marketplace was bustling that morning with several ponies whose names were unknown to her, yet their talents were perfectly described by what they sold and the images on their flanks. Rainbow stood by the door to Sugarcube Corner and waited. And waited. Minutes felt like years as the sun moved ever slightly across the eastern side of the sky, warming the skin of those in its light. That same light crept slowly over Sugarcube Corner, Rainbow Dash, the cart vendors, and the plain. Dash watched while it did this. She was bored; she wanted to see Pinkie again already! And as her eyes met the edge between the horizon and the plains, she saw her. She saw her love rising up with that pink, poofy mane she loved seeing so much. That small curve of pink seemed to bounce with each small step. That was strange to see Pinkie walking as opposed to bouncing like she normally does... maybe the earth pony was trying to sneak up on Rainbow Dash but to no avail. Rainbow shook away the small wave of uneasiness as Applejack appeared by Pinkie's side, gently holding onto the party pony's hoof in an effort to lead her forward. The group of friends didn't often do that without actual reason, but Rainbow Dash did hear once that they were cousins. Yeah! That was the reason, right? The two ponies rose up from the horizon and made their way steadily over to the bakery. Pinkie wasn't smiling. "She just hasn't seen me yet," Rainbow thought, "She'll smile when she does. Come on, Pinks." They passed many vendors. If the sellers were wearing hats, they quickly removed them and bowed to Pinkie and only put their caps back on when she was out of range. Applejack spotted Rainbow Dash and gave her a look of regret, softly shaking her head. They came within speaking distance, only feet away, and stopped. AJ patted Pinkie on the back. "Hey, Pinkie? Rainbow's right here," Applejack said softly. Rainbow Dash tilted her head; Pinkie was already looking right at her. Then the rainbow-maned pegasus saw the film over her lover's eyes. Her heart dropped into her innards and kept her in disbelief as Pinkie moved her head around. "Dashie? Where are you?" Rainbow's world was broken in that moment. There was no way. She must have been faking it. "Pink- Pinkie..?" she stuttered. Pinkie leaned forward and hugged Rainbow Dash tightly. Rainbow obviously hugged back, but she could feel the tears coming. "You're... blind?" Pinkie Pie started to cry at the same time as Rainbow. "Surprise." "How could this happen?" Rainbow sobbed, but she already knew the answer to that question. "I'm so sorry, Pinkie.... I could've stopped this. If I had just helped march you through that damn storm-" "Dashie," Pinkie whispered into Dash's ear, "it's okay. I chose to go to the meadow the second time." "It ain't either of yer faults," AJ cut in. "Nopony decides where lightning strikes, so neither of ya are to blame. C'mon, partner, let's get y'all inside so that we can talk." * * * From that point to the end of the day, Pinkie and Dash spent their time discussing what they'd do. All the while, they were squeezing each other in some way. AJ was simply set to be her guide because she was the closest-living relative recognized by the hospital. She was entrusted with helping Pinkie around with her daily routine until she could get it down herself using the vibrations around her and memory. Perhaps that wouldn't be that hard; there were only so many things one could do as a baker. The real problem came at night. The first night was the worst. Pinkie had no idea where she was in the dream or what was happening, but she could feel something attacking her. Cuts and scrapes and bruises and even burns could be felt sprouting up all over her body, and she was powerless to stop what was doing this. No matter how hard she tried to shake the things in the dark away, they latched onto her. Luna took no more than a minute to arrive in the desperate Pie's dream, but that minute felt like hours upon hours for the one under assault. In quick action, the princess of the night cast away the shadowy beings and put one hoof around mare - attempting to comfort her. Pinkie, however, thought it was another attack and began to punch, buck, and bite at whatever it was. Only the soothing sound of Luna's voice stopped her. "It's okay, Pinkie Pie. It's me... Luna." Princess Luna took one look into Pinkie's faded eyes and shook her head. "Oh dear... you cannot see, can you?" Pinkie sniffed up tears as she shook her own head, confirming what Luna had asked. "These beings will not leave you alone easily. Please, allow me to link your dream with another." "Dashie!" Pinkie begged. "I wanna be with Dashie!" "Of course." The rest of that horrible night consisted of Rainbow Dash getting the biggest mental exercise of her life dragging dark creatures from Pinkie and beating them into small puffs of smoke. Every night for the next two weeks was the same way. Pinkie's dream would be linked with Dash's; Rainbow would spend the night fighting what monsters came, and Pinkie would thank Rainbow Dash the following day. The days themselves were much different. Pinkie had to cope with her blindness during everything. Her good memory helped to keep her from misplacing things and locations in the bakery, but there was still the occasional slip where she'd accidentally put pepper into the cookies instead of salt. Often, she was excused for this action, and she was thankful for this... but she still felt slightly down when she made silly mistakes such as that. On a warm Sunday, when the day was warm and when the air was reinvigorating, Rainbow Dash offered to take Pinkie Pie to the park. There was something for her to see. Well... at least know. * * *
Chapter Nine (Final) - Two Eyes, One HeartBefore leaving the bakery, Dash had made sure that this trip would be unlike the others; it would be clear this time. There'd be no lightning to worsen Pinkie's fate or bring Dash the same. While Pinkie had a job that didn't necessarily demand her sight, Rainbow Dash was not so lucky. Without being able to see, Dash would only be able to swing blindly in the hopes of hitting the clouds. No doubt she'd be fired soon after and also have to give up her dream of being a Wonderbolt. So yes, of course she deemed it necessary to double check and triple check with the weather team. No storms for the next month. Applejack trusted Rainbow Dash to do just as good a job, if not better, as Pinkie's guide. She had to; after all, Pinkie clearly meant the world to that pegasus. The lovers set off slowly for the meadow. Rainbow took it extra slow. No matter how badly she wanted to get there as fast as possible, she knew she shouldn't do that, so she didn't even try. Instead, Dash let Pinkie have all the time she needed and then some. After an hour and a half of walking cautiously rolled by with small comments like "You'll love it!" and "Oop, watch your step, Pinkie," the big, lone tree in the meadow came into view. Rainbow Dash tightened her grip on Pinkie's hoof lovingly. "We're almost there. Feel the breeze? That's us... tangled in the wind, Pinkie. We'll find a way forward just like we found this tree again." "Golly, Dash... I had no idea you could be such a poet." Dashie's cheeks turned pink. "I'm just trying to keep the spirits up. Thanks for coming out here with me." Pinkie nodded as they neared the tree's base. Pinkie couldn't feel the breeze the way Dash did. Sure, they loved each other, but how easily could a relationship be held between one who couldn't see and one who could? A blind puppy and an adopting mother? Only one answer was seen in her mind; it wouldn't be easy. She yawned sleepily as Rainbow stopped her before her head hit the trunk. Rainbow Dash pointed at the tree for a few seconds with her free hoof (The other was still holding onto Pinkie's own front hoof.). She then promptly facehoofed herself for being dumb. Right... she couldn't see. Dash lifted Pinkie's hoof and touched it to the bark. Over the past couple weeks, she'd used her free time to peel all the burned bark away. She went a step further by doing something Pinkie wouldn't expect. Pinkie rubbed her hoof over a heart-like shape and felt the plus sign in the middle of it. She moved her hoof to the left to feel that letter marking Rainbow Dash's name. "R" she searched for, but she didn't find it. Pinkie Pie instead felt a "P" engraved in the tree. She turned her head to the pegasus, who was now eagerly awaiting her reaction like she had done herself a couple weeks ago before all the mayhem. "Dashie?" Pinkie asked. "Did you..?" "Twilight would be proud to see I put something in alphabetical order for once," Rainbow Dash chuckled. Pinkie moved her hoof to the right of the plus sign. There it was... an engraved "R." But wait... was that slash just the natural bark? Was the heart really depicting "P + P forever?" Pinkie Pie doubted it, but it hurt knowing that she would never know for 100% positive whether Rainbow Dash was lying or not. Her hoof went limp, and she broke down crying. Pinkie's body curled up into a small ball as she shivered like she was in the midst of that awful storm again. Rainbow Dash knelt down to comfort her. The pegasus wrapped her wing over the saddened, pink pony, but there was no indication given that Pinkie even knew she was there. Somepony tapped Dash's shoulder, grabbing her attention. Rainbow looked up to see Princess Luna towering over her with her head held high and a soft smile on her face. She beckoned for Rainbow Dash to stand up, and the weather pony did so. Luna discreetly whispered something into Rainbow's ear. The ear perked. "Really?" Dash excitedly asked for confirmation, and Luna nodded in response. Rainbow took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and bowed her head down. "Do it." There was a bright flash seen through her shut eyes. Both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie lost consciousness. * * * Pinkie rubbed her head, still in a tizzy from whatever hit her. The party pony's eyelids fluttered opened. Blades of green grass greeted her as she pushed on the ground to stand up. "Huh?" She waved a hoof in front of her face to make sure she wasn't just remembering what grass looked like. A flash of pink met her gaze. Pinkie Pie looked around with a smile bigger than any other she'd had in all her life. She could see the plains around her! She could see the heart of the tree in front of her! She could see Rainbow Dash sleeping in the grass and Luna standing next to her! ...That last one sent shivers down her spine. She was just sleeping, wasn't she? Rainbow let out a loud yawn as she spread her wings out and stretched her body out as she got back on her hooves. A sigh of relief escaped Pinkie's mouth, and she felt happy knowing that Dash hadn't given up her life to give Pinkie her sight back. Instead, Pinkie's jaw hung open when Dash turned to look at her. One of the pegasus's eyes, the right one, had a glossy film over it. Pinkie then put a hoof over the left eye attached to herself. She couldn't see her hoof. Before Pinkie Pie could say anything, Rainbow tackled her lover to the ground and tightly wrapped her hooves around the pink mare. "An eye for an eye," she whispered. Pinkie Pie was free of any doubt that Rainbow did what she did for herself. She did it for the benefit of both of them. As Luna took her leaving, flying into the sky, Pinkie too could feel the breeze that Dash spoke of. Things still wouldn't be easy (just like they never would be), but now the two of them stood together in the world. In this moment, however, they laid on top of one another next to a single heart. The blue and magenta of their eyes seemed to mix in the same way their love was made in Sugarcube Corner and - soon - here: warm... and perfect.
Chapter One - Just a Friendly Gesture“There are things that you can change, but there are also things you can’t control,” Dash remarked, looking up at the bright blue sky, “Like the weather, for example. We pegasi can clear the clouds, but we can’t change the color of the sky behind them.” “Gosh!” her filly-like friend Pinkie replied, “You sure like talking about weather, Dash!” “Ha! Yeah, I guess so. One of the habits of a weather pony.” Pinkie giggled as a blade of grass tickled her nose. She wondered momentarily what it would be like to be grass - always wanting to follow the wind and swaying in its direction. Talk about being the ultimate party animal. Or plant. It was thoughts like this that kept the pink mare always smiling. That and the time she spent with her friends, obviously. “Anyway,” Dash continued as the wind threw her rainbow-colored mane backwards, “I’m just saying that I don’t think us and our friends being alive after so much is luck. There’s something or somepony making sure we stay safe. There must be.” “What makes you say that?” “Remember when I performed that sonic rainboom and saved Rarity?” Pinkie nodded. “That sonic rainboom wasn’t me. The one when I was a filly? Maybe, but the other one wasn’t. The upward draft of air was too strong, and I almost got flung away by the sound barrier… but I didn’t. Somepony gave me a boost through it.” “Why haven’t you told anypony else?” Pinkie inquired. “Because…” Dash reasoned, “you’re the only one I know who believes in some REALLY weird crud. You’re the weirdest pony I know.” Rainbow heard her own voice leave her mouth. “Sorry. I didn’t mean for that to sound so-” “It’s okay, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie interrupted, “I know you don’t mean everything the way you make it sound!” Rainbow blushed. Nopony knew her better than Pinkie did. She quickly smiled and ruffled the pink pony’s mane. “Maybe sometimes I do.” “Oh?” “Yeah,” Rainbow replied, “like when I say you’re my best friend. You just listen to me. You don’t care if I’m saying something upsetting or mean. All you care about is putting a smile on my face.” “Silly Dash!” Pinkie Pie giggled in response, “I do that for all my friends!” Rainbow Dash just shook her head with her grin still wide spread from ear to ear. “And yet I always seem to be your top priority every time you see me,” she pointed out. At that, Pinkie didn’t respond. She knew it was true, but she didn’t want to admit it. Instead of answering her friend’s accusation, Pinkie pointed up at a cloud. “Hey, that one looks like you!” Rainbow stared up at the sky. It didn’t look like any more than a vague shape against a blue background. She tried looking at it from every conceivable angle, and she eventually convinced herself that one edge of the cloud bore a level of resemblance to the lightening bolt on her flank. She smiled and looked around for another shape. Spotting a big cumulus cloud directly above her and Pinkie, Dash pointed it out. “And that one reminds me of you!” Pinkie Pie looked at Rainbow Dash, as if confused. “Cotton candy,” Rainbow explained very briefly. “Oh, and that one looks like-” “THAT ONE looks like a storm cloud, Pinkie. So does that one, and that one, and that one….” Rainbow lost count of the gray and black clouds now accumulating above Pinkie and herself. “Come on,” she said with slight urgency, “Let’s take shelter under that tree over there.” Rainbow pointed to a tall oak tree across the clear, grassy meadow. “Isn’t that one of the worst places to be in a storm?” Pinkie asked, although it was also true that it wasn’t fun being in the rain and they were far from the closest actual shelter. “I don’t want you to get wet,” Rainbow answered. They made their way to the tree, and then the first bolt of lightning hit the ground somewhere far away. “Here we go….” Rainbow sighed. The downpour escalated instantly. Pinkie frowned as the rain drenched the grass outside the cover of the tree. She didn’t want to be one of them anymore. “What a horrible way to ruin a beautiful day!” she complained. “Aw, come on, Pinks. It’s not so bad. Look on the bright side!” Dash patted Pinkie on the back. She hated seeing the pink pony not smiling more than she hated not smiling herself. “There might be a rainbow when it’s over!” “What if there isn’t..?” Pinkie asked innocently, turning to her blue friend. “Then I’ll make one for you. In the meantime…” Rainbow laid her head against the tree and used her hooves for extra support, “wake me when the storm’s over. Then we’ll see if it’s me or the weather making the rainbow.” Dash laughed at the last sentence. She closed her eyes and fell asleep with her head resting on the hard bark. * * * “Wake up, Dashie!” Pinkie shouted far louder than necessary. Rainbow shot upward and hit her head on a low-hanging branch. “Ooooowww….” she moaned, “What IS it?” The clapping of thunder and drops of rain still leaking onto Rainbow let her know that the storm hadn’t stopped. “I wanted you to see what I made!” Pinkie explained, “Sorry for scaring you, Dash.” “What’d you make?” “Come look over HERE, silly!” Rainbow pinpointed the sound of Pinkie's voice to be coming from the other side of the tree. She walked over - curious about what crazy thing she spent the past downpour doing. Her answer was a heart engraved on the oak tree’s strong bark. Pinkie threw a stick to the side. “‘R + P forever’?” Rainbow read with a slight blush. “I figured since you said we were best friends, I’d make something to remember it.” “No, I got that, but why’d you put ‘R’ first?” Rainbow asked. “I thought you’d like it more if you came first,” Pinkie replied, smiling widely and waiting for her friend’s critique that would surely follow. “Thanks for, uh… making this, Pinkie. It’s pretty cool.” Pinkie overreacted to the opinion the same way she overreacted to everything.; she took Rainbow’s critique as if she called it the next best portrait of Equestria. Rainbow rolled her eyes. Suddenly, the sky crackled overhead. Lightning struck the tree in a fraction of a second. The sound sent both Pinkie’s and Rainbow’s hearts flying about a hundred miles an hour. For that fraction of a second, they truly felt scared. Pinkie jumped into Dash’s arms, and Dash into hers. After realizing they hadn’t suffered more than a large shock, Rainbow was the first to let go and pretend like, “I- I wasn’t scared..!” Pinkie didn’t answer. She was trying to suppress a giggle at the look of Rainbow’s mane - which had stuck straight up from electricity. Little did she know, Dash was doing the same. The storm hadn’t exactly left Pinkie untouched. “What’s so funny?” Dash asked through clenched teeth. Pinkie Pie couldn’t hold it in anymore. She exploded with laughter - falling in the damp grass. At the very beginning of that pleasant sound, Rainbow also fell flat on her back and let her own laughter mix with Pinkie’s. This kept up for several minutes. Every time they would stop laughing, they would get right back to it after seeing each other’s ridiculous-looking manes, tails, and coats again. When they finally got a hold of themselves, they got to their feet and helped one another pat down their loose strands. “Thanks, Pinkie,” Rainbow said as Pinkie went a step farther by preening the feathers on Dash’s wings. “Don’t mention it!” The storm started to slow down after that. The two ponies frowned as they took notice to the charred tree behind them. The message was gone. “Wait a minute,” Rainbow said with a sudden grin. She walked up to where Pinkie’s art once was, and she began rubbing and scratching at the burnt bark. Sure enough, under a layer of charred wood, there was the heart. Pinkie Pie smiled again, and Dash smiled wider after seeing it. “There we go,” Rainbow said, satisfied.
