Dawn spent the next few months being an overachiever, she was a pegasus student in a unicorn dominated subject and was doing better than nearly every other pony in the classroom. She was doing so well that some of the teachers were becoming concerned with Dawn’s social life and had called her parents about it numerous times and received the same, “She’s doing perfectly well, thank you for your concern.” from Quizzy, so much so that Dawn’s mother had begun to sound like a broken record.

And she was right, Dawn was perfectly happy in her little bubble of reading, learning and occasionally chatting to Legacy. She had warmed to occasionally talking to Cobalt, but she was still shy around him, but she definitely thought as him as a close friend.

The only downside to Dawn and her method of work was that it didn’t involve much proper sleeping, she spent most of her nights in a state of half lucid dream half awake, working away at whatever topic they had been covering that week. Dawn spent most of her waking hours working, reading or indulging her guilty pleasure of mushy romance television and novels.

She managed to get enough sleep to not need a caffeine drip, but definitely not enough that she wasn’t spending most of her lessons dozing, her head resting gently on her folded forehooves. Cobalt had started to sit next to her during some of the periods they shared, he would nudge her awake if she nodded off during an important part of the lecture and keep her straight on homework.

Besides all of this, and her own introverted nature. Dawn was lonely, the only true friend she had was busy most of the time, Legacy’s course was proving much more intensive than expected. She was doing well, but not well enough to be able to spend quality time with her friend.
Dawn still wasn't completely sure about Cobalt, he seemed nice enough and was clever, but she had never been one to make the first move in a friendship.

Instead, Dawn tended to ignore his occasional text message and put aside her mobile if he called her. She had answered a couple of times, but Dawn had never actually gone out to try and talk to him.
Ratchet was the first to notice something was wrong with Dawn, she'd come home after each day she left for college, give him a brief greeting, then tromp upstairs without so much as a smile. She would barely speak a word over the dinner table and be gone the moment she was excused. Ratchet had approached her a couple times and asked her if she was alright. He'd received a simple," Yeah, I'm fine dad.” from her every time.

He had tried different angles every time, even confronting her head on and demanding she told him what was bothering her. Dawn simply waved him aside before muttering “nothing's wrong dad, I'm perfectly fine." Dawn kept up this facade of blank looks and nerves of steel to hide the loneliness boiling inside her like raging tempest threatening to break free.

Legacy hadn't noticed anything change in her friend, she was still the good old blank, sleepy Dawny she had known since they were old enough to speak. There'd been times that Dawn had felt like spilling all her worried in a torrent, flooding Legacy with all her worries and doubts. She hadn't yet, Legacy was her friend, not her emotional punching bag.

All in all, Dawn had decided she didn’t have anyone to talk to about it, she was lonely and that was it. Dawn accepted the fact it wasn’t ever going to get better. She threw herself harder and harder into her studies, being that learning something new everyday helped her suppress her emotions that were pooling into a fetid corner of her mind, slowly becoming more and more rotten. All the while Dawn covered the loneliness growing inside her with a mask of nonchalance and academic successes.

Over the couple months she was alone, nopony at college noticed Dawn’s ailing mental condition till it was well and truly rotting her. She still kept up her grades but was occasionally stopping during her work to shed a couple lonely tears into her hooves before picking her pen back up and finishing whatever piece of work that was due in next. Cobalt would sit next to her and quietly finish his work in college, Dawn would always remain perfectly silent.

--==========================--

Eventually, Cobalt had worked out that something was up with his silent colleague, she had been wiping her eyes all through the lecture on resonance arrays and had barely taken a single note down. He waited until the lecture theatre was mostly empty, then confronted her. he had to find out what was wrong with this pretty mare that sat next to him.

“Dawn, something is up with you” He said, looking at her sallow face, he already knew she didn’t sleep very much, so her odd behaviour wasn’t at all something to do with her being exhausted. “I know I’m still not in your good books, but you know you can tell me anything, and I’ll keep it secret.”

“Nothing's going on with me Cobalt, I’m just a bit tired.” She replied, shoving her papers into her saddlebags and preparing to stand up.

“You’re always tired, this is something else, you looked like you were on the verge of crying all throughout that lecture.” He pointed out, trying to get a look at her eyes, she was hiding them under her long mane.

“I’m fine Cobalt, seriously.” She stood up, letting him get a good look at her sunken, red rimmed eyes. Dawn was lying, it was plainer than anything that she had spent the duration of the lecture holding back tears.

“I don’t think you are. Look Dawn, you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, but you simply aren’t just, ‘fine’” He reached a hoof out to her but it was batted aside by her wing.

“Stop it Cobalt. I am fine and I don’t want to talk about it, just leave it.” Dawn rubbed her eyes again and tried to squeeze past Cobalt’s chair and the wall, but he pushed himself against the wall, not letting her past.

He pointed to her chair and arched his eyebrows at her. Maybe three minutes of her staring at him angrily, rubbing her eyes passed before she finally relented and sat down. It was a couple minutes more before she finally sighed and nodded at him, “Fine…” she said so quietly it might have been less than a breath.

A million possible questions flew through Cobalt’s head before he settled on one that he hoped would let her answer him without getting all emotional. “Why are you crying Dawn?” He asked her with an air of concern floating on his voice. Dawn was silent for a long while after that question, working her tongue around her mouth. She was upset about so much but she wasn’t sure about telling Cobalt about any of it.

Eventually, Dawn relented and started talking, being careful not to give too much away to the kind-hearted stallion. “Well… there isn't much, I guess I'm worried nopony here will ever like me because I’m different… I'm the only pegasus in this building.” She said gently, tears beginning to brim her eyes, getting ready to burst forth like a waterfall.

Dawn was staring down into her hooves after a moment, Cobalt watched her, concerned for his friend as he saw the mask she had been wearing for months slowly slip from her face.

She hid her head in her hooves before whimpering. Dawn choked on her words,she took a couple moments to rub her eyes and breathe before launching back into her sad speech. With renewed vigour, Dawn’s worries pooled around the two ponies like a black tsunami, and she wasn't done. “I'm worried that Legacy wont have any time left to talk to me because of her course. I don't have any other friends besides you and Legacy and I feel like I don't have anypony I can talk to sometimes."

Cobalt listened to all of Dawn’s worries and anxieties, not finding a place to chip in even a word, so he settled for stunned silence as the stalwart mare in front of him broke down into tears, the floodgates finally open. She was showing no signs of stopping any time soon so he just let her rant and rave, pouring all of her sadness onto the floor around the pair.

Maybe five minutes of crying and dropping her emotions on the poor stallion in front of her, “Cobalt, I-I’m lonely.” She cried before dropping her head into her folded hooves on her desk and letting out a few wretched sobs.

Cobalt did what he thought any sane pony would do and put his hoof around her back, trying to comfort the shaking mare sitting next to him.

At first, Dawn flinched at the comforting embrace, not sure about it, especially from the stallion that was hitting on her the first day at college. Right now it seemed more genuine, maybe he cared for her more than she had first expected.

Soon, she was glad for his affection and care, it abated some of the emotions that were writhing inside of her like an animal in pain. After a minute, Dawn slumped against him and sobbed into his chest fur, her hooves round his middle
, trying to derive all the comfort from him that she could.

Maybe ten minutes of hugging him later, Dawn stopped crying all over Cobalt’s coat. He had, at first, been rather surprised at Dawn’s sudden embrace, and the rest of it holding her back, trying his best to comfort the sobbing mare.

Dawn dried her eyes and looked away from Cobalt, muttering a small thank you to the stallion and covering her blush with her mane. Dawn had only ever hugged her parents before. And even then it was only under great duress that she would embrace anyone really.

Why did a small hug with a stallion (especially this stallion), make her feel better, she had been sobbing her eyes out a minute ago, now she was only sniffling a little. Dawn was almost shocked at herself for embracing him without at least asking.

She spent the best part of five minutes composing herself. Then a thought struck her. When she had her hooves around Cobalt, she had felt warm and protected, as if everything was finally going to be alright in her life when his hooves were around her. Maybe she finally needed to step out of her comfort zone and maybe find a colt to take care of her.

“Are you feeling better now?” Cobalt
asked, prompting a tiny nod from Dawn.

“Good, I'm glad you're not upset anymore.” Dawn rubbed her eyes again before looking at Cobalt. The look in his green eyes was completely unmistakable, genuine care and compassion for Dawn
The pair sat there for a few moments, simply being in each other's company.

Cobalt still looking at a forlorn Dawn. They just sat there, while Dawn began to tidy up her mane. Doing so, she revealed her deep blush to Cobalt. “Please don't tell anypony about this, especially Legacy.” she said quietly to him.

“Not a soul Dawn, promise.” He replied, Dawn relaxed a little.

What did she think of Cobalt, he was always nice to her, he'd been on her side a couple times when others on their course rounded on Dawn for not having their magical abilities. Dawn couldn't deny that he was a handsome stallion, his round glasses giving off an air of nerdiness that was, if anything, cute. And when he had just embraced her, he had shown that he cared about her feelings.

He said it himself, he was happy that she wasn't upset… Maybe, just maybe. She might have some feelings towards him.
Dawn had no real experience what it was to actually like somepony, especially co nsidering the amount of romance stories she had indulged herself in. The most she knew about it was that it was caused by serotonin, dopamine and adrenaline and it messed up ponies lives in the most amazing way.

Dawn looked at the still concerned Cobalt, giving him a small smile to let him know she was alright. He relaxed a little and lit up his horn, his notepad and laptop floating away into his saddlebags. “You completely better?” He asked her, she shook her head in reply, emotions clashing in her head, warring like changelings. “Well considering that breakdown, I wouldn't think so.” Cobalt sighed, flipping his bags shut with a forehoof.

“I'll be fine for now… Thank you for listening.” Dawn said quietly, shuffling in her seat, not sure whether to confess to him that she might like him. She had read this scene over and over in her books, watched it countless times in her dramas and films, never once believing she would be living it. She looked at his smiley face again and decided that she would keep her affection private, she would sit out her battling emotions… Maybe see if Legacy knew what to do.

“Um… can I get out please?” Dawn asked her friend. “I don't want to have to jump over you.” Cobalt nodded and stood up, allowing Dawn to shimmy past him. “I-I’ll see you later Cobalt. Tomorrow probably.” She said to him over her shoulder, he waved his hoof and smiled, leaving her to walk away.

Dawn made a quick getaway, not wanting to talk to Cobalt any more in case she let something slip. She flew home, wanting to stretch her wings out on the cool breeze, it also helped her think. Was she in love with Cobalt? Dawn wasn't sure if she knew. She liked him, sure, but she wasn't sure if she liked him enough to call it love. At least not yet.

--==========================--

When she got home, Dawn got on with her work before lying on her bed and mulling over her emotions. She thought about doing some more work to put her mind off the stallion, but every time she tried to push herself up off her bed, her mind drifted back to the sensation of his hooves round her, comforting her as she wrapped his hooves around his back. Dawn shook her head, trying to dislodge her suddenly romantic feelings from her head.

Dawn turned over on her bed and fiddled with her phone, trying to do anything to take her mind off Cobalt. She tried scrolling through her facehoof account, but ended up scrolling through Cobalt’s pictures.

Dawn instead went to her page and started typing out the last bit of her review of ‘Magical plants and most of their uses’ before tapping post with a wingtip and dropping her phone onto the pillow next to her.

Dawn closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, the moment her eyelids slid shut, she saw Cobalt’s happily grinning face. “Graaa! Why can't I think of anything else!?” She cried into the pillow, almost childishly kicking her hind legs behind her.

Eventually she relented to her burning desire to know what was up with her raging emotions so she dialed Legacy’s number, listening to the tone three times before a voice Dawn took so much solace in piped from her phone, “Heya pegasister! How've you been doing?” Legacy chirped.

“Been better, good enough though.” Dawn replied, suddenly terribly embarrassed about telling Legacy she might have romantic feelings for Cobalt. “Hi Legacy.” Dawn giggled after a moment’s hesitation

“Its nothing im not used to from you Dawny, you used to blank me all the time.” Legacy giggled, “Now, what chu coming back to me for?”

Dawn sighed, mulling over how to tell Legacy about her feelings, “Umm… I’ve got, well, I’ve got something on my mind, and I don’t really know what to do about it. At all.”

“Do tell Dawny, You know I’ll always listen to your problems.” Legacy replied, sounding concerned for her friend.

Dawn hesiated again, she didn’t want this to be made a big deal out of. “That may be hard… Can you um, can you keep it a secret? From everypony.”

“I’ll try Dawny, I promise.” Legacy reassured.

“Just… alright… um…” Dawn started, then began to let her words turn stale on her tongue, eventually after a minute she managed to squeak out something inaudible, her cheeks burning a bright red.

“Dawn? Are you alright?” Legacy asked, concerned for her shy friend.

Dawn steadied her breathing, listening to her thundering heartbeat. “Err… um, m-maybe…” She started again, then her words faded out again, turning to an abashed silence.

“Dawn just spit it out already!” Legacy demanded, making Dawn jump a little.

“Okok!” Dawn said, trying to find the right words. “I think… I think im hitting on somepony.” Dawn squeaked out, blushing madly and covering her face with her wings, hiding from everything at that moment.

“You are hitting on somepony?” Legacy asked rhetorically, “Who?”

“Do I have to say?” Dawn mumbled out from under her wings.

“Well, no, not if you don’t want to.”

“I don’t want to say right now, but do you have any advice?” Dawn almost whimpered, slowly lowering her wings.

Legacy hesitated, thinking for a few moments, “Um, alright. Being that I’ve already tried my hoof at a relationship before and it didn’t exactly work out. She started, “Don’t rey and force things, don’t go too quickly. Sorta just let things flow naturally.”

“O-ok, although, I wouldn’t exactly call myself a speed demon. At all.” Dawn quipped, finding solace in Legacy’s little giggle.

“You’re the one that wanted advice.” Legacy replied after her laughter had passed, “What else? Do they know you have a thing for them?” She asked after a moment.

Dawn’s blush returned full force, her cheeks blazing a deep red, “I-I’m confident that they like me, b-but I dunno if he knows I like him.” She stammered.

Legacy’s reply was simple but brought another wave of embarrassment rolling through Dawn, “Wait for him to ask you out.”

Dawn squeaked, not at all knowing how to reply. Her? Moonlight Dawn could get asked out by a stallion, on a date!?

“What if he doesn’t ask me?” She breathed after a long moment.

“If you think it’s taking too long, ask him out. Most stallions would jump at a chance to get asked out by a cute mare like you.” Legacy countered, making Dawn squeak with embarrassment.

“Legacy, I-I couldn’t!” Dawn whimpered, covering her face with her wings again. “I don’t think I would have the confidence to ask him that!” Dawn shuddered, she barely had enough confidence to tell Legacy about her feelings about Cobalt.

Legacy huffed, annoyed at Dawn’s self depreciation. “Excuse me Dawn, you might be a shy reclusive mare, but if you see an opportunity to take that stallion out for a cup of coffee, you do it.” She ordered, making Dawn flinch reflexively.
“B-But…” Dawn began before she was silenced by Legacy.

“Moonlight Dawn, You are to seize whoever this colt is by the scruff of his neck and drag him to dinner if you think he might like you. No excuses.” Legacy continued. “And even if you are not completely sure he likes you, ask. Him.”

Dawn had a terrible thought and started to worry again, her terrible, self depreciation beginning to surface again, “What happens if I don’t actually like him though, rejecting him would be something a meanie would do.” Dawn started to worry again before Legacy cut her off again.

“Is he handsome?”

Dawn was taken aback by the question, “He… He’s cute.”

“He’s cute, alright. Is he nice to you, and I mean really nice.” Legacy said after a moment.

“Well, he has been… ‘looking after me’ recently, in a way.” Dawn said after a moment, her blush deepening on her cheeks.

“Looking after you?” Legacy said, a little confused, “You mean with college, right?”

Dawn whimpered a tiny “yes” to her friend and explained how she had been having a hard time for a while and he had helped her get over herself, and after a little bit of of thinking, Dawn explained that she had shared an embrace with Cobalt without mentioning the stallion’s name.

“Well if he cares about you that much, then maybe you should just try asking him if he likes you.” Legacy suggested, “The worst you could get from him is a no.”

“I should hope that he doesn’t say no.” Dawn sighed wistfully. “You think he would?”

“Well I don’t know who it is, but if he genuinely cares about you I don’t see why he would bother to say no.”

“Would it help if I just told you who it was?” Dawn whimpered, “It’s just making me a bit anxious is all.”

“Well, yes, it would help.” Legacy said, almost analytically.

Dawn mumbled her crush’s name into her wings. Legacy couldn’t hear it and Dawn started the longest thirty seconds of her life as she tried to choke out his name.

“Dawn I can’t hear you.” Legacy chided, doing little to reassure Dawn.

“Cobalt!” Dawn said, her cheeks going bright red, “Its Cobalt D-Dust.”

Right then in that moment, Dawn wished she could just melt into the bed and never be seen again. She had actually confessed to somepony else that she liked somepony, and liked him enough for her introverted self to want to embrace him.

“Oh. My. Celestia!” Legacy giggled, “That is so adorable Dawny!” Dawns cheeks reached a new level of red at her friend’s attitude towards it all.

“Hey! I just told you a secret don’t make fun of me about it!” Dawn complained, Legacy apologised.

“Out of all the stallions I know, he is bound to say yes Dawn, Just ask him if he wants to share a cup of coffee with you.” Legacy suggested again, her enthusiasm making Dawn smile, her embarrassment at the whole situation abating a little.

“O-Ok Legacy, I’ll try and ask him after class tomorrow.”

“Awesome, tell me how it goes.” Legacy said in her bouncy voice before asking another killer question, “Also, how good are you at flirting?”

Dawn hid under her pillow at the mere thought of it, “Me? Flirting!?” She was hopeless.

“Well, yes, just a little bit.” Legacy mused.

“Never ever even thought about trying it before…” Dawn whimpered, hiding under her wings again now. “A-any advice?”

“Just make yourself cute, and say what comes naturally to you, not anything stupid that’ll make you sound like an idiot though.” Legacy offered. “Maybe pretty yourself up a little bit too.

“How would I go about ‘prettying myself up’ Legacy?” Dawn, a mare that had worn makeup maybe three times in the past two years asked.

Legacy stifled another giggle, “Oh Dawn you are adorable, maybe put a little makeup on, make your eyes look bigger and maybe add a little blusher…” Legacy stifled another giggle, “Well considering what I can imagine of your face right now, that might be a little unnecessary.”

“Shuddup!” Dawn complained at her. “Is there anything else I need to know?”

“Well, don’t try and force things, nothing too sudden Dawn” Legacy said, “Don’t try and randomly kiss him, not at first at least, don’t try for a random hug either, not unless he asks for one. Don’t ask any revealing questions either.”

“A-Alright Legacy, I’ll keep it in mind. T-thanks for the advice.”

Legacy sounded proud of herself, “Not a problem Dawny, I’m your bestie. It’s my job.” Legacy joked.

“I’ll try my best with him, bye bye Legacy.” Dawn said, moving to hang up the line.
“Bye bye Pegasister!” Legacy giggled, making Dawn grimace at the terrible petname, immediately hanging up the line.

Dawn spent her time up into the small hours of the morning researching ‘what to do on your first date’ and other things like it, one title of an article she read was, ‘How to be Cute for Adolescent Pegasi.’ featured in Filly Fab, one of the most crappy magazines Dawn won’t ever subscribe to.

All in all, Dawn was terrified for meeting Cobalt tomorrow and had no idea what she was going to say to him.

Author's Note

Dear LORD this took ages to write, I know fair well this was a REALLY speech heavy chapter and I know that can be hard to read sometimes but Dawn needed to talk about her feelings and emotions, not just those about Cobalt.

I really wouldn't have been able to write so much speech without Ratchet here so thank you so much again!

Happy reading!

Ratchet- Nfs payback sucks, don't buy it.