Twilight let out a groan, clutching her head as she stared blankly at her work. She could feel the beginnings of a stress headache coming along, and it took all of her resolve to refrain from giving up and going to bed. She knew she couldn’t. This paper was too important. When Princess Celestia had requested an update on her work in the arcane arts, Twilight couldn’t possibly refuse, especially considering she had just created her own spellcasting circle.

Of course, Twilight wouldn’t tell Celestia exactly why she was using the circle. She didn’t think the Princess would necessarily care to know what she and Rainbow had been getting up to. No, Twilight intended to tell Celestia that the circle was created just for spellcasting curiosity, streamlined for better alteration charms. This was, in the strictest of senses, the truth. A bent, slightly manipulated version of the truth, but the truth nevertheless.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Twilight would never get her report done at all, not with the way her head was pounding. What she needed was a good cup of tea, maybe a good massage to alleviate stress. But, unfortunately for her, she was fresh out of tea and her girlfriend was nowhere to be found. Twilight sighed just thinking about Rainbow. She wasn’t sure where she had run off to exactly, only receiving a shout from the door that Spitfire was calling her in. That was two days ago, the day that Rainbow had spoken to Trixie.

Twilight tried her hardest to remember what exactly happened between them. Her memories as Twily could be foggy at times, especially if Twily wasn’t paying very good attention during the events that Twilight wanted to recall. She was almost positive that she had fucked Trixie, though that didn’t exactly make a ton of sense. As far as she could tell, Trixie hated her. So why would Trixie, Twilight’s self-proclaimed nemesis, willingly have sex with her?

This just added to the list of questions Twilight needed to ask Rainbow Dash, wherever she may be.

The tapping of glass stole Twilight’s attention away from her half-finished report, much to the princess’ annoyance. Someone was at her window, and she couldn’t think of a reason why anyone would do such a thing. Probably some kids who got dared to throw pebbles at the castle window. Twilight elected to ignore it for the time being, hoping for it to go away on its own.

Unfortunately for the princess, the tapping continued, picking up in frequency the longer she waited. Finally fed up with the noise, Twilight stood up, crossing the room to her window. She massaged her temples as she walked, hoping for this headache to fade away before she had to deal with whatever stressful thing was waiting for her on the other side of the window. With a tired sigh, the princess used her magic to push open the glass, ready to get this over with.

“I hope you understand that this is royal property! Trespassing is punishable by— EEP!”

Twilight yelped as a hand grabbed her by the wrist, and yanked her forward, pulling her out of her home and sending her falling helplessly to the ground.

At least, that’s what should have happened. Instead, Twilight only fell a few inches, and she landed on a platform noticeably lighter than the ground below. A swath of cloud, about the size of a large rug, which significantly narrowed down the list of suspects. Twilight looked up, a bit annoyed to see that the person who had pulled her from her home was the very person Twilight had been looking for all day.

“Sup, nerd?” said Rainbow casually, laying on her back with her hands behind her head. “Miss me much?”

“Where have you been?” Twilight normally would’ve been a bit less harsh, if not for the mini heart attack Rainbow had given her by pulling her out of a second story window. “I haven’t seen you in two days.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. Spitfire wanted to go over a routine, and we just couldn’t get it down.” Rainbow yawned, apparently oblivious to how annoyed Twilight was. “She kept us overnight til we got it.”

“That only explains one night. Where have you been the rest of the time?”

“I could tell you. Or…” Rainbow flapped her wings and floated into the air, giving the cloud a firm push. Twilight lurched slightly as the cloud floated forward, given an added boost from a big flap of Dash’s wings. Rainbow had to zip forward a bit to catch up, which a world-class athlete like herself had very little trouble doing. “I could show you.”

“Dash, I’m supposed to be working,” sighed Twilight. “I’m falling behind on my report to Celestia.”

“Oh, please. If you were really working, you wouldn’t have heard me knocking,” said Rainbow, easily seeing through Twilight’s facade. “The way I see it, you weren’t doing much anyway, so I may as well get you out of the house for some fresh air. Get the juices flowin’, ya know?” Rainbow’s tone shifted slightly, losing some of the joking nature it was known for. “Plus… I kinda wanted to talk to you. It’s, uh… It’s about us.”

Twilight got a bit nervous at that. Rainbow wasn’t known for talking about their relationship, so for her to bring it to Twilight like this was a bit concerning. Was something wrong?

“Okay…” said Twilight carefully. “What’s up?”

“I was gonna ask you the same thing,” said Dash. “You holding up okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Rainbow didn’t say anything at first, instead giving her wings a strong flap to keep their little cloud raft going. Twilight still wasn’t sure where they were going, but they seemed to be heading north of town. Whatever for, she couldn’t be sure.

“So, like… How much do you remember from when you’re Twily?” asked Rainbow. Twilight pursed her lips slightly, trying to figure out how best to word it.

“Being Twily is like… It’s like trying to talk about a movie you liked as a kid,” said Twilight. “I remember most things, but not always in the right order, and some minor scenes just disappear entirely from my mind.” Twilight paused for a beat before continuing. “I remember Trixie, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Hm. Are you mad?” asked Rainbow. Twilight gave a noncommittal shrug, as if Rainbow had just asked what the two should have for dinner.

“Not really. I mean, you followed the rules, so—”

“Fuck the rules. Are you mad?” asked Rainbow. “I’m not asking if I broke any rules or if I did anything wrong. I’m asking if you’re mad.”

“I… No. I’m not mad,” said Twilight. “I’m kind of annoyed with Trixie, but, well… She’s Trixie.”

“So you want her to stay out of it?” asked Rainbow.

“I mean… I don’t think any sane person can say Trixie isn’t attractive. And I guess I don’t mind bringing her into the bed, but… The way she talked to Twily didn’t sit right with me.” Rainbow nodded, gesturing for Twilight to continue. “Well… When you call Twily stupid, I know it’s just for sex. But, the way Trixie spoke to us… I don’t know if she’s so clear on the boundary between Twily and myself.”

“Yeah, she seemed like she was laying it on a bit thick. Alright, that settles it. Trixie is out.”

“No, no, wait.” Twilight was surprised at how immediately Rainbow was willing to cut Trixie out of their little relationship. “I've been giving this some thought, actually. I think the thing with Trixie is, she really believes that we’re nemeses. And, in her mind… I think that makes us friends?”

“Uh…” Rainbow tilted her head, confused. “What?”

“I know that doesn’t make a ton of sense, but I know there’s a certain kinship to being rivals,” said Twilight. “And she wanted in, without you offering. So she’s interested in me.”

“Or in taking advantage of Twily.”

“It didn’t stop you at the time,” noted Twilight. Rainbow gave a nervous, dry chuckle, shrugging her shoulders.

“Which is fucked up. So I’m trying to make sure not do that type of thing again,” said Rainbow. “Alright, I don’t really want to cut Trixie and Starlight out, either. We can have some fun with them. So how’s this: I give them the rundown on what’s okay and what’s not okay. Boundaries, safe words, whatever. If either of them does something we don’t like, they’re out.”

“That sounds… Well, besides being fair, that sounds uncharacteristically responsible of you.” Twilight smirked slightly. “You really have been giving this some thought, huh?”

“No one calls my girl dumb but me.”

Twilight giggled, shimmying up and laying her head gently on Rainbow’s shoulder. Though she didn’t always get to see her girlfriend like this, Twilight knew that Rainbow cared for her. Dash just wasn’t very aware of others emotionally, and she tended to have a very nonchalant attitude towards serious matters like this. But this was different. Dash was communicating, talking to Twilight to make sure she was happy. That was something special, a more tender side of Rainbow Dash that very few people got to see.

“Is this your idea of aftercare?” mused Twilight. Rainbow chuckled, grabbing Twilight around the hip and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“Nah. But this is.”

She pointed to the ground, where a beautiful picnic scene waited. A basket of food, a nice picnic blanket, a bucket of ice in which sat a bottle of Twilight’s favorite white wine, and, most importantly, a small collection of books. Rainbow grinned at Twilight’s surprised expression, then began flapping her wings to bring their cloud down to the ground.

“Surprise,” said Rainbow with a grin. “This is where I’ve been, by the way. Looking up good picnic places, getting things in order, shit like that. Hardest part was the books. Went to like 12 different bookstores to find them.”

“Is that… The complete Daring Do collection?” asked Twilight, eyes wide. Her voice was charged with her excitement, an anticipation that she was clearly fighting to keep in check. Rainbow laughed and nodded as their cloud reached the ground. She grabbed Twilight by the hand and guided her off of the cloud, approaching their little picnic.

“Mh-hm. Hardback, too. Plus, I got in touch with Daring, she hooked me up with some First Editions, with a bunch of typos and plot holes that didn’t get resolved until the reprint.” Rainbow squeezed Twilight around the waist, bringing her in close. “See, babe, I’ve got friends in high places. My connections have connections, so it wasn't—”

Twilight twisted, grabbing Rainbow and latching her lips onto hers. Rainbow was surprised, but she recovered quickly, grabbing Twilight and pulling her closer. The two enjoyed the moment of gentle, quiet bliss for a bit. This was a nice change of pace. No weird, morally questionable fetish magic. No third parties. Just the two of them.

“So… I’m guessing I fucking nailed this one, right?” asked Rainbow. Twilight giggled, then wrapped her arms around Rainbow, hugging her tightly and giving her another quick kiss.

“Knocked it out of the park, Dash.”

“You’re not coming to bed?” asked Twilight, pausing in the doorway. Rainbow knew her girlfriend enough to tell that Twilight was a bit tipsy from earlier. Her eyes looked like they had trouble staying focused on Rainbow, instead wandering around the room. Twilight was currently holding herself up with the frame of the bedroom door, or else she surely would’ve been swaying.

“Gotta run Fluttershy’s picnic basket back to her place,” said Rainbow. “She let me borrow it today, but she needs it back tomorrow.” She shooed Twilight away, gesturing to the bedroom. “Go on, I’ll be back before you have a chance to miss me.”

“Okay, Dash. G’night, Dash.”

“Night, babe. See you in the morning.”

Rainbow watched Twilight drunkenly stumble into the bedroom, the door gently swinging shut behind her. When she was sure that Twilight was securely in bed, Rainbow slipped her hands into her pockets and strolled out of the hall, heading for the castle’s front doors. Almost as an afterthought, Rainbow swiped up the picnic basket she had left by the door before pushing open the castle’s doors and heading outside.

“Took you long enough.”

Rainbow looked to her right, brow cocked at Trixie. As usual, she stood in full wizard regalia, complete with cloak, hat, and cocky grin. Rainbow glanced over her shoulder, closing the front door completely before speaking.

“Is it done?” asked Dash. Trixie rolled her eyes.

“Psh! Is it done? Does the Great Trixie strike you as some sort of amateur, Rainbow Dash?” scoffed Trixie. “If it wasn’t finished, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Where’s Starlight? I thought she was coming to give it.”

“Starlight is a bit… Tied up, at the moment.” Trixie giggled a sinister, devious giggle. “She’s going to want to meet with Twily soon, by the way. She’s not allowed to cum until she can do it in the princess’ mouth. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Yeah, glad you mentioned that.” Rainbow reached into her pocket, retrieving a folded sheet of paper that she handed to Trixie.

“What’s this, then?”

“Rules. Things you can and can’t do or say,” explained Rainbow. “If you’re gonna be part of this thing me and Twi has going on, even a little bit, you gotta have some rules.”

“How typical of her,” sneered Trixie with a roll of the eyes. “That uppity, neurotic—”

“Actually, it was my idea. I wrote these rules. Even came up with a safeword.” Trixie raised a surprised eyebrow, examining the paper in her hands. Sure enough, this wasn’t Twilight’s neat, methodical handwriting. It was the rapid squiggles of Rainbow Dash. A mare with a mission, it seemed.

“Hm… Sassafras?” remarked Trixie. Rainbow shrugged.

“Not something we’re likely to say by accident. Plus, Pinkie wouldn’t stop saying it last week, it got stuck in my head. The word doesn’t matter. It’s the rules you need to pay attention to.” Trixie nodded slowly, unsure how to take this new attitude from Rainbow. “This thing we do is for fun and, at the end of the day, you’ve got your woman and I’ve got mine. If you do anything that makes things not fun for my woman, I’ve got no problem sending you both home with blue balls.”

“Right. I see…” Trixie skimmed the list of rules, and it seemed to be pretty general stuff. Boundaries, what was off-limits as far as verbal abuse went. Trixie hummed in confirmation, folding the piece of paper back up and slipping it into her pocket. “Very well. I will review this with Starlight when I get home. Er… She actually wanted me to, um… Invite you and Twilight out. For a double date.”

Now it was Rainbow’s turn to be surprised. Even though Starlight had requested it, Rainbow wouldn’t have guessed in a million years that Trixie would actually go through with it. Yet, here she was, embarrassed and nervous, asking the two out. Maybe there was something to Twilight’s nemesis theory, after all.

“I’ll let the missus know. Won’t be for a while, though. She’s gonna be focused on some nerd report for a while.” Rainbow held out her hand expectantly. “So? You got something for me or not? Chop chop, I’ve got a buzzed bookworm in there, and I might be able to convince her to give me head before she passes out.”

“Of course.” Trixie removed her hat, reached into it, and, with a flash of magic, withdrew a small cardboard box, which she handed to Rainbow Dash. It wasn't very large, maybe a bit bigger than a dictionary. “The instructions are inside. Shouldn’t give you any trouble but, if it does, come see Starlight. She should be able to fix any problems with the charm.”

“And it still makes the vial, right?”

“Of course. Teleports it right into your hand. Enchanted the bottle, too. Should be nigh-impossible to break.”

“Thanks. Well, I’ll let you know when we can do some more stuff. Gonna go head to bed now,” said Rainbow. “Later, Trix.”

“Until next time, Rainbow Dash. Be sure to get some pictures of your princess with the catalyst,” chuckled Trixie. “I would absolutely love to see how she looks.”

“Sure, whatever.”

Trixie gave a flourishing bow before snapping her fingers, vanishing in a flash of light. Rainbow sighed, more than a bit tired from the day’s adventure. Putting together that little picnic wasn’t easy, but Rainbow was glad she did it. Twilight deserved to know how much Rainbow cared for her, despite what the use of the intelligence spell might suggest. After giving the basket in her hand a quick glance, Rainbow turned for the door, deciding to hit the hay and rest with her girlfriend. Fluttershy could wait until morning for her basket. Rainbow had more important things to deal with.

Namely, planning how best to use her new catalyst.

Author's Note

I swear, there will be sexy fun times in the next chapter. Scout's honor.