Not Unless You Mean It

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Rainbow Dash is obliterated.

Her progression has been gradual but steady. After a few cups of Applejack's hard apple cider, she first settles into tipsy. Then, after tipsy starts getting boring, she gulps down a few more glasses and reaches drunk. But drunk still isn't enough. It helps, sure--for a few minutes at a time, she can lean back and snort at Pinkie Pie's exuberant dancing around Sugar Cube Corner or nod with deep profundity at whatever nonsense Twilight is happily babbling into her ear, but then she remembers. And she reaches for more cider.

The "Congratulations, Dash!" banner that hangs over the table where Pinkie has laid out unearthly amounts of cakes and cookies and pies and punch and cider--well, it certainly doesn't help

But now Rainbow has motored right past drunk into the realm of stone cold stupid, as Applejack sidles up next to her at the food and drink table, gently placing her hoof over Dash's just as she's reaching for more cider. "Sugar cube, I think you done had enough for one night."

Scowling a bit, Rainbow nudges the other pony out of the way. "L-lemme alone, AJ," she slurs. "I'm … I'm just fine. What're you, my mom?"

Applejack frowns and looks like she's going to argue, but then Rarity steps into the fray. Shaking her head, she whispers, "Just let her win this one, darling. She's had … well, it was quite a blow, wasn't it?"

Dash nods enthusiastically. At least Rarity understands. Of course Rarity does. She has that hunger in the belly, same as Dash does, though the goal she pursues is rather different--success in the high fashion world, rather than flying with the Wonderbolts. But that fire, that passion, that sharp-edged aching need is just the same.

"But you!" Rainbow blurts out, gesturing wildly at Applejack and earning a surprised look in response. "What would you know about any of this? You … you've got your farm, and your family, and--and--and your apples. And you don't want anything else! You've got everything you want! You're happy with apples!"

Applejack tilts her head, looking as though she can't decide whether to laugh at Rainbow or kick her square in the jaw.

Dash staggers backwards a bit, then grabs onto the food table to steady herself. A few cupcakes tumble to the floor, and from somewhere out of Rainbow's line of sight, Pinkie gasps in exaggerated horror.

"Apples are dumb," Dash growls, to nopony in particular.

Throwing up her hooves in exasperation, Applejack blows out all of her breath in a single, gusty sigh. "I give up with that pony! I'm gonna go home and get some shut-eye." She glances around the room with an affectionate smile. "'Night, y'all. Try 'n keep her from gettin' into too much trouble, will ya?"

A round of warm, hearty farewells are traded among the five ponies who are not named Rainbow Dash.

For her own part, Dash ignores Applejack's leaving and, after pushing away the cups on the table, dunks her entire head into the large punchbowl of cider. It's nice--cool, refreshing, kind of fizzy. She seriously considers moving into the punchbowl permanently and putting her cloud house up for sale.

But then she feels two pairs of hooves on her shoulders, and a moment later, she is upright again. She splutters a bit and coughs as cider gets sucked into her lungs.

To her left, she hears Fluttershy murmur, "You probably shouldn't leave your head in there too long, you know."

Meanwhile, to her right, Twilight sounds a bit perturbed as she asks, "Are you having a dissociative episode? I read about those once back in school, when I was taking a general, non-magic course … "

"Apples … " Dash shakes her head a bit, trying to toss her now-soaking mane out of her face. " ... are dumb."

Once she can see again, at least a little bit, she notices Pinkie and Rarity standing right in front of her. While Rarity rolls her eyes, Pinkie giggles at her. "Silly! You said that already."

"Rainbow, you are being just a touch melodramatic, don't you think?" Rarity shoots her a pointed look. "And if I am the one saying that, it means there is a very big hint lurking about that desperately desires to be taken."

Slowly Rainbow nods, considering this suggestion very seriously. Rarity might have a point. Rarity is cool. Sometimes. Rarity told off Applejack, anyways. That was worth something. Yeah! Rarity's cool.

Rainbow Dash lurches forward and throws a foreleg around the unicorn's shoulders. Rarity's eyes go wide, and she titters uncomfortably.

"Yer right," says Dash, still nodding. "You are so right, Rarity. This is a party, and I am going to party."

Releasing her hold on the nervous unicorn, she turns her head to the other pony nearby. Pinkie Pie's grin never falters. Rainbow likes that about her. Always up for anything, this one. The premiere party pony of Equestria.

She grabs Pinkie's forelegs between her hooves and yanks hard. With a shriek of surprise and delight, Pinkie involuntarily stumbles forward, and Dash begins twirling her around the room while hovering just a few inches above the floor, more or less in time with the music that still plays. Pinkie laughs and laughs and laughs, and Rainbow concentrates very hard on not falling down and not vomiting.

"At least she's in a better mood now?" she hears Twilight say, in an uncertain tone.

It doesn't matter. None of it matters. She will dance until her legs fall off or her wings fall off or her head falls off, and it won't matter. Who needs the Wonderbolts anyway, right? She has delicious cider bubbling in her brain and loud music pumping through her blood. What else could she possibly need?

Pinkie's eyes meet hers through the dim lights of the bakery, and they are so very blue. They are always such a strange, deep blue. Like a dark lake hiding dangerous depths.

Pinkie is still grinning, but it's a different grin now. A softer grin. It's the grin that Rainbow pretends she doesn't notice or understand, except for when she wants to. Dash puffs out her chest a bit and basks in the attention.

She hates herself a bit for doing it, but she does. It's just so nice to able to feel good about herself for a change ...

"You're a great dancer, Dashie. Even if you're a little wobbly on your hoofsies." Pinkie's voice is quieter than usual, just like her grin is softer.

As Dash finds herself grinning back, she makes a sudden decision. "Y'know something, Pinkie?" She lets the words, the anticipation, just hang in the air for a moment or two. "You got really pretty eyes. Prettiest eyes in all Ponyville."

Pinkie's grin freezes. Dash almost laughs at how completely she's caught Pinkie off guard--not an easy thing for a pony to do. It feels really happy and good, for some reason, surprising Pinkie like this. It feels a lot like pulling off the best prank ever.

"I … uh …" Pinkie Pie suddenly stops dancing and pulls away, and Rainbow Dash stumbles a bit before finally crashing into a nearby chair. "I gotta go check on Gummy." Pinkie takes a breath before speaking again, her voice just a touch shaky. "Be right back, everypony! Save me some pie!"

Rainbow doesn't bother glancing up to watch her leave. Instead, she lays on the hard and unforgiving linoleum, the treacherous chair resting on top of her chest, while she stares up at the ceiling where countless streamers criss-cross in a tangled mess of color and conviviality.

As soon as Pinkie is upstairs, Rarity hisses, "I realize you've had a terrible day and are understandably upset, Rainbow Dash, but I swear! You can be such an absolute ogre sometimes!"

The sound of Rarity's hooves as she angrily clip-clops her way up the stairs echoes throughout the otherwise silent room.

"And then there were three," Dash mutters to herself. The last of her meager happy feelings from the dancing and the cider ebb away like air from a leaky balloon.

A purple glow appears in front of her, and a moment later the chair is no longer atop her. A second later, the same purple glow has set her back up on her feet. She wobbles a bit before locking her knees and gaining some traction. She shuts her eyes tight, so tight that it starts to hurt, before finally allowing them to open back up.

The two remaining ponies sit on their haunches in front of her, looking serious and perhaps a little sad. No, Dash decides. Not sad. After all, this is a party. Nopony should be sad at a party. So they can't be sad. Her eyes must be playing tricks on her, what with all the dim lighting.

"You really shouldn't do that," Flutteryshy begins, very quietly, but in a tone not dissimilar to the one she'd once used to scold a fire-breathing dragon.

"Do what?" snorts Dash in reply, a little defiantly and much too loudly.

Twilight sighs. The sigh is filled with irritation and exhaustion, but the unicorn's eyes remain kind. "You know what she means, Rainbow."

Dash feels a tiny, tight ball of nausea start to form in the pit of her stomach. She swallows thickly. "Didn't do anything," she protests in a voice much quieter than before. But it sounds pathetic even to her own ears.

She doesn't even really know why she said what she'd said. She says things, sometimes. Stupid things. Silly things. They don't mean anything. They just come out.

I am so stupid.

Everypony knows not to take her too seriously. She just says things, sometimes. No big deal. That whole devil-may-care thing is all part of the patented Rainbow Dash charm, after all.

So unforgivably stupid.

She jumps a bit as she feels Fluttershy's forelegs wrap around her. The other pegasus rests her head on top of Dash's, her pink mane falling down in front of Dash's eyes and tickling Dash's nose. Gently she whispers, "It's okay, Rainbow. We know you don't mean to."

Rainbow Dash never does mean to. That much, at least, is true.

Sighing deeply, she leans into Fluttershy's embrace. Fluttershy may not be her closest friend, but she is Dash's oldest friend. She's witnessed Rainbow Dash fight her way through more valleys than any other pony alive--and she has stayed Rainbow's friend through thick and thin, despite having seen Rainbow at her worst and at her lowest. It means a lot.

Rainbow should probably tell that to Fluttershy one of these days. She probably won't.

After a moment, Twilight steps forward too, biting her lip thoughtfully and looking a bit less annoyed. She gives Dash's cheek a quick nuzzle. "It's not like how it was with AJ," she explains, in that patient and teacher-like way of hers. "She won't stand up to you when you've crossed the line or tell you off when you've said something inappropriate. She'll just keep putting up with it and smiling away like nothing's wrong, until … until … "

Rainbow nods miserably. She knows.

She knows better than any of them.

A ghost of a memory tickles at the back of her mind- the memory of a party even sadder than this one is turning out to be, a party where the invited guests were rocks and flour and turnips. A party haunted by plastic smiles and bitter laughs filled to the brim with pain so thick that Rainbow can feel it choking her … even now, even here ...

She shoves the memory away, angrily, guiltily. Gives her head a rough shake to clear out the cobwebs. She feels Fluttershy protectively tighten her grip.

Hoofsteps on the stairs cause the three of them to look up. Rarity gives them a small nod. "She'll be quite all right," she offers reassuringly, answering the unspoken question in their eyes. "She said she should be back down in just a moment or so."

"Good!" Rainbow hadn't meant to speak that loudly. She clears her throat and tries again. "That's … that's good."

Twilight ambles over to Rarity, and they exchange hushed words together. Occasionally they glance over towards the two pegasi. Dash closes her eyes again.

"Rainbow." Fluttershy's lips are right against her ear, and her voice is soft and urgent. "Rainbow, I need you to promise me something. Something important. Will you … do you think you could do that?"

Dash's voice is nearly as soft as Fluttershy's when she replies, "Yeah. Sure."

A short pause, tentative, meaningful. "Don't kiss her. Okay? Not … not unless you mean it. Really, really mean it. O-okay?"

Rainbow Dash hesitates. That whole Element of Loyalty thing means she takes promises pretty seriously. She ponders over just what this promise might mean, exactly. Then, slowly, she nods.

Author's Notes: So, I guess I am writing a MLP: FIM story? Egads. Celestia help me ...

Edited 12/19 to fix italics issues.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

She wakes up when she hears the humming--a happy, bouncing tune set in a major key. Stretching her legs and her wings, and stifling a groan at the cramps snarling up every single muscle she possesses, Rainbow Dash slowly pries open her eyes.

A pair of uncanny, undead purple eyes stare back at her.

“Gah!”

Rainbow leaps out of the bathtub that sits in the middle of Pinkie’s little studio apartment and alights on the tub edge, her heart hammering from the sudden rush of adrenaline flooding her body. A small alligator stands a few feet away on the opposite edge of the tub and blinks at her unevenly for several more moments, before finally climbing into the now-vacated bathtub.

“Gummy!” Rainbow turns towards the voice and spots Pinkie standing near the window, shaking her head at her pet. “That’s no way to treat our guest!”

Rainbow chuckles shakily and steps down to the floor with great care.

For some reason, when she gets too drunk to fly home after a night of partying down in Ponyville, she always wakes up the next day in either one of Applejack’s trees or Pinkie Pie’s bathtub. She’s not entirely sure why or how. Either way, though, she ends up feeling like she’s been hit by a train. That could be the result of too much cider rather than too uncomfortable beds, however, if Rainbow is being honest with herself.

But she much prefers not being honest with herself, as a general principle. Life is just a lot easier that way.

“Good morning, sleepy head!” Pinkie greets her in a sing-song tone, as her entire face breaks into a brilliant, blinding smile. It’s her usual smile, the smile she offers up freely to everypony in the entire world, and not the soft smile of last night. Rainbow feels both relieved and strangely disappointed.

She blinks at her friend and tries to ignore the headache that’s starting to form right above her left eye. “Hey. Mornin’, Pinkie.”

“I tried to wake you up earlier, but you just grunted at me to go away. So I decided to wait until later and then come back! And now you’re up!” Pinkie tilts her head, looking very birdlike as she does so. “I’ve been trying to decide between blueberry waffles and strawberry pancakes for brunch, but then I realized--I don’t have to decide! So I’m going to make half-strawberry, half-blueberry pancake-waffles.”

Even though her stomach gives a lurch at the very thought of food itself, let alone the specific monstrosity of sugar Pinkie is planning to prepare, Rainbow grins in reply. Pinkie’s enthusiasm is infectious, as always. Maybe brunch will be a good thing.

But first, she realizes, she should apologize. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Rainbow prepares to swallow her pride and make amends for last night. Instead, she hears herself say, “Thanks for the party, Pinkie.”

“Of course!” Pinkie bites her lip, somehow still smiling as she does so. “I’m just sorry it had to be a ‘Better Luck Next Time, Rainbow Dash!’ party instead of a ‘Congratulations On Becoming an Awesome Wonderbolt, Rainbow Dash!’ party.”

“Heh. You and me both.”

Pinkie gives a firm nod, as though something important has been settled. “Well, I’m off to make pancake-waffles! Come down when you’re ready!” With a jaunty wave good-bye, Pinkie trots off towards the kitchen.

After she’s left, Rainbow glances around the small room. It’s sparsely furnished, and it seems oddly empty for a room so tiny. Lonely, even. She doesn’t really like being here if Pinkie isn’t in the room with her.

So after splashing some water on her face over at the sink, she heads downstairs to go find her friend. Before she can complete this mission, however, she runs into the owners of the bakery, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, who are busily mixing up bowls of dough and batter while standing towards the front of the kitchen.

As soon as Mrs. Cake spots Rainbow, the older mare beams at her. “Oh, Rainbow Dash! Good morning! It’s always so nice to see you around the bakery.”

Mr. Cake, however, looks significantly less thrilled to be encountering the pegasus. He glances up for just a moment before returning his attention to his mixing bowls. “Ah, hello there, Dash. You slept over again?”

“Uh, yeah.” She feels suddenly ashamed, without really knowing why. “Pinkie had a party last night, and you know how late those can go …”

But then Pinkie Pie swoops in to save the day, much in the same way that Mare Do Well once scooped up a half dozen construction workers and ferried them out of danger. “Heya, Dash!” she greets her friend loudly, motioning Rainbow over towards the back of the kitchen, where she’s set up her grand brunch preparations. “Wanna help me make pancake-waffles?”

“Y-yeah! Sure!”

Dash doesn’t mention that her desire to help stems mostly from the coinciding desire to avoid Mr. Cake’s disapproving presence. But then, not every single thought has to be shared between friends, right? Right.

Somewhat surprisingly, Pinkie proves to be a good cooking instructor. She whispers endless encouragements to Dash as the pegasus measures and mixes and pours. And when the first pancake-waffle turns out black as coal, Pinkie gamely gobbles it down and pronounces it delicious.

Rainbow can’t help but smile at that, despite the throbbing ache that’s now overtaken her entire head. Pinkie is a terrible, terrible liar. Almost as bad as Applejack, really.

It’s cute, though, how she’s trying not to hurt Dash’s feelings. Almost unconsciously Rainbow steps closer to the pink pony, close enough that she can feel Pinkie’s fur brush up against her own. The kitchen starts to feel very hot and very crowded.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Fluttershy’s voice whispers in the back of her mind: Not unless you mean it.

Quickly she steps back to where she was before, so that she’s still standing close to Pinkie but no longer actually touching. Pinkie shoots her a puzzled look, which Dash resolutely ignores. She stares down at the counter and her flour-coated hooves. They continue mixing up the batter for their next attempt at the pancake-waffles.

They’re well into their third batch of the breakfast hybrids when a soft tinkle comes from the front door, signaling the arrival of a customer.

“Good morning, dearie!” Mrs. Cake calls out, full of her usual good cheer.

“Sorry to be interruptin’ yer baking, folks,” Applejack apologizes, wearing a sheepish smile and dipping her head in a quick bow of greeting. “I’ll be outta yer manes just as soon as I collect my farmhand for the day.”

Rainbow frowns.

“Aww.” Almost immediately, Pinkie starts pouting. “But Rainbow Dash is helping me make waffles! I mean, pancakes! I mean, pancake-waffles!”

Applejack chuckles lightly. “Sorry, sugar cube, but I got my claim in fair and square last night. Rainbow belongs to me today.”

For just a second, Rainbow can swear that she sees something strange and dark in Pinkie’s eyes--anger? fear? despair?--but then the pink earth pony is all smiles and sunshine again. “That’s true,” Pinkie agrees, nodding seriously. “Dashie did lose the bet, didn’t she?”

Finally, Dash has had enough and blurts out, “What are you two talking about?” She gives both the earth ponies a glare, too, just for good measure.

A glare that goes ignored. Instead, Applejack and Pinkie look at one another in surprise, and then Pinkie starts giggling while a slow, amused smile eases onto Applejack’s face.

“Well, I’ll be. She don’t remember, do she?”

“Oh, gosh! I don’t think she does!”

Mr. Cake makes a harrumphing noise in the back of his throat. Dash hazards a glance towards the stallion and notices him shaking his head and pursing his lips.

It takes all of her self-control to keep her wings from spreading out in a defensive display.

“All right, all right, all right!” Rainbow has to take control here; otherwise all of these stupid, smirking earth ponies will drive her completely nutso. “So, there was a bet, I lost the bet, and now I gotta work for AJ doing …” Here, she falters a bit. “Doing something. I guess. Anything else I oughta know?”

Applejack shakes her head. “Naw. That ‘bout covers it.”

“Ooh, wait!” Pinkie raises a hoof, like a filly in a classroom who has a question for the teacher. “Dashie should know what the bet was about.”

Rainbow’s eyebrows knit together. “Uh, really, that’s okay …”

But Pinkie is not to be deterred. “Last night, you said you could fit five apples in your mouth,” she begins excitedly, earning Dash another glare from Mr. Cake, “and Applejack said there was no way you could fit five apples in your mouth. But you said you totally could, so Applejack said you should prove you could, and then Twilight said that she had a really bad feeling about what was gonna happen next--”

The rest of Pinkie Pie’s retelling is cut off as Applejack unceremoniously shoves Rainbow out the front door of the bakery. Once outside, Rainbow takes to the air and hovers along behind Applejack as the earth pony begins trotting down the street. She doesn’t even have to ask to know that they’re headed straight to the farm.

After a few seconds, she notices just how very bright it is outside and suddenly wishes she had her sunglasses. Ow. “Well, a bet’s a bet. What am I gonna be doing today?”

“Oh, nothin’ much,” says Applejack in an excessively loud tone of voice. She briefly glances back towards Rainbow, wearing an evil grin. “Just helpin’ me buck some apples in the west field.”

“Whoo hoo. Sounds like good times.” Dash doesn’t even bother to hide the sarcasm in her voice as she rolls her eyes--instantly regretting that decision when it triggers another stab of pain in her head.

“Aw, don’t be a sore loser, now.” Impossibly, Applejack’s voice sounds even louder than it did before.

Wincing, Rainbow whimpers, “Could you … maybe not talk so loud? Just for a while?”

Applejack just chuckles in reply. But she stays blessedly silent for the rest of the trek out to Sweet Apple Acres.

Once there, Applejack bypasses the orchards and walks right up to the farmhouse, with Rainbow a few paces behind. The farm pony tells Dash to wait outside, then disappears inside the house. In just a few minutes she returns with a cup, which she sets down in front of the pegasus. She motions for Rainbow to drink.

Dash leans over the cup and takes a cautious sniff. Immediately her stomach rebels, and she rears back with a distressed neigh. She looks at Applejack with undisguised horror and disbelief.

“Scale of the dragon what bit ya,” Applejack explains. She gestures towards the cup again. “Go on, drink up. It’ll be a misery goin’ down, but you’ll feel better for it after a bit.”

This is a terrible idea. But she’s followed through on much more terrible ideas, so after taking a deep breath, Rainbow grabs the cup in her mouth and downs the cider in one long gulp. She starts coughing almost immediately, and Applejack slaps her on the back, rather roughly.

After her coughing fit finally subsides, Dash glares at Applejack accusingly. “You are trying to kill me. Aren’t you?”

“Oh, Celestia.” The other pony rolls her eyes. “C’mon, you. There’s apples waitin’ to be bucked.”

The rest of the morning passes in relative peace and calm. Applejack and Rainbow Dash work side by side, methodologically going down the rows of shady trees, filling the bushels high with fruit. Only a few words are traded between the two as the hours pass and, even then, only those words that are essential to the job.

Silently, almost subconsciously, they begin competing with one another, each pony trying to empty the trees faster than the pony beside her--but it’s a friendly sort of thing. At least, it feels friendly. There’s no arguing, no fighting, just grunting and bucking and sweating and open blue sky.

By the time they’ve finished with the west field, Rainbow’s head doesn’t hurt at all.

Slowly they begin the long, tiring walk back to the barn and farmhouse. They walk side by side, in companionable silence, until at some point Rainbow realizes Applejack has stopped moving. She turns back and sees Applejack studying her with a conflicted expression on her face. Then, after a moment, that conflicted look hardens into determination.

Dash stifles a sigh. She knows, just knows, what’s coming next, and she dreads it. The only thing worse than a Twilight lecture is an Applejack lecture.

“So,” begins Applejack, sounding uncharacteristically apprehensive, “Rarity says you got yerself into a whole heap o’ trouble after I left the party last night.”

“Yeah, well, Rarity has a big mouth.” Rainbow pauses and frowns. “Wait a minute. You already talked to Rarity today? Before you showed up at Sugar Cube Corner?”

Applejack blushes, for some strange reason, and suddenly her eyes won’t meet Dash’s. “Don’t change the subject, Rainbow!”

Dash lets out the sigh she’d been holding in. “It was no big deal, okay? I just said something dumb. I said a lot of dumb things last night. Besides, Pinkie and I talked this morning, and we’re cool.” Then, in a slightly more tentative voice, she adds, “Everything’s cool ...”

The other pony falls silent for a bit and, just as Rainbow is starting to think maybe she’s won this round, she speaks again in an oddly hushed tone, “Y’know, you got a head as hard as a mule’s. Could frustrate a zebra right out o’ her stripes, I reckon.”

Guess the lecture isn’t quite over yet, Dash thinks sourly.

She flutters into the air and hovers there, a few feet off the ground. She crosses her front legs over her chest and doesn’t even try to hide the annoyance written all over her face. “Is there an actual point to this little chat, AJ, or are you just tryin’ to point out how much better than me you think you are?”

“What I’m tryin’ to say,” replies Applejack, infuriatingly placid, “is that it’d take a peculiar kinda pony to put up with all of your hogwash, Rainbow. Somepony who’s just a might bit crazy, maybe. Somepony who can laugh at life and not take ya none too seriously.”

Rainbow can’t help but roll her eyes. While she’s not the most observant of ponies, to say the least, Applejack is about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the temple. “So, what? You’re saying I should go throw myself at Pinkie Pie?”

“Now, sugar cube, I didn’t say that.” Applejack sighs and looks away. “What I’m sayin’ is that, if you do get all romantic with that pony … well, you could do worse ‘n Pinkie.”

At that, Dash snorts.

Applejack lifts an eyebrow. “You don’t think so?”

“C’mon, AJ! We’re talking about Pinkie Pie here.”

“I ain’t kiddin’ with ya, RD,” Applejack retorts, her eyes snapping in anger. “If you get with that girl, you better recognize she’s somethin’ special. Somethin’ worth treatin’ right.”

Frowning, Dash wonders if they’re still talking about just Pinkie Pie. It’s an uncomfortable thought. She shoves it away. Hanging her head, she mutters sullenly, “Everypony’s treating me like I’m some kind of heartless monster.”

“Oh, sugar cube.” In an instant, Applejack’s voice has melted into warmth and sweetness, as smooth as hot apple cider. “All I want is for you to look before you leap. Just this once. That’s all I’m askin’.” She trots over and affectionately nudges Rainbow’s shoulder with her own. “I’d feel just awful if anythin’ happened to either of ya.”

Dash finally looks up, right into her friend’s honest, bright green eyes. She finds herself blurting out, “So you’re actually okay with all this? Not that I’m saying I actually want to get with Pinkie--’cause I sure as hay don’t--but, I mean, y’know. You’re not upset?”

Applejack pauses. Paws at the ground thoughtfully. “Maybe I was, back a while ago. Maybe I wasn’t. I ain’t really sure.” She gives her head a rueful shake. “But truth of the matter is--you and Pinkie are best friends, just about. And you got … some kinda thing … between the two o’ ya that a pony would have to be blind not to see.”

Rainbow Dash opens her mouth to protest this absurd statement. For some reason, though, the words won’t come out. She wonders at just what Applejack means, but she’s not sure she wants to hear the answer.

“Anyways, I done said my piece. That’s more’n enough meddlin’ for one day.” Applejack jerks her head, gesturing towards the buildings still some distance away. “Let’s get all these apples back up to the barn and call it a day.”

Rainbow Dash follows along at a much slower clip than she did before. She feels like she’s just finished flying a marathon race, that’s how suddenly exhausted she is. All this thinking and talking and feelings and junk can really take it out of a pony.

But there’s still something she has to say. She stops walking.

“AJ?”

Applejack glances back over her shoulder, her face open and friendly, wordlessly inviting Dash to continue.

“You and me …” This is hard. Deeply unnatural. She hates this kind of stuff--but she loves Applejack more than she hates the awkwardness. “We’re okay, right? We’re still friends?”

Applejack smiles, slow and gentle. “I’m a tough ol’ farm pony, Rainbow. Would take a lot more than some fool-headed pegasus to break this gal.”

Rainbow returns her friend’s smile, feeling happier than she has in weeks.

Author's Notes: Credit where credit's due. In the initial draft, Rainbow Dash woke up from Pinkie's humming and just looked around the room until she spotted Pinkie. It was my beloved Spouse who suggested that Dash get an eyeful of the reliably creepy Gummy first thing in the morning.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After her little chat with Applejack, Rainbow Dash decides that she’s on track to having a good week, Wonderbolts or no Wonderbolts. She’s got her friends behind her, and that’s pretty awesome. She’s still the fastest flier to come out of Cloudsdale, which is super extra awesome. Plus, she’s the originator of the world-renown Sonic Rainboom, and that has to be worth something. The Wonderbolts try-out, she decides resolutely, was an aberration. An aberration that will not be repeated next time around. Because she’ll have trained better and fought harder and flown faster.

And, just like that, Rainbow is over her funk. She’s ready to have a great week.

Mondays mean story time at the library.

Mondays mean Twilight.

Weekly story time had been Twilight’s idea--bring in some of the local school foals, read stories to them, get them interested in literature and whatever. The theory was sound, but Twilight’s initial execution of the plan proved a wee bit lacking. The students simply wouldn’t sit still for her stories. They bounced around, they talked, they fidgeted, they passed notes to one another. It reached such a crisis point that the frazzled unicorn finally had to resort to desperate measures: Rainbow Dash.

From Rainbow’s very first story time, which involved lots of shouting and flying and shadow-boxing, the kids never moved an inch or made so much as a whinny. Cheerliee had nearly fainted dead away from the shock of how still and quiet her class would become during Rainbow’s story-telling theatrics. Although Twilight disapproved a bit of the way Dash would sometimes … enhance … the chosen stories with her own very special, very Rainbow Dash additions, but she had to admit that the rapport the pegasus had with the kids was something magical.

And so, every Monday since then, Dash drops by the Ponyville library to do her dramatic interpretation of whatever story Twilight has picked out for the week. In return, Twilight plies her with fresh-baked muffins bought from the Cakes. All in all, it’s a pretty good gig.

Rainbow doesn’t ever mention that she’d keep doing story time even if she never got a single muffin out of the deal. It’s an irrelevant detail, after all, not worth mentioning.

This Monday, however, Dash knows things aren’t going to go as planned as soon as she steps into the library and spots the grim, determined look on Twilight’s face. She almost steps right back out of the library again, to make a run for Cloudsdale or the Everfree Forest or maybe Appleloosa, but she knows the unicorn could put the kibosh on her escape attempt if she really wanted.

So Dash reluctantly resigns herself to her fate and trudges over to the large, solid bookshelves, near where Spike is busy dusting. She starts poking at the books with a fore hoof, just to give herself something to do, and waits for Twilight to drop whatever bomb she’s been waiting to drop.

“I’d like to speak with you, Rainbow, before Cheerliee and her kids arrive.” It’s an unnecessary preamble, of course, but Twilight always has liked rules and procedures. “I want to talk about you and Pinkie.”

“That’s old news, Twi! Applejack’s already lectured me, so I’m good to go. Lecture quota is all met for the week.”

Spike chuckles softly, and Twilight shoots him a dirty look. He shuts up, but Rainbow can see he’s still grinning as he turns away and resumes his dusting.

“Please don’t deflect like that,” Twilight murmurs. She almost sounds like she’s pleading. “I’ve been researching into this. A lot. And I’m … worried.”

“You’re always worried.”

But the unicorn isn’t deterred. “This isn’t just about you, Rainbow Dash. Or about you and Applejack, or about you and Pinkie. Or even all six of us.” Twilight meets Rainbow’s eyes with a serious gaze. “This is about all Equestria.”

“Um. Say what?”

“We’re not just a random group of friends. We’re the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. If we fall … if our relationships, our friendships, become damaged … Equestria itself will fall with us.”

Rainbow is shaking her head, too hard and too fast to really be hearing what her friend is saying. “That’s silly. Nothing’s gonna happen to any of us! We’re always gonna be friends.”

“Not if you keep breaking hearts, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight snaps back. She sounds utterly frustrated, oddly scared, and nearly at wits’ end. “First Fluttershy, then Applejack, and now Pinkie Pie ...”

Spike gasps and drops his duster.

At the exact same moment, a jolt of some unidentifiable emotion shoots straight through Rainbow Dash’s heart. “What do you mean, ‘first Fluttershy’?”

Twilight halts dead in her tracks. Blinks. Blinks again. It’s a truly excellent Owlowicious impersonation.

“Oh, Celestia,” she exhales, her voice little more than a whisper. “I … I can’t believe I said that out loud …“

Dash’s brain just stops.

Then, before she can even begin to regain her bearings, Cheerliee and a dozen children are pouring through the door of the library, shouting, laughing, clamoring all over Dash and happily chanting her name. Twilight excuses herself and disappears for the entire story time. Dash makes sure to leave before she returns.

Tuesdays mean aerial trick practices.

Tuesdays mean Fluttershy.

For months, maybe years, Fluttershy has met Rainbow Dash at the same empty field just outside Ponyville every Tuesday to cheer on her friend during her training. They don’t usually talk much, but it’s nice. Comfortable and cozy. The timid pegasus’ cheering is even getting better. A little. Sort of.

Well, not really. But Rainbow tells her friend that her cheering is getting better, which Fluttershy seems happy to hear.

But today, the tension is thick enough to cut with a knife, and nothing is at all comfortable or cozy. Fluttershy doesn’t mention it, though. She’s patient, and they both know she’ll wait until Dash is ready to talk. Which is a bit of a double-edged sword--Dash isn’t sure when or even if she’ll ever be ready to ask what she needs to ask. So, she defaults to pretending everything is just fine.

Fluttershy allows it, gracious as ever.

Instead of talking, Dash throws herself into her flying, body and soul. She cuts through the bright blue heavens like an arrow from a taut bow, plunging, soaring, banking. She doesn’t even attempt many stunts--just pushes herself as hard and as fast as her wings will go, until finally, at the end of her practice, she collapses to the ground in an exhausted heap.

She’s still panting hard from all her exertions when Fluttershy walks over, smiling at her with concerned, loving eyes. Rainbow feels herself start to crack apart under the other pegasus’ gaze.

“Twilight yelled at me,” Dash blurts out. “About the … y’know … with Pinkie Pie.”

“Oh, I’m sure she’s not really angry. She’s probably just worried,” Fluttershy soothes, sounding almost motherly.

Rainbow sets her jaw. “She said I should stop breaking hearts. Said that I …” She hesitates here, and she almost chickens out. Almost. “She said that I broke your heart.”

Fluttershy’s eyes dart away. Nervously, her wings unfurl then resettle against her back. The seconds stretch out between the two old friends like hours. Finally, Fluttershy murmurs, “That was a very long time ago.”

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash feels sick to her stomach.

“You were strong, brave, fast--all the things I wasn’t. You stood up to the bullies for me. Of … of course I fell for you.” A pause and a smile, both bittersweet. “But it was just a silly little fillyhood crush. It wasn’t your fault.”

Not unless you mean it ...

“I gotta go.” Dash jumps up and gives her wings a brisk shake.

“Oh, Rainbow, please don’t--”

But she’s already crouching down, tensing her muscles, getting ready to launch herself into the sky. “Sorry, but I gotta … I gotta go.”

And, with that, she’s gone.

Wednesdays mean therapeutic massages down at the spa.

Wednesdays mean Rarity.

When Rarity had first suggested that Rainbow Dash accompany her to the spa, Rainbow had actually and literally laughed in the unicorn’s face. The spa? All that frou-frou nonsense couldn’t interest her less. But after rolling her eyes, Rarity had explained that she just meant for them to get massages. Massages were good for conditioning the body, she’d said, and for loosening up cramped muscles. Muscles that might get cramped during lots of flying, for instance.

Rainbow had tried hard, during that very first massage, to stifle her groans of pleasure, but she’d failed. Rarity had just about glowed with smug triumph at that, and grudgingly Rainbow had agreed to make the massages a regular thing.

She’s never told Rarity how much she enjoys them or how she’s been able to fly faster and with greater endurance. Maybe she will. One of these days.

Today, she enters the salon with no small amount of trepidation. She feels justified in this, given how poorly her week is going. The overpowering scent of flowers and incense doesn’t help, either. It fills up her head and makes her thinking cloudy and sluggish. It’s unnerving, though she’d never admit that to anypony.

But she brightens a bit when Rarity greets her with the exact same greeting she always does on spa day: “Oh, darling! Your mane!” She clucks disapprovingly. “Perhaps today we can do a little something with--”

“No way.” Rainbow grins, almost despite herself. “You know the rules. No touching the mane.”

Rarity sighs, in that annoyingly exaggerated way of hers, as she always does, but lets the matter drop. They settle in for their massages.

Rainbow tries to relax and almost accomplishes her goal. The hooves of one of the spa ponies--whose names she never can quite remember--feel wonderful on her back and on her wings. But lying face-down like this feels risky and unsafe, as though she’s leaving herself vulnerable to … she doesn’t quite know. It’s a silly feeling, and she realizes full well how silly it is, but she still can’t fully shake off the discomfort.

A quiet, cultivated voice disrupts her thoughts: “You really ought to go speak with Fluttershy sooner rather than later.”

Dash screws her eyes shut. Maybe if she ignores Rarity, this talk won’t happen.

Of course it doesn’t work, and Rarity continues on in a pleasantly conversational tone, “She isn’t upset with you, you know. She’s just worried about how you are coping with things. You know how worked up over others’ well-being that poor girl can get.”

Rainbow silently chastises herself for not having seen this coming. She should have known that Fluttershy would blab to Rarity. Even since the Photo Finish debacle, the two of them tend to tell each other everything. Rainbow sighs. She can feel her shoulders tense up, and her masseuse makes a disapproving noise in the back of her throat.

The week has gone right back to being awful. Dash is unable to hold back the irritation in her voice as she asks, “So now you’re gonna get on my case, too, huh?”

“No, no. Quite the contrary, my dear.”

Surprised, Rainbow lifts her head and glances over towards her massage buddy. The unicorn is staring at Rainbow with appraising eyes. It’s a strange expression on her face, but it’s not angry or hostile in the slightest.

Dash frowns. “I don’t get it.”

Rarity nods at that, in a sympathetic but mildly condescending way. “Rainbow, Rainbow, Rainbow,” she says softly, almost as if she’s talking to herself. “When are you going to realize that pushing ponies away only ends up hurting them more than … well, more than whatever it is you are so afraid you’ll do to them if you were to just allow them close enough to love you?”

The words hurt more than if Rarity had hauled off and kicked her right in the teeth.

“Afraid?” Rainbow latches onto the one word in that sentence that she’s comfortable dealing with. Her voice sounds strange in her own ears, far away, tinny, almost dream-like. “I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid of anything!”

Rarity just smiles at her in response and reaches out between their two massage tables, giving Dash’s hoof a small pat. Her smile isn’t one of her mocking smiles but is completely sincere. Kindly, affectionate, even generous, yes.

But sad. It’s a very sad smile.

Thursdays mean playing horseshoes and drinking nice, cold apple juice.

Thursdays mean Applejack.

Flying along the dirt road up towards Sweet Apple Acre’s farmhouse, Rainbow spots Applejack step out the door and hold it open behind her. She’s about to shout out a hello when Rarity walks out the door next. Dash crinkles her nose in confusion, as the two other ponies quietly exchange words, then part ways. Rarity comes primly clip-clopping up the path towards her, while Applejack hangs back and begins half-heartedly throwing some of the horseshoes that are spread all over the yard.

Dash raises an eyebrow as she meets Rarity on the path. “Uh … hi?”

Rarity quickly plasters a too-large smile across her face. “W-why, hello, Rainbow Dash! It’s so lovely to see you today!” she tosses out, quickly passing by the pegasus and hightailing it for Ponyville. “Wish I could stay to chat, but I must be off. Late to meet a client. You understand, I’m sure!”

Dash just shakes her head. It’s weird, definitely, but it’s probably the least weird thing that’s happened to her all week. So she ignores the rapidly retreating unicorn and heads over to the farm pony.

Even before she’s reached Applejack, Rainbow Dash can tell that her week is not going to improve. Applejack’s eyes are moving around, quickly, tensely, looking at everything and nothing and never once resting on Dash.

Dash comes to a stop and hovers in place right in front of Applejack. She stares down at the horseshoes nestled in the dirt. The breeze coming down from the river ruffles her mane and gives her a small shiver.

“RD, there’s somethin’ I gotta tell ya. But I don’t think yer gonna like it none.”

Rainbow feels strangely tranquil. Like nothing can really faze her at this point. “Okay, Applejack.” She gives a calm nod. “Lay it on me.”

“Big Macintosh, he … well, he …” The strong, tough farm pony almost sounds like she wants to cry. At last, she looks into Dash’s eyes. “He went and asked Pinkie Pie out on a date.”

Rainbow had been wrong about nothing fazing her.

She shudders as though she’s taken a cannonball straight to the chest. Landing on the ground with a soft thud, she can feel her legs collapse underneath her. She just sits there, too stunned to speak, for several long moments. Then, her eyes narrow suspiciously.

But Applejack heads her off at the pass: “Now, it ain’t like that! I swear, I didn’t know he was gonna do this!”

“Oh, you didn’t? Really?” She can’t stop the words from escaping her lips, even though the torment written all over Applejack’s face is enough of an answer.

But feeling angry with Applejack is a familiar, almost reassuring feeling--unlike this new and jagged ache that’s threatening to crush in her chest and tear open her heart.

Not unless you mean it ...

“No, I did not!” The earth pony snorts through her nose and anxiously paws at the ground. “He just asked me if’n it’d be all right if he was to court one o’ my friends, and I said … shoot, Rainbow, I thought he meant Fluttershy! Or maybe Twilight, I dunno!”

Rainbow looks around, frustrated, helpless, trying to find something concrete and solid to focus on. But there’s only dirt and grass and trees. And horseshoes. Abruptly, she leaps up and grabs one in her mouth and, after a few running steps, throws it as hard as she can. Then she picks up and throws another, then another, feeling spiteful satisfaction as they connect with some of the nearby trees and chip off the bark.

She’d been right. Apples are dumb.

Once she’s out of horseshoes, she rounds on Applejack. “What’d she say?” she says with a snarl in her voice. “What did Pinkie say? Did she say yes?”

Applejack’s face crumples in on itself. “Oh, sugar …”

Fridays mean prank-planning and prank-pulling.

Fridays mean Pinkie Pie.

Usually, Friday is Rainbow Dash’s favorite day of the week. But not this Friday.

Author’s Notes: The musical accompaniment for this chapter, by the way, in case you’d like a multimedia experience, is Tori Amos’ “Winter.”

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Fridays mean prank-planning and prank-pulling.

Fridays mean Pinkie Pie.

Today, though, there are nearly an infinite number of reasons why she shouldn’t go pranking with Pinkie like she usually does. First, she’s not really all too thrilled with the whole Pinkie Pie going out with Big Mac thing. Not because she herself wants to go out with Pinkie--that’s a ridiculous thought, which she immediately dismisses--but because she hates to see a friend settle for less than she deserves. No offense to Mac.

Well. Maybe some offense to Mac.

Also, it’s a good idea to distance herself from Pinkie, anyways. Isn’t that what Fluttershy had told her to do? Isn’t that what Twilight thinks is safest? If Twilight Sparkle thinks it’s smart, then surely it’s a good idea. Giving Pinkie some space will allow her get over her ridiculous little crush on Rainbow, and then things can go back to how they were before. Which is exactly what Rainbow wants.

Of course it’s what she wants.

But, really, Rainbow Dash is staying away not so much for her own sake as for Pinkie’s sake. For Equestria’s sake. It’s patriotism. She is nothing if not a patriotic pony.

So today, she chooses to not fly down to Sugar Cube Corner, as she normally would on a Friday. Instead, she lays on her fluffy bed in her cloud home, high above Ponyville and all its worries, and she hugs her pet tortoise Tank close to her to her chest. Tank nuzzles against her face. He’s not very warm or very soft, being a tortoise and all, but it’s still pretty nice. When Dash glances down fondly at her companion, she notices his entire face is glistening with wetness.

“You … you shouldn’t cry like that, Tank,” she tells him, sniffling. “Brave ponies don’t cry.”

In lieu of a proper response, Tank just nuzzles her some more.

Just then, a whirring noise, disturbingly familiar, comes from directly outside her window. Dash’s hair stands on end with instant recognition of the sound.

“Knock, knock!” The voice is cheerful, bubbly, and much, much too close. “Wake up, Rainbow Dash! It’s prankin’ time!”

Rainbow Dash freezes.

Worst. Week. Ever.

Hurriedly she sets Tank down on the bed and grabs chunks of cloud right out of the wall of her bedroom, scrubbing at her face, struggling to compose herself while simultaneously trying to think up a game plan. She knows better than to believe she can keep Pinkie out of her house if Pinkie is determined to get in, so that idea’s right out. Pinkie isn’t so much a pony, after all, as she is a force of nature.

Dash manages to fly out to the living room just in time to catch her friend bounding through the front doors in a burst of confetti and streamers.

Steeling herself, Dash puts on a scowl. Scowling feels safe. “How are you even up here, Pinkie?”

“Cloud-walking spell! Though it took me forever to get Twilight to agree to cast it for me, for some silly reason.” Pinkie stops bouncing and squints at the pegasus. She frowns. “You’ve been crying.”

Rainbow Dash has always wondered how Pinkie does that. How she just looks at Dash and knows things she has no right, no reason, no possible way to know. It makes Dash angry and happy and scared, all at once, and it’s all so very confusing that she almost feels nauseous.

“Crying?” Rainbow barks out a staccato laugh. “You’re crazy. I haven’t been crying.”

“Dashie, why have you been crying?”

“I’m not crying!” she shrieks, her voice high and strangled and nearly cracking.

Pinkie Pie winces. Her ears go flat against her head, her mane sags sadly, and her eyes begin watering. Rainbow immediately feels terrible.

Maybe Rarity was right. Maybe she really is an ogre.

Lowering her eyes, Pinkie asks, “Is that why you didn’t come to the bakery today? Because I … did something bad?”

“N-no. Don’t be stupid.” Her voice is hoarse from the scream and from the--no, not from crying, because she wasn’t crying. “Besides, why do you even care?” The pressure building in her chest is suffocating her, and she can no longer bite back the words bristling in her mouth: “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for your super awesome date with Big Macintosh?”

She really doesn’t want to see whatever is going to happen next, but for some reason, she can’t take her eyes off Pinkie’s face. For her own part, Pinkie adopts an expression that is completely impossible to read.

When she finally responds, the earth pony’s voice is very soft. “You should come to Ponyville and play pranks with me. You’ll feel lots better if you do, I promise.” Then, almost as an afterthought, she adds, “Big Mac and I are just going on a friend date, anyways, and that’s not ‘til tomorrow.”

Dash’s entire world narrows down to focus, with laser-like precision, on a single word: friend. “W-what?” she splutters.

Pinkie is nodding. “Uh-huh! I told him I couldn’t go on a real, romantic date with him, and he said that was okay and we could just go out as friends. He’s a pretty nice pony.”

Rainbow feels suddenly dizzy and has trouble catching her breath.

Pinkie Pie steps towards her, and her nearness makes Dash even dizzier. “So,” Pinkie begins again, smiling and hopeful, “are you done being a mopey pony now? Can we still go pranking today?”

Reeling, Rainbow stares into Pinkie’s eyes. Then, slowly, she smiles back. “No. No, we’re not going pranking.”

Pinkie deflates, just a little.

“We’re not pranking today, ‘cause we’re going flying.”

The earth pony blinks at her. A slight smile plays on her lips. “Flying?”

Dash gives a brief, decisive nod. “Yeah. You always said you wanted me to take you out flying, so today … today I’m gonna take you flying.”

She starts off towards the front doors at a quick trot, not daring to look behind her until she’s outside under an endless expanse of perfect blue sky. Only then does she glance back, to see Pinkie a few feet away, watching her with intense curiosity. Kneeling down, she says in a voice much quieter than she normally uses with the other pony, “Hop on, and make sure you hold on tight.”

Pinkie hesitates, and Rainbow feels her shoulders bunch up with tension. She shuts her eyes. She doesn’t really know what she’s going to do if Pinkie doesn’t say yes to this. She’s making things up as she goes, as per usual. Winging it, as it were. But then Pinkie’s hooves wrap around her neck, and Pinkie’s belly nestles snugly against her back.

Relieved, Rainbow finally opens her eyes. “Careful with the wings, okay?”

Dash can feel Pinkie’s head nodding. Time for take off, then. Flapping her wings experimentally, slowly standing back up, she begins cantering away from her cloud-house and building up speed. She leaps once, as a test, and she finds that her jump isn’t much reduced from its normal height. She takes another, higher leap.

On the third leap, they’re finally, actually airborne. They’re flying.

For a long time, Dash just cruises the skies at a nice, even speed. It’s a bit weird--she’s not used to having passengers. It slows her down, makes her heavier. On the positive side, though, the wind doesn’t chill her quite as much as usual, as Pinkie’s body acts like a big, warm blanket across her back. It’s kind of nice, even.

They don’t speak. It worries Rainbow, a little, this unaccustomed silence, but she tries not to think about it too much. Thinking too much is what gets a pony into trouble, after all.

Below them, the world below is lush and green and very, very far away.

After a few minutes, Rainbow starts doing dips and rises, which cause Pinkie to tighten her hold on the pegasus. Rainbow grins. This is better than pranks, she realizes and is delighted with the discovery. After a few more minutes, she tosses a loop-de-loop into the mix of tricks. She can hear Pinkie gasp in surprise, even over the rush of wind in her ears, and Dash’s grin threatens to take over her entire face.

Eventually, the air grows colder, and the sky turns darker. Down below Dash spots a cliff overlooking a small lake, and she gently descends from the clouds back to the ground. She touches down and waits for Pinkie to dismount before folding her wings back neatly against her flanks.

She knows this place. Rainbow ambles over to the edge of the cliff and sits down. She gazes down at the lake below and marvels at how the last rays of the sun shimmer along the water in seemingly a million shades of orange, red, and pink. After a few long moments, she feels Pinkie sit down next to her, less than a half-foot away.

“Where are we?” Pinkie asks after she’s settled. They are the first words either of them has said since they started flying.

“Dunno really.” Dash shrugs, unconcerned. She leans back and drinks in the sunset. “Went flying one day after I got in a fight with Applejack and somehow ended up here.”

“Oh, Rainbow Dash. You really shouldn’t fight with Applejack so much.” The words are soft, distracted, said almost automatically.

“Hey, save the lecture for AJ. I just finish what she starts.”

Rainbow knows that’s not really true--technically speaking, anyways--and she suspects Pinkie knows it too. But that’s okay. Maybe it’s okay, somehow, for Pinkie to know things about her, as long as they don’t have to talk about any of the things she knows. Maybe it can be okay, because Pinkie always knows all kinds of weird stuff, because of her Pinkie sense. Maybe.

Maybe.

Pinkie rests her head against Dash’s shoulder, and Dash draws in a sharp breath at the sudden touch of the other pony’s thick mane and soft fur. “It’s so beautiful,” Pinkie exclaims in a hushed, reverent tone Dash has never heard from her before.

Rainbow can’t help herself--she glances down at the other mare, curious. Pinkie’s eyes are fixed on the lake before them, on the rippling waters that reflect the sunset above, and she wears a huge and happy smile on her face. A sudden, fierce burst of pride flare up within Rainbow at knowing that she’s responsible for bringing that smile to her friend’s face.

“Pinkie,” Dash begins hesitantly. She’s been acting on pure instinct up until now. Flying is easy; words are hard. “I just … I’m sorry. Y’know? I’m sorry.”

Pinkie turns away from the sunset and lifts her gaze up to Rainbow’s face. The smile drops from her face, and her gaze turns intense, focused. Determined. “Did you mean it, Dashie?” She pauses. Bites her lip. “When you said I had the prettiest eyes in all of Ponyville?”

Not unless you mean it.

Rainbow swallows. Back at the party, she hadn’t really thought much about what she’d said. Hadn’t thought about whether she’d actually meant it. She thinks about that question, now, though. She allows herself--forces herself--to not turn away from Pinkie’s wide, blue eyes.

It’s surprisingly hard to do. Rainbow feels like she could drown in those eyes just as easily as she could in the lake down below.

“Yeah, I did mean it,” she breathes, surprised more than a bit at the truth of what she’s confessing. “And … you really do. Have the prettiest eyes in Ponyville.”

Pinkie shifts a little, and now the full length of their flanks are pressed against each other. Dash can feel her heart hammering in her chest but she pretends it’s no big deal. Nothing to fret over, nothing wrong, certainly nothing on which to waste too many thoughts. Pinkie’s eyes reflect the glow of the sunset, and her breath is warm and sweet against Rainbow’s face.

Licking her lips, dry and chafed from all the flying, Dash leans forward. She doesn’t really know what she’s doing any more. Hasn’t, really, since they’ve landed on this lonesome cliff. She no longer can tell front from back or up from down or right from wrong. Everything is too quiet and too weird and too confused and entirely too claustrophobic, and the heat from Pinkie’s breath and Pinkie’s body is crowding out all other thoughts in Rainbow’s brain.

Not unless you mean it.

But this isn’t why they’re here. Rainbow brought Pinkie out here to make Pinkie happy, not to do something stupid and mess up their friendship. Well, mess it up more than she already has.

Right? Right.

With the last shred of willpower she possesses, Rainbow Dash wrenches her eyes from Pinkie’s and finally turns her head away. She’s trembling all over. “Anyway! We should probably head back, so you can--”

But then Pinkie Pie grabs her face between both her front hooves and yanks her head back to its former position. Before she can yelp out a single word of complaint, Pinkie kisses her, hard and deep. The kiss is passionate, clumsy, exhilarating. It’s pure, untamed energy, and it’s pure Pinkie. For the briefest fraction of a second, Rainbow freezes, too stunned to respond--and then suddenly she’s kissing back, desperate, yearning, her forelegs wrapping around Pinkie’s shoulders and pulling the other pony close against her chest.

Not unless you mean it.

Rainbow Dash has never meant anything more in her entire life.

Author’s Notes: The musical companion piece this chapter ‘round is Lady Gaga’s “The Edge of Glory.” Or, if you’d like multiple choices and/or aren’t keen on pop, you can plug in Melissa Etheridge’s “Come To My Window.” That works too.

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The sky is almost always beautiful at night, but tonight, Princess Luna has really outdone herself.

Rainbow Dash lays on her back, her fore legs crossed behind her head, gazing up at the great black expanse of sky that's been speckled with a million twinkling lights. Next to her, Pinkie nestles close enough that Dash can feel every beat of her heart and every twitch of her muscles-which are twitching a lot, at the moment. The earth pony tosses, turns, wriggles, and kicks, never still for a single second. Every so often, she throws her forelegs around Dash's neck and buries her nose in Dash's mane, breathing in deeply.

On any other day, Rainbow would probably be annoyed by all the fidgeting. But it isn't any other day.

It's Friday. Her favorite day of the week.

Maybe she'll be annoyed tomorrow. She can't be certain. It doesn't seem particularly important right now, though, as out on this cliff, high above the rest of the world, tomorrow seems a lifetime away.

Finally, on Pinkie Pie's fifth or sixth mane-sniffing, Rainbow chuckles. "You do realize I haven't washed my mane in, like, days, right?"

The response is, unsurprisingly, completely nonsensical, as Pinkie explains, "Gotta make sure you're really real."

"Pinkie Pie, you are so random. Of course I'm real." Dash rolls her eyes.

"You're probably right. I mean, who would know better if you're real or not than you would?" A brief pause. "You taste like pickles, by the way."

Rainbow finally glances over to her star-gazing companion. "I … what?"

Pinkie nods at her. "I didn't think you'd taste like pickles. I kinda thought you'd taste like rainbows, maybe? 'Cause you're Rainbow Dash. Ooh, or maybe cupcakes." She's thoughtfully tapping at her chin. Her eyes are dreamy, far away. "Actually, it was more like I was hoping you'd taste like cupcakes, because I like cupcakes …"

The words just keep pouring out of the pink pony, like a happy, babbling brook. Dash mentally takes a step back and just lets the words wash over her like a warm rainfall. It's not unpleasant.

Then Pinkie smiles, that smile, her Rainbow Dash smile--and Rainbow tunes back in time to hear Pinkie whisper, "But you know what, Dashie? I like pickles."

Rainbow feels her entire body explode with a joy so intense it almost physically hurts. She grins back.

They both lay back down on the grass and return to star-gazing. After a few moments, restless as always, Pinkie starts playfully nipping at one of Dash's ear with her teeth and snorting warm air into it, which makes them both giggle. It also causes a tingling heat to spread throughout Rainbow's body. It's a strange sensation, but Rainbow thinks she likes it.

Of course, right now, right here, she likes just about everything and everypony in the whole wide world.

Time passes. Eventually, as she's staring up at the starry sky laid out above her, Dash starts to realize just how late in the evening it's become. She stifles a sigh. "We should probably start heading back," she suggests, albeit half-heartedly.

Pinkie pouts out her lower lip about as far as it can possibly go. "But it's fun looking at the stars with you! Don't you like being out here with me?"

"Hey, now." Dash tries on a faux-serious glare. "That's playin' dirty, and you know it."

Pinkie nods happily in agreement, utterly unrepentant. "Just … a few more minutes? Pretty please?"

Dash thinks it over. She does enjoys being here. Despite a bit of a chill in the air, she feels plenty warm with Pinkie nestled right up against her. And the stars really do look pretty.

"Maybe." Rainbow yawns in sleepy contentment. "Maybe just a few more minutes …"

She awakens when she feels something lightly brush against her head.

Instantly Rainbow's eyes pop open, and she glances around in sudden panic. Where is she? What touched her? Is it a dragon? She attempts to leap to her feet, to either fight or to prepare to take wing, but something heavy sits on her chest and keeps her pinned down.

Then the blob of yellow and pink that's floating in front of her slowly comes into focus, and Dash relaxes a bit as she finds herself gazing up at her oldest friend. Though it's a very weird angle to be looking at her, admittedly.

"Oh, hey there, Fluttershy." She plays it cool and casual. Panic? What panic? "How's it goin'?"

Fluttershy smiles a tiny, secret smile. Then she glances down at Dash's chest and back up again, and her smile widens.

Confused, Rainbow follows Fluttershy's gaze--and suddenly things start making a lot more sense. Curled up against her entire torso lies a peaceful-looking Pinkie Pie, snoring away and drooling all over Rainbow's sleek blue coat. It's kind of gross and kind of adorable, both at the same time. Dash reaches up with a hoof to gently stroke Pinkie's fluffy mane, and the earth pony mumbles something unintelligible in her sleep.

"When Pinkie didn't come home last night," explains Fluttershy in a low whisper, careful not to wake the sleeping pony, "Mr. and Mrs. Cake got worried. They asked if we could go look for her."

At that, Rainbow frowns. Mr. Cake is going to kill her when they get back ...

"Twilight cast a locating spell, and it led us to the base of the cliff. They asked me to fly up here to check for Pinkie."

Dash gives a slight nod, careful not to jostle Pinkie awake; it feels odd to be so slow and deliberate with her movements. "We, uh, kinda fell asleep by accident. Never meant to get everypony all worried."

"Oh, it's all right. The important thing is that Pinkie's safe." Bashfully, Fluttershy lowers her head, and her mane falls in front of her face a bit. "Would … would you like me to tell them that you're up here too? Or, um, just that I found Pinkie?"

It's a good question, and Rainbow carefully deliberates over it. She isn't even sure what last night means, really, in the grander scheme of things. It wasn't something that had been planned, after all. Nor has she had a chance to talk to Pinkie about it, either.

She glances down at the pony in question, cuddled up against her, and all at once the intense, simple happiness of the previous night comes rushing back to her. And she realizes that she can't pretend that things haven't changed, even if she wanted to. Because things have changed. Everything's changed.

"Go ahead and tell 'em I'm up here," Dash murmurs, her eyes still on Pinkie. "And, uh … could you let everypony know that I'll take care of gettin' Pinkie back to town after she wakes up?"

"O-okay. I mean, yes. If you're sure."

"Yeah. I'm sure." She glances up. "And, Fluttershy? I'm … sorry. For not realizing about all that stuff back when we were fillies and--"

But Fluttershy has a hoof pressed gently against her mouth before she can get any further, and when Dash raises an eyebrow in question, Fluttershy just smiles and slowly shakes her head. After a moment, Fluttershy takes her hoof off Rainbow's mouth. Rainbow smiles back at her.

They understand each other perfectly. It's one of the nicer fringe benefits of a friendship of such long standing as theirs.

As Fluttershy turns to leave, to head back down the cliff to where the rest of their friends are waiting, Rainbow remembers something. She calls out her friend's name, still mindful to be quiet for Pinkie's sake, and Fluttershy pauses to look at Rainbow in patient expectation.

Dash returns Fluttershy's look, never flinching, as she solemnly explains, "I just want you to know … I did mean it. I kept my promise."

"Oh, Rainbow." Affection and pride fill Fluttershy's gentle teal eyes. "I always knew you would."

"Faster, Dashie! Faster!"

From her place atop Dash's back, Pinkie Pie pulls back on Dash's neck in her excitement, and it chokes the pegasus just a little. Involuntarily they drop quite a bit of altitude before Rainbow can regain her bearings and control. After they've recovered, they resume soaring across the sky at nearly breakneck speed.

"I'm goin' as fast as I can, Pinkie," Dash complains to her troublesome passenger. "And if you had just told me last night that you were supposed to be having lunch with Big Mac today, I would have woken you up a lot sooner!"

"I forgot!" Pinkie sounds half-contrite and half-petulant. "Besides, last night I was kinda busy kissing you all over your face, and that seemed a lot more important at the time."

Dash snorts at that and rolls her eyes. But she can't quite fight back a grin, all the same.

They make it back to Ponyville in record time. As Celestia's sun reaches its apex the familiar houses, roads, and pastures of their town come into view. They touch down in front of Sugar Cube Corner just in time to catch Big Macintosh as he comes trotting up to the bakery, looking as large and stolid as he always does. Rainbow eyes him, a bit warily.

Mac looks from Pinkie to Dash then back to Pinkie. His face betrays nothing. "G'afternoon, Miss Pinkie. Afternoon, Miss Rainbow."

Dash mutters a hello in reply.

Meanwhile, Pinkie is unabashedly beaming at the stallion. "Heya, Mac! Sorry if I'm late!"

"Nnnnope." He gently shakes his head. "I'm a bit early. Force o' habit."

"Ah, gotcha," Pinkie says, with a brisk nod. "Well, in that case, would it be okay if I went up to feed Gummy real quick? I didn't get to give him his breakfast this morning, and he's a hungry little guy."

A small, almost imperceptible smile eases onto Mac's face. "Why, o' course, Miss Pinkie. You go right on up."

With a wave of thanks, Pinkie bounds off into the bakery, leaving the pegasus and the stallion behind. Rainbow stares down at the ground and kicks at a few pebbles with a hoof. She wishes she could just fly away, back to her safe cloud home, but some invisible force keeps her rooted to the spot where she stands.

Big Mac quietly clears his throat, and Dash gives a small jump.

"When Miss Pinkie said her heart already belonged to somepony else," the farm pony begins, in his slow, careful way, "I gotta admit that I took to wonderin' just what kinda stallion could be deservin' of her affections."

Dash says nothing and tries not to move a muscle. Tries not to breathe.

"Can't say I ever reckoned it might be you, though, Miss Rainbow." He chuckles, soft and low. "That little pink filly sure is full o' surprises …"

"Yeah. She really is." The words are out and in the open before Dash even realizes she's going to say them.

In response, Big Mac just makes a humming sound in the back of his throat. Rainbow hazards a glance in his direction and sees a thoughtful expression on his broad, solid face. She unfurls then refolds her wings, just to give herself something to do. She starts to feel a tiny bit bad about all the mean thoughts she'd had about him yesterday. Just a tiny bit.

For a few moments, the only thing to be heard is the chatter of noisy birds in the trees and the clattering of horseshoes from other ponies as they pass by.

When Mac speaks again, his voice remains perfectly calm. "I still ain't forgiven ya, by the way, for what ya put my baby sister through."

"Oh, yeah? Well, I still-" For once in her life, Rainbow has enough presence of mind to stop herself before she starts. She swallows the sudden surge of anger rising within her and cringes at the way it burns her throat going down. Her voice is much quieter when she finally says, "I haven't really forgiven myself, either. For what it's worth."

Macintosh blinks at her in surprise for a moment then gazes off into the distance at something Rainbow can't quite see. He doesn't speak. As he silently chews at the piece of straw in his mouth, Dash starts to wonder if he's playing mind games with her. Then, the soft tinkle of Sugar Cube Corner's door bell issues forth and, in unison, both ponies look towards the bakery. Pinkie Pie comes skipping out with a blindingly brilliant smile and a pair of saddlebags slung across her flanks.

Rainbow feels a sudden, irrational pang in her chest. Friend date, she reminds herself, sternly. It's just a friend date.

"I'm ready!" Pinkie announces in a sing-song tone. "How about you, Mac Attack?"

"Yyyyyep," the stallion replies, wearing that same small smile from before. "Can't wait to see what you baked up for us today, Miss Pinkie. I'm hungrier than a manticore."

Pinkie bounces a bit. "Whoo hoo! Then let's get this party started!"

Friend date. Rainbow Dash grits her teeth and tries to control her breathing. Friend date, friend date, friend date.

"See ya later, Dashie!" Pinkie calls out over her shoulder, in that absent-minded but friendly way of hers. She starts happily trotting away from the bakery.

Big Macintosh gives Dash an amiable nod as he turns to follow after his date. "Was real nice speakin' with ya, Miss Rainbow."

He sounds like he actually means it, too.

That just makes Dash hate him all the more.

She didn't kiss me good-bye. Why didn't she kiss me good-bye? Rainbow chews on the inside of her cheek to keep herself from yelling out the thoughts that are screaming inside her head. Her eyes stay trained on Pinkie's rapidly retreating figure as the two earth ponies continue down the road. Look back at me, Pinkie. Please look back ...

Eventually, she and Mac disappear from view around a corner. Pinkie doesn't look back even once. It's a small thing, though, and it shouldn't bother Rainbow.

Please, please look back.

It shouldn't bother Rainbow. But it does.

Author's Notes: Since I'm amusing myself with the musical companion songs for each chapter, I've chosen one for this chapter too, Carole King's "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" (The Shirelles' version, probably the most well-known version, is also lovely, as is Amy Winehouse's cover.)

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Once again, the fate of all Equestria rests in the hooves of six young mares from the unassuming town of Ponyville.

Nervously, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony bearers gather at the edge of the Everfree Forest. They stare into the depths of the woods with uneasy eyes and fluttering stomachs. Although Twilight Sparkle has assured them that she is reasonably certain that they won’t die a horrible, painful death on this mission, none of them feel very comforted.

Slowly, cautiously, they edge their way into the dark and intimidating woods. Rainbow Dash takes up the rear, flying high enough that she can keep all five of the other ponies in sight at all times. Twilight and Applejack take the front, mostly silent except for some brief logistical discussions, while Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity follow several paces behind. Fluttershy and Rarity chat quietly with one another, for the most part. Occasionally one of them directs a comment or question towards Pinkie, but the earth pony only answers with a single word or shrug. In fact, not only is Pinkie unusually taciturn, but she walks along in a slow, plodding trudge, with not a hint of a bounce in her step.

Rainbow has told everypony that doesn’t know what’s wrong with Pinkie--because she’s the first pony they all asked--but really, she knows exactly what’s wrong. It’s … sort of, maybe, kinda her fault.

A little bit. Maybe.

She has, in fact, been steadfastly avoiding and ignoring Pinkie all day, ever since they all first arrived at Twilight’s library this morning to hear about Princess Celestia’s latest request. The Sun Princess, Twilight explained in that serious and reverent way she has of talking about her mentor, has asked for all six of them to venture into the Everfree Forest to fetch a very rare, very important flower that is to be used in a very important spell that will … well, Rainbow doesn’t really remember.

To be honest, she didn’t really pay much attention after Twilight mentioned “Everfree,” “magic flower,” and “dangerous.”

Now, after several hours of silent treatment from the blue pegasus, Pinkie seemingly has given up trying to get Dash’s attention and has instead sunk into a sullen depression. Her mane’s even a bit straighter than usual--just a bit. When Fluttershy gives the sad earth pony an affectionate nuzzle, though, Pinkie does allow a small smile.

The smile is absolutely heart-breaking.

But I’m not the one who started this, Dash thinks with sudden, stubborn resolve. I’m not the one who ignored my totally awesome best friend and went out to lunch with my other friend’s stupid and totally non-awesome brother.

Every so often, Twilight glances over her shoulder and fixes the pegasus with a glare. She’d definitely noticed the tension between Pinkie and Rainbow back at the library, and she’s definitely convinced that Rainbow Dash is the party responsible.

Rainbow just glares right back.

The afternoon passes quietly but tensely. The woods are almost beautiful, with the late-day sun filtering down through all the leaves of the trees. Almost.

Then, just as they reach a small clearing, the sound of a howl--deep rumbling, supernaturally loud--rips through the surrounding trees. The six ponies freeze at the blood-curdling sound.

“Oh, my goodness!” Fluttershy immediately drops to the ground, trembling, and buries her head in the grass as much as she’s able. “Oh, my goodness, oh, my goodness, oh, my goodness …”

Applejack trots over and gives the pegasus a gentle nudge. “C’mon, sugar cube. We gotta get a move on.” She glances around, nervously eyeing the forest towering over them on all sides. “We’ll be sittin’ ducks if we stay out here where there ain’t any trees.”

“Oh, my goodness, oh, my goodness, oh, my goodness …”

Her patience already badly frayed, Dash can’t help rolling her eyes. And her tone is a little harsher than she means it to be when she says, “Oh, for crying out loud! Why don’t one of you unicorns just grab her with your magic?”

“Oh, yes, Dash,” retorts Rarity, her voice thick with sarcasm, “that’s a brilliant idea. Is there no problem that you wouldn’t suggest solving with the application of brute force?”

“Hey, it’s better than just stayin’ out here and waitin’ to get gobbled up!”

“P-please,” squeaks out Fluttershy, tightly shutting her eyes. “Please don’t fight …”

Frustrated, Twilight stomps her front hooves. “Girls! We are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, remember?” She shoots another accusatory look in Rainbow’s direction. “We have to stick together.”

The toxic, sludgy mixture of awful emotions that has been roiling inside Rainbow Dash all day finally bubbles to the surface--and quickly sloshes over. As fast as a bolt of lightning, Dash lands on the ground just a few inches from Twilight, her wings fanning out as far as they can go and her feathers quivering with anger.

“So, this is my fault?” Rainbow demands, knowing full well what Twilight’s answer is going to be. “Yeah, that’s real convenient, isn’t it? Just blame everything on good, old Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash never does anything right!”

“I didn’t say that!”

Another unearthly howl echoes through the forest, sounding nearer than it had before, but Rainbow barely even notices it.

“No, you didn’t say it.” She snorts. “You’ve just been givin’ me dirty looks all afternoon, for absolutely no reason.”

At that, Twilight narrows her eyes and whinnies a bit, and Dash can tell the unicorn’s just been pushed a little too far. She feels a strange, grim sense of satisfaction in knowing she’s gotten Twilight as upset as Twilight has gotten her.

“You know the reason, Rainbow.” Twilight angrily shakes her head. “I warned you about what would happen, but you didn’t listen. You never listen!”

Applejack sighs deeply, the sigh of the long-suffering. “Please, y’all, can this wait? ‘Til after we’re out o’ these creepy woods, maybe?”

“I must say that I quite concur with Applejack, for once,” Rarity adds. She moves over to where Applejack stands beside the still-prostrate Fluttershy; together, they look like odd, mismatched sentinels. “Certainly this little spat can wait until we’ve--”

“And you two!” Dash whirls on the both of them, her anger quickly spiraling into an out-of-control tornado. “How come I get yelled at just because Pinkie’s got a thing for me, but the both of you get to be all secret fillyfriends or whatever, and nopony makes a peep!”

That shuts them up. Rarity and Applejack trade utterly shocked glances with one another, while everypony else stares at them in startled silence. Even Fluttershy cracks open a curious eye.

It should make Rainbow feel flush with victory, but instead, all she feels is nausea. Another roar cuts through the trees, and Fluttershy whimpers a bit.

“Um,” says Applejack, the very epitome of eloquence.

Rarity nervously clears her throat. “Yes, well … ah, ha, ha ...”

But Dash still isn’t done yet. She still hasn’t addressed the pony who’s actually the source of all the jumbled, jangling feelings tearing at her sanity.

“And let’s not forget about Equestria’s favorite party pony,” Rainbow starts in again, her words filled with false cheer. “I mean, Pinkie went on a date with Applejack’s brother yesterday, which could totally lead to all kinds of unharmony-ful consequences and stuff, right?” She’s completely on a roll and completely incapable of stopping these stupid, stupid words from tumbling out of her stupid, stupid mouth. When Pinkie doesn’t respond, Dash snaps, “Isn’t that right, Pinkie?”

Slowly Pinkie Pie looks over to Dash, her face twisted in pain and confusion. The sick feeling in Rainbow’s stomach intensifies. She begins to think that she may actually throw up.

Then, something happens that Rainbow never expected.

“How could you, Pinkie Pie?” Twilight whispers. The unicorn’s voice betrays pain and confusion every inch as much as does Pinkie’s face. “I mean, you knew that I … and you promised …”

In an instant, Pinkie is bounding over to Twilight and rapidly shaking her head. “No, no, no! Big Macintosh and I were just hanging out as good buddies, Twilight. We’re just friends.” She turns back towards the Rainbow Dash, her eyes full of reproach and naked, undisguised hurt. “We are just friends, Dash!”

There’s something in those guileless blue eyes that cuts through Dash like a hot knife. Guiltily she looks away and hangs her head. She can feel both of her wings droop as the last of her rage drains away, leaving behind only cold, hard, desolate regret. She clamps shut her eyes so she doesn’t have to see any of her friends or the hatred that must surely be written on all their faces.

“Rainbow!”

It takes her a split second to recognize that the voice yelling her name isn’t angry, as she might have expected, but, rather, is absolutely terrified. By the time she’s lifted her head and reopened her eyes, all she can see is fangs and claws and scales and blazing red eyes. The creature’s huge, gaping maw comes rushing down towards her very, very fast.

But then something crashes right into her from the side, and suddenly she’s tumbling head over hooves. When the world stops spinning, she finds herself upside down, tangled up in a nearby bush, with the tiny leaves of its branches pricking her wings.

The monster smashes face-first into the exact spot of ground where she’d been standing just a moment before.

It is, impossibly, even larger than it had sounded. It towers as high as some of Cloudsdale’s larger buildings, all muscles and brawn and shiny, scaly, rippling skin.

Something twitches atop Dash, and she cranes her neck and spots Pinkie Pie there, breathing heavily, her heart pounding so hard that Rainbow can feel it through both their chests. Pinkie stares down at the pegasus with large, scared eyes. With a jolt, Rainbow Dash realizes how she must have escaped becoming the monster’s snack.

Good old Pinkie sense, she muses, with more than a touch of awe. Still reeling from the impact, she then groggily wonders how she’s supposed to get out of the bush with Pinkie weighing her down like a very soft, very fluffy boulder.

The monster lets out another deafening roar.

In a flash, Pinkie Pie is out of the bush, back on her feet, and standing right between Rainbow and the beast. “No big, mean monster-face is going to get away with trying to eat my girl!” she declares with a growl that’s comical in its very seriousness.

Then, everything happens all at once. Or, at least, that’s how it feels.

The monster lunges, and Pinkie quickly scampers out of harm’s way. At the exact same time, Twilight jumps forward and directs a beam of magic at the beast, which causes it to turn towards the unicorn. Then, just as Twilight gets a hold of one of the monster’s massive paws, Applejack charges in. She kicks the beast in the shin, hard, and stomps on its toes.

A bit farther away, Rarity levitates Fluttershy into the air and begins carefully carrying her away from the scene of battle. She’s speaking to Fluttershy as she does so, but they’re too far away for Rainbow to hear what Rarity is saying.

Meanwhile, after fumbling with the bush’s stranglehold for a few, frustrating seconds, Rainbow Dash finally breaks free and hurtles towards the monster like a rainbow-maned missile. Her aim proves true, and she smashes directly into the monster’s left eye. The beast snarls in pain and rears up on its back legs.

With the paw that isn’t held by Twilight’s magic, the monster reaches out and takes a swipe at the flying pegasus. Dash dodges nimbly. Then she flies in close again and kicks the creature in the throat, earning a very satisfying, very choked gurgle for her efforts.

By now, Rarity has joined the fray, too--she’s no longer carrying Fluttershy. She plants her hooves firmly then levels her horn at the monster with a steely glower. The beast’s second paw goes suddenly motionless as it, too, is grabbed firmly by unicorn magic.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rainbow Dash can see Pinkie standing next to Fluttershy. The scared yellow pegasus is standing upright now, albeit on shaky legs, and leaning heavily against the earth pony. Pinkie’s mouth is right against Fluttershy’s ear, whispering non-stop, but Dash still can’t hear what’s being said. She decides they’re both safe enough that she can keep her focus on fighting the monster, though, and she swoops down low to avoid the beast’s snapping jaws.

Applejack takes out her trusty rope from one of her saddlebags, and she gives it a mighty throw. As soon as the rope lands, she begins running around the monster’s rear legs. The rope pulls tighter and tighter with every lap the earth pony makes around the creature, and soon all four of its limbs are immobilized. Applejack begins tugging on the rope, straining, her leg muscles shaking as she tries to topple the beast. But the beast doesn’t so much as budge.

Swiftly landing on the ground, Rainbow steps up behind Applejack and grabs the free end of the rope in her mouth. Immediately she begins pulling, too, yanking with all her might, and finally the monster comes crashing to the forest floor.

From its vulnerable, prone position, the creature bellows its rage. Dash can feel the roar rattle through her bones.

Then, out of seemingly nowhere, Fluttershy is suddenly right there, standing just inches away from monster’s snarling jaws. She no longer looks scared, only determined. Rainbow sucks in her breath and crouches down, ready to take off and tackle the monster if it so much as twitches in Fluttershy’s direction.

“Now, that wasn’t very nice,” Fluttershy begins, in a voice that’s quiet but clear as a bell. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself, trying to eat Rainbow Dash like that.”

The beast pauses in its bellowing. Lets out a soft, mewling growl.

Fluttershy takes a cautious step forward. “If my friends let you go, will you leave without causing any more trouble?”

Those horrible red eyes blink, once, then twice. Finally, the creature utters a grumbling sigh.

Seemingly satisfied, Fluttershy gives a small nod. “All right, then. Thank you.” She turns to Applejack. “Would you please untie her?”

“Her?” Applejack mutters, almost under her breath. But after a moment’s hesitation, she goes ahead and obligingly loosens the rope.

“Oh, and Rarity? Twilight? If you two could, um, also ... you know …”

The two unicorns both trade nervous glances then nod in reply. Rarity releases her magical hold first. After the beast makes no effort to continue its attack, Twilight lets go, as well.

Fluttershy takes one more step forward, and she’s now nose to nose with the beast. Her gaze is unwavering. “You can leave now,” she tells it, in a half-loving, half-stern way. “Just remember to be nice to any other ponies you meet, okay?”

Slowly, carefully, the beast rises to its feet. It looks over the ponies with an inscrutable expression and, then, with one last soft rumble, lumbers off into the woods. Once it’s gone, calm tranquility quickly returns to the clearing. The bearers of the Elements of Harmony are alone, once again.

They all let out the collective breath they’d all been holding in. They all take an instinctual step towards one another, to reconnect, to nuzzle, to hug--but then they remember. They freeze in their collective tracks.

Things are right back to being tense and stomach-churning.

“I’m sorry, guys,” Rainbow mutters at last, breaking the silence. “That … was really uncool of me.” It’s as much apology as she can muster up at the moment, as exhausted and emotionally battered as she feels.

Twilight awkwardly clears her throat. “I’m sorry too, Rainbow.” She glances at Dash for just a moment, embarrassed, before turning her attention to study her hooves. “You were right that we … I mean, that I was being a bit hypocritical.”

Rainbow paws at the ground. She hates receiving apologies almost as much as she hates giving them. She’s not sure why. “Don’t sweat it,” she finally says, feeling flustered. “It’s all good, Twi.”

Applejack, meanwhile, is giving Rarity a look that’s an interesting mixture of amusement and annoyance. “I told ya we shoulda told everypony sooner.” She shakes her head. “Lie of omission is still a lie, Rare.”

Rarity purses her lips. Then, with a relenting sigh, she allows, “Perhaps … perhaps you’re correct.”

“Gotta admit, though,” Applejack adds, with a slight smile, “that I’m surprised it was RD who figured it out. Never took her for the observant type.”

Almost reflexively Dash snorts. “I’m not, really. You guys just aren’t subtle. At all.”

“I think it’s lovely,” Fluttershy chimes in, blushing even as she speaks. “Y-you two make a very cute couple!”

“Oh, darling, I’m so happy you know.” Rarity smiles at her shy friend as her eyes brim with joyful, unshed tears. “You can’t begin to realize just how many times I wanted to tell you …”

But Rainbow Dash has checked out of the conversation. Frowning, she glances around and realizes they’re missing a pony, and an acute panic grips her chest. She turns her head this way, then that, senses on high alert. She tries to recall if she saw Pinkie after they’d tied up the monster, but she can’t remember. Did the monster manage to … ? No, no, no. Dash would have noticed. Right?

She isn’t sure. Everything just happened so fast ...

Suddenly, she feels a gentle hoof on her shoulder. She turns and sees Twilight peering at her with a strange look on her face.

The unicorn gestures towards a group of smaller trees near the edge of the clearing. “I saw her head over there,” she explains quietly. Then, after biting her lip, looking painfully uncertain: “Can you go try to … just ... bring her back to us, Rainbow. Please?”

Dash isn’t entirely clear on what Twilight means by that, but she does realize that Twilight has just entrusted her with something big. Something important. She straightens her shoulders and executes a nearly militaristic salute. “You got it, chief. Will do.”

Ignoring the discomfort creeping up her spine and reminding herself that everypony is counting on her, Rainbow Dash quietly approaches the fallen tree where Pinkie sits with hunched shoulders and straight mane. She winces as she feels a sharp stab of regret. Her fault. All her fault. Just as it always is.

Always, always, always.

Without preamble, Dash sits down beside Pinkie on her log. They both stare straight ahead in uncomfortable silence. For once Dash knows exactly what she needs to say, but she’s not sure she can actually make herself say it.

But she’d told Twilight she’d fix things, so …

Deep breath. Here goes nothing.

“I, uh, just wanted to say thanks,” Dash begins, in a low, thick voice that’s almost a growl. “For savin’ my flank back there. And for being my friend all these years.”

Pinkie says nothing.

Rainbow swallows over the lump in her throat. This is hard. But she can do this--she’s Rainbow Dash, for Celestia’s sake. “It’s meant a lot to me, Pinkie, and I’ll miss being your friend,” she continues on doggedly, “but I … don’t worry, I’ll make sure you can hang out lots with everypony else without havin’ to see me.”

There’s a beat of silence. It’s torturous.

Rainbow is proud of herself for being strong, for not breaking, for not crying. She’s a brave pony, after all. The bravest in Equestria. And brave ponies don’t cry.

“Dashie? What are you talking about?”

The completely confused tone in Pinkie’s voice is what causes Rainbow to finally turn her head. Pinkie is staring at her with a small, thoughtful frown.

“Well, I mean … you’re gonna break up with me, right?” the pegasus replies, puzzled. “And then we … we won’t be friends any more. Right?”

“Oh, Dashie! I’m not breaking up with you!” Pinkie shakes her head, seeming almost amused. “And we’re always gonna be friends. Always, always, always.”

“But--but I mean--”

“You have such silly-filly ideas sometimes, Rainbow Dash.”

And then Pinkie’s hugging her, and her thick mane is tickling Dash’s nose, and everything is warm and soft and wonderful, and Rainbow Dash feels all her racing thoughts slam to a sudden halt. She allows herself to wrap her legs around the other pony. Dash hugs her tightly, fiercely, as she stares out unseeing at the trees beyond them.

She’s half convinced that this isn’t really happening until Pinkie speaks again.

“I’m still really mad at you, you know.” But Pinkie’s tone is gentle, almost airy. “All day you’ve been acting like a big stupid-face jerk.”

“Yeah,” agrees Dash, feeling strangely giddy. “I kinda have.”

Pinkie pulls away, and the sudden absence of her body against Dash’s makes Dash feel as though she’s just been doused with cold water. But Rainbow perks up a bit when she sees that the other pony’s mane is once again bouncy, curly, and very, very pink.

“Dash, there’s something I need you to understand.” Pinkie’s tone is determined, almost grave, but still not angry. “I’m a very friendly pony. I like other ponies, and I like parties, and I like being around lots of ponies.”

Thoughtfully, Dash bites her lip. She thinks she can see where this might be going.

“I think Twilight said I’m an extrovert, once. Though I kinda don’t know what that means, not exactly.” Adopting a slightly guilty expression, Pinkie whispers conspiratorially, “Sometimes, I don’t really listen that much when Twilight explains things.”

“Oh, my gosh!” Rainbow blurts out before she can think better of it. “Me, too!”

“Really? It’s not just me?” Pinkie grins a bit before seeming to realize that they’re supposed to be having a Serious Discussion. She schools her facial expression into something more somber. “But oh, wait, where was I … oh, yeah, friends! I have other friends, Dash, and I need my friends. I wouldn’t be the same Pinkie Pie that everypony knows and loves if I didn’t have all my friends.”

Dash mentally flashes back to Pinkie’s last birthday. Slowly, she nods her understanding.

Seeming pleased with the nod, Pinkie continues, “And sometimes I’m gonna hang out with my other friends, ‘cause I really like spending time with my friends. But that doesn’t mean you’re not my very bestest best friend, Dash. It doesn’t mean that I don’t lo--”

The earth pony abruptly cuts herself off. Her eyes skitter away from Dash’s like a startled little deer.

It’s weird. Dash doesn’t understand at all--things have been going so well the last few minutes--and she decides she’d better step in before things can go off the rails again. “Hey,” she says, gently, reaching out and nuzzling Pinkie’s shoulder with her snout. “I … I get it. Okay? And I don’t want you to be anypony but you. I promise.”

When Pinkie finally turns back towards the pegasus, she’s all smiles again. “I’m gonna have to think of something really neato you can do to make things up to me,” Pinkie Pie muses aloud, sounding more than a bit gleeful at the prospect. “Maybe baking brownies for me? Or, ooh, chocolate chip cookies?”

“Or how’s about chocolate chip brownie-cookies?” Dash tries hard to keep the laugh out of her voice. She fails, utterly.

A sudden, loud gasp echoes through the trees. A few birds take to the air, startled, and fly away.

“Yes! You are so smart, Dashie! Yes! Chocolate chip brownie-cookies!” Pinkie’s gaze is adoring, rapturous.

For her own part, Rainbow Dash just grins and grins and grins.

Author’s Notes: This chapter’s musical accompaniment is Paul McCartney’s “Fine Line,” the first song off his 2005 album, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard.

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Pinkie Pie is obliterated.

Rainbow watches in amusement as the party pony drunkenly staggers her way across the large main room of Sugar Cube Corner, checking in on groups of party guests as she stumbles along. One moment Pinkie's asking if Bon Bon and Lyra need refills on their drinks, the next she's encouraging Fluttershy to get up and dance, a second later she's whipping out a bowl of gems from goodness knows where to hand to Spike. Rainbow feels a warm glow of affection as she watches, as she sees how dedicated to her party guests' enjoyment Pinkie is--even given the fact that the earth pony can barely stand, let alone serve punch.

This, right here, is where Pinkie shines. Where Pinkie Pie is at her most Pinkie Pie. At a party, in a crowd, among a gaggle of smiling friends. Dash gets an inexplicable thrill from seeing Pinkie like this, and she can't quite remember why she ever thought it was a big deal for Pinkie to have that picnic with Applejack's brother. It seems like a lifetime ago. Of course, in a way, it sort of was.

Every so often, while faithfully tending to her party guests, Pinkie glances over to where Dash is standing by the back wall. And every time she does, without fail, she gives the pegasus a hugely flirty wink paired with a small, soft smile. It's possibly the least subtle thing in the history of ever.

Dash absolutely loves it. Though she'll probably never admit that to Pinkie's face.

All in all, this "Hooray, We Found the Magic Flower, and Equestria Is Saved!" party has totally been one of Pinkie's better ideas.

Rainbow Dash leans against her chosen wall, front legs crossed over her chest, and she tries her very best to appear cool and aloof. Lazily she gazes out at the party and wonders if all of Ponyville has somehow crammed into the bakery, as that certainly appears to be the case.

Applejack stands beside her, swaying a bit on her hooves. She issues a soft snort as she nods in Pinkie's direction. "Ain't never seen that girl quite this liquored up before," she mutters in an amused tone.

Dash chuckles. "You're not too sober there, yourself, y'know."

Neither is Dash, for that matter. But she's taking it easy tonight, mindful of what happened at Pinkie's last party, and is therefore worlds better off than either Pinkie or Applejack are at the moment.

"W-what? What're you tryin' to say?" Applejack draws herself up to her full height, looking offended. "I will have you know, Rainbow Dash, that I could mop the floor with ya right now if'n I had to."

Rainbow considers taking Applejack up on the challenge. She does still owe her friend some payback for that bet about shoving apples in her mouth. But Applejack is all but falling over, as it is, and Rainbow is afraid she might actually hurt the earth pony. Plus, she really shouldn't do anything that could ruin two of Pinkie's parties in a row. Pinkie Pie's a forgiving pony, but it's best not to test out how forgiving she is.

So, instead of saying "You're on!" like she wants to do, Dash just gives Applejack's shoulder a friendly nudge while jeering, "Sure, you could, AJ! Sure, you could."

"I could, too!" the farmer blusters in response. She rears onto her hind legs, draws back her right front hoof, and prepares to throw a punch aimed right at Rainbow Dash's head.

"Stop. Right. There."

Rainbow and Applejack both flinch and turn towards the voice that's suddenly intruded. Rarity stands just a few feet away, her eyes narrowed and her mouth a firm, straight line. Fluttershy hovers beside her, her eyes ping-ponging between the unicorn and the earth pony.

Applejack quickly lowers her hoof and slaps on a huge, fake smile. "Oh, howdy, Apple Dumplin'!" She could not possibly look, or sound, any guiltier. "G'evenin', Fluttershy!"

Fluttershy smiles and gives a small wave. "H-hi, Applejack."

"Hmph." Rarity tosses her mane and cuts her eyes over to the yellow pegasus beside her. "You see what I mean, darling? You can't leave them alone for even two measly minutes!"

Fluttershy nods in genial agreement. "Oh, yes, Rarity. I do see what you mean."

Disgusted, Rarity shakes her head and continues, "And it is not as though you and I have abstained this evening! But we, at the least, can show a bit of decorum even as we indulge. Unlike some ponies I could name but will not."

"Which ponies, Rarity?" Fluttershy's brow wrinkles a bit in thought. Then her entire face lights up. "Oh! Do you mean Applejack and Rainbow Dash?"

"Yer kiddin' me." Applejack is staring intensely at Fluttershy, squinting a bit. "Y'mean to say you got good ol' Fluttershy over there to hit the hooch?"

"I thought it might do her a bit of good!" Rarity sounds the teensiest bit defensive. "Alcohol is a known social lubricant, after all."

Dash can't help it. At the word "lubricant," she starts snickering, then outright chortling, and then collapses into a heap of helpless laughter. After a moment of repressed giggles, Applejack joins her and lets out loud, braying guffaws.

Rarity glares daggers at the both of them. A hint of amusement lurks in the back of her eyes, though. "Oh, honestly! Sweetie Belle displays more maturity than the two of you!"

"I … I don't get it," Fluttershy murmurs, half to herself.

Then, when Rarity turns her glare towards Applejack specifically, she softens even further and actually grins--just a tiny bit. "You are absolutely impossible. I don't know why I waste my time with you."

"It's 'cause you love me," Applejack drawls in a ridiculous sing-song tone, even as she fights back another giggle fit.

Rarity just blushes and stammers in reply, while Fluttershy hides behind her mane and makes little squeaking noises. Dash guesses that the little squeaks mean that Fluttershy believes their friends are acting cute or adorable or some other Fluttershy-approved word like that.

It is an opinion that Rainbow Dash does not share in the slightest. She snorts and rolls her eyes. "If you guys are gonna start gettin' mushy, I'm gonna split." She reaches out and affectionately chucks Fluttershy on the shoulder. "I'd get out, too, if I were you, 'Shy. While you still can, that is."

And though she does want to remove herself from the scene before the two lovebirds start whispering sweet nothings--such as the indescribably detestable "apple dumpling"--the primary reason she's excusing herself is that she's just noticed Twilight Sparkle sitting over at a table, wearing the most lovelorn expression imaginable and staring across the room at Big Macintosh like he's the most magnificent and most complicated magical spell she's ever tried to learn.

Dash grins as she immediately thinks up a completely brilliant plan.

Without a second thought or a look back, she leaves her friends and flutters over to where Mac stands next to the food table, nibbling at corn-cakes and shifting from hoof to hoof uncomfortably. He raises an eyebrow, ever so slightly, when he catches sight of Rainbow.

"Heya, Big Mac!" Dash hovers at eye-level with him, still grinning, and slings a friendly foreleg around his wide shoulders. "How's it hangin', man?"

He gives her a suspicious look out of the corner of his eye. "Howdy, Miss Rainbow. What can I do fer ya this evenin'?"

"Well, y'know, I feel a little bad about stealing your girl. So I figured I'd do you a solid." Dash gives him a wink. "I'm gonna get you a mare of your very own."

By now, Pinkie Pie is eyeing her from across the room, from where she's stationed near the deejay table. Although Pinkie is still talking animatedly with Vinyl Scratch about something or other, presumably music and playlists, Pinkie's eyes never leave Rainbow Dash. The pegasus just smiles brightly and waves.

Pinkie frowns a tiny, adorable little frown.

Big Mac, meanwhile, is hemming and hawing. "That's, er, a real nice offer there. But, uh, I don't think--"

"Hey, no thanks necessary! I'm happy to help out a friend in need!" Dash leans in close and whispers, "So, you're a smart guy, right? I mean, you figured out that Pinkie and I are a thing without anypony saying anything. So I'm thinkin' you need a girl who's smart, too."

She gestures meaningfully in Twilight's direction. The unicorn immediately notices and freezes in what looks very much like horror, all the color draining from her face. Then her eyes narrow in a glower that seems to be Twilight's attempt to vaporize Rainbow Dash using just her pure, unadulterated hatred.

Big Mac follows Dash's gaze and then snorts softly, shaking her head. "Miss Twilight? Rainbow, I ain't got a shot with a girl like that. She's personal student o' the Princess."

"Yeah, but she's not snooty like other Canterlot ponies are! She's a total egghead, sure, but she's the down to earth type." Dash grins with genuine affection for her unicorn friend. "Twilight's a really cool pony. Sometimes, anyway."

Macintosh just stands there, looking unsure.

Rainbow leans in even closer. "Trust me, big guy. Just … just ask her to explain all the constellations to you or something. She likes talking about stars and junk like that."

Before Mac can offer any further protests, Dash decides she's accomplished her good deed for the evening, heartily slaps him on the back, and takes off again, leaving the big stallion alone again and muttering to himself.

But Dash has no time to wonder what Mac is saying under his breath. She's already decided that, for her next act of heroism, she's going to go rescue Fluttershy from being stuck with Beauty and the Apple Beast. Maybe they can take a quick flight or something, then come back to the party--it's been a while since they've had a chance to chat, just the two of them, and Rainbow knows that Fluttershy is probably nearing her capacity limits for social interaction for the evening.

Dash is humming right along--bopping her head in time with the music, scanning the room for Fluttershy, feeling pretty good about how both the party and her life are proceeding--when she's suddenly attacked. Before she can even think of how to react, she's been yanked into the bakery's kitchen and shoved up against a wall. A few pots and pans clatter to the floor as her wings flap in protest at being so abruptly pinned.

Pinkie Pie stands right in front of her, frowning, her hooves holding Dash firmly against the wall.

"Hey, there," Rainbow greets her, very casual, very cool. She smiles in what she trusts is a breathtakingly sexy and sultry way.

"Oh! H-hey." Pinkie seems caught off guard and blushes a bit. Then, shaking her head, she mutters to herself, "No, no, no. That's not why we're here … at least, I don't think it is?" Blearily she peers at Dash as though confused to be looking at her. "Why did I come into the kitchen again?

Dash's smile widens hopefully. "Maybe you came into the kitchen to get a little taste of Dash?"

"Ooh, maybe! That does sound good …" Still blinking, Pinkie sways back and forth. She seems to be pondering over Rainbow's question as though it's the most important question in the universe. "Oh, no, no, wait! That wasn't it!" She takes a stumbling step backwards and releases her iron grip on the pegasus. "Dashie," she tries again, closing one eye, presumably to help her focus. "You didn't tell Big Mac about Twilight's crush on him, didja? Didja, didja, didja?"

"No! 'Course not."

Pinkie Pie squints at her. All the squinting makes her snout crinkle in a very cute way. Dash wonders if she can get away with stealing a kiss or if that will make Pinkie think she's not taking this seriously. Which she isn't, really, but best to not let on about that.

Dash's better instincts win out, though, and she holds up her hooves in a placating way. "Look, I just said he should go talk to Twilight. That's it."

"Are you sure?" Pinkie draws out the last word, slurring a bit as she says it, and seems a wee bit unconvinced. "Because you know that losing a friend's trust is the fastest way to--"

Suddenly, Twilight Sparkle bursts into the kitchen, all wide eyes and flailing limbs. She freezes when she spots Rainbow Dash, and almost involuntarily Rainbow jumps back. Pinkie Pie just gapes and whispers under her breath, "Oooooh."

Without a word, Twilight launches herself right towards the startled pegasus. "Rainbow Dash! There you are!"

"I'm sorry!" Dash cringes in dread. "I didn't mean it! Don't turn me into a newt!"

Twilight pauses, then laughs. "Oh, Rainbow. Why would I turn you into a newt?"

"B-because …" She snaps her mouth shut when she realizes that Twilight is hugging her, not clobbering her, and also that the unicorn is wearing a broad, happy smile.

"I just wanted to thank you," Twilight explains, still beaming and sounding out of breath. "I don't know what you did, exactly, or how you did it, but … but Big Mac just asked me to go for a walk! So we can look at the stars!"

Rainbow blinks for a moment then, with a sudden crow of triumph, looks over exultantly to Pinkie. Unfortunately, Pinkie Pie isn't paying nearly enough attention to appreciate Dash's moment of victory, as the earth pony is hugging an entire, huge chocolate cake to her chest as lovingly as Rarity might clutch a precious, beautiful gem.

Dash is reasonably sure there wasn't even a cake in the kitchen a minute ago.

But Dash knows better than to dwell on it for too long. She just shrugs to herself and turns back to Twilight. "That's great news, Twi." She pats the unicorn on the top of her head, careful to avoid the pointy horn, before starting to make shooing motions. "But you better not keep him waiting, buddy! Get out there and enjoy your walk." She smirks a bit. "And don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Oh, believe me, I won't. Thanks again, Rainbow!" Twilight nods rapidly then, after one final, rib-cracking hug, she disappears back out into the main room of the bakery.

Silence reigns in the kitchen for a few precious seconds before Dash begins cackling.

"Ah, yes, please hold your applause, everypony," she says, addressing the imaginary cheering crowd in her mind. "It's all in a day's work for your friendly neighborhood Rainbow Dash."

"Dashie?" Pinkie is tilting her head at a nearly one hundred and eighty degree angle. "Who're you talkin' to? Can you hear the voices too?"

Dash frowns. "Voices?"

"Oh, but never mind that now, Dashie! We've got more important things to worry about. I mean, we've been in here so long, ponies are gonna think we got banished to the moon or something!"

To punctuate her point, Pinkie waves a hoof in the air wildly--then promptly topples over as the sudden movement knocks her off balance. Rainbow catches her as best she can, almost falling over herself as she does, but Pinkie doesn't seem overly worried about the near-tumble. Instead, she happily leans against the other pony and even nuzzles Dash's neck.

"I swear, Pinkie Pie," Rainbow warns, "if you puke on me, I'm gonna hide all your party balloons for at least a month." But she can't quite hide the smile in her voice.

Pinkie is not fazed in the slightest by the threat. She simply hooks one of her forelegs around Rainbow's neck while jabbing her free foreleg in the direction of the kitchen door. Then, affecting an accent Dash can't even begin to decipher, the earth pony bellows, "Onward, brave Sir Rainbow! There is a party out there that requires our presence, and Lady Pinkie Pie must hold court!"

The beleaguered pegasus rolls her eyes but obligingly begins hauling Pinkie out of the kitchen. As soon as they've made it through the door, however, they walk almost directly into Fluttershy.

Who at the present moment is completely entangled, limbs and wings and all, with a certain gray-coated, yellow-maned, wall-eyed postal worker. Completely, blissfully entangled, as the two pegasi enthusiastically and drunkenly make out with one another.

Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash just stare.

Dash's jaw works furiously, but she can't seem to make any words come out. Right now she is feeling at least ten different kinds of amazed and bewildered. When her voice finally returns to her, all she can do is whisper, "Now that is some social lubrication."

Meanwhile, still hanging precariously off of Dash's neck, Pinkie lets out a loud whoop of joy. "Best ... night ... ever!"

Hours after Vinyl has packed up her speakers, after all the punch has been guzzled, after everypony else has gone home, Rainbow Dash remains alone with Pinkie Pie in an empty and utterly destroyed Sugar Cube Corner. Pinkie is singing to herself very softly, something unusually gentle and in triple meter, as she pushes a mop around the bakery's main floor. For her own part, Dash busies herself with tearing down streamers and shoving them into the countless trash bags that lie around her feet.

Why are there so many streamers? she wonders, half-irritated, half-awestruck. Where does she get all the bits to even buy this many streamers?

Being stuck on party clean-up detail is undeniably a boring, thankless job, but the pegasus swallows any and all of her complaints. Helping out with all the cleaning is, she well knows, all part of her penance for the Everfree Forest debacle.

Besides, Pinkie's worth it. Pinkie's something special. Something worth treating right.

As the earth pony moves on to mopping down tables, she keeps singing her little tune. Her voice is too low for Rainbow to quite make out the words to the song, though, if indeed there even are words. Rainbow frowns thoughtfully as she takes down the last of the streamers. There's something familiar about whatever Pinkie's singing, but she can't quite put her hoof on exactly what it is.

But then suddenly the memory pushes its way to the front of her mind. A waltz. That's what Rarity had called it, anyways, way back when, as the unicorn had forced a reluctant Fluttershy to help her practice her dancing for the Grand Galloping Gala.

Dash sets down the trash bags and looks over at Pinkie.

Armed with her dishrag, Pinkie Pie bounces from table to table in time with the music she herself is providing. The moonlight coming through the windows from outside casts long shadows down the room, and Pinkie dances into and out of the pools of light with graceful ease, almost glowing. Rainbow swallows thickly as she watches.

She wishes she could find the words for how achingly beautiful Pinkie Pie looks right now. But she can't. She's never been that good with words, really--that's more Twilight or Rarity's thing.

Rainbow Dash, though? Is a pony of action.

Taking silently to the air, she flutters over to the other pony, who has her back to Dash, still dancing unawares. Rainbow flies in close, her nose right up against Pinkie's ear, close enough that she can smell the sugar and sweat in Pinkie's mane. Huskily she whispers, "You wanna dance?"

Pinkie gives a small jump, surprised, but only for a second--then she's turning to face Rainbow, smiling and ready and eager. Rainbow likes that about her. Always up for anything, this one. The premiere party pony of Equestria.

With an exaggerated flourish, the pegasus performs a small bow while still hovering in mid-air.

Pinkie giggles and curtsies in response.

Locking eyes with the earth pony, Rainbow Dash takes her front hooves in hers and begins slowly spinning her around the room. She concentrates hard, trying to remember all those complicated steps that she watched Rarity show Fluttershy, but she can feel herself losing the beat and tripping up. After a few moments, she realizes it's at least partly because there's no longer any music to accompany them.

"Hey." Dash cocks her head at her dance partner, puzzled. "How come you stopped singing?"

Pinkie blinks at her. "Oh? Oh! I guess I did!" But then her voice sounds hushed, almost disbelieving, as she asks, "Didja … I mean, you really want me to sing some more?"

Not unless you mean it …

"Yeah," the pegasus admits with a wry smile. "Yeah, Pinkie. Keep singing."

And so Pinkie does.

Dash shuts her eyes, still smiling, and lets Pinkie's voice carry them along. They move in perfect harmony, Pinkie along the floor and Dash in the air, as Pinkie quietly warbles away like one of Fluttershy's songbirds.

Together they waltz for endless minutes, for hours, for entire lifetimes. Together they waltz under the moonlight, among the trash bags full of confetti and empty bottles of sarsparilla and popped party balloons. It's completely corny, tragically unhip, and ridiculously uncool.

Rainbow Dash has never felt happier.

THE END.

Author's Notes: Ship all the ponies? SHIP ALL THE PONIES!

I had a dilemma with the musical selection this time around. Do I choose a song that fits the good-time party shenanigans in the first part of the chapter? Or do I choose a song to fit the cheesy, sappy sincerity of the last part of the chapter? Then I realized ... I don't HAVE to choose! I can choose both!

So, for the first part of the chapter, please pair with Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night (TGIF)." For the second part of the chapter, check out Paul McCartney's "This One," from his 1989 album, Flowers in the Dirt.

And last but not least: Thank you, everyone, for reading. I'm greatly appreciative.