Bird Behaviorby Electric AuraChaptersStudium Mores Mannulus-AviariusThe Crush HypothesisNeed to TalkFeathersStudium Mores Mannulus-AviariusTwilight sat waiting in her lab, located in the Castle of Friendship’s lower level, which was equally crystalline. She wore a lab coat over her body, despite not dealing with any dangerous chemicals or other strange substances today. The coat really wasn't necessary, but Twilight secretly loved wearing it, the professional, crisp lab coat always made her feel like a scientist doing important experiments. Today was different however, today Twilight was simply doing some anatomy study, and her subject was running late. Unable to do much else but wait, Twilight straightened the papers on the counter for what felt like the thousandth time, meticulously placing her quill and ink yet again to keep busy, slowly growing annoyed. Her ears perked at the sound of a door opening and closing, was it Spike, Starlight, maybe the pony she was waiting for finally showing up? “I'm here!” Rainbow Dash’s familiar voice was followed seconds later by a rainbow blur shooting toward Twilight from the stairway. On instinct, Twilight nearly dove behind the counter in case Rainbow Dash decided she needed to use her as a landing cushion, but resisted the urge. The rainbow streak skidded to a halt in front of the counter, Twilight not even flinching as she raised an eyebrow at Dash, wondering why she was late. “What?” Dash raised an eyebrow back, before looking down at herself, seeing if maybe she had some cloud stuck to her coat from her nap. “Do I have something in my coat?” The pegasus did a quick spin following her tail, looking over her body before sitting in front of Twilight. The Princess rolled her eyes and sighed. “Rainbow Dash... You were supposed to be here like, half an hour ago, you know? I mean, thanks for helping, since Fluttershy was busy and couldn't, but... A little punctuality would be appreciated.” Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck, giving a bit of a nervous laugh, a small smile trying to convince Twilight of her innocence. “I was uhhh, helping Scoot with some... Homework, yeah, homework!” She gave a bigger smile, trying to sell her terrible lie. “Yeah, sure, by the way, you do have something, in your mane.” With a smirk, Twilight plucked a tuft of cloud out of her friend's prismatic mane with magic, holding it in front of the lying pegasus. “C’mon Rainbow, I've known you for years, I know your schedule, you definitely overslept, plus it's the middle of the day, Scootaloo is at school... I hope.” Dash scrunched her muzzle at Twilight as the tuft of cloud was tossed aside before quickly disappearing, her lie completely picked apart. “Jeez Twilight, that's kinda creepy, I mean, you know my schedule? I don't even know my schedule most of the time, do you know everypony else’s too?” She smiled internally. ‘Perfect plan, turn it around on Twilight, and you're totally off scot-free.’ “Ughhh, nevermind, forget I said anything.” Twilight facehooved, dragging her hoof down her face with a quiet groan. “Just, come stand over here, please?” She motioned toward a metal platform, a small smile on her face as Rainbow followed her instructions and flew over, landing on the metal with a quiet clack. “Uhm, so, what's with the lab coat? You aren't gonna like, take some blood or something, right?” A nervous smile crossed Dash's face as she stood, her wings ever so slightly fluttering at her sides, as if ready to take flight at a moment's notice. Twilight smirked again, before giving a slightly sinister looking grin at the tough pegasus. “No, why? Is the awesome Rainbow Dash afraid of a little needle?” She teased, enjoying finding some sort of weakness in the fearless mare she could playfully tease. “No! I'm not afraid of some dumb needle, I was just curious!” Dash got a bit riled up, her wings flaring defensively as she tried to maintain her bravado. “Okay, sure.” Twilight giggled quietly and rolled her eyes with a smile. “Can you stand still for me, I need to take measurements.” Her horn sparked to life with magic that levitated over a large measuring tape she had borrowed from Rarity, and began measuring various parts of Rainbow’s body. Feeling a bit awkward as she was silently being studied like a specimen, Dash cleared her throat to get Twilight’s attention. “So uh, why do you need a pegasus pony to study? I mean, you have a massive library, and access to Princess Celestia’s entire library too, couldn't you just read a book about pegasus anatomy? Sure, the ponies in those books probably aren't as awesome as I am, but it would be easier.” Twilight suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, and started measuring Dash’s height. “Well, I could read about pegasus anatomy in a book, and I have, but I really want to do my own research. Sometimes books don't give the answers to all the questions I have, so I get to do research!” Twilight clapped her hooves together in nerdy excitement, and continued. “I figured I could satisfy my questions by having a pegasus pony to research, and since Fluttershy is busy dealing with all the animals waking up from hibernation, I asked you to help. Now, can you open your wings please?” “Sure.” Rainbow opened her wings to their full length, the feathery appendages perfectly preened for optimal flight, and of course, speed. “So, basically you want to do research for fun because books didn't give you enough information?” Dash’s wings twitched a bit as Twilight stretched the measuring tape the width of her wingspan. Twilight took down the wingspan with her paper and quill, while still holding the measuring tape. “Errr... Kinda, ehehe.” She blushed and looked away, realizing how much she was geeking out. “Thanks for helping me, I know it's not really exciting for you, I owe you one.” “Hey, what are friends for?” Dash gave a grin, watching as her friend worked doing what she loved, gathering data and making lists. “So, what else do you need other than measurements?” “Well, I'm working on a theory I'm calling; ‘Studium Mores Mannulus-Aviarius’ or ‘Pony-Avian Behavior Bias’ in modern Equish.” Twilight smiled, enjoying using her knowledge of the forgotten ancient Equish language purely to sound properly scientific. Seeing the confused look on her friends face, Twilight quickly broke down her theory to the basic elements. “Basically, I'm studying the avian behavior of pegasus ponies and how it affects their social interactions. Like, pegasus ponies preening their wings, just like birds.” “Of course we preen our wings Twilight, otherwise they would get all messy and really bad for flying, unpreened wings are super not-aerodynamic.” Dash snorted, not giving a second thought to avian behavior in pegasus ponies such as herself, after all, her whole life growing up had been around other pegasi. Twilight nodded in agreement, motioning to her own wings. “I know, I do it too, but I think a lot of pegasus behavior and even culture is subconsciously like and based on bird behavior, and I'm studying the less obvious stuff. Since I'm studying behavioral and physical factors, I'm going to ask you a bunch of questions too.” Dash thought for a moment and shrugged, folding her wings back in as Twilight finished by taking Dash’s weight with the metal platform she had been standing on, which was apparently a scale. “Sure, whatever, but I wanna know what you find out from all this.” “Of course! We're done here, I got all the measurements I needed, let's go upstairs for the questions, it's more comfortable.” Twilight smiled and took off her lab coat, levitating the still pristine white coat onto a hook before leading Dash up the stairs, data held in her magic aura. Her eyes scanned over the numbers as she walked, noting of course the light body weight all pegasi possessed, and the all-important wingspan. She quickly jotted down Dash’s wing power, which she had looked up previously, and had stored along with every other Ponyville pegasi’s results from the tests they had run before the hurricane to lift the water to Cloudsdale. Rainbow followed silently, watching Twilight as she scanned the data, noticing how Twilight had gotten taller since her ascension to Princess and alicorn. Sure she had noticed many times before, but it struck her again as she slowly flew behind the Princess, realizing how even in flight, she looked tall. Dash would never admit it, but she was jealous of the large wingspan Twilight had been granted too. Her eyes continued to wander over her purple Princess friend, taking in the sight of the dorky yet graceful mare, including her rear. Thoroughly embarrassed she had caught herself oogling her friend in a less than appropriate way, Dash blushed brightly and followed Twilight into the library, gliding down to the floor next to her. Author's Note Oh my gosh I'm alive and I actually wrote something, what is even happening? What a shame, I probably wrote something terrible, whatever, judge me for my poor fanfics, they're fanfics, I'll live. The Crush HypothesisRainbow Dash sat on a cushion in the massive library of Twilight's castle, looking up to the roof of the multi-story room. Daylight shone through the massive windows, giving the room a warm glow, the crystal walls gleaming in the light. Dash wouldn't admit it, but the library was her favorite room in the whole castle, even over the throne room, where she had her personalized crystal throne. She loved it because it was so open and tall, giving her plenty of room to fly if she wanted to. Tight and enclosed spaces were not something she enjoyed dealing with, they made her feel trapped and restrained. It also helped that Twilight had the entire Limited Edition Daring Do series books in it, which she had the same set of back in her cloudominium, all signed by Daring Do herself of course. The sound of the large main doors opening broke Rainbow’s train of thought, and she returned her gaze to ground level. Twilight had returned with tea and snacks for the two of them, something Dash was happy to take advantage of, since she was helping Twilight. “Thanks for the snacks Twi!” Within a second of the tray touching down on the table Dash sat at, she was snacking on some crackers, which Twilight watched with a neutral expression. While the pegasus munched on said crackers, Twilight took the moment to write down something on her data sheets with a small grin. “Well, you did help me out by letting me study you, some tea and snacks is the least I could do to return the favor.” Twilight sat opposite her friend, watching her behavior as she sipped some fragrant tea. “Tho…” Dash started talking with her muzzle still stuffed full of crackers, before realizing she should probably swallow first. A few more mastications and she swallowed her tasty snack with a content coo. “So, what kinda questions do you have for me Twi, bring ‘em on!” Rainbow gave an unnecessary and cocky grin, feeling like the questions were a challenge she could beat. The studious purple Princess flipped through some of the papers she had, and read a few lines before answering. “Well, some of my research is questions, but I have a few more physical things that don't require us being in the lab. Do you want to do the questions first, or the physical studies, it doesn't really matter which one we start with.” Twilight continued observing Dash, acting as she usually would, while taking in little things that might be important to her theory. “Let's do the questions, cold tea is kind of gross, so I don't wanna let it sit.” Rainbow sipped her tea too, washing down the crackers to ready herself for talking a lot, if needed. “Whatever you got, bring it on.” Twilight rolled her eyes with a smile, giggling a little. “Oh Rainbow, not everything is a competition, it's scientific research, not a race.” “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, I'm still gonna breeze through this.” Dash grinned, leaning on the table, closer to Twilight. “Alright.” Twilight smiled still, and cleared her throat. “You're a pegasus, obviously, and pegasus ponies usually are born and raised in the sky, and most spend a majority of their lives in it. How often are you in the sky? Including flying along the ground instead of walking, and including any time spent on clouds.” She held her quill in her magic, eagerly awaiting Rainbow’s answer. Dash snorted, and resisted her urge to laugh. “C’mon, really Twilight, that's the kind of stuff you're asking? I'm in the air like, 95% of the time, flying is kinda what I do.” She grinned, her career with the Wonderbolts was going well, flying really was her job, extreme flying at that. “It is literally my job to fly.” “... Okay, good point, but a lot of this is stuff I need to be sure on, so I'm asking you anyway, just, bear with me, please?” Twilight gave the impatient pegasus a pouty stare, something she did subconsciously even as an adult. Rainbow bit her tongue, she rarely was on the receiving end of Twilight's pouting, but that look killed her. ‘Damnit Twilight, why... I can't resist that look.’ She groaned, giving in to the adorable pout that probably could have gotten her to do anything. “Ugh, fine.” Twilight clapped her hooves together with joy, research was one of her favorite activities, even if the questions might be a bit obvious. “Thanks Rainbow, I promise I'll be quick.” She gave a convincing smile and looked back at her list of questions, deciding to skip a few for Dash’s sake. “You like to nap in trees when you aren't napping on clouds, right?” “Yeah, but AJ doesn't really like me doing it during apple season. Clouds are more comfortable anyway.” Dash recalled the multiple times Applejack had caught her napping in a tree, and either yelled and woke her up, or simply bucked the tree with her in it. “Something about damaging apples, I dunno.” Twilight scribbled something down, concentrating on her writing. Rainbow watched, the cute and concentrated look making her smile. “So you prefer having a high vantage point, like trees, buildings, clouds, that sort of thing? Places you can perch on?” The Princess continued with the same train of thought. Her subject nodded, confirming her thoughts. “Yeah, it lets me see everything that is going on around and especially below me, way better than trying to see things from the ground. I mean, you even helped me pass the Wonderbolts entrance exam because I learned by flying and looking at stuff below me!” “Oh yeah, high vantage points really do work for you.” Twilight laughed and smiled, the mention of Dash's entrance exam bringing back some good memories. She jotted down the preference for high vantage points and looked for her next question. “Okay, your diet, what kind of foods do you eat in addition to the regular stuff like hay, fruits, and vegetables. Do you have a favorite food?” The studious princess again stood by eagerly, quill at the ready. Dash tapped her chin with a hoof, thinking before answering. “Pegasus ponies eat a lot of seeds, they're super tasty. Oh, and crackers, I personally love crackers.” Her eyes drifted down to the crumbs where many crackers once sat before she had eaten then with gusto. “Seriously though, ask any pegasus, seeds are the best, they're good as a snack, on other food, or even as a meal alone.” “Seeds, got it.” Quiet scritching sounds came from Twilight's quill as she wrote down the diet habits of her friend. “What about hygiene, especially preening, how often do you do it?” Twilight glanced back at her own wings, noting that they were a bit out of order, feathers not in the correct position, old ones still stuck with other feathers. “Probably more than I do.” She gave a soft laugh, and a small smile, her cheeks burning a bit out of embarrassment. “I preen everyday, sometimes multiple times, otherwise it would mess up my flight, and I kinda need to be at my best for the Wonderbolts. Spitfire even checks that your feathers are in order if your flying gets worse, sometimes not preening really messes things up. I shower everyday too, usually I just grab a cloud and shower using that, rainwater is the best. I do use my real shower too, but cloud showers are wayyy better.” Dash grinned, weather was in her blood as a pegasus, and many others did the same as she did. Twilight did her best to hide a slight blush, she had noticed the scent of fresh rain multiple times on Rainbow, and she secretly loved it. “Heh, yeah, I should preen more…” She looked down at the paper, writing down yet more information, at the same time trying to hide her face. Multitasking, Twilight lifted her cup of tea to her mouth, and sipped some as she wrote. “I could help you preen!” Dash over enthusiastically spoke, barely keeping her voice at a reasonable level. “Pffft!” Twilight sprayed a bit of the tea back into the cup, caught completely off guard, not just by the volume, but by what Dash had said. Dash froze for a moment, realizing she had sounded just a bit to eager. “I mean, if you want me to help.” She blushed, looking down into her cup of tea for a moment, her front hooves nervously tapping against one another. She hoped Twilight didn't know enough about pegasus culture to know what that meant. Demure Rainbow Dash, that was new. Tea wet her muzzle a bit, and she used her magic again, this time to wipe her muzzle dry with a napkin. The Princess of Friendship was feeling like the Princess of the Friendzone, she did know that preening with a partner was generally only done by lovers or some other significant pony. Twilight had witnessed Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy preening another before, they were lifelong friends, and bonded over the intimate activity. They weren't a couple, just two close friends, Rainbow wasn't in a romantic relationship. “Uhhh, s-sure, I'd love the help, if you don't mind.” “Great! I mean, good, yeah. I'm happy to help.” Rainbow gave a nervous smile, silently scolding herself for verbally faceplanting in front of Twilight. “Just, uhm, let me know when, I'm sure you have a bunch of questions left. Hehe…” She rubbed the back of her neck, looking at anything but Twilight's eyes. “Oh, yes, of course! I have some left, you probably wanna get out of here, huh? I'll try and breeze through the rest of the questions. Let's see…” Twilight looked through the questions she had a lot of them, and decided that if she was playing scientist, she should perform another experiment. She skipped straight to some of the more intimate questions, hoping to maybe get a response out of Rainbow that would confirm her new hypothesis. With Twilight busy picking out particular questions, Dash had a little bit of time to think, and she gave herself a mental pep talk. ‘Come on! I can do this, its just Twilight, just the same ol’ Twilight I've known for years. The worst she could do is say no... And then you'd never be able to look her in the eye again. Argh! No, she won't say no, she'll say yes, right? I'm cool, and we're good friends. Then again, what if I'm to dumb for her? Does she even like mares?! Everypony is bisexual though, she must. Wait, I’m probably not even good enough for her, she's a Princess. Yeah she says she hasn't changed, but w-’ “RAIN. BOW.” Twilight waved a hoof in the face of the pondering pegasus, who was completely lost in her own head. Dash jumped, shaking her head. “Gah! S-sorry Twi, just thinking, uhm, what did you ask?” “Are you okay? You really spaced out.” The Princess raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “Yeah, I'm cool, no problem. What did you ask though?” Adjusting her seating position, Rainbow gave an attentive look to convince Twilight she was indeed cool, and not a filly with a crush. “Okay... I said here is where it gets a little more personal, is that okay?” Twilight spoke each word very sharply, taking slight longer pauses between them. Dash nodded, wings fluttering at her side, itching to take flight from what she felt was an awkward situation. “Yeah, got it, sorry.” “Good, now, I've read up a little on pegasus anatomy, as well as the uh... Ahem... Mating habits of them too. There is some controversy around the existence of ‘chest floof,’ on pegasus ponies, and the part it plays in courtship. So, uhm, could you let me see your chest?” Twilight blushed, trying to keep a cool, neutral expression as she carried out her experiment. Rainbow bit her lip, the questions really were a bit personal. She had shown her chest floof to Fluttershy before, since they wanted to compare, but they had been best friends since flight school. Twilight was a pony she liked, really liked. Dash had become a bit self conscious after the comparison with Fluttershy, as it turned out, Fluttershy had quite impressive chest floof. She wasn't very confident in herself at the moment, but she had to show Twilight for her theory. Both mares stood and moved to the side of the table so Twilight could observe. Now standing in front of the Princess, Dash again noticed the height Twi had gained since ascension, she actually had to look up a bit. With a sharp, nervous inhale, the pegasus puffed up her chest, sticking it out to show her chest floof. Twilight immediately brush a hoof through the soft floofed up fur, doing her best to keep a neutral expression. “Huh, seems pretty real to me, I think the controversy is whether or not pegasi use it to attract mates. All ponies have chest floof to a degree, but I think pegasi have more pronounced chest floof. Do you use it for attracting mates?” “Ack!” Rainbow choked on nothing and coughed as the question finished, it really caught her off guard, and now her chest was no longer puffed out as much. “I-I mean, not me personally, I haven't tried! I know other pegasus ponies do it though! Fluttershy! Fluttershy does.” Twilight's magical aura scribbled the quill on the paper as she made a note. Her new experiment was working, although it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep her calm demeanor up. “Interesting, interesting. In bed, do you make a sort of nest out of your bedding?” This time Rainbow had to think, she was so used to sleeping the way she did, she never thought about how she did it. “Actually, yeah, I kinda do, it's more comfortable.” Dash thanked the Royal Sisters that the question wasn't another very personal one. “Your wings, are they... Sensitive? Many books say they're an erogenous zone.” Twilight's voice gained a sultry tone to it that Dash herself couldn't quite place at first. She had gone right back into the intimate questions in hopes of making Rainbow slip-up. “Could you spread your wings for me?” The realization hit the prismatic mare, and she opened her wings almost without a thought, Twilight had to be flirting. ‘Is Twilight…’ Gently, and very carefully, Twilight touched the surface of Rainbow's wings, noting the muscle response at the base of her wings. “Are you okay Rainbow?” Heavy breaths made Dash's chest heave, this was something out of a dream, or a terrible romance novel, not that she had read one. She turned to face Twilight, coming nose to nose just a foot apart from the purple mare. “I…” Her eyes widened, Twilight was very close, looking completely innocent despite what was happening. “I uhhh…-” The alicorn’s violet eyes were locked with Rainbow's own cerise ones. Twilight inched forward ever so slightly, and Dash took it as an invitation to do the same. She took a bigger step, her normally bold nature kicking back in and giving her just enough of a push to do it. Twilight had barely moved when their lips met, she was surprised by the kiss, and yet not surprised at all. Rainbow pressed gently into the kiss, their lips together, a sweet, simple kiss, nothing super erotic or overwhelming. It took a moment, but Twilight began pressing back, the two mares standing in the middle of the tall crystal room with lips locked and eyes shut. Dash enjoyed every second, feeling Twilight's soft lips meeting with her own, the scent of lavender, and the taste of tea on her lips. “Mmm…” Blue wings opened in excitement, and after a few more breathtaking moments, they mutually broke the kiss. Immediately Dash blushed, eyes wide in panic. “I-I didn't... I should have... Uhm... SORRYGOTTAGOBYE!” She shot out of the library, Twilight's mane getting caught in the draft and blowing the same direction. “Rainbow! Wait!” Twilight called after her, but she was already gone. “Well... New hypothesis confirmed.” Author's Note This chapter could have been out yesterday if my internet hadn't gone out and ruined my 'in the zone' writing session. Whatever, hope you enjoyed at least something on here, sorry I'm no Shakespeare of ponies! Need to TalkAuthor's Note Okay, releasing this earlier than expected, seems like there aren't any obvious typos or grammatical errors. I'm sure there are some, I mean, proofreading your own stuff is pretty ineffective. Well, enjoy I guess, I'll be over here. Need to Talk ONE WEEK LATER Rainbow Dash stood with her fellow Wonderbolts as Captain Spitfire ran them through the new routine before they took to the sky. The Wonderbolt's Academy had been pretty strict and by the book, but now that she was on the team, things were a bit more relaxed, something she really enjoyed. All of the elite fliers kept their attention on their Captain at the moment however, out of respect and necessity to learn the new routine’s layout. The flight squadron was loosely gathered in a semi-circle as Spitfire continued to explain things out, but Rainbow found her mind wandering. It had been a week since her meeting with Twilight, and she hadn't spoken to the alicorn since then out of embarrassment and nervousness. Twilight had returned the kiss, but everytime she tried to convince herself, Dash doubted she was remembering correctly. Desperate to keep her mind off of what had happened, the pegasus had buried herself in her work. She spent hours off-duty doing extra practice, and during the day helped maintain the headquarters beyond what she was already assigned. Dash had even skipped the weekly pet playdate that was tradition for her and the girls, not wanting to have to face Twilight over what had transpired. She felt a bit guilty over keeping Tank from his friends, but Dash just couldn't bring herself to face Twilight. “Crash!” A loud shout pulled her out of her own head, attention snapping to the yellow mare just inches from her muzzle. “Did you even hear what I just went over rookie?! Or are you just standing here with your head in the clouds?!” Spitfire had her eyes narrowed, staring directly into Rainbow's own eyes. “Y-Yes ma’am! Just thinking it over.” Dash quickly stood tall, giving a crisp and clear response. While the Wonderbolts were largely a demonstration team, they were still a branch of the Equestrian Air Force, and she knew she had obligations and rules to stick to. Giving her superior the utmost respect and attention was definitely something she was lacking at the moment. The three weeks of basic military training she completed had driven the saluting and respectful responses into her mind, and they came automatically. “Good, then maybe you'd like to join the rest of us for a test flight.” The Captain was no longer yelling, but the firm tone showed she was still upset, and not quite convinced Dash had actually been paying attention. “Clipper you keep and eye on things from the back of the pack.” She returned to ordering her team around, putting Soarin’ at the back so he could inform her of any issues after the test. Second-in-command meant she went to him for helping with almost anything, and after going through the ranks of the Wonderbolts together, she trusted him completely. “Flatfoot, Dizzy, at my 9 o’clock and 3 o'clock!” Fleetfoot and Misty Fly quickly got into their respective positions on the runway with the Captain. “Slowpoke, Hoof-In-Mouth, at Fleet’s 7 o’clock, and Misty’s 5 o’clock.” Just as with their teammates, Surprise and High Winds lined up, ready to go. “Crash at my 6 o'clock behind them, and Sparky behind her!” Rainbow’s ears burned slightly, embarrassed at being scolded in front of her teammates as she lined up with Thunderlane trailing her. Soarin’ fell in line behind Thunderlane, checking positions, right on cue, Spitfire called on him. “Clipper are we good?!” “Yes ma’am!” Soarin’ shouted back, ready to go. “In position!” Spitfire smiled to herself. “Glad you all remember how to follow directions, now let's go, we don't have much sunlight left!” She broke into a gallop, the squad keeping formation before taking off in unison, cutting hard right immediately after takeoff. The test flight was going smoothly, the more veteran fliers at the front keeping easily on track, with the two rookies at the back keeping pace with relatively little issue. Soarin’ noticed Rainbow Dash drifting a bit, not tracking as true as they needed, her course only correcting after she seemed to jerk back to attention after zoning out. It kept happening, and Soarin’ kept track as Dash got further and further out of line. The wind whipping past the ears of the squad at high speed kept any warning from being heard as Soarin’ shouted at Dash to get back on course. Rainbow flew a bit to fast, and drifted to far left, where she made contact with Surprise. The two pegasi crashed together, sending them tumbling out of the sky with Soarin’ and Thunderlane breaking off in pursuit after witnessing it. A couple seconds passed before both Dash and Surprise got their bearings and fully extended their wings, slowing their fall before regaining control just a couple hundred feet apart from one another. Seeing the two mares recover successfully, the pursuing stallions slowed and glided down to them. Surprise and Dash landed on the runway, stepping off to the side to assess damages, with Soarin’ and Thunderlane joining them a few seconds later. “You okay Dash?” Surprise quickly looked over the prismatic rookie, looking for any injuries. Dash nodded, a look of guilt on her face as she awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah, I'm good, are you alright? Sorry about that Surprise.” “I'm okay, you know you don't have to keep reminding us what your nickname is.” Surprise smiled and laughed, patting her teammate on the back with a wing. Dash laughed softly, having grown used to the nicknames, and even embracing hers as good memories with it replaced the bad ones. “You two look okay, nice recoveries, Sparky and I broke off to catch you, but it looks like you can handle yourselves.” Soarin’ gave a light chuckle as he approached, glad the squad was still whole. “You’ll still both need a once over in the infirmary, but I think you're good, c’mon.” The group of ponies with a melancholy Rainbow in tow followed Soarin’ back to where Spitfire was now waiting with the three uninvolved fliers. “Well, that was quite the tumble you two, and we're out of light now. Surprise go check in with the infirmary, Dash stay here. We'll be practicing this again tomorrow everypony, we have a lot of work to do, dismissed!” Everypony except Spitfire and Rainbow Dash began making their way inside, chatting amongst themselves. Once she was sure everypony was out of earshot, the Captain gave a single order. “My office, one hour, we have some talking to do.” And with that, she also made her way inside. Now alone outside the complex of buildings, Dash groaned audibly and facehooved, dragging her hoof down her face. “Ughhh... Twilight why?! Why why why can't I fly because of you!” No longer wearing her flight suit, Dash sat outside Spitfire’s office waiting for the Captain to call her in. Her ears swiveled at the sound of hoofsteps, and she looked up when the door opened. Soarin’ walked out, giving the rookie a small nod before trotting off down the hall. With a grimace, Rainbow looked through the open door, where the Captain sat at her imposing wooden desk. “Rainbow Dash.” Feeling like she was back in the principal's office at flight school, Dash entered the office and shut the door, giving a crisp salute as she waited to be reprimanded. The office was well furnished, and nicely decorated, but right now it felt bare and freezing as she waited. “You're not in uniform, I'm not in uniform, and last I checked, I dismissed you for the day. Drop the salute, Rainbow.” Spitfire was calm and cool, no hint of anger in her voice, nor visible emotion on her face. “Sit down, I wanna talk.” The nervous Dash gulped and obeyed, stepping forward and sitting in one of the two chairs in front of the desk. She started to talk, trying to defend herself, but was quickly cut off.“Ma’a-” “Spitfire, we're off duty, and before you say anything, I didn't bring you here to yell at you, I'll do that tomorrow when everypony else is around.” A small, playful grin crossed her face. “I told you when you became a Wonderbolt, we're a team, and we're also a family. So, what's wrong? Soarin’ already informed me that you were drifting during our test runs, and that you seemed to completely space out before that crash with Surprise. Not only did you crash, but I've noticed the extra work you've been putting in. I expect the extra practice, you're a dedicated mare, but doing extra work that isn't flying, that's something I never would have guessed.” “... Look, Spitfire, I'm really sorry about that crash, I just had a break in concentration, no biggie.” Dash gave an unconvincing smile, hoping to just avoid talking. “I'll be back on track after some sleep.” “That's horseapples and you know it, you spaced out when I was laying the routine out, you crashed into Surprise, and all week you've been working doing anything and everything. So, what in the hay is going on?” Finally Spitfire raised her voice slightly, growing frustrated with the notoriously stubborn pegasus. “This is affecting your flying, and endangering you AND your teammates.” Dash sighed, hanging her head in shame, she was caught. “Am I really that obvious?” She raised her head and looked at Spitfire. Spitfire nodded, sitting back in her chair. “You're a hard worker, Rainbow, you're dedicated to the team, you've never let anything distract you from your dream. It's really obvious, you're acting very different from normal, so do you wanna tell me what's going on?” At this point in time, Dash had been with the Wonderbolts for a few months, but the team treating her as an equal, as family, still felt a bit strange. “Ugh... Okay, just, don't tell anypony else? I swear I'll get things figured out and I'll be back to normal.” “We're talking as friends right now, and as a friend, you have my word.” Spitfire reassured the nervous rookie, doing her best to make Dash comfortable. Despite how she acted in public, Spitfire did have a softer side, which she found worked well when talking to her squad members one-on-one. She did truly care about all of the Wonderbolts, they were a family to her, and she knew that they worked best when everypony had a positive mental attitude. Rainbow looked down as she twiddled her hooves together, building up the courage to tell Spitfire the truth. “Alright.” She looked up, making eye contact with Spitfire, feeling a bit more confident. “There is this... Friend, that I have, we've been friends for years, and last week we were hanging out and some stuff happened and, well... I kinda kissed her. I flew off because I was... Ugh, I was scared, and I haven't talked to her since. I'm pretty sure she kissed back, but I keep feeling like I'm remembering it wrong and it's eating at me.” The Captain couldn't help but snort and smile with amusement. “Distracted by somepony you like, this has happened before, actually, it's happened multiple times. Listen Dash, I'm no Princess of Love, but if past experience has shown me anything, the only way to feel better is to face the pony you're thinking about. Go see your friend, I'm sure she wants to talk to you, and I bet after you two talk, you'll feel a lot better, and fly a lot better too.” Spitfire gave a reassuring smile. “I'll see you tomorrow, and I'll expect you to be back on your game, got it?” Dash stood and gave a quick, casual salute. “Yes Ma’am, Spitfire, thanks.” She started to leave, only stopping to glance back as Spitfire gave a farewell. “Excellent, good luck Rainbow Dash.” Spitfire nodded with a smile, and watched the rainbow tail disappear around the corner. Now alone, the yellow mare lounged in her chair and relaxed. Twilight sat in her library as she did many other if not most nights, surrounded by books, with Owlowiscious perched close by. Spike had gone with Starlight to hang out and get a break from his usual duties, leaving the Princess alone in the massive crystalline room. Ever since Rainbow Dash had kissed her in here, Twilight was having problems focusing in the library, unable to get her mind off the blue pegasus to enjoy reading. In fact, she had been unable to enjoy reading at all for the most part, even the most interesting, rare books couldn't keep her interest, something that had never happened before. “Ugh!” Frustrated and bored, Twilight facedesked, her muzzle squishing on the crystal table. “A whole library FULL of books, and none of them are interesting!” She threw her hooves in the air before using the book currently in front of her as a pillow, and grumbling quietly. “Hoo!” Owlowiscious called from his perch, head rotating to look at Twilight more directly. He didn't understand what was happening, but something was wrong with the purple alicorn he cared about. Twilight looked up from her book pillow and sighed. “I'm fine Owlowiscious, just having… issues... Ugh... Hmmm... Could you get me Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone?” The owl ‘hoo’d’ his answer, and flew to the appropriate shelf, scanning for a moment before picking up the correct book and bringing it to Twilight. Instead of returning to his perch, he landed on the table, watching the mare with his large eyes, his head tilted with curiosity. “Thanks, I'm just... Testing a theory, I mean... I haven't been able to stop thinking about Rainbow Dash, reading isn't even fun anymore! It's terrible! I usually love reading, but... Well, Dash is all I can think of right now... I need to talk to her.” Twilight opened the book, flipping to the first chapter, smiling a little as she passed the page A.K. Yearling/Daring Do had signed. “Hoo!” Owlowiscious again answered his owner. “I want to talk to her Owlowiscious, but she's been gone all week!” The dejected alicorn sighed, her wings limp at her sides. “She kissed me, but I feel like maybe she didn't mean it, she just flew off after and hasn't talked to me since. You saw, she didn't even come to the pet playdate this week.” “Hoo?” “I like her, but I don't know if she likes me, I don't know why she would, I mean, I read books and do experiments in my basement. Meanwhile, Dash is off with the Wonderbolts, flying in big shows and doing crazy tricks. She is just so much... Cooler? I'm just an egghead.” Twilight rubbed her temples with her hooves and used her magic to sip some tea. “The only things we have in common are the Elements of Harmony, and a love of Daring Do books.” “Hoo.” The Princess started reading the book that had gotten Rainbow Dash into reading in the first place, and smiled as she thought back on the memories. “I guess I could go find her just to share the results of the theory, maybe I can see how she's feeling and see if she likes me back. It would be a good excuse to see her.” “Hoo…” Owlowiscious rolled his eyes, he would never understand why ponies always did things in such convoluted ways. Twilight found herself actually keeping interest in the Daring Do novel! Multiple minutes had passed and still she was reading, although much of it was thinking back to memories of Rainbow Dash reading the same book. “Yup... I have it bad, I have to talk to Rainbow, even if she doesn't reciprocate my feelings.” FeathersRainbow Dash sat at the edge of the Wonderbolt’s complex, looking over the edge of the massive cliffs that bordered the plateau. She watched the river that flowed under the base spill out of the cliff face in a massive waterfall. Heights did nothing to phase her, she had grown up in the clouds, and being a pegasus, she knew that falling could easily be stopped with a few flaps of her wings. The prismatic Wonderbolt pawed at the grass, thinking about how she wanted to confront Twilight. She had left Spitfire’s office feeling a lot more confident, and ready to face Twilight, but just on the trot from the office to outside, she had begun wondering what she was actually going to do. Dash couldn't just show up at the castle and wing it, she needed some sort of plan, at least some idea of what she wanted to do. “Twilight wanted to learn about pegasi... Maybe I'll just have to teach her our traditions for relationship stuff.” Rainbow couldn't remember what the correct term was, something to do with judges, but it didn't matter right now, all that mattered was facing Twilight. “Come on Dash, you got this.” The pegasus slapped herself and winced softly at the stinging. “C’mon! Now or never!” She slapped her other cheek and rubbed the tender spot. “Ow…” Psyched up, Rainbow dove off the cliff and shot downwards, aiming at an angle to take advantage of the gravity pulling her down. Her wings caught the air and kept her gliding along speedily in the direction of Ponyville as the sun finally slipped below the horizon. Flying was by far her favorite activity, and she easily fell into the motions while thinking about what she could say. Pegasus tradition would only carry her so far, and she would have to say something eventually. Wanting to be as presentable as possible, Dash took a slight deviation, and aimed for a nearby cloud. She snatched up the small cumulus and dragged it down to another larger one that she stood on before bucking the smaller one and standing under it. Twilight sat at her table still, though now she was looking at a book named ‘Courtship of the Tribes,’ which had the relationship traditions of all the pony tribes and races. She had decided that if she was going to tell Rainbow how she felt, she might as well do it right, and court her like a pegasus would. “Pegasus ponies traditionally present their desired partner with a primary feather from their left wing as a sign of love and affection. A feather from the right wing is only to be presented to a deceased pony out of respect or love, and is considered bad luck if given in the wrong circumstance.” The Princess grimaced slightly, making sure to remember it was the left wing she had to take the feather from, since ones from the right wing were only for honoring the deceased. “I better not mess that up…” She continued reading the book, getting to a section on chest floof and the role it played in pegasus courtship. A few minutes later, Twilight stood and stretched, going over what she would do when the time was right. Before meeting with Rainbow, she had to gather her data and come up with her findings on her theory. She wanted a legitimate cover for visiting in case she backed out of confronting Dash. “No, no, no! No backing out, you have to do this Twilight!” Up in the darkening sky, Rainbow Dash shook her body and flapped her wings as fast as a hummingbird, shaking the water off her from the quick cloud shower. Her coat and mane fluffed up, which she quickly corrected with a few strokes of her hoof. “Okay…” Clean and smelling of fresh rain, Dash felt a little more confident, and continued her flight downwards toward Ponyville and the crystalline castle. What felt like an eternity later, Dash landed a few hundred feet from the entrance to the castle, and she slowly trotted up the dirt path. The flight from Wonderbolt HQ to Ponyville usually was a quick and fun flight, but today it felt much longer, the heavy thoughts making time drag by. Now that she was on the ground though, time suddenly seemed to pass in a flash, and Dash found herself standing in front of the main entrance. This crush was messing with her head, and she was getting flustered. Twilight had long ago established that her friends were welcome into the castle at anytime, so Dash opened the door and trotted inside, hoping Twilight was in the library as usual. She made her way down the main hall, turning before reaching the map room to get to the library. The doors were shut, and the nervous pegasus took a deep breath before knocking. “Twilight? Are you in there?” Twilight jumped a little at the sudden noise, her wings spreading on reflex before she got them under control. She took a deep breath too, unknowingly mimicking the prismatic pegasus on the other side of the door. “I'm here, you can come in.” Her heartbeat jumped as the door opened, and she felt warm as Dash entered the room. “Uhm, hey there.” “Hey Twi.” Rainbow made her way over to the purple Princess, keeping her demeanor as casual as possible. She sat a couple feet away, not wanting to get to close and make things any more awkward then they already were. “I need to talk to you.” They said at the same time, pausing afterwards for a brief moment before laughing together. Twilight put her hoof out to shush the pegasus, but was immediately mirrored by Rainbow, who did the same. Dash held her hoof up and spoke louder, ready to talk over Twilight if she needed to. “No, I need to talk to you first, don't try and stop me, I have to do this, okay?” Twilight nodded silently, lowering her hoof and listening, respecting Dash’s wishes. “Twilight, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have run off after... I... Kissed you…” She cringed as she spoke, wanting nothing more than to run off again and hide. “I shouldn't have even kissed you without asking... I'm really sorry Twilight, I panicked like an idiot. You might feel the same, but, I'm not sure, I keep thinking I'm remembering what happened wrong.” Twilight sat still for a moment, taking in what Rainbow had said, before nodding. “I accept your apology, but... It really isn't necessary.” Heat flashed through Dash’s body, was that a good thing? “I-I kissed you though, I shouldn't have without asking, and I ran off afterwards like an idiot.” “I know, but... I'm not upset Rainbow, you don't have to apologize. I mean it. Sometimes the best things in our lives are spontaneous.” The Princess kept calm on the surface, hiding her inner panic at the situation, something she had learned to do well for diplomatic meetings and public speaking. “If... If that's true, then I hope it means what I think it means. I don't know how much you've been studying pegasi Twilight, but…” Dash extended her left wing and plucked one of her primary feathers from it, wincing slightly as she pulled if free. The large blue feather was pristine, and the pegasus held it gently in her mouth as she approached the alicorn with her chest puffed out. When she was just inches from her crush, Dash bowed with her wings fully extended, and gingerly placed the feather at Twilight's hooves before backing away a few steps. Twilight gasped softly, watching with wide eyes as Rainbow Dash courted her in the traditional pegasus manner. She couldn't help but smile with joy at the display, and stretched out her own left wing to return the gesture. The Princess chose a large purple primary feather, and yanked it sharply with her teeth, also wincing as she plucked it from her wing. Rainbow watched with her own wide eyes, Twilight knew what she had meant, and was returning the display of affection! She was smiling too as Twilight approached her with feather in mouth, chest puffed up, and wings spread open. Her heartbeat sped up as the long, beautiful feather was placed at her hooves while Twilight bowed. Watching Twilight return to her pillow, she finally spoke up. “Y-you... You know the pegasus feather thing, uhm, with the judges.” “Do you mean courting?” Twilight laughed softly, glancing down at the blue feather she now had with a smile. “Pegasus courting?” “Yeah! That... Y-you did that.” Dash sat looking at the feather, then returned her gaze back up to Twilight. “I wasn't sure if you would know or not... But I figured that you were studying Pegasi, so there was a chance. I'm glad I took that chance, this means so much Twilight.” Unable to wipe the smile from her face, Rainbow approached Twilight, wings extended, and hung her head over the Princess’ neck, gently hugging her. Twilight quickly returned the gesture, wings flaring open as she also hung her head over Dash’s neck in a hug. Twilight could smell the fresh rain scent in Rainbow’s mane, and smiled, nuzzling into it happily. “Hey, Rainbow?” “Hmmm?” Dash was doing the same, her nose twitching slightly at the scent of lavender in Twilight's mane as they stayed locked in their embrace. “What's up?” “I love you, Rainbow Dash.” The Princess felt hot as she spoke, the nervousness she had felt all built up in this one moment. Her heart felt like it was going to explode, and she could hear the blood pumping in her ears. Dash pulled away from the hug and stood nose to nose with the purple alicorn, a small smile on her face. “I love you too, Twilight Sparkle.” She moved forward, finding Twilight meeting her halfway in a passionate kiss, one that both mares enjoyed even more than their first kiss. They wrapped their wings and front legs around one another, keeping each other close. “Mmm…” Dash gave an uncharacteristic coo at the mutual kiss, their lips mashed together. The two stayed with their lips locked, enjoying the intimacy and warmth of one another, and Dash enjoyed how soft Twilight's lips felt on her own. When the kiss broke, both gave a soft gasp, smiling at one another, before Rainbow started giggling softly, followed by Twilight who broke into full laughter. A flash of light surrounded them, and they reappeared in a large pile of pillows against the edge of the library’s back wall. The two laughed joyfully, laying on the soft pillows until the fits of giggling wore off. “I was so worried coming here, I'm glad I didn't keep avoiding this, I owe Spitfire a thank you.” Dash cuddled up with Twilight, laying on her back and looking up at the high crystalline ceiling. “I'm glad you came, I was going to use my research as an excuse to see you if I chickened out of telling you. I'm not sure if I could have done it, but it all worked out.” Twilight looked over to the pegasus with a blush. Dash returned the look, giving Twilight a reassuring snuggle and peck on the nose, which caused them both to blush. “Oh yeah! Your research, did you find anything out?” “Lots, thanks for helping me.” Twilight smiled wide, Dash's interest in her work making her heart flutter. “Like I found out that pegasus ponies can in extremely rare cases catch bird flu via Griffins. The name is misleading, since its more a mental ailment than physical, and it causes the victim to behave like a bird! Another thing I learned studying you specifically, is that your genetics a…” Rainbow smiled and snuggled up with her favorite egghead, most of what Twilight would tell her would probably go over her head, but she didn't care. She was happy, and with the mare she loved, not understanding some of the sciency stuff was fine with her. Starlight and Spike poke their heads into the library to find Twilight and Dash cuddled up in the pillow pile. A few errant snores gave away that they had fallen asleep talking, and Starlight smirked. “Yes! You owe me 10 bits Spike, I told you they couldn't last more than a week apart!” Spike grumbled, the wager had been lost. “Ugh, you win, let's leave them alone, the bits are in my room.” THE END Author's Note AND DONE. WOW I ACTUALLY DID AND COMPLETED A THING! I hope you enjoyed, or not, whatever floats your metaphorical boat the most. Thanks for sticking around, I do appreciate that. The bird flu thing was borrowed from this story of the same name: Bird Flu Welp, until next time! (Which hopefully is soon, and not years.)
Studium Mores Mannulus-AviariusTwilight sat waiting in her lab, located in the Castle of Friendship’s lower level, which was equally crystalline. She wore a lab coat over her body, despite not dealing with any dangerous chemicals or other strange substances today. The coat really wasn't necessary, but Twilight secretly loved wearing it, the professional, crisp lab coat always made her feel like a scientist doing important experiments. Today was different however, today Twilight was simply doing some anatomy study, and her subject was running late. Unable to do much else but wait, Twilight straightened the papers on the counter for what felt like the thousandth time, meticulously placing her quill and ink yet again to keep busy, slowly growing annoyed. Her ears perked at the sound of a door opening and closing, was it Spike, Starlight, maybe the pony she was waiting for finally showing up? “I'm here!” Rainbow Dash’s familiar voice was followed seconds later by a rainbow blur shooting toward Twilight from the stairway. On instinct, Twilight nearly dove behind the counter in case Rainbow Dash decided she needed to use her as a landing cushion, but resisted the urge. The rainbow streak skidded to a halt in front of the counter, Twilight not even flinching as she raised an eyebrow at Dash, wondering why she was late. “What?” Dash raised an eyebrow back, before looking down at herself, seeing if maybe she had some cloud stuck to her coat from her nap. “Do I have something in my coat?” The pegasus did a quick spin following her tail, looking over her body before sitting in front of Twilight. The Princess rolled her eyes and sighed. “Rainbow Dash... You were supposed to be here like, half an hour ago, you know? I mean, thanks for helping, since Fluttershy was busy and couldn't, but... A little punctuality would be appreciated.” Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck, giving a bit of a nervous laugh, a small smile trying to convince Twilight of her innocence. “I was uhhh, helping Scoot with some... Homework, yeah, homework!” She gave a bigger smile, trying to sell her terrible lie. “Yeah, sure, by the way, you do have something, in your mane.” With a smirk, Twilight plucked a tuft of cloud out of her friend's prismatic mane with magic, holding it in front of the lying pegasus. “C’mon Rainbow, I've known you for years, I know your schedule, you definitely overslept, plus it's the middle of the day, Scootaloo is at school... I hope.” Dash scrunched her muzzle at Twilight as the tuft of cloud was tossed aside before quickly disappearing, her lie completely picked apart. “Jeez Twilight, that's kinda creepy, I mean, you know my schedule? I don't even know my schedule most of the time, do you know everypony else’s too?” She smiled internally. ‘Perfect plan, turn it around on Twilight, and you're totally off scot-free.’ “Ughhh, nevermind, forget I said anything.” Twilight facehooved, dragging her hoof down her face with a quiet groan. “Just, come stand over here, please?” She motioned toward a metal platform, a small smile on her face as Rainbow followed her instructions and flew over, landing on the metal with a quiet clack. “Uhm, so, what's with the lab coat? You aren't gonna like, take some blood or something, right?” A nervous smile crossed Dash's face as she stood, her wings ever so slightly fluttering at her sides, as if ready to take flight at a moment's notice. Twilight smirked again, before giving a slightly sinister looking grin at the tough pegasus. “No, why? Is the awesome Rainbow Dash afraid of a little needle?” She teased, enjoying finding some sort of weakness in the fearless mare she could playfully tease. “No! I'm not afraid of some dumb needle, I was just curious!” Dash got a bit riled up, her wings flaring defensively as she tried to maintain her bravado. “Okay, sure.” Twilight giggled quietly and rolled her eyes with a smile. “Can you stand still for me, I need to take measurements.” Her horn sparked to life with magic that levitated over a large measuring tape she had borrowed from Rarity, and began measuring various parts of Rainbow’s body. Feeling a bit awkward as she was silently being studied like a specimen, Dash cleared her throat to get Twilight’s attention. “So uh, why do you need a pegasus pony to study? I mean, you have a massive library, and access to Princess Celestia’s entire library too, couldn't you just read a book about pegasus anatomy? Sure, the ponies in those books probably aren't as awesome as I am, but it would be easier.” Twilight suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, and started measuring Dash’s height. “Well, I could read about pegasus anatomy in a book, and I have, but I really want to do my own research. Sometimes books don't give the answers to all the questions I have, so I get to do research!” Twilight clapped her hooves together in nerdy excitement, and continued. “I figured I could satisfy my questions by having a pegasus pony to research, and since Fluttershy is busy dealing with all the animals waking up from hibernation, I asked you to help. Now, can you open your wings please?” “Sure.” Rainbow opened her wings to their full length, the feathery appendages perfectly preened for optimal flight, and of course, speed. “So, basically you want to do research for fun because books didn't give you enough information?” Dash’s wings twitched a bit as Twilight stretched the measuring tape the width of her wingspan. Twilight took down the wingspan with her paper and quill, while still holding the measuring tape. “Errr... Kinda, ehehe.” She blushed and looked away, realizing how much she was geeking out. “Thanks for helping me, I know it's not really exciting for you, I owe you one.” “Hey, what are friends for?” Dash gave a grin, watching as her friend worked doing what she loved, gathering data and making lists. “So, what else do you need other than measurements?” “Well, I'm working on a theory I'm calling; ‘Studium Mores Mannulus-Aviarius’ or ‘Pony-Avian Behavior Bias’ in modern Equish.” Twilight smiled, enjoying using her knowledge of the forgotten ancient Equish language purely to sound properly scientific. Seeing the confused look on her friends face, Twilight quickly broke down her theory to the basic elements. “Basically, I'm studying the avian behavior of pegasus ponies and how it affects their social interactions. Like, pegasus ponies preening their wings, just like birds.” “Of course we preen our wings Twilight, otherwise they would get all messy and really bad for flying, unpreened wings are super not-aerodynamic.” Dash snorted, not giving a second thought to avian behavior in pegasus ponies such as herself, after all, her whole life growing up had been around other pegasi. Twilight nodded in agreement, motioning to her own wings. “I know, I do it too, but I think a lot of pegasus behavior and even culture is subconsciously like and based on bird behavior, and I'm studying the less obvious stuff. Since I'm studying behavioral and physical factors, I'm going to ask you a bunch of questions too.” Dash thought for a moment and shrugged, folding her wings back in as Twilight finished by taking Dash’s weight with the metal platform she had been standing on, which was apparently a scale. “Sure, whatever, but I wanna know what you find out from all this.” “Of course! We're done here, I got all the measurements I needed, let's go upstairs for the questions, it's more comfortable.” Twilight smiled and took off her lab coat, levitating the still pristine white coat onto a hook before leading Dash up the stairs, data held in her magic aura. Her eyes scanned over the numbers as she walked, noting of course the light body weight all pegasi possessed, and the all-important wingspan. She quickly jotted down Dash’s wing power, which she had looked up previously, and had stored along with every other Ponyville pegasi’s results from the tests they had run before the hurricane to lift the water to Cloudsdale. Rainbow followed silently, watching Twilight as she scanned the data, noticing how Twilight had gotten taller since her ascension to Princess and alicorn. Sure she had noticed many times before, but it struck her again as she slowly flew behind the Princess, realizing how even in flight, she looked tall. Dash would never admit it, but she was jealous of the large wingspan Twilight had been granted too. Her eyes continued to wander over her purple Princess friend, taking in the sight of the dorky yet graceful mare, including her rear. Thoroughly embarrassed she had caught herself oogling her friend in a less than appropriate way, Dash blushed brightly and followed Twilight into the library, gliding down to the floor next to her. Author's Note Oh my gosh I'm alive and I actually wrote something, what is even happening? What a shame, I probably wrote something terrible, whatever, judge me for my poor fanfics, they're fanfics, I'll live.
The Crush HypothesisRainbow Dash sat on a cushion in the massive library of Twilight's castle, looking up to the roof of the multi-story room. Daylight shone through the massive windows, giving the room a warm glow, the crystal walls gleaming in the light. Dash wouldn't admit it, but the library was her favorite room in the whole castle, even over the throne room, where she had her personalized crystal throne. She loved it because it was so open and tall, giving her plenty of room to fly if she wanted to. Tight and enclosed spaces were not something she enjoyed dealing with, they made her feel trapped and restrained. It also helped that Twilight had the entire Limited Edition Daring Do series books in it, which she had the same set of back in her cloudominium, all signed by Daring Do herself of course. The sound of the large main doors opening broke Rainbow’s train of thought, and she returned her gaze to ground level. Twilight had returned with tea and snacks for the two of them, something Dash was happy to take advantage of, since she was helping Twilight. “Thanks for the snacks Twi!” Within a second of the tray touching down on the table Dash sat at, she was snacking on some crackers, which Twilight watched with a neutral expression. While the pegasus munched on said crackers, Twilight took the moment to write down something on her data sheets with a small grin. “Well, you did help me out by letting me study you, some tea and snacks is the least I could do to return the favor.” Twilight sat opposite her friend, watching her behavior as she sipped some fragrant tea. “Tho…” Dash started talking with her muzzle still stuffed full of crackers, before realizing she should probably swallow first. A few more mastications and she swallowed her tasty snack with a content coo. “So, what kinda questions do you have for me Twi, bring ‘em on!” Rainbow gave an unnecessary and cocky grin, feeling like the questions were a challenge she could beat. The studious purple Princess flipped through some of the papers she had, and read a few lines before answering. “Well, some of my research is questions, but I have a few more physical things that don't require us being in the lab. Do you want to do the questions first, or the physical studies, it doesn't really matter which one we start with.” Twilight continued observing Dash, acting as she usually would, while taking in little things that might be important to her theory. “Let's do the questions, cold tea is kind of gross, so I don't wanna let it sit.” Rainbow sipped her tea too, washing down the crackers to ready herself for talking a lot, if needed. “Whatever you got, bring it on.” Twilight rolled her eyes with a smile, giggling a little. “Oh Rainbow, not everything is a competition, it's scientific research, not a race.” “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, I'm still gonna breeze through this.” Dash grinned, leaning on the table, closer to Twilight. “Alright.” Twilight smiled still, and cleared her throat. “You're a pegasus, obviously, and pegasus ponies usually are born and raised in the sky, and most spend a majority of their lives in it. How often are you in the sky? Including flying along the ground instead of walking, and including any time spent on clouds.” She held her quill in her magic, eagerly awaiting Rainbow’s answer. Dash snorted, and resisted her urge to laugh. “C’mon, really Twilight, that's the kind of stuff you're asking? I'm in the air like, 95% of the time, flying is kinda what I do.” She grinned, her career with the Wonderbolts was going well, flying really was her job, extreme flying at that. “It is literally my job to fly.” “... Okay, good point, but a lot of this is stuff I need to be sure on, so I'm asking you anyway, just, bear with me, please?” Twilight gave the impatient pegasus a pouty stare, something she did subconsciously even as an adult. Rainbow bit her tongue, she rarely was on the receiving end of Twilight's pouting, but that look killed her. ‘Damnit Twilight, why... I can't resist that look.’ She groaned, giving in to the adorable pout that probably could have gotten her to do anything. “Ugh, fine.” Twilight clapped her hooves together with joy, research was one of her favorite activities, even if the questions might be a bit obvious. “Thanks Rainbow, I promise I'll be quick.” She gave a convincing smile and looked back at her list of questions, deciding to skip a few for Dash’s sake. “You like to nap in trees when you aren't napping on clouds, right?” “Yeah, but AJ doesn't really like me doing it during apple season. Clouds are more comfortable anyway.” Dash recalled the multiple times Applejack had caught her napping in a tree, and either yelled and woke her up, or simply bucked the tree with her in it. “Something about damaging apples, I dunno.” Twilight scribbled something down, concentrating on her writing. Rainbow watched, the cute and concentrated look making her smile. “So you prefer having a high vantage point, like trees, buildings, clouds, that sort of thing? Places you can perch on?” The Princess continued with the same train of thought. Her subject nodded, confirming her thoughts. “Yeah, it lets me see everything that is going on around and especially below me, way better than trying to see things from the ground. I mean, you even helped me pass the Wonderbolts entrance exam because I learned by flying and looking at stuff below me!” “Oh yeah, high vantage points really do work for you.” Twilight laughed and smiled, the mention of Dash's entrance exam bringing back some good memories. She jotted down the preference for high vantage points and looked for her next question. “Okay, your diet, what kind of foods do you eat in addition to the regular stuff like hay, fruits, and vegetables. Do you have a favorite food?” The studious princess again stood by eagerly, quill at the ready. Dash tapped her chin with a hoof, thinking before answering. “Pegasus ponies eat a lot of seeds, they're super tasty. Oh, and crackers, I personally love crackers.” Her eyes drifted down to the crumbs where many crackers once sat before she had eaten then with gusto. “Seriously though, ask any pegasus, seeds are the best, they're good as a snack, on other food, or even as a meal alone.” “Seeds, got it.” Quiet scritching sounds came from Twilight's quill as she wrote down the diet habits of her friend. “What about hygiene, especially preening, how often do you do it?” Twilight glanced back at her own wings, noting that they were a bit out of order, feathers not in the correct position, old ones still stuck with other feathers. “Probably more than I do.” She gave a soft laugh, and a small smile, her cheeks burning a bit out of embarrassment. “I preen everyday, sometimes multiple times, otherwise it would mess up my flight, and I kinda need to be at my best for the Wonderbolts. Spitfire even checks that your feathers are in order if your flying gets worse, sometimes not preening really messes things up. I shower everyday too, usually I just grab a cloud and shower using that, rainwater is the best. I do use my real shower too, but cloud showers are wayyy better.” Dash grinned, weather was in her blood as a pegasus, and many others did the same as she did. Twilight did her best to hide a slight blush, she had noticed the scent of fresh rain multiple times on Rainbow, and she secretly loved it. “Heh, yeah, I should preen more…” She looked down at the paper, writing down yet more information, at the same time trying to hide her face. Multitasking, Twilight lifted her cup of tea to her mouth, and sipped some as she wrote. “I could help you preen!” Dash over enthusiastically spoke, barely keeping her voice at a reasonable level. “Pffft!” Twilight sprayed a bit of the tea back into the cup, caught completely off guard, not just by the volume, but by what Dash had said. Dash froze for a moment, realizing she had sounded just a bit to eager. “I mean, if you want me to help.” She blushed, looking down into her cup of tea for a moment, her front hooves nervously tapping against one another. She hoped Twilight didn't know enough about pegasus culture to know what that meant. Demure Rainbow Dash, that was new. Tea wet her muzzle a bit, and she used her magic again, this time to wipe her muzzle dry with a napkin. The Princess of Friendship was feeling like the Princess of the Friendzone, she did know that preening with a partner was generally only done by lovers or some other significant pony. Twilight had witnessed Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy preening another before, they were lifelong friends, and bonded over the intimate activity. They weren't a couple, just two close friends, Rainbow wasn't in a romantic relationship. “Uhhh, s-sure, I'd love the help, if you don't mind.” “Great! I mean, good, yeah. I'm happy to help.” Rainbow gave a nervous smile, silently scolding herself for verbally faceplanting in front of Twilight. “Just, uhm, let me know when, I'm sure you have a bunch of questions left. Hehe…” She rubbed the back of her neck, looking at anything but Twilight's eyes. “Oh, yes, of course! I have some left, you probably wanna get out of here, huh? I'll try and breeze through the rest of the questions. Let's see…” Twilight looked through the questions she had a lot of them, and decided that if she was playing scientist, she should perform another experiment. She skipped straight to some of the more intimate questions, hoping to maybe get a response out of Rainbow that would confirm her new hypothesis. With Twilight busy picking out particular questions, Dash had a little bit of time to think, and she gave herself a mental pep talk. ‘Come on! I can do this, its just Twilight, just the same ol’ Twilight I've known for years. The worst she could do is say no... And then you'd never be able to look her in the eye again. Argh! No, she won't say no, she'll say yes, right? I'm cool, and we're good friends. Then again, what if I'm to dumb for her? Does she even like mares?! Everypony is bisexual though, she must. Wait, I’m probably not even good enough for her, she's a Princess. Yeah she says she hasn't changed, but w-’ “RAIN. BOW.” Twilight waved a hoof in the face of the pondering pegasus, who was completely lost in her own head. Dash jumped, shaking her head. “Gah! S-sorry Twi, just thinking, uhm, what did you ask?” “Are you okay? You really spaced out.” The Princess raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “Yeah, I'm cool, no problem. What did you ask though?” Adjusting her seating position, Rainbow gave an attentive look to convince Twilight she was indeed cool, and not a filly with a crush. “Okay... I said here is where it gets a little more personal, is that okay?” Twilight spoke each word very sharply, taking slight longer pauses between them. Dash nodded, wings fluttering at her side, itching to take flight from what she felt was an awkward situation. “Yeah, got it, sorry.” “Good, now, I've read up a little on pegasus anatomy, as well as the uh... Ahem... Mating habits of them too. There is some controversy around the existence of ‘chest floof,’ on pegasus ponies, and the part it plays in courtship. So, uhm, could you let me see your chest?” Twilight blushed, trying to keep a cool, neutral expression as she carried out her experiment. Rainbow bit her lip, the questions really were a bit personal. She had shown her chest floof to Fluttershy before, since they wanted to compare, but they had been best friends since flight school. Twilight was a pony she liked, really liked. Dash had become a bit self conscious after the comparison with Fluttershy, as it turned out, Fluttershy had quite impressive chest floof. She wasn't very confident in herself at the moment, but she had to show Twilight for her theory. Both mares stood and moved to the side of the table so Twilight could observe. Now standing in front of the Princess, Dash again noticed the height Twi had gained since ascension, she actually had to look up a bit. With a sharp, nervous inhale, the pegasus puffed up her chest, sticking it out to show her chest floof. Twilight immediately brush a hoof through the soft floofed up fur, doing her best to keep a neutral expression. “Huh, seems pretty real to me, I think the controversy is whether or not pegasi use it to attract mates. All ponies have chest floof to a degree, but I think pegasi have more pronounced chest floof. Do you use it for attracting mates?” “Ack!” Rainbow choked on nothing and coughed as the question finished, it really caught her off guard, and now her chest was no longer puffed out as much. “I-I mean, not me personally, I haven't tried! I know other pegasus ponies do it though! Fluttershy! Fluttershy does.” Twilight's magical aura scribbled the quill on the paper as she made a note. Her new experiment was working, although it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep her calm demeanor up. “Interesting, interesting. In bed, do you make a sort of nest out of your bedding?” This time Rainbow had to think, she was so used to sleeping the way she did, she never thought about how she did it. “Actually, yeah, I kinda do, it's more comfortable.” Dash thanked the Royal Sisters that the question wasn't another very personal one. “Your wings, are they... Sensitive? Many books say they're an erogenous zone.” Twilight's voice gained a sultry tone to it that Dash herself couldn't quite place at first. She had gone right back into the intimate questions in hopes of making Rainbow slip-up. “Could you spread your wings for me?” The realization hit the prismatic mare, and she opened her wings almost without a thought, Twilight had to be flirting. ‘Is Twilight…’ Gently, and very carefully, Twilight touched the surface of Rainbow's wings, noting the muscle response at the base of her wings. “Are you okay Rainbow?” Heavy breaths made Dash's chest heave, this was something out of a dream, or a terrible romance novel, not that she had read one. She turned to face Twilight, coming nose to nose just a foot apart from the purple mare. “I…” Her eyes widened, Twilight was very close, looking completely innocent despite what was happening. “I uhhh…-” The alicorn’s violet eyes were locked with Rainbow's own cerise ones. Twilight inched forward ever so slightly, and Dash took it as an invitation to do the same. She took a bigger step, her normally bold nature kicking back in and giving her just enough of a push to do it. Twilight had barely moved when their lips met, she was surprised by the kiss, and yet not surprised at all. Rainbow pressed gently into the kiss, their lips together, a sweet, simple kiss, nothing super erotic or overwhelming. It took a moment, but Twilight began pressing back, the two mares standing in the middle of the tall crystal room with lips locked and eyes shut. Dash enjoyed every second, feeling Twilight's soft lips meeting with her own, the scent of lavender, and the taste of tea on her lips. “Mmm…” Blue wings opened in excitement, and after a few more breathtaking moments, they mutually broke the kiss. Immediately Dash blushed, eyes wide in panic. “I-I didn't... I should have... Uhm... SORRYGOTTAGOBYE!” She shot out of the library, Twilight's mane getting caught in the draft and blowing the same direction. “Rainbow! Wait!” Twilight called after her, but she was already gone. “Well... New hypothesis confirmed.” Author's Note This chapter could have been out yesterday if my internet hadn't gone out and ruined my 'in the zone' writing session. Whatever, hope you enjoyed at least something on here, sorry I'm no Shakespeare of ponies!
Need to TalkAuthor's Note Okay, releasing this earlier than expected, seems like there aren't any obvious typos or grammatical errors. I'm sure there are some, I mean, proofreading your own stuff is pretty ineffective. Well, enjoy I guess, I'll be over here. Need to Talk ONE WEEK LATER Rainbow Dash stood with her fellow Wonderbolts as Captain Spitfire ran them through the new routine before they took to the sky. The Wonderbolt's Academy had been pretty strict and by the book, but now that she was on the team, things were a bit more relaxed, something she really enjoyed. All of the elite fliers kept their attention on their Captain at the moment however, out of respect and necessity to learn the new routine’s layout. The flight squadron was loosely gathered in a semi-circle as Spitfire continued to explain things out, but Rainbow found her mind wandering. It had been a week since her meeting with Twilight, and she hadn't spoken to the alicorn since then out of embarrassment and nervousness. Twilight had returned the kiss, but everytime she tried to convince herself, Dash doubted she was remembering correctly. Desperate to keep her mind off of what had happened, the pegasus had buried herself in her work. She spent hours off-duty doing extra practice, and during the day helped maintain the headquarters beyond what she was already assigned. Dash had even skipped the weekly pet playdate that was tradition for her and the girls, not wanting to have to face Twilight over what had transpired. She felt a bit guilty over keeping Tank from his friends, but Dash just couldn't bring herself to face Twilight. “Crash!” A loud shout pulled her out of her own head, attention snapping to the yellow mare just inches from her muzzle. “Did you even hear what I just went over rookie?! Or are you just standing here with your head in the clouds?!” Spitfire had her eyes narrowed, staring directly into Rainbow's own eyes. “Y-Yes ma’am! Just thinking it over.” Dash quickly stood tall, giving a crisp and clear response. While the Wonderbolts were largely a demonstration team, they were still a branch of the Equestrian Air Force, and she knew she had obligations and rules to stick to. Giving her superior the utmost respect and attention was definitely something she was lacking at the moment. The three weeks of basic military training she completed had driven the saluting and respectful responses into her mind, and they came automatically. “Good, then maybe you'd like to join the rest of us for a test flight.” The Captain was no longer yelling, but the firm tone showed she was still upset, and not quite convinced Dash had actually been paying attention. “Clipper you keep and eye on things from the back of the pack.” She returned to ordering her team around, putting Soarin’ at the back so he could inform her of any issues after the test. Second-in-command meant she went to him for helping with almost anything, and after going through the ranks of the Wonderbolts together, she trusted him completely. “Flatfoot, Dizzy, at my 9 o’clock and 3 o'clock!” Fleetfoot and Misty Fly quickly got into their respective positions on the runway with the Captain. “Slowpoke, Hoof-In-Mouth, at Fleet’s 7 o’clock, and Misty’s 5 o’clock.” Just as with their teammates, Surprise and High Winds lined up, ready to go. “Crash at my 6 o'clock behind them, and Sparky behind her!” Rainbow’s ears burned slightly, embarrassed at being scolded in front of her teammates as she lined up with Thunderlane trailing her. Soarin’ fell in line behind Thunderlane, checking positions, right on cue, Spitfire called on him. “Clipper are we good?!” “Yes ma’am!” Soarin’ shouted back, ready to go. “In position!” Spitfire smiled to herself. “Glad you all remember how to follow directions, now let's go, we don't have much sunlight left!” She broke into a gallop, the squad keeping formation before taking off in unison, cutting hard right immediately after takeoff. The test flight was going smoothly, the more veteran fliers at the front keeping easily on track, with the two rookies at the back keeping pace with relatively little issue. Soarin’ noticed Rainbow Dash drifting a bit, not tracking as true as they needed, her course only correcting after she seemed to jerk back to attention after zoning out. It kept happening, and Soarin’ kept track as Dash got further and further out of line. The wind whipping past the ears of the squad at high speed kept any warning from being heard as Soarin’ shouted at Dash to get back on course. Rainbow flew a bit to fast, and drifted to far left, where she made contact with Surprise. The two pegasi crashed together, sending them tumbling out of the sky with Soarin’ and Thunderlane breaking off in pursuit after witnessing it. A couple seconds passed before both Dash and Surprise got their bearings and fully extended their wings, slowing their fall before regaining control just a couple hundred feet apart from one another. Seeing the two mares recover successfully, the pursuing stallions slowed and glided down to them. Surprise and Dash landed on the runway, stepping off to the side to assess damages, with Soarin’ and Thunderlane joining them a few seconds later. “You okay Dash?” Surprise quickly looked over the prismatic rookie, looking for any injuries. Dash nodded, a look of guilt on her face as she awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah, I'm good, are you alright? Sorry about that Surprise.” “I'm okay, you know you don't have to keep reminding us what your nickname is.” Surprise smiled and laughed, patting her teammate on the back with a wing. Dash laughed softly, having grown used to the nicknames, and even embracing hers as good memories with it replaced the bad ones. “You two look okay, nice recoveries, Sparky and I broke off to catch you, but it looks like you can handle yourselves.” Soarin’ gave a light chuckle as he approached, glad the squad was still whole. “You’ll still both need a once over in the infirmary, but I think you're good, c’mon.” The group of ponies with a melancholy Rainbow in tow followed Soarin’ back to where Spitfire was now waiting with the three uninvolved fliers. “Well, that was quite the tumble you two, and we're out of light now. Surprise go check in with the infirmary, Dash stay here. We'll be practicing this again tomorrow everypony, we have a lot of work to do, dismissed!” Everypony except Spitfire and Rainbow Dash began making their way inside, chatting amongst themselves. Once she was sure everypony was out of earshot, the Captain gave a single order. “My office, one hour, we have some talking to do.” And with that, she also made her way inside. Now alone outside the complex of buildings, Dash groaned audibly and facehooved, dragging her hoof down her face. “Ughhh... Twilight why?! Why why why can't I fly because of you!” No longer wearing her flight suit, Dash sat outside Spitfire’s office waiting for the Captain to call her in. Her ears swiveled at the sound of hoofsteps, and she looked up when the door opened. Soarin’ walked out, giving the rookie a small nod before trotting off down the hall. With a grimace, Rainbow looked through the open door, where the Captain sat at her imposing wooden desk. “Rainbow Dash.” Feeling like she was back in the principal's office at flight school, Dash entered the office and shut the door, giving a crisp salute as she waited to be reprimanded. The office was well furnished, and nicely decorated, but right now it felt bare and freezing as she waited. “You're not in uniform, I'm not in uniform, and last I checked, I dismissed you for the day. Drop the salute, Rainbow.” Spitfire was calm and cool, no hint of anger in her voice, nor visible emotion on her face. “Sit down, I wanna talk.” The nervous Dash gulped and obeyed, stepping forward and sitting in one of the two chairs in front of the desk. She started to talk, trying to defend herself, but was quickly cut off.“Ma’a-” “Spitfire, we're off duty, and before you say anything, I didn't bring you here to yell at you, I'll do that tomorrow when everypony else is around.” A small, playful grin crossed her face. “I told you when you became a Wonderbolt, we're a team, and we're also a family. So, what's wrong? Soarin’ already informed me that you were drifting during our test runs, and that you seemed to completely space out before that crash with Surprise. Not only did you crash, but I've noticed the extra work you've been putting in. I expect the extra practice, you're a dedicated mare, but doing extra work that isn't flying, that's something I never would have guessed.” “... Look, Spitfire, I'm really sorry about that crash, I just had a break in concentration, no biggie.” Dash gave an unconvincing smile, hoping to just avoid talking. “I'll be back on track after some sleep.” “That's horseapples and you know it, you spaced out when I was laying the routine out, you crashed into Surprise, and all week you've been working doing anything and everything. So, what in the hay is going on?” Finally Spitfire raised her voice slightly, growing frustrated with the notoriously stubborn pegasus. “This is affecting your flying, and endangering you AND your teammates.” Dash sighed, hanging her head in shame, she was caught. “Am I really that obvious?” She raised her head and looked at Spitfire. Spitfire nodded, sitting back in her chair. “You're a hard worker, Rainbow, you're dedicated to the team, you've never let anything distract you from your dream. It's really obvious, you're acting very different from normal, so do you wanna tell me what's going on?” At this point in time, Dash had been with the Wonderbolts for a few months, but the team treating her as an equal, as family, still felt a bit strange. “Ugh... Okay, just, don't tell anypony else? I swear I'll get things figured out and I'll be back to normal.” “We're talking as friends right now, and as a friend, you have my word.” Spitfire reassured the nervous rookie, doing her best to make Dash comfortable. Despite how she acted in public, Spitfire did have a softer side, which she found worked well when talking to her squad members one-on-one. She did truly care about all of the Wonderbolts, they were a family to her, and she knew that they worked best when everypony had a positive mental attitude. Rainbow looked down as she twiddled her hooves together, building up the courage to tell Spitfire the truth. “Alright.” She looked up, making eye contact with Spitfire, feeling a bit more confident. “There is this... Friend, that I have, we've been friends for years, and last week we were hanging out and some stuff happened and, well... I kinda kissed her. I flew off because I was... Ugh, I was scared, and I haven't talked to her since. I'm pretty sure she kissed back, but I keep feeling like I'm remembering it wrong and it's eating at me.” The Captain couldn't help but snort and smile with amusement. “Distracted by somepony you like, this has happened before, actually, it's happened multiple times. Listen Dash, I'm no Princess of Love, but if past experience has shown me anything, the only way to feel better is to face the pony you're thinking about. Go see your friend, I'm sure she wants to talk to you, and I bet after you two talk, you'll feel a lot better, and fly a lot better too.” Spitfire gave a reassuring smile. “I'll see you tomorrow, and I'll expect you to be back on your game, got it?” Dash stood and gave a quick, casual salute. “Yes Ma’am, Spitfire, thanks.” She started to leave, only stopping to glance back as Spitfire gave a farewell. “Excellent, good luck Rainbow Dash.” Spitfire nodded with a smile, and watched the rainbow tail disappear around the corner. Now alone, the yellow mare lounged in her chair and relaxed. Twilight sat in her library as she did many other if not most nights, surrounded by books, with Owlowiscious perched close by. Spike had gone with Starlight to hang out and get a break from his usual duties, leaving the Princess alone in the massive crystalline room. Ever since Rainbow Dash had kissed her in here, Twilight was having problems focusing in the library, unable to get her mind off the blue pegasus to enjoy reading. In fact, she had been unable to enjoy reading at all for the most part, even the most interesting, rare books couldn't keep her interest, something that had never happened before. “Ugh!” Frustrated and bored, Twilight facedesked, her muzzle squishing on the crystal table. “A whole library FULL of books, and none of them are interesting!” She threw her hooves in the air before using the book currently in front of her as a pillow, and grumbling quietly. “Hoo!” Owlowiscious called from his perch, head rotating to look at Twilight more directly. He didn't understand what was happening, but something was wrong with the purple alicorn he cared about. Twilight looked up from her book pillow and sighed. “I'm fine Owlowiscious, just having… issues... Ugh... Hmmm... Could you get me Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone?” The owl ‘hoo’d’ his answer, and flew to the appropriate shelf, scanning for a moment before picking up the correct book and bringing it to Twilight. Instead of returning to his perch, he landed on the table, watching the mare with his large eyes, his head tilted with curiosity. “Thanks, I'm just... Testing a theory, I mean... I haven't been able to stop thinking about Rainbow Dash, reading isn't even fun anymore! It's terrible! I usually love reading, but... Well, Dash is all I can think of right now... I need to talk to her.” Twilight opened the book, flipping to the first chapter, smiling a little as she passed the page A.K. Yearling/Daring Do had signed. “Hoo!” Owlowiscious again answered his owner. “I want to talk to her Owlowiscious, but she's been gone all week!” The dejected alicorn sighed, her wings limp at her sides. “She kissed me, but I feel like maybe she didn't mean it, she just flew off after and hasn't talked to me since. You saw, she didn't even come to the pet playdate this week.” “Hoo?” “I like her, but I don't know if she likes me, I don't know why she would, I mean, I read books and do experiments in my basement. Meanwhile, Dash is off with the Wonderbolts, flying in big shows and doing crazy tricks. She is just so much... Cooler? I'm just an egghead.” Twilight rubbed her temples with her hooves and used her magic to sip some tea. “The only things we have in common are the Elements of Harmony, and a love of Daring Do books.” “Hoo.” The Princess started reading the book that had gotten Rainbow Dash into reading in the first place, and smiled as she thought back on the memories. “I guess I could go find her just to share the results of the theory, maybe I can see how she's feeling and see if she likes me back. It would be a good excuse to see her.” “Hoo…” Owlowiscious rolled his eyes, he would never understand why ponies always did things in such convoluted ways. Twilight found herself actually keeping interest in the Daring Do novel! Multiple minutes had passed and still she was reading, although much of it was thinking back to memories of Rainbow Dash reading the same book. “Yup... I have it bad, I have to talk to Rainbow, even if she doesn't reciprocate my feelings.”
FeathersRainbow Dash sat at the edge of the Wonderbolt’s complex, looking over the edge of the massive cliffs that bordered the plateau. She watched the river that flowed under the base spill out of the cliff face in a massive waterfall. Heights did nothing to phase her, she had grown up in the clouds, and being a pegasus, she knew that falling could easily be stopped with a few flaps of her wings. The prismatic Wonderbolt pawed at the grass, thinking about how she wanted to confront Twilight. She had left Spitfire’s office feeling a lot more confident, and ready to face Twilight, but just on the trot from the office to outside, she had begun wondering what she was actually going to do. Dash couldn't just show up at the castle and wing it, she needed some sort of plan, at least some idea of what she wanted to do. “Twilight wanted to learn about pegasi... Maybe I'll just have to teach her our traditions for relationship stuff.” Rainbow couldn't remember what the correct term was, something to do with judges, but it didn't matter right now, all that mattered was facing Twilight. “Come on Dash, you got this.” The pegasus slapped herself and winced softly at the stinging. “C’mon! Now or never!” She slapped her other cheek and rubbed the tender spot. “Ow…” Psyched up, Rainbow dove off the cliff and shot downwards, aiming at an angle to take advantage of the gravity pulling her down. Her wings caught the air and kept her gliding along speedily in the direction of Ponyville as the sun finally slipped below the horizon. Flying was by far her favorite activity, and she easily fell into the motions while thinking about what she could say. Pegasus tradition would only carry her so far, and she would have to say something eventually. Wanting to be as presentable as possible, Dash took a slight deviation, and aimed for a nearby cloud. She snatched up the small cumulus and dragged it down to another larger one that she stood on before bucking the smaller one and standing under it. Twilight sat at her table still, though now she was looking at a book named ‘Courtship of the Tribes,’ which had the relationship traditions of all the pony tribes and races. She had decided that if she was going to tell Rainbow how she felt, she might as well do it right, and court her like a pegasus would. “Pegasus ponies traditionally present their desired partner with a primary feather from their left wing as a sign of love and affection. A feather from the right wing is only to be presented to a deceased pony out of respect or love, and is considered bad luck if given in the wrong circumstance.” The Princess grimaced slightly, making sure to remember it was the left wing she had to take the feather from, since ones from the right wing were only for honoring the deceased. “I better not mess that up…” She continued reading the book, getting to a section on chest floof and the role it played in pegasus courtship. A few minutes later, Twilight stood and stretched, going over what she would do when the time was right. Before meeting with Rainbow, she had to gather her data and come up with her findings on her theory. She wanted a legitimate cover for visiting in case she backed out of confronting Dash. “No, no, no! No backing out, you have to do this Twilight!” Up in the darkening sky, Rainbow Dash shook her body and flapped her wings as fast as a hummingbird, shaking the water off her from the quick cloud shower. Her coat and mane fluffed up, which she quickly corrected with a few strokes of her hoof. “Okay…” Clean and smelling of fresh rain, Dash felt a little more confident, and continued her flight downwards toward Ponyville and the crystalline castle. What felt like an eternity later, Dash landed a few hundred feet from the entrance to the castle, and she slowly trotted up the dirt path. The flight from Wonderbolt HQ to Ponyville usually was a quick and fun flight, but today it felt much longer, the heavy thoughts making time drag by. Now that she was on the ground though, time suddenly seemed to pass in a flash, and Dash found herself standing in front of the main entrance. This crush was messing with her head, and she was getting flustered. Twilight had long ago established that her friends were welcome into the castle at anytime, so Dash opened the door and trotted inside, hoping Twilight was in the library as usual. She made her way down the main hall, turning before reaching the map room to get to the library. The doors were shut, and the nervous pegasus took a deep breath before knocking. “Twilight? Are you in there?” Twilight jumped a little at the sudden noise, her wings spreading on reflex before she got them under control. She took a deep breath too, unknowingly mimicking the prismatic pegasus on the other side of the door. “I'm here, you can come in.” Her heartbeat jumped as the door opened, and she felt warm as Dash entered the room. “Uhm, hey there.” “Hey Twi.” Rainbow made her way over to the purple Princess, keeping her demeanor as casual as possible. She sat a couple feet away, not wanting to get to close and make things any more awkward then they already were. “I need to talk to you.” They said at the same time, pausing afterwards for a brief moment before laughing together. Twilight put her hoof out to shush the pegasus, but was immediately mirrored by Rainbow, who did the same. Dash held her hoof up and spoke louder, ready to talk over Twilight if she needed to. “No, I need to talk to you first, don't try and stop me, I have to do this, okay?” Twilight nodded silently, lowering her hoof and listening, respecting Dash’s wishes. “Twilight, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have run off after... I... Kissed you…” She cringed as she spoke, wanting nothing more than to run off again and hide. “I shouldn't have even kissed you without asking... I'm really sorry Twilight, I panicked like an idiot. You might feel the same, but, I'm not sure, I keep thinking I'm remembering what happened wrong.” Twilight sat still for a moment, taking in what Rainbow had said, before nodding. “I accept your apology, but... It really isn't necessary.” Heat flashed through Dash’s body, was that a good thing? “I-I kissed you though, I shouldn't have without asking, and I ran off afterwards like an idiot.” “I know, but... I'm not upset Rainbow, you don't have to apologize. I mean it. Sometimes the best things in our lives are spontaneous.” The Princess kept calm on the surface, hiding her inner panic at the situation, something she had learned to do well for diplomatic meetings and public speaking. “If... If that's true, then I hope it means what I think it means. I don't know how much you've been studying pegasi Twilight, but…” Dash extended her left wing and plucked one of her primary feathers from it, wincing slightly as she pulled if free. The large blue feather was pristine, and the pegasus held it gently in her mouth as she approached the alicorn with her chest puffed out. When she was just inches from her crush, Dash bowed with her wings fully extended, and gingerly placed the feather at Twilight's hooves before backing away a few steps. Twilight gasped softly, watching with wide eyes as Rainbow Dash courted her in the traditional pegasus manner. She couldn't help but smile with joy at the display, and stretched out her own left wing to return the gesture. The Princess chose a large purple primary feather, and yanked it sharply with her teeth, also wincing as she plucked it from her wing. Rainbow watched with her own wide eyes, Twilight knew what she had meant, and was returning the display of affection! She was smiling too as Twilight approached her with feather in mouth, chest puffed up, and wings spread open. Her heartbeat sped up as the long, beautiful feather was placed at her hooves while Twilight bowed. Watching Twilight return to her pillow, she finally spoke up. “Y-you... You know the pegasus feather thing, uhm, with the judges.” “Do you mean courting?” Twilight laughed softly, glancing down at the blue feather she now had with a smile. “Pegasus courting?” “Yeah! That... Y-you did that.” Dash sat looking at the feather, then returned her gaze back up to Twilight. “I wasn't sure if you would know or not... But I figured that you were studying Pegasi, so there was a chance. I'm glad I took that chance, this means so much Twilight.” Unable to wipe the smile from her face, Rainbow approached Twilight, wings extended, and hung her head over the Princess’ neck, gently hugging her. Twilight quickly returned the gesture, wings flaring open as she also hung her head over Dash’s neck in a hug. Twilight could smell the fresh rain scent in Rainbow’s mane, and smiled, nuzzling into it happily. “Hey, Rainbow?” “Hmmm?” Dash was doing the same, her nose twitching slightly at the scent of lavender in Twilight's mane as they stayed locked in their embrace. “What's up?” “I love you, Rainbow Dash.” The Princess felt hot as she spoke, the nervousness she had felt all built up in this one moment. Her heart felt like it was going to explode, and she could hear the blood pumping in her ears. Dash pulled away from the hug and stood nose to nose with the purple alicorn, a small smile on her face. “I love you too, Twilight Sparkle.” She moved forward, finding Twilight meeting her halfway in a passionate kiss, one that both mares enjoyed even more than their first kiss. They wrapped their wings and front legs around one another, keeping each other close. “Mmm…” Dash gave an uncharacteristic coo at the mutual kiss, their lips mashed together. The two stayed with their lips locked, enjoying the intimacy and warmth of one another, and Dash enjoyed how soft Twilight's lips felt on her own. When the kiss broke, both gave a soft gasp, smiling at one another, before Rainbow started giggling softly, followed by Twilight who broke into full laughter. A flash of light surrounded them, and they reappeared in a large pile of pillows against the edge of the library’s back wall. The two laughed joyfully, laying on the soft pillows until the fits of giggling wore off. “I was so worried coming here, I'm glad I didn't keep avoiding this, I owe Spitfire a thank you.” Dash cuddled up with Twilight, laying on her back and looking up at the high crystalline ceiling. “I'm glad you came, I was going to use my research as an excuse to see you if I chickened out of telling you. I'm not sure if I could have done it, but it all worked out.” Twilight looked over to the pegasus with a blush. Dash returned the look, giving Twilight a reassuring snuggle and peck on the nose, which caused them both to blush. “Oh yeah! Your research, did you find anything out?” “Lots, thanks for helping me.” Twilight smiled wide, Dash's interest in her work making her heart flutter. “Like I found out that pegasus ponies can in extremely rare cases catch bird flu via Griffins. The name is misleading, since its more a mental ailment than physical, and it causes the victim to behave like a bird! Another thing I learned studying you specifically, is that your genetics a…” Rainbow smiled and snuggled up with her favorite egghead, most of what Twilight would tell her would probably go over her head, but she didn't care. She was happy, and with the mare she loved, not understanding some of the sciency stuff was fine with her. Starlight and Spike poke their heads into the library to find Twilight and Dash cuddled up in the pillow pile. A few errant snores gave away that they had fallen asleep talking, and Starlight smirked. “Yes! You owe me 10 bits Spike, I told you they couldn't last more than a week apart!” Spike grumbled, the wager had been lost. “Ugh, you win, let's leave them alone, the bits are in my room.” THE END Author's Note AND DONE. WOW I ACTUALLY DID AND COMPLETED A THING! I hope you enjoyed, or not, whatever floats your metaphorical boat the most. Thanks for sticking around, I do appreciate that. The bird flu thing was borrowed from this story of the same name: Bird Flu Welp, until next time! (Which hopefully is soon, and not years.)
