Magnet

Chapters

Prologue - Something Wrong
Chapter 1 - An Open Book
Chapter 2 - A Touching Story
Chapter 3 - A Lesson in Futility
Chapter 4 - Addressing the Situation

Prologue - Something Wrong

This is my first attempt at a romantic story, so please be kind!

Each chapter will have slightly different tones to it, but overall it's meant to be a bit of light comedy, and it's rated teen because chapter 2 will include something a bit more 'emotional' (This fic has no clop, though). The primary focus of this fic is on motivations and how they tie into a whole, so if certain things feel 'off', it will be explained by the end of the series or chapter.

If you like what you read, please don't forget to give me a thumbs up - it will help me greatly to get this fic a bit more exposure and I appreciate your help.

If you want, kindly leave a comment! I love getting feedback and I'd like to hear what you think I could do better.

Thank you for reading.

Prologue :: Something Wrong

It's often said that pets resemble their owners - in temperament and looks. Perhaps a cloud wasn't technically a pet, but that didn't make this idea any less applicable.

Rainbow Dash lay on a small, grey nimbus, the dawn rising above it, casting the first rays of light and life down upon its wispy frame. The cloud was thick with greys and strained whites, and threatened to burst at any time, releasing all that it had bottled up inside. And much like Rainbow Dash, it wafted on the breeze, neither going nor coming, lost in a breezeless sky and on the verge of breaking.

All her emotions and thoughts were welled up behind one thing and one thing only – her mind had been tormented over these past few days over a realization, but one she was ill equipped to handle by herself. The thought of asking for help, however, made each beat of her heart a clenching that caused her discomfort and pain. But no amount of her own thinking could quell that feeling of bricks in the pit of her stomach, and she knew that she was just about to overflow.

A drop fell.

And soon, one after the other, streaks of water rained to the ground in a tiny, controlled shower, delighting the plants that lay beneath. But this, it did alone, for Rainbow Dash had already kicked off, zooming with a disquieted heart toward Ponyville.

She landed, roughly, in front of the large ornate doorway that marked the entrance to Ponyville's very own library. A tentative step was taken, a frown crossing her worried face, but a violent shake of her head drove all foreign expressions away as her look returned to one of neutrality.

She raised a hoof, unsteadily, taking a moment to clear her throat before knocking sharply, and she did not stop until the sound of a pony shuffling around could be heard on the other side, clumsily unlocking the door with the day's first burst of magic.

"Dash!" Twilight exclaimed, as she pulled the door open, stifling a yawn. "You're here earlier than I expected…"

"I… uh… what? Expected?" stammered Rainbow, slightly distracted by the charged greeting.

It was Twilight's turn to shake her head violently; albeit this time to remove some haze left over in her brain from the night's slumber. "Early. You're here early, I mean. Sorry, I just woke up."

"Oh, sorry about that. Yeah. I guess it's kinda early," Rainbow said off to the side, taking note of the sun that was only just now rising above the buildings. "Um… well…"

"What can I help you with, Rainbow?" Twilight asked, with a tone of concern.

The pony in front of her looked slightly off. A little bit troubled. Her eyebrows slanted outward, as if in guilt, but her roaming eyes suggested she was more on the side of 'bothered'. Twilight thought she recognized the look.

"Say... is it hot? Yeah, it's hot. It's kinda hot. Can I come in?" rattled off Rainbow Dash, ducking around Twilight and pushing past her without an invitation.

"Ah... sure. Come in, Rainbow Dash," replied Twilight, turning around and shutting the door. "Not that I'm only just out of bed or anything."

Twilight's suspicions crept heavily into her tone. "Is... everything alright?" She checked, regarding Dash with a curious gaze.

"Alright? Of course everything's alright. What's wrong? Nothing's wrong. Does it look like anything's wrong?" Dash fired off line after line. She tended to get wordy when she was nervous, and there wasn't any denying her state of mind at this very moment.

She circled around the main room of the library distractedly, before dumping herself onto a pile of books in one corner that was left out for sorting by Twilight the previous night. It looked vaguely chair-shaped, to Dash. Might as well use it as one.

Twilight kept her eyes on the edgy Pegasus the whole way through, and didn't even react to her books being squashed in such an inappropriate manner.

"...What?" Rainbow Dash shrugged, trying to dismiss her own behaviour.

"Nothing," was the reply. "You... sure are acting strange, Rainbow."

"Am I? Maybe it's you who's acting strange, and I'm just being normal!"

"Sure, Dash," Twilight said, trotting over to the base of the set of stairs that led to the dark and private upper floors of the library. "Spike! Wake up!"

"Whoa, hey! What are you doing?" Dash yelled at Twilight's actions.

"Waking... up... my assistant?"

"Don't... don't do that!"

"Why not?" Twilight frowned. "Rainbow Dash, what's going on?"

"Nnnnnggg," groaned the panicky Pegasus, rubbing her temples with her hooves. A few bricks in the chair of books tumbled to the floor as she flew herself out of it and gave her wings a little stretch.

"You know what, it's nothing. Don't worry about it! See ya, Twilight!" She smiled suddenly, heading for the door.

And there was a bright flash of light and the jingling of bells flying through the air, and suddenly within Rainbow Dash's sights was a very bemused Twilight Sparkle blocking the path to freedom.

"Nuh, uh. You came here for a reason, and I want to know what that is," said the wall.

"It's... ah..." Rainbow caught sight of a book out of the corner of her eye, which actually wasn't very hard, considering that they were in a library. "Oh! I was just here to get a Daring-Do book from you!"

"You've read them all, Rainbow." Twilight's eyebrow quirked as she took a step toward the agitated Pegasus, who in turn took her own step back.

"Yeah, I know! I mean... I just wanted to get the first one again! You know! To read... again?" She threw out an excuse, her eyebrows dropping yet again, and a half-baked smile extending from cheek to cheek.

"You've already read that one 32 times, Dash. I think you know it by heart." Twilight stepped forward yet again. She'd seen that expression before. Rainbow didn't tend to hide things very well.

"Uh... um... hey, isn't Spike supposed to be awake by now? You ought to go check on him!" Rainbow's mind raced, calling up any distraction she could by this point.

"Did somepony call me?" came a low draconic voice from the top of the stairs. It sounded sleepy, and cranky – but mostly sleepy.

"Ugh!" cried Rainbow.

The little dragon, in his cute night-time sleepy clothes – the one with the candles and teddy bears on it – teetered down the stairs one by one and dragged himself into the main room.

"Morning, Twilight. And, oh, hi, Rainbow Dash." He rubbed his face, driving the sleep away. "You sure are here early. What time is it, Twi?"

"Oh, I'd say it's time for some answers." Twilight grinned, with a sparkle in her eye. "Spike, would you mind getting breakfast for three? I think we're going to have to entertain a guest today."

There really weren't any real tables or chairs or anything like that in the library, simply because Twilight had never found the necessity to buy any before, which was strange considering how the place did have three beds.

But the library also had, strangely enough, approximately four dozen pillows – the result of Twilight's foray into the world of sleepovers and a bit of overzealous preparation.

Pillows which actually made for a relatively good stand-in for furniture.

Well, alright. It was a pit. It was a bowl of fluffy feathers and freshly pressed slipcovers, stacked up in a vague foxhole shape in the middle of the room, which neatly held one rather deflated Pegasus, who lay slumped in the middle of it like an ice cube floating in the middle of a cupful of down.

But the pillows provided no comfort to Rainbow Dash, who draped herself over the side of one of the fluffy white walls and buried her face in the plush.

An empty plate, licked clean of fresh potato hash and a side of wheatmeal, sat just below Dash's right foreleg, upon which she dropped a soiled napkin which Twilight had insisted she use.

And now.

"And now," said Twilight, as the stained piece of cotton paper hit the porcelain dish.

It collapsed upon itself, folding down, without a leg to stand upon, blotches of tomato sauce and powdery traces of wheat flour speckling the otherwise untouched square of fabric.

Rainbow Dash watched as it imploded.

She felt much like doing the same.

"Alright, Dash, out with it," urged Twilight.

The pegasus heaved one final sigh, gathering her wits about her for the inevitable. This was the part that was difficult. This was the part that was going to be hardest to break through. At least Spike was in the other room packing up or doing whatever it was that dragons did.

Her chest tightened, a pain shooting through it as if sparks of electricity were tickling her heart. Every time she thought about her… and every time she even went near considering approaching what she knew was the truth… the lightning rained down.

A thousand thoughts flew through her mind like stars in the empty void of her head. Each star twinkled with something she wanted to say, but starlight alone was never enough to clarify the path ahead. And in the end, words came streaming out of her mouth as she struggled to get the point across.

"I think... I don't know, Twilight!" She gave up. "I mean, I'm not dumb, OK? Even though Applejack says I am, I'm not dumb!"

"No one... said you were, Dash. Besides Applejack, that is. But you're getting a bit ahead of yourself, don't you think?"

"I... I know what it's supposed to mean, Twilight! Ugh! But it's not supposed to happen!"

"I'm not sure I follow, Dash." Twilight shook her head, unable to trace the nonsense to a source.

"Don't you think I've already tried to explain it some other way? Don't you think I've considered the alternatives?"

"Alternatives of... what?"

"I have..."

"You have...?"

"... feelings!" Dash blurted out.

"Feelings of… what?"

"You know! Feelings!" Dash waved her front hooves around to elaborate.

Twilight blinked. Slowly, her eyelids tilted down, slanting toward the back, and the beginnings of a grin narrowed itself to the edges of her mouth.

"Is... that all?" she asked, trying not to laugh.

"Is... is that all?" echoed Dash, incredulously. "Don't you see what this means?"

"It means... you like somepony?"

"I'm ruined! My entire image!" Rainbow Dash threw her legs up and motioned to herself. "How could I, Rainbow Dash, have feelings?"

"How... indeed," said Twilight. "Didn't we just go through this with the whole reading thing?"

"It's not the same! This is like... ten times worse! Fifty! A million!"

"Now, there's a slight exaggeration."

"Twilight! You can't let anypony know about this! Not a single other pony, OK? You have to promise me!"

"Okay just… calm down, Dash. Don't you think you're overreacting slightly? Like you tend to do with... everything?"

"This is different, Twilight! This is mushy and... icky stuff! You know? I can't be seen being mushy and icky!"

"So... why'd you come to me, then? I mean, you could have just not told anypony and be done with it." Twilight observed.

"Because," said Dash, through clenched teeth, "I need you to fix me!"

"…fix?" Twilight stared straight at Dash, her tone of voice the only thing changing.

"Fix! You know! Like... fix!"

"Fix," Twilight repeated yet again, the essence of it not becoming any clearer.

"Yeah! You know, with magic and stuff! I'm sure one of these books you've got has some kind of spell to reverse this thing!"

"Rainbow... let's just think about this for a while, alright?"

"Come on! Use your horn!" Rainbow insisted, pushing herself up and making a mad swipe toward Twilight's forehead.

"Hey, don't touch it! It's not a toy, Dash!"

Twilight pulled away from Dash's advances, as the frantic blue pony propelled herself forward over the edge of the pillow boundary in a desperate grab.

This had the unfortunate result of Rainbow sprawled out over the floor, legs caught up on a raised platform of softness but her face connected on something much, much less forgiving.

"Dash? Are you... alright?" asked Twilight, approaching the Rainbow Rug.

"P... pweefe," came the muffled response.

"I'm sorry… I couldn't hear that…"

"Please..." the voice said again; but it didn't sound like Rainbow's. It had a tone that Twilight had never heard from her before. It sounded soft, weak, and almost even... dare she consider? Vulnerable.

Behind the voice came a grating burbling, like the gentleness of a river as it stretches itself beyond the horizon of a forest landscape, but the sound coming from Dash's throat wasn't as peaceful.

It was choked. It was strained. The river was no longer pristine and beautiful. It was dour and ignored. It was a perfect river never before seen by mare or stallion, and there was something a little bit sad about that.

"Oh my gosh, Rainbow!" exclaimed Twilight, looking down at her. "Did you injure yourself? Are you okay?"

And Twilight looked into her eyes. Her big... bright eyes, always injected with energy, always able to see any problem through, always reflecting the power of will and strength of passion that Rainbow Dash herself had inside. Those crimson eyes, and the fire they held, were much larger and much deeper than Twilight had ever noticed before.

And at the bottom, gathering in small, but significant amounts, were the beginnings of a tear.

All voice was gone now. Gone from the one pony who was nothing if not vocal.

The one pony who always had something to say about everything fell silent.

Twilight nudged her up gently with a helping push, lifting her with the side of her own body to a fairly workable sitting position; Rainbow's legs falling off the pillows lifelessly and her head tilted to the side like a rag doll.

"Rainbow... did you hit your head?" asked Twilight, gently, resting Rainbow's unresisting body against the pile. "Where does it hurt?"

And through shuddering breaths those crimson eyes turned, moving upward to look at Twilight, and a shaking but forceful leg raised up slowly, curling... curling inwards...

"Here..." murmured Rainbow Dash, tapping herself on the chest.

"It hurts here."

Prologue :: End

Chapter 1 - An Open Book

Chapter 1 :: An Open Book

It was so... different.

Different was the word.

Twilight could handle many things, and had.

She took on crazy ancient gods, dragons, evil creatures of the forest, a parasprite swarm, and even that one time when Spike burnt her book.

She'd seen wonders that most ponies could only dream of, and lived to tell the tale.

She'd been granted the honour of being Princess Celestia's personal pupil.

And yet, this. This thing curled up in front of her was... different.

It was bothering her.

And it was the part of Rainbow Dash's self-degenerating process which made her instinctively curl up into a fetal position, using her own wings as a blanket, as her eyes roamed the background like a pony struck with madness.

Spike had this irresistible urge to poke her with a stick.

Twilight had this irresistible urge to wake up from this funny dream, and then later go meet up with Applejack to laugh about it.

Rainbow Dash simply whimpered.

"Um..." said Twilight, "it's been almost twenty minutes now... Do you want to talk about it?"

"We lost her, Twilight," said Spike, leaning over the ball of blue and looking into her vapid face.

"Spike, be nice. Anyway, as a friend, I think we should stay with her, at least until she gets back to... normal, I guess."

"Look, Rainbow Dash! It's the Wonderbolts!" Spike pointed out the window.

The saucer-sized eyes of the pony that lay on the ground moved. They shuddered in place as they attempted to turn toward the window of Spike's indication, managing to make it nearly halfway there.

"Well, it's a start." Spike shrugged, walking off to the other side of the room. "Anyway, you stay with her if you want to. I got chores to do."

Rainbow Dash's eyes snapped back.

"Um... alright, listen." Twilight sighed, regarding her damaged friend. "First things first, are you sure you have... you know, feelings? It's... not the first time you've jumped to conclusions, if you don't mind me saying."

"Then why do my kidneys hurt?" mumbled Rainbow Dash, finally responding.

"Your... wha?"

With a wing, she pushed herself back up to a sitting position, giving her ribcage a couple of taps with her hoof. "My kidneys, Twilight!"

"Those aren't–"

"Kidneys!" Rainbow repeated, just for emphasis.

"O...kay, your chest may be hurting for a number of reasons, Dash. Why do you immediately assume it's got anything to do with these feelings of yours?"

"Wait..." Rainbow thought, scratching her head. "There aren't any kidneys in my chest! Whaddaya talking about, Twilight?"

"Look, just forget the kidneys! That's your chest, OK? Your chest hurts. Your kidneys are near your flank!" Twilight said exasperatedly.

"Right. I knew that," Dash claimed. "So why do my kidneys hurt?"

"Rainbow Dash, so help me…" muttered Twilight, under her breath.

"Huh? Didja say something?"

"No. Listen. Please," begged Twilight. "First of all, are you sure what you're feeling are... these... feelings that you think you're feeling?"

"Um... I guess? I dunno. I mean, I've never really felt like this before. Although, I guess you could be right. Might be something else! Hey, Twilight, you're a genius! What other things cause a sharp pain here?" She pointed to her sternum.

"A lot of things, Dash. What other symptoms do you have?"

Twilight stood back up, trotting to a shelf that was a little off to the right, nudging a dusting Spike out of the way. A great number of thick, heavy tomes filled the space, one of which Twilight yanked from its resting spot and floated over to the floor where it sat itself neatly in front of the Unicorn.

"Physician's Desk Reference," explained Twilight, opening the book up and flipping through the pages. "Go on?"

"I also sometimes feel a tingling sensation in my left leg," Dash said, holding up her right leg. "And I get short of breath, like I just ran the Leaves."

"Ah..." muttered Twilight, pages turning over and over in the book like a hurricane blew through.

"And then after that, I get a bit light-headed, and dizzy, and then I feel like I wanna lie down for a while."

"Huh," exclaimed Twilight, suddenly taking herself away from the pages and looking straight at Rainbow, who sat there quite unmoving.

"What? What is it?" Rainbow asked, after a good half minute had passed.

"Well, you're still alive, so it's not a heart attack, then. Well, this is no good," grumbled Twilight, putting the tome aside. "Guess we have to... venture outside for a while."

"What? We're not going out, Twilight. I don't wanna get anypony else involved!"

"No, no, Dash. I didn't mean it like that. What I meant was... well, I usually don't resort to weeklies, but I suppose desperate times… you know," Twilight half-smiled, almost as if she were slightly ashamed of what she was about to pull out next.

From a small rack that sat unnoticed in the corner came a piece of literature that was remarkably unlike any other found in the entire library. It was soft, and floppy, and it contained within itself a great number of pictures and articles rather than short stories or references.

The title of the rag read:

"Horsmopolitan: The Working Mare's Magazine"

Rainbow Dash kept a wary eye on it as it floated over. She had heard tell of this strange and exotic beast, but never before been so close to it in real life. In fact, a few alarm bells had started to ring in her ear when she realised that Twilight – of all ponies – had this sort of publication stashed away in her home.

"Why do you even have this?" asked Dash, incredulously. "I didn't know you read this kind of stuff!"

"Oh I don't, really." Twilight tilted her head and smiled. "Spike brought it home that one time after visiting Rarity, when they–"

"Hey! Hey! Don't tell her that!" Spike yelled from the other side of the room.

"Ah… yes." Twilight halted herself. "Well, either way, I decided to keep it! I read it for the articles. I swear."

The magazine gently floated down like a leaf, settling itself on the floor where the magnificent medical manual once was. A quick glance was really all that Rainbow Dash could stomach, but even that was enough to see the pretty, gussied-up model displaying herself like a peacock all over the front cover, selling prettiness as a commodity to all who would buy it.

"Be just like her!" the magazine demanded. "And we'll show you exactly how!"

But that wasn't the bit that made Rainbow squirm inside, like a thousand worms were dancing in the pit of her belly.

What caught her eye was one of the many blurbs that ran down alongside the periodical, each celebrating a feature of this issue's contents.

And this specific edition had…

"Miss Big Heart's Are-You-In-Love Quiz!" Twilight read out excitedly, flipping to the page almost as if she had known exactly where it was.

"Miss who-now's what-then?"

"Miss Big Heart. Oh, I'm sure it's just a nom de plume." Twilight chuckled, busting out the fancy terms. "It's just a quiz! These magazines always have them…"

"…as I understand." Twilight quickly appended, after noticing the strange look Rainbow was giving her.

"And look!" Twilight continued. "It's a special Pegasus edition! Isn't that perfect for you two?"

"Well, yeah. I guess so," muttered Dash. She rubbed her chin on the floor as she glared at the magazine, like a lion stalking its prey. But all of a sudden, after a moment of thought, her body shot up and transferred the glare to Twilight.

"Wait a minute," Dash said, her body rearing back defensively.

"What?"

"You said 'you two'." Dash's wings ruffled as she pointed toward the magazine with an accusing hoof.

"Yes, the both of you." Twilight blinked.

"I never said anything about her being a Pegasus too!"

"Well… it's obvious, isn't it?" Twilight answered, without skipping a beat. "I mean, who else could keep up with you?"

"Well, that's true, but–"

"And you spend most of your time in the sky. I don't see you grounding yourself for anypony else!"

"Well, yeah! But–"

"No matter which way you look at it, it's gotta be another Pegasus. Isn't that right, Spike?"

"Yeah," the little dragon responded, distracted with his important dusting duties. "It's gotta be Fluttershy!"

"I–" gasped Rainbow Dash.

It was about that time when all conversation decided to leave the room for just a moment.

Rainbow sat there with her mouth agape, her eyes bubbling slightly as they boggled around inside her head.

Twilight shut her own, bringing her head down and shaking it ever so slightly.

Spike just stood there, wondering why the awkwardness level rose a couple points.

"Who told you?" was the first line to escape Rainbow's lips when words decided to rejoin the party. "Who told you? Who told you?"

She ran her hooves through her mane in a stark panic, dishevelling her hair every which way.

"Nopony told us, Rainbow," Twilight said, deliberately, eyes locking onto Spike.

"Yeah, it's… it's obvious, isn't it?" Spike said cautiously, turning to look to Twilight for reaffirmation. "Isn't it?"

"Well, it is, Spike. But we don't go around just saying things like that. It's a delicate situation," Twilight said, using that voice she reserved for when Spike needed to have something explained to him subtly.

"But… why not?" reasoned Spike. "I mean, Rainbow Dash knows who it is, and we know. And we know that Rainbow Dash knows. And Rainbow Dash, well, she didn't know that we knew, but she doesn't know much anyway."

"Hey, I'm sitting right here, you know!" Dash shot out.

"I know!" yelled Spike indignantly. "And now you know that we know, what's the problem? Now we can all speak freely, right? No more sneaking around and being evasive?"

"Spike! That's not how it works!" Twilight continued directing the conversation to her little naïve friend. "Rainbow Dash is going through some… new things, okay? Something she hasn't experienced before. And she's scared, and nervous, and confused, and being stupid about it…"

"Still here, guys!" Rainbow interjected.

"… and she's in love, and you don't throw things in the face of someone who's in love! Especially at a pony like Rainbow who doesn't like the word, and would never admit that she's in love, and is uncomfortable with expressing her feelings!"

Rainbow Dash threw her legs up in the air and looked around, as if hoping to find somepony else who would help her make it known that she was still in the room.

"Wait, she's in love?" asked Spike.

"Uh, yeah, Spike." Twilight nodded. "What did you think we were talking about?"

"Well, that's what I meant about being evasive! How was I supposed to know that she was in love? I just thought she, you know, liked Fluttershy! As a close friend!" the dragon whined.

"Wait, you guessed she was talking about Fluttershy, but you didn't realise that she was in love?"

"Yeah! I mean one of those things is so much more obvious than the other, right?"

Twilight shook her head. "No, Spike, it's not. It really isn't."

"So, Rainbow Dash is in love?" Spike asked again, for reconfirmation.

"What did you think 'feelings' meant?" Twilight asked, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, that's enough!" yelled the quaking blue Pegasus, dragging the attention of the two gossipmongers back to her. "I'm not… in… lu…luhh… loovveeeeahhh, alright? We don't know that!"

And ever so slowly and sneakily, Twilight's eyes trailed down to the magazine and back up again.

"There's a way we can find out." She grinned.

Chalking up one more point on Rainbow Dash's 'uncommon experience' list was the pencil she had in her mouth. Quills were for Unicorns – you know, the ones with enough control to have good penmanship – but the Pegasi, like the Earth ponies, had to make do with a stick of wood clamped between a tight jaw.

Rainbow Dash didn't write. She never really needed to, in her daily life. And even though her one single job was to write down the question numbers and letters pertaining to her answers on a nice fresh sheet of loose-leaf paper, the implement in her mouth felt as foreign as the last time Applejack had invited her to chew on some Timothy-Grass.

'For th' flavour.'

The pencil was leaving a similar sense of distaste on her tongue.

Rainbow had already made her worries known, all of which were shot down by Twilight with words of comfort and assurance.

"Don't worry," she had said. "I'm sure it won't be embarrassing!"

"Of course I won't tell anypony else, Rainbow."

"No, Spike won't tell anypony else either, will you Spike?"

"No, I haven't done this before. Why do you ask?"

Spike had vehemently refused to go upstairs. He rattled off some unbelievable excuses about having to be the voice of reason in the crowd, but everyone in the room knew that he was just there for the show. Besides, it was probably better to have him be around and promise not to say anything than have him spy on them from above and gossip wildly to everypony in town. But Rainbow had forced him to sit in the far corner and not say a word, and an agreement was met.

And Twilight was the one who was radiating the most excitement. From all the days that Rainbow Dash had known Twilight, it was certain that Twilight was getting more out of this than she was. This was just one of her experiments, wasn't it? It was probably just an excuse to see that quiz in action for herself.

Oh, of course Twilight denied it. And despite knowing this, Rainbow Dash still found herself playing along, pulled by the invisible strings of the puppeteer that was her own confused feelings.

Perhaps Rainbow Dash herself subconsciously wanted to confirm her own feelings, but did not have the self-reflection necessary to seek the answers herself.

Perhaps even Rainbow was using this as an excuse to find out the truth.

All of this inevitably led back to the pencil.

"Question one!" Twilight declared, sliding a hoof down the glossy, decorated page.

Rainbow pushed the pencil to the other side of her mouth with her tongue.

"You are eating lunch with your companion, and you both order the same dish. However, there's only one serving left. Do you: 'a', let your companion have it while you order something else; 'b', order it for yourself; or 'c', order it and share it between the two of you?"

"Why would a restaurant be out of food?" mumbled Rainbow.

"It's a scenario, Dash. Just answer the question."

"I don't know!" Rainbow shrugged, the pencil falling from her mouth. "It depends what the food is, doesn't it? And how I'm feeling that day! Like if I were in a sandwich mood, and I just had to have a sandwich, I'd probably have to say 'b'. But if it were like, bean soup, and I don't know why I would ever order bean soup, I'd totally answer 'a', you know? It's really between 'a' and 'b'! How am I supposed to choose?"

"Dash, it's a simple question. You're kind of over-thinking this."

"'C'," answered Rainbow with a sigh, shoving the pencil back into her mouth.

"OK! 'C' is… three points." Twilight nodded, referring to the page.

Rainbow just stared blankly.

"Write down 'three', Rainbow." Twilight pointed to the blank sheet of notepaper in front of her companion.

Rainbow wrote down 'three', and then proceeded to continue staring at Twilight.

"I don't know, alright? It's how it works! Just do it!" Twilight exclaimed.

"You didn't say there'd be numbers involved," grumbled Dash.

"Question two." Twilight began, ignoring the complaint. "You, your best friend, and your companion are out together. When deciding what to do for the day's activities, your best friend wants to see a performance. Your companion wants to go shopping. Who do you go with?"

"'A'," Twilight continued, "Your companion, always; 'b', your best friend, always; 'c', whichever one has the better idea; or 'd', there's no problem because your companion is your best friend."

"Um…I don't know, Twilight. Can I not answer this one?"

"No, you can't. That's not how these things work. There are rules, you know."

"Fine, fine. I guess… 'c'?"

"Really? I'd have thought it would be 'd'."

"Well, I don't just have the one friend, do I?" Once again, the Pencil clattered to the floor. "Just because I like someone doesn't mean that suddenly my best friends aren't my best friends anymore, right?"

"That's a very good point, Dash." Twilight nodded. "And speaking of points, that 'c' awards you four, for some reason."

Rainbow dutifully wrote it down, ever increasingly bothered by the nature of these questions.

"Question three."

"Just how many questions are there?"

"Twenty."

"Jeez!"

"Question three. What's your idea of a perfect evening at home? And yes, Rainbow Dash," Twilight added, "I know none of these choices appeal to you, but let's skip the complaints and just choose the best one, alright?"

There was no response save a silent rolling of the eyes.

"'A', sitting at home and chatting for hours about nothing."

"How do you chat about nothing? You can't chat about nothing." Dash complained anyway. It was the principle of it.

"'B', cooking a delicious meal for the two of you while your companion reads a book and relaxes."

"What book? Is it Daring-Do? I wouldn't blame her if it's Daring-Do."

"'C', getting a massage and being pampered by your companion."

"Ummmmm…" Dash shook her head. "No."

"So, which one?" Twilight asked, with a cheeky grin.

"Those are all pretty terrible, you know. I mean, if I were to take her out, we'd be doing something we both did. So we wouldn't be speed-flying, cause she hates that. And we wouldn't be hanging around animals, cause I kinda hate that. Well, except for Tank, of course."

"Oh, how is Tank?" Twilight suddenly asked, reminded of the little pet.

"Um… just fine, I think. Fluttershy takes care of him most of the time. He can't really… come home with me, you know? Turkles and clouds don't really mix."

"That's 'turtle', Dash. And anyway, Tank's a tortoise."

"Yeah, well… you know. Animals were never my thing." Dash shrugged with a touch of regret.

A short, slow draw of breath escaped her lips. Twilight hadn't any idea what Dash was thinking about at that point, but it seemed that bringing up her pet had touched a nerve.

"Maybe I should've spent more time learning about animals and turkles and stuff," Rainbow mused, finally speaking up. "Maybe she'd like me more if I did."

"I don't know about that," Twilight said. "But anyway, your choice?"

"I guess it'd have to be 'a'." Dash decided. "I can't cook, and I really hate being touched."

"Well, that's another three points, then!"

Rainbow looked up from the piece of paper that had three rather meaningless numbers scrawled upon it in bad print.

"I don't get this, Twilight. So I have three and three and four. What's that supposed to mean? I like her ten?"

"Well, each answer has a different score, you see. At the very end, we tally up the scores. Your final amount will lie within the range of three different assessments, and your score determines–"

"Use words I understand, egghead!" Rainbow groaned.

"Um… well, if you get a low score, you don't love her. If you get a medium score, you sort of love her. And if you get a high score, you've found your very speci–"

"What, that's it?" Rainbow exclaimed, pushing herself back up from off her chest and resting on her hindquarters. "That's all this thing is?"

"Yes, apparently." Twilight quickly scanned through the rules again to make sure she hadn't misunderstood.

"This is… this is dumb!"

"Rainbow…"

"No! Listen!" Rainbow yelled, before taking it down a notch after catching the frustration creeping into her tone. "I mean, listen. I know I'm not as eggy as you are, Twilight…"

"I really wish you'd stop using that term, Rainb–"

"… but even I can see that this is kind of… you know?"

"No, I don't, Rainbow. What?"

"I mean, it's so stupid! First of all, the answers don't even really apply to me! How am I supposed to choose? And these questions don't even really have anything to do with how much I love her, do they? Why can't I just love Fluttershy and not have to worry about it? Why do I have to think about all these weird scenarios and these extra things?"

Twilight was already closing the magazine, a sly smile plastered across her face. She'd also taken back the loose sheet of paper and the drool-coated pencil, having placed them next to the old, used publication.

"I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash. What was that you just said? I didn't quite catch it," Twilight chittered, playfully.

"I said, why can't I just love Fluttershy and not have to… oh."

"That's right." Twilight nodded.

It felt odd saying it out loud like that – without reservation and without the normal conscious stuttering that accompanied it every time Rainbow had tried to approach it in the past. It wasn't bad, really; it seemed to come out much more comfortably than she would have ever thought it could. But still, there was that aura of unfamiliarity that she had to overcome.

"Love her. Love Fluttershy," Dash kept repeating over and over to herself, not even caring that Spike was standing behind her trying his best not to giggle inanely. In front of her, Twilight still kept that know-it-all smile of triumph, her eyes closed in satisfaction of a point well made.

"It's not that hard, is it, Rainbow?" Twilight encouraged her on. "I think you just needed to hear yourself say it, that's all."

"I… still feel kinda weird about it, Twilight."

"Well, that's to be expected. After all, you're still you, right? But not admitting it and not having it are two different things. Once you know you have it, then you can start to work on admitting it."

"I… I just don't get it."

"What's not to get?"

"Well… I mean, why her? I guess one of the big questions in my mind was… why Fluttershy? I mean, I don't even like her. I mean, I do, but I don't… you know what I mean!" Dash threw her legs in the air, waving them around wildly and finally letting them drop at the end of her attempt to describe her issues. "It should'a been Soarin' or, I dunno, you know that nice stallion who plays tennis all day?"

Twilight nodded. She knew the one.

"You know, someone more like me. But then suddenly I find myself… just… you know? Fluttershy, she's so quiet and stupid and animals. She's the complete opposite of me. And I know, we've done a few things together. She's always supported me, and helped me get Tank and cheered me on during the flying competition and even helped with getting the water up to Cloudsdale and all that…"

"That's reason enough, isn't it?"

"You know, I don't even know why I tried that hard to get her to join in for the tornado! Not like I really cared or anything!"

It was Rainbow's usual dismissive nature to immediately discard what she didn't understand. But just as those words left her lips, her chest tightened again with the guilt of even approaching the thought of not caring for that sweet yellow candy corn of a Pegasus.

"Maybe I do. Just a little," admitted Dash. "But I still don't get why it's her."

"It's like a magnet, Rainbow." Twilight shrugged, eyes looking off to the side in thought.

"A magnet?"

"Yeah, opposites attract, right?"

"I still don't get it, Twilight. I don't even know how actual magnets work."

"Well, that's not the point, Rainbow. But basically, you have electrical charges and tiny little basic particles inside each magnet which spin to cause what you call a magnetic fie–"

"No! I'm not really asking you, Twilight! Don't start with your egghead stuff! You know it just upsets me. That was just one of those, whaddaya call 'em? Robotical…"

"Rhetorical."

"… questions," Dash explained. "Yeah, whachamacallit."

"What can I say, Rainbow? Opposites just tend to attract. If you found somepony who was exactly like you, I'd say it'd be pretty boring. I mean, Applejack's like you in many more ways than Fluttershy is. Have you ever thought about being romantic with her?"

"Applejack? Eeew! Gag!" Rainbow struck a hoof toward her mouth.

"There you go then. Oh, and speaking of Applejack, you know who might be able to help you?"

"You can't be serious," Dash waved it away.

"Well… yeah, I am, Dash."

"No. No Twilight. No. No way. No way."

"To be fair, she does know a lot about relationships."

"Who, her? Miss farm-pony? You're kidding." Rainbow pointed toward the door for effect.

"No! I wouldn't have pegged her for it myself, honestly. But she knows a lot more than the rest of us, and I don't think I can help you further. I don't really have the experience, after all. And all my books say that real love is best experienced, and not learnt about from… a book, ironically."

"This can't possibly be all you have to offer me, Twilight! You know everything!"

"Well… not about this. Rumours of Princess Celestia and me are… greatly exaggerated." Twilight grinned sheepishly. "All I can do is… well, open your eyes a little. I can't actually tell you how to go on from here."

"But, Twilight… Applejack. Really? Applejack? I couldn't tell her this. She can't possibly know. What can she do for me that you can't?"

"Well, like you said, you're uncomfortable with your feelings, right?"

"And?"

"Who's the most comfortable, well-adjusted pony you know?"

"…"

"Who has never let anything bother her, and has always been able to keep up close relationships with everyone else?"

"…"

"Who's the one single pony who has the tightest, most close-knit family this side of Equestria?"

"…"

"I think you're going to have to talk to her, Rainbow," Twilight declared.

"No, Twilight. I am not. Going. To. Tell. Applejack."

Rainbow stood firm, her four hooves falling flat on the ground as unflinching as the mountain that Canterlot was built on.

–––

"Uh… tell me whut?" asked Applejack, leaning on her fence.

It took her by surprise, mainly because she only just now allowed the full impact of where she was and what she was doing come rushing in. She opened her eyes a bit wider, noting the rusting, open fields, the apple trees and the corn stalks growing in the distance, the bright red barn that marked the territory of the Sweet Apple Acre estate, and the bemused farmer standing in her midst, Stetson perched on her head and one of those ridiculous blades of Timothy-Grass in her mouth.

When did she even leave the library? She didn't remember. All she did remember was Spike's none-too-subtle laughter as soon as the door swung shut, and more thoughts than she could handle suddenly invading her incapacitated brain.

And she walked. Trudging through the town until pavement turned into dirt, and dirt turned into soil. She didn't even fly – she simply didn't have enough brain power at the time to handle it.

It wasn't a short walk, but through it all she ran the questions she had to ask and the thing she needed to say over and over, and before she even realised it, she was there, standing in front of her rival.

She only just caught the phantom of what she had said to Applejack. It was like listening to an echo – the words didn't seem to have come from her own lips, even though they very much did.

And it was a minute ago when she made her way, zombie-like, to the gates of the farmstead, spotting Applejack taking a short break under the shade of a tree, and stopping there.

45 seconds when she stood, swaying back and forth as if in a daze, and when Applejack came rushing up to her to greet her friend.

Half a minute ago when she played with the idea of saying something – anything – and when Applejack watched her with a worried expression, trying to figure out why Rainbow Dash was impersonating a fish.

And finally, after a long gaping experience, 5 seconds until Rainbow Dash finally said, defeated:

"Hey, Applejack? I need to tell you something."

Chapter 1 :: End

Chapter 2 - A Touching Story

Chapter 2 :: A Touching Story

One of Applejack's eyelids twitched, and she shifted her jaw around her mouth just to prevent her teeth from clattering together. She looked as though she was just about to cry.

In fact, a small tear fell from the very corner of her huge quavering globes and danced down her cheek, but it was the only one that managed to escape.

"… and that's about it," Rainbow Dash concluded. "Hey, are you listening?"

"Y…yeep," Applejack squeaked, looking at that one grain silo in the background just to avoid having to look at Rainbow's face. She started to breathe in short, thin bursts, her lips curling inward as she tried to keep her mouth closed.

"Did… did you hear me, Applejack?" Rainbow Dash lifted off, hovering directly in front of her friend to get her attention. "Um… hello?"

Despite that, Applejack still attempted to keep Rainbow out of her view, but it was very difficult to, under these circumstances.

"Yeah… I heard ya! I heard… mfff…" Applejack pushed down a sudden burst of something. "I heard ya!"

"So are you gonna help me or not?" The Pegasus threw her forelimbs out impatiently.

"Aahhhhhhhhhhhh hahahahahahaha!" cried out Applejack, each additional word that Rainbow said just added to the cuts that caused her balloon to burst.

"What?" said Rainbow.

"Ah… hahaha… hahaha!"

Applejack had fallen off her perch on the fence now, rolling back in the dust, her hat flying away while she clutched her gut in pain.

"Y... you! Ah hahahaha!" Applejack pointed at Rainbow. "I can't… you? You're in love?"

"Hey, come on!"

"No, but… Ah… ahahahaha! I can't… I can't breathe!" Applejack wheezed, scrabbling for her hat and using it to wipe away the tears that had started to stream down in rivulets. "Rain…Rainbow Dash! Finding… finding love! Oh my stars, this is a miracle! Bwahahahaha! Hey, can ya… can ya stay for next Zap Apple Jam season? I think it'll be a go… a good one, because this here's pure magic, y'all! Hahahaha!"

"OK. That's it. I'm leaving." Rainbow frowned, turning to fly off. It was funny, sure. It was something she had expected Applejack to make fun of her about, but this was way too much exaggeration, even for her rival. It felt as if she was just taking the mick out of her.

"No! No! Please! I'm sorry. I'm mighty sorry, R.D.!" Applejack implored, reaching up from her position on the ground. "I'm sorry! Please stay!"

Rainbow looked over her shoulder, glaring at the grinning dust bunny.

"Come on, you gotta admit, it's pretty funny," Applejack said, still chuckling at random intervals.

"No, it's not! This is my feelings we're talking about here, you know!"

"You're right. You're a hundred percent right. I'm really sorry for laughin', sugar." With hat back on head, the suddenly-composed pony pushed herself back up and tottered over to where Rainbow Dash was floating.

The Pegasus peered down at Applejack's quivering lip, guilty eyes and shaking throat.

"Don’t you dare," threatened Rainbow Dash. "I will hit you. I will."

"Not at all," Applejack reassured, swallowing down her final guffaw. "Now, let's get this all out now. You say you're in love? Who with?"

"Do I have to say?"

"Not at all, but it'd help rightly to know."

"Do I have to say it out loud?"

"Loud enough for me to hear, darlin'."

"It's Fluttershy, alright? Fluttershy."

Rainbow braced herself for that laugh again, but there wasn't any for some unknown reason. Instead, Applejack kept to her promise and held it down, much to Rainbow's surprise. It was yet another curious moment for Dash, and she couldn't help but feel something was rather strange about Applejack's reactions thus far.

"Well, Fluttershy, eh? Can't say I ain't a bit jealous of her." Applejack smiled.

"Wait, what? You? What?"

"Aw, not like that, beanstalk! I just mean she's got a fine friend to be interested in her, that's all."

"Oh. Right."

"But anyhoo, what can I do for ya?"

"Well, I just came from Twilight's, and she says that you might be able to… you know, give me some advice. Apparently you've got experience with relationships or something."

"Oh, she said that, eh?" Applejack stated, simply. "Well, that's right. I sure do."

"Who with? I've known you all these years, and you've never said anything about it before!"

"Well, that'd be telling now, wouldn't it?" Applejack winked.

"Oh, come on, that's just not fair! I told you mine, didn't I?"

"Well, I ain't the one coming to you for advice, am I?"

"Applejaaaacccck," Rainbow whined. "Come onnnnn!"

"In due time, sugar, in due time. But in any case, what kinda problems are y'all havin' with the missus?"

"Don't say it like that! And… well, you know. I'm not very… I mean, I… It's about how to show… and stuff. You know?"

"You have trouble expressin' yerself, is what you're tryin' ta say," Applejack guessed.

"Yeah, little bit. I'm just not comfortable talking about it. Or showing it. Or anything it."

"No kiddin'," Applejack chucked.

"I mean, I don't usually… say stuff like that. Twilight was showing me earlier about how to admit it, and it isn't that bad, really, but… there's gotta be more to it than just that, right?"

"That's exactly so." Applejack smiled, leaning on the fence and looking skyward at a stray cloud. "There's plenty more than just sayin' what everypony already knows. It's about showin' yer affection. And you surely want Fluttershy t' know that you love her, don't ya?"

"I guess so." Dash shrugged, her wings ruffling.

Applejack walked around, pushing herself off the fence and teetering toward Rainbow Dash step by step in a sort of dance.

"So, darlin'," she said, "how's about we think of some ways to express yourself?"

"Well… saying stuff, I suppose." Rainbow Dash counted off in her head. "There's smiling, and buying her flowers and rabbit food or whatever she likes. Things like that, yeah?"

"Go on?"

"And you could, you know." Rainbow bumped her front hooves together and held them up in a gesture that only she herself understood. "Games? Flying around?"

In her attempt to pull some ideas out of thin air, Rainbow had barely noticed Applejack sliding up to her. It was almost too late, but the Pegasus yanked her body back just in time before Applejack's had met it coming straight on.

"Wh… what are you doing?!" Rainbow screamed, eyes widened in shock. Somehow, the farmer had managed to sneak right up and put her head right next to hers. She had no idea that her job required her to be that stealthy, really.

"What are you trying to do?" Rainbow pushed Applejack away.

"Whoa there, Bessie," Applejack said, rearing back and giving her a sly smile. "I just thought ta show ya rather than tell."

"No! Don't show me anything! Don't come so close! You know I don't like other ponies touching me!"

Applejack gave a sort of knowing smile through half-closed eyes, tilting her head to the side and then back again in a sort of 'there you go' gesture.

"… ah," intoned Rainbow, as the light finally hit her. "Right."

"Y'see, R.D.," Applejack explained, turning around and starting up the path to the barn, her companion in tow, "there's a lot to the physical side'a things when it comes to a relationship. And it ain't all that bad, neither. And I know what'cha thinkin' – It ain't about that. Not… all of it at least."

"Don't even go there," demanded Rainbow. "I can barely stomach accidentally bumping into ponies, let alone–"

"Celestia knows." Applejack waved it off, as she reached the barn and prised open the heavy doors. "But we'll start with th' bare basics, yeah?"

Within the building were the same contents that would have been found on any other day – Dash had been there on more than one previous occasion and it wasn't that unfamiliar. The same old beams; the same old rafters; the same old workbench in the corner with the tools; the same old cart currently devoid of apples; and that rather suspicious looking tuft of hay in the center of the floor.

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but look at it no matter what else her eyes wandered to. It always returned to that small tuft of hay placed there very purposefully in the rough shape of a bed of some kind.

"What are… we doing here?" Rainbow Dash cautioned the question.

"Well, I figured we oughta help you out with this… touchy problem." Applejack shrugged, yanking Rainbow into the barn and closing the doors behind them.

The air smelt fresh. It carried the scent of fresh grass and was rather pleasing, in fact.

It was almost a mood-setter, and with the sun gently beaming through the slats above, the dancing dust in the room played around like the fireflies did at night.

It would have been a hazy dream to anypony else.

Rainbow Dash simply felt nervous.

"Well, it's been fun, but I gotta go!" chuckled Rainbow, backing up and hitting the wall.

"And here I thought you was strong," Applejack chuckled, circling the pile of hay, eyeing it in a far more peculiar manner. "Well, too bad then, Dashie! Guess you're just all talk. Weak widdle Dashie don't like getting touched!"

Rainbow frowned. Far more than the disquieting notion, this sounded entirely like some sort of challenge by her one and only rival. It was also a part of her that she found hard to ignore – there was no way that she was letting Applejack show her up with that kind of accusation.

"Hey now," she said, storming up to the innocent-looking freckled farmer, "I can do this anytime! Nopony's saying I'm weak!"

"Prove it then." Applejack grinned, once again retuning her face to within licking distance of Dash's. "Show me you got what it takes. Heck, show Fluttershy you got what it takes. You're doin' this for her, ain't ya? If you can't even take a bit of touchin' from an old barn mare, how are you gonna be comfortable with Fluttershy runnin' her wings all over your body?"

Rainbow felt the hairs on her back prick up at the mere thought of that, but she didn't react to it any more than a snort. "I… I can…"

"Wouldja listen to that. Bucklin' already." Applejack kept up the egging.

Rainbow thought once again to what Applejack had just mentioned… the whole idea of Fluttershy and her wings… embraced in that slow and gentle hug… as the both of them wrapped themselves up in a cocoon of feathers…

That stirring feeling happened again, her head torn into two directions. It was terribly disgusting. It was foul. She really, really hated the idea of being… molested like that. But… then again…

Dash's heart tripped.

"Fine! I'll do it! What do you have in mind?" Rainbow huffed.

With that, Applejack pulled back, walking around to the other side of the hay, placing the pile between herself and the determined Dash. "I was thinkin', we oughta run a gauntlet, so to speak. Maybe run a gauntlet over you."

"Ha ha. Very funny. Hurry up and tell me what you wanna do."

"How 'bout we make this interesting?"

"What. In what possible way could this be more 'interesting' to anypony anywhere?"

"I'm already finding it interesting, Dash." Applejack tilted her hat back up, her long golden locks of hair bobbing underneath. "But I tell you what, let's make this a game. Sound good? What I'm gonna do is make you experience physical contact. If you react, if you move, if you make any noise at all, you lose. You stay as quiet and still as a barn mouse, you win."

"What happens if I win?"

"I let you go. You get on with your day and we don't ever speak about this again."

"And if I lose?"

"I continue," Applejack said nonchalantly, shrugging as if it were no big thing.

"I don't like thi–"

"Chicken."

"You're on!" Dash screamed.

"Get comfortable then," Applejack said, nodding toward the pile of hay. "We're about to have us a hot time in th' old town tonight!"

"Sheesh, don't say it like you're enjoying it," the Pegasus grumbled, lowering herself onto the soft straw. And her reaction to that was an honest raising of the eyebrow in surprise; the hay was far more comfortable than it looked – all scratchy and sharp. Instead, it felt like an airy tuft of clouds, but with much more substance. It also had a nice 'crunch' to it as she shifted her weight on top. Maybe this was why Applejack always took naps on the stuff, she figured, as she sank into the bale.

It was supportive where it needed to be, gave way where it was required, and altogether felt cool and dry on her skin. Now this, this was a kind of touch that she could definitely enjoy.

She leaned back, reclining, and spotted Applejack's face looking down at her from above.

"Right. Now what?" Dash asked, easing the tension out of her shoulders with a few well placed stretches. This would be no problem! First round and she'd be out of there. She was sure of it. I mean, sure, she said she didn't like it, but when you really thought about it, she was touched casually by plenty of ponies in every day circumstances. It wasn't just last week that Twilight was yanking on her tail with magic, or… wasn't it even just a few moments ago that Applejack pulled her into the barn itself? Surely… surely if she saw it like that then there wouldn't be any problem whatsoever getting past this silly contest.

And then her thoughts broke as a sound that she was not accustomed with pierced the air. It was like a soft, high-pitched squealing, and for a moment, she thought that Fluttershy might have been in the barn with them.

But it wasn't only a second later that she realised that the noise came from herself.

"C…cold!" yelped Dash, wiping the droplet off her temple.

Applejack let the lemon wedge drop from her mouth onto Rainbow Dash's forehead, where it slid down the side of her face, leaving a sticky, fresh-scented trail.

"You lose round one." Applejack grinned.

"That… hey! That's not fair!" argued Dash, wiping the rest of the lemon off her coat and tossing the wedge to the side. "I wasn't ready!"

"I don't think Fluttershy's gonna wait for ya," Applejack retorted. "Although, that girl's so polite, she might ask ya for permission first…"

"That'd be really weird," Dash said, voice breaking.

"Yeah, actually, I'm with you on that one. That would be kinda weird. Anyway, onto round two?"

"Fine!" Dash plunged her head deeper into the bed, letting her legs fall by her side. She was determined now; not to move or to make any noise whatsoever. What she couldn't help but do, was to trail Applejack with her eyes, watching her as she walked from behind her around to the front, and although she didn't tilt her head down, she could just make her blurry silhouette out as she came up from between her legs.

It was about that point when she sincerely wished she'd chosen a better position to be lying down in.

Dash took in a deep breath, hoping it wasn't loud enough to be counted as an out. But Applejack said nothing, and that seemed to have passed.

And then came a feeling.

It was unfamiliar – and from her position she couldn't see what was going on down there – but it felt like an insect was running across her chest; a long, gentle insect that moved in broad, rough strokes up and down her torso.

She didn't move.

A moment later, Applejack's cheeky, smiling face, full of that vigour and spunk that Dash was used to, crept upward into her view, definitely on purpose, just to let Dash see… wow.

Wow.

She hadn't remembered a time when Applejack loosened her mane before, but her silky golden locks, shades of which were somewhere between the sun and ripe corn, cascaded down the side of her face in waves, and she looked much more delicate than Dash could have ever imagined.

Each curl and swirl was just perfect, and it framed her face in a furious fire, brightening up her already intense smile and playing off her cheeks.

Rainbow felt a thumping in her chest. It echoed in her ears and she felt her pulse strongly beating throughout her entire body. There was really only one pony who could make her feel this way, but this visage in front of her… any mare or stallion would have to be blind to disregard it.

But no. This was part of the plan, obviously. She wanted to get a reaction from seeing that beautiful, humble face. The beauty in those freckled features. And what was she doing now? She had taken a great big lock of hair in her mouth, gripping it like a giant paintbrush, and suddenly those sensations she had on her chest started to make sense.

Rainbow's eyes wandered again. In her mind, images started to blur and she imagined Fluttershy there instead of Applejack, doing the exact same thing as they reclined on a bed in her own home. Perhaps one made of rainclouds, or a nice fluffy thing that Shy had stashed away for those longer nights…

Her eyes moved upward as a chill crawled in, stemming from the strokes that went up and down, over and over, upon her body, roaming freely over exposed skin and twitching limbs.

It was the fact that she was unused to it that made the sensations all the more intense; there was this natural reaction to jerk and swat it away – it felt sort of ticklish, but was far more fervid. But strangely, throughout it all, there was also a trail of warmth where the hair flowed; a good, clean feeling, as if she was snuggling up in a blanket during a particularly cold morning.

She knew her body was jerking back inadvertently – simple muscular movements to this foreign disturbance – and she also realised that she wasn't being counted out on purpose.

Rainbow Dash really felt a bit removed from the whole experience. The natural cosiness of the barn, combined with this… Oh Shy… wouldn't you do this a while longer…?

"No! Ahh!" Dash screamed, shoving Applejack quite roughly in the face, who started coughing, having choked on her own hair.

"Ack! Pbbt!" Applejack cried, spitting the lock out. "Hah! Gotcha. That's round two. What the heck just happened, sugar?"

"I… I don't know," Dash said, looking up worriedly. "I just… I just didn't feel comfortable all of a sudden. Not that it wasn't comfortable, I mean, not that I was enjoying it or nothing, I mean!"

"Uh huh." Applejack nodded, her loosened mane still bobbing around her head like a custard helmet. "By the way, how'd I look?"

"A little like Fluttershy, actually," Dash said, tilting her head. "You should wear it like this more often. Not… not that I care, that is."

"'Course not," said Applejack. "But in any case, that's round two over, and you still haven't won."

"I'm just giving you a chance, is all!" Dash snorted again, dumping herself back into the hay with her front legs behind her head. "I can tell you're enjoying this. Far too much, really."

"Well, I'm pretty eager t'get on with it," admitted Applejack. "You sure squirm funny."

"Go on, do your worst!" challenged Dash, as she closed her eyes and relaxed a bit more. If that was the best Jack could do…

Oh Celestia. Dash's eyes suddenly burst open again. This wasn't right. This was just… oh for Celestia's sake.

It seemed that Applejack wasn't intending on playing by the same rules that were imposed on Dash, as a low hum escaped the challenger's lips as she lay beside Dash, straddled up against her while bouncing on the hay.

Her front leg draped over Dash's upper body, falling gently like a leaf, and came to rest ever so softly upon her chest. It stroked and caressed her, like a cat playing with a mouse, as Applejack herself came up close, pressing her entire body against Dash's side.

Her hoof danced. For one so strong and adept at working in the fields, she showed a remarkable amount of dexterity, as even the slightest touch sent prickles down Dash's skin and into her back. This time, she could see it all.

And this time, there was no more argument against the luscious touch of her close friend.

And it was that same friend who was now making noises – there was no better way to describe them – into her right ear as she breathed closely upon it, the moistness of her breath exciting the surface of Dash's cheek, causing blood to rush to the area in a deep crimson blush.

Rainbow felt squirmy, the feelings now travelling from her chest to her midsection, a tightening around her stomach or parts beyond, feathers dancing under her skin.

And still Applejack played, teasing, pushing and prodding, gently moving flesh around and doing nothing less than stimulating the very mind of the poor unmoving Pegasus.

It sparked. It flared. Her thoughts took her in many different directions. And damned if it didn't sort of kind of maybe if she were really being honest felt a little good. But yet, it still felt wrong. And she couldn't quite explain the reasons why.

"Ung," Dash choked out, as a stray hoof circled around a raised area to the side of her body.

"Round four," a whisper came into her ear, Applejack's barrage not even stopping for a moment.

Showing some of her muscle this time, Applejack effortlessly swung around and over, until she was seated firmly on top of Rainbow, her legs straddling around her waist like a children's ride.

She slid her front hooves up Rainbow's, pinning her solidly to the ground, and she fell on top of her, loose hair brushing against Dash's face.

"Wh… what…" mumbled Dash, in a faint echo of denial. She made a small effort to struggle against captivation, but where the flesh was willing, her spirit had surrendered back in round three.

It was going so fast now, as her actions picked up both in speed and intensity, and carried on the waves of excitement and trepidation, Rainbow Dash found herself… enjoying something found deep within it.

"Final round, pumpkin," Applejack said sultrily, lowering her face until her forehead was touching her partner's.

Beads of sweat intermingled between them, a wet, soaking patch oozing out from between where their heads touched. It was such an eerie feeling for the one lying on her back; she felt so uncomfortable, in this position, and she would never admit it, but she was even a little bit frightened. This was never supposed to happen. There was something wrong with this image.

But call it curiosity, call it being caught up in the excitement, or call it an adrenaline rush that Dash was so hopelessly addicted to – she stayed, no longer moving because she wanted to see what was coming next.

She wanted to know. She wanted to feel. And that was exciting by itself.

Dash swallowed hard, as Applejack's face came nearer and nearer, and only now did she realise how green and pure her eyes were, those eyes full of honesty and love and care and pride. And as she moved in, rubbing cheek against cheek, her head slowly sliding upward to where their lips might meet…

"Stop," Rainbow Dash said, with authority, a clenching occurring around her heart yet again. "You win. I can't do this."

And Applejack did.

But more than that, she'd pulled back, and was smiling. This time, a very pure, real smile. One that didn't have the danger of forced intent behind it.

"And why is that?" Applejack smirked, asking a simple question.

"Because you're not her," Dash said, the words coming out without her even thinking. "This isn’t what I want. I mean… it… it was great and all, I guess. But I don't wanna do it with you."

Applejack blinked. Rainbow couldn't pick out the expression Applejack wore after she said that.

"Um… no offence," added Rainbow.

"Oh, none taken," said Applejack, rolling off from Dash in a single move and hopping to her feet, dusting herself off from stray bits of dried grass. "Actually, I'm kinda surprised you got it this fast. I was thinkin' I might actually have ta get in… deep, if you know what I mean."

"Eew. No. Gag me with a spoon," Dash said, propping herself up. "What the heck do you mean, 'got it this fast'?"

"You said it yourself, plum britches. You don't wanna do it with… me."

"I don't get it."

"See, it ain't about the action," Applejack said with a smile. "If anything, we just saw you can take that as well as any other pony. You just don't wanna do it with somepony you ain't fancyin', that’s all."

Dash slowly got up to her hooves again, her wings matted down with sweat and straw. "You mean… this was all… some kind of test?"

"Yeah. Testin' your resolve, really. You had to take a good deep look at'chaself and discover your true feelings. If you really fancied Miss Fluttershy, which you do, you'd have stopped it, which you did."

"What," Dash said, one of many times that day she'd intoned that word in this way.

Applejack merely grinned.

"You… that was… what?" Dash said incredulously. "Are you kidding me? You could've just asked, couldn't you? Why did you make me do all that?"

"I had to make it look real!"

"You… that was…" Dash's face started to boil, a steaming redness rising around her collar. "How could you…"

"Hey, hey now. Don't you worry. Truth is, if you hadn't stopped me, I'd'a stopped myself just before anything bad would'a happened anyway. We weren't never gonna go anywhere! But your face right now? It's worth it. It really is."

The reply was a pair of eyes that looked like they could fly out of Dash's head and stab Applejack right in the flank.

"Hey, you were enjoyin' it too, weren't ya? Sort of. Wouldn't it be nice if you could do that with Fluttershy, and you didn't have to feel too conscious about it?"

"That… that's none of your business! Besides, you just made it worse!"

"I reckon I just let your body experience what your mind was afraid of, nutmeg."

"Afraid?"

"Well, yeah! I mean, c'mon, it wasn't that bad, was it? I know, I know, private matter and all that, but I'm sure you'd be more acceptin' to cuddle up with some yellow Pegasus right about now."

Maybe, thought Dash.

"Yeah, I see that look," continued Applejack, with a chuckle. "Listen, it actually ain't all that. And that's the point. I'm casual about it because touchin' is casual. Ain't nothin' wrong with holdin' hooves, or the odd hug once in a while."

"Yeah, well… you said you had experience, right? Where's all this coming from then?"

"From my family," stated Applejack.

"Your what?"

"I mean, I hug my family all the time, and sometimes I gits ta wrasslin' with Apple Bloom. We're always tossing each other around. And sure, I don't do stuff with them like I did with you, but I still give little Bloom a kiss on the cheek when I tuck her in at night. Is that weird?"

"Well that's… that's different! They're family!"

"I reckon if you don't see Fluttershy as family, things ain't ever gonna work out between the two of ya," Applejack said with a wink.

Dash thought to respond. Her mouth was already open in preparation for a retort. But nothing came. There was nothing she could say. What Applejack said, as she was known for, was the truth, plain and simple.

"Yeah… guess you're right," Rainbow finally said with some reluctance. "And… yeah, it wasn't that bad. But if you tell anypony else what we did here–"

"Oh, ain't any of their beeswax. I assure ya," promised Applejack. "Ain't no thing."

"Well… thanks, A.J., I guess. I think." Rainbow said, still a bit dazed from all of it.

"Right, and before ya go," Applejack remarked, walking Dash to the barn door. "I got one more lesson for ya."

"What is i– eeeeaaargh!" Dash yelled, as a hoof smacked her tightly in the rear, a red hoof-mark already appearing as soon as the leg left its target. Dash reeled forward, clambering on the wood as she clung on for balance.

"Oh… oh yeah," Dash said, weakly. "Mmmm… yeah… alright. I know. I know about that one. Man, that one's painful, but… it also feels so… so good. Strangely. That was… wow, Applejack, way to drive a point home."

"Um…" muttered Applejack, standing behind her with her hoof bent around and turned skyward.

"Wha… what?" stammered Dash. "Was… wasn't that what you were going for? A bit of… rough…"

"No…" Applejack shook her head, eyes showing signs of concern. "There… there was a mosquito."

"… Yeah, thanks," mumbled Dash, her head turning red yet once more.

"Hoo boy," Applejack muttered, wiping the dead bug on the ground. "Ah, what I was gonna say was that you oughta go see Rarity next."

"Rarity? Really? She's so… self… absorbed."

"Yeah, that's the point, strawberry. Fluttershy's a bit more delicate than… what you enjoy, apparently."

"Yes. Let's move on from that."

"Heh… well, Rarity knows a bit or two about being gentle. Polite. Nice. You know, just learnin' how to speak Fluttershy's language. I think you could stand to learn a few things from her."

"I really… I really don't want her to know about this," Dash sighed.

"Listen, this is Rarity we're talkin' about here. In a week, she and everypony else from here to Canterlot's gonna know anyway."

"That's… true."

"So might as well just nip it in the bud and make the best use of it, right?"

"Yeah… yeah. You're right. Anyway, thanks, Applejack. I owe ya one, alright?"

"Hey, ain't a thing!" Applejack said, seeing her friend out the barn, where Dash pushed off the ground and took to a low hover.

"I guess I'll go over and see Rarity now!"

"You do that! And tell me how it goes with Fluttershy!"

"Will do, Applejack," Dash said, picking up altitude with a single beat of her wings, which threw all the remaining straw to the ground, and her into the sky. She had such good friends, she thought, in retrospect. Friends willing to sacrifice so much just for her well being. And it certainly gave her a lot to think about as well!

But yet…

But yet there was something rather… off about this whole situation.

Maybe she was over-thinking it, but when one of your best friends and long-time arch nemeses in the world of sports and other physical games starts to get that close… it just seemed to her there might have been some sort of ulterior motive behind it.

And she didn't know. It was an experience regardless, and she found herself flying away with more than she arrived with, and that was the point.

But as Applejack stood firm, outside the barn, watching the blue streak zoom off towards the town center way off in the distance, she sighed a happy sigh to herself, and leaned on the fence in a bittersweet contentedness.

"You're a real lucky girl, Fluttershy," she said out loud to nopony in particular, her eyes dampening slightly. A rough swallow was all she could muster in light of her quivering throat. But she stuck strong and fast and focused up again, tightening her heart and her resolve.

The lesson hadn't been a lie, and neither was her genuine offer of help. But her heart still burned – she wanted to say something; she really did. But the sacrifice she had to make was found in the biggest secret she had to keep, and all for the sake of the one pony she didn't want to hurt.

The hardest part throughout it all was to stop when she wanted to continue.

To stay silent when she was told to her face that the only pony she loved didn't want anything to do with her.

And to laugh when all she really wanted to do was cry.

And she sobbed, just once, as a sudden wash of anger and sadness hit her from within, when she realised that sometimes, the lies were more important than the truth.

But her smile came back with ferocity, as her eyes burned with determination. She'd done this for a friend, and the one she most cared about, and in the end that was a sacrifice worth giving, even if she did take a few liberties.

Hey, a lady has needs.

"Well, don't y'all worry none, Applejack," she told herself. "If they ever don't work out, she'll be all yours."

She nodded, as she headed off to the barn, her eyes casting a teary glance toward tomorrow.

"She'll be all yours."

Chapter 2 :: End

Chapter 3 - A Lesson in Futility

Chapter 3 :: A Lesson in Futility

Rainbow Dash touched down in the middle of the Ponyville Town Square – that one place just next to the fountain where all the ponies gathered.

It was already the middle of the day, and Rainbow was feeling rather good about herself in many ways. She trotted down the street, merrily, Rarity's boutique coming up in the distance; a landmark of the small township.

No one could mistake those flags or the carousel motif – and for once, Rainbow Dash felt like she was ready to enjoy a short jaunt at street-level. Flying was for ponies who were in a rush, and Rainbow wasn't in any particular rush to speak with Equestria's number one gossipmonger.

She knew the talk was inevitable, sure, but at least she could enjoy herself momentarily in this rare boost of confidence that seemed to have come from nowhere.

But her eye twitched and her ears bowed down, and her haunches cringed upward at the sound of a piercing voice that shook the heavens and roared the Earth. It was a voice that, even more than Rarity's, she had no desire to hear at this point in her life. And suddenly, with just the calling of her name, the blood drained from her face and all her confidence disappeared in the twitch of an eye.

"Rainbow! Ooh, ooh! Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo yelled, racing up to her from behind, a soft grin plastering her face.

"H…hey Scoots." Rainbow chuckled, coddling the little filly. On a good day, Scootaloo wasn't really intolerable. She had Rainbow's energy, the little spark that made her 'cool', and she never said no to anything Rainbow asked her to do, which made her a very good minion indeed.

But without things to fetch or egos to boost, Scootaloo was now reduced to a hurdle in the way of the hundred meters to the finish line. And if anypony had a bigger mouth than Rarity…

Well, alright, it'd actually be Sweetie Belle. But Scootaloo was her friend, and she told her everything.

"Rainbow! Rainbow! Rainbow! Rainbow! Rainbow!" Scootaloo squawked, getting in step with the Pegasus as she trotted along. "What's up? What's up?"

"N…nothin'!" Rainbow stuttered, trying to keep her eyes forward. "What's… what's up with you, Scootaloo?"

"Oh, just… you know, just saw ya, and I came over to hang out, if it's okay with you! I mean, you're not down here that often, so…" Scootaloo shuffled her hooves, looking at a passing bug.

"Oh… um… sure!" Rainbow said, guiltily. "I... guess that'd be… cool."

"So, where're ya goin'? Scootaloo asked, raising her head up to look at her idol, as the both of them turned out of the town center onto the path that led to Rarity's boutique.

"To Rarity's," Dash said.

"Rarity's?" Scootaloo frowned. "You never go to Rarity's. What're you headed there for?"

Rainbow froze. She felt her mind heating up as she sought a reasonable explanation.

I'm going to pick up a new flying cape.

I'm going to ask Rarity out for lunch with the girls.

I'm going to pick Tank back up from his play-date with Opal.

"Uh… I'm going to have lunch with Tank's new flying cape," Rainbow said, as she quickly resumed walking at a quicker pace, her eyes flicking around.

"…what?" Scootaloo raised an eyebrow, now struggling to keep up. "Rainbow Dash? Is everything alright? You sure are acting weird today."

"Nopony's acting weird!" Rainbow squeaked. "You're acting weird!"

Rainbow groaned. She was just making this worse, wasn't she? Oh, why couldn't she play this cool? Why? She was the smoothest, most relaxed pony out there and she knew it! But this… this one thing was making her fall all over herself.

But it'd be alright. Just as long as she didn't let slip the real reason, she'd be alright. Scootaloo must never know… ever… that–

"So it's true then," the tiny flightless filly said morosely. "You really do have a new partner, don't you?"

Like a squeaking balloon, Rainbow dash stopped moving in mid-step and turned toward Scootaloo, her throat erupting with a constant high-pitched whine.

"Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked. "Why're your eyes so funny lookin'?"

"How… how did you know?" Rainbow whispered in hushed tones, her raspy voice getting even raspier under the strain.

"They're like ping-pong balls with dots drawn on 'em," continued Scootaloo, lost in her own conversation.

"Who to…told you?" Rainbow pushed. "Who knew? Who knew?"

"Um… Applejack told me, I think," Scootaloo said, trying to recall. She gave her fluffy magenta mane a little scratch. "I asked her why I wasn't seeing a lot of you lately, and she… well, she's your best friend, so I figured she'd know, and she told me you were busy with your new partner, that's all."

"Applejack did? She… she didn't even wait…! That little… I can't believe it!" Rainbow lamented. "How could she do this to me?"

There was now a mix of anger and embarrassment and shock all dancing together inside Rainbow's gut, and she had no idea what emotion to display first. But somehow, Scootaloo managed to help focus it on embarrassment.

"Um… it's no big deal," the filly said, shrugging slowly. "I mean… it was gonna happen sooner or later, right?"

"That is… but…" Rainbow cried, holding her front hooves to her head. "I…"

But what was even more troublesome was the fact that Scootaloo had suddenly changed her attitude. Fillies like her, they tended to wear their emotions on their cuffs, and when something started to bother them, it was plainly obvious.

Perhaps Rainbow was, herself, a little filly in that respect.

But Scootaloo shuffled dirt around as she kicked her front leg back and forth, sweeping soil away into two neat piles as she watched the dust billow up around her legs.

"Um…" she said, a more restrained tone edging into her voice. "So… how is she?"

"How… how is she?" Rainbow repeated, her mouth agape.

"Yeah, I mean… you know. Technique? Style? Endurance?" Scootaloo swallowed a lump in her throat. "You know… stuff that makes her… good, I guess."

"Uh… I… we haven't… done anything!" Rainbow flustered. "How… how the heck do you even know all these terms anyway?"

"I… I overheard some other Pegasi talking about you, Rainbow," Scootaloo admitted, digging her heels harder into the soft ground. "They said that's what you look for in a partner…"

"That is… totally… who are these Pegasi?"

But Dash never got her answer. Instead, she got yet another shock, as the toughest filly in town pulled back her head and opened her eyes up wide to her. They were moist from the tears, and they glinted in the light of the noonday sun.

It was clear that Scootaloo was putting on the bravest face she could, but she couldn't hold back the quivering lip as much as she could hold back her wavering words.

"I…is it me?" Scootaloo sighed, tiny sniffles punctuating each word.

Rainbow didn't even know how to understand this scene in front of her. What was going on? What was happening? What was wrong with today? How… how could she fix this? Maybe she should just take off and fly away. Maybe that would be best.

And leave a poor little filly alone and crying in the middle of town?

Right, Rainbow. That's the mature thing to do.

"U…uh… there… there?" Rainbow said awkwardly. She had no idea how to comfort others. I mean, her version of motivating Tank was to throw things at him until something bounced off.

"It's because I'm too young, isn't it?" Scootaloo continued, throwing her head away from Rainbow now, her shaggy mane covering the top half of her face. But it was clear from her trembling that something had hurt her deeply.

Rainbow swallowed. She was left speechless. There was no response… no words. She didn't even know any for this kind of situation. She almost wished Twilight was there to speak on her behalf. All she could do was stare while her guilt grew.

"Is it because I can't keep up with you? I…is it because I'm not exciting enough? What? What?" Scootaloo yelled, her sadness boiling over.

"I… I had no idea you liked me that much…" muttered Dash, the only thing she could think of at that point.

"Y…you're awesome!" Scootaloo yelled. "You're the best pony in the… in the whole world! So why… why won't you make me your partner?"

"W…well, you are a bit young…"

"But you always said to start young!"

"Well, that's true, but I… wait, what?" Rainbow caught herself in mid-sentence. Honestly, it was something she started saying before even registering what her conversational opposite had said herself. But when her brain caught up, it started to scream while it scrambled madly to make sense of this.

"Yeah! You… you said, you know, the best time to get stuck in is when they're still young! We learn quickly and we're easily mouldable! And we listen and we're always up for anything, and we never say no, and…"

"Wait! When did I say all this? I never said anything like this!"

"Yeah you did!" Scootaloo yelled back. "A week ago, at the announcement! You even said you'd prefer a filly!"

"The ann…" Rainbow stopped. Wait. Oh. Oh boy.

"My mentorship program?" Rainbow spat out, her whole head tingling. She had forgotten all about that. She did, in fact, make the announcement just last week that she was opening herself up to the personal tutoring of any one Pegasus who was interested in being as fast and good as she was, and…

"Yeah! And… I applied to be your partner, but I didn't hear anything, so I went to Applejack a few days ago and she said that you went with Cloudchaser, and I… I just wanna know why you wouldn't choose me!"

At least Scootaloo had stopped crying now. She was just more frustrated than sad at this point. Rainbow herself too, was drinking in another cocktail of emotions, this time made out of relief, a touch of empathy, and a tiny bit of the guilt that still remained.

"Kid…" Rainbow said, shaking her head incredulously. "I… oh, wow. You were… talking about the mentorship. Listen, Scoots, I actually haven't chosen anypony yet. I haven't been able to go through the applications. I've been… distracted by other things."

"Then… what about Applejack?" Scootaloo whined.

"I just mentioned I saw Cloudchaser's name on one of the forms! I guess she thought it meant I'd chosen her. But I haven't."

"Then… then you aren't going to Rarity's to pick up the customized flight jackets with your names embroidered on it?"

"Uh… nope!" Rainbow said. Best to keep this one simple.

"…oh," Scootaloo said, her head burning bright. "I… I guess I made a mistake then…"

You and me both, Rainbow thought.

"But… listen. You know what?" Rainbow said, smiling, and walking over. "It took guts to say what you said. And sometimes, having the guts to say what you really want can have its rewards. Tell you what, Scoots, you're my choice for the program!"

"R…really?" the filly screamed in reply. Her elation took over her sadness, wiping it out nearly instantaneously as she lifted herself up in a flit and tackled Rainbow around the torso.

"Argh!" Dash cried, as both of them went sprawling to the ground.

"Thank you! Thank you! Oh thank you!" Scootaloo cried, rubbing herself all over Rainbow. "I'll do a great job, you'll see! I know I can't fly very well, but that's why I needed the world's best flier to be my teacher! I promise I'll do a good job!"

"I… I know you will, kid. Now, could you get off me please?" Dash chuckled.

"Oh, sorry," Scootaloo apologized, rearing back and allowing Dash to get back to her hooves as well.

"Listen. Don't tell anypony else yet, alright? I'll have to make it official, so… do your best not to tell Sweetie Belle."

"How… how'd you know I was going to tell her?"

"Yeah… just don't. Let this be our little secret. Can you do that for me?"

"I'd do anything for you, Rainbow Dash!"

"That's great, kid." Rainbow nodded, meaning every word. That whole experience was just nerve wracking. She couldn't have asked for a better end. And hey, she made a special little filly a happy one, and that made her feel good as well.

She needed the boost.

"Ooh, ooh, I have something for you, Rainbow!" Scootaloo jumped around with a renewed energy, pulling a flash of colour out from… where'd she even hide that thing, anyway? But she dumped it unceremoniously onto Rainbow, leaving Rainbow blinking away at the intrusion. But she was polite, and she was in a good mood, and so allowed that thing to remain, as she bid farewell to her new apprentice.

Guess she'd have to stop thinking of her as a minion now.

Maybe.

But with a smile on her face, Rainbow continued on her way, walking the slow road down to Rarity's, as Scootaloo waved goodbye behind her.

And thoughts again arose in her solitude.

Being brave, huh?

Having the guts to say what you want…

And you might get your reward.

Was there a lesson in this somewhere? Rainbow had just said it herself, and something about it nagged at her, like an itch in her memories.

It couldn't possibly apply to…

"Nah," Rainbow said, out loud, as she approached Rarity's door. "Just overthinking it again!"

Chapter 3 :: End

Chapter 4 - Addressing the Situation

Chapter 4 :: Addressing the Situation

Rarity's.

If there ever was one single pony she didn't really get along with, Rarity would be it. To be honest, it seemed like Rarity never really got along with anypony else, but she was always just there, getting in everypony's business and forcing them to get disgusting hooficures where strange ponies touched your hooves and…

No, you're projecting, Rainbow.

Calm down.

Just ignore her snarky and uppity nature.

Just ignore her over-indulgence and her need to exaggerate everything.

Just ignore her love of showing off.

Well, alright, maybe not that one. Showing off was something Rainbow could respect. She did it proudly. And to be honest, Rarity wasn't too bad at it, even though their methodologies differed slightly.

It's just the difference between drama and pure awesomeness.

Where was she?

Oh, right, just ignore the weird look that Rarity's giving you right now…

"Um… what?" Rainbow asked, her focus snapping back to the present.

"What… ever are you wearing?" Rarity asked, snarkily, in her snarky snarky way. "Is this a new thing, double-maning?"

"What? Oh!" Rainbow said, pulling the wig off her head. Scootaloo had dumped it on her on the way over, and Dash had just not had the wherewithal of mind to remove it until now. It was actually pretty comfortable, to tell the truth.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say that was one of the wigs my precious sister made for Scootaloo's awful fan club," Rarity muttered, regarding the thing as if it were a piece of trash. "Terrible stitching."

"You… you mean the Rainbow Dash fan club?" Rainbow clarified.

"Yeees, that awful club," Rarity replied sourly. "Can't believe they'd waste their time on that subject."

"I… am standing right here, you know," Rainbow said, frowning.

"Why, so you are. Care to come in? Awfully damp out here on my front step, isn't it?" Rarity smiled, opening the way for Dash to join her in her shop.

"You just want your own fan club, don't you?" Rainbow grumbled, walking in and throwing the wig up on the hat rack by the door.

"Nonsense!" Rarity dismissed the thought, leading her into the parlour. "Such parading of the self is simply unladylike."

"Then what are those?" Rainbow accused, pointing toward a couple of mannequin ponies in the corner who bore wigs of their own, albeit in a very 'Rarity' style.

Rarity turned and looked toward them. If there ever were a way of telling what she was thinking at the time, it couldn't be found anywhere in her expression. But her head swivelled back to face Rainbow, as she smiled like a cat does to a mouse.

"How can I help you today, Rainbow? You don't normally pop by. Are you here for some middlings, perhaps? Or could I interest you in some clothing?"

"Um… that's not what I'm here for. Could we… talk?"

"Oooh. Talking, Rainbow?" Rarity jested. "Learnt a new skill, have we?"

"Yeah, sure, laugh it up. I need your help, Rarity."

"You're… you're serious," Rarity stated, testing the waters.

"Yeah," Rainbow grumbled. She never asked for help. But it happened three times today, and it was getting old with all the jokes. She really just wanted to push past this part and get to the actual talking already.

"Hmm." Rarity raised her eyebrows, turning again and guiding Rainbow toward a pair of loungers that bordered a small coffee table.

It looked deliberately set up, probably so that Rarity could entertain guests who arrived. The table was stocked with a tea set and magazines of various thickness, and the loungers had pillows ready to relieve a heavy weight.

"Please, do make yourself comfortable." Rarity motioned.

"Don't you have any normal seats? Or… a stack of books or something that I could sit on?" Rainbow asked, looking at those silly things that Rarity considered furniture. "I could just lie on the floor, if that's all the same."

"Certainly not!" Rarity gasped. "Do you know how many ponies wish they could lay on one of my seats? I had them imported from Trottingham, you know! You ought to be a bit more appreciative of the good things, Rainbow!"

"Sheesh! Alright!" Rainbow gave in, clambering up onto the chair, if you could call it that. Now she knew what the cushions were for – she had never felt anything more uncomfortable or scratchy under her flank before. The wood was hard, the back was cold, and the fabric that lined it was rough and uneven. It made for an extremely annoying experience, but Rarity seemed to have no problem herself as she lay in the seat opposite.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Rarity asked, sweeping her mane over her shoulder.

"I… Applejack sent me," Rainbow Dash explained.

"Of course she did." Rarity nodded.

"Uh… yeah," Dash replied, turning up an eyebrow at Rarity's odd response. "Anyway… listen. She said… and well, it's the truth, I guess, but I'm a bit of a big clumsy brute."

Rarity couldn't help but quirk a smile.

"And you're pretty good at the whole… you know, poise and perfection thing. You know how to be all charming and dainty-like…"

Rarity's smirk grew into a grin.

"I mean… most of the time, that is."

The grin dipped slightly.

"Sometimes when you're sad or angry you just turn into this big wailing mess, and that's not cute at all."

An eyelid twitched.

"You sorta lose control and then everypony gets scared of you because during those times you're kinda like a Manticore, but angrier…"

"Alright," Rarity interrupted, her growling voice sneaking in. "I get the idea."

"There it is!" Rainbow pointed. "That's the angry stuff!"

Rarity closed her eyes momentarily, taking a deep, calming breath. The next time she opened her mouth, all traces of it had gone. "Yes, I suppose you're right. But did you have a point to all this, Rainbow darling?"

"Yeah, could you teach me that?"

"How to be…?"

"More like… you?" Rainbow asked uncomfortably. "The first bits, I mean. Before the angry stuff."

Suspicious notes flew through Rarity's demeanour, as her head tilted slightly.

"Why would you… oooohhhhh!" Rarity gasped, widening her eyes in a shot.

"No! No!" Rainbow yelled, holding her hooves out.

"Oh, yes! Yes!" Rarity's face filled with glee, absolute pure glee.

"I'm not!"

"You are!"

"I am not!"

"Who is he? Who's the lucky pony?"

"You don't know her!"

"Oh, it's a she, is it? That makes it even more interesting!" Rarity rubbed her hooves together.

Rainbow smacked her own head against the back of the chair.

"I said you don't know her!"

"Which means I do know her."

"Alright, I'm not saying another word!" Rainbow said, folding her legs across her chest and slumping sideways.

"Is it… Twilight? Applejack? Pinkie Pie? Flutter–"

Rainbow's leg twitched subconsciously at the mention of Fluttershy's name. She knew she did it, but it was a bit too late to stop it.

"Fluuuuutershy!" Rarity exclaimed, clapping her hooves together. "You want to impress Fluttershy! And you came to me for advice. Oh, how precious! How absolutely darling! My dear, you must be feeling so embarrassed right now!"

In fact, Rainbow was nearly boiling. She was wondering why the chair wasn't bursting into fire at that very moment, engulfing her in the sweet release of a burning death. That was preferable to… this.

"Oh, don't look like that, Rainbow Dash! I mean, just because your entire reputation is about to be destroyed, it doesn't mean I can't enjoy it!"

"Celestia help me, Rarity…"

"Oh, unclench." Rarity waved her hoof in the air. "Do you think I'm like that at all? I love drama, but I'd never turn down a friend. Just let me have my moment. My delicious… delicious moment."

Rarity took a second, bursting into a strange fit of giggles and shaking. While she curled her front legs in front of her like eagle claws.

"Annnd, done." Rarity smiled, looking toward Rainbow. "And I'm not even going to tell anypony."

"You won't." Rainbow intoned, making it sound more like a statement of disbelief than a question. "Resisting a story like this? Don't expect me to believe that, Rarity."

"Not at all. I won't need to tell this one. I have something much better."

"What?" Rainbow asked cautiously.

"When folk ask me who it was who turned you into Fluttershy's dream mare… well." Rarity grinned sharply.

Rainbow returned the grin with a glare.

"Besides, you've already asked. Whether you accept my help or not, I already know too much. So you might as well listen to what I have to say, hmm?

"And I know I fluster a lot. Yes, I do lose my… my temper sometimes, but what I can offer you is poise and grace, manners and sophistication. And that's what I will teach you today, Rainbow Dash, and I'm not going to let you leave until you understand how you should behave around your darling Fluttershy."

Rainbow groaned. This was going to be another few excruciating hours, wasn't it?

Rarity nodded, almost as if she had read Rainbow's mind.

"Then, let's get started," she said gleefully.

–––

Rainbow watched carefully, gathering as much focus as possible. There was something quite terrifying about the mare standing in front of her at this very moment – Rarity was exuding an aura of amazing power and strength.

It might have been the fact that she pulled her mane up in a sort of half-beehive hairdo, or how she put her red-rimmed stitching glasses on, or that she had a long, wooden ruler twirling around her horn…

But all together, this made her look exactly like the school teachers Dash remembered facing as a filly.

She wondered if this was how the fillies saw Miss Cheerliee.

Rainbow did not like this one bit.

The ruler swung down, blazing by on a trail of magical particles, and rapped Dash sharply on the shoulder blade.

"Ow!" Dash squeaked, grimacing.

"No slouching. No fidgeting," Rarity demanded, walking in a slow circle around Dash like a shark ready to feed.

The pegasus was perched on one of those loungers that Rarity had, rear legs stretched out behind her and front legs crossed over to the side. Her head had fallen gently to one side just before Rarity had hit her.

Rainbow brought herself back up to full posture, her back creaking and groaning in protest. She had never thought lying down had an 'art' or a 'form', but apparently there was, and Rarity had given that as her first lesson of poise.

"Now, keep your head entirely still, darling," Rarity rattled off, floating three coffee-table books toward Dash's head. "Mmm… oh, yes."

Using the ruler, she flattened the top of Dash's mane to a plateau, like a combine harvester pushing down stalks of corn, and then with a quick whip of her head, the books settled down.

"Now, if you even move your head in the slightest, the books will fall, and there… will… be… punishment," Rarity declared, in a sing-song manner.

"Is thiff why Sffeetie Belle hateff you so mucff?" Rainbow Dash asked, through gritted teeth. It had only been a while, but she lay spread out on the most uncomfortable chair in the world, unable to move her head or her back, and that was excruciating to her in so many ways.

"Be silent! No talking about my family!" Rarity smacked Dash in the face.

"Nnnghh!" Dash yelled, wincing.

"Now, you shall remain like this. A proper lady keeps perfectly still, no matter the circumstance. No matter how uncomfortable you are, no matter how much you just want to move around and stretch, you must learn how to resist moving! Fluttershy is not as active as you are, and for her sake, you must learn how to take things calmly."

Rarity cleared her throat again, glasses bobbing up and down on her nose.

"Now, while you remain there, allow me to explain the course. We shall cover four elements of being just like me," she said, walking over to one of those window-shade style presentation boards, pulling it down.

Rainbow couldn't remember a time she had ever moved this slowly, but her neck nearly yelled out in frustration as she swivelled her head ever so gradually in order to see what was written on the canvas.

And there were eight boxes there in a four-by-two grid. The left column bore four symbols – the silhouette of a mare, a fork and knife set, a speech balloon, and what looked like a powder puff and lipstick.

"Now," Rarity explained, pointing to the symbols with the ruler, "it is simple. There are four things that one must pay attention to if one wants to be as sophisticated as I am. That is – poise, manners, speech and looks. I shall put you through training in each of these, and only when I am satisfied will you be exactly as I am."

"You are already doing rather well in the first test, under the circumstances." Rarity nodded, impressed. "We shall see how long you can bear this out."

"But do youff haff to punisff me?" Dash argued. She did not like that ruler one bit.

"Why yes, we are training you in the ancient ways of the proper lady," Rarity countered. "The wooden ruler is the most versatile teaching tool, after all, and we must adhere to tradition! Besides, I happened to have one lying around."

"But… it… hurffs!" Rainbow frowned.

The books teetered ever so slightly on her head, sliding forward by a sliver of an inch. Her eyes widened as they flew upward to look at them, hoping that she could persuade the books to go back by staring hard enough.

"Well, that's the point, isn't it?" Rarity said, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "If you don't wish to get a traditional proper lady punishment, then you shall perform your tasks with grace and finesse!"

The ruler only managed to make it half-way to Dash's back this time before Dash instinctively straightened it again.

"There, you see? Learning already. Isn't this effective?" Rarity tittered.

"When did youff even haff timeff to prepffare all thiff?" Rainbow asked, tilting her head back. Her shoulders were seriously beginning to ache right now, and there was a slight pull in one of her wing muscles. Normally, she'd just give it a good long stretching, but…

"A proper lady is always prepared." Rarity shrugged. "Really, this should also be on the board if it wasn't practically impossible to illustrate through exercise."

"Scho, what iff all thiff for, again?"

"Well, Dash, you want to be perfect for Miss Fluttershy, do you not?"

"Well, yeff, but–"

"And do you think Miss Fluttershy would accept a dirty, rude, uncouth… oh, what was that word that you yourself used earlier… brute like you?"

Dash felt her heart sink a tiny bit. Rarity didn't have to say it like that. She wondered why she was being so uncharacteristically frank.

"I… I gueff not…" The books slid down a fraction more, and Dash's head jerked back again to compensate.

"Of course not," Rarity asserted. "So you shall learn to be a pony that she will accept. A pony that she will like. You are doing this for her and for yourself. You will learn to be like I am."

"I don't sffee why I can't juff…" Rainbow started.

"Hmm?" Rarity asked, leaning in closer. "What was that?"

"… noffing. I can do diff! For her!" Rainbow nodded, her vigour renewed.

Oops.

Rainbow winced as her neck pulled up, her head snapping back and yanking a muscle. Unfortunately, the sudden jerk made the books slide a little bit too far in the opposite direction, as they all came pouring off and falling one by one onto her aching wing.

"Kyeeeahhhhhh!" She screamed, throwing her wings out and falling forward, as the books were scattered around in front of her in a flurry of feathers.

"P…pins and nee…needles!" she gasped, her wings cringing up and cramping into place. "Eeeeeeeeearrrrgggghhhhhhhhhh!"

The whole rainbow mess threw itself to the bed of the recliner, which was definitively not made for such force – the legs exploded at the hinges, and the entire package came crashing down to the floor in a horrible chain reaction.

Rarity just blinked.

And then frowned.

Rainbow grinned sheepishly as she got back up, dusting herself off.

"Um… so how long did I last?" Rainbow chuckled, slowly, deliberately.

"Three minutes," Rarity answered dryly, as she stepped up with the ruler.

–––

"I… didn't know… being a lady… hurt this much," Rainbow moaned. To be fair, Rarity wasn't really hitting her all that hard; but what with the tumble and the crashing and everything else, Dash was definitely going to walk away with at least a couple of bruises.

"Everything worth doing comes with a bit of pain," Rarity said, frowning at the board. The white space next to the icon of the pony now had a large red 'X' drawn in it with a marker.

Dash was now seated at a table, on a stool that had no cushion, positioned in a rather precarious way indeed. The way it was set up – and no doubt this was part of the plan – meant that Dash couldn't move at all while on that chair. Any slight rocking of her body threatened to have her spill over the side and fall flat on her face.

Just in front of Rainbow Dash's face was the most elaborate set-up she had ever seen in her life – it was a dinner table with the works. Two empty plates of different sizes, spoons and forks and knives of different shapes and utility, and a napkin folded into a shape of some kind of bird. Cups and saucers and glasses bordered the whole deal, and everything was covered with these little prints of flowers, which, for some reason, made Dash feel a bit upset.

There were about 15 or 16 or 18 pieces in total; Dash stopped counting after she hit four.

"So… what is all this?" Rainbow asked, eyeing the configuration.

"This is how to eat, my dear," Rarity explained, still circling around the small white table like an albatross. "True proper ladies must know what goes where and for what purpose!"

"Um… well, the food goes into my mouth to make me less hungry," Dash said. "Is that right?"

The ruler smacked Dash on the top of her head.

"No then?" Dash rubbed her skull.

"No. Utensils. You have forks and knives and spoons. Each is for a different course and each is for a different purpose. You will now learn all these differences, so that when you bring your darrrrrling Fluttershy out for a proper dining experience, she will know that you weren't raised by Diamond Dogs."

"Uh…" Dash murmured, looking at the plate in front of her again. "I… don't know anything about any of this."

"You don't know what spoons are?"

"Well, I mean, I know what they are, but… I'm a Pegasus, Rarity. We don't… really use these things. These are Unicorn things, you know what I mean? It's like me asking you to try out bed-time wing slip-covers."

"Those exist? What… what are they for?" Rarity asked, suddenly distracted.

"Yeah… that's… pretty much what I mean. So why do I have to learn about these utensils again?"

"Because I've seen you eat before," Rarity said, "and it isn't very pleasant. For example, how would you eat a bowl of soup?"

"Put my face in it."

"And how would you eat a sandwich?"

"Put my face in it."

"And how would you eat a cake?"

"Put my fa–"

"Is there any food which you wouldn't put your face in to eat it?" Rarity interrupted.

"Um… I… but it's so easy!"

"Well, fine, but you know, Fluttershy hates that." Rarity shrugged, looking indifferent.

"She… does?"

"Well, yes. You know how she feeds her animals, right? That's how they eat. So when she sees you eating like that, it just reminds her of the animals."

"But… she loves animals," Dash pointed out.

"So, are you trying to be her special somepony or her pet?"

"… Fine."

Rarity indicated to the table setting in front of Dash.

"Now, memorize," Rarity commanded again, as she moved the ruler to point to each corresponding item. "Bread plate. Butter knife. Décor plate. Salad fork. Salad knife."

Rainbow's eyes darted left and right as she struggled to retain the barrage of names being thrown at her without stop.

"Main course fork. Main course knife. Fish fork. Fish knife."

"Wait… fish? But we don't even eat fish! Why…"

"Well, what if you had a gryphon or a dragon over for company?" Rarity shook her head incredulously, as if Dash had just asked if she could throw up on the carpet.

"Uh…"

"Soup spoon. Seafood fork. And up here, we have the dessert fork and the tea spoon."

"Tea… spoon?" Dash repeated. Tea required a spoon? Didn't you drink tea from a cup?

"Water glass to the right, and next to it, the wine glass, and your coffee or tea cup, whichever you so happen to wish to enjoy post-meal. And that's it! Simple, isn't it?"

"I… only remember the fish fork," Dash mumbled.

"Now! Here, this is a cake," Rarity said, floating a cake over. "It is a Mille-feuille. It is delicious and cost me 14 bits. You will now eat it."

"Why are you talking like that?" Dash asked, looking at the blob on the plate in front of her. It did look good, she supposed, although she certainly never saw a dessert quite like it before. It looked like three layers of cardboard with some sort of filling keeping them all stuck together, and it had about it a generous dusting of icing sugar on the top.

"Oh. Pardon. That's how I talk to get Sweetie Belle to eat her Brussels sprouts. Anyway, it is delicious, really. Which utensil would you use to eat that?"

"Oh… um…" Rainbow thought about it for a while, lifting a hoof to point to a piece on the table.

Her leg swept over each item one by one, as the tiny cogs in her mind worked hard to decide on the best thing to use. But… something in the back of her head made her move toward the top. She sort of remembered Rarity mention the word 'dessert' somewhere when she was pointing around that area… but was it the spoon or was it the fork? Which one?

"This one!" Dash said triumphantly, holding up her choice.

"No, darling, that's a wine glass," Rarity said, each word dripping with contempt. "You eat dessert with a dessert fork."

"Oh… right," Dash said, dropping the glass back onto the table. "I knew that."

"Now, pick it up, like so…" Rarity said, floating a fork of her own in front of Dash as demonstration.

"Um… alright…" Dash muttered in concentration, as she fumbled for the fork. It wasn't exactly easy picking up something as flat as that with hooves alone, and she ended up pushing a lot of the other surrounding items out of the way. The water glass, thankfully empty, fell over and rolled to the other side of the plate.

Rarity narrowed her eyes.

"Wait, I gots this!" Rainbow claimed, the fork clamped tightly between two hooves. She looked like a rather angry blue crab with a giant pincer. "Whoa…"

She teetered a bit, her weight shifting in the stool. Thankfully, her training with flight and the use of her wings helped her to regain stability, but that was met with another rap to the back of her head.

"A proper lady does not flap her wings at the table!" Rarity admonished.

"But I was gonna–"

"Now slowly bring your fork down upon the dessert, and cut off a small piece with the edge of the fork. Do not cut off more than you can fit into your mouth at one time. And yes, Rainbow Dash, I know you can fit the entire dessert into your mouth. You will still need to cut a polite-sized piece."

"Politeness has a size?" Rainbow asked, moving as requested. She brought the fork down upon the hard layer of puff pastry that made up the shell of the dessert, and struggled to get the fork through.

The pastry was tough, as it was with any good Mille-feuille, and pushing it down just made the custard and cream squirt out the sides.

"I said cut the dessert, not destroy it," Rarity said.

"It's hard! What is this thing? Why can't you eat normal desserts, like ice cream, or fruit, or ice cream?" Dash struggled, a drop of sweat running down her face.

The more she pushed, the more the dessert broke apart; it didn't help that with Dash's position, the fork had no leverage and she had very little grip. Utensils were simply a Unicorn's game.

But with one final burst of madness, Dash flung her weight onto it, as it finally cracked through and the fork clinked onto the porcelain plate underneath.

"Whoa!" Dash screamed, dropping the fork and holding her forelegs out to stop herself, but it was far too late. For the second time in that day, she'd fallen forward, the stool completely shifting and pulling out from under her flank, and her face hit the plate roughly, sending cream and custard and bits of pastry into her mane and all over her forehead.

She hung off the edge of the table, like a discarded napkin, face-down in the muck.

And then the table tilted.

Rarity looked away.

By the time she opened her eyes again, all she could see was Dash's legs sticking out from underneath an upturned table, assorted bits of silverware and broken dishes littering the floor around her.

Rarity tisked.

She hated to waste a good dessert.

–––

There were now two red X's on the board.

And Rainbow was standing there, flecks of foodstuff in her multi-coloured hair, looking as disillusioned as when she touched down in front of Twilight's Library earlier this morning.

Her mouth hung open slightly, and she found it harder now to focus on what Rarity was saying.

Needless to say, Rarity had moved in with the ruler again, and maybe it was all in her mind, but it seemed that Rarity was hitting slightly harder this time around. Maybe because Rainbow had broken all her good dishes.

"Fuzzeeseh?" Dash mumbled.

"That's exactly what I mean," Rarity replied. "You simply can't articulate! How is Fluttershy ever going to know if you're telling her you love her or you want some cheese?"

"Because… when I want cheese I get some from the fridge?" Rainbow answered. She wasn't entirely sure what she was talking about either, her brain having only just returned from outer space.

"That is not the point!" Rarity cried. "You have to speak better. No more grunting and groaning. No more saying 'uh' all the time, as if you were a troglodyte!"

"I… uh…"

Rarity sighed.

"Oh, sorry," apologized Dash. "I mean… uh…"

"If you say 'uh' again, I shall smack you," Rarity declared.

"Alright! Alright! Jeez!" Rainbow withdrew automatically. She was fearful of that wooden stick. There was actually something to this method of teaching, she had to hand it to Rarity.

"What I mean is…."

"Is?" Rarity asked.

"…"

"You know, not saying anything is the same as saying 'uh', Dash."

"Can we just get on with it please?" Dash yelled.

"No!" Rarity thwapped Dash on the flank. "Wrong! A proper lady does not shout!"

"But… but you're shouting now!" Dash protested.

"It's part of the teaching process," Rarity waved it away. "Besides, what do you think of me now?"

"That you're mean, and you hit me?"

Rarity smiled.

"Oh, right," Dash said, eyes rolling. "I get it."

"Fluttershy is a gentle, gentle creature," Rarity explained, orbiting the Pegasus who stood naked and vulnerable in the middle of the room. Rarity had moved her there, to one strange corner of the building, away from the broken tables and broken loungers; to a curiously lit section of her little world.

There was a stand there, a little platform. A pair of mannequins bordered the little, raised, circular section, and spotlights focused down upon it from above. It was Rarity's showcase area – the place she put her latest creations for the public to ooh and aah over.

Right now the only thing on display was Rainbow Dash.

"One must not yell, and one must not be caught without a response. And this is your third task, Rainbow Dash. Eloquence. Speech. Delivery of diction!"

Rainbow nodded.

"Now, repeat after me,' Rarity instructed., walking over to an odd device in the corner. "To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock."

"To sit in… what?"

"Solemn silence, dear," Rarity said.

"To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock?" Rainbow asked.

Rarity nodded, eyebrows raised slightly.

"In a pestilential prison with a life-long lock," Rarity continued.

"In a pestilential prison with a life-long lock," Rainbow repeated, perfectly.

"How… how are you doing this?" Rarity asked, genuinely surprised.

"What?" Rainbow retorted.

"Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock, from a cheap and chippy chopper on a big, black block," Rarity rattled off.

Word for word, and although it was a little bit slow, she managed to get through it on the first go.

Rarity scratched her head.

"This isn't… as difficult for you as one would have previously imagined," Rarity said. "I am… impressed, Rainbow Dash. Where did you learn to speak so well?"

"Well, I… I read books now, right?" Rainbow shrugged.

"But what has that got to do with diction?"

"I… I read them out loud," Rainbow said, looking away. "It's good practice."

"Of… course." And suddenly it all made sense. "You know, Sweetie Belle stopped reading out loud when she was five."

"Hey! It adds to the excitement, okay?" Rainbow argued. "Look, it isn't about that. I passed your stupid little test. Can I go now?"

"Well, no," Rarity said, flicking something on that thing she was standing next to. "That was just the warm up, I'm afraid. Your real test comes now. You see, simply repeating what others say and employing mimicry is no true task. You still stammer and stutter a lot because you find it hard to say things you are unused to, dear. So the true feat would be to repeat what I am about to show you next."

Rainbow rolled her eyes again. This was taking forever! But fine, if it would prove to Rarity that she was better than she expected…

"Fine, what's going on now? What is that thing anyway?" Rainbow dash pointed toward the device.

"Don't worry about it." Rarity floated out a cue card from beside the video camera. "I have some lines for you to read here. I shall not be verbally speaking them this time. You are to read from this card and deliver the lines with the greatest of articulation!"

Rarity floated it over to Dash, at which Dash immediately started to blush.

"You can't be serious," Dash said.

"Oh, I am. I am serious." Rarity smiled.

"No!"

"And you can't read it sarcastically, either. You have to sound like you mean it. Come on, it's just one stanza."

Rainbow took a deep breath. A long, waffling deep breath.

She cleared her throat, and felt a heat rising up around her collar.

Well, at least it was only to Rarity. There wasn't any other pony around, right? There wasn't any possible way that this could be spread around if she did do it, so it was relatively safe.

Rarity hit the button on the camera, zooming a bit closer onto Dash's face.

"Oh… oh Fluttershy doth teach… teach the torches to burn bright," Rainbow started, still trying to get momentum.

"It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night, like a rich jewel in a Pegasus' ear; beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear."

Rarity nodded, grinning madly, for Dash to continue.

"Nggg… So shows a snowy… a snowy dove trooping with crows, as yonder lady over her herd shows. The measure done, I'll watch her from the roof; and touching hers, make blessed my rude hoof."

Rainbow coughed. She couldn't tell which was worse. This, or what Applejack had done to her earlier on in the day.

"Did my heart love until now? Forswear it, sight! For I never saw true beauty till this night."

Rarity pushed a button triumphantly, squealing with pride.

"Oh Rainbow, Rainbow. Five stars. Five stars indeed! That was a magnificent delivery! Reading has helped you! All those big words, too, I'm ever so proud, Rainbow!"

"Okay, okay. Jeez, rub it in, won't you?" Rainbow grunted, jumping off the platform. It was getting hot under those spotlights.

"No, I truly mean it. That was a refreshing breeze in the cataclysmic cavernous trench that you threw yourself in tonight! Oh, you pass. You pass this one, Dash. And now there's only just one final thing to do and we can go back and cover the first couple…"

"No," Dash said, shaking her head. The way she said it this time, however, was remarkably different from the rest.

Usually it was a loud yell of objection, in a very bombastic and very spirited way, one that showed her unwillingness to do something.

But this time round it was a tired, weary statement. It was said in a tone in which Rarity immediately understood – it was time for her to stop the process.

In a scene that eerily shadowed Applejack's response, Rarity, too, changed her mood entirely, calming down and shedding what had been a mask. The ruler fell to the ground, clattering noisily. The rest of the room was already in such a state that Rarity didn't mind the extra mess.

"And just why not?" Rarity asked.

Rainbow felt that this was the final test. The true test. She was beginning to pick up the signs. In fact, she was beginning to pick up on something else, here – something suspicious, but she couldn't figure out what.

"Because there's no way I'm going to put on lipstick and makeup!" Dash shouted. "And I don't want to go through all that stuff again!"

"But Dash, didn't you said you wanted to be just like me, didn't you?"

"Yeah I do, but…"

"Just like me?"

And then it hit Rainbow. It hit her like a pie in the face. Rainbow smacked her lips, looking downward, upward, taking a big sigh and then looking right at Rarity.

"You get it now, don't you?" Rarity asked, still grinning like a cat.

"Yeah. I shouldn't try to be somepony else, right?"

"Rainbow Dash." Rarity walked over, leading her away from all the mess to the front of the shop. "The most important part of being you is that you're you. We surely don't get along most of the time, but I still love you as a friend, because you're you. And if Fluttershy were to accept you as well, as a little bit more, then she'd have to love you for who you are as well."

Rainbow nodded.

"It's not to say that you can't learn how to be a little bit more delicate once in a while, but that is another lesson for another day, and I highly doubt you'll be requiring it. However, when you come to me to ask to be somepony else, that's when ponies start to head in the wrong direction.

"And oh, it is so easy to fall prey to this, Rainbow. One day in your long, illustrious relationship, you will wake up and think, maybe I should change myself for Fluttershy. And if it's something worth changing, then yes, you should. But if it is just something that's part of who you are deep down, the very qualities that Fluttershy likes about you in the first place, then that's where you have to remember what happened today."

"This is awfully confusing," Rainbow said.

"I know, dear. It will make sense in the future. Just try to remember what I've said."

"How… how do you know all this anyway? Have you ever been in a relationship before?"

"Well, no. Not exactly. But I… I know about things. You really shouldn't ask how, Rainbow."

"And really, Rarity, did you have to put me through all that? Couldn't you just have told me from the start? Why did you have to hit me so many times?"

"Ah well. That." Rarity looked away with a deviously smug smile. "You do remember a certain time once when we were out in the old country, don't you?"

"Do I?"

"And you had quite… inconsiderately left me in the middle of the desert with Pinkie Pie, after she had knocked me off a certain cart, while we were chasing after a certain pony. Do you remember?"

"Oh… that. Yeah, I never did say sorry for…"

"Oh, no apologies necessary, Rainbow Dash. You can consider us even now, hmm?"

"But… but I broke your stuff," Rainbow said, looking at the destruction around the room. A trashed seat, a wrecked set of dishes…

"Oh, please. I picked those chairs up from a warehouse sale. Did you think I would ever sit on something so uncomfortable? And that set of cutlery and plates? Do you think I would ever use something that kitchy? I bought it off a travelling sales-gryphon for three bits! I mean, there's a fish fork there. We don't even eat fish."

"I… but… that's what…" Rainbow protested.

"Listen, Rainbow. Just remember. Be yourself, because it will only work if she accepts you for who you are, and only change the things that make her upset. You can handle that, can't you? There's a big girl. Now, on your way!" Rarity shuffled the stuttering pony out of the door.

The unicorn looked around her shop, shaking her head at the cleaning she was going to have to do. But before she began, she walked over to one of the windows in the rear and peered out of it.

She nodded her head, once.

And upon receiving a reply, went back to tidy up.

Dash, on the other hoof, was left standing deep in introspection on Rarity's doorstop.

There were far more 'lessons' than any one pony could learn in a day, especially a pony like Rainbow.

So, what had she learnt so far?

She, herself, was the first one who had to accept that she was in love, and not be worried about having to admit it.

She had to treat Fluttershy like family, and not be afraid of physical contact with the one she cared for.

She had to be herself, and be comfortable in the fact that Fluttershy should love her for it.

But these lessons… Dash felt they were a tad bit presumptuous. Perhaps what Rarity had said was more appropriate for a time when Dash had already admitted her feelings to Fluttershy, and she had proclaimed her love back, and they were curled up in front of a lovely cloud fireplace and they could snuggle into the night and..

A sheepish, dreamy look came onto Rainbow's face, as her mouth hung open and a trickle of saliva dripped out.

But that didn't last very long as a cannonball hit her from the side, carrying her along on a whirl of pink.

The two of them tumbled into a bush, a set of hooves planted around Rainbow Dash's head. She looked up in a daze, her eyes focusing on the one who had tackled her.

"Hey Dashie Dash Dash!" Pinkie crooned. "Hey! Wanna go have some fun? I was just passing by and you look like you could use some fun!"

"Oh, hey, Pinkie. Um… now's not the best time," Rainbow Dash said, pushing herself out from underneath her friend. She'd already been under one too many ponies in that position today, and she was worried Pinkie was about to lean down and smother her with her body.

"Oh, that's silly! Everypony has the time to have some fun! Come on, let's go!" Pinkie jumped forward a bit more, landing in the same position as earlier again.

"Um… really, Pinkie, I've got some things to think about…" Dash scrabbled backwards again, pushing through the bush into the dirt.

"Aww," Pinkie said, keeping up with each step, looming over Dash like an omnipresent watcher. "But I was gonna make you a super-duper chocolate float with extra root-beer!"

Dash's tummy grumbled. Well, she was a bit hungry. She hadn't had anything to eat ever since breakfast at Twilight's, and that was all icky health stuff. She sure could go for some pure sugar right about now.

"And maybe some candy floss and taffy and candy canes and cupcakes and–"

"Alright, alright. You got me, Pinkie," Rainbow said, pushing her aside and jumping back up. "You got me. Let's go. But just for a while, alright? I have something to do today."

"Oooh, you absolutely must tell me everything about it!" Pinkie said, as they both walked toward Sugarcube Corner.

Here we go again, Rainbow thought.

Here we go again.

Chapter 4 :: End