Good Girl Rainbow

Rainbow lay on the grass, her wings spread wide as Twilight applied a soothing lotion to her back. At that time, in that moment, she found it rather easy to forget the past few days. She could close her eyes and lose herself in the feeling of the soothing cream being placed against her tender back and wings.

She’d overdone it, as they both expected. Twilight hadn’t lied; she did indeed push her to get through the obstacle course faster than she had that morning. By itself that would not have been an issue, but combined with her near total lack of flying in the past two days—something insisted on by Twilight and the tattoo specialist that did her back—she was a little out of shape. The sudden, high demand workout really did a number on her.

“I told you,” Twilight repeated herself.

“Yeah yeah. Just… keep that up,” Rainbow replied as she felt Twilight’s hoof press another slather of whatever that miracle cream was on her back. It seemed to penetrate directly to her muscles, soothing her sore back inside and out. “Mhmm…. You’re better at that than Aloe.”

“Go to the spa that often, Rainbow?” Twilight teased.

“What? No, I mean… I’ve just been there a few times, that’s all.”

“Sure,” Twilight smiled. “You know it’s fine to like things like that, right?”

“I know, I know,” Rainbow replied as she let out a loud yawn.

“You can’t possibly be tired, you’ve slept thirteen hours today!”

“What can I say, I like to preserve my ener-GY.” Rainbow all but shot up as she felt Twilight’s hoof wander further south than she had expected.

“Still got some energy I see,” Twilight all but purred as she continued applying lotion, teasing Rainbow’s nethers with each circle of her hoof.

Rainbow’s eyes darted around the field, looking to see if anyone else was around. She relaxed only slightly when she saw that they were still alone. “It really is the quiet ones,” she said to herself.

Twilight smiled as she heard Rainbow’s comment. It’d been something the mare had repeated a few times over the past couple of days. With a smile she leaned in and gingerly kissed Rainbow’s neck, letting Rainbow’s musk fill her nostrils as she did so. All the while her hoof kept teasing Rainbow’s marehood, rubbing up and down, up and down.

“Rainbo-o-o-o-ow Dash!”

Both mares shot up at the sing-song voice that trailed down the hill. They watched as a small orange pegasus bounded down, the excitement at finding her hero self evident in her approach.

“I gotta get out of here,” Rainbow mumbled, eyeing an exit from the situation.

“Calm down, you’re not going anywhere, pet,” Twilight said back, her tone brooking no disagreement.

“Twi…”

“Rainbow! Where have you been? I’ve been looking all over town for you for days!” Scootaloo shouted as she cleared the last few feet down the hill and to the pair. “Nopony has seen either of you for… what’s that?” Scootaloo pointed at Twilight’s tattoo in shock.

Rainbow put on her best faux smile as she tried to seem cool, but the mare was finding it hard to feel anything remotely like ‘cool’ as she saw her number one fan catch her red-hooved with Twilight doing things that definitely were not appropriate to do in public. Needless to say, Scootaloo’s distraction upon seeing Twilight’s tattoo was highly welcomed.

“That’s my cutie mark,” Rainbow replied, grateful to change the subject. “Twilight got it as a tattoo.”

Scootaloo walked up and examined it in detail. She inspected it from several different angles before saying, “That’s… that’s so cool!”

In spite of herself, Twilight felt herself sit up just a little bit straighter, letting the little filly get an even better look.

“I heard about the mane-cut and collar, but I didn’t know you got a tattoo! Wow!”

“Thanks, Scootaloo,” Twilight replied with a smile before asking, “You heard about the rest?”

“Oh yeah, it’s all over town how you went around four days ago and acted all mean. Why… why’d you do that anyway?” Scootaloo asked.

“That was… that was my doing,” Rainbow replied as she cut in.

“No Rainbow. That was my choice. I chose to make that bet with you and I’ll own it,” Twilight replied as she turned from looking at Rainbow to Scootaloo. “Rainbow and I got into an argument about responsibilities, it ended with a bet. She bet me that I couldn’t act counter to myself for a day.”

“So she bet that you couldn’t be a jerk?” Scootaloo asked in disbelief.

“Kinda?” Twilight replied as she pulled back a little and eyed Rainbow. It wasn’t exactly the truth, but it was a close enough approximation.

“That’s a dumb bet. I'd bet you couldn’t pull off a triple wheel kick or something.”

Both Twilight and Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief.

“But what’s with the new haircut, Rainbow?” Scootaloo asked.

“Oh this? This is part of the bet.”

“Huh?”

Twilight caught on to the confusion quicker than Rainbow. “See, I won the bet. So that means that—”

Scootaloo cut in. “Wait, wait, wait, wait, you want me to believe that you beat Rainbow Dash at a bet?” The look on her face said that that would be a bridge too far for the mare to believe.

“She did,” Rainbow replied.

Scootaloo’s expression turned crestfallen. “Really? You… lost?”

Rainbow felt her heart jump up into her throat. The feeling of disappointing her—self-proclaimed—number-one fan weighed heavily on her far more than she thought it would. “I did lose, squirt. I lost to Princess Twilight Sparkle. The Princess of Friendship and the hoof-picked student of Princess Celestia. The only mare in all of Equestria that’s anywhere near as cool as me.”

Both Twilight and Scootaloo stared dumbfounded at Rainbow. Each for different reasons. Twilight in a sense of disbelief and Scootaloo in a sense of awe and wonder at hearing her hero speak so highly of another pony. When Rainbow saw that her excuse was working, she pushed further, “Make no mistake about it squirt, Twilight’s just as amazing as me, even if it is in a different way.”

“Really‽”

“Really. After all, she’s not the only one that got a tattoo,” Rainbow replied as she turned her back and spread her wings.

Scootaloo stared dumbfounded at the all-too-familiar star design tattooed on Rainbow’s back. “Wahhhht?”

“Would I, Rainbow-Danger-Dash, get another pony’s cutie mark tattooed on myself if she wasn’t just as amazing as me?”

When Scootaloo turned to stare at Twilight, the alicorn princess reflected that while she had stood in front of crowds full of adulation and been cheered on by hundreds, if not thousands of ponies at once, this was the first time she’d ever felt idolized. The look on Scootaloo’s face made her want to stand taller, to be better, to be worthy of such reverence just so she wouldn’t see disappointment in those eyes, ever.

“I wouldn’t say I was half as good as Rainbow,” Twilight replied, trying to deflect such attention away from her.

“That still makes you the second most amazing pony in Equestria!” Scootaloo shouted as she jumped up in the air and hovered for a bit before falling back to the ground.

Tearing her gaze away from Scootaloo, Twilight’s eyes found Rainbow’s. There was a look there, a look Twilight had not been expecting. Deep in those magenta eyes Rainbow all but said the same thing Scootaloo had.

“Can I get a tattoo like you two got‽”

The look on both mares turned to one of trepidation. “You want a tattoo?” Rainbow asked, hoping against hope it was a joke.

“Oh yes! If you two got one I want one too! Make it two actually, I want one of each of your cutie marks!”

“Squirt, I um…”

Twilight cut Rainbow off. She leaned down and got to eye level of the young pegasus. “Scootaloo, you’re too young for such things. If you got one right now it’d stretch out of proportion with your body as you grow up. But I tell you what. When you’re older, if you still want a tattoo Rainbow and I would be more than happy to take you to get whatever you want. But only after you’re grown up.”

“You… You mean it?” Scootaloo asked as she turned from Rainbow to Twilight and back again.

Twilight smiled and went through the old familiar motion with her hoof as she said, “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

Rainbow surprised herself when she found her hoof going through the exact same motion as Twilight’s, making the same promise.

“Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!” Scootaloo shouted as she jumped up and hugged Rainbow with all her might. “I can't wait to grow up! I want to do the same things you’re doing!”

The fur on Rainbow’s face turned from cyan blue to a deep crimson. “I um…”

“If—when you’re older—that’s what you want, we can have a conversation about that,” Twilight replied with a knowing smile as she looked at Rainbow.

“You mean it?” Scootaloo asked excitedly.

“Of course she does,” Rainbow replied with a small amount of trepidation in her voice.

“That’s so cool! I can’t wait to grow up. I’m going to get the others and see if we can find a way to grow up quicker!” Scootaloo exclaimed as she ran off in search of Sweetie Belle and Applebloom.

Rainbow felt a sense of relief as she watched Scootaloo run up the hill and away from the two of them. Twilight’s words hung heavy in her thoughts, and what they might mean for the future, but she also couldn’t deny that in spite of her fears when she first saw the young pegasus, everything went just fine, better than she could have expected.

“Did you mean it?”

Rainbow was taken aback as she realized that she hadn’t been the one to ask that question. “Mean what?” she asked as she turned to face Twilight. The princess had a blush on her face that Rainbow wasn’t expecting.

“What you said to Scootaloo, about me I mean… I’ve, I’ve never heard you speak that way about anypony that wasn’t you before.”

Rainbow chuckled a little as she went to deny it, to say that she was just trying to make an excuse. Then her eyes met Twilight’s and her thoughts changed. She thought about everything they’d gone though, all the adventures and achievements, and how she truly felt about Twilight. “Yeah, I did actually. You are awesome, Egghead. Much more so than I give you credit for. I’m sorry if I’ve ever made you think otherwise. But… yeah, I did mean it, every word.”

In reply Twilight walked up and hugged Rainbow. She felt the mare return the gesture with equal force. “Thanks Dash,” Twilight said as she felt tears fall from her eyes.

“I wouldn’t just agree to be anyone’s pet, would I?” Rainbow replied as she chuckled a little before grunting in pain as Twilight started to squeeze a little harder than she was prepared for.

“Sorry, sorry,” Twilight said as she pulled away. “Let’s… let’s get you inside. It’s about dinner time anyway.”

“I hope Spike’s making something tasty,” Rainbow replied before presenting her collar for Twilight to attach the leash to it.

She’s asking me to reattach it? Yes! Twilight thought as she levitated over the leash and clipped it back on. The mare levitated the end of the leash and lackadaisically laid it over her own neck before walking side by side with Rainbow. “Hey Rainbow?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah?”

“What if we took a trip tomorrow instead of staying inside?”

“Oh, where?”

“The Crystal Empire. Cadance told us to come visit and I think we both kinda owe her a thank you.”

Is she… is she serious? Rainbow thought with a concerned expression that Twilight picked up on.

“It’ll give you a chance to stretch your wings some more. And besides, she might have some tips on how I can make this whole experience better for you.” Twilight added, hoping to give the mare a little incentive.

“I um… but… What about Shining?” Rainbow asked, jumping on the first counter argument she could come up with.

“Well…” Twilight replied, hesitating a little. “Cadance might have already told him, and if not then he was going to find out eventually, and with his little sister and wife going against him I’m sure that he’ll come to accept it.” She stated, and then got an evil look on her face. “And besides, I’ll consider this payback for him getting married without telling me.”

Rainbow shrunk back a little bit at the bite in Twilight’s words. She chose not to argue the point anymore, seeing that there was still a little bad blood between sister and brother over that event.

The two walked back in silence, Twi stormed a little about the memory, but when Rainbow walked closer and gingerly pressed their coats together, she noticeably relaxed, a look of gratitude on her face as she took in the warmth of her marefriend. As they made their way back into the castle Twilight noted that Rainbow didn’t bother to even look around to see if anyone saw them enter.

“Spike, how’s dinner coming‽” Twilight called out as they went up the stairs to head to the kitchen.

“Almost ready!” Spike called back. “How was the… walk?” the dragon asked as he struggled to keep the laughter from his voice.

“Great, Rainbow’s made a lot of improvement,” Twilight replied as the two walked into the kitchen.

“Almost under nine seconds,” Rainbow said with pride in her voice.

Spike giggled, but didn’t press it any further as he brought over the meal he’d finished cooking and placed it on the table for Twilight, and in a dog bowl for Rainbow. “I gotta tell you Twilight, this entire thing is so strange.”

“I know, but you’re handling it quite well. I’m proud of you, Spike. I’m proud of both of you,” Twilight replied in her usual chipper tone.

Spike and Rainbow gave each other a look before turning back to their meals. Both knew that this was anything but a normal situation, but the way Twilight was acting one might think it was a standard Tuesday. “Umm, okay,” Spike replied, trying to change the subject. “Oh, before I forget, we need to go over your list for tomorrow.”

“Actually can you cancel that?”

“Cancel your… list?”

“Yes Spike. Rainbow and I are going to head up to the Crystal Empire tomorrow.”

Spike looked flabbergasted at that. “But you’re not supposed to go back there for at least a month? Did something happen? Do you need me to go get the others?”

“No Spike, it’s just an impromptu visit for Rainbow and I. There’s no need to worry.”

“Worry? Why would I be worried. I mean all you’ve done is change your hair, gotten piercings, tattoos, and a collar, you’re spending all your time with Rainbow, and now you’re rearranging your plans last minute. What’s to worry about?” Spike asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Nothing at all,” Twilight replied, failing to read the subtext.

“Ugh, Spike it’s not a big deal. Twilight just wants us to pay Princess Cadence a visit to see if she can give us any tips about being marefriends.”

“Marefriends? What’s that?” Spike asked.

Twilight glared at Rainbow who simply rolled her eyes as she continued. “You know how you feel about Rarity?”

“Yeah?”

“That’s kinda… how we feel about each other now,” Rainbow’s voice trailed off at the end. She said the words, she meant the words, but that was the first time she’d ever spoken them aloud to anyone else. She was surprised by how heavy they felt, but also how light they seemed to make her feel.

At those words Twilight had to stop herself from jumping into the air. She smiled at Rainbow in a way that all but returned the feelings she’d felt. It surprised her that Rainbow seemed to return the gesture.

“Oh… okay, why didn’t you say so this morning?” Spike asked, wanting to break up the starefest between the two.

Twilight broke Rainbow’s gaze and turned to Spike. “It’s all kinda new. And we didn’t want to overload you with too much.”

“Okay, what do you want me to do when you’re gone tomorrow?”

“Why don’t you go assist Rarity again?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh can I‽”

“Of course, Spike. Oh and tell her I’d like to talk with her when we get back. I… we, need to tell everypony what’s happened,” Twilight said as she turned from Spike to Rainbow, the look Rainbow gave her reflected her own. They both knew that this conversation needed to happen, but that didn’t mean that either of them were looking forward to it.

Spike nodded at that. “Do you want me to tell them about you two?”

“If they press, you can mention us being marefriends. But try and keep it at that. Just save the other stuff for us to explain,” Rainbow replied.

“In fact… why don’t you head over tonight? Tell Rarity that we’ll be back the day after tomorrow,” Twilight cut in. “And that when we get back we’d like to talk to all the girls. That way we can explain things and apologize in person.”

“Will do! Thanks Twilight!” Spike shouted as his feet had already carried him up the stairs and to his room. The pair of mares watched in fascination as—faster than should have been physically possible—Spike was already running down the stairs with a fully packed night bag.

Rainbow turned to Twilight and asked, “What was that abo—”

Twilight cut Rainbow off with a kiss. The mare practically threw herself on Rainbow, knocking her down and locking lips. Rainbow felt every bruise on her body at the sudden rough treatment, but at the moment she was perfectly fine with it. The kiss was worth a little pain.

When they separated Rainbow asked, “You just wanted to be alone with me tonight, didn’t you?”

“You bet your flank I did,” Twilight said with a smile that Rainbow was quickly growing accustomed to.

“We’re not going to be able to get rid of him like that every night,” Rainbow replied as she ran a hoof up Twilight’s body, feeling her racing heartbeat.

“I know, I have a few ideas of what to do. I was thinking about giving him one of the larger rooms downstairs,” Twilight replied as she went in for another kiss, and another. After the third one she started to lick Rainbow’s neck. Her tongue tasting the sweat and lotion that covered Rainbow’s fur. She jerked up, “Bleh, remind me not to do that again.” She didn’t mind the sweat, but the lotion wasn’t exactly tasty.

“Do what?” Dash asked with a devilish look on her face. “This?” At that word she practically jumped up, forcing the two to switch positions. Rainbow smiled as she took the top position, her master underneath. “I think you’ve taken care of my needs plenty these last few days, it’s my turn to show you how good of a pet I can be.”

“Or how bad of a pet you can be,” Twilight replied in a sultry tone.

“Sparkles, I gotta say I love this side of you,” Rainbow said as she bent down and started to lick Twilight’s neck in the exact same manner Twilight had done her own.

“Well, I do have you to thank for bringing it out of me. Why don’t you show me just how much you love it,” Twilight replied as she felt Rainbow lightly bite into the side of her neck, just enough to leave a bruise.

“With pleasure, my master.”