“Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh.”
Rainbow Dash had been home from Canterlot for a nearly day when the reality of everything that happened finally set in. Now she was flying in circles through her bedroom, head in her hooves, trying to figure out what to do.
“I need to— No, but what about— Augh, but then—” She growled and flew out her window. “Pinkie!”
Rainbow Dash blasted through the air, tearing through clouds on her way to Sugarcube Corner. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon in Ponyville, but Rainbow Dash had neither the time nor the desire to bask in it. She had to talk to Pinkie Pie now, and that’s what she was going to do. She just about tore the door off its hinges when she crashed her way inside.
“Pinkie!” she shouted, as soon as her ears stopped ringing from the violent flight.
“Hiya, Dashie!” Pinkie was standing behind the counter, idly munching on some candy, and waved excitedly as her friend approached. “Am I glad to see you, this place has been empty all day. It’s sooooo bo—”
Rainbow Dash cut her off with a hoof to the mouth. “No time, Pinkie. I need help.”
Pinkie pulled Rainbow Dash’s hoof away and tilted her head. “What’s up?”
“Well, see, I—” Rainbow Dash stammered, words escaping her. “I didn’t know who else to go to, but I had to go somewhere, but normally I’d go to her for this kinda thing, but I obviously can’t do that, but—”
“Dashie!” Pinkie yelled. Rainbow Dash froze and looked up at her. “You’re rambling.”
“Oh, sorry,” Rainbow Dash said. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Well, um… I kind of went on a date in Canterlot, and... I think I have feelings for Rarity.”
Pinkie stared at her wide-eyed for a moment, then covered her mouth with a hoof as a smile crept onto her face. “Pfft,” she let out, trying her hardest to stifle herself. She couldn’t keep it up for long. “Pffff-Ahahahaha.” She laughed so hard she fell over, rolling over onto her back and clutching her gut.
“Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash’s cheeks started to flush. “This is serious! I’m freaking out over here.”
Pinkie managed to choke down the laughs and pulled herself back up to the counter. “Sorry, Dashie, I just—” she snorted as she held back another chuckle, and had to wipe tears from her eyes. “Rarity? Did she—” She interrupted herself with another bout of laughs. “Did she make you a dress to celebrate?”
Rainbow Dash glared at her. “Pinkie, come on, I came here for help, not mocking. I’m really worried!”
Pinkie nodded and swallowed the last of her giggle fit. “Okay, I think I got it all out. I’m sorry, really, but you’d laugh too if you weren’t in the middle of it. Now tell me what’s up, why are you so worked up?” She leaned forward on the counter, resting her chin on her hooves.
Rainbow Dash sighed. “I don’t know what to do. I-I’ve never felt this way about another pony before, and now to feel it about Rarity of all ponies, I’m just… I dunno. I guess I’m scared.”
“Aww.” Pinkie frowned sympathetically. “Well, do you want things to go further?”
“I do! I really do, I just… Pinkie, what do I do?”
“Well, that’s easy, silly.” Pinkie reached out and booped Rainbow Dash’s nose. “You date her! Easy peasy, you two get to be happy, and Ponyville gets a new power couple. Which, I’ll tell ya, we really need. Gossip has been dry lately.”
“You make it sound so simple.” Rainbow Dash sighed. “How am I supposed to—”
Rainbow Dash was interrupted by the chime of a bell as the front door to the shop opened up. “Oh, Pinkie Pie!” a cheery voice called through it. “I hope my order’s ready!”
Rainbow Dash froze. Her muscles tensed up, and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. “Pinkie…” she whispered, “you didn’t tell me she was gonna be here.”
“Heh, oopsie! Must've forgot.” Pinkie Pie said. Then she called out to greet the voice. “Got em in here, Rarity!”
Rarity walked in with an extravagant swagger, flipping her mane in the breeze and pulling off a pair of sunglasses. “Oh, excellent, I really— Oh!” She grinned wide when she caught sight of Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow, my beloved, it is so wonderful to see you!”
Rarity skipped across the floor and planted a kiss on each of Rainbow Dash’s cheeks before turning to Pinkie. “Oh, Pinkie Pie, you would not believe the time we had in Canterlot! You must let me tell you all about it.”
Pinkie giggled. “Uh, maybe spare the juicy details for later. I don’t wanna get in the way of the new couple!”
Rarity laughed joyfully as Rainbow Dash’s face grew redder. “Well,” Rarity told her, “suffice it to say, it turns out that the two of us get along far better than either of us imagined. Why, I was so excited after we got home, I nearly made her a dress to show my affection.” Pinkie snorted again, and both hooves shot up to cover her mouth. “Of course,” Rarity continued, “I very quickly remembered that Rainbow would hate that sort of thing. So, I settled for making myself a dress inspired by our budding love.”
Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but smile at the gesture. “Thanks for wanting to, even if I hate dresses.”
"Well, of course, dearie," Rarity replied. "To see you happy makes my heart absolutely burst with glee."
“Hey Rarity,” Pinkie said playfully, “Dashie was just tellin me how pretty she thinks you are.” Rainbow Dash glared at her scornfully.
“Oh, was she now?” Rarity grinned coyly. “Well, do share, darling!”
“I, uh—” Rainbow Dash took a nervous step back.
“C’mon, you were just about to tell me what you find the prettiest about her, right?” Pinkie egged on.
“Ooh, exciting!” Rarity clapped her hooves together. “I know how difficult of a choice it can be. I’m just dying to hear your take on it, Rainbow.”
“Well, you see, um…” Rainbow Dash looked around the room nervously. “I, uh— I gotta go!”
Rainbow Dash shot into the air and out the door, leaving a trail of dust in her wake.
“Oh, my,” Rarity said after she was gone, “I hope we weren’t too hard on her. She doesn’t seem to be taking this as smoothly as I am.”
“Aw, she’s fine,” Pinkie assured her. “Rainbow Dash loves bein messed with, she just doesn’t know how to respond when the pony messin with her is also the pony she wants to smooch.”
“Hmm, I suppose,” Rarity mumbled, “but… I’m not sure. She seemed somewhat tense, don’t you think? Was she here for something serious?”
“Oh, she wanted advice,” Pinkie said. “She’s scared about bein into you for some reason. I told her she should just date you even if she’s scared, but I dunno. Maybe she just needs some time to figure it out.”
Rarity thought for a moment. “Pinkie, could you be a dear and take my order out to my wagon outside?” She asked. “I really would like to go talk to her.”
“Okie doki lo—” Pinkie started, but she was cut off by the sound of the bell as Rainbow Dash walked back in, her head hung low.
“Don’t bother,” Rainbow Dash mumbled, “I’m still here. I was… kind of listening from outside.”
“Oh, it's quite all right,” Rarity told her. “You're clearly stressed. We should talk, it would be for the best if we got everything out in the open and figured things out.”
Rainbow Dash sighed. “Yeah, okay. That’s a better plan than Pinkie’s at least.”
Pinkie shrugged as she walked by with a stack of boxes. “Eh. That’s why ponies go to Rarity for relationship advice. I mean, really, most of my relationships only ever lasted, like, a day. What were you thinking?” She chuckled to herself and propped the front door open. “Hey, Rarity?” she called back. “I’m gonna go ahead and take these to your house. You two can talk in here.” Before either one could object, Pinkie flipped the sign in the window from open to closed and stepped out the door.
Rarity led Rainbow Dash over to a small table, where they sat across from each other. Rarity put her hooves on Rainbow Dash’s right away. “Okay, now. Why are you afraid?”
Rainbow Dash looked away nervously. “I dunno, really… I just am.”
Rarity gently pulled Rainbow Dash’s gaze back to her. “Rainbow, there is no shame in being afraid of this. It just shows that you really want it to work.”
Rainbow Dash sighed and leaned into the hoof that was still holding her cheek. “We’re just so different,” she finally admitted. “I don’t see how it could work when we aren’t alike at all.”
Rarity nodded. “I see.” She gave Rainbow Dash's hoof a reassuring squeeze. "Well, we don't need to be exactly the same to get along."
"I know," Rainbow Dash said, "but shouldn't we at least be a little the same? I mean, what if these feelings don't last very long? What if we can't ever find things to do together and then we find out we're not as into each other as we thought?"
Rarity thought for a moment. “Dear, what would you say you find attractive about me?”
“Huh?” Rainbow Dash furrowed her brow. “Rarity, I don’t know if this is the time to stroke your ego.”
“I can tell you mine,” Rarity explained. “You're so confident that it's contagious. It seems brash at first, but you’ve always encouraged me to be the best, and you make me really believe in myself. Now when I look back at that confidence, it’s… captivating. Plus, you remind me that I can let loose sometimes, and that I don’t always have to be perfect to be, well, perfect. Also…” She giggled. “You’re adorable when you’re flustered.”
Rainbow Dash’s cheeks were bright red, and her eyes were wide, but there was a faint smile on her face. “I— Thank you, Rarity. That’s maybe the nicest thing anypony’s ever said about me.”
Rarity stroked Rainbow Dash’s cheek lovingly. “It’s all true. Now, it’s your turn.”
“Oh. Well, uh,” she was struggling to find words, “you just… I mean, you’re awesome. You’re so good at everything you do, and yeah sure maybe that’s because you don’t do stuff you’re bad at, but neither do I. And the things you’re good at are so different, like, they’re completely alien to me. I love it. Seeing this incredible, beautiful pony who’s just as good as me but in a completely different world, it just...”
She tried to find more words, but before she could Rarity leaned forward and kissed her. It just about scared Rainbow Dash out of her chair, but she managed to recover and kiss Rarity back. When they pulled back and settled into their seats, their hooves tangled together on the table between them, they both had wide, goofy grins.
“Oh." Rainbow Dash looked down at their hooves, then back up into Rarity's loving eyes. “Wow, okay. I guess I let the feelings get to my head, and I kinda forgot why I had the feelings in the first place. Thank you." She chuckled awkwardly. "So, uh… Does this mean we’re girlfriends now?”
Rarity laughed haughtily. “Oh, darling, we’ve been girlfriends from the moment I kissed you in Canterlot.”
“At least say we kissed each other,” Rainbow Dash protested.
Rarity scoffed. “Please, you were frozen stiff. I practically had to pucker your lips for you.”
“Ugh.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll catch up, though.”
Rarity grinned. “I’m looking forward to it. Speaking of which, how about that second date? As much as I love teasing you, I’d very much like to see how you do on dates when you’re actually confident.”
“You’re on,” Rainbow Dash said. “When were you thinking?”
“How about right now!?” The couple jumped back as Pinkie sprang out of nowhere, cheering as confetti rained down. “I can throw you a date party! Oh, it’ll be great. I can hang up mistletoe, and we can play pin the rainbow on the diamond, and—”
Rainbow Dash leaned over to whisper to Rarity. “Hey, wanna sneak out while she’s distracted?”
Rarity chuckled. “That sounds good to me.”
So, the two got up while Pinkie was looking away and crept out the door, leaving the party pony to her planning.
Outside, they were met with a pleasantly warm Ponyville evening. Here and there ponies filtered through the streets, making the most of the waning daylight. Their chatter just barely carried itself through the air, becoming a low background murmur that got drowned out any time the wind picked up. The sweet smell of baked goods, while overwhelming inside the bakery, was now just a pleasant trickle, mingling nicely with the various other foods being prepared around town.
The couple started walking down the street, neither of them having any particular destination in mind. “You know,” Rainbow Dash said idly, “Pinkie said that we could become a new ‘power couple’ in town.”
“Ha! I dare say we could.” Rarity started trotting a bit ahead of Rainbow Dash, taking the lead on their walk. “Just imagine, Rarity and Rainbow Dash, the hot new buzz around town. Oh, we’ll be fighting off the paparazzi in no time.”
“Ponyville doesn’t have paparazzi.” Rainbow Dash picked up her pace, just barely taking the lead. “What even is a power couple? Would we have to do stuff? You know how I feel about doing stuff.”
Rarity rolled her eyes and took a sudden turn, forcing Rainbow Dash to scramble to follow her. “It’s not about what you do, it’s about who you are. For ponies in the know, simply seeing us together will be a story to tell their friends. Our names will be on everypony’s lips!” She made an extravagant gesture, then chuckled at herself. “Well, something like that anyway.”
“Hmm…” Rainbow Dash thought for a moment, then she perked up with an idea. “I figured out what to do for our second date! Come on, Rarity, let’s go do something worth talking about.”
Before Rarity could respond, Rainbow Dash had lifted her into the air, her front legs wrapped tightly around Rarity’s chest. Then they were soaring through the sky, the wind whipping Rarity’s mane back.
Rarity sputtered for a moment before finding her words. “Rainbow Dash! What are you doing? Wh-what if I fall?”
Rainbow Dash gave her a reassuring squeeze. “Come on, Rarity, do you really think I’d let the prettiest mare in Equestria slip outta my hooves now that I’ve got her?”
“Well-I-” Rarity stammered and pouted. Rainbow Dash chuckled and flew in wide, lazy circles, slowly rising into the sky. Below them Ponyville shrank, the ponies below becoming ants, the buildings turning into tiny boxes. By the time they levelled out, Rarity could just barely make out the little shapes moving through the streets, visiting stalls and chatting with friends.
A wind rolled over them, and Rarity shivered in the cold. “We’re almost there,” Rainbow Dash assured her. She carted Rarity over to a tiny, nondescript cloud, totally indistinct from all the others around it, and hovered over it. “I’m gonna put you down now, kay?”
“Wait, but—” Rainbow Dash let go and Rarity dropped, falling with a thump onto the cloud below. She clawed at the fluffy shape, struggling to find purchase, until she realized that she had stopped falling. She was, in fact, lying prone on the cloud, and Rainbow Dash landed next to her, lying snugly against her.
“I’ve had this thing magicked up for ages now,” Rainbow Dash explained. “Just in case. I never woulda thought it’d come in handy for picking up girls, though.”
“You seemed to pick me up just fine,” Rarity chided as she fussed with her mane.
Rainbow Dash frowned. “Too much?”
“Far too much. You can tease me, but I don’t much care for being scared out of my wits.”
Rainbow Dash wrapped a leg around Rarity. “Alright, it won’t happen again. But hey, I did bring you up here for a reason. You’re not too mad at me for our date, are you?”
Rarity sighed. “Of course not, dear. I was just frazzled.” She nuzzled Rainbow Dash affectionately. “I’m still very excited. Although, you could make it up to me by making the cloud a bit more… cozy?”
Rainbow Dash laughed and hopped up. “On it.” She zipped around, nudging the cloud here and there, reshaping it into something she thought would be more to Rarity’s liking. Soon they had a puffy white bed, big enough for them both and complete with a canopy to shut out the outside world.
Then she slipped back inside to join Rarity. Rainbow Dash had fashioned curtains on all sides, so for the moment they were completely surrounded by clouds, only lit by the dim sunlight that managed to break through. It gave them both a soft, golden glow that seemed to come from all angles.
Rainbow Dash plopped down heavily beside Rarity and returned the nuzzle from earlier. “It’s a shame you can’t see this thing from the outside,” she said, “it looks way more like a bed from there. Still, I hope it’s better.”
Rarity welcomed her back with a giddy hug. “Much better. Although I do hope you had more in mind for us than cuddling in the sky.”
“Well, that is part of it,” Rainbow Dash admitted. “I mean, I was off my game last time! I’ve gotta show you how the number one cuddler in Equestria does things.”
“Oh, as if,” Rarity contested. “I’ll have you know that I am our fair land’s premier cuddler. I have the trophy and everything.”
“There’s a trophy?” Rainbow Dash’s eyes went wide.
Rarity laughed. “Oh, Rainbow, you really are just too easy. Of course there’s not a trophy, that would be ridiculous. However, you did accept my claim, so it seems that I really am the number one cuddler.”
Rainbow Dash laughed and rolled her eyes. “Fine, I guess I can handle being number two in that one thing. For now.” She got a devious look in her eyes and pounced on Rarity, grabbing her and rolling around on the bed as they both laughed.
They stopped rolling with Rarity resting her head on Rainbow Dash’s chest, tracing circles in her fur with a hoof as Rainbow Dash stroked Rarity’s mane. Rarity sighed in contentment. “Maybe we can both be number one. Oh, but, do try not to roll us off the cloud, yes?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah.” Rainbow Dash looked at the precariously close curtain. “Don’t worry about it. After I fell off this thing once, I had Twilight whip up a spell to stop it from happening again. Now it’ll just roll along under us if we move around. Fancy, right?”
“I suppose,” Rarity admitted. “With a loose definition of what ‘fancy’ means, at least.”
“Aw, don’t be jealous,” Rainbow Dash teased. “I haven’t even shown you what I actually do up here yet.”
“Dearest, as cute as you are, I’m not sure watching you sleep would be a very good date.”
“Hardy har,” Rainbow Dash said. “I do have hobbies, you know. Watch.”
Rainbow Dash somersaulted into the air, spinning several times before finally shooting down through the bottom of the cloud, leaving a sizable hole in the bed. Then she flew back inside and landed softly beside Rarity, gesturing proudly at the hole.
Rarity glanced between Rainbow Dash and her handiwork. “You… Dive through clouds?”
Rainbow Dash groaned and picked up Rarity, pulling her over to the edge before lying down beside her. The gap in the clouds was just wide enough that they could both see through it comfortably, so long as they weren’t afraid of being too close together.
“I like to sit up here and watch ponies,” Rainbow Dash explained. “It’s a little harder with walls, but I think I kinda like the privacy.”
“You just watch them?” Rarity asked. “That seems somewhat restrained for you.”
“It’s chill. C’mon, I’ll show ya.” Rainbow Dash ducked her head below the cloud for a moment to scope out the town, then grabbed the bed and started to flap her wings, propelling them through the sky.
Rarity gave her a puzzled look. “How in the world can you do that from inside the cloud?”
Rainbow Dash shrugged as they drifted to a stop. “I dunno. Pegasus magic?”
Rarity stared at her for a moment before deciding to accept it and move on. She peered over the edge after they stopped moving, taking stock of where they were. Below them was a park, the biggest in Ponyville, but tiny from their towering perspective. A square of green that fit comfortably around a little blob of blue, the misshapen pond that the space was built around. From the sky it looked almost like a drawing, the pathways and foliage like lines on a map.
The park was almost completely empty. The sun had started to set, so most ponies had already made their way home. The swingsets stood still and the benches sat empty. Here and there little creatures skittered around, taking advantage of these sparse moments when the park has enough light to see, yet few enough ponies to go out.
There were two ponies who had yet to leave, though. On a remote shore of the pond, Rarity could just make out a pink pony hopping around excitedly as a yellow pony watched from the air.
“Is that…?” Rarity started.
“Pinkie and Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash finished. “Yup. They’re really fun to watch.”
“But…” Rarity pursed her lips. “What if they catch us?”
Rainbow Dash waved a hoof dismissively. “Aw, they’ve caught me before, it’s no biggie. I mean, Fluttershy was super embarrassed, but she didn’t speak up when Pinkie said she was cool with me watching them. Honestly? I feel like Fluttershy kinda likes getting embarrassed about romance stuff. It’s a little weird.”
Rarity chuckled and leaned against Rainbow Dash. “Unlike us,” she remarked. “We would never do anything ‘weird’ like, say, spy on our friends for a date.”
“Fair,” Rainbow Dash conceded. “Look, though. We’re missing the show.”
Down below, Fluttershy had picked Pinkie Pie up into the air, their hooves locked together, and was starting to spin around, twirling across the surface of the pond.
“Aww,” Rarity cooed. “How romantic.”
“It gets better,” Rainbow Dash promised.
Without warning, Fluttershy let go of Pinkie mid-spin, sending her flying off into the pond. Water sprayed all around as she submerged. A moment later she was up again, bobbing on the surface and laughing hard, splashing feebly in Fluttershy’s direction.
Rarity gasped. “Fluttershy! Did she really just do that?”
Rainbow Dash was struggling to hold back laughter. “Mmhm,” she hummed, before taking a deep breath to calm down. “Wild, huh?”
“But-but…” Rarity was stammering. “Why? How?”
Rainbow Dash laughed. “She really lets loose around Pinkie. It’s nice to see. Kinda like how I—” she grabbed Rarity and pulled her up, setting her snugly on top of her chest, “can be all mushy with you.”
Rarity laughed. Then she grabbed Rainbow Dash and rolled over herself, settling with the two ponies laying face to face beside each other, wrapped in each others’ warm embrace. Rarity tilted her head forward and pressed her nose up against Rainbow Dash’s. “And like how I can be as needy or competitive as I want.”
They both laughed before sharing a quick kiss and lying together in silence, gazing deeply into each other’s eyes.
A few minutes later, Rarity narrowed her eyes and prodded Rainbow Dash’s chest. “Don’t you ever throw me into a lake.”
“Aw,” Rainbow Dash jokingly pouted, “but you’re so cute when you’re mad.”
“Would you really want to make me mad, though?” Rarity replied in a teasing voice. A sly grin grew on her face to match her narrow eyes, and she stroked Rainbow Dash’s cheek tenderly. “We both know I’ve got you wrapped around my hoof.”
Rainbow Dash blushed, but recovered quickly and smiled back. “Maybe, but that’s just where I wanna be.”
The two nuzzled each other as, outside, darkness overtook Ponyville. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy finished their fun and headed home, the critters went back to their beds, and the sun gave way to the moon, shining brilliantly in the night, all without Rarity or Rainbow Dash giving it an ounce of thought.
Eventually, though, Rarity noticed the darkness and yawned. “Rainbow, darling, this has been absolutely incredible, but I’m afraid if we stay out much longer I’m liable to fall asleep on you.”
“That doesn’t exactly make me wanna take you home,” Rainbow Dash said. “Besides, I already made this thing into a bed.” She kicked a hoof to close up the hole leading outside, leaving them isolated from the outside world once more, and with a swift movement she shaped a bit of the cloud around them into a blanket that she draped over them both.
Rarity yawned again and wrapped herself around Rainbow Dash. “Mmm, you do make a compelling argument.”
“Don’t fall asleep just yet, though,” Rainbow Dash said. “There’s one more thing I wanna show you.”
With a single well aimed flap of her wings, Rainbow Dash sent a gust of wind straight up, blowing the roof off their cloud canopy. Suddenly the sky was their ceiling, the stunning array of stars lighting them just enough to see. With how the walls of the cloud bed boxed them in, it was as though this was the entire world, just the two of them, a cloud, and a sea of stars overhead. Rarity’s eyes glistened as she stared up in wonderment.
“You showed me stars,” Rainbow Dash whispered into her ear, “so I thought it was only fair that I show you some too.” Then she cupped a hoof under Rarity’s chin, pulled her face over so their eyes met, and gave her a sweet, tender kiss.
