Getting Noticed

Dash beat on the castle doors as hard and as loud as she could. Her hooves were sore by the time she finished her repetitive strikes, but to her, it was worth it. It was also the middle of the night, but she didn’t care. She had to have help. She needed some way to chase the dark and twisted fantasies away. Either that, or she needed a way to fulfill them, and she had come to the only spot she knew of where one of these things might happen.

Twilight was the only pony in Ponyville that could help with the terrifying, yet pleasurable thoughts that had been swaying her mind lately. They scared her, traumatized her, entranced her, and caused her body to be surrounded in warmth by the time they were finished. She had dreams of this caliber as well, though no friendly appearance by Princess Luna ever occurred. Damn Luna, Dash thought, she’s supposed to help ponies like me! So…why do I feel so ignored?

The door suddenly swung open and there stood Twilight, a tired look overtaking her normally pretty face. Crisps of sleeping gunk dotted around her eyes, and the “Pony Punk” pajama top that covered her chest and draped down to her rump was disheveled. Her mane was unkempt, and she yawned deeply in greeting. “Dash,” she said in an obviously annoyed voice, “what the hell is it? It’s 3 in the morning…”

“I don’t care, Twilight!” Dash said, darting past Twilight without waiting for an invitation. She turned back to the now thoroughly confused princess and fluttered her wings a bit. “I have to have your help! It’s urgent…like, more urgent than when Daring Do got caught in that cave in her last book!”

Twilight yawned again. “I don’t mean to make your problems sound minimal, but can’t this wait until Celestia raises the sun? Everypony’s supposed to be asleep, and considering your habitual nature regarding the activity, I figured you would be enveloped in a cocoon of slumber.”

Dash sighed. Even at three in the morning, Twilight spoke as if she hauled the latest edition of Mareiam-Webster’s Dictionary around with her. She had always had an expansive vocabulary, much to the chagrin of the poorly educated Dash. Sometimes the rainbow maned cyan Pegasus wished she had remained more attentive in school, but then she remembered how many bits the Wonderbolts paid her per show and the thought vanished.

“No, this can’t wait!” She said with wide eyes, “I need your help NOW!”

“Okay, okay!” Twilight said, startled fully awake by her friend’s sudden shriek, “I’ll help you! Geesh! Let’s go into the throne room and see what we can do.”

The two made their way into the aforementioned chamber and Dash settled into the marble throne with her cutie mark on it. She realized how empty the room seemed without all of their friends present, and she suddenly felt awkward speaking with Twilight one-on-one. But she shook the anxiety off because she needed her friend’s help, and she needed it quickly. How she would confess to the dirty thoughts, she hadn’t quite figured out, but she would. I guess…channeling my inner Applejack would be a good start, she thought, yeah, honesty. That’s always the best policy.

“So,” Twilight said as she finished pouring herself a small cup of coffee. She would need all the caffeine she could get to help Dash. She sat in her own throne, took a swig, then continued. “What can I do for you?”

“Do you have any magic spells that cause somepony to be noticed by somepony else? Somepony specific, I mean?”

Now Twilight was extraordinarily confused. Even the coffee didn’t take the edge off what Dash was saying. She had knocked on her door at this early hour to ask for a spell that could have been asked for at any other time? Why? What was her endgame? The thought of sleep gently wore off as Twilight’s natural curiosity kicked into high gear. She felt the buzz of wanting more knowledge tug at her mind, and she sat forward, wanting answers.

“I do,” she said, “but…why?”

Dash blushed heavily, and Twilight picked up on the musky scent that mares emitted when they had strong feelings for somepony. She quickly recoiled as she thought that the pony in question was herself, even though she had absolutely no desire to engage in such activities. She was a straight pony, and a good one at that. She even had her own stallion friend in Canterlot. I’ll have to let her down gently, Twilight thought.

“Dash, do you love someone?”

“Yes!” Dash shouted, “and it’s terrible that I do! It’s awful! It’s worse than doing a double barrel roll with somepony in the sky and clipping their wing!”

Twilight was shocked at Dash’s condemnation of the wonderful feelings of romance. As somepony who experienced the tender and loving nature of having a special somepony first hoof, she was flabbergasted at the revelation. She always figured that a mare would enjoy having someone to do things with and spend special time with. She found love to be a beautiful thing, but her friend seemingly had other ideas.

“Wait-wait-wait,” Twilight said, “you hate that you love them, yet you want me to create a spell so that they’ll notice you?”

“Yes!” Dash shouted again, “I know it’s confusing, but so are my own thoughts! They’re terrible, yet wonderful! They’re torture, yet they’re heavenly as well! I just…don’t understand my own feelings. I can’t unravel them, and it scares me! Twilight…I’m afraid of this.”

Twilight smiled. Now she was getting somewhere. It was difficult for the normally brave pony to admit when she was frightened of something, so making any inroad into her heart was typically impossible. It seemed that Dash had lowered those walls for the moment, so Twilight decided to rapidly drive herself into the meat of the issue.

“Who are you in love with, Rainbow?” She asked gently.

“You’re gonna hate me for saying it,” Dash said, shuddering, “because nopony should be in love the way I am.”

“Dash, if you’re coming out to me, I won’t judge you,” Twilight said, “you’re my friend, and that will always be true. You’re like a sister to me, so don’t be scared of telling me what you feel in your heart.”

“Twilight…I’m in love with…Scootaloo.”