The Other Side of Love

Sunlight sending warmth through her eyelids was the first thing Soarin’ felt while coming from slumber. Confusion filled her as to what caused the heat on her eyelids to increase but it soon dawned on her, it was the sunlight. She gave out a light moan as she forced her eyelids apart, all but failing to close them when the piercing light was the first they she saw. Taking in a breath, Soarin stretched her body out, letting the joints pop back in place so she could sit up without much fuss.

“Wow, I was out like a light last night. Guess me and Dash went at hit harder than we thought” Soarin muttered to herself, stretching at her mane before a musky scent caught her attention. Knowing who it was from, the pegasus pinched her nose and looked over to the stallion next to her on the bed. “Mornin’ Rainbow… Celestia, you smell bad. Don’t tell me you forget to take a shower yesterday?”

Rainbow Dash seemingly ignored her, looking like he wasn't even paying attention to what his gender-bend mate asked him. It soon became apparent to Soarin that he was still sleeping, for which she nearly slapped herself. Knowing full well that Rainbow had tendencies to sleep on most days. Deciding to leave her by for the time being, Soarin went to the bathroom to see the changes to her new body. Rainbow’s mirror gave a clear image of her new form as she turned this way and that, taking in the biological difference it had. Going as far as to touch her breasts with her whole hands to see how much they filled them.

‘I still can’t believe I’m a mare now. Seeing it is one thing but actually being in it? It’s totally not as I expected it to be.’ Soarin thought, giving a gasp as her hands fondled her nipples and crotch. ‘Every part of me feels strange… but I guess that’s because I’m my new body now so I would feel that way. I wonder if it’s how Dash will feel when it registers for… though, knowing her, I bet she’ll think about how awesome it is.’

Taking her hand away from her more intimate areas, Soarin looked up at the ceiling, getting lost in thought. She was still reeling from the events that transpired last night in spite of her and Rainbow Dash adjusting surprisingly easily to their new bodies. While glad to be able to try out the experience, Soarin had so much that hadn’t stopped going through her head. One, in particular, being how she and her mare… stallionfriend would adapt inside their brand new bodies from here on out. Or better yet, how others would take the two no longer being who they used to be to an extent.

It wasn’t doubtful enough to know that no one would accept this kind of change. Quite a lot of things have changed since his colthood and things that weren't so accepted before were being accepted now. Including genders and attraction to those not of opposite genders. He was not sure how it was before coming into the world, but he could only imagine how it was because of how secretive some couples were. While Soarin was well aware of how accepting ponies were of certain changes, that didn’t help to quell her fear. Why would it? It was the first time she tried something like this so of course she’d be at least a bit fearful of how it’d be taken. All she hoped for was that it would end on a positive note… otherwise, she wouldn't know how to proceed with this.

“Yo Soar, what are you doing?”

Whinnying slightly from the sudden intrusive voice, Soarin whipped her head around to see Rainbow leaning against the doorframe. Instinctively, the naked pegasus mare covered her chest and crotch “You’re playing with your body huh? Guess you're still getting used to being in a new one even after last night?”

“D-Dash, how many times have I told you not to suddenly appear like that?” Soarin scolded as she calmed down. “I could’ve ended up slipping or hurting myself! You have gotta break this habit of yours, seriously!”

Rainbow chuckled. “Sorry, I was too busy watching you enjoy yourself to bother you. Glad that part of me hasn't changed.” His grin softened as he entered the bathroom. “Anyway, have you gotten more comfortable with your new body yet?”

“Not… exactly. I mean, I did have fun last night, but I’m still a little worried.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about how we keep going on living like this from now on,” Soarin emphasized. “I’m all for learning about the basics of being a mare since I’m not a stallion anymore. But…”

“But what?” Rainbow pressed, wanting to know exactly what his marefriend was going on about.

“I’m afraid about how we’ll be seen,” Soarin confessed, hanging her head. “I mean, think about it. Everyone knows us as the Rainbow Dash and Soarin they know. Being inside of their own bodies and not….” She gestured to her new slender and slim figure. “You’re Dash, and I’ll always love you no matter what form you’re taking, but… I’m not sure if other ponies will feel the same.”

Softness took up the look in Rainbow Rainbow’s eye while he listened to Soarin express all of her fears of their new situation. Externally speaking, it didn't seem like he was worried about any of the consequences of being a gender-bent couple. Next to Pinkie Pie, Rainbow was the second most confident and easygoing of his five other friends. Not one to really let fear get the best of him outside of situations he believed were embarrassing. Genderbending was not one of them, unfortunately, and while he didn’t show it, he was as scared as Soarin was. If not a little bit more.

Scared as he was, Rainbow Dash knew that the one thing that he wasn’t was a coward. Or somepony that chickened out from important matters such as this. He was the embodiment of loyalty, and the last thing he would ever do was turn his back on someone hanging. Let alone someone who was just as devoted to her, or him, as he was to them. Rainbow was somewhat more positive, things would turn out okay for him and Soarin, and how they were treated would not change. Aside from having to grow accustomed to the change in the body. And if it didn't… Well, Rainbow would ensure Soarin always had him to support her, through and through.

“Hey Soar, don’t get your panties in a notch. You don’t need to worry so much about all of that stuff.” Rainbow reassured, bringing an arm around the frowning Soarin’s neck. “I get where it is you’re coming from. Really babe, I do and to be honest, I’m a little nervous myself.”

“You are?”

“Yep. I know it doesn’t look like it, but even I can get a bit nervous at times.” At Soarin’s deadpan stare, Rainbow chuckled and did some rephrasing. “Okay, I really get nervous sometimes. But I’m not gonna let that sweat me. Cause we’ve got some awesome friends to back me up!”

“You mean you have friends backing you up?” It was now Soarin’s turn to correct Rainbow.

“My point still stands, especially since I’ve got you.” Rainbow retorted, tightening her neck hug a bit. “What I’m saying is, don't let it get to your Soar. Lots of ponies will be cool with this, and even if some aren’t, my friends will. All of them are chillaxed with you already, so you can bet they won’t leave you hangin’.”

“Yeah, you’re right… at least I hope.” Soarin murmured, the last part going unheard.

“You bet I am!” Giving a ruffle of the mare’s black hair, Rainbow jumped right into the topic at hand. “Anyway, now we’ve got all that stuff out of the way, let’s down to business!”

“Business? You want to do it again?”

“Not that, I mean the things you’ll need to do now that you’re a mare. Starting with how to use a bathroom as one.”

Soarin paused. “Oh yeah, I wasn't really thinking about that. How does that work, exactly?”

"Well, mares have their own routines when it comes to using the bathroom every morning," Rainbow explained, stepping back to cross his arms. “Brushing your hair, cleaning yourself down there,” She pointed to Soarin’s newly transformed groin. “We also trim our eyelashes, but not to the extent that Rarity does. And if we want, we can wear a little bit of makeup. Again, not like the amount Rarity had during that competition I competed in back at Cloudsdale.”

“Do I have to wear makeup every morning?"

"No you don’t. Even though you’re a mare now, it’s not a rule or anything for you to put makeup on every single day. In fact, I prefer if you stayed the way how I first saw ya." Rainbow replied with a confident, yet loving smile. “Not that I’m saying I love ya any less now you’re a mare.”

Soarin giggled. “I get it. I’m just happy that I don’t need to do it all the time even if I’m willing to do it for you. I can’t imagine how much time that would take for even a little bit.”

“Then you’d better be lucky I’m not wearing makeup, 'cause it would take forever!” Rainbow added with a loud groan at the end before the two of them laughed.

“So what else do mares have to go through in their lives?” Soarin asked, sounding more curious about how to properly use her body. “I do know they have to deal with things like periods but do they also, uh… do face menstruation?”

“You mean when we put that red stuff on our faces?” Rainbow guessed knowingly. “Yeah, but it can be pretty hard to know when it could happen. I was careful before all this, but you never know the exact time when I can pop up.”

Soarin’ winced. “So I can come at any time even when I’m not at home?”

“Yeah, sorry. That’s the way it usually goes…” Rainbow confirmed sheepishly, wishing she was able to say anything else more helpful. “And when it does, it will hurt like a bitch.”

‘Ugh, I don’t feel as confident being in this new body anymore...’ Soarin thought with a flushed face as her eyes were comically white. “Pushing all that aside, how about clothes? Should we go shopping in the meantime? I want to change into something different, but we only have each other’s closes. And I don’t want to go flying around au naturel anyway.”

“Really, Soarin? The second option feels classy to me. Are you comfortable with showing your bits to the world?” Rainbow asked teasingly.

“I would ask you the same thing, but I think we both know what your answer is going to be.”

Rainbow chuckled. “You know me too well.”

“Speaking of not going around naked, are we gonna be getting new clothes today? I want to see what clothes will fit me since I’m not a male anymore.”

“Yeah yeah, we won't worry! I just wanted to have a look at my new awesomeness for a bit longer.” Rainbow said dismissively, giving a glance at his mirror. “Heh, yep! Still looking good!”

“I hate to interrupt your self-glorifying Dash, but can we get dressed now? I’m starting to feel a little cold.” Soarin gently tapped on his shoulder to regain his attention. “As much as I would not like to keep seeing you like this, we should get ready. I wanna know how to properly be in this body, and the sooner I do, the better..”

“You’re right, I should put my clothes on so I can test this body out. Don’t want anyone seeing my new junk flopping around like a dead fish anyway.” Rainbow murmured. “Not that I think you would mind that now, heh!”

Deciding not to give a comment, Rainbow and Soarin headed back to the former’s bedroom to re-cloth themselves. Or try on each other's clothes since they were now in gender-reversed bodies. Rainbow had no trouble with Soarin’s clothes since her new body no longer needed to take as much time to be decent. Soarin on the other hand was not faring as well as her new boyfriend.

“Jeez, this bra is so tight. Looks like my cup size was bigger than I had anticipated. Did you always get bras this size when shopping on your own, Rainbow?”

“I did. I don’t have a big chest, so I didn't see the point of getting any bigger ones.” Rainbow said casually. “When my mom got me my first bra, she made sure it was one that would fit my chest whenever I wore it. My grandma did the same thing for her, so she wasn't gonna pick one at random.”

“I’m guessing you’re gonna do the same thing for me then?” Soarin asked, finally managing to put her new bra on.

“Why not? I’m not your Mom, but I’m still gonna take care of you. That includes you having the coolest clothes!” Rainbow boasted. “Even if you’re my brand new marefriend, we’re both still a thing! And that is not gonna change no matter how we look!”

A blush made its way to Soarin’s cheeks at these words. “Thanks, Rainbow…I’m glad to hear that. I am a little nervous about shopping like this but… I think we’ll be okay.”

Rainbow nodded affirmatively. “Uh-huh, and we’re not planning on shopping forever! As soon as I see something that I think is cool, we’re hightailing it out of there in ten seconds flat!”

“Do you seriously think we can go into a shop, find clothes that suit us, pay for them and leave in that amount of time?” Soarin asked flatly. “Excluding the possibility of a line?”

“Er… okay, maybe not that fast, but fast enough that you won’t even know what happened.” Rainbow rephrased with a little bit less confidence than before. “But we’ll be out of there quick enough! Just gotta find out which clothes are the best and we can go from there!”

“Somehow, I doubt we’re gonna be that fast.” Soarin sighed with a sweatdrop. “But if you feel it’ll be that quick, I’ll roll with you. I just hope you won’t get too impatient and cause a scene in public… again.”

“Aww don’t worry! I was a little impatient in the past, but I’ve done a lot of growing! You can bet I can wait longer than usual. Besides, today isn’t one of those days where the lines will be super long anyway. I will be a-okay!”

-XXXXX-

“I think I spoke too soon.”

It was these words that came from Rainbow’s mouth after she and Soarin arrived at the department clothing store. Against everything she was expecting, the couple found a line that was larger than usual waiting for them. As if the store itself had prepared itself to give a real good smack of a surprise to the athletes. It wasn't at a length to where people were standing out of the door but was close to crossing this line. A little ruckus was made which was even more of a surprise to Soarin and Rainbow, but neither was complaining. At least they didn't have to deal with the Tartarus that was Black Friday.

“Looks like you were wrong, Rainbow. Today’s line is the same as when it isn't summertime.” Soarin murmured as they walked through the store. “And it doesn't look like it’s going to be letting up anytime soon.”

“Aw, hayseed! And right when I thought we’d be out of this place soon!” Rainbow groaned while he threw back his head. “That’s what I get for being so wishful!”

“Hey, it’s fine, babe. Not all things turn out the way you want them to… we ended up getting unlucky and all.” Soarin comforted sweetly, rubbing her boyfriend’s shoulder comfortingly. “I for one don’t mind being here in the store longer than we planned to. In fact, I see it as a good thing!”

Rainbow stared at the mare dumbfounded. “Good thing?! In what world would it be good to have to wait in a line until sunset to buy a new set of clothes?!”

“What I was actually referring to was being able to explore and get a good look at what kind of clothes we would like in our new bodies.” Soarin continued with half-lidded beady eyes. “Plus, I’m kind of getting the urge to do some shopping?”

“You actually want to shop?” Rainbow asked with a quirked eyebrow.

“I’m not… entirely sure. I didn’t have this feeling before, but since I became a mare, I can feel it beginning to grow. I mean, I am here to get something to wear that suits me and that’s it, but I don’t know.” Soarin’s own brows furrowed down in contemplation as her feelings began to go to more conflicted areas.

Rainbow’s eyes widened as it finally caught onto him, resisting the urge to facepalm. Of course, his new marefriend would want to go on a shopping spree since Soarin was now a female. It wasn’t something he wasn’t exposed to even before becoming a male. Plenty of times during her fillyhood, he went on trips with friends to stores and learned just how far each one’s tastes in attire went. Some of them rivaling a certain fashionista Rainbow got the pleasure of knowing over the course of five years. He wasn’t going to deny he didn't have those urges himself when as a mare, her materialism was reduced to a healthier level. He didn't know if Soarin’s was the same before her transformation, but Rainbow hoped to Luna herself that it didn't increase. Or it would really be a test of her still somewhat limited patience.

‘Oh boy, I definitely should’ve seen this coming…’ Running a hand down his muzzle, Rainbow decided to give Soarin straight. “I think I can figure out what it is you’re feeling Soar. It’s just another part of you that’s growin’ now that you’re a mare.”

“I… what?”

“Uh-huh, it’s exactly what I’m sayin’ it is. You have a whole bunch of new urges you’re feeling since you’re not a stallion anymore.” Rainbow continued chipperly. “I get that it’s new to you and all, but it’s not something you gotta worry about. Just one of the things that come to be like me! Or… how I used to be.”

“That’s all there is to it then?” Soarin took a second or two to contemplate Rainbow’s words before rubbing at her chest. “Huh…and here I thought it was because it was something mare’s like to do. Guess there’s really a lot of things I don’t know about mares than I already do.”

“Not like I have any room to talk about stallions either,” Rainbow added stretching out his buff forearms. “But hey, we can learn together, right?”

Soarin smiled. “Yeah. And it looks like we found the perfect place to do it.”

“Well, then what’re we just standing around here for?! Let’s go already!”

-XXXXX-

With the line being longer than they liked, Soarin and Rainbow came to the reluctant decision to browse across the department store. Specifically, inside the mare and stallion sections with the clothing their new bodies would need. From lines of hangers containing pants, shirts, and undergarments, to plastic bags of socks and tank tops hanging from rods stuck to walls. Next to that were the dressing rooms, made as one would expect for anyone in need of trying out new clothing. Mirrors for one to get a good look at themselves after being dressed. Small sets of hangers for particular clothing so one wouldn’t have to set them down. Even a chair if they did want to stand while getting dressed, with a long, thick curtain for privacy purposes. Even the changing rooms were done for a lot more than just wardrobes.

Not ones that were for the standard and plain clothing, the athletes decided to go for the more spontaneous sets of clothing fitting for active creatures. It turned out they were more in stock than Rainbow or Soarin realized, leaving them unable to know which was best to leave with. So, in an unexpected turn, Rainbow opted to have them take the time to see which clothes would fit them the best. And what it was like to try new clothes they could never properly wear before.

“How’re you doin’ in there Soarin? Still haven't trouble with the new undies?” Rainbow asked in a partially teasing tone. “I can come in there and help you if you want.”

“I’m fine Rainbow, I just need to get a feel of how this works. I am using a new brand that I’ve never worn before.” Soarin refused, her light grunts letting the stallion know she was not doing well in the changing room. “And for the record, you do know that you can’t go into another one of these rooms if someone is changing right? You could get in trouble for that!”

“Only if you manage not to get caught!” Rainbow retorted while leaning on the wall of his own changing room. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen plenty of ponies doing things that can be called, not dressing up. I don’t really feel like boring you with a super long explanation, but all I’m gonna say was that it was loud, and it was hot.”

“...You’re not thinking of humping me inside the store are you?”

“...Pfft, no! But I wouldn’t mind if you want to do a quickie here.” Rainbow replied with a laugh with the last bit. Feeling an ominous aura comes from the other side, he tried to backpedal from being reprimanded. “Look, all I’m saying is you can ask for my help if you have trouble. I may be a stallion now, but everything I learned about mares is still there! They are not going away anytime soon!”

“I wasn’t really expecting you to, but it’s still nice to hear you say.” Soarin softly uttered as she calmed down. “I can still remember what it’s like to be stallion-like. I guess the potion Zecora gave us only had an effect on our physical states.”

“It may not be like that forever though.” Rainbow pointed out. “As you said earlier, you have a sudden urge to shop and that wasn't something you had before you went through the whole gender-bender thing. I’m not a mare anymore and I’m already starting to feel new urges before we even come here. Guess that stuff is starting to affect us on the inside too.”

A sigh from the other room. “For some reason, I don’t find that surprising… I mean, the two of us being in different bodies but still thinking what we were thinking when we weren’t? I don’t see how that can be possible.”

“If it was, then we probably wouldn't even be in these bodies in the first place,” Rainbow added as he finished adjusting his pants and shirt. “Ah well, it is what it is. Just gotta fit into it just like we are with these awesome bodies, right?”

“Uh-huh, it’s all we can do I guess… speaking of fitting into it, are you finished in there Rainbow?” Soarin asked after voicing her agreement.

“Awww, wanna see me in my glory already? Looks like someone getting impatient.” Rainbow cooed, having a pretty good guess as to what face Soarin was currently making. “It’s okay. I’ve been wanting to see what you look like inside your new clothes too. So let's not keep each other waiting anymore, ‘kay?”

“In that case, I’ll step out. Are you coming?”

“Right behind you Soar!”

Seemingly at the same time, the pegasus due exited their respective changing rooms, eager to see how the other looked. Neither were surprised by what they had chosen to wear, but at the same time, they were. For Rainbow, he was put in a plain white shirt that looked to be suited to hug his upper torso, muscles, and all, with a lightning bolt in the center. A pair of shorts as gray as a storm cloud went down to his knees, with chains and multiple zippers showing the pockets they held. Shoes the color of his hair ate up his feet in a design made for the purpose of running and jumping. Covering her arms was a glinting electric blue coat that had a hoodie to protect her head from the rain. Having a storm cloud with lightning bolts striking from within.

While not as flashy as her stallionfriend’s outfit, Soarin’s new adornments helped to display her in all her feminine beauty. Black covered nearly all of her body, with the same glint in Rainbow’s own coat that made it stand out more than his. Due to the tightness in the coat sleeves as well as the pants, the slenderness of both was seen along with their toned muscle. Soarin’s blue shirt was thick and helped to hug her chest and bra without anything hanging out. A bit was still being revealed, showing the ampleness of her chest that’d catch the eyes of stallions as well as mares.

“Well, here’s my suit… how do I look?” Soarin asked shyly, hugging her midsection.

“Holy Tits of Celestia Soarin! You look so damn hot!” Rainbow gawked, his rose-colored eyes taking in his marefriend’s taking in her appearance like soil taking in water. “I didn’t expect you to wear something like this!”

Soarin rubbed one of her arms. “Well… I know you like clothes that make you stand out and aren’t too… extra. I thought this would be the best choice since I like clothes like these too. Like the ones you’re wearing.”

“Heh, I guess we were both thinkings of the same thing. I would ask how you like my outfit, but we both know what you’ll say.” Rainbow said, holding his stomach as he let a laugh escape him.

“Maybe, but still… you look great in yours too.” Soarin said preferably, her blush lightening.

“So how about it? You wanna leave with these clothes, or do you wanna keep looking?” Rainbow suddenly asked after giving an arm stretch. “I wanna get outta here now that the lines have settled down, but I don’t mind trying on a few more of these outfits.”

“Actually, I think I’m done here too. It was pretty fun for us to try out these cool clothes, but I’m feeling a little tired. Plus, my feet hurt from walking and I want to sit down somewhere.” Soft moans emphasized the tiredness Soarin felt from this inquisitive task. “It was nice to test out my new shopping urges, but now that I know where the extent goes… I don’t think I’ll be going on another one for a while.”

“You know what? Now that you said it, I could go for a little relaxation now. Or in this case, chillaxing.” Rainbow agreed, giving a shake of his own legs. “Wanna head over to the register now?”

“Yeah, but let’s get these clothes together. Don’t want to leave a mess for the owners to have to clean up.”

-XXXXX-

Because of the time they spent clothes swapping, the line seen when Soarin and Rainbow first arrived gradually decreased. With each outfit they tried on, the line decreased in size as well as length, ‘till there were no more than several ponies, and even a few griffins and kirins, in line too. While the couple waited, they shared some last-minute thoughts about what urges they felt alongside their experience shopping as the opposite gender.

“Well, that was a nice little shopping trip. Ended up getting a bunch more than we thought.” Rainbow commented, looking at the bags hanging from his arms. “I wonder if we’ll be able to fit ‘em all in our closets.”

“I think we should leave that to future Dash and Soarin… or Blitz and Glide now that we’re no longer… us,” Soarin commented, her fingers holding the handles of her own bag. “Our closets aren’t really the biggest and we don’t wear that much clothing, to begin with. Hopefully, neither of us have to constantly pick them up every time we put them away… but I am not holding my breath.”

“Heh, that’s something that totally gonna make my room messier than it already is. But we can handle that easy peasy.” Rainbow said confidently. “We got a lot more stuff we’ve gotta worry about besides a bunch of clothes.”

“About that… I’m kind of wondering if we’re gonna be experiencing things like this from now on.” Soarin murmured, lifting a hand towards her face before clenching it. “It hasn’t even been three days since I became a mare and you a stallion. Us doing something like this has been really eye-opening to part of what it means to be the other gender… and what we might be facing in the future.”

“Whaddya mean?” Rainbow blinked perplexedly.

“I don’t doubt you’ll be there with me to help me learn what is to know about mares and vice versa. But… I wonder what others will think. Our parents, friends, or even the princesses. I get that Equestria is an accepting nation, but still… with these sudden changes, I wonder how it’ll be dealt with by everyone.”

Rainbow paused as the understanding behind Soarin’s words of doubt struck her like bolts of lighting. She was well within her rights to feel how she was even if she was not afraid of being left behind by everyone except her. Why wouldn’t she? Soarin was exposed, albeit voluntarily, to a change in behavior that would be permanent along with her. So many things would have to be adjusted into their lives from this point forward. More than likely until the day they both peaced out into the Elysium Fields. It didn’t mean they wouldn’t be wondering how I'd be or they’d know what to do. Rainbow certainly didn’t, so why should he expect Soarin to be the same way? Pretty unfair if one were to ask her.

With that being said, it would be like for Rainbow to say he wasn’t having those thoughts in his own head. Ones that almost perfectly mirrored Soarin’s aside from not being as scared as he was about revealing their new selves. He knew that as accepting as his friends would be of this, they would need some adjusting to them as they were right now. Talks would be held, arguments would be made, and there would almost certainly be friction between the six of them. Possibly as it was, Rainbow had confidence she could depend on his friends to support him and Soarin during this time. Numerously, they did before, so there wasn't really a reason for them to not do so now.

“Yeah, this is something that others won’t find easy to take in. Excluding everyone in this shop that doesn't even know us or our titles.” Rainbow said after some silence. “I mean, I’m not really worried about our friends freaking out over it…other than our parents. But I also know it’s not gonna be a walk in the park for them to accept it like that. Trust me, I know what you’re getting at Soar, and I’ll admit I’m a bit nervous myself.”

Soarin looked back at him. “You are?”

“Hard to believe, I know. Me, the Great Rainbow Dash afraid of coming out as a stallion now that I’m no longer a mare.” Rainbow laughed, crossing his arms as Soarin sweatdropped. “But yeah, I am more or less nervous about how it’ll be taken from my friends and a bit more about how it’ll be taken for your end. But I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

Walking a bit closer to Soarin, Rainbow put his arm around his marefriend’s waist, adding his right wing to warm up the embrace. “We are living in one of the most accepting places Equus has to offer, so I don’t see any chance of any shitty rejections coming from anyone here. All of those old days of being in order and stuff are long gone anyway. We’re in a new time now!”

“That is true… a lot changed in the millennium… if you don’t count the twenty-five years you and I were alive.” Soarin agreed, blushing with embarrassment when Rainbow cuckold at that last part. “Sorry, I guess I’m still wondering about the whole acceptance thing… not sure if it’s me being scared or just paranoia. Not really a good look on me either way.”

“And it’s cool for you to feel like that. And that’s why I’m saying that I’ll be here in case things go south.” Rainbow started tightening the hug a bit. “And if anyone tries anything with you, I'll sonic rainboom them so hard, it’ll be like them getting a one-way ticket across Equestria! Only without the Canterlot Express and everything.”

“I can only imagine how bad that’d feel if that were to actually happen.” Soarin giggled while holding onto her boyfriend's arm. “Hopefully I won’t come to that. Or maybe it will. I don’t have any idea of knowing.”

“Well like ya said, we’ll leave that for future Dash and Soarin to deal with. All we should focus on now is getting these clothes and going to the nearest hayburger shop!” Rainbow declared as the last pony behind them walked off with their items. “If you’re feeling hungry that is.”

“Since when did this discussion turn into getting food?” Soarin asked, following after him.

“None~! Just me saying what we should do next after this.” Rainbow replied with a dismissive wave. “Anyway, feeling a little bit better about this adventure of being on the opposite side?”

Soarin looked at her boyfriend's confident and courageous eyes that brimmed with devotion as a smile of her own adorned her lips. With a laugh of tenderness and a brief run of her mane through her fingers, she took Dash’s hand in her.

“A lot better.”