Rainbow hated this.
Stepping through the doorway into her home, she pushed it shut behind her. Closing her eyes, she took a few breaths and plastered on a grin.
"I'm home!"
Within a few seconds her mother's head poked out of the kitchen, her father stepping into the doorframe to lean against it. He crossed his arms and smiled at her fondly while her mother cracked a welcoming grin.
"You're back a bit early. Didn't hang out with the girls after practice today?" She stepped out past Bow, who leaned down to plant a kiss on the top of her head. Swatting back at him absently, Windy wiped her hands in her apron as she approached her daughter.
"Nah, everyone's busy with work or school stuff. I'm a tiny bit wiped out anyway-" Rainbow suppressed a wince as her mother wrapped her up in a tight hug, returning it lightly. "-So I was just gonna take a quick nap before dinner."
Windy stepped back and nodded with a smile, Bow catching his daughter's eye with a wider smile and a thumbs up before swinging back into the kitchen.
"Sounds good, Honey. Dinner's in an hour or so. Hope you brought your appetite, we went a little overboard..." Windy grinned awkwardly at her daughter, but was met with a grin and raspy chuckle.
"I'm always starving when it comes to your food, Mom! Seeya in a few, and I'll definitely bring it. Dinner won't know what hit it!" Windy rolled her eyes and laughed at her daughter's exuberance, patting her Rainbow's cheek lightly.
"That's the spirit. Have a good nap, Rainbow." She shook her head as the spirited girl bolted upstairs, but her smile slowly faded.
A mother knew when something was wrong with their children. Something had been bothering Rainbow for a while now, and the flicker she'd seen on the girl's face when she'd pet her cheek told her in no uncertain terms it was getting worse. Frowning, she turned around and walked back into the kitchen.
"Hey, Lover..? Have you noticed anything off lately with Dashy?"
* * *
Locking the door behind her, Rainbow tossed her backpack onto her couch before stepping into the center of her room and stripping.
Her clothes went into a pile on the floor. Arms held lightly away from her sides, Rainbow closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. Letting her mind wander and ignoring the shallow breaths as much as she could, Rainbow tried to lose herself in the sensation.
After a few minutes she sighed, opening her eyes and walking over to her bed. It wouldn't surprise anyone that a girl who enjoyed her naps so much would have something of an extravagant sleep setup. Silk sheets adorned a high end waterbed. It had raised a few eyebrows between her friends that had seen it and her parents who had to pay for it.
It probably would have raised more than eyebrows if she could get what she really wanted. Not that she even knew if it would help. She'd never tried one, and wouldn't have the first idea about where to find one in the first place, or how expensive they were. This was the best she could do for now, and it was better than a box-spring by miles.
Sliding in over the sheets, she settled herself on her back with her limbs spread slightly. The light rocking eventually faded to a feeling approaching weightlessness, the cool slick sheets slowly warming to match her body temperature. Relief came over her for the first time since she'd gotten up this morning.
It wasn't the magic. It had been there before the magic, and the magic didn't make it worse by any means. When she had her wings it was actually... Well, it was better and worse at the same time, but it was a trade in her favor if she had to nail it down.
Something was making it worse, though. Even a couple years ago at the start of high school she could go a whole day without noticing that feeling. A year ago it was always there, but she could ignore it. She could push it down and function.
It was always there now. Every time her clothes shifted across her skin, the feeling almost overwhelmed her. It was getting to the point where she was shying away from the physical intimacy of her friends and family. Even the idea of any other kind caused her to squirm. She hadn't... Touched herself in months.
Exhausting herself helped, overriding the feeling with numbness. The only place she truly felt right was in dreams.
It wasn't a gender thing. She didn't think she was a peregrine falcon in a human's body. She didn't think she was always meant to be something else.
She just felt... Wrong.
Being a man wouldn't change that her sense of touch turned her stomach. Flying through the air wouldn't keep the wind from slithering over her feathers. The sensation of a lover's touch on her skin wouldn't distract her from the fact that it was THERE.
The idea of a sensory deprivation tank flitted through her thoughts again. It was something, maybe. Twilight might know where to find one. Or how to build one. It wasn't a solution, but maybe it would let her forget for a few hours.
Thoughts of Twilight shifted to her royal counterpart in Equestria. Rainbow's counterpart was supposed to be older. Maybe she felt the same way. Maybe she'd figured something out. Maybe there was a spell in magical horse land that could FIX this.
Rainbow couldn't imagine this getting any worse. No, she could imagine it, but she couldn't imagine being able to take it. She'd call Sunset after dinner. She'd ask Princess Twilight for help. She'd ask herself if they felt the same.
She'd just stay like this a little longer.
* * *
Rainbow Dash lay down on her cloud bed, limbs spread slightly, breathing slowed, eyes tightly closed.
She hated this.
