Author's Note

In the words of BEETLEJUICE: "It's showtime!"

For those who read my last story, Absent-minded Serendipity, I mentioned at the end of it that I had other stories on my mind. Well, this was one of them! Took a while, but not as long as before...

This story is a 3-parter, the next 2 chapters having almost already been written. I just need to go though and revise/edit chapter 3 quite a bit more, but expect to see chapter 2 within the next couple days or so. Maybe earlier, but no promises....

With the Promise of a Date...

"Twilight!"

"..."

"Twilight?"

The silence was deafening.

Rainbow grumbled in monotone defeat, her eyes running interrogating circles around the mare who was knowingly ignoring her only a stone's throw away. She let herself fall backward onto neatly set, star embroidered bed sheets with a soft thump, her alert gaze tracking the interior of a room she had come to know like the back of her hoof.

She knew why Twilight was giving her the infamous silent treatment, punctuality was a trait she never ended up mastering. And she knew from personal experience that no matter what explanation she gave to the purposely muted mare, it would change little for the situation that she put herself in.

She was trapped in a figurative corner, one wrong move sending her to the dog house for the foreseeable future, and Twilight knew it.

"Twi..?" Rainbow cautiously voiced, both hesitance and resilience clearly battling each other for dominance. It was a delicate dance; for these might be the words ending up on her tombstone. "I swear to Celestia I tried to be here on ti—"

"—You're late. Again."

Rainbow circumspectly eyed the intricate details in the ceiling, finding its rather annoying, bland architectural design more interesting than ever before. She strained her head slightly, her eyes searching for a better look at the mare lying comfortably in front of her ajar balcony doors, an open book between curled purple forelegs managing to capture the egghead's attention better than she ever could.

Who knew it was possible to get jealous over a book.

"Look.. I-I know this seems bad..! But you gotta belie—"

"—You know what? This might honestly be a new record for you." Twilight peered up from her book, her reading glasses acting like magnifying glasses for the deadpanned, sharpened daggers behind them. "I can't remember the last time you were this late for something this important. Can you, Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow felt her entire body shiver, physically cringing at the blatant use of her full name. Not to mention the clear passive aggressive sarcasm resonating from the mare who was clearly not having any of it. You could practically slice the air with a spoon.

Things just went from bad, to scary.

"I—!" Rainbow shot her head up, straining her neck even further in order to stare directly into purple. "Yes.." Rainbow grudgingly acknowledged, letting her head fall back toward the stars in secondary defeat.

Of course, in the back of her mind she wanted nothing more than to fire back with the stored ammunition she knew she had hiding, her excuse for being so late for a date night of her own making. But as she stared into the fire and flames..

Let's just say that fighting a fire with oil was the opposite of what she was taught to do in school.

Twilight, momentarily allowing her eyes to stay glued to the basically lifeless mare sprawling belly up on her bed, took in a needed deep breath. She let her suddenly heavy eyes return to the book in-between her forelegs, dragging them across ink stained pages she could no longer focus on. Her body felt oddly tired all of a sudden, as if the last however long spent waiting, spent silently brooding, suddenly shot off of her and landed directly onto the other pony in the room.

And it was now that she found herself at a crossroads, every direction leading down a different rabbit hole into a different wonderland. She could go the route of forgiveness. A path surrounded by figurative nature, a hole she knew would have Rainbow waiting at the bottom of it—the path Rainbow no doubt wanted her to take.

There was also the route of punishment. A bumpy road, but short and to the point. Though it had the potential to have the opposite effect for what she was aiming for. Especially depending on the type of punishment given to the arguably beautiful mare taking over current sleeping arrangements.

But there was a 3rd route, a dirt path hidden in between two clear directions. It was a path less travelled, and for good reason, but it had the potential to be the best option for dealing with a mare as 'set-in-her-ways' and stubborn as Rainbow Dash was..

It was devious, the pathway into the unknown. A test, a redo, of sorts. Neither punishment nor forgiveness, but instead a freefall that had the potential to pave a clear path forward for both of them. To grow closer, and in turn improve the punctually inept.

Twilight voluntarily let a sultry groan fill the heavy silence that had befallen her bedroom, almost every bone in her body cracking from the well needed stretch as she slowly sat up onto her haunches.

"Dash." Twilight spoke firmly, but softly. As if the last minutes, hours, had never happened.

Rainbow felt her entire body twitch, cyan ears perking themselves against the no longer neatly made bed sheets as Twilight's sudden, eerily inviting voice overpowered deafening silence. With a strong push off—lazily outstretched wings disheveling the sheets below them even further as they helped their owner flip perfectly onto awaiting flanks—anticipating magenta tracking the intimidating purple mass like a hawk.

Though Rainbow quickly found her vision narrowing, her head shaking involuntarily in a failed attempt to correct the sudden mistake curving itself onto the face of a mare that shouldn't be wearing it.

Twilight was.. Smiling?

"Twilight? What are you—"

"—Would you mind.. Brushing my mane for me, Dashie?" Twilight calmly requested, cutting off the poor Pegasus one last time while trying her best to sound as alluring as possible. She found her eyes locking onto the perfect angle for reflected purple to meet magenta—to the mare who was no doubt drowning in a messy sea of confusion.

"Rainbow?"

"Uh—!" Rainbow cleared her throat violently. "Y-yeah, sure thing..!"

She quickly found herself on all four, her hooves making contact with a floor of imaginary lava. She could practically feel the rogue thoughts that were now burrowing themselves deep into her mind, thoughts that were on the complete opposite spectrum to what she was expecting tonight. Though whatever Twilight was doing, she wasn't about to start complaining now.

If anything, she was managing to gain the high ground over this rising lava field of internal terrors, eventually coming to a halt behind the mare in constant question. She stared over the resting purple shoulder into a mirror for two, Twilight's tool of choice being hovered directly into her view for the miracle she agreed to perform.

"Y'know— you should really consider going for a hair.. nng— haircut, Twi." Rainbow struggled, trying her best to keep the slipping brush gripped tightly in her wing. Almost instantly she found a family of knots living rent free on a deceivingly tattered mane that Twilight hadn't bothered to brush.

Of course, the mare in question couldn't really be blamed for that one..

"And you should consider stopping while you're ahead, Rainbow.." Twilight shot back, an amused, but serious eyebrow-raised stare sending a loud and clear message to the mare behind her.

"Heh, right..." Rainbow bit her lip, swearing she could see the lava below her rise ever so slightly.

"What, uh.. What about hearing what I had planned for us tonight?" Rainbow gingerly edged on, her brushing becoming smoother with each continued stroke. "Y'know.. Key word being had..?"

Twilight let out a genuine chuckle at Rainbow's choice of words. She didn't exactly like the idea of knowing what she missed out on, blissful ignorance letting her sleep peacefully at night, but the curiosity of a supposed sweet night turned sour was getting the better of a once refined judgement. "Mmm.. Alright, Rainbow, let's hear it."

Rainbow smirked slyly at that.

"Well, first I was gonna ask if you wanted to go on a date with me..!" Rainbow teasingly brought her unoccupied forehooves up to gently caress Twilight's sides earning a visible, full body shiver in response to the sudden stimulation.

"Of course, you would say yes to my irresistible charm, and would proceed to be gently swept up for one of those romantic night time flights that I know you love.." Rainbow went higher with her hooves, gently pulling out one of Twilight's beautiful wing's to stroke each and every feather. "All while the temperature is juuust cold enough so you have no choice but to cuddle into me for warmth.."

Rainbow set down the brush in her wing, struggling, but managing to keep her own stiffening wings in check as she once again went lower with her tender hoof strokes.

"Then, I was gonna take you to a nice and secluded hill with a picnic basket full—uh, full of.. Your favorite—oh horsefeathers..!" Rainbow suddenly blurted out, cutting off her hedonistic exposition. A vivid recollection of the completely full picnic basket that was still sitting on that lone hill flooded into fresh memory, an innocent smile directing itself toward the slightly concerned mare in the mirror.

"Rainbow..?"

"Uh-heh! A-anyway..." Rainbow quickly recovered, swiftly replacing her off-track hooves at the base of Twilight's shoulders. "A-after that, I was gonna fly you back here.."

Rainbow dug her hooves in deeper, massaging a smidge lower with each word spoken.

"I'd carry you all the way up.."

Lower.

"Light that big fireplace in your study.."

Lower.

"Lay you down onto a pile of warm blankets, all so I can read you a book of your choosing for as long as you wanted.."

Lower.

Rainbow carefully leant in closer into awaiting purple ear, a smirk adorning knowing lips before continuing in a careless whisper. "All while we snuggled under the blankets, just how I know you love it.."

Twilight shivered once again, her ear flicking against the ticklish breath, tapping the cyan mare lightly on the nose. "Mmnn.. A-and then..?"

"And then..?" Rainbow continued downward the rest of the way, her tender hooves coming into contact with curved flanks adorning her favorite stars. She moved her breaths to Twilight's other ear, finding it only fair that both got a chance to flick her on the nose.

"I'd take you up to this very bedroom, throw you onto that always neatly made bed.."

Rainbow brought her hooves inward, trailing the base of Twilight's inner things with the lightest of touches.

"And then..."

Suddenly, Rainbow pulled back everything, her hooves coming to a complete stop in their current position, being swiftly brought back into the lava field that was now definitely going to overflow.

It was as if the sensual trip she just took the poor mare on never even occurred.

"Nnng..! R-Rainbow Dash!!"

Rainbow felt her grin widening, and before Twilight had a chance to retaliate she swiftly wrapped her now currently free forelegs around Twilight's barrel, essentially locking her in place without the unlawful use of cheating magic.

"What? Were you expecting something more?" Rainbow nuzzled the back of Twilight's neck with her chin. "And here I thought you were mad at me.." Rainbow slyly teased. She delicately twisted the waist currently in her grasp, spinning the no doubt beet red mare to be face to face with flushed red cheeks.

She locked eyes with Twilight's 'I'm really mad and I hate you' face. A face that she knew meant the complete opposite.

Not to mention, it really was a beautiful sight.

"I—! I-I am mad!!" Twilight practically pleaded, squirming against her captor. But to no avail. The singular juror was having a hard time believing her story.

"Oh? I'm sure, Twi.." Rainbow increased her grip on Twilight's barrel, also feeling the wings on said mare's back that were refusing to sit still.

If she didn't act fast, this whole thing would inevitably blow up in her face.

She quickly brought a free wing inward to gently dip Twilight's chin, their eyes level with one another as they equally got lost in each others pools. "Do you wanna know what helps me when I'm mad?"

Twilight nervously bit the inside of her cheek, her eyes searching through magenta as if the answer was lost somewhere within. It was a yes or no question, why couldn't she speak?

Without having enough time to think, Twilight suddenly found herself locked with lips not her own, her reading glasses she practically forgot she had on getting knocked off of her face without a care in the world. She felt her entire body go limp, melting into the kiss that, deep down, she knew she wanted.

Yes, she was mad at Rainbow, even more-so than before—her incredible description for a date being only something her dreams could conjure—and she missed that. All because Rainbow couldn't bother to show up..

"Da..! Mmash..!" Twilight spoke quickly between stolen breaths, earning a smidgen of attention from the currently occupied mare attached to her.

"Mmm..?" Rainbow regretfully pulled back, a sultry look finding its way into Twilight's clearly conflicted eyes.

"T-tell me.. I want to know why you were late."

Rainbow looked away for a moment, finding it to be her turn to bite the inside of her cheek. "Oh, uh.. That."

Rainbow suddenly puffed out her chest, her superhero pose protruding into Twilight's already popped personal bubble. "So, I maaay or may not have flown directly into a giant basilisk that was threatening to destroy all of Ponyville while on my way to come get you, but don't worry though! It didn't stand a chance against me-ow!"

Twilight playfully batted Rainbow in the back of the head with an extended wing, earning a semi-annoyed look from the mare no longer proud of her superhero story. "You want to try that again?"

"Alright-alright..!" Rainbow surrendered, scowling at the purple wing being stiffly brought back its owner. "I.. I got stopped by Rarity! Her cat.. Uh, Opalescence was missing.."

Twilight felt her eye twitch, soon having that feeling of uncontrollable laughter shoot up and down her entire body. "W-wait— so you missed your own date night b-because of Rarity's cat!?"

Rainbow couldn't help but smile through her unamused stare as Twilight physically broke in front of her, having to steady the both of them as Twilight fell into her from a clear loss of balance. "Believe me, I know how crazy it sounds, but yeah..?" Rainbow regretfully admitted. Twilight wanted the truth, and their it was in all it's glory. "Rarity stopped me mid flight, basically ripping her mane out, screaming about Opal being lost for more than 4 hours."

Twilight went limp, leaning heavily into Rainbow's chest while failing to stop the seemingly endless onslaught of giggles. "I-I had a lot of theories in my mind, a-as to why you were late, but I never would have guessed that!"

Rainbow rolled her eyes, sweeping the clearly drunk Alicorn up into her forelegs with one fell swoop. "Well, Princess of Laughter, I'm glad your jester was able to help you live up to your name."

With a powerful flap of extended wings, Rainbow briefly took flight, gently gliding over her stagnant lava in order to set Twilight down onto her arguably messed up bed sheets—a light blush staining cyan cheeks as she peered at her earlier hoof-work.

Though her ears filled with soothing laughter suddenly perked, an eerily familiar silence once again flooding the room as the laughter completely stopped.

"Rainbow?"

"Twilight?"

"I.. I'm sorry I didn't let you explain yourself earlier." Twilight moved the already somewhat jumbled covers from under her with a flick of her horn. She pulled them up to her chest, curling her forehooves around them like a foal begging for a glass of water before bed. "But.. I-I want you to promise me something?"

"A promise? And what might that be?" Rainbow pressed, sitting down onto her flanks next to the bed.

Twilight lightly pushed Rainbow with her already lit horn. "I'm being serious, Dash.."

Rainbow smiled coyly, shifting her sitting position so her forelegs were flat onto the side of the bed. "And so am I.. Really, what's on your mind?"

Twilight once again found herself searching deep into Rainbow's eyes, the rabbit hole to wonderland becoming brighter and brighter with each word unspoken. "Tomorrow. Midday. I want you to be at Sugarcube Corner. And you can't be late this time." Twilight brought a hoof to gingerly cover Rainbow's, an action that was immediately reversed so cyan was the dominant color.

"Rainbow? Can you promise me that?"

Rainbow felt her eyebrows raise slightly at Twilight's unusual request. It wasn't unusual in the usual sense, but more so just an out of the blue kind of unusual. There was just something about this that didn't add up, almost like staring at yourself in a mirror for too long.

"Dashie.. Promise me you'll be there."

Rainbow grew a genuine smile, guiding Twilight's searching eyes within her own. "Twilight, by the time you arrive, I'll already be there.."

Twilight let her giggles return. "It's not a competition, you know.. But I swear to Celestia I'm holding you to your word—"

Rainbow swiftly cut off Twilight's terrifying threats with her own lips, her forehooves digging into the bed for stability as she leaned, practically hovered, into the kiss meant to silence the mare before her.

She had given Twilight her word, a promise, and she was going to keep it this time.

"—I'll be there, Twilight Sparkle. I promise..."