gIt’s not a date. It’s not a date. It’s not a date.

You’d waited in the home team’s locker room, awaiting the arrival of your friend and prom date, Rainbow Dash. You kept telling yourself that it wasn’t a date, and that it was only to prevent a dent in both your social images. You may not have been convinced she was looking out for yours as much as she was her own, but you were certain she wouldn’t have asked you if she didn’t think you’d say yes. And after all that, she still had no idea of your crush. Poor naïve Rainbow Dash.
But nevertheless, she was running late. And that wasn’t helping your confidence at all. You paced up and down the locker room; much like the coach had done for a hoof ball match between you and your rivals, except without all the bruised sweaty ponies. Equestrian Hoofball was a violent sport at that. You’d met Rainbow Dash during the trials, which you’d barely managed to get through, in your second year. She’d gone under the alias Rainbow Blitz and had knocked you on your flank on a soaking, muddy training session. You’d joked about her liking it rough all afternoon as she helped you clean up, giving your peers something to tease you about for a while.

Those magenta eyes sparkling with a slight blush-and-smirk combo as she wiped the mud from behind your ears made you shiver. Your ears were more sensitive than most ponies. It may have been the sensations she’d send through your body that day but you almost asked her then and there if she’d go out with you. How different would it have been if you had? Maybe you’d be smiling right now, rather than standing in the locker room waiting. It didn’t help that you’d drawn a glance from a mare in your make-shift community run dance class set up from prom. Neither of you knew how to dance, but she could be excused due to her… disability.

Every pony except a given few teased her with names. Derpy, Bright Eyes, Ditzy, although she’d taken a shine to the last. You didn’t actually know her name, but you’d talked to her a few times about the dance classes, while you walked back to the dorms. She seemed friendly when she wasn’t causing every pony to fall over or causing a large hole in the floor with Celestia knows what falling from the sky. How did she even lift that piano up there in the first place?

“Hey, um, you!”

You waved to her, but she was on her way over already, cute smile adorning her face. You met her halfway, an awkward smile on yours, and your mind occupied with worry. You must have been showing it because her face turned to an expression of confusion and determination.

“You okay? Anything I can do to help?” She smiled again, hoping to cheer you up. You wanted to say something immediately but the words didn’t come to mind. You groaned instead. She got the message. “You sure? You look troubled. I may not look it but I’m quite a good listener.” You looked directly into her googly eyes and saw something you’d only seen from Rainbow; Genuine interest in your thoughts.

“I suppose… It’s just that Rainbow Dash isn’t here yet and I’m lost without her.”

She looked confused at your words, seemingly focusing on something else entirely. Good listener my plot, you think. You give her look of disappointment. Maybe she hadn’t been interested at all, maybe she’d just wanted to put you in that awkward position that you’d normally been around school. She still looks past you in awe. Wondering what she was fixated on, you turned to see nothing but an empty doorway. You turn back, muttering something, coming almost face to face with the googly eyed mare. “What’cha looking at” she asks, smiling again. She certainly was an odd mare.

“I wanted to see what you were looking at.”

“Well, I was looking at you, silly.” As innocent as she was, you thought she’d caught wind of what had happened and was just breezing past it. It was embarrassing. She had been looking at you; it was just her lazy eye that wasn’t.

“Oh dear Celestia, I’m so sorry! I didn’t think you were paying attention. I really shouldn’t have done that. That must have been so rude. Please, believe me. I thought you were looking past me. You seemed like you weren’t listening. Please, I didn’t mean it.”

You didn’t always over-apologise, but when you did, you almost exploded into tears and begged for forgiveness. Rainbow had burst out laughing when you’d realised she was a mare.

Derpy just giggled. “That’s okay.” Her laugh was a little infectious as you began smiling too. “Hey, look. That mare looks just like Rainbow Dash, except she’s all dressed up and pretty.” You turn in shock to see this mare. You brain hit blank as you turned. It was Rainbow Dash. But in a dress. A tight-looking shape-complementing navy blue dress.
As she trotted over to you, you notice her hips swaying from side to side. You try to look elsewhere but it’s hypnotic. As soon as she gets within a few yards, you snap back to reality while Derpy whispers something in your ear. “Good luck.” You’ll need it, you think. Derpy walks away, but you remain focused on the mare in front of you.

“Ugh, they really make these close to the flank” Dash groans, turning side on to you, “What do you think?” You stare, you don’t say anything, and you just stare. “Ugh, hello? Rainbow to Air Head.” She knocked on your head, trying to coax you out of your daydream. You recoiled; she hadn’t gone as far as to punch you, but she’s packed some force with the blow. It achieved its intended effect and ‘woke’ you up. You snapped to attention, looking her directly in the eye. As you realised what you were doing, you blushed; your head retreating back into your body. “I’ll take that as a complement” she chuckled, “or are you in to me?” She winked and gestured to the buffet. As she walked over, she swayed her hips even more, seemingly trying to get you to stare again. It almost seemed like she was challenging you to ask her out for real. You galloped up behind her, replaying that thought over in your head. If she was flirting, why not take the chance? It was supposedly meant to be a night for romance.

Before any manifestations appeared on your shoulders, you bump into Rainbow’s flank, not looking where you were going. You look up to apologise and see the problem you’d caused. Rainbow had jolted forward into the stallion in front, starting a chain reaction around the immediate area. Stallions falling into mares, stumbling into couples, and other such chaos caused by a simple bump. As it almost encircles the buffet, it head back towards its maker. You.

Finally, the last reaction happens as a tray of chocolate truffles flies horizontally through the air, on course to hit you in the head. What goes around comes around, eh? You think, side stepping on instinct alone and clamping your jaw around the plate as it hovered past. You gently slow the plate as you twist almost acrobatically to aiming to set it down on the table. You fall short of your mark to come face on with Dash, looking at you with a single eye brow raised. She looked to the tray and blinked. “Don’t mind if I do.” She slid a truffle into her hoof and tossed it into her mouth. “Mmm, chocolate truffle...”

You stand there, awaiting her approval to put the tray down. As she indulges in the chocolate treat, she smiles and looks to you. Swallowing, she chortles and nods for you to rid yourself of the tray. “Nice catch” she says, hitting you again with a hoof, albeit softer and in joking fashion, portraying her wonder. You’d have said thanks but you were almost paralysed by the fact she hadn’t hit you hard. It wasn’t something she’d done before. The hitting thing was always between the two of you; you receiving a lot more than you dished out. But it had always been a firm hit, never as soft as it was just then. It was another thing to ring through your mind that evening. Was Dash taking in the romantic environment, flirting with you? You supposed the night would reveal more.

Author's Note

Happy Hearth's Warming Day...
This has been a tedious and stressful few months. Hopefully the next one will be out before New Years.
Don't get your hopes up.

{{{Buck Me. This was meant to be published at 10am GMT.}}}