Playing a Pegasusby EletrickaChaptersPrologueDon't bet with PinkieThe first, almost, kinda dateProloguePrologue Love can never be so beautiful without friendship With a satisfied sigh, Rainbow Dash snuggled deeper into her cloud. "This is the life." She said, closing her eyes as the sun hit her face. It was lunch break for her and the rest of the Weather Team, and most of them had decided to meet up with friends. Apart from Cloud Kicker. "Yeah," Mumbled the lavender pony next to her. Cloud Kicker was her closest friend at work, mostly because she wasn't afraid of Dash, in any shape or form. But she also knew when to just let her boss get the stupidity out of her system. Plus, she knew ponies who were good for a one night stand. "I could live like this forever." Rainbow nodded in agreement, "Sun, sleep and se-" "Cloud Kicker!" A high pitched voice called out from below, "Cloud Kicker!" With a sigh, Cloud Kicker peeped over the edge of her cloud. "Yeah, Pinkie?" She replied, glancing at the pink mare who was trying to grow wings...or something. Pinkie stopped bouncing and stood on her hind legs, trying to get closer to the mare, "Have you seen Rainbow Dash?" She asked. Another head peered from the clouds. "Right here." "Perfect! I've got a party tonight, you two will come, yes?" "A party for what?" Rainbow Dash asked, scratching the back of her head thoughtfully as she stared at the pony beneath her bounce on the spot like she needed to take a whiz. And today had started so peacefully. Pinkie let out a high pitched giggle, "It's a 'party-because-it's-the-day-before-tomorrows-party' party!" She somehow reached Rainbow Dash and her into a tight hug, "Just imagine it, Dash. Cider, everywhere. All different types of cakes," She whispered, licking her lips at the imaginary cakes, "Carrot, chocolate, every type you can dream of. And then, don't forget about the cupcakes and muffins and donuts and-" "Thanks, Pinkie," Rainbow Dash said sarcastically, "Now I'm hungry again." Her stomach grumbled in agreement as the cyan mare muttered something under her breath. Pinkie blinked before a gigantic smile appeared on her face, "No problem, nopony can ever be full of cakes!" She replied, missing the sarcasm dripping from Dash's voice. "But, you're both still coming, right?" With a sigh, Rainbow Dash nodded. Cloud Kicker smirked, landing gently beside Dash, "Will there be any cute mares there?" She asked. A frown found it's way onto Pinkie's face, hating the idea that two of her friends were asking her if there were any more of her friends they could do that too. Just, ugh. Changing topics swiftly, she asked the mares a question which often worried her. "...Do you two like those new cupcakes I made last week? Y'know, the ones with chocolate sauce and strawberry sauce and thing-a-berry sauce- No, bad Pinkie." She tapped her head with a hoof, trying to focus, "I mean, is it mean that I'm not inviting Fluttershy or Twilight to this party?" The frown turned into worry. Rainbow poked Pinkie in the side, "Na, remember what happened last time?" They both shivered at the memory while Cloud Kicker laughed. Never, ever give those two strong cider... Ever. A look of horror struck the pink pony, "Good gosh, don't need to see that in the rest of my life." With a shake of her head, the normal smile she wore appeared on Pinkie's face. "Well it's best I get going now, see you later, bye!" She then trotted off, humming to herself as she did. Rainbow Dash sighed, "That mare's gonna be the death of me." "You mean Equestria, right?" Cloud Kicker joked, "But seriously," She flew up to her cloud once again. Rainbow followed. "What are you gonna go for at the party?" The cyan pony shrugged, "Eh, whatever gets my attention, I suppose." "Well, there's still your friends if you can't find anypony else." Cloud Kicker said skeptically. Rainbow grimaced, "You know I don't like that, Kicks." She shook her head, "It just doesn't feel right, asking one of them for a quick bang, y'know? They're my best friends. They each deserve to find a stallion or mare who will treat them with the love and respect they deserve." She paused before pushing her head into the soft cloud. "Jeez, I really need to spend less time with Rarity." ______________________________________________________________ The party at Sugarcube corner was coming to an end. It was only early evening, but everypony had work the next morning and most of the guests had already gone, leaving just a dozen or so ponies behind. They are all saying their goodbyes and disappearing out the door, eager to get home to their warm beds. "Pinkie, thank you for inviting me to such a wonderful occasion!" Rarity exclaimed as she sat down next to Pinkie, "I must admit, I prefer your parties to the ones in Canterlot." Her eyes darted back and forth to make sure nopony else had heard. "Aw, thanks Rarity." Pinkie replied, turning her attention to Rarity. "I tried to make it a bit more Canterlot-y for you because I know you're a fancy mare." She nodded to herself, "I think it worked." Rarity laughed, "It did, darling. This has to be one of your best parties." Letting out a soft sigh, she gave Pinkie a friendly nuzzle, "Well, I am going to get some cider before it all runs out." As she disappeared from sight, a drunk Rainbow Dash walked up to Pinkie, a sluggish smile on her face as she let out a yawn, "This is an awesome party, Pinkie." Her eyes scanned the small crowd, most likely for her prey that night. Her mane was more disheveled than usual and her wings were furling by her side as she bit her lip, a smirk slowly found it's way onto her face. A giggle erupted from Pinkie as the Pegasus stumbled to the side, energy completely gone, "Thanks, Dash!" Pinkie answered, her eyes watching Dash's movements as the Pegasus locked onto her prey. "Dashie..." Pinkie drawled out in warning as Rainbow Dash's eyes lit up. "Yeah, Pinkie?" She smirked, not really paying attention to her friend. Her eyes were locked on a young Unicorn mare, talking with Berry Punch. What was the Unicorn called again? Peppermint? Spear? Spearmint! Pinkie giggled, knowing how to snap Rainbow Dash out of this mode. Perhaps her only weakness at times like these were her friends. "I've been thinking," She started, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth, "It's late now and there's an empty bed just up the those stairs." Rainbow Dash's ears flickered over to her, staring at Spearmint, but listening to Pinkie, "And, I'm sure it just wants me, little old Pinkie, to warm it up, with the help of somepony, of course." Rainbow's eyes almost popped out of her head, her wings sprung up and became stiff, and her mind had no time to process what Pinkie had said, leaving the only answer to be a very intelligible, "Buh?" "Oh, nothing Dashie," Pinkie turned, swishing her tail in Dash's face. "...Sweet dreams, Rainbow Dash." She gave the cyan mare one of her knowing smiles and then Pinkie made her exit, walking upstairs and disappearing without another word. Dash stared after her for another minute or two, before finally, she gained enough will power to bring her wings down and settled them on her back. She blinked, bringing her head out of the clouds. Haha, clouds. 'Cause I live in them, she giggled to herself, her mind fuzzy. Making an exit for the door, she soon realized that she wasn't going to be able to fly to her house. In fact, she'd be lucky if she could walk to her house. For someone who could manage these types of parties and drinks, she was sure not handling them tonight. She was, in every aspect her brain could think of -which was currently only one- hammered. Attempting to shake the stupidity out of her head, she stumbled down the road, in which she hoped was the right way to her house. Blinking again, she took a step forward, stumbled, and decided that the ground was an excellent place to sleep for the night. It was cold, then again, the weather was meant to be cold for the entire month. It wasn't too bad for Rainbow Dash, she and Cloud Kicker would sleep above the clouds, like they'd done earlier that same day, so that they could get some sun whenever they wanted it. Selfish, yes, but whatever, she was Rainbow Dash. Rolling onto her side, she looked back at Sugarcube corner, ponies still filing out of the place. And Pinkie was in her room, waving goodbye to some ponies only she and Celestia knew the names of. It didn't matter though, the only time Rainbow Dash would ever talk to them would be to see if they wanted a to do it. Closing her eyes, Dash let the darkness of sleep carry her away from reality, and hopefully into some sexual fantasy. She snickered at the thought. Not like that's never happened before. "Aw, you're not going to sleep there, are you?" A melodic voice rung out, "Not when I'm all alone and cold in my bed." It cooed. Seconds later, Dash could hear a gentle clip-clop getting louder as it approached, interrupting her much needed sleep. Cracking an eye open, Rainbow Dash locked eyes with the mare's jade green ones. Spearmint. With a drunken grin on her face, the Pegasus rolled onto her back, "Hey there, Spearmint." She licked her lips as her eyes traveled up and down the Unicorn. "How 'bout you and me go to your place for some fun." Spearmint fluttered her eyelashes at the drunken Rainbow Dash, "I think that would be absolutely amazing. No strings?" She mused. "No strings." Perfect, this was just what she needed right now, a good one night stand with somepony and to top it off, no crazy stalker wanting to be her girlfriend or whatever. Spearmint nodded, helping the mare onto her hooves. As they continued on their way, a shadowy figure appeared in front of them. "And just where d'ya think yer going?" The mare drawled out, her green eyes focusing on Rainbow Dash who was almost unconscious. Her wing was draped over Spearmint's back as she lent into the mare. "It's 'not your business, Applejack." Rainbow spoke, jabbing a hoof at the mare. Applejack sighed, "I'll take her to her house, or as close as Ah can get," She told Spearmint, "And you should get home before it gets real dark out." "I'm not going with you." Rainbow Dash said, managing to find her hooves and then pushed her muzzle against Applejack's angrily. "Me and Spearmint are going to her house, and then-" She smirked, "And then we're gonna have fun." Applejack rolled her eyes, "Sure you are, now get your flank over 'ere so Ah can take you home." Rainbow Dash pouted before letting out a very childish "No." "Rainbow Dash. Ah said-" "No." "Ah'm tellin' ya- "No." "Ah'll give ya till the count of three. One," Applejack said, narrowing her eyes at the stubborn Pegasus who glared back at her. And a little to the left. Seeing another Applejack standing beside the first Applejack. "Two." They continued their glaring match. "Three." Rainbow Dash stood her ground. "...Rainbow Dash. Get yer skinny flank over 'ere now." Rainbow Dash let out a sly grin, easily letting the tension dissolve, "So you've been staring at my flank, huh? Well, you must of been if you know it's skinny." Applejack stared at her, and Dash saw her right eye twitching, "Ya know what?" Applejack said with a shake of her head, "Go ahead, knock yourself out, idiot." With that, she turned and trotted in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. "...She's right, you do have a skinny flank." Dash grinned and looked at Spearmint who bit her lip and gave Dash a sultry smile and wink. "And I'm not afraid to say that I've been staring at it." "So, where were we?" Don't bet with PinkieChapter 1: Don't bet with Pinkie I hear you're a player, so let's play a game. The sunlight streamed through the half shut curtains, hitting Rainbow Dash and waking her from her not-so-peaceful slumber. Her eyes cracked open, glaring at the sunrise. With a yawn, she slipped out of the covers and hit the floor with a quiet thump. Sticking her rear in the air, she stretched her forelegs as she took in her surroundings. Spearmint was a quite well off pony. She had a rather posh house, with lots of furniture that Rarity would die for. The bedroom, in it's original state, would probably be quite beautiful, but now...now it was a mess. Sheets and pillows were scattered all over, feathers from those pillows were sticking to any surface they could find, which included Dash. Well, she was always a bit of a biter. Looking over at the resting form of Spearmint, Rainbow Dash grinned wildly. What a night. Quietly as she could, Rainbow Dash trotted downstairs and into a long hallway. The whole hall, actually, the whole house, was sparkling. Heck, even the the floors were cleaner than Dash's house. It was scary in it's own super-clean way. She then headed to the front door and opened it, once again greeted by the Sun's somewhat hateful glare. Which was strange, since it was Celestia...kinda. It was as if she was glaring down at all of her little ponies. Spreading her wings, Dash lifted into the air and steadied herself before taking off in the direction of her floating house. Not many ponies were outside yet, most were still in their beds sleeping as it was early in the morning. So early, that Rainbow Dash couldn't hear any birds. Out of her closest friends, it was probably only Applejack and her family who were up at this time of day. When she saw her house in the distance, she slowed down and landed softly on the roof. When she entered, she was greeted by Tank, her pet tortoise. He lifted his head slowly at her and gave her what must of been the equivalent of a grin. Walking to a pair of saddlebags propped up against the wall, she grabbed some tortoise food , that she had been given by Fluttershy, and gave it to her pet. He gazed at the food for a minute, blinked, took the food and ate it. Like always. "Well, see you later, Tank." Dash nuzzled him affectionately and once again headed outside. Jumping off the side of your house would have most ponies labelled insane, but as she was a Pegasus, it was totally fine. With a little spring, she plunged off of the cloud house and down to the Earth below. Seconds before impact, she spread her wings wide and soared high into the morning sky. With a yawn, she tilted her wings so she headed in the direction of Ponyville. As she got closer, she could see ponies coming out of their homes, ready to start the day. Gliding over the town, she soon realized that she hadn't had anything to eat for breakfast. Now she just had the tough decision of choosing where to eat. There were lots of places in Ponyville where she could eat, but only one place she could get food where it was virtually free. ________________________________________________________________________________ As she entered Sugarcube corner, she had her personal (and sexy) space invaded by Pinkie. "Dash!" The pink mare yelled, before giving Rainbow Dash a grin that should of split her face in half, "What are you here for? Huh? Huh? Huh?" Her bright blue eyes seemed to be trying to attack Dash's magenta. Rainbow Dash gently pushed her away, "Just here for some breakfast," She sniffed the air, smelling the sweet aurora of the shop, "Got anything tasty?" Pinkie let out a dramatic gasp, "Dash!" She cried, a somewhat terrified look on her face, "This is Sugarcube corner, of course there's something yummy!" Grabbing Rainbow's hoof, she dragged the blue mare over to the counter, "Today we have pancakes, waffles and muffins. Then we have syrup and applesauce, too!" Licking her lips, she left Dash at the counter and disappeared into the kitchen. As Dash made the toughest decision she'd ever face so early in the morning, whether or not she would have waffles with syrup, Twilight Sparkle came up beside her, "Good Morning, Rainbow." She said politely, her own purple eyes scanning the food. "Hey, Twi." Rainbow smiled at the pony next to her, she seemed awkward yet happy. Ah, Dash leaned over to whisper in her ear, "So, who's the lucky Stallion?" Twilight's eyes widened and a small squeak escaped, "What?" Dash laughed, nudging the pony, "Come on, I can totally tell," It was like a sixth sense with Rainbow Dash, and it also helped that Twilight was now a lovely shade of red. Twilight coughed and let out a nervous laugh, "I-I have no idea what you're talking about, Rainbow Dash." She whispered, her eyes refusing to meet the cyan mare's. Deep in thought, Dash put a hoof to her chin, "Hmm, was it Caramel?" She asked, squinting her eyes and flaring her wings aggressively. Celestia's prized student shook her head and walked over to a clear table, Rainbow Dash hot on her heels. Sitting down comfortably, Dash put her forelegs behind her head and wished that she had her cool sunglasses on her. "What about Big Macintosh?" She then proceeded to go down the list of all the Stallions she knows in Ponyville. Each time receiving a 'no' as an answer. "So, it wasn't a Stallion, was it a Mare?" She asked, her magenta eyes sparkling with mischievousness. Twilight went scarlet and suddenly found the floor to be very interesting. "It was, wasn't it? You screw-" "Rainbow Dash!" A stern voice called out, breaking Dash's mini-freak out. Turning around, Rainbow found herself face to face with Pinkie's glare. It was quite scary when Pinkie glared at somepony, it just wasn't right. If either she or Fluttershy gave you a glare, then you most likely deserved it. "We'll have none of that talk in here, please." Seconds later, the smile that she often wore appeared back on her face, "Now, what can I get you two lovely Mares?" Her big blue eyes fixed on both Mares at the same time. Twilight smiled cheerfully, happy to leave the uncomfortable conversation behind, "Hi Pinkie, can I just have a blueberry Muffin and a milkshake to go, please?" Pinkie nodded brightly. "And you?" Pinkie asked Rainbow Dash, who noticed that she didn't seem as happy as talking to her as she did to Twilight. Weird. "Em, I'll just have waffles and syrup, Pinks." With a small nod, Pinkie turned around and headed back to the counter. Okay, Rainbow Dash thought, Pinkie's mad at me for some reason. She'll be fine in a minute or two. Shaking her head, she turned back to Twilight, "Does Pinkie seem a little...off...to you?" She asked cautiously, fully aware that the Mare she was asking about could pop out of nowhere. The Unicorn shrugged, "She does seem a little angry with you. But she's always like that when you bring that topic up." Twilight sighed, "Seriously, Rainbow. You know how traditional some Earth ponies are, try to be a little more...oh, I don't know. How about you don't bring it up around her, see, problem solved." Rainbow Dash's ears flattened against her head and a scowl graced her face, "I don't see why she gets so bothered about it though. It's not like I'm hurting anypony." "...And breakfast is served!" Pinkie said in her sing-song voice, balancing muffins, a milkshake and pancakes on her head while bouncing. Placing them down onto the table, she told her friends, "That'll be four bits please." Twilight took four bits out and gave them to Pinkie before Rainbow Dash had time to respond. "Thanks, Pinkie!" Twilight laughed, "But, er, you got some syrup on your muzzle." She giggled again as Pinkie tried to look down and see her muzzle, her eyes widening. "Oh my gosh, Twilight! There really is!" And then she frowned and her eyes started to water. "That's such a waste of syrup." She shook her head sadly. "But, oh well, more for me!" Licking the syrup off of her muzzle, the pink mare then continued on her way, humming a song. Dash immediately started stuffing her face with the food in front of her. It was smothered in a more than generous amount of syrup, something only Rainbow Dash and a few other ponies ever got, mainly because they were Pinkie's friends. "So, Dash," Twilight started, having finished her muffin, "You were saying..." The cyan Mare blinked at her for a second before realization dawned on her, "Like I was saying, I'm not hurting anypony. I tell them I'm not looking for a relationship and that it's all just some fun." She shrugged. "Look, Dash," Twilight said, "You're the Element of Loyalty, aren't you?" Dash nodded. "That was a rhetorical question by the way. Well, anyway, as that Element, surely you can put aside that little thing, just for Pinkie's sake. I mean, she's your best friend." When Rainbow Dash didn't reply she continued, "Rainbow, look at Pinkie." Complying to the Mare's request, Rainbow Dash turned her head and saw Pinkie talking to some ponies she didn't know and giggling with them. "Now, imagine what it would be like if you lost a friend like that because you couldn't push aside your ego for her sake." Placing her hoof over Dash's in a comforting way, Twilight pleaded with Dash, her eyes boring into Dash's. With a sigh, Dash nodded, "Okay, Twi." Twilight smiled, "Good." Jumping out of her chair, she said goodbye to Dash and yelled bye to Pinkie before disappearing out of the shop, her milkshake floating beside her in a pink glow. Dash groaned and slid down in her chair, pouting like a foal. "Stupid Twilight being smart and being right all the time." ________________________________________________________________________________ Half an hour of hitting her face on the wall later, Dash was visited by a confused Pinkie. It was only the two of them in Sugarcube corner at the moment. "Dashie, are you trying to hit a fly? I think you would have got it by now." She laughed, bouncing on the spot, "You'll probably hurt your head soon. Oh! Have you already hurt your head?" Her smile faltered for a moment, worry creeping onto face. "I slept at Spearmint's place last night." Rainbow Dash blurted out. Wow, well done Dash. Go against everything you promised Twilight, Rainbow told her self, how about a round of applause. "Oh, for goodness sake, Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie whined, stomping her hoof. In a matter of seconds, Pinkie's mood had changed from happy, to worry, to alright annoyance. "Eh, aha...oops?" Obviously it wasn't the best thing the blue Pegasus could of done in that situation. Pinkie narrowed her eyes at Dash, before turning around and mumbling to herself, "Sometimes, I want to take your big dumby dumb head and just..." She gritted her teeth and glared at the wall. "Pinkie, what's the problem?" Rainbow Dash said, standing up and heading over to her pink friend. "Problem?" Pinkie turned on the Pegasus, angrily pushing her muzzle against Rainbow's, forcing the Mare to fall onto her haunches, "There's no problem, Rainbow Dash. It's just that sometimes you make me so...so..." "So, what?" "So...Angry! You make me so angry!" Pinke yelled, her eyes blazing with an inner fury. They stared into each other's eyes, one pair filled with anger, the other filled with surprise. Within seconds, Pinkie blinked and backed away. "S-sorry Dashie, I was out of line there." She whispered, making circles with her hoof. But then she paused, why should I be apologizing? I haven't done anything wrong. "But, you know what, Dash? I'm going to make a bet with you." She walked around the still frozen Pegasus, circling her like a wolf would circle it's prey. Rainbow Dash gulped, not liking the predatory gleam in Pinkie's eyes. "A-a bet?" "Yes..." Pinkie continued walking in circles as the Pegasus tried to find her hooves. With her confidence back, Dash met Pinkie with a cautious look, "What kind of bet?" She asked, her eyes locked on to Pinkie. "Well, I guess it's more of a game." Pinkie said, "But, anyway, I bet that you, Rainbow Dash, can not go three months, spending time with one Mare or Stallion," She smirked, "Without falling for them." Rainbow Dash blinked. Twice. Then a grin grew on her face, "Ha! That is the worst bet I've ever heard!" She laughed, clutching her belly. "Maybe it is, but are you willing to take it?" Pinkie spat on her hoof, and put it in mid-air. "Or are you too, chicken?" "I will take you up on that bet, Pinkie," Dash then spat on her own hoof and pushed it onto Pinkie's, "Just so you know, I'll never, ever, fall for anypony." With a pause, she continued, "How about I add something more interesting to this bet? The pony has too fall for me, too." Getting caught up in the moment, Rainbow Dash said something she'd sworn to herself she would never do, "I pick you." The first, almost, kinda dateChapter 2: The first-almost-kinda date “Why would you do something so stupid, Dash?” Twilight asked, her eyes holding worry. Just ten minutes ago, a slightly shocked and confused Pegasus had come here after being, well, stupid. Rainbow Dash had explained herself to the purple Unicorn, who was currently pacing in front of Dash, a rather frazzled look on her face. The pony in question shrugged, “I was, well, y’know...being my usual stupid self?” She offered, and then ducked her head so that a book, that Twilight decided would be fun to throw at her, soared past her head. Twilight groaned, “You’ll have to call it off.” She said simply, shaking her head slightly, “Right now.” The soft 'I'm really sorry about everything and please don’t hate me' feeling vanished from Dash in an instant, and the more common, brash and competitive side of her personality decided to make itself known. “No way, I’m not backing out of any bet.” She narrowed her eyes at her friend, “Even a lame one like that. I. Am. Rainbow. Dash. When I make a bet, I win it.” Another book was thrown. This one hitting Dash in the side, causing her t let out a small yelp. They sat in silence for a minute. Both not knowing what to say to get the other to see reason. Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Rainbow Dash, however, couldn’t keep her mouth shut long enough for Twilight to calm down. “I’m not backing out of a bet, Twi.” She didn’t meet the Unicorn’s eyes when she spoke. “That’s worse than losing to me.” “This isn’t about you Rainbow Dash!” Twilight shouted, her anger coming out again. Flaring her wings, Dash took a step closer to her. “Of course it’s about me! I’m the one that’s in the bet. I’m the one who is gonna win it.” She pushed her muzzle against Twilight’s her eyes burning. “And I’m th-” “-the one who is either going to get their heart broken or break their best friends’!” Twilight interrupted her, shouting so loud that it was probably heard in Canterlot. “And I, for one, do not want to see that happen. Not now,” Her voice lost all anger until it was gentle and calm once again. “Not ever.” Rainbow Dash gulped and took a step back, “This is going to hurt you both, so stop it before it starts.” Twilight whispered, placing a hoof on Dash’s face in the way a mother would do to her foal. Still utterly confused, and wondering if Twilight had some sort of strange magic sense when it came to almost everything, Rainbow Dash nodded her head dumbly and took to the sky outside of Ponyville’s library. _____________________________________________________________________________ Okay, I think that means I need to call off the bet, she thought, narrowly avoiding a tree, but, then Pinkie will tell the others and I’ll never hear the end of it! Curving her wings to the right, she rounded a corner and found herself at the Ponyville market. Swiftly landing, she turned her attention to the battle inside of her head. But what about what Twi said? Twilight was never wrong well, you know, apart from the time she thought she was gonna be sent to the moon for saying she thought Princess Celestia smelt like strawberries. That’s Twilight being crazy, and besides, Celestia smells like bananas. Everypony knows that. She slapped herself, catching the attention of a few ponies. Snorting, she faced them, “Yeah? What you lookin’ at?” They quickly hurried on their way. “Somethin’ up, RD?” An annoyingly familiar accent drawled out. Turning, Rainbow found herself being smirked at by an orange mare at an apple stand. Her stetson shielded her eyes from the sun's rays, and her mane and tail tied by the usual red ribbon. “N-no.” Rainbow Dash stuttered/ Raising a brow, Applejack grinned, “Ah ain’t the Element of Honesty for nothin’, Dash.” The cyan mare frowned, “I may or may not have started a bet with Pinkie.” She paused, looking around the market, as if checking to see if anypony was within hearing range, before whispering to Applejack, “A real lousy one.” “That’ll be fifteen bits my way if ya lose.” AJ countered, quietly looking through the apple stand with another grin playing on her lips. Her ears snapping back, a rather animalistic growl came out of Rainbow Dash’s lips. “Excuse me?” She stalked towards the now grinning orange pony who flipped an apple in there air. “Yeah,” Applejack said, the apple landing perfectly on the stand. “Me an' Rare got to Sugarcube corner just as you took off. Pinkie told us all about it, so, we made a bet. Rarity said Pinkie would go for ya first. But ah have known the Mare for a while now, and she ain't easily gonna fall for ya. At least not till you for for her.” She looked at Dash slyly. "This is one bet ah am sure yer not gonna win." If there was one pony in Equestria who knew how to get on Rainbows nerves it was Applejack. It was like the pony had some sort of second special talent which was to annoy the Pegasus. “...I hate you.” If it wasn't for all the good times they’d had together and the deep friendship between them, there would of been a fight a long time ago. Applejack snorted, “No ya don’t.” Dash could see the laughter sparkling in those green eyes and she absolutely hated it. “Yes, I do. I’m taking that apple, by the way.” Darting forward, Rainbow Dash grabbed the apple that Applejack had placed on the stand, and zoomed away as fast as her wings could take her. ______________________________________________________________________________ “Uh-huh,” Pinkie nodded, her eyes focusing on some chocolate that had fallen onto the floor of Sugarcube corner. How could I of missed chocolate? Rainbow Dash, who had arrived there ten minutes prior to the somewhat one sided conversation, groaned, “Pinkie!” She snapped, making the pink mare jump five feet in the air. “Have you been listening to anything I've just told you?” She was met with a blank stare, Pinkie blinked, once. Twice. Then one of her cheeky smiles found it’s way onto her face. “Of course,” She let out a giggle and bounced forward so that her snout was a breathe away from Rainbow’s. “So, you've got cold hooves? No biggie, everypony gets them.” Pausing she let out a small frown, “Though that is usually on their wedding d-” A cyan hoof made sure she couldn't talk anymore, “I am not going to back out. I’m not a wimp. I just want you to know that somepony could get hurt.” Pinkie just carried on as if Rainbow Dash hadn’t talked, “Anyway, there’s this all you can eat buffet tonight!” “Pinkie...” “All the food you can eat, I mean what can be better than that?” “Pinkie.” Rainbow said firmly. “Though you’re not actually allowed to eat all of it. But then why is it called an all you can eat buffet. Seems silly to me!” With a strange pout on her lips, Pinkie continued her rant. " “Pinkie!” The pink mare stopped talking, eyes as wide as saucers as she stared at Rainbow Dash. “Yes, Dashie?” "I am not going to a buffet with you. At night, anyway." She said, prodding Pinkie lightly on the chest. Pinkie nodded her head sadly, looking down. And then she started the waterworks. No, Dash, don’t look at them! The cyan Mare screamed internally, closing her eyes tightly. Don’t break! Pinkie let out a small whimper and Rainbow peaked a look. It was her downfall. “...Fine.” _________________________________________________________________________________ It was okay to be scared, right? It's not wrong to be scared of something that could well, change your life... for better or worse. And during that time, when you go through something like that, you don't actually have to tell your friends. Surely it is easier if they don't have to know, both for yourself and them. Trotting towards home, the silhouette of a mare could be seen in the near empty streets of a moonlit Ponyville. She was talking to herself, trying to get to her home before she was spotted by anypony still outside. “Don’t worry,” She told herself, shaking her head. “You’re fine. The doc said so.” She took a moment to stand still and take a breath. Her legs were shaking and she felt as if somepony had just smashed her head in, which wasn’t helping with the horrible sick feeling she had in her stomach. Doctors were always right, there was nothing wrong with her, they were just taking precautions, just in case something was wrong. Which it wasn’t. But, better safe than sorry, right? “Okay, that’s it.” She squared her jaw. “Enough being a little filly, you can handle this.” Nodding and ignoring the voice in her head, she continued on her way. “-And did you see the look on his face? He was like ‘Ah! My whipped cream!’ before he fainted!” The high pitched, laughing voice of Pinkie could be heard from up ahead. Another, lower voice could be heard too. “I can’t believe they kicked us out!” And that could only belong to... No, it couldn’t be. Blending into the shadows, the mare walked slowly towards the two friends, making sure she could not be seen. And, sure enough, Rainbow Dash was there too. Walking alongside Pinkie, both of them with goofy, laughed too much grins. But, this was the mare that never, ever went out with her friends. She'd known it for as long as Dash knew. Yet, here they were, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. She'd never thought of them as much more than friends, but Pinkie did have that nickname for Rainbow... The mare in the shadows backed up and headed another way, still hearing the voices of both the doctors and the too-friendly-to-be-friends pair. She had to get home. Somewhere she could just relax, if only for a little while. Besides, her brain was a bit scattered at the moment, so she wouldn't think anything else until the next morning. Or afternoon.
ProloguePrologue Love can never be so beautiful without friendship With a satisfied sigh, Rainbow Dash snuggled deeper into her cloud. "This is the life." She said, closing her eyes as the sun hit her face. It was lunch break for her and the rest of the Weather Team, and most of them had decided to meet up with friends. Apart from Cloud Kicker. "Yeah," Mumbled the lavender pony next to her. Cloud Kicker was her closest friend at work, mostly because she wasn't afraid of Dash, in any shape or form. But she also knew when to just let her boss get the stupidity out of her system. Plus, she knew ponies who were good for a one night stand. "I could live like this forever." Rainbow nodded in agreement, "Sun, sleep and se-" "Cloud Kicker!" A high pitched voice called out from below, "Cloud Kicker!" With a sigh, Cloud Kicker peeped over the edge of her cloud. "Yeah, Pinkie?" She replied, glancing at the pink mare who was trying to grow wings...or something. Pinkie stopped bouncing and stood on her hind legs, trying to get closer to the mare, "Have you seen Rainbow Dash?" She asked. Another head peered from the clouds. "Right here." "Perfect! I've got a party tonight, you two will come, yes?" "A party for what?" Rainbow Dash asked, scratching the back of her head thoughtfully as she stared at the pony beneath her bounce on the spot like she needed to take a whiz. And today had started so peacefully. Pinkie let out a high pitched giggle, "It's a 'party-because-it's-the-day-before-tomorrows-party' party!" She somehow reached Rainbow Dash and her into a tight hug, "Just imagine it, Dash. Cider, everywhere. All different types of cakes," She whispered, licking her lips at the imaginary cakes, "Carrot, chocolate, every type you can dream of. And then, don't forget about the cupcakes and muffins and donuts and-" "Thanks, Pinkie," Rainbow Dash said sarcastically, "Now I'm hungry again." Her stomach grumbled in agreement as the cyan mare muttered something under her breath. Pinkie blinked before a gigantic smile appeared on her face, "No problem, nopony can ever be full of cakes!" She replied, missing the sarcasm dripping from Dash's voice. "But, you're both still coming, right?" With a sigh, Rainbow Dash nodded. Cloud Kicker smirked, landing gently beside Dash, "Will there be any cute mares there?" She asked. A frown found it's way onto Pinkie's face, hating the idea that two of her friends were asking her if there were any more of her friends they could do that too. Just, ugh. Changing topics swiftly, she asked the mares a question which often worried her. "...Do you two like those new cupcakes I made last week? Y'know, the ones with chocolate sauce and strawberry sauce and thing-a-berry sauce- No, bad Pinkie." She tapped her head with a hoof, trying to focus, "I mean, is it mean that I'm not inviting Fluttershy or Twilight to this party?" The frown turned into worry. Rainbow poked Pinkie in the side, "Na, remember what happened last time?" They both shivered at the memory while Cloud Kicker laughed. Never, ever give those two strong cider... Ever. A look of horror struck the pink pony, "Good gosh, don't need to see that in the rest of my life." With a shake of her head, the normal smile she wore appeared on Pinkie's face. "Well it's best I get going now, see you later, bye!" She then trotted off, humming to herself as she did. Rainbow Dash sighed, "That mare's gonna be the death of me." "You mean Equestria, right?" Cloud Kicker joked, "But seriously," She flew up to her cloud once again. Rainbow followed. "What are you gonna go for at the party?" The cyan pony shrugged, "Eh, whatever gets my attention, I suppose." "Well, there's still your friends if you can't find anypony else." Cloud Kicker said skeptically. Rainbow grimaced, "You know I don't like that, Kicks." She shook her head, "It just doesn't feel right, asking one of them for a quick bang, y'know? They're my best friends. They each deserve to find a stallion or mare who will treat them with the love and respect they deserve." She paused before pushing her head into the soft cloud. "Jeez, I really need to spend less time with Rarity." ______________________________________________________________ The party at Sugarcube corner was coming to an end. It was only early evening, but everypony had work the next morning and most of the guests had already gone, leaving just a dozen or so ponies behind. They are all saying their goodbyes and disappearing out the door, eager to get home to their warm beds. "Pinkie, thank you for inviting me to such a wonderful occasion!" Rarity exclaimed as she sat down next to Pinkie, "I must admit, I prefer your parties to the ones in Canterlot." Her eyes darted back and forth to make sure nopony else had heard. "Aw, thanks Rarity." Pinkie replied, turning her attention to Rarity. "I tried to make it a bit more Canterlot-y for you because I know you're a fancy mare." She nodded to herself, "I think it worked." Rarity laughed, "It did, darling. This has to be one of your best parties." Letting out a soft sigh, she gave Pinkie a friendly nuzzle, "Well, I am going to get some cider before it all runs out." As she disappeared from sight, a drunk Rainbow Dash walked up to Pinkie, a sluggish smile on her face as she let out a yawn, "This is an awesome party, Pinkie." Her eyes scanned the small crowd, most likely for her prey that night. Her mane was more disheveled than usual and her wings were furling by her side as she bit her lip, a smirk slowly found it's way onto her face. A giggle erupted from Pinkie as the Pegasus stumbled to the side, energy completely gone, "Thanks, Dash!" Pinkie answered, her eyes watching Dash's movements as the Pegasus locked onto her prey. "Dashie..." Pinkie drawled out in warning as Rainbow Dash's eyes lit up. "Yeah, Pinkie?" She smirked, not really paying attention to her friend. Her eyes were locked on a young Unicorn mare, talking with Berry Punch. What was the Unicorn called again? Peppermint? Spear? Spearmint! Pinkie giggled, knowing how to snap Rainbow Dash out of this mode. Perhaps her only weakness at times like these were her friends. "I've been thinking," She started, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth, "It's late now and there's an empty bed just up the those stairs." Rainbow Dash's ears flickered over to her, staring at Spearmint, but listening to Pinkie, "And, I'm sure it just wants me, little old Pinkie, to warm it up, with the help of somepony, of course." Rainbow's eyes almost popped out of her head, her wings sprung up and became stiff, and her mind had no time to process what Pinkie had said, leaving the only answer to be a very intelligible, "Buh?" "Oh, nothing Dashie," Pinkie turned, swishing her tail in Dash's face. "...Sweet dreams, Rainbow Dash." She gave the cyan mare one of her knowing smiles and then Pinkie made her exit, walking upstairs and disappearing without another word. Dash stared after her for another minute or two, before finally, she gained enough will power to bring her wings down and settled them on her back. She blinked, bringing her head out of the clouds. Haha, clouds. 'Cause I live in them, she giggled to herself, her mind fuzzy. Making an exit for the door, she soon realized that she wasn't going to be able to fly to her house. In fact, she'd be lucky if she could walk to her house. For someone who could manage these types of parties and drinks, she was sure not handling them tonight. She was, in every aspect her brain could think of -which was currently only one- hammered. Attempting to shake the stupidity out of her head, she stumbled down the road, in which she hoped was the right way to her house. Blinking again, she took a step forward, stumbled, and decided that the ground was an excellent place to sleep for the night. It was cold, then again, the weather was meant to be cold for the entire month. It wasn't too bad for Rainbow Dash, she and Cloud Kicker would sleep above the clouds, like they'd done earlier that same day, so that they could get some sun whenever they wanted it. Selfish, yes, but whatever, she was Rainbow Dash. Rolling onto her side, she looked back at Sugarcube corner, ponies still filing out of the place. And Pinkie was in her room, waving goodbye to some ponies only she and Celestia knew the names of. It didn't matter though, the only time Rainbow Dash would ever talk to them would be to see if they wanted a to do it. Closing her eyes, Dash let the darkness of sleep carry her away from reality, and hopefully into some sexual fantasy. She snickered at the thought. Not like that's never happened before. "Aw, you're not going to sleep there, are you?" A melodic voice rung out, "Not when I'm all alone and cold in my bed." It cooed. Seconds later, Dash could hear a gentle clip-clop getting louder as it approached, interrupting her much needed sleep. Cracking an eye open, Rainbow Dash locked eyes with the mare's jade green ones. Spearmint. With a drunken grin on her face, the Pegasus rolled onto her back, "Hey there, Spearmint." She licked her lips as her eyes traveled up and down the Unicorn. "How 'bout you and me go to your place for some fun." Spearmint fluttered her eyelashes at the drunken Rainbow Dash, "I think that would be absolutely amazing. No strings?" She mused. "No strings." Perfect, this was just what she needed right now, a good one night stand with somepony and to top it off, no crazy stalker wanting to be her girlfriend or whatever. Spearmint nodded, helping the mare onto her hooves. As they continued on their way, a shadowy figure appeared in front of them. "And just where d'ya think yer going?" The mare drawled out, her green eyes focusing on Rainbow Dash who was almost unconscious. Her wing was draped over Spearmint's back as she lent into the mare. "It's 'not your business, Applejack." Rainbow spoke, jabbing a hoof at the mare. Applejack sighed, "I'll take her to her house, or as close as Ah can get," She told Spearmint, "And you should get home before it gets real dark out." "I'm not going with you." Rainbow Dash said, managing to find her hooves and then pushed her muzzle against Applejack's angrily. "Me and Spearmint are going to her house, and then-" She smirked, "And then we're gonna have fun." Applejack rolled her eyes, "Sure you are, now get your flank over 'ere so Ah can take you home." Rainbow Dash pouted before letting out a very childish "No." "Rainbow Dash. Ah said-" "No." "Ah'm tellin' ya- "No." "Ah'll give ya till the count of three. One," Applejack said, narrowing her eyes at the stubborn Pegasus who glared back at her. And a little to the left. Seeing another Applejack standing beside the first Applejack. "Two." They continued their glaring match. "Three." Rainbow Dash stood her ground. "...Rainbow Dash. Get yer skinny flank over 'ere now." Rainbow Dash let out a sly grin, easily letting the tension dissolve, "So you've been staring at my flank, huh? Well, you must of been if you know it's skinny." Applejack stared at her, and Dash saw her right eye twitching, "Ya know what?" Applejack said with a shake of her head, "Go ahead, knock yourself out, idiot." With that, she turned and trotted in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. "...She's right, you do have a skinny flank." Dash grinned and looked at Spearmint who bit her lip and gave Dash a sultry smile and wink. "And I'm not afraid to say that I've been staring at it." "So, where were we?"
Don't bet with PinkieChapter 1: Don't bet with Pinkie I hear you're a player, so let's play a game. The sunlight streamed through the half shut curtains, hitting Rainbow Dash and waking her from her not-so-peaceful slumber. Her eyes cracked open, glaring at the sunrise. With a yawn, she slipped out of the covers and hit the floor with a quiet thump. Sticking her rear in the air, she stretched her forelegs as she took in her surroundings. Spearmint was a quite well off pony. She had a rather posh house, with lots of furniture that Rarity would die for. The bedroom, in it's original state, would probably be quite beautiful, but now...now it was a mess. Sheets and pillows were scattered all over, feathers from those pillows were sticking to any surface they could find, which included Dash. Well, she was always a bit of a biter. Looking over at the resting form of Spearmint, Rainbow Dash grinned wildly. What a night. Quietly as she could, Rainbow Dash trotted downstairs and into a long hallway. The whole hall, actually, the whole house, was sparkling. Heck, even the the floors were cleaner than Dash's house. It was scary in it's own super-clean way. She then headed to the front door and opened it, once again greeted by the Sun's somewhat hateful glare. Which was strange, since it was Celestia...kinda. It was as if she was glaring down at all of her little ponies. Spreading her wings, Dash lifted into the air and steadied herself before taking off in the direction of her floating house. Not many ponies were outside yet, most were still in their beds sleeping as it was early in the morning. So early, that Rainbow Dash couldn't hear any birds. Out of her closest friends, it was probably only Applejack and her family who were up at this time of day. When she saw her house in the distance, she slowed down and landed softly on the roof. When she entered, she was greeted by Tank, her pet tortoise. He lifted his head slowly at her and gave her what must of been the equivalent of a grin. Walking to a pair of saddlebags propped up against the wall, she grabbed some tortoise food , that she had been given by Fluttershy, and gave it to her pet. He gazed at the food for a minute, blinked, took the food and ate it. Like always. "Well, see you later, Tank." Dash nuzzled him affectionately and once again headed outside. Jumping off the side of your house would have most ponies labelled insane, but as she was a Pegasus, it was totally fine. With a little spring, she plunged off of the cloud house and down to the Earth below. Seconds before impact, she spread her wings wide and soared high into the morning sky. With a yawn, she tilted her wings so she headed in the direction of Ponyville. As she got closer, she could see ponies coming out of their homes, ready to start the day. Gliding over the town, she soon realized that she hadn't had anything to eat for breakfast. Now she just had the tough decision of choosing where to eat. There were lots of places in Ponyville where she could eat, but only one place she could get food where it was virtually free. ________________________________________________________________________________ As she entered Sugarcube corner, she had her personal (and sexy) space invaded by Pinkie. "Dash!" The pink mare yelled, before giving Rainbow Dash a grin that should of split her face in half, "What are you here for? Huh? Huh? Huh?" Her bright blue eyes seemed to be trying to attack Dash's magenta. Rainbow Dash gently pushed her away, "Just here for some breakfast," She sniffed the air, smelling the sweet aurora of the shop, "Got anything tasty?" Pinkie let out a dramatic gasp, "Dash!" She cried, a somewhat terrified look on her face, "This is Sugarcube corner, of course there's something yummy!" Grabbing Rainbow's hoof, she dragged the blue mare over to the counter, "Today we have pancakes, waffles and muffins. Then we have syrup and applesauce, too!" Licking her lips, she left Dash at the counter and disappeared into the kitchen. As Dash made the toughest decision she'd ever face so early in the morning, whether or not she would have waffles with syrup, Twilight Sparkle came up beside her, "Good Morning, Rainbow." She said politely, her own purple eyes scanning the food. "Hey, Twi." Rainbow smiled at the pony next to her, she seemed awkward yet happy. Ah, Dash leaned over to whisper in her ear, "So, who's the lucky Stallion?" Twilight's eyes widened and a small squeak escaped, "What?" Dash laughed, nudging the pony, "Come on, I can totally tell," It was like a sixth sense with Rainbow Dash, and it also helped that Twilight was now a lovely shade of red. Twilight coughed and let out a nervous laugh, "I-I have no idea what you're talking about, Rainbow Dash." She whispered, her eyes refusing to meet the cyan mare's. Deep in thought, Dash put a hoof to her chin, "Hmm, was it Caramel?" She asked, squinting her eyes and flaring her wings aggressively. Celestia's prized student shook her head and walked over to a clear table, Rainbow Dash hot on her heels. Sitting down comfortably, Dash put her forelegs behind her head and wished that she had her cool sunglasses on her. "What about Big Macintosh?" She then proceeded to go down the list of all the Stallions she knows in Ponyville. Each time receiving a 'no' as an answer. "So, it wasn't a Stallion, was it a Mare?" She asked, her magenta eyes sparkling with mischievousness. Twilight went scarlet and suddenly found the floor to be very interesting. "It was, wasn't it? You screw-" "Rainbow Dash!" A stern voice called out, breaking Dash's mini-freak out. Turning around, Rainbow found herself face to face with Pinkie's glare. It was quite scary when Pinkie glared at somepony, it just wasn't right. If either she or Fluttershy gave you a glare, then you most likely deserved it. "We'll have none of that talk in here, please." Seconds later, the smile that she often wore appeared back on her face, "Now, what can I get you two lovely Mares?" Her big blue eyes fixed on both Mares at the same time. Twilight smiled cheerfully, happy to leave the uncomfortable conversation behind, "Hi Pinkie, can I just have a blueberry Muffin and a milkshake to go, please?" Pinkie nodded brightly. "And you?" Pinkie asked Rainbow Dash, who noticed that she didn't seem as happy as talking to her as she did to Twilight. Weird. "Em, I'll just have waffles and syrup, Pinks." With a small nod, Pinkie turned around and headed back to the counter. Okay, Rainbow Dash thought, Pinkie's mad at me for some reason. She'll be fine in a minute or two. Shaking her head, she turned back to Twilight, "Does Pinkie seem a little...off...to you?" She asked cautiously, fully aware that the Mare she was asking about could pop out of nowhere. The Unicorn shrugged, "She does seem a little angry with you. But she's always like that when you bring that topic up." Twilight sighed, "Seriously, Rainbow. You know how traditional some Earth ponies are, try to be a little more...oh, I don't know. How about you don't bring it up around her, see, problem solved." Rainbow Dash's ears flattened against her head and a scowl graced her face, "I don't see why she gets so bothered about it though. It's not like I'm hurting anypony." "...And breakfast is served!" Pinkie said in her sing-song voice, balancing muffins, a milkshake and pancakes on her head while bouncing. Placing them down onto the table, she told her friends, "That'll be four bits please." Twilight took four bits out and gave them to Pinkie before Rainbow Dash had time to respond. "Thanks, Pinkie!" Twilight laughed, "But, er, you got some syrup on your muzzle." She giggled again as Pinkie tried to look down and see her muzzle, her eyes widening. "Oh my gosh, Twilight! There really is!" And then she frowned and her eyes started to water. "That's such a waste of syrup." She shook her head sadly. "But, oh well, more for me!" Licking the syrup off of her muzzle, the pink mare then continued on her way, humming a song. Dash immediately started stuffing her face with the food in front of her. It was smothered in a more than generous amount of syrup, something only Rainbow Dash and a few other ponies ever got, mainly because they were Pinkie's friends. "So, Dash," Twilight started, having finished her muffin, "You were saying..." The cyan Mare blinked at her for a second before realization dawned on her, "Like I was saying, I'm not hurting anypony. I tell them I'm not looking for a relationship and that it's all just some fun." She shrugged. "Look, Dash," Twilight said, "You're the Element of Loyalty, aren't you?" Dash nodded. "That was a rhetorical question by the way. Well, anyway, as that Element, surely you can put aside that little thing, just for Pinkie's sake. I mean, she's your best friend." When Rainbow Dash didn't reply she continued, "Rainbow, look at Pinkie." Complying to the Mare's request, Rainbow Dash turned her head and saw Pinkie talking to some ponies she didn't know and giggling with them. "Now, imagine what it would be like if you lost a friend like that because you couldn't push aside your ego for her sake." Placing her hoof over Dash's in a comforting way, Twilight pleaded with Dash, her eyes boring into Dash's. With a sigh, Dash nodded, "Okay, Twi." Twilight smiled, "Good." Jumping out of her chair, she said goodbye to Dash and yelled bye to Pinkie before disappearing out of the shop, her milkshake floating beside her in a pink glow. Dash groaned and slid down in her chair, pouting like a foal. "Stupid Twilight being smart and being right all the time." ________________________________________________________________________________ Half an hour of hitting her face on the wall later, Dash was visited by a confused Pinkie. It was only the two of them in Sugarcube corner at the moment. "Dashie, are you trying to hit a fly? I think you would have got it by now." She laughed, bouncing on the spot, "You'll probably hurt your head soon. Oh! Have you already hurt your head?" Her smile faltered for a moment, worry creeping onto face. "I slept at Spearmint's place last night." Rainbow Dash blurted out. Wow, well done Dash. Go against everything you promised Twilight, Rainbow told her self, how about a round of applause. "Oh, for goodness sake, Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie whined, stomping her hoof. In a matter of seconds, Pinkie's mood had changed from happy, to worry, to alright annoyance. "Eh, aha...oops?" Obviously it wasn't the best thing the blue Pegasus could of done in that situation. Pinkie narrowed her eyes at Dash, before turning around and mumbling to herself, "Sometimes, I want to take your big dumby dumb head and just..." She gritted her teeth and glared at the wall. "Pinkie, what's the problem?" Rainbow Dash said, standing up and heading over to her pink friend. "Problem?" Pinkie turned on the Pegasus, angrily pushing her muzzle against Rainbow's, forcing the Mare to fall onto her haunches, "There's no problem, Rainbow Dash. It's just that sometimes you make me so...so..." "So, what?" "So...Angry! You make me so angry!" Pinke yelled, her eyes blazing with an inner fury. They stared into each other's eyes, one pair filled with anger, the other filled with surprise. Within seconds, Pinkie blinked and backed away. "S-sorry Dashie, I was out of line there." She whispered, making circles with her hoof. But then she paused, why should I be apologizing? I haven't done anything wrong. "But, you know what, Dash? I'm going to make a bet with you." She walked around the still frozen Pegasus, circling her like a wolf would circle it's prey. Rainbow Dash gulped, not liking the predatory gleam in Pinkie's eyes. "A-a bet?" "Yes..." Pinkie continued walking in circles as the Pegasus tried to find her hooves. With her confidence back, Dash met Pinkie with a cautious look, "What kind of bet?" She asked, her eyes locked on to Pinkie. "Well, I guess it's more of a game." Pinkie said, "But, anyway, I bet that you, Rainbow Dash, can not go three months, spending time with one Mare or Stallion," She smirked, "Without falling for them." Rainbow Dash blinked. Twice. Then a grin grew on her face, "Ha! That is the worst bet I've ever heard!" She laughed, clutching her belly. "Maybe it is, but are you willing to take it?" Pinkie spat on her hoof, and put it in mid-air. "Or are you too, chicken?" "I will take you up on that bet, Pinkie," Dash then spat on her own hoof and pushed it onto Pinkie's, "Just so you know, I'll never, ever, fall for anypony." With a pause, she continued, "How about I add something more interesting to this bet? The pony has too fall for me, too." Getting caught up in the moment, Rainbow Dash said something she'd sworn to herself she would never do, "I pick you."
The first, almost, kinda dateChapter 2: The first-almost-kinda date “Why would you do something so stupid, Dash?” Twilight asked, her eyes holding worry. Just ten minutes ago, a slightly shocked and confused Pegasus had come here after being, well, stupid. Rainbow Dash had explained herself to the purple Unicorn, who was currently pacing in front of Dash, a rather frazzled look on her face. The pony in question shrugged, “I was, well, y’know...being my usual stupid self?” She offered, and then ducked her head so that a book, that Twilight decided would be fun to throw at her, soared past her head. Twilight groaned, “You’ll have to call it off.” She said simply, shaking her head slightly, “Right now.” The soft 'I'm really sorry about everything and please don’t hate me' feeling vanished from Dash in an instant, and the more common, brash and competitive side of her personality decided to make itself known. “No way, I’m not backing out of any bet.” She narrowed her eyes at her friend, “Even a lame one like that. I. Am. Rainbow. Dash. When I make a bet, I win it.” Another book was thrown. This one hitting Dash in the side, causing her t let out a small yelp. They sat in silence for a minute. Both not knowing what to say to get the other to see reason. Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Rainbow Dash, however, couldn’t keep her mouth shut long enough for Twilight to calm down. “I’m not backing out of a bet, Twi.” She didn’t meet the Unicorn’s eyes when she spoke. “That’s worse than losing to me.” “This isn’t about you Rainbow Dash!” Twilight shouted, her anger coming out again. Flaring her wings, Dash took a step closer to her. “Of course it’s about me! I’m the one that’s in the bet. I’m the one who is gonna win it.” She pushed her muzzle against Twilight’s her eyes burning. “And I’m th-” “-the one who is either going to get their heart broken or break their best friends’!” Twilight interrupted her, shouting so loud that it was probably heard in Canterlot. “And I, for one, do not want to see that happen. Not now,” Her voice lost all anger until it was gentle and calm once again. “Not ever.” Rainbow Dash gulped and took a step back, “This is going to hurt you both, so stop it before it starts.” Twilight whispered, placing a hoof on Dash’s face in the way a mother would do to her foal. Still utterly confused, and wondering if Twilight had some sort of strange magic sense when it came to almost everything, Rainbow Dash nodded her head dumbly and took to the sky outside of Ponyville’s library. _____________________________________________________________________________ Okay, I think that means I need to call off the bet, she thought, narrowly avoiding a tree, but, then Pinkie will tell the others and I’ll never hear the end of it! Curving her wings to the right, she rounded a corner and found herself at the Ponyville market. Swiftly landing, she turned her attention to the battle inside of her head. But what about what Twi said? Twilight was never wrong well, you know, apart from the time she thought she was gonna be sent to the moon for saying she thought Princess Celestia smelt like strawberries. That’s Twilight being crazy, and besides, Celestia smells like bananas. Everypony knows that. She slapped herself, catching the attention of a few ponies. Snorting, she faced them, “Yeah? What you lookin’ at?” They quickly hurried on their way. “Somethin’ up, RD?” An annoyingly familiar accent drawled out. Turning, Rainbow found herself being smirked at by an orange mare at an apple stand. Her stetson shielded her eyes from the sun's rays, and her mane and tail tied by the usual red ribbon. “N-no.” Rainbow Dash stuttered/ Raising a brow, Applejack grinned, “Ah ain’t the Element of Honesty for nothin’, Dash.” The cyan mare frowned, “I may or may not have started a bet with Pinkie.” She paused, looking around the market, as if checking to see if anypony was within hearing range, before whispering to Applejack, “A real lousy one.” “That’ll be fifteen bits my way if ya lose.” AJ countered, quietly looking through the apple stand with another grin playing on her lips. Her ears snapping back, a rather animalistic growl came out of Rainbow Dash’s lips. “Excuse me?” She stalked towards the now grinning orange pony who flipped an apple in there air. “Yeah,” Applejack said, the apple landing perfectly on the stand. “Me an' Rare got to Sugarcube corner just as you took off. Pinkie told us all about it, so, we made a bet. Rarity said Pinkie would go for ya first. But ah have known the Mare for a while now, and she ain't easily gonna fall for ya. At least not till you for for her.” She looked at Dash slyly. "This is one bet ah am sure yer not gonna win." If there was one pony in Equestria who knew how to get on Rainbows nerves it was Applejack. It was like the pony had some sort of second special talent which was to annoy the Pegasus. “...I hate you.” If it wasn't for all the good times they’d had together and the deep friendship between them, there would of been a fight a long time ago. Applejack snorted, “No ya don’t.” Dash could see the laughter sparkling in those green eyes and she absolutely hated it. “Yes, I do. I’m taking that apple, by the way.” Darting forward, Rainbow Dash grabbed the apple that Applejack had placed on the stand, and zoomed away as fast as her wings could take her. ______________________________________________________________________________ “Uh-huh,” Pinkie nodded, her eyes focusing on some chocolate that had fallen onto the floor of Sugarcube corner. How could I of missed chocolate? Rainbow Dash, who had arrived there ten minutes prior to the somewhat one sided conversation, groaned, “Pinkie!” She snapped, making the pink mare jump five feet in the air. “Have you been listening to anything I've just told you?” She was met with a blank stare, Pinkie blinked, once. Twice. Then one of her cheeky smiles found it’s way onto her face. “Of course,” She let out a giggle and bounced forward so that her snout was a breathe away from Rainbow’s. “So, you've got cold hooves? No biggie, everypony gets them.” Pausing she let out a small frown, “Though that is usually on their wedding d-” A cyan hoof made sure she couldn't talk anymore, “I am not going to back out. I’m not a wimp. I just want you to know that somepony could get hurt.” Pinkie just carried on as if Rainbow Dash hadn’t talked, “Anyway, there’s this all you can eat buffet tonight!” “Pinkie...” “All the food you can eat, I mean what can be better than that?” “Pinkie.” Rainbow said firmly. “Though you’re not actually allowed to eat all of it. But then why is it called an all you can eat buffet. Seems silly to me!” With a strange pout on her lips, Pinkie continued her rant. " “Pinkie!” The pink mare stopped talking, eyes as wide as saucers as she stared at Rainbow Dash. “Yes, Dashie?” "I am not going to a buffet with you. At night, anyway." She said, prodding Pinkie lightly on the chest. Pinkie nodded her head sadly, looking down. And then she started the waterworks. No, Dash, don’t look at them! The cyan Mare screamed internally, closing her eyes tightly. Don’t break! Pinkie let out a small whimper and Rainbow peaked a look. It was her downfall. “...Fine.” _________________________________________________________________________________ It was okay to be scared, right? It's not wrong to be scared of something that could well, change your life... for better or worse. And during that time, when you go through something like that, you don't actually have to tell your friends. Surely it is easier if they don't have to know, both for yourself and them. Trotting towards home, the silhouette of a mare could be seen in the near empty streets of a moonlit Ponyville. She was talking to herself, trying to get to her home before she was spotted by anypony still outside. “Don’t worry,” She told herself, shaking her head. “You’re fine. The doc said so.” She took a moment to stand still and take a breath. Her legs were shaking and she felt as if somepony had just smashed her head in, which wasn’t helping with the horrible sick feeling she had in her stomach. Doctors were always right, there was nothing wrong with her, they were just taking precautions, just in case something was wrong. Which it wasn’t. But, better safe than sorry, right? “Okay, that’s it.” She squared her jaw. “Enough being a little filly, you can handle this.” Nodding and ignoring the voice in her head, she continued on her way. “-And did you see the look on his face? He was like ‘Ah! My whipped cream!’ before he fainted!” The high pitched, laughing voice of Pinkie could be heard from up ahead. Another, lower voice could be heard too. “I can’t believe they kicked us out!” And that could only belong to... No, it couldn’t be. Blending into the shadows, the mare walked slowly towards the two friends, making sure she could not be seen. And, sure enough, Rainbow Dash was there too. Walking alongside Pinkie, both of them with goofy, laughed too much grins. But, this was the mare that never, ever went out with her friends. She'd known it for as long as Dash knew. Yet, here they were, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. She'd never thought of them as much more than friends, but Pinkie did have that nickname for Rainbow... The mare in the shadows backed up and headed another way, still hearing the voices of both the doctors and the too-friendly-to-be-friends pair. She had to get home. Somewhere she could just relax, if only for a little while. Besides, her brain was a bit scattered at the moment, so she wouldn't think anything else until the next morning. Or afternoon.
