7 Days in Heaven

Chapters

Rarity: Day Three
Pinkie Pie: Day Four
Twilight Sparkle: Day Five
Fluttershy: Day Six
Rainbow Dash: Day Seven
After The Fact, Act 1: Six Months Later
Prologue: Day One
Applejack: Day Two

Rarity: Day Three

It's been a rough night. Every time you close your eyes and try to go to sleep, all you can see and hear is Applejack. You can feel her, smell her, taste her... and your thoughts are consumed by your final decision. Just leaving her there like that, when she was practically giving herself to you...

You get out of bed, turn on a light, and go over to your suitcase. You dig through the mess, and delve into the final compartment. You pull out a large pad of paper, and a box full of different sorts of pens and colored pencils. You flip through the sketchbook, looking at your past drawings. Sketching is one of the few things you're really good at. Whenever you sketch, you feel like you can escape the world, run away from all your problems. Most of the time you sketch fantasy stuff- dragons, unicorns, pegasi, things of that nature. But today is different. Today you have an image burned into the retina of your mind's eye, and you know you have to express it. You choose your writing utensils like a knight would choose his weaponry. You close your eyes, and put the image in the center of your conciseness. You start out with straw yellow, for the hair. Then you move onto green, for the eyes. You keep going, drawing her body, her clothes, her hat, and of course her freckles. When it's over, you're surprised at how good it looks. For such a short time, you think you did an amazing job. You make a mental note to give it to Applejack before you leave. You stretch, put your stuff away, and take a look out of your window. The sun is just rising over the trees. You aren't very rested, but you don't think you can go back to bed at this point. You might as well get ready for the day.

You don't know when you started getting picked on by Diamond Tiara and some of her friends. For a while you managed to avoid them- mostly because you followed Dash around like a puppy dog. But eventually you had to venture out away from your best friend, and as soon as you did... they would find you. Their barbs hurt more than the older guys punches. Physical attacks would hurt, but heal. What they said about you would stay with you for years.

"Fucking loser, all he does is suck up to the teachers."

"I hear he's some kind of queer."

"Wouldn't surprise me, just look at him."

After it happened, Dash would always do the same thing: assure you that they were all just being assholes, and threaten to beat them up the next time she saw them. You'd always thank her, but say she should leave them alone. She probably thought it was because you didn't want her to get in trouble. She might be surprised to learn that you didn't much care; more than once you wished she would just go Bruce Lee on their asses and teach them a lesson. But the real reason was because of one of the girls that hung out in that group. Like the others, she was beautiful for a high-schooler. In fact, she was probably the best looking of the bunch. It wasn't just because of raw beauty either, it was the way she carried herself. Her grace, her posture, even the way her long purple hair was combed so that it seemed to bounce around her. She just seemed to be on a plane above everybody else. You noticed that, when the rest of her friends would start picking on someone, she always stood to the side. She'd give an uncomfortable little chuckle at some of the more deadly of the verbal stabs, but it seemed to be out of obligation rather than real malice. You had a feeling that she wasn't really into the whole thing. But for some reason, she still traveled around with that pack of jackals. You always wanted to know why, but you were positive you would never have a chance.

You were wrong.

You take another look at yourself in the mirror. You feel like a different man. The clothes you have on, the way your hair is done, even the way you walk- it all seems different somehow. You don't know why you have this sudden change in attitude, but you're glad you do. You strut out of the bathroom, and down the stairs. You're about to go to the kitchen, when something catches your eye. It's a rose petal. You bend down to pick it up, wondering how a rose petal could have gotten into the house. You didn't see any roses outside. You examine it, and look around. You realize there's another rose petal on the ground- in fact, there is a whole line of them. You follow the petals, realizing that they must be a trail of some sort. They stop at a closed door. The door is painted differently then any other in the house. It is a bright blue, with red letters drawn on the center of it. The letters read, "Artist's room." They are drawn crudely, as if by a child. You reach for the doorknob, then pull back. You try to remember who it was you were supposed to be seeing today... which one of your friends might do something like this...

You take a deep breath, and open the door. You step inside, and look around. It's huge, and filled with paintings. Some of them are very well done, while others seem to be kindergarten-esque scrawling. Regardless of the skill, they are all placed prominently around the room. In the middle of the room is a canvas, and in front of the canvas is a... is a...

Holy shit.

Rarity is lying down on the couch, covered in a purple velvet robe. Her hair is, as usual, perfectly done. It bounces with every little move she makes, seeming to swirl around her like a purple veil. What skin is showing is pearlescent, shining like an angels feathers. Her makeup is done in that perfect way where you barely notice it is there. She smiles, and beckons you with her pointer finger.

"Well, are you just going to stand there, or are you going to come in?"

You close the door, and nudge yourself forward a few paces. You know that you're blushing hard enough to melt ice at this point. Applejack is beautiful in her own special way, but Rarity is... on a whole other level.

"No, no, come closer."

You scoot forward some more. Rarity rolls her eyes, and stands up. She walks over to you, and takes your arm. She sits you down on a chair in front of the canvas. She lies back down, and stares at you.

"Surprised?"

You try to say something, but the only thing that escapes your throat is a high-pitched squeak.

"I'll take that as a yes."

You shake your head, and try to regain your composure.

"So, um... this is an interesting place to meet."

"Yes, I thought it might be. Dash told me you were something of an artist."

"Well, I like to sketch."

"Wonderful! That's why I brought you the canvas."

"Oh, right. Well, what am I going to sketch?"

"The most beautiful thing in this room of course."

She gives you a sly smile.

"Me."

"Excuse me!"

You speed up the pace, and don't look back. You've seen the popular clique running around, and you're doing anything in your power to avoid them. That voice wasn't Dash's, and certainly wasn't Applejack's, so it could only be trouble. You start jogging, but out of your peripheral vision you can see the girl doing her best to keep up.

"Hey, hang on a second!"

You're surprised by how soon she catches up to you; you wouldn't think a girl that dainty could move herself that fast. She stands in front of you, and you almost run right into her.

"I'm surprised at you! Don't you know that a gentlemen always replies to a ladies request?"

It is Rarity. Somehow you had a feeling it might be her- which is what is going to make this so much worse. You thought maybe she wouldn't do this to you... that maybe she was better... but it seems you were wrong. You steel yourself mentally, and decide to just answer her.

"I apologize Rarity. I just wasn't sure whether you were talking to me or someone else."

"Well I was talking to you. As unusual as that might seem..."

She looks around, and grabs you by the arm. She pulls you over past the lockers, and into a janitor's closet. She shuts the door, and turns on the lights. You realize how close in proximity you are to her, and you begin to blush. You don't want to- it seems tremendously feminine- but you've been a blusher your whole life.

"Umm... what's going on."

"I need your help. You're the one who tutored Applejack, right?"

"Well, yes. Why, do you need help with math? Because I could ask Ms. Cherilee to-"

"No, no, nothing as mundane as that. I may not look it, but I am quite good at arithmetic. No, I need your help in a much more... unusual matter."

"Well, forgive me Rarity, but... why would I help you?"

She looks like you've slapped her.

"I mean, you and your friends do nothing but make fun of me. Why would I help someone who only causes me grief?"

"You mean you'd seriously turn down a request from me. Don't you know who I am!?"

"Yes, I do. And that doesn't change anything."

"But... but I'm the most ravishing girl in the whole school!"

"And that still doesn't change anything. I don't care what you look like one bit."

"Wow, the girls weren't kidding about you."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh nothing, nothing. Ugh, okay. I'm sorry I made fun of you alright? There, I apologized. Now will you please help me? Pleeeeeeeease?"

She sticks out her bottom lip, and somehow manages to make her eyes watery. You sigh, and lean on a nearby broom-rack.

"What do you need help with?"

"I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend."

"WHAT!?"

"I know, I know, I can't believe I have to do this either. But... well... you see... you know Blueblood, right?"

"Who doesn't? He's only the most popular kid in the whole school."

"Right. Well, as you also probably know, we've been going out for a few months now. The truth is, I don't like him at all- in fact, I think he's a cretin. One day he pushed me too far with his, ahem, lewdness, and I broke up with him. At the time it seemed like the right thing to do, but the more I think about it..."

"I don't understand, what is there to think about? If the guy is an asshole, just stay away from him. I mean, you're Rarity. You could get any guy you want."

"Oh I know that, but... well, he will be the Prom King- it's just a fact. And if I want to become Prom Queen, I have to figure out a way to get back together with him. Otherwise they'll vote whatever skank happens to be hanging from him to that honored position, and I just can't let that happen."

"But why me? Why not some other random guy?"

"Well, for a couple of reasons. The rumor is that you're a very chivalrous gentlemen- one who would never overstep his boundaries."

Translation: because you're a spineless worm who would never hit on me.

"And because you're, umm... not the most popular kid in the school."

Translation: and also because you're an absolute loser, which will drive Blueblood insane.

"So let me get this straight: you want me, a kid you've been insulting for his entire high school life, to help you. Not only that, but you want me to help you manipulate someone just so you can win some stupid prom thing. And on top of THAT, you basically want me to help you because you think I'm a huge loser?"

She stares at the ground guiltily.

"I'm sorry Rarity, I just can't."

She looks up, shocked.

"What? No, but... but you have to..."

Her eyes start to water again, and out of nowhere she squeezes you. Every ounce of air rushes out of your lungs, and you give a high pitch gasp of surprise.

"I don't have anyone else to turn to! If you don't help me it will be... THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!"

She squeezes you even harder, and you realize you just can't help yourself. You fold like a house of cards in a hurricane.

"Alright, fine. I guess I'll help you."

"Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you! I'll tell you what exactly we need to do in a little while. In the meantime... keep being a nerd, I guess."

She rushes out of the closet, slamming the door on her way out.

"What... what the heck just happened?"

"Oh geez Rarity, I really appreciate it, but, uh..."

"What's a matter? Am I not good enough of a subject?"

"No, I mean, of course you are. It's just, well... this is pretty intimate, and-"

"Oh honey, don't think of it like an intimate thing. Think of it like a painter bringing a stunning vision to life."

You sigh, and walk over to Rarity.

"Please drop the act."

She raises her eyebrows.

"Act? What act? I'm simply asking you to-"

"Rarity!"

You're surprised by the sternness of your voice, and you can tell that she is too.

"Please. Today is our special day together, and I'd like to spend it with the real Rarity. Not this... parody of yourself you insist on performing."

Rarity nods. Her shoulders slump, her perfect figure seems to fall. Even her hair seems to have less bounce. But somehow she is even more present, even more radiant. Yes. This is the Rarity you were looking for.

"I'm sorry. I'm just so used to having to act like that, it's become-"

"Instinct?"

"Yes, instinct. I keep forgetting you're not like all the other guys. I'm so used to them trying to use me... to hurt me..."

She turns her head. You set your hand on her shoulder.

"That's all in the past now Rarity. You got away from all that, remember?"

"Of course I remember. Without you, I might have.... he might have..."

You see a shiver travel up her spine. She turns to you, and addresses you austerely.

"Let's not think about that. I want today to be about us. I've been looking forward to this for a long time. I never really got to thank you. And I never really got to, well, apologize."

"You don't have to apologize Rarity. I understand what you were going through."

"That doesn't excuse my behavior! Even today I feel ashamed. Not only about what I did to you, but how I acted all through high school. I acted like a... a..."

"Not very nice person?"

She struggles for a bit, before she finally belts it out.

"A bitch! I acted like a self-righteous, precocious, better than everyone else bitch!"

She seems to relax a little.

"Wow, that actually was rather nice to say. I've been keeping that inside me for a while. But anyway, back to you. To be honest, I'm not very good at apologizing. I could just say I'm sorry, but that wouldn't be enough. This sketching thing was my idea of saying sorry. I know it's a little vain to assume that you would want to sketch me, but I thought-"

"Rarity, I do want to sketch you. It's just that, well, I'm a little nervous. I've only ever sketched girls from my memory, or my imagination. I've never had a real subject before."

"Well, I'd be honored to be your first."

You two exchange friendly glances, and you take your seat by the easel.

"Alright, um... pose for me, I guess."

"My pleasure."

Rarity reaches to her waistline, and unties the rope holding her robe together. It drops, and pools around her feet.

"Where should I stand?"

You figure you'll answer her after you wake up from your coma.

"Did you hear who Rarity is going out with?"

"Him!? Really!? What the hell is wrong with her?"

"Maybe he's not as much of a dweeb as we thought."

"Or maybe Rarity has just gone crazy."

You've pretended to go out with Rarity for almost a week now. You're surprised at how different people have treated you. The popular kids have stopped trashing you. The nerds seem to adore you. And some of the jocks stare at you with hatred, as if you stole something that belonged to them. Funnily enough, you don't actually see Rarity that often. She'll occasionally come up and give you a sort of awkward hug someone might give to a sick pet, but then she goes right on living her life. All the commotion seems to be dying down a little though, which will finally give you enough time to visit the two people who mean the most to you: Dash and Applejack.

The two are sitting outside your school, lounging on a bench. You're surprised how fast the two hit it off. True, they are very similar, but Dash doesn't really hang out with a lot of girls, and Applejack is pretty strong-willed. It's just one of those weird friendships that are practically impossible to figure out. They see you, and they wave you over. There isn't enough room on the bench, so you just sit in front of them on the sidewalk. You smile up at Dash.

"What's up best friend?"

"Oh, you know, same old same old. Running circles around everyone-"

"Everyone 'cept me."

Applejack chuckles, and Dash gives her a murderous leer.

"You beat me in one race, and all of a sudden you're-"

"Calm yer jets missie, I'm just foolin' around."

Dash snorts, and the moment passes. She turns and addresses you.

"So I hear you've finally got a girlfriend. And a looker at that."

Applejack looks surprised, and for a brief moment, disappointed.

"Oh really? Who?"

You shrug sheepishly.

"Rarity."

Applejack's mood immediately darkens.

"Isn't she one of those girls who's always makin' fun of people?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"Why in the hell would you go out with a girl like that?"

Applejack is shivering with emotion. Dash pats her on the back.

"Hey, chill out Applejack. So she's a little prissy, everyone has something."

"She ain't just prissy! She's downright mean!"

"But it's his first girlfriend, you can't expect him to-"

"Not go out with a total asshole! Why yes I can!"

"GIRLS!"

The two look at you, shocked. You grin sheepishly.

"Sorry. Look, it's not a big deal. We're not even really doing anything. I'm just helping her out."

The two exchange confused glances.

"Helping her... out?"

You explain the situation. When you finish, the look of shock on their faces shines through so clearly it almost hurts. Dash finally breaks the silence.

"Dude, she's using you! You can't let her do this. You're not some sort of pet, you're a person."

"I know, I know. But if I don't let her do this to me, then she'll find some other guy. I know I can handle a situation like this. But some other little nerd who's never hung out with a girl before... they could be really hurt."

"No! You don't have to martyr yourself just to help some stupid prep."

"Dash is right."

Applejack stands up, and rolls her shirt up to her elbows.

"I'm putting an end to this right now!"

"No!"

You stand in front of her.

"This is my choice. I've made my decision, and I need you to respect it. I don't need protection Applejack."

Applejack stares you down for a few seconds, and then walks off in a huff.

"Fine! You don't want my help, then I'll just let that girl stomp all over ya!"

Dash gets up and stands next to you.

"She's only looking out for you, you know."

"I know Dash. I know."

After you recover from the shock, you attempt to assess the situation. But you can't even seem to process it. You've seen naked women before, but never a real one. Here. In front of you. Right now. This second.

"You okay dear?"

Again, you try to utter something, but nothing comes out.

"What's the matter? Wrong pose?"

She turns around, grabs the couch, and bends over. You feel all your blood rushing out of your head.

"Whatever is, umm... most comfortable for you."

"Oh, alright."

She takes her original position, laying on the couch.

"Is this good?"

"That's... fantastic."

You try to do some preliminary outlining, but your hands shake so badly that you can barely hold the pencils. You have to calm yourself. Maybe imagine that she's in her underwear?

"So, uh, I guess you're pretty comfortable with your body."

"Of course I am! I've worked very hard for this figure, and I love to show it off."

"Well, you're very beautiful."

"Oh, thank you!"

The conversation brings you back onto the logical plane of existence. Your hands stop shaking, and you begin your sketches. She actually is very beautiful. Her curves are perfect... your hand seems to guide itself. Rarity really seems to be enjoying this, relishing the attention. You let yourself go completely, focusing entirely on the art. Some other being seems to take ahold of you, guiding you. Your hands move themselves, swirling unidentifiably colored masses into recognizable figures. Rarity looks at you with awe.

"I've... I've never seen you like this before."

You don't answer, because you can't. You're too focused, too in the moment. Any distraction, no matter how small, could break you. It's all starting to come together now. All the whites, the pinks, the purples. Everything becoming what is was always meant to be, coalescing into being. It's been a few hours, but it feels like only a few minutes. You fill in the last few details, and finally, it's done. You feel the muse letting go of you, and you feel restored. You turn the canvas around, and show Rarity.

"What do you think?"

Rarity stares at it open mouthed.

"It's... it's wonderful."

She walks over to you, and stands next to you. You begin to feel yourself going numb, loosing all mental control. She cups your head in her hands, leans down, and kisses you. You return it eagerly. You stay like this for awhile, riding the waves of Rarity lips, surfing the tide of her tongue. You reach out to touch her, but pull your hand back. Without warning, she takes it, and guides you to her most intimate parts. She gasps, and you groan. You pull yourself away. Rarity looks at you, alarmed.

"What's wrong?"

"I... I can't!"

You stand up, and turn away. Rarity sighs, picks up her robe, and puts it back on.

"I know. Applejack told me. But somehow, I thought you might change for me."

"You know I can't do that."

"Yes, I do."

She walks over to you, and puts her hands on your shoulders.

"But, if it doesn't work out... promise me we'll pick up where we left off."

"I promise."

"Good."

She walks out of the room, and you collapse into the nearest chair.

You wonder why in the hell Rarity would want to meet you at this hour. It's nearly midnight, and on a school day. You had to sneak out of the house- you nearly killed yourself trying to crawl out of your window. You check your phone again, rereading the text for what feels like the five-thousandth time.

"Meet me at the school parking lot in a half hour. Need to discuss something very important."

Short, sweet, to the point, but something just doesn't seem right. There's something weird about this... but you promised to help her, and you intend to keep that promise.

You pull up to the school, and cruise around the parking lot, looking for Rarity. You see her... and you feel your body go limp. She's bleeding, and bruised. Standing next to her is a large guy in a torn up white T-shirt and dirty jeans. He holds her by the arm in one hand, and in the other holds a bottle of what you assume is beer.

"Get out here motherfucker! You tried to steal my girlfriend from me, and now you're gonna get it!"

You park the car, shaking with fear. You've been picked on before, and pushed around... but you've never been in a real fight. And this guy definitely looks like he means business. You open the door, and walk towards him slowly. Rarity looks at you with pleading eyes.

"Just get out of here! You can't take him... don't hurt yourself for me."

"Shut up bitch!"

Blueblood drops the bottle, and slaps Rarity with his free hand. She screams in pain, and suddenly all the fear is gone. There is only anger. Adrenaline and anger. You rush towards him, throwing your left fist at him as hard as you can. He lets Rarity go, and grabs your fist like it was a tossed baseball.

"That's all you got?"

His breath stinks of alcohol he must have been drinking all day.

"Lemme show ya how a real man punches!"

He balls his fist up, and throws it into your stomach. The pain is immense- you feel like your guts are coming up. You don't have to long to ruminate on it, as the fist comes back up and hits you right above the eye. You gasp, and see the world go fuzzy. You hear Rarity screaming,

"Stop it! Please, leave him alone, he doesn't deserve this!"

The world clears, and you reach up and touch your forehead. You're bleeding, though you can't tell how bad. Blueblood approaches you slowly, enjoying every minute of this.

"I'm going to beat you so bad man... I'm going to make sure you never forget this. I'm going to make sure you remember why you leave the pretty girls for guys like me."

You have to think fast. You look around you, and you see the obvious solution. The parking lot is coated with gravel. You pick up a large stone, and, as Blueblood lumbers closer to you, you chuck it at his head. It smashes him on the nose. For a second he looks surprised, but then his face contorts into pain.

"Ahh! Fuck, my fucking nose! You dirty fighter!"

You don't give one shit about whether or not you're fighting dirty. You pick up more rocks, and start chucking them. Most of them hit, and he starts squealing in pain.

"Stop! Stop, dammit!"

But you don't. You're tired of this shit. Tired of these people treating you like you're not worth anything. You keep throwing them. He picks up a rock and tries to return fire, but he's so drunk that it doesn't even come close to you. You get a really good shot to his chin, and he falls to his knees. He's bleeding, and his face is swollen. He looks up at you, and raises his hands.

"Please stop. I'll leave now... I'm sorry."

You stop throwing, but keep a few stones in your hands. Blueblood stands up, and looks at Rarity.

"This is your fault you bitch! Why would you break up with me! I... I..."

He slowly walks away, fading into the distance. You drop the rocks, and run over to Rarity.

"Are you okay? God, how could he do this to you? Hitting a girl..."

"I'm fine, he just slapped me a few times, that's all."

"What happened? Why was he out here?"

"Well, I was going to bring you two together, and try to get Blueblood to ask me out again. But I had no idea he was drunk... he started hitting me, and... and touching me. If you hadn't been there..."

She hugs you.

The one time you stood up for yourself... it seems like so long ago. You don't even remember it like most memories- you seem to remember it as if you were looking at if from outside your body. Maybe it's because of the adrenaline, or the fear. Maybe it's just one of those weird things your mind does. You're not sure. But that memory is very dear to you. That day you proved to yourself that you were strong- not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. On the days when you truly feel down, that is the memory you turn to.You return to your room, bringing your sketch of Rarity with you. You smooth it out, and put it on top on an end table. You stare at it for a while, mesmerized. Maybe you really do have some talent... it looks uncannily true to life....

A knock on the door brings your mind back to the present. You open it, and there is Rarity. She's dressed this time, wearing a simple white dress.

"May I come in?"

"Well, um..."

"Just to talk. Really."

You motion for her to come in, and she does so. You shut the door, and turn to her.

"What's up?"

"I just wanted to say thank you. Your sketch was very beautiful."

"No thanks necessary, it was my pleasure."

"But more than that, I need to thank you for something else. For being there for me, even though I was..."

"A not very nice person?"

She smiles.

"You're one of the few people in my life who really cares about me. Not about the physical part of me, but the emotional part of me. The part of me I wish I could get people to see."

"You can get people to see it Rarity. Just be yourself- drop the act. You don't have to be pretentious to be special. If you just believe in who you are, and show people the real you, they'll see your true beauty. You don't need this."

You wipe some blush off of her cheek.

"You need this."

You take her hand, and place it on her chest.

"Thank you."

She kisses you on the cheek, and walks out of the room. You take one more look at the sketch. It looks like her, yes- but the reason you feel so awed is that you captured more than her beauty. In that picture, you see the real her. The real Rarity. You realize you may never draw anything that good again... and you're okay with that.

Pinkie Pie: Day Four

Peace. Simple, genteel. You drift on a sea of clouds. For the first time since you've arrived here, you really and truly sleep. It's blissful. You don't think anything can take you out of this place. At least, until the you hear the clanging of cymbals. Cymbals? What the hell?

You shake your head, trying to clear your mind. It's really hard to do though, with that CONSTANT BANGING! You sit up, and look around the room for the source of the disturbance. Of course. Who else could it be, but her?

"Good morning sunshine! Sorry if I woke you! Wait, no I'm not, that's exactly what I was trying to do."

Pinkie Pie stares up at you, positively beaming. She twirls her cotton candy colored curls in between her fingers, unable to contain her seemingly boundless energy. On the floor by her feet are two marching band style cymbals, which she must have used to try to wake you up. So much for getting up to your circadian rhythm.

"Jeez-a-whiz Pinkie. What time is it?"

"Oh it's not that early. Well, it's a little early. I'd say early enough that you would usually be sleeping sometimes, but not all the time. Know what I mean?"

You look at her like she's a creature from another planet.

"Not really, no."

"Oh."

She seems disappointed that you didn't understand the gist of what she was saying. Her frown passes in a split second though, and her face again spreads into an incredibly wide smile.

"So what are we gonna do on our super special ultra cool day together?"

"I don't know. I thought you were supposed to come up with the plan."

"Oh, oh, we could bake cupcakes! Wait, you might not like that, you don't seem like the kitcheny type to me. Oh, we could go fishing! Wait, you and Applejack already did that. And I hate fishing. Fish are gross. They're scaly and slippery and-"

"Hey Pinkie?"

"Yes?"

She bats her eyelashes at you, which you find absurdly cute.

"Might I get ready for the day before we form any grandiose plans? I'm not even dressed."

You lift your covers up a little to convey your point. Pinkie suddenly turns a shade of pink that you didn't think existed.

"What?"

"You... umm..."

It seems like she's somewhere between supremely uncomfortable and uncontrollable giggling. You look down, and realize your member is hanging out of your pajama bottoms. You gasp, lower the covers, and turn a shade of pink that rivals hers.

"Don't worry, I didn't really see it. Much. Okay I did, but it was okay, because you're-"

She stops herself.

"I'm gonna go let you get dressed."

She runs out of the room, grabbing her cymbals and closing the door behind her. You slam your head against the bed post. This is going to be a long day.

You expected some backlash from the Rarity incident, but to your (very pleasant) surprise there doesn't seem to be any. Rarity has stopped hanging around with the mean girl clique, meaning that she has no reason to tell them about what transpired, and Blueblood is probably too embarrassed to admit he got destroyed by a nerd. Sometimes life can be rough, but it seems like the universe decided to smile on you today. You've been walking around with Dash, strolling through the school grounds. You two meander down to the soccer field, and Dash absentmindedly begins kicking around the spare balls. She kicks one particularly hard. It smacks something, and flies off in a weird direction.

"Oof! What the heck was that?"

A dazed face rises from the field. A very soft, but somehow charismatic face. Her head is covered with long bubblegum colored hair. She must have been lying down on the untrimmed grass for nobody to have noticed her. She pats the top of her head, and you realize Dash must have inadvertently hit her with the ball. You run over to the strange girl.

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know. I was just sitting here, looking at the clouds, when suddenly WHAM! Something came and hit straight on the noggin!"

"My bad."

Dash walks over, and kneels beside her.

"I didn't see you there. What the heck are you doing lying on the ground?"

The girl seems to ponder this for a while, before shrugging.

"I dunno. I felt like it."

She punctuates this with a huge shrug, and she collapses back to the dirt floor. Out of spontaneity, you decide to follow suit. Dash stares at the two of you like crazy people.

"I'm gonna go now. You two enjoy... whatever it is you're doing."

As Dash walks away, you and the pink haired girl wave after her.

"Bye crazy rainbow haired lady! Be careful what you do with your balls!"

Her goodbye takes you completely by surprise, and you double over with laughter. The pink haired girl looks at you, her head tilted to the side.

"What's so funny?"

You shrug.

"I dunno."

She smiles, and seems to accept this. You're surprised by how well you're getting along with this girl. Maybe it's because she's not really your type. It's not that she isn't pretty- she's incredibly cute. It's just that you like take charge woman, with a good head on their shoulders. This girl seems kooky and innocent. You give yourself a little slap, realizing you've been incredibly rude.

"May I ask your name?"

She ponders this.

"Well, my name is Pinkamena Diane, but that name is silly. Just call me Pinkie Pie."

"Pinkie... Pie?"

You can't see how this name is any less silly then her real one, but you decide to let it drop.

"So, do you come here often?"

Pinkie giggles at your feeble attempt at humor. You can't tell whether it's out of pity or real amusement.

"I just go wherever I feel like. School is boring. You're stuck in class all day, not being able to do what you want. So when school is over, I just go with the wind."

"Go with the wind?"

"Yeah. I just spread my arms, and let it take me where it wants to take me."

She spreads her arms for effect, and then folds them beneath her head.

"And today, the wind took me here, in the middle of this field. Did the wind bring you and crazy rainbow lady here as well?"

"Her name is Dash. And..."

You ponder the question. The more you think about it, the more you realize that you and Dash did just sort of randomly walk out here. No rhyme or reason. You just did.

"... yeah. I guess it did."

"The wind is funny like that sometimes. It brings me people."

She turns, and grins.

"I'm glad it brought me you."

You return her grin.

"Thanks. I'm happy I met you too."

The two of you lie on the field, looking up at the sky. This feels... right. For the first time in a long time, you're comfortable around a girl. No awkward thoughts. No romantic inclinations. You're just two people enjoying the world, letting the wind take you where it pleases.

You actually consider trying to avoid Pinkie, unsure how she'll react to your earlier wardrobe malfunction. You quickly realize that she's not the most tactful person in the world, so you'll probably have to do some explaining to the house. You don't want the rest of the girls thinking you whipped your dick out the second she walked into the room. Showered and dressed, you speed walk, looking for Pinkie. You check the places you've been before- the kitchen, the outside walk, and the art room- but she's nowhere to be found. Just as your about to give up, your world goes dark.

"Guess who?"

You smile. By the sound of her voice, all is forgiven.

"It can't be Pinkie Pie, can it?"

You hear a gasp, and your world comes back to life. You turn around, and see Pinkie Pie. She looks aghast.

"How did you know? Are you a mind reader? If you are that would be crazy! And a little creepy... what am I thinking right now?"

She looks at you expectantly.

"I can't read minds Pinkie."

"Aww. Oh well. So I think I've figured out what-"

You hold a finger to her lips to silence her.

"Pinkie, did you tell any of the girls about what happened this morning?"

"Hmm..."

She seems lost in thought. You can't believe she would forget something like this so fast.

"You know... when you came into my room..."

"Oh!"

She giggles.

"That! No, of course I didn't tell the girls. They're not even here! We go out into town on most days to give you and whatever girl you're with some privacy."

"Huh, I didn't know that. Well, anyway, do you think you could keep it to yourself? It was an accident, but I don't want them to think that I'm-"

"A big pervert!"

She sticks her tongue out at you.

"... yes Pinkie. A big pervert."

"Don't worry. My lips are sealed."

She pantomimes a zipper being pulled over her mouth.

"So, anyway, did you come up for something for us to do today?"

"Yeah, I did!"

She grabs your hand, and leads you outside. You run for a while, heading in the direction of the forest. It's not the same path that Applejack took you down- in fact, there doesn't seem to be a path at all.

"Where are we going?"

"We're going where the wind takes us!"

A smile crosses your lips. You realize it's been a long time since you've heard her say that. You two run into the forest, dodging trees and their low hanging branches. You delve deeper and deeper into the woods, getting lost in them. You feel a little bit of fear- you've heard stories of people getting lost in the woods- but you can't help but feel safe with Pinkie by your side. She may be a little crazy, but you're pretty sure she wouldn't get you lost.

Pretty sure. Somewhat. Maybe.

She pulls you along into a clearing. Here the trees here have a natural gap in them, and the sun shines down on the forest floor. Pinkie Pie giggles.

"This is perfect!"

She lets go of your hand, and pulls out a picnic basket from out of nowhere.

"Were you... were you carrying that before?"

"Of course I was. What, do you think I could just make it appear from thin air?"

"No, but..."

You decide that it's not worth talking about. Pinkie's always been quirky, and her ability to pull objects from space is just one of those weird things she seems to do. She opens the basket, pulls out a blanket, and lays it on the grassy forest floor. She sits down, and pats the ground next to her. You follow suit. She pulls some food from the basket, and sets it in front of you. As you reach for something, she grabs your hand. You turn to face her.

"I need to be serious for a second. I know I'm not really good at it, but..."

She takes a steadying breath.

"... I have to try. You really helped me back in high school. I thought I was surrounded by friends, by people who loved me. But you were the only one who was really there for me. The only... one..."

All of the sudden, her face darkens. Her normally bubbly composure seems to collapse in on itself. She stands there, broken.

"Oh no."

You put your arms around her. You feel her breath start to come more rapidly, and see her eyes start to water.

"I promised I wouldn't do this."

She lets go completely, and starts to sob.

"It's okay Pinkie. I'm here for you."

You've gotten to know Pinkie pretty well over the last few days. You notice that she seems to be constantly surrounded by friends- the exact opposite of you. It's probably her personality. She's charming, in some outlandish way. She goes out of her way to help people, and to make new acquaintances. You're pleased to note that she doesn't seem to discriminate when it comes to who she sees- she's friends with all sorts. Even the popular girls seem to begrudgingly accept her, although they seem to vanish whenever she draws near. You figure all her positive energy must drive their negativity away. You spend the most time with her outside of school, near the soccer field. The wind blows you two there very often. Today is one of those oddly windy days. You've been playing around with the soccer balls, trying to kick them into the net. You find that, even without opposition, you're pretty terrible. Just as you're about to give up, you see a familiar bunch of pink curls. You wave to Pinkie, and she absentmindedly waves back. She walks over to you, but her heart doesn't seem to be in it. She seems to be very lost in thought. You find this incredibly odd. Pinkie is a lot of things, but ponderous is definitely not one of them.

"Everything all right?"

This seems to wake her from a deep slumber.

"I... I don't know."

"Wanna talk about it?"

She looks at you, strangely. You can't put your finger on it, but something is definitely odd.

"Have you... ever wanted to help a friend, but aren't quite sure how?"

You remember the look of longing on Applejack's face as you embraced her in her room.

"Yeah. It's tough, isn't it."

"Yes, it is. I love cheering people up... but most of the time it's pretty easy. A hug here, a compliment there, and some cupcakes once in a while. But sometimes there's somebody who's hurt in a different way. In a... a deeper way. Not a scratch, but a scar. You know?"

You try to understand, but you can't really follow her. You just try to go with it.

"So one of your friends is really hurt, and you don't know how to help them?"

She nods.

"I really like this person, and I feel like I have to help them. But... but I can't just cheer them up. It's more complicated than that. And I'm not a very complicated person."

You realize what is wrong with her. She looks... sad. It's almost alien on her. You just can't imagine Pinkie Pie- always full of energy and cheer- being sad. But here she is.

"Well, I wish I could give you some advice Pinkie, but I don't know enough about what's going on to help you."

"I know."

She leans on you.

"It's just nice to have somebody listen."

The tender moment is interrupted by the harsh ring of her telephone. She pulls it out of her pocket, and picks it up.

"Hello? Yes, this is Pinkamena... yes, I know her. She... she what?"

You've never seen that expression on somebody's face before. It's like her whole world is crumbling. Her face darkens, and her eyes water. She sinks slowly to her knees. You try to catch her, but she seems to way a thousand pounds.

"No... no, she wouldn't. I just talked to her yesterday, she said she was feeling fine."

The tears flow freely, and you are at a loss of what to do. You have a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. You suddenly remember a girl who hung around Pinkie- a sad-looking girl who rarely talked to anyone. Pinkie was different with her. You can't really describe how- she just seemed to try harder. Maybe it was because she was trying to stop her from... from...

Oh God.

The phone falls from Pinkie's hands, and she cries out. Her sobs come fast and hard, and she beats at the ground. You try to do something- anything- but you can muster a feeble phrase.

"I'm sorry."

She looks up at you. Her eyes seem lifeless. She carefully picks up her phone, closes it, and dusts it off. She stands up, her tears suddenly stopped.

"I have to go now."

You feel like you should stop her, but you can't bring yourself to do it. All you can do is watch her walk away.

"It still hurts, you know? The thought that everyone would leave, when I needed them most. Everyone... everyone except you."

The tears stream down Pinkie's cheeks, and before long you realize they are falling down yours as well. You haven't seen her this broken in a long time. You can't help but feel partly responsible. It was your sudden appearance that must have triggered this. You rock her gently back and forth in your arms, and you feel her clutch you tighter and tighter. You whisper gently in her ear.

"It's okay Pinkie. Let it out... just let it all go."

She cries for a while more, stopping slowly. She looks into your eyes. You can almost see into her soul through those reddened pools of blue. You gently stroke her hair. She brings her face closer to yours. Your lips nearly touch, but she reneges at the last second. You exhale, knowing that it's for the best. She lets you go, and sits back down. You follow suit. You sit there for a while, basking in the glow of the sun.

"I miss her, you know? She was special to me. She was the first person I was ever-"

She stops. She suddenly seems a little uncomfortable.

"Can you keep a secret?"

You nod. She sighs, and continues.

"She was the first person I was ever really in love with. She was so different, you know? Everyone else seemed so shallow. But she was always beyond that. She had a great mind. And she felt things so deeply. The smallest triumph could lift her spirits. But the tiniest hurt destroyed her. I never knew anybody like that before, and I don't think I'll find anyone like again. She was beautiful, inside and out. And when I met her, she was just hurting so much. Hurting in a way I couldn't help. It was weird, her being like that. My whole life I've been able to make people happy, and here was someone who just never seemed to smile."

She looks up at the clouds, seeming to lose herself there.

"I decided I'd give her everything. Not just things, but... myself. I gave her my heart. I gave her my soul. I gave her the most intimate parts of me."

You can see her twitch at this, clearly remembering a bittersweet moment.

"And for a while, I thought it worked. We lived within each other. My happiness seemed to feed her, but her sadness seemed to feed me. Nobody knew. I couldn't let anyone catch on. After all, I was Pinkie Pie. The adorable, happy-go-lucky girl who skipped through the corridors. But down inside me, I felt her pain. I thought I could do that forever, you know? Just swallow her pain, and keep it inside me. I thought I could handle it. After all, we... we loved each other. But it wasn't enough. Those last few days, she grew more and more distant. I could feel her draining away, like sand in my palm. I should have told somebody. But I was so confident. I loved her, she loved me. We didn't need anyone else. We could live for each other. She could live for me. But it wasn't enough."

Time seems to freeze for a moment.

"I wasn't enough. I couldn't save her... I wasn't enough."

You don't recognize the girl sitting on the sidewalk anymore. Her hair hangs low, lacking its curl. It seems to hang from her, dirty and unkept. Her face, normally so bright and cheerful, is pulled and sullen. Her normally perky pink clothing has been replaced with a dirty hoodie and sweat pants. And of course, nobody hangs around her anymore. They seem to avoid her like she's contagious. They whisper about her though. Whisper that maybe she and that girl were more than friends. Whisper that she could have stopped it, could have helped. You hope she doesn't listen to the whispers, but you know she hears them. You wonder whether she even cares. You and Dash have been playing baseball for a while. You don't seem to hit a single ball, or catch a single throw. Every time you try to focus on the game, your eyes drift over to that girl. That once bubbly girl, now deflated. When Dash throws a ball right past you, she grunts exasperatedly.

"I give up!"

She tosses her glove into her bag, and walks over to you.

"Why don't you just go talk to her?"

"What could I say?"

Dash considers this.

"Maybe you don't have to say anything."

You realize she's right. You don't know what to do, but you have to do something. You give her back the bat, and trudge over to where the girl sits. You put yourself next to her. You sit in silence for a while. She finally grunts at you.

"What do you want?"

"I don't know. The wind took me here."

You look at her. No reaction at all.

"Pinkie-"

"I don't need your sympathy!"

She practically spits this at you.

"Why don't you just leave me alone... like everyone else."

"Because that's not the kind of person I am."

"What kind of person are you? Some kind of knight? Are you gonna take me away on your steed, clear away all my pains with a magical kiss?"

Her voice drips with sardonicism. A lightbulb goes off in your head.

"No, I'm not a knight. And I can't cure anybody's wounds with a magical kiss. I know I can't take the hurt away, Pinkie. Nothing ever will. But maybe..."

You stand up.

"Do you trust me Pinkie?"

She looks at you confusedly, her tangled bangs covering her face.

"I... I guess."

You reach out to her, and she takes your hand. You walk to your car, and open the door for her. She gets in. You get in beside her, start it up, and begin driving.

"Where are we going?"

You ignore her question. It will all become clear soon. You drive in silence, until you reach your destination. It's a graveyard. You feel Pinkie stiffen next to you, but she doesn't say anything. You drive through the entrance, and park. You get out, open her door, and motion for her to follow you. She does so, albeit very slowly. The two of you walk through the fields, making sure not to disturb any of the grave sites. You finally find the place you're looking for. It's a large gravestone, decorated with a marble angel. A family member has placed flowers here pretty recently- they are still fresh. Pinkie approaches the grave stone.

"What... what is this?"

"This is my brothers grave."

She looks at you, utterly shocked. You kneel down and gently brush the dirt off of the headstone.

"He died when I was eight. He was older- sixteen. It was a car accident. My parents were devastated. I don't think they ever really recovered."

You pick up a flower, and slowly turn in over in your hands.

"I don't think I ever really recovered either."

You put the flower back, and stand up. You turn to Pinkie.

"But I kept on living. I know that it's what he would have wanted. I know in my heart that if I stopped living... if I tore myself apart because of his death, he would be disappointed. He'd want me to keep on living, because he loves me."

You wonder how Pinkie will react. You wait for her to do something- anything- but she just stands there. You think you've failed, until she walks over to you. She embraces you.

"I need you to take me home. I... I have someone I need to visit."

After she's said her piece, she seems relieved. It's like a massive weight has been lifted from her shoulders.

"I wasn't enough, but no matter what I could have done, I'd never have been enough. She was going to do it, one way or the other. It hurts to think about, but it's true. There's nothing I could have done."

She looks at you.

"What you did that day was really brave. To put yourself out there like that takes a lot of courage. Without your help, I might never have been able to move on."

She snuggles close to you. You put an arm around her shoulders.

"It still hurts. On days like today, when the sun is out, and the wind seems to blow the right way, I can almost see her. And I wish, more than anything, she was back. But I know I can live my life now. That's what she would have wanted."

"It is."

A gentle breeze blows through the clearing, stirring up a few leaves. Pinkie looks in that direction, and a look of recognition seems to pass on her face. It's over as soon as it started though. She looks up at you, and gives a little laugh.

"I was determined to make this day about you, and not about me. But here I am, crying on your shoulder again."

"It's okay Pinkie. I don't mind."

"I know you don't. And that's why you're so special."

She gives you a little peck on the cheek. You sit together, in that sun filled clearing, holding each other. The warmth spreads through your body... you feel at peace.

Twilight Sparkle: Day Five

The library seems endless. Books of a thousand shapes and sizes line the massive shelves. You wander through the library, desperately looking for a book. You're not sure which one it is- you only know it holds the key to the thing you've been searching for all this time. You walk for what seems like hours, pouring through tomes filled with unreadable gibberish. Just as you are about to give up, you feel a soft tap on your shoulder. You turn around, and see a girl standing there. She is dressed in like a typical librarian- a woman's suit, glasses, with her purple hair done up in a bun. She looks at you, inquisitively.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"I don't know. I'm looking for something... but I don't know what."

"Well, what is it about?"

"I can't tell you... it's a secret."

"Well, I can't help you if you don't tell me what you're looking for."

"I guess... I guess I need finding something I lost."

"A book on finding something lost? Hmm... I think I may have something like that. Follow me."

She walks through the corridors, and you follow her. The shelves seem to decrease in size, until finally you reach a strange section of the library you've never seen before. Each shelf contains only a single book. The books are encased in glass. Many look so old that they'd fall apart at your touch. You two carefully navigate through the books, being careful not to bump any of the fragile looking displays. You finally reach a wide open section of the library. It's empty, except for one single book sitting on top of an ancient daïs. A large stained glass window shines rainbow light on the book. You walk towards it eagerly, realizing that this is what you've been searching for this whole time. Just as you're about to reach it, you feel something pulling at you. The whole library seems to go in and out of focus, and you realize you're waking up.

"No, please! Just a few more minutes! I'm so close!"

You try to refocus- to bring it back- but to no avail. The real world comes sharply into view. When you truly awaken, you feel confused. You feel like you lost something... but you're not sure what. You remember something about a book... but it must not have been important. You shrug, stand up, and stretch. It's time for another day with one of the girls, and there are only three left. You wonder which one it will be...

"A... a party?"

Dash smiles and nods excitedly.

"Yeah, a party! It's gonna be awesome! You have to show up."

You scratch your neck nervously.

"Umm, well... I don't know Dash. I'm not a party kind of person."

"What the heck are you talking about dude? It's not rocket science, it's just a party. You know, show up, have a little drink, do some dancing..."

She leans in close.

"Maybe get lucky."

She give you a familiar nudge in the ribcage, and you roll your eyes.

"Yeah, okay."

She gives you her best puppy dog frown.

"Oh come on, you have to be there. You're like, one of my best buds. If you're not there, it just won't be the same."

It's always nice when she says things like that.

"All right, I guess I'll go."

Dash positively beams.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! You won't regret it! I'm gonna make sure you have the time of your life."

She slaps you on the back, hard.

"Ow! I mean, oh boy, I can't wait."

She runs down the hallway, and waves you goodbye. You return the wave, and sigh. It's never easy with her. But hey, maybe the party will be fun. Stranger things have happened. You look at your watch and see that study hall isn't over for another half an hour or so. You shrug, and go where you always do during times like these: the library. Your school library is somewhat small, but very cozy. The fiction section takes up the entire back wall. You choose a book a random, and sit down at one of the nearby tables. You peruse through the book- some weird comedy about a bunch of lazy people who run a convenience store.

"I wouldn't read that if I were you."

You don't recognize the voice. You look around, and spot the source of the vocalization. You've seen her around the library before, but you don't think she's ever talked to you. She's tall for a girl- almost as tall as you, in fact. She wears plain, bookish clothes. Her purple hair seems done in a very simplistic style, as if she doesn't have a lot of time for it in the morning. She's busying herself organizing the shelves.

"Why, what's wrong with it?"

"It's not very funny. I mean, unless you like gross out humor. But you don't seem like the kind of guy who would be into that."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, you spend a lot of time in the library, and generally people who go to the library a lot are pretty intelligent. Most intelligent people like intelligent humor. That being said, I'd guess you'd be into something more sophisticated. Something like..."

She puts down the book she was holding, and begins perusing the shelves. She finds what she's looking for, picks it out, and sets it in front of you.

"... this."

You pick it up, and read the title. Annie Hall. Huh, you've never heard of that one before. You thumb through the first few pages. It's a little odd, but the girl is right- it is very funny.

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome."

She's back to organizing the books.

"Say, what's your name? I've seen you around, but I don't think we've ever been introduced."

"My name is Twilight. Twilight Sparkle."

She cringes a little at this.

"My parents are a little... odd. And it's no surprise we haven't been introduced. I'm in all advanced classes."

She cringes again.

"Sorry... guess that sounded a little pompous."

"It's not pompous if it's true."

She grins a little, thankful you moved pass the faux pas.

"What are you doing later, Twilight?"

She freezes. She looks like a deer caught in the headlights.

"What... what do you mean?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out with me and my friend Dash."

She quickly shakes her head.

"Oh I can't. I'm busy busy busy."

To punctuate this, she picks up a stack of books.

"I think I have to go. Bye!"

She rushes off, carefully balancing the load of books in her hands. Jeez. All you wanted to do was hang out, get to know her a little more. Well, what do you expect. She is a girl after all. And girls always found you a little... off. You shrug, and go back to reading the book. It really is good. Just as you start to get into it, the bell rings, signaling the end of the period. You leave the book on the table, figuring it will get put back, and head to your next class.

"Wait!"

The purple haired girl rushes up to you.

"I changed my mind. I would like to hang out with you and your friend. Where will you guys be?"

"We usually walk around the school, by the soccer fields and stuff. If you want, we can meet you by the flagpole after class gets out."

"Sure... that sounds great."

She smiles, and runs off.

The music is gentle, sweet. You recognize the instrument almost instantaneously- the flute. It's always been one of your favorite instruments. Something about it is so soothing. You follow the flute music- it leads you down the stairs, and into the large living room where you first met the girls. Twilight sits in the center of the room. She plays the flute as if she's been at it for many years- the music flows with the gentle touch of a real musician. You can't quite place the melody at first- although it seems very familiar. You don't draw attention to yourself. You want to listen to her play for a while longer. The music goes on and on, and you feel at peace. The song ends, and Twilight turns around.

"Glad you enjoyed it."

You realize she knows you've been standing there.

"You're really good, you know. It takes a lot of skill to play the flute like that. A lot of people think it's easy to learn an instrument, but it's really not. It takes a lot of time, a lot of training..."

"Well, I had a lot of time."

She sets the flute down on a table, and walks up to you. She gives you a big hug, which you gladly reciprocate.

"I've been looking forward to this. When the girls told me about their plans- well, I couldn't say no. I can't believe we haven't seen each other for this long. Why didn't you ever call?"

You shrug, honestly having no answer. It's not that it didn't cross your mind, it's just... well, something always held you back. Every time you tried to pick up the phone, it was like some etherial hand was placed over yours. It just didn't seem like it was your place to bother them.

"Well, I really did miss you. I was shocked when I found out you were going to community college. I always thought you'd make it into a university."

"I didn't apply."

She gives you a confused, almost hurt look.

"Why not?"

Again, you shrug. You had decent grades, sure- but nothing stellar. You figured they wouldn't want you anyway. Why bother putting yourself through all the trouble of applying to a university when you'd just be rejected in the end. Twilight looks at you apprehensively.

"Is... is something wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

She ponders what she's going to say for a while.

"When Dash told me about your situation, I honestly thought she was just fooling around. I expected you to be some big shot. Be in a really good school, have a lot of friends. When she told me you just kind of kept to yourself, it didn't make any sense to me at all."

"Why? I didn't really hang out with anyone in high school."

"I guess that's true. But I don't know. I thought maybe that would change."

"I guess it didn't."

You two stare at each other awkwardly. You realize that Twilight is the first girl to raise any questions about your situation. Maybe the other girls just figured you'd end up the way they did. But maybe they had the same questions as Twilight, and they didn't want to mess up the little bit of time you had together by talking about how your life went down the shitter. Twilight would be the one to talk about this. Out of all the girls, she was not only the most intelligent, but the most inquisitive. She didn't have a lot of social grace, so at times she could be rather blunt. Sometimes it made for interesting conversation. Other times, it ended like this.

"Look, lets not worry about my situation. We only have one day together, and I want us to spend it being happy."

"No."

Again, you're surprised by Twilights ferocious bluntness.

"If your previous behaviors are any indication of your future ones, then it's reasonable to assume we may not see each other again for a long time. It would be remiss of me to let a good person like you go on living your life like this. I am glad I get to spend the day with you, and I am glad I get to see you again. But you've spent a lot of your time helping us. It's only reasonable that we girls step up and help you."

You don't really know how to feel. Honestly, you're feeling both a little irritated and a little grateful. It's a strange combination of senses.

"Well, what do you suggest I do with myself, Ms. Sparkle?"

"I think you should apply to a university. Your grades at community college have been good, right?"

You shrug.

"They've been alright."

"Well, that'll have to be good enough."

She turns around, and begins digging in a book bag that you hadn't noticed before. She pulls out a bundle of brochures and application forms.

"Here's a few colleges I think you'd be interested in. I wish we'd had more time to gather some of your information, but I think we can fill out most of the applications now."

She hands you a pencil.

"Hope you like writing essays!"

The huge smile on her face makes you realize that she isn't kidding. So much for a relaxing day.

You and Dash have been waiting by the flagpole for nearly a half an hour. She taps her foot impatiently, and reflexively checks her wrist for a watch that isn't there.

"How much longer do we have to wait here? I don't think she's coming."

You sigh, and lower your head. As much as you hate to admit it, you realize that Dash is right. She would have been here by now if she was coming.

"I guess we better go. Got anything you want to do, or-"

"Hey, is that her?"

You see the purple haired girl jogging awkwardly towards you. She carries a few books in her hand, and nearly drops them when she stumbles on a rock. She bounds up to you, and stops, panting furiously.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I got held up at the library and-"

She suddenly stops. She looks at Dash, taking her in. They stare at each other for a while, before Twilight extends her hand.

"My name is, uh... Twilight Sparkle."

She blushes at this. Dash chuckles sympathetically, and shakes her hand.

"Don't worry, I hate my name just as much."

The moment of awkwardness seems to have passed, and you three begin moving around the school. Dash and you strike up a spirited conversation about party preparations, while Twilight just seems to hang back. Dash seems to notice this.

"You like parties Twilight?"

Twilight freezes, having that seem deer in headlights look she had when you started talking to her.

"Well, uh, I don't go to parties. I mean, I have gone to parties, but I don't... usually..."

She looks really embarrassed. Dash doesn't seem to notice, and she just continues on.

"Well, I'm throwing a party in a few days. You're welcome to come- I know we just met, but hey, the more the merrier."

Dash beams, but Twilight suddenly looks nauseous. She looks at her watch, nearly dropping her books again as she does so.

"Oh gee, look a the time. Hah, I can't believe I let it get away from me like that. I have to go do... things."

She scurries off. Dash looks hurt.

"Was it something I said?"

You shake your head.

"I don't think so- she's just a little shy. Wait here, I'm going to go get her."

You run off after Twilight. You catch up to her, and put a hand on her shoulder. She jumps.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

She lets out a shaky breath.

"It's alright."

"Do you have a second? I'd like to talk to you."

She looks somewhat uncomfortable, but seems to decide something that makes her stay.

"I have a little time."

"I hope Dash didn't make you upset. She's a little... abrasive, I guess is the right word. But she's just trying to be nice, you know?"

Twilight nods.

"I know, I figured as much. I'm sorry. I'm just a little new at this whole... friends... thing."

"Friends... thing?"

You stop and think about what she means. She quickly fills in the blanks.

"Well, I don't normally hang out with a lot of people. Or any, really."

"I'd think a nice girl like yourself would have a lot of friends."

She blushes a little. It's nice to be the one making somebody blush for a change instead of it being the other way around.

"I don't know, I guess I don't really put myself out there as much as I should. I spend a lot of time in the library, and a lot of time studying. I want to be a good student, you know? I just don't leave myself a lot of time for... socialization."

"But it's important you get out there, and get to know people."

You can't help but feel like an elephant giving advice on how to squeeze through a mouse-hole.

"I guess. Maybe you're right. I should put myself out there more."

She puffs out her chest.

"Tell Dash that I accept her party invitation."

You feel a little weird. Something tells you that maybe a party isn't the kind of social interaction Twilight needs. But she seems pretty psyched about this, and you know it wasn't easy for her to put herself out there. You pull out a piece of paper, and put the address and time of the party on there. You give her the paper.

"Well, I guess I'll see you there."

She nods, and practically skips off. You hope everything goes well... because if it doesn't, things could get really bad. Really, really bad.

It's been almost three hours now. You've filled out so many pieces of paper that your hand starts to cramp when you even think of a pencil.

"Come on Twilight, can we take a break?"

She puffs out her cheeks and gives you a stern look, but reneges.

"All right. We can have a little break, I guess."

You lean back, and flex your hand a few times.

"So how many applications did you bring?"

"Oh, not a whole lot. Maybe something around... twenty."

She practically whispers this.

"Twenty!"

You don't mean to shout, but you can't help but be a little pissed off. You figured you might fill out an application or two, then you'd go off and so something fun. It seems like Twilight is determined to spend today doing nothing but filling out college applications. Twilight looks hurt by your sudden outburst, so you try to calm her down.

"Look, I appreciate what you're doing here. I really do. But I need you to have some faith in me."

You walk over, and sit next to her. You put one hand on your heart, and raise the other one in the air.

"I promise that I will fill out all these applications when I get home."

You give her a smile, but she doesn't smile back. Her face is one of disappointment.

"If you say so."

You're a little surprised by this reaction. You wonder why she's doing this... then everything starts to come together.

"You don't think I will, do you?"

She tentatively shakes her head no.

"Why would you start now?"

For the first time this week, you start to feel a little angry. What gives her the right to question you like this? Who does she think she is? So she spent a little time with you in high school. That means she knows all about you- all about your life? You open your mouth, about to say this, when she suddenly stands up.

"It was wrong of me to do this."

She picks up the various applications, and begins putting them back into her backpack.

"It's your life. You're going to live it the way you want to. I thought I could help, but... but you need to want to help yourself first."

"What do you mean?"

"All this time, you've done nothing but help other people. That's admirable and all, but in the end..."

She struggles with this last part. It seems like she wants to say something, but she can't. It seems to be physically painful. She finally forces it out.

"In then end... IT DOESN"T MEAN ANYTHING!"

She breaths heavily. Tears start to form in her eyes.

"Don't you get it? You keep telling us how to live our lives- how to become better people. But how can we take you seriously? If you wont even take your own advice, how can you expect people to take yours?"

That's it. You've held yourself together, but this is too much.

"What the hell do you know Twilight? I've helped these girls- they've told me as much. Hell, why would they do all this for me if what I said to them didn't mean something!?"

"You may have helped them at the time. But as they get older, and they look back they're going to wonder why they listened to you in the first place. When you came to us, we were all very scared and naïve. You came and gave us hope. Hope that things would get better... that we could change. But how can we change when you- the one who said we could- couldn't change yourself? This whole college thing isn't just me trying to look after you. It's me trying to look after all of the girls. You have to make something of yourself. You have to prove yourself right. Otherwise..."

She trails off. You stare at her, dumbfounded. You don't know what to say. Here it is, laid bare in front of you. All this work you've done... it could all mean nothing. The one thing you were proud of in your life... and it could all be worthless. Twilight throws the rest of the brochures into her backpack, zips it up, and walks away. She doesn't say anything to you. You watch her walk off through the house, refusing to say anything back.

You get to Dash's house super early- it's just in your nature. You ask her if she needs help setting up, but she pushes you down onto a chair.

"No way dude. Today is about you having fun- not about helping me out."

You sit there awkwardly, until she tosses you a bottle of beer. You've never had one of these before. You struggle to open the top. You give Dash a pleading look, and she comes over and pulls the top off with practiced ease. You thank her, and take a sip. It tastes putrid- you don't know why anyone would want to drink this stuff. Still, this is a party, and you figure you might as well loosen up. By the time you manage to get the whole thing down, the other guests start to arrive. They busy themselves doing typical party things- dancing to music, socializing with members of the opposite sex, and playing a game Dash told you was called beer pong. You consider your situation, until Dash grabs you by the collar. She pulls you off of your chair, and onto the dance floor. A new song comes on and she turns around.

"Put your arms around my waist."

You do so, very gently. She smiles, and wiggles her butt up against you. It takes every ounce of control you have not to gasp. She grinds against you to the rhythm of the song, and you sway your body back and forth in time. This is pretty overwhelming- you've never been this close to a girl before, let alone Dash. It gets less awkward as the song continues on. Soon everything fades away except you, the music, and Dash. You can't believe you've never tried this before. She reaches up, and caresses your cheek.

"Wow. You're a really good dancer."

"Thanks."

The song ends, and Dash pulls away from you. You see that she's blushing. You wonder what the heck is up with you making girls blush lately. She rubs her elbow, and looks away.

"Just thought that might get you into the party spirit, you know?"

She seems to notice something.

"Hey, is that Twilight?"

You look over, and sure enough Twilight is practically cowering in the corner of the room. You excuse yourself, and walk over to her. Twilight notices you, and breaths a noticeable sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank goodness. I wasn't sure you were going to be here."

"Really? I said I was."

"I know, it's just... well, never mind. Anyway, I'm here. So let's, uh... do some party stuff."

That sounds really weird coming out of Twilights mouth. Still, you have to give her credit for trying.

"Do you want to dance?"

That same deer in the headlights look.

"No thanks! Dancing is exercise, and I have asthma, and I just really don't think it'd be a good idea to-"

"That's alright. Umm... do you want a drink?"

"Sure, I'm kind of thirsty."

You realize she probably doesn't understand what kind of drink you mean, but you figure it can't hurt. It might help her relax a bit. You go fetch a bottle, and come back. She sees what it is, and her eyes widen.

"If you don't want this, I can put it back."

"No, no it's alright. This is a party after all. And people at parties..."

She gulps.

"... drink."

She takes the bottle from you, and tries to get the top off. You take it back from her, and using Dash's technique, pop the stubborn lid.

"Thanks. Well, bottoms up."

You try to tell her to just take a sip, but before you can she's already taken a big gulp. She looks like she just got hit in the stomach with a truck. A look of nausea appears on her face, and you have a horrible vision of her hurling in front of all these people. It passes, however.

"Oh boy. That's really good. Goes down smooth."

She takes a few more sips, and shivers. You look around, and see Dash beckoning towards you.

"I'm gonna go see what Dash is up too. You gonna be okay by yourself?"

"Me? Oh sure, sure. I'll just sit here and drink my delicious beverage."

She takes another sip, and sticks out her tongue.

"Right... well, see ya."

You walk back over to Dash. She puts an arm around you.

"You ever play beer pong before?"

"Um... no."

She chuckles.

"Wow, that was a stupid question. Of course you haven't."

She quickly explains the rules to you, and leads you over to the pong table. Two burly looking jocks stand at the other end. She grins savagely, and stares them down.

"All right dude. Me and you versus them. We're gonna whup their butts!"

She picks up a pong ball, and tosses it right into one of their cups. They look shocked, and a little worried. The game goes back and forth for a while- Dash is pretty amazing, but your ineptitude holds her back. The two jocks are pretty good, but Dash manages to hit their last cup before they get through yours.

"Victory!"

She gives you a kiss on the cheek, and a smack on the back. The two jocks look mesmerized. Just as your about to ask for a rematch, you hear a crash. You turn around, and see Twilight standing there. She's accidentally knocked over the entire table of beer. What bottles haven't been broken are now incredibly fizzy. The entire party seems to stare at her with murderous intent. She tries to say something, but doesn't seem to be able to. Instead, she just runs off.

"Oh shit. Dash, I got to help her."

"But I was gonna-"

You don't hear the rest of what she was going to say. You go after Twilight, running at full force. She runs outside, and you run after her. Just as she reaches her car, you reach her.

"Twilight, please wait!"

She stops.

"I knew this was a stupid idea. I don't know why I thought I could do this. I'm just a freak."

She opens her car door, but you put a hand on her arm.

"Don't go. It was an accident. People know that."

"Let me go... leave me alone."

But you don't.

Is your life really that bad? You've never really considered it before. You're still pretty young after all. You always figured things would change in the future. That things would get better as you got older... but you are older now. The truth of the matter is, you're an adult. No matter how many times you want to deny it, it's the cold hard truth. You're supposed to have accomplished something by now. And you really haven't. You go to community college, and then go home and play video games. You don't have any friends- except Dash- and you spend more time on the internet then you do outside. You realize, all at once, that Twilight is right. How can anyone take your advice when you're some sort of strange outcast. You decide you have to find her, have to talk to her. Years ago you helped her... maybe it is time you let her help you.

You look through the house, moving from room to room. You call out to Twilight, but she doesn't answer. You walk around outside, thinking that she might have gone for some air, but you don't find her out there either. You go back inside. You sit down, and put your head in your hands. You really screwed up. She was just trying to help you. She reached out to you, and you pushed her away. You look over to where she was sitting, and realize she left her flute. You walk over, and pick it up. You move it around in your hands tentatively. It is such a delicate instrument. You learned to play it a little, but when your father found out he put a stop to that. No son of his was going to play the flute. You blow into the mouthpiece gently. You place your hands where you learned they go so long ago. You begin playing a very simple melody. You're surprised how fast it comes back to you. Your teacher told you that you had a knack, but you didn't really pay any attention. Sitting here now, you can believe it. The melody gets a little more complex, until you start to play the flute in full force. You finish your song, and turn around. Twilight is standing there.

"Glad you enjoyed it."

"I... I didn't know you played."

"It's been a while."

You set the flute down, and walk over to her.

"I'm sorry Twilight. You're right. This whole time, I've focused on other people so much, I've neglected myself. I learned how to make other people feel like they belong... feel like they're worth something. But I have no idea how to make myself feel that way."

"What happened to you? Why are you like this?"

Your mind instantly fills with too many images to make sense. Your father, pulling the belt off the wall. Your mother, telling him to stop. Him repeating over and over how worthless you are. A girl in middle school crumpling up your valentines note. The girls in high school calling you a freak. It all comes together in that moment. You realize how really damaged you are.

"It's... it's been tough."

Twilight takes your hands, and walks you back over to the couch. She pulls you close to her.

"Tell me about it. About everything."

At first, you don't. But then it all comes flooding out. Before long you realize your crying. Soon, you stop speaking entirely. You just lay there and cry, cradled in her arms.

"This is so stupid."

"No, it isn't. You need this. We needed you in high school... and you need us now."

You can't put into words how grateful you are. Not only to her, but to all the other girls as well. All they've done for you- it's made you realize something you forgot a long time ago. You are worth something. You are a good person.

You lead Twilight over to the sidewalk. You sit down with her. She leans on you, trying to keep her composure.

"What... what's wrong with me?"

"Nothing's wrong with you Twilight."

"Then why does everybody hate me? Why do I feel like no one wants to even know me."

"No one hates you- you're a really good person. But you have to put yourself out there first. Most of the time, friends don't come to you. You have to go to them. Popular people are like that because they're charismatic. They're confident in themselves- confident in their personality. People see that confidence, and gravitate towards it."

"But that's not who I am. I'm not confident in my personality. I hate myself. I feel like I'm not pretty enough, not smart enough..."

You pull her away from you and look her square in the eyes.

"It's very easy to hate yourself, Twilight. What takes true bravery is learning to love yourself- to put faith in your capabilities."

"I don't think I can be that brave."

"You can Twilight. I know it."

"But how? You... you've only known me for a few days."

"I've known you for longer than that. I've seen you in the library. I see how you help people- how you guide them to exactly what they need. When it comes to books, you're not shy about helping people at all. You know why?"

She shakes her head.

"Because books are familiar to you. You know books. When you put books in context with people, you feel like you can handle yourself. But when you take away books, and it's just you and them... well, that's out of your comfort zone. And that's what's so difficult. It is strange having to go up to people you don't know. But it's worth it in the end."

She giggles a little.

"Maybe I should meet all my friends in the library."

You smile back.

"I know you can do it Twilight. Everybody is capable of being happy with themselves. It just takes some effort to really put yourself out there."

"Thanks."

She stands up, and dusts herself off.

"I think I'm going to go back inside, and apologize for knocking the beer down."

"I think that might be a good idea."

As you walk back inside, an important question comes to mind.

"Do you have a ride home?"

"I don't have to worry about that... no more beer for me. That stuff tastes disgusting."

"I know, right?"

Dusk fades into another night, and you and Twilight are still sitting together. You feel like an incredible weight has been lifted off of your chest. You've held a lot of that pain inside. Just to talk about it with someone is... amazing.

"I really do promise to fill out those applications Twilight. I'm going to change."

"I know you will. I may have only known you for a little while, but I can tell about these things."

You two give a little chuckle at that.

"You know, a wise man once said to me that true bravery is learning to love yourself."

"You still remember that?"

"Yeah, I do. And I think that wise man could use a little bit of his own advice. You are an amazing person. You're capable of so much. Don't let what's happened to you in the past hold yourself back."

"I won't. Not anymore."

"Good. Because if you do, I'm going to come find you. And I will kick your butt."

You two sit with each other for a little longer, before Twilight stands up.

"I'm going to bed now. Good night."

"Night."

She leans down to give you a kiss on the cheek, but she turns. She kisses you on the lips, gently. She walks away, and leaves you alone. You really think you can change. It will take some effort, but in the end... in the end it will be worth it.

Fluttershy: Day Six

Such a soft, beautiful singing voice. It always starts low- the singer is nervous. You can hear the shakiness in her voice. Her vibrato flutters with her shivering body. Eventually, the song starts to solidify. The nervousness disappears, and is replaced by a stern sense of necessity. The voice grows louder, more confident, until everything is drowned out by it. Your heart pulses, and your eyes water. You gasp for air, almost drowning in the serenity of it. You clench and unclench your fist, your mouth uttering nonexistent words. The voice fills everything- fills your soul- and you wake up. Your nose is filled with the faint scent of perfume, and your eyes see a fading picture of pink and yellow. Another forgotten dream. This one seemed different somehow. It wasn't so much a dream- it was a memory. A memory of one of the best nights of your life. A night you've told no one about- not even Dash. You touch your cheek, and close your eyes. You can still smell that faint scent. Sweat, tears, and that strange, exotic perfume.

You dress, and walk down the stairs, into the living room. You look pensively at the couch, remembering the events of the previous evening. Twilight's advice still resonates with you. You need to change. To take what you want. You take a deep steadying breath. You can hear her soft footsteps. You turn around. She waits for you, nervously shuffling her feet. Her long, pink hair covers her eyes. You walk up to her, brush the hair out of her eyes, and look at her.

"It's been a long time, Fluttershy," you say.

She opens her mouth to say something, but the only thing that comes out is a squeak. You chuckle. She looks at you with panic. You shake your head. "I'm not laughing at you. I was Just thinking how little you've changed."

She continues to shuffle her feet nervously.

"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" she mutters.

"It's neither. It just is," you reply honestly. "So, what are we doing today?"

"Oh, I don't know. Whatever you want to do, I guess." She hiccups, and covers her mouth, blushing.

"Fluttershy, calm down. It's just me. Don't be nervous." You take her hand, and stroke it soothingly. It seems to work- she smiles, and some of the nervous energy around her seems to dissipate. You lead her over to the couch, and sit down with her. "Why don't we just talk for a while? How have things been going?" She turns her face away from you. You sigh. "I thought it might be like that."

"Are you disappointed in me?" she asks, her voice quavering.

"No, not disappointed. I learned something yesterday." She turns to look at you, her eyebrows raised. "I learned that, no matter where you are in life, there is always hope. Always room to change." You stand up. "I know what we're going to do today." Fluttershy cocks her head to the side.

"What?" she whispers.

"We're going to finish what we started all those years ago. Did you bring your guitar?" you ask.

"I... I did. I thought, maybe... maybe I could play a little for you," she admits. "I thought maybe we could, you know... have another night like..." she trails off.

"We have our whole lives ahead of us, Fluttershy. But the time for change is now. I do want you to sing for me- but not just me." Fluttershy gasps, and puts her hands in front of her face.

"Oh, oh no. I couldn't. I won't. I can't."

"You will." You pull her up, and look at her. "Go get your guitar, Fluttershy." She looks at you pleadingly, but you stand resolute. She sighs shakily, and walks out of the room. You feel your lips curling. The time for change is now... and before you help yourself, you're going to help Fluttershy.

"Oh, excuse me- pardon me- oh, I'm sorry!"

You sigh. You thought you were pathetic, but the new girl is absolutely helpless. She's tiny, and seems to go unnoticed by the rest of the people in the hall. She has waist length pink hair, and is dressed in yellow floral dress. She's being bounced between them like a rouge basketball, roughly thrown into lockers. You shrug, and enter white knight mode. You manage to break through the crowd, and reach her.

"Where are you headed to?" you ask.

She looks at you, and her eyes widen. Her face drops, and she mutters something.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. Say that again."

"... room 207," she manages to squeak out.

"Okay, follow me," you say. You grab her hand, and lead her through the crowd. Whenever you brush against somebody, or gently nudge them out of the way, you can hear her apologize for you.

"Oh my, I'm terribly sorry- oh whoops, I didn't mean-" it's a stream of half-finished apologies.

"So what's your name?" you inquire.

"My name is..." her voice sinks down.

"Sorry, can't hear you, speak up."

"My name is Fluttershy," she murmurs.

"Well hello Fluttershy, my name is-" the school bell rings, and drowns your voice out. You finally reach room 207. You let her go. "Well, here we are. Room 207."

"Thanks," she squeals, and then bolts into the room. You chuckle a little. Turns out there is someone a bit more panicky around the opposite sex then you. Just as you get ready to head towards your own class, Pinkie comes bounding down the hallway. She is holding hands with another girl- a punkish looking girl who DJ's for the morning announcements.

"Oooh, who was that little number?" Pinkie asks teasingly.

"Her name is Fluttershy. She's new," you explain.

"Hitting on the new girl? You never change do you," Pinkie chuckles. You raise an eyebrow.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," you say.

"Of course you don't," Pinkie giggles. She nudges you a few times.

"Aren't you going to be late for class?" you ask, pointing up towards the clock.

"Oh shoot! Come on Scratch!" She waves you goodbye as she and her girlfriend run down the hallway. Scratch? What kind of name is Scratch? Well, it takes all kinds.

The rest of the day passes by rather uneventfully. Dash sleeps through class, as usual. Applejack sits in the front, eagerly asking questions. Rarity continually checks herself in the mirror. Nothing out of the ordinary. As the day ends, you and Dash go through the usual routine of wandering through the soccer field. Your talk turns towards sports, and as she drones on about some team you know nothing about, you notice something. It's the new girl. She is standing, all by herself, in the middle of the parking lot. She looks around, clearly confused and upset. You excuse yourself from the conversation, and jog over to her. She notices you, and her head immediately sinks down again. As you approach her, you get a strong urge to lift it up, and make her look you in the eyes.

"Everything alright?" you ask the new girl.

"Well, um... my ride isn't here," she says. She fidgets nervously.

"Oh. Well, I can give you a ride, if you want," you say. You smile kindly at her.

"You don't have to do that. I mean, I'm sure he'll be here... eventually... maybe..." her bottom lip starts to quiver, and you realize she's doing her best to stop herself from crying.

"Really, I don't mind. My car is over there," you say, pointing to your car. She peers at it curiously. You can see the cogs in her head working, turning furiously. As she is about to answer, there is a loud beep. You both turn, and see a bright yellow Mini-Cooper pull up.

"That's him!" She bounces up and down, and you can't help but laugh a little. She quickly sobers up, and goes back to being shy. "Thank you for the offer though... I appreciate it... HERE!" She throws something at you, and bolts as fast as she can to the car. You barely catch the piece of paper. It's her name... and a number. You goggle at it. Maybe she isn't as shy as you thought.

"I won't call them! I won't!" Fluttershy stamps her feet and hugs her chest like a child. Her bottom lip pokes out, and her eyes glare at you with the heat of a thousand suns. Man, this girl can stare... it's like it's piercing your soul... you manage to shake yourself out of it.

"Fine, then I will," you say. You pull out your phone, and start to dial a few numbers. Before you get the whole number in, Fluttershy clutches your hand.

"No, please, I can't do it! I'm sorry, I really am, but I can't!" She tries to pull the phone out of your hands, but you maintain your grasp on it.

"Fluttershy, you are not nearly as weak and helpless as you think you are," you say.

"Oh, but I am weak and helpless," she moans.

"No you aren't. And I'm going to prove it to you. Now, if you'd please-" you pull the phone out of her clutches. You finish putting in the number, and press the enter button.

"NOOOO!!!!!" Fluttershy screams. She launches herself at you, and knocks you over. Your phone goes flying across the room. You are about to yell at her, until you realize how close you two are. She's right over you, her face inches from your face. You can see the sweat on her brow... the water at the edges of her eyes. You can hear her soft breathing, and smell the sweetness of her breath.

"Fluttershy..." you mutter. You try to get up, and shift your hips. Her breath hitches, and she bites her lip. You look down. She is wearing her dress- her favorite yellow one- and it has ridden up a little. You see that the most honest part of her is right up against yours. There are layers of clothes there- your jeans, both of your underpants... but you can still feel her heat.

"Don't move," she sighs. She leans down, and gives you a deep kiss on the lips. You run your hand through her hair. You don't know how to describe the feeling. The kisses get deeper, and she grinds against you. You both give a little gasp of pleasure, and before you can help yourself, you roll her over and pin her against the floor. She gaps a little, and stares up at you. She runs her hands on her cheek, on your chest... "I want to see you," she whispers. You know you're blushing- you always do. You have no idea what to say.

"You first." It is out of your mouth before you can do anything. In some way, you want to stop it, want to take it back. But as she lies there underneath you, another part of you is glad- very glad- that she said it. She gently pushes you off of her. She gets on her knees, and shaky smile crosses her lips. She grabs the bottom of her dress, and pulls it over her head. Her bra and panties are the same color as her hair- pink. Some small voice in the back of your brain notices that her underwear has the same pattern as her dress, but you quickly dismiss that voice. You want your entire brain to be here for this. You want to take in all of her... to never forget this.

"Come here," she says, pulling you to her. She pulls of your shirt. You're a little embarrassed- you don't really take too many trips to the gym- but she doesn't seem to mind. She runs her hand from your shoulder to your chest. "You're very handsome," she says. You try to thank her- to do something- but no retort rises to your lips. The experience is too much for you. Again, the memories of that night surface... you kiss her again, more gently, but she pushes you away.

"What's the matter?" you ask.

"I said I wanted to see you... now come on." She knocks you down. This is just so unlike her. She goes for your belt. She fumbles with it, and you help her. She gets it, and almost greedily pulls it off. She tears down your zipper, and pulls off your khakis. You're mortified when you realize you're wearing your novelty South Park boxers. She giggles however. "I had no idea you were a fan," she says.

"I like the show," you say. You know it sounds lame, but your brain isn't in tip-top shape. As you think of something more clever to say, a pained look crosses Fluttershy's face. You are about to ask her about it, when the look turns into one of resoluteness. She reaches behind her, and fiddles with something. After a second, she lets go, and her bra falls to the floor. Her breasts are perfect- bigger then you would have imagined for such a little girl. She crawls to you, and you start kissing again. She presses herself up against you- hard.

"Let's finish what we started," she says breathlessly. She practically begs. For one wild second you want to agree with her- to just go with it. But you know you can't. And so does she.

"Fluttershy... please..." you back away, and draw your knees up. Her smile turns into a frown. She reaches over, and puts her bra back on. As she reaches for her dress, you begin to clothe yourself as well. After you're both dressed, you look at each other. The silence is not awkward. It is more sad- more ponderous.

"I shouldn't have done that," she says.

"It's okay Fluttershy. I want to, it's just... I made a promise," you say. She walks away, and finds your phone. She walks back over to you, and puts it in your hand.

"You trust me, right?" you ask.

"More than anything," she whispers.

"Then trust me with this." You dial the number. After a few rings, the other line picks up.

The house is small and yellow- a lot like her. She just surprises you more and more every day. The more you hang around her, the more she seems to come out of her shell. She still can't talk to you without looking at the floor, but at least you can have an entire conversation. Still, it seemed much beyond her level to have invited you to her house. You're not complaining- she is a very nice girl- but her nervousness seems to have rubbed off on you. You can feel yourself going up and down on your tiptoes, and have to actively stop yourself. You walk up to the door and knock. You wait for a while- no answer. You knock again, louder this time. Another minute, still no answer. Just as you begin to wonder is she snubbed you, the door opens. You expect a parent of some sort, but it's her. She smiles at you for a second, but her head quickly nods down to the floor.

"Hello," she whispers.

"Hi Fluttershy," you say. You wait for a few awkward moments. "Can I, um... can I come in?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, sorry, of course you can come in," she says. You walk in the house. It seems somehow bigger on the inside. The house is filled with animals of all sorts. Birds chirp happily in birdcages. Cats stretch out in the sun. Dogs bark and paw at each other. There's even a tortoise in the corner.

"Wow. You must like animals, huh?" Her eyes grow wide. For the first time since you've known her, she seems genuinely excited.

"Oh, they're just my favorite thing! I love birds, and dogs, and dragonflies, and whales, and penguins, and-" she catches herself. "Yes, I like animals a lot," she finishes. You look around for her parents, but you don't see any.

"Where's your Mom and Dad?" you ask.

"Oh, I don't know... probably out again..." she tries to say it as nonchalantly as possible, but you can tell there is a tone of hurt in her voice.

"Oh." Another awkward silence crops up. You do your best to dissipate it. "So, umm... what do you want to do?" Fluttershy shrugs. The question seems to have put her in a bit of a mood. "Well, we could play video games," you suggest.

"I don't have any video games," she says.

"Well then maybe we could watch a movie," you say.

"I don't have any movies either," she says. No video games or movies? What the heck does this girl do all day? "Wouldyouliketohearmeplayguitar?" she asks suddenly.

"Woah, slow down there. Saw that again, more slowly this time," you say. You reach your hand out, and put in on her shoulder. At first, she tenses, but after a second she seems to relax. She smiles at you- for what seems like the first time.

"Would you like to hear me play guitar?" she asks gently. You nod, and smile. She runs up the stairs, and you sit down. One of the many dogs comes up to you. It is a small brown one, with big, floppy ears. You scratch it behind the ear, and its back leg begins to bounce up and down. You chuckle a little. "Oh, I see you've found Winnona." Fluttershy's back- and she's brought a well-worn acoustic guitar with her. "That dog is actually a friends- I'm pet sitting for her."

"Well, she seems like a very good girl," you say. Winnona rolls over for you, and you obligingly scratch her belly. Fluttershy takes a seat in a chair across from you. You wait for a while, absentmindedly scratching the dog. She puts her hands to the strings haltingly, seeming to feel for something. You see she's shaking a little.

"I... I've never played for anybody before," she admits.

"I'm sure you're fantastic," you say. She gives a little grin, and takes a deep breath. She starts to play. You're surprised- you had just said she's be good to be supportive. But she is good. Very good. You don't recognize the tune. It's folksy, romantic... and very, very lonely. She continues to play, seeming to lose herself. Then she looks straight at you. Something passes between you two- and she begins to sing. You can't make out the words- you're not even sure they are words, exactly. But you know, for a fact, it is the most wonderful thing you've ever heard in your life. It fills you up entirely. Your every waking thought is focused on her. You don't understand how someone could do this. It's not human- it's angelic. You feel a lump begin to form in your throat. Your eyes begin to water. Just as you think you're about to be pushed over the edge, she stops playing. She looks at you expectantly.

"Was... was I good?" she asks.

"You... you were amazing," you mutter breathlessly. Her head falls to the floor.

"You can be honest with me. I don't mind," she sighs.

"I am being honest with you." You walk over to her, and sit next to her. "That was really amazing- I mean it. I've... I've never heard anything like that. I don't even know how to describe it." She starts to smile- a real, joyful smile. She puts down the guitar, and takes your hand.

"I'm so happy you enjoyed it," she says. You notice how pretty she is. Sure, she's a little unassuming... but her face... those eyes. Those beautiful eyes. She moves closer to you, and puts her head on your chest. "I really like you. You're so nice to me. Almost everyone else just ignores me- but you're different." You should be feeling awesome. A girl likes you- she really likes you. So why do you feel strange? Almost... dirty. Like you're betraying someone. You stand up. Fluttershy stares up at you, alarmed.

"I'm going to get a drink," you say, and you rush towards the kitchen. You walk in, and stand by the sink. You take several steadying breaths. You keep seeing the same image- a bright flash of rainbow-colored hair. A sly grin. A booming, yet somehow still feminine laugh. You can't do this to her- you can't. You splash some water on your face. You need to leave- you need to come up with some sort of excuse. This can't happen, this can't- what is that? Is Fluttershy...? You rush back over to her. She has her head in her hands. "Fluttershy, what's wrong?"

"I knew it. I knew I was no good for you," she chokes out between sobs. You feel a deep pang of guilt.

"Fluttershy, no..." you try to say something, anything. All you can think to do is reach out, and take her hands. She looks at you, tears in her eyes.

"Please... I need somebody." She looks at you imploringly. You realize you can't hold out. She's to beautiful. To... to there. She is attainable. You see another flash of rainbow, but you put it out of your mind. You lean in, and kiss her.

The girls walk into the room- first, Applejack. She looks at you, and tips you a friendly wink. Then Rarity. She gives you a haughty smile, and a little wave. Pinkie Pie comes in next, practically bouncing. Twilight Sparkle follows, looking politely inquisitive. Dash is the last to enter. You expect her to be excited, or curious, but you're surprised to see she looks rather sad. You realize you haven't talked to her since the first day you were up here. You remember the car ride to the cabin... it seems like a lifetime ago. You remember how excited you were to be with her. How long you waited for that opportunity. You wanted so bad to be with her- and since you've been here, you've hardly spoke. You feel a strange chill go through you, but you let it pass. You have something very important to do. The group all take a seat on the large couch in the living room. You're seated on a chair facing them. You stand up, and address them.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why I called you here," you start. "It's because Fluttershy needs our help." A burst of conversation follows this.

"Is she okay?" inquires a worried Pinkie Pie.

"Yeah, what happened?" asks Twilight. You turn to Rainbow Dash, but she still seems to be rather aloof.

"She's fine, she's fine. But she needs something. She needs to realize the truth- that there are people who care about her. That she has friends. That she is not an invisible person. That she is loved by, and cared for, by many people," you say.

"She knows we like her," says Applejack.

"Yes, she must. Why else would we have invited her up here?" asks Rarity.

"I know that you like her- but I don't think she does. She needs proof," you say.

"Proof? Well, what kind of proof can we give her?" asks Pinkie.

"You can be honest with her," you say. "Fluttershy... come on in." She does. She's changed into a different dress. It's white, with purple flowers. Her hair is done up in bun. She walks slowly, clutching her guitar as if it was anchoring her to the mortal world. She looks at the group of girls gathered before her.

"I... I don't think I can do this," she says in a low voice.

"You can Fluttershy. Girls," you say, addressing the crowd, "you all care for Fluttershy, right?" A chorus of, "yes," and, "of course," follows. But you know that will not be good enough. You know that they have to pass a test. You motion to your chair. Fluttershy shuffles over to it, and sits down. "Go ahead," you say gently. It's as if it were high school again. Her fingers play across the strings, as if they are unsure where to go. She does not look at the crowd- she stares at the guitar. She bites her bottom lip, and gathers her resolve. Then, it begins. Slowly at first- but then it picks up. The girls look on in awe. After a few notes, she looks at you. That strange feeling passes between you- and she begins to sing. Such a soft, beautiful singing voice. She starts low- Fluttershy is nervous. You can hear the shakiness in her voice. Her vibrato flutters with her shivering body. Eventually, the song starts to solidify. The nervousness disappears, and is replaced by a stern sense of necessity. The voice grows louder, more confident, until everything is drowned out by it. Your heart pulses, and your eyes water. You gasp for air, almost drowning in the serenity of it. You clench and unclench your fist, your mouth uttering nonexistent words. The voice fills everything- fills your soul- and she stops. You look at the girls. Some of them simply stare, mesmerized. Others dab at their eyes, stemming the flow of tears. Even Dash seems moved. Pinkie Pie is the first one to clap, and the rest of the girls follow. They stand, and clap for what seems like hours. Fluttershy begins to cry tears of joy. She drops her guitar, and runs over to them. They all embrace. You feel something in your heart light up. Fluttershy looks over at you.

"Thank you," she says. You nod, and walk away, content to let them share their moment together. You walk up to your room, and begin to undress. You take off your shirt, and your pants. You put on your pajamas, and lay on the bed. Just as you begin to drift off, there is a knock at the door. It opens, and Fluttershy walks in. "Can... can we talk?"

"Sure," you say, patting the bed. She sits down obligingly. "What's going on?"

"You were right... they really do like me," she says.

"Of course they do Fluttershy. You're a wonderful person," you say.

"And so are you!" she cries. She wraps her arms around you, and hugs you close. You can feel the tears begin to sink into your shirt. "I need you... please..." You try to say something- anything. A flash of rainbow passes through your mind's eye.

The kisses are soft at first- exploring. Neither you or Fluttershy have had very much experience with this. But then the kisses get deeper. You can feel your tongues twist together. She pulls you apart, and just looks at you. She grabs your hand, and leads you to the stairs. You walk up together, in silence. She opens a door, and leads you into her bedroom. It is small, with floral wallpaper. She shuts the door behind her. You turn to her, and the kisses begin again. You feel your hands working by themselves. They start with her hair- her soft, fragrant hair. Then they go to the small of her back. You feel a zipper there- the zipper to her dress. She reaches behind her. You expect her to pull your hands away, but you're surprised when they lead you to the top of the zipper.

"Are you sure?" you ask.

"Yes," she whispers. You pull down the zipper, and she steps out of the dress. She stands there, in her underwear. The kisses continue, and your hands continue to work by themselves. They feel her breasts- bigger then you would have thought. They go down to her stomach, and to the tops of her legs. She begins to unbutton your shirt. You help her, and your shirt collapses to the floor. She unbuttons the top of your jeans, and you practically rip them off. A few more kisses, a few more caresses, and she leads you to the bed. You lie down, and she gets on top of you. She wraps her legs around you, pressing you into her. Your underwear is still there, but you moan from the sensation.

"Do you have a condom?" she asks gently. You shake your head.

"I'm not sure if we should... you know... anyway," you say.

"We don't have to... there are other things..." she reaches down, and grabs you. You gasp in surprise. This triggers something in her- something primal. She reaches into your pants, and begins playing with your erection. It's all you can do to keep yourself sane. At first it's gentle, a simple touch here, or a rub there. But then she grasps it, and begins to rub it faster. You have to grab her hand.

"Hold on, hold on," you manage to say. She giggles at this.

"Guess I'm pretty good, huh?" she says. You just nod. She pulls off your boxers, and stares at you. "This is the first time I've seen one, you know. I mean, I've seen it in books, but..." she trails off.

"Well, I haven't seen a..." you can't say it- for some reason, it makes you uncomfortable. She gives a knowing smile. She reaches behind her, and pulls of her bra. Then she leans back on the bed. She pulls off her panties, and lies there- exposed. Her hair there is the same color as the hair on her head. You move towards it. You touch the folds- she gives a little gasp, and a shiver. It's softer then the rest of her. You gently put a finger inside of her. She groans- with pain or pleasure, you can't tell. The feeling here is indescribable. You probe a little deeper, and she gives a yelp. You quickly pull away. "I'm sorry!" you say.

"It's okay. Just... just do this." She reaches down, and finds a spot. She begins caressing it with two fingers. Her back arcs, and she gives a little hiss of pleasure. You take her lead. You move her hand aside, and begin copying what she did. She gasps with surprise and delight. You go faster, and she squeals, and clutches the side of the bed. Something inside you is incredibly happy you're making her feel like this. You get faster, and faster. Her moans get more frequent, and her breathing gets deep. Finally, her back arches fully, and she practically screams. She collapses, and shakes a little. You just sit there, feeling a strange mix of emotions. You're here with her... doing this with her... but you keep seeing flashes of rainbow. She manages to compose herself, and she sits up.

"Now you," she says. She pushes you back on the bed. You stare up at the ceiling. You brace yourself. You can't really see what's she's doing- you can only feel it. For some reason, you take pleasure in this. You can feel her working you with her hands again. But then the feeling changes completely. You feel her lips press over you. Her tongue wrapping around you. You moan, and clutch the bed, just as she did. She moves faster, and you know you're not going to be able to hold on.

"Fluttershy, I'm gonna-" she pulls herself from you, and you finish. You gasp with the sudden, rushing pleasure of it. You lie there for a second, until you get yourself together. You sit up, and see- with tremendous embarrassment- that her face is covered with your semen. She reaches for a box of tissues, and begins to clean herself up. "Oh shit, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," she says softly. "I'm glad you told me- you could have just, you know, not said anything."

"I wouldn't do that," you say. She smiles up at you. After she finishes cleaning off her face, she puts her underwear back on.

"I'm going to go clean up a little more," she says, and walks out of the room. She leaves you alone there. While you were doing it, it seemed so natural, so right. But now that it's over... the only thing you can see is Rainbow.

"No." She looks up at you with surprise. "I can't do this, Fluttershy. And you know I can't." You get up from the bed, and walk away from her. She stares at you imploringly.

"But why?" she cries. "I know you want to. And I want to as well."

"But why do you want to, Fluttershy?" you ask. She shakes her head.

"What... what do you mean?" she whimpers.

"When we had that night together- which was special, don't get me wrong. But when we had that night together, we barely knew each other. We talked a little, but we didn't really know anything. I didn't know your birthday, your favorite color, hell, I didn't even know your last name. And we still-"

"So what?" says Fluttershy harshly, cutting you off. "Why does that matter?"

"Because I'm not that kind of person. I've had plenty of opportunities Fluttershy- and not just with you. Applejack, Rarity- they both practically threw themselves at me at one point or another. But I turned them down. Because I made a promise," you say.

"That promise..." she trails off. She narrows her eyes at you. "So what, you're just going to be a virgin all your life? Is that it? Because you don't have enough spine to go after what you really want?" Your mouth drops open. You've never seem her like this. Her eyes flare with anger. "You think you're some sort of amazing guy- some sort of... of knight in shining armor. Running around, saving all the girls from their petty insecurities. But the truth is, you're hurting us as much as you're helping us! How many sleepless nights did Rarity and Applejack have, wondering why you never returned their advances? How worried do you think Pinkie Pie and Twilight were, watching you waste your life away at that stupid community college. And Dash... oh, and Dash. I can't even begin to-"

"STOP!" you shout. "I don't want to hear anymore- please!"

"What, can't stand to hear the truth? Well to bad, because here it is- you are exactly what you think you are. The only person you have to blame for being in the situation you're in is yourself! You're smart, but you don't apply yourself. You're talented, but you don't go anywhere because you're to afraid to show anybody your artwork. And you're handsome and kind, but you never get the girl because you're to chickenshit to ask her to be with you! You save everybody else because you know the truth- that as long as you're busy solving everybody else's problems, you don't have to solve your own!"

"You're... you're right," you say. You know this was the truth- have known for so long- but you tried to run away from it. All this time you've been helping other people, you should have been helping yourself. You remember what Twilight Sparkle said- how can anyone take your advice seriously if you end up being nothing. Fluttershy begins to calm down. Her cheeks are flush.

"You asked me why I wanted to be with you. It's because I care about you. And unlike you, I go after what I care for. If you don't care for me, that's fine. I understand." Her voice is much gentler this time. "But I wasn't willing to just give you up." You stare at each other for a long time.

"What... what should I do?" you finally ask.

"You know what you have to do," she says.

"But... but if it doesn't work-"

"Then at least you'll have tried. But until you try, you'll never know. And if you never know... well... we'll never know either," Fluttershy says.

"Then I'll do it," you mutter.

"Good. But remember..." Fluttershy walks over to you, and puts your hands in hers. "If it doesn't work out, it's not the end of the world. You still have your whole life ahead of you. You can get into a good school. You can get your artwork noticed. And, of course..." she gives you a kiss on the cheek. "You'll always have me." She hugs you, and you hug her back. "I'm sorry I yelled like that," she whispers.

"It's okay, I needed it." You break apart. She opens the door, waves goodbye, and walks away. You close the door behind her. You have to try. Again, you remember the car ride up with Dash. All the thoughts in your head- all the hopes, all the dreams. Tomorrow is your day with her. Tomorrow... the last day in the cabin. The day you've been waiting for all your life.

Rainbow Dash: Day Seven

This is no dream. You understand that right away. It is real- you can feel the gentle breeze on your skin. You can smell the pines. Hear the whistle of the whippoorwills. This is real. This is about to happen. The day you've been waiting so long for is about to begin.

Dash asked to meet you out on the patio. It's nice out- cool, but not chilly. You've been out here for about fifteen minutes now. The butterflies in your stomach have been running rampant. This is it- what you came for. All those nights you've lied awake dreaming, praying that Dash would give you a chance. And here it is. You hear the door behind you slide open, and you turn to look.

"Wow." It comes out as a sort of gasp. You don't know what else to say. It's Dash- well, something like her. But you haven't seen her like this since... well, ever, really. Her hair- normally flying willy nilly behind her- is pulled back in a ponytail. She wears a long, flowing blue dress. She walks a little funny, and you realize she's wearing heels. You feel a bout of giggles coming on, but you do your best to suppress them. You finally manage to choke out, "I thought you hated dresses."

"I do," admits Dash, "but this is a special occasion." She gives you a smile, but it... it doesn't seem right. You know what a real Dash smile looks like. Proud, beaming like a lighthouse in the dark. This one seems forced. Not awkward- sort of formal. As if it were out of necessity, rather then pleasure. Maybe you're looking into it too much... you just need to relax.

"So, where do you want to go?" you ask.

"I was thinking we could down to the river," Dash says, pointing into the forest.

"Oh, you mean where I went with Applejack?" you inquire. A strange look passes across her face.

"I... I didn't know that's where you two went." She pauses, fidgeting around. "Well, that doesn't matter. Yeah, where... where you and Applejack went." She walks past you, not looking you in the face. You follow her into the forest. You walk through in silence- carefully sidestepping fallen trees, making sure to avoid muddy patches. When you arrive, you see that a blanket has been placed out. Dash gently sets herself down, and you follow suit. You two face each other. You try to say something- anything- but you realize, with growing horror, that nothing is coming to you.

"So, your week has been good?" Dash finally asks. You release a long held nervous breath.

"Yeah, real good. It's been nice catching up with everybody. I haven't seen most of them since high school," you say.

"Right. Yeah, it must be real nice catching up with all the girls," Dash mutters. You raise an eyebrow.

"Are you okay Dash?" you ask.

"Who me?" Dash points to herself. "Oh yeah, fine. Never better. I mean, this is our day together. The whole reason I invited you up to the cabin... to spend time with me..." Dash trails off.

"So, um, what have you been doing this week?" you ask.

"Not much. We wanted to make sure you and the other girls had some time alone, so we would just do silly little things. We went bowling one day. Went to the movies another. Went shopping a few times- I wasn't super into that, but there isn't much else to do around here," she says with a shrug.

"You know, you didn't have to do that. I wouldn't have minded the rest of the girls sticking around- it wouldn't have been a big deal," you say.

"Well... well, we just didn't want to interrupt," Dash grunts. She crosses her arms in front of her.

"Interrupt what? We weren't doing anything-" you stop, and take a long look at her. "Wait a minute, what do you think happened?" That creeping feeling of horror returns. "You don't think I've been-"

"What you've been doing with the other girls is none of my business," growls Dash. "To be honest, I'd just rather not hear about it."

"But there's nothing to hear about!" you shout. You take a deep breath, and try to think rationally. "Dash, me and the other girls are friends."

"Friends. Right. So friends draw each other naked, do they?" Dash asks. You feel your heart drop into your stomach.

"She... she told you about that?" you murmur.

"She didn't have to. You left the picture out in the open," Dash says. You give yourself a mental slap on the forehead. How could you have been that stupid? Of course she would see it if you just left it lying in the middle of... of...

"Wait, what were you doing in my room?" you ask accusingly. Dash looks like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Nothing! You just, you know, may have left the door open, and I don't know, maybe I looked in," she finishes lamely.

"Well, it was an art thing. There wasn't anything sexual about that- me and Rarity are just friends," you say.

"Right, right, just friends. You know, maybe I'll just start walking around naked from now on. That's not weird- we're friends, right?" Dash says. Now you're starting to get irritated.

"You know, why do you even care?" you ask. "Why is who I fool around with any of your business?"

"Aha!" Dash shouts. "So you have been fooling around with the other girls!"

"Well, I mean... not really..." you say.

"Not really? NOT REALLY? What the hell does that mean!" Dash yells.

"I..." you have to be honest. "I kissed some of them."

"SOME OF THEM!" Dash looks furious. "You mean you've been fooling around with more than one! I mean, I thought that maybe... maybe Rarity, or Applejack, but... how many? How many did you kiss?"

"Oh God," you whisper. Dash's anger begins to melt. Now she just looks crestfallen. "I... I guess all of them. Except Pinkie, because, you know..."

"Really? I'm surprised a stud like you didn't manage to turn her straight," she hisses.

"Come on Dash, it was just kissing! It didn't mean anything! I didn't do anything else-" Fluttershy. Shit.

"No, go on. Might as well finish the lie," she says.

"You never answered my question Dash. Why do you care? We're... we're not going out, or anything," you say.

"Well, that's for damn sure," she says, standing up. "You know, I don't know why I agreed to this. I knew this would happen. Knew you would just go back to your old ways. I thought maybe, just maybe, you only wanted friendship from the other girls. But of course, I was wrong. I should have known I'd be disappointed- again." Dash begins to walk away. You run to her.

"Dash, wait! Please!" you grab her shoulder. She rips your hand off, and slaps you- hard.

"Don't touch me, you pig," she spits. She walks away, leaving you holding your cheek. As her figure fades into the dark, you realize you've never been more alone in your life.

Big. That's the one word that seems to have pervaded your thoughts since you first came here. High school is just so big. Not the school itself- although the endlessly stretching halls do give you a knot of worry in your stomach when you think about getting lost in them. It's the students as well. The older ones- the juniors, and seniors- seem to tower over you, like leering giants. The teachers seem larger then life as well. They're so much different than the ones you had in elementary and middle school. You remember how your other teachers held your hand. How they made sure you did every assignment. How silly little things you did would earn a quick, but soft handed reprimand. How they seemed so open, so caring. But these teachers are aloof, distant. They drone on at their chalkboards, handing out worksheets and doling out homework like automatons. And if you stepped out of line, punishment was quick and harsh. Detention, or suspension. The thought of the worst punishment of all- expulsion- sends chills down your spine. The mental picture of your parents shaking their heads sadly, wondering where they went wrong- but that won't happen. You're a fine, upstanding student. You're not like the other kids. They all seem so carefree. They make snide remarks, pass notes, even cut class. Don't they care at all about their future? You feel like you should hate them, even try to avoid them. But you envy them. You wish, just once, one of them would come and sit with you at the cafeteria. But they never do.

So you sit, alone, chewing your hastily prepared peanut butter and jelly sandwich. You have your notebook set out in front of you. It's only the third week of school, but you seem to have an enormous amount of homework. They seem to expect so much of you...

"Hi," chirrups someone. You continue to count figures in your head. "Umm... hello? Is anyone in there?" Your concentration is broken by a sudden swift tapping on your head. You almost choke on your sandwich. You whirl around. It's... it's a girl. You recognize her from one of your classes. She is tall for a girl of fourteen or fifteen. She wears a long, carefully ironed blue dress. She would be just another normal girl, fading into the scenery if it weren't for one thing- her hair. It's a rainbow of colors. You've never seen anything like it. "Why are you sitting alone?" she asks. You look around, just to make sure she couldn't be talking to anyone else.

"Oh, I don't know... I just, um... well..." you have no real answer. You just eat alone because it's easier that way. No one can punch you or make fun of you if you sit away from them.

"No one should eat alone," the girl says matter-of-factly. She sits down next to you, and pulls a brown paper bag out of her backpack. She pulls out an apple, and a thermos. "My name is Dash, by the way." She sticks out her hand. You take it, and shake it gently. You get the absurd notion that of you grab her too hard, she might break.

"I like your dress," you mutter. She scowls.

"Well I hate it. My mom makes me wear these stupid frilly things," she growls. "I just want to wear what I normally do- a T-shirt and some shorts, or something- but my mom says I have to look presentable to my teachers." You imagine her in shorts and a T-shirt... bare legs, maybe a little bit of exposed midriff. You feel yourself blushing. You hate that about yourself. You try to hide your face, but Dash notices. "Aww, are you blushing? That's so cute," she squeals. She pinches your cheek in a friendly sort of way. You're a little embarrassed, but it's not an entirely bad thing. "Say, what are you doing after school?"

"Well... nothing, I guess," you say.

"My mom can't pick me up for a while- she has to work late a lot- so do you wanna go down to the fields and play some soccer?" Dash suggests.

"Won't that mess up your dress?" you ask.

"Screw the dress!" she shouts. She receives several odd looks, and she giggles. You realize, with a little start, that she blushes just like you.

No. No, this will not happen. You want this too bad. You run after her, as fast as your legs can carry you.

"Dash!" you scream. "Dash, please don't go!" You continue to run through the forest, ignoring the branches and pricker bushes pulling and scratching you.

"Dash- oof!" You trip on something, and go crashing into some underbrush. You land on your arm- hard. You gasp in pain, and clutch at yourself. You flex it a few times- it doesn't feel broken. You let out a sigh, stand up, and dust yourself off. This whole chasing after a girl thing is a lot less glamourous then it looks like in the movies. You follow after her- carefully this time. You finally get out of the forest, run up to the cabin, and burst in.

"Dash! Dash, are you in here!" No answer. You walk over to the couch, and collapse onto it. You hold your head in your hands. You can feel the tears coming on. You're not sure if they're out of sadness or anger. All you know is that you would give anything to have her back.

"Oh, you poor dear." You jump a foot in the air. It's Rarity.

"Rarity? What... what are you doing here?" you ask.

"I was afraid this would happen. Can I sit?" She points next to you. To be honest, you don't really feel like talking to anybody. But you decide to be polite, and you nod yes. Rarity smiles, and plops down next to you. "She was jealous, wasn't she?" You wish she wouldn't talk about Dash like that- in that condescending tone.

"She didn't like that I kissed the other girls, if that's what you mean," you say. She nods sagely.

"I could tell something was bugging her. I told her she should have talked to you about it, but no. She just doesn't have experience in matters of the heart," Rarity says.

"I understand why she's upset though. I was a little callous. I came up here to spend time with her, but I got wrapped up in... in everything," you say.

"Well, we warned Dash that might happen at the beginning of the trip. We told her that we could find another time to see you, but she insisted." Rarity scoffs. "Silly little girl, to put you through a thing like that." You raise an eyebrow.

"Put me through what?" you ask.

"Well, isn't it obvious dear? She must have been testing you." You shake your head. That doesn't sound like Dash.

"No, she wouldn't do that. I... I'm not sure what exactly she thinks. I have an idea, but I'm not sure. And you know what? I need to go talk to her." You stand up. Rarity grabs you by the arm, and pulls you back down to the couch.

"Are... are you sure you want to do that?" she whispers.

"Of course I am!" you say.

"I'm just saying... is she really what you want? I mean, what if you've just... just built her up in your head? Is she really that perfect? I mean, think about it- maybe you two were meant to be just friends." She begins rubbing your arm. "Besides, you have someone perfectly willing right here." She looks into your eyes.

"Rarity... I appreciate it, but..."

"But what?" She pulls you closer to her.

"No." You push her away. She lowers her head, and her breath hitches. "Where's Dash?"

"In her room," Rarity whispers.

"It's not you Rarity. Someday, you're going to make somebody very happy. But Dash is who I want." Rarity gives a wet chuckle.

"I know. But it doesn't mean a girl can't try." She smiles at you as tears roll down her cheeks. "You better get her though. I won't forgive you if you let her slip through your fingers."

"I won't. I promise." You pull Rarity to you, and embrace her briefly. Then you bounce up, and run up the stairs. You're going to get Dash- you know you will.

You've never been to a place like this before. For the first time in your life, you can really see the stars. No smog, no streetlights- just the pure, shining night sky. It's amazing.

"Oh, you're here!" shouts someone from behind you. You whirl around- it's Dash.

"This place is amazing," you say to her.

"I know. I come here all the time." She runs up to you, and grabs your hand. You almost gasp in surprise. "Here, let me show you where I like to go." She leads you up a few rolling hills, and through some grassy fields. Ever since you met Dash a few months ago, it's been like this. You've never had a friend who's as adventurous as she is. Every day is truly something new, something unique. You find yourself thinking about her all the time- and you cherish every moment you spend with her. She leads you up a particularly tall hill. Your legs burn with exertion, but Dash seems to have no trouble at all. When you finally reach the top, she lets go of your hand. She gently lowers herself onto the ground, and stretches back. She puts her hands behind her head, and stares contentedly up at the sky. "Well? Get on down here," she says with a smile. You follow her lead, and stretch out on the hill. When you see the sky from this new view, your jaw drops.

"Wow," you whisper. It's truly unlike anything you've ever seen.

"It's like you can see the whole universe, right?" Dash says. You nod.

"I don't have any place like this out where I live. I live near the city- but here in Ponyville, it's beautiful," you say.

"Yeah, Ponyville is pretty cool. Although it's kind of a weird name for a place- there must have been a lot of horses out here, or something," Dash says. "You know, looking up here makes me wish I could fly. Just jump up, and soar into the night sky."

"Yeah, that would be pretty cool," you agree.

"I mean- well, this is hard to explain. I feel like I almost belong up there, somehow. Like, in another world, I spend all day up there. Just soaring through the clouds- flying through tornadoes, and rainbows. That would be amazing," she whispers.

"I'm sure you'll get up there someday." You roll over, and face her. "Maybe you can be a pilot. Maybe even an astronaut."

"Oh man, I couldn't even imagine the look on my moms face if I told her I wanted to be an astronaut. She wants me to be, like a secretary or something," Dash laughs.

"A secretary? Nah, you're better then that. You can be anything you want to be," you say.

"Heh. Maybe you should be a guidance councilor," Dash says with a grin.

"I think I want to be an artist. I've always liked painting, you know? I feel like it's the only thing I'm good at," you admit.

"You paint?" Dash asks. "I didn't know... you should show me one of your paintings sometime."

"Umm..." you rub your hands together nervously. "I guess I could show you a painting or two later."

"That'd be awesome!" squeals Rainbow Dash. She rolls over, and gives you a hug. The air goes out of you immediately. You've never been hugged by a girl before- well, unless you count family members. But this is the first time you've ever been hugged by a real girl... you give her a brief squeeze back. She rolls back over, and you two stare pensively at the sky. "I will go up there someday. I don't know how, and I don't know when... but someday."

"I know you will Dash," you say with a smile. "I'm glad I met you. I... well, I've never had a friend like you before."

"What can I say? I am pretty awesome." You two share a chuckle.

You run up the stairs, and through the hallways of the cabin. You try to remember if Dash ever showed you her room... you don't think so. You start opening doors at random. God, this place is so big! How many rooms can a stupid cabin have? As you open what seems to be the thousandth door, you see her. She sits on the edge of her bed, tears streaming down her eyes. Her ponytail has been let go, and her hair spills over her shoulders. She looks up as you open the door.

"You e-ever heard of kn-knocking?" she asks, her voice shaking.

"I'm sorry, but I had to talk to you," you say.

"There's nothing to talk about," she says. "I don't want to see you."

"I can't accept that." You walk in, and close the door behind you. "We've been friends for too long. I'm not just going to let all that go over... over a stupid little tiff."

"A stupid little t-tiff? Is that what you c-call this?" Dash sniffs. You look around. Her room is smaller then you would have expected. It is painted light blue. A few posters of sports teams hang on the walls. You notice- with a combined feeling of astonishment and absurd gratitude-that she has framed and hung up several of your paintings. You pull up a chair from a nearby desk, and sit down. "This is a lot more then just a little tiff. I'm really hurt."

"I'm sorry I hurt you. You know I wouldn't ever do anything to make you feel like this on purpose," you say.

"Well that's just great. Thanks, that makes me feel all better. You are the healer of all wounds," she says. You sigh.

"I don't understand. If... if you wanted it to be just the two of us, why did you invite all the other girls up?" you ask.

"That's not what happened," she says.

"Well, how did it go? Help me understand," you say. She wipes some tears from her eyes.

"All right. Well, it all started with Twilight. She always asked me about you, and one day I just said, 'why don't you ever call him and ask?' And then she told me that you never really contacted her after high school. That really shocked the crap out of me, considering how close you guys were. I started talking to some of the other girls, and they told me the same thing- you never tried to find them after high school. So I decided we should get everyone together again. I knew you had some... previous experience with some of the girls. But I didn't think it would get to me. But I was wrong. It has been bothering me," she finishes.

"Alright. Well, just so you know, I didn't have any previous experience with anybody but Fluttershy," you say.

"Come on, don't lie just to make me feel better," Dash says.

"I'm not lying. And even with Fluttershy, it was just a one time thing, and we didn't..." you let her fill in the rest.

"But... but you spent so much time with those other girls. I figured that something had to be going on," Dash says.

"Well, you were wrong. I guess I just have a tendency to hang out with girls more then guys. But it was never more then friendship," you say.

"Huh." Dash's sadness starts to fade. "I should have guessed. You spend so much time with me, and never made a move. I didn't consider that it might have been the same way with the other girls. You're just so charming and all," she says with a chuckle. She gives you a little punch on the arm. "So what's the deal?"

"What... what deal?" you ask.

"Why didn't you ever hit on any of the girls?" She frowns. "Are you gay?"

"No! No, I mean, I'm not. I'm straight. Definitely straight," you say.

"Well then... what's the deal?" You don't know what to say. That you were never confident enough to do so. That you were afraid of rejection. That... that they weren't Dash.

"I don't know, I just didn't," you say with a shrug. Dash shrugs back.

"Okay. Ah, this whole thing was stupid. I'm sorry I got so worked up. It's just... you're my best friend, you know? And I don't want to lose you," she says. Best... friends? Well, what did you expect? That she would confess her undying love to you? Don't be silly. She walks up to you, and gives you a hug. "You want to try this whole thing again? Take two?"

"I'd like that a lot," you say.

It's late at night- real late at night- and you're drunk. Once again, Dash dragged you out to some party with a bunch of people you didn't know. You just stood in the back, drinking beer after beer. You had no idea just how much you had drank until you tried to walk to the bathroom. You were barely able to stumble in there, and you smashed your knees against the toilet seat when you were zipping up. You managed to stumble back into the party, and let Dash know that you were heading out. It was a long walk to get there, and now you have to do it drunk and alone. You're scared, and scuffed up from falling down over and over again. You're not sure how far away your house is, but you pray that it isn't much further. You manage to walk straight for a little while, but a crack in the road sends you tumbling down again. You put your hands in front of your face, but the rest of your body hits the ground hard. You gasp in pain and anger. As you slowly lift yourself back up, a bright light fills your vision. It's headlights- a car is coming towards you. You recognize it almost immediately. It's painted just like her hair- all the colors of the rainbow. She stops next to you, and rolls down the window.

"Need a lift?" Dash asks, with a sly grin.

"Dash? You shouldn't be driving, you're drunk," you say, doing your best not to slur your words.

"Some of us know how to handle our liquor," Dash says with a little sigh. She gets out of the car, and leads you over to the opposite side. She opens the door for you, and you manage to wiggle inside. You try to get the seatbelt, but after the third attempt Dash rolls her eyes and does it for you. You give a sheepish little giggle, and Dash pats your head. "What would you do without me?"

"I think I'd about die, miss Dashie," you say. Dash closes your door, walks over to the other side, and gets in. She starts the car up, and you two go on your way. "I wish you'd stop dragging me out to these silly parties. I don't have any fun," you say.

"That's because you're a stick in the mud," Dash says, shaking her head. "You have to loosen up a little man..." she trails off, and looks at you. "I have an idea." She pulls of the main road, into the parking lot of a local grocery store. She parks in the back, and turns off the car. She gives you a strange look.

"What... what's up?" you ask.

"You ever get high?" she asks. You feel something do backflips in your stomach.

"You mean like... weed?" you whisper.

"No, like paint thinner. Yes, weed," she chuckles.

"No. No, I wouldn't even know how to get it," you say.

"Well, do you wanna?" she asks. Maybe it's because you're drunk, and feeling a little reckless. Maybe it's because you think she's disappointed in you for not having more fun at the party. Or maybe it's the way she's grinning at you. Whatever the reason, you're willing to try it.

"Yeah. Yeah, let's do it," you say quietly.

"That a boy!" she shouts enthusiastically. She opens the glove compartment, and rummages around for a second. She pulls out a bag full of what looks like self-rolled cigarettes. She opens it, and pulls one out. She puts the rest back in the compartment, and pulls a lighter out of her pocket. She leans back in her seat, and lights it. Almost immediately, a strange, earthy smell fills the car. It's a little unpleasant, but not too terrible. "You want to take the first hit?" she asks, her grin getting wider and more mischievous.

"Sure," you manage to choke out.

"Don't slobber all over it," she says, and hands it to you. You place it in your mouth, and tentatively inhale. Your lungs feel like they're on fire. You start coughing, and Dash starts giggling. "Don't worry, everyone does that their first time," she says, taking the joint from you. She relights it, and takes a hit. She doesn't cough at all- you realize she's done this a few times. You pass it back and forth for a while, smoking in silence. At first, you feel nothing. A few minutes pass, and you start to notice a definite change. You don't know how to put it, exactly. You feel... looser. Colors seem brighter. You wave your hand in front of your face. It seems slower then it should be.

"This is fucking crazy," you say. Dash nearly chokes.

"Oh my God man! You just said the F-word! I don't think I've ever heard you say that before," she says.

"Yeah, well... fuck it. Who am I trying to impress," you say with a shrug.

"You are something else," she says. You finish the joint, and sit in the car. You've never felt like this before. The world just seems... right. You look at Dash, and something goes off in your head.

"Get out of the car," you say. Dash gives you a confused look, but you don't bother to explain yourself. You open your door, and manage to roll out. Dash follows suit. You both stumble towards each other. When you find her, you grab her hands. "I want to dance with you," you whisper to her. You put one of your hands on her hips, and another on the small of her back. You lead her into the light of a street lamp, and together, you sway drunkenly to music that is only in your heads.

"I feel like I'm flying," she says.

"So do I," you whisper. You cling to her for dear life, and she doesn't let you fall. You let everything else fade. The only thing left is you and Dash. Together. She pulls away, and grabs your shirt.

"Kiss me," she pleads. You oblige. It is a kiss you will never forget. It is different then all of your other kisses. You take her in completely, feeling the sweetness of her lips. You've wanted this more then anything. But...

"We have to stop," you say. Dash shakes her head.

"What the hell are you talking about?" she asks.

"We... we need to get out heads together. I want this, you know? But... but I want to be in the right place," you say. Dash backs away from you.

"Yeah... yeah, I understand," she says. She takes your hand, and leads you to the car. You drive back home in silence.

"Yeah, I remember that night," Dash says. "God, you were so drunk. It was a lucky break that I caught you. I wasn't going home for a while, but then that Blueblood guy started hitting on me. I swear, I don't know what Rarity ever saw in him." Dash finishes her glass of wine, and makes eye contact with you. "That was a really nice dinner. I didn't know you could cook."

"Neither did I," you admit. On a whim, you decided to whip up something for you and Dash. It wasn't anything complicated- just some pasta and some bread- but it turned out surprisingly good. You finally feel content with Dash. This is the first time since you've get here that you feel completely at peace. No worries, no stress- just you and Dash. "You know, that was the only time I ever got high. It was... an experience."

"Yeah, I don't do it often, but it is nice occasionally," Dash says. "That was a nice night."

"Yeah. Especially the kiss," you muse. You give Dash a look that suggests your joking, and you hope she gets the message.

"You know, I still remember that kiss. For a guy that doesn't do a lot of smooching, you were pretty good," she says with a smirk.

"What can I say? I'm a regular Romeo," you chuckle. Dash smiles back, but again, something doesn't seem right. You sigh, and shake your head. You really have no idea what to do anymore.

"Are you okay?" Dash asks.

"I don't know. Not really," you admit. "I feel like shit. I can't believe I barely even talked to you before today. I should have said something, but the whole situation was so..."

"Weird?" Dash finishes for you.

"Weird," you agree.

"Yeah. Maybe we should have spent a little time together first, then hung out with the girls," Dash says.

"What, you'd really want to spend a whole week with boring old me?" you ask. Dash looks hurt.

"Don't put yourself down like that. You're a really nice guy. I'm glad you're my friend," Dash says.

"Friend... yeah," you mutter. You start to clean up the plates.

"Do... do you ever wish we would have had more nights like that one?" Dash asks hesistantly. You stop what you're doing immediatly.

"Well..." you trail off. Well what? Well, I've actutally wished that almost continuously for the past two years, but I never really said anything. Jokes on me, right? Yeah, that would be smooth. You take a breath, and speak honestly. "Yes, I do. Sometimes I regret not exploring that part of our relationship."

"So... so do I," Dash says slowly. You both stare at each other. You feel it coming to your lips. You want to stop it- every bone in your body is screaming at you not to do it. But you feel it coming to your lips.

"Dash..."

She takes you in. You take her in. Time stops, for one moment.

"I love you."

You said it. You did it. You walk over to Dash, and take her by the hands. You walk her outside the kitchen, out to the patio. The sun is just starting to go down. You look her in the eyes, and she just stares at you in stuneed silence. "Until now, I... I could never put it into words... what I felt for you. Even from the start, I don't think I saw you as just a friend. But I had to push you away, because..." You stop, the words catching in your throat. "Because I never thought I was good enough for you." You feel the tears begin to fall, and you can't stop them. All this time, you've done nothing but help others... put them before you. And this is why. You've never been more afraid in your life. You stand here, exposed, before the one person that you realize you really and truly love. Dash stares at you, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks as well. You steady yourself, and continue. "But now I understand that I am. It took something amazing to make me realize it, but it's true. I love you Dash. And I know I deserve to feel that way now." The moment of truth. The one thing you thought you would never say to her. "Do you... love me?" She looks at you, no expression on her face. You hear your heart beat, and feel every molecule of yourself. You wait for what seems like an eternity. And then... she smiles.

"Of course I do, you big dummy." She draws you close, and you kiss. It's different from the kisses you've shared with the other girls. This one seems somehow desperate- as if it had been waiting forever to come to fruition. You kiss each other for what feels like an eternity. You finally know what it's like. After all these years... all this time... you finally have Dash, completely. "You want to take me upstairs?" she whispers in your ears. You've never wanted anything more.

What is this? The past? The present? Future? Maybe it's all of those things, or none. It doesn't matter. It's just you and Dash, sharing what you've wanted to share for so long. You two enter her room, and she closes the door behind you. It's a little dark- none of the lights in the room are on- but that's okay. She walks up to you, and the kisses begin again. You feel your knees almost buckle. She said you were good at it, but Dash- well, you didn't even know you could do what Dash is doing. You tear apart. She unbuttons your shirt, slowly. You feel a little embarrased, but Dash doesn't seem to care. She takes it off, and feels your chest.

"No six pack," you mutter.

"I love you just the way you are," Dash says. You shudder- it's the first time you've ever heard Dash say she loves you. It makes you feel better then you've ever felt in your entire life. She kisses you again. "Well?" she asks.

"What?" you answer.

"Your turn," Dash giggles. Duh. You let out a little laugh, and give yourself a faux slap on the head.

"How silly of me," you say. You reach behind her, and grab the zipper at the top of her dress. You pull it down, and Dash carefully steps out of it.

"Finally out of that stupid dress," Dash says. You want to answer, but you can't. "See something you like?" Dash asks with a sly smile. She's dressed in black, frilly underwear. It doesn't leave much to the imagination. "I'll take that as a yes," Dash says, pulling you close. You notice that she's wearing some sort of perfume. It reminds you of fields- of staring up at the stars. Of dancing drunkenly in the moonlight. Dash reaches down to your belt, and fumbles with it. "How do you get this thing?" Dash mutters. You help her out, and together you pull your belt off and throw it aside. Dash goes for your zipper, and slowly pulls it down. You feel yourself starting to get hard. This is the first time you and Dash have been this close. You can see the sweat glistening on her skin... you gasp. Dash is caressing you- slowly, carefully.

"Jesus," you mutter. She lets go, and you let your pants fall casually to the ground. Dash gasps, then busts out laughing. "Oh shit, what's the problem?" you sigh.

"Look at your boxers!" Dash gasps. You look down, and groan. It's your novelty Fat Albert boxers.

"I forgot I was wearing these," you say. Dash calms down, and shakes her head.

"Oh man. You are just something else," she giggles. She pulls you close, and you start kissing again. Your hands naturally glide up her back, until you feel the silk of her bra. You find the snaps, and carefully undo them. Her bra falls to the ground, and you look at her. They're perfect- not to big, but not exactly small either. Perfectly perky- wonderful. You grab them, and Dash lets out a little moan. You roll your fingers over her nipples, and her moan intensifies. You give her a sly grin, bend down, and lift her up. She gasps in surprise, but then gives a nod of approval. You walk her over to the bed, and carefully set her down. You kiss the nape of her neck, then slowly work your way down. You kiss her chest, then the top of her breast. You move your mouth down, until it covers her nipple. You lick it slowly, tentatively. Dash gives a little spasm. You move to the other one, and give it the same treatment. "Some kind of Romeo," Dash mutters dreamily. Your kisses go further down... down to her stomach. Down to her hips. She grips the bed, holding on for dear life. You grab the top of her panties, and she lifts her legs. You slide her off, and see her- really see her- for the first time. She is clean shaven, perfect. Her womanhood is different then Fluttershy's- the lips are less prominent. You see she looks a little embarrassed.

"You're beautiful," you say. She gives you a little smile. You keep kissing her, continuing down, until you reach the most honest part of her. You remember what Fluttershy showed you that long time ago. You gently rub her clitoris, and she nearly jumps off the bed. You continue, and her body contorts in pleasure.

"Oh man, oh man," she says over and over again. You keep going, and she moves into your fingers. You feel her start to get wet, and you feel a surge of something primal. You stop rubbing her, and pull yourself on top of her. You kiss her deeply, and you feel her pull your boxers down. You kick them off. You two look into each others eyes.

"Are you ready?" you whisper.

"Yeah. Just... just be gentle," she whispers back.

"As gentle as you want," you say, caressing her gently. You part her legs, and push yourself against her. You both let out groans of anticipation. You enter her- slowly. She gives a hiss of pain and surprise, and you go slower. You finally push yourself in as far as you can go, and for a while you stay like that- both of you enjoying this strange, powerful feeling.

"Start moving now," Dash says. You pull out, and slowly put yourself back in. She follows you, and this time it feels more natural. You keep going, and establish a rhythm. The pain seems to have all but faded from Dash, and a new feeling seems to overtake her. She closes her eyes, and her breath starts hitching. You move faster, and she moves with you. You feel her dig her fingernails into your shoulders, and you cry out with the combination of pain and pleasure.

"Dash, I'm gonna-"

"Just do it," she says, overtaking you. "I'm close, I'll do it with you." You feel yourself building to a climax, and she grips you even tighter. It comes quick, and strong. You both let out moans of pleasure- and then it's over. Just like that. You move yourself out of her, and lie next to her.

"Wow. That was..." you trail off.

"What can I say? I am pretty awesome," Dash says.

You lie there next to each other. For the first time in your life, you feel truly fulfilled. Truly happy. You kept your promise to yourself. Your first time would be with a girl you loved. And the only girl you've ever really loved is Dash.

"Goodnight, Rainbow." She turns to you.

"You know I hate that name," she says with a scowl.

"I don't know... Rainbow Dash. It sounds beautiful to me," you say. She gently strokes your cheek, and smiles.

"Maybe you're right." She snuggles up against you, and the two of you drift off to sleep.

~
Epilogue- One Year Later

"Come on, we're gonna be late!" shouts Dash. You jam the rest of your clothes in the suitcase, and pull it shut. You race down the stairs, and find Dash waiting for you. "Took you long enough," she says.

"I love you to sweetie," you reply, and give her a peck on the cheek. "I can't wait- this trip is going to be awesome."

"I can't believe your professors gave you the week off- they've been working you to the bone," Dash says, rubbing your shoulders.

"I know, I know. You should have seen Mr. Kunz's face- when I told him I had to push the gallery opening back, I thought he was gonna kill me," you say.

"Well, if it goes half as well as your first, you have nothing to worry about," Dash says.

"Well I wouldn't miss this for the world. The cabin means so much," you say.

"Yeah. If we hadn't gone to the cabin... well, things would be a lot different," Dash says.

"A lot worse," you say, and pull her close to you. You kiss her- it still holds the same feeling it did a year ago. You hear a car horn- you grab your suitcase, grab Dash's hand, and race outside. Twilight, Pinkie, and Rarity all wave at you from a shiny, hot pink car.

"That car has to be yours Pinkie," you say, shaking your head.

"Of course it is silly!" she giggles. "Are you guys all packed?"

"Yup!" Dash says, motioning to the suitcases.

"Awesome. Applejack and Fluttershy are going to meet us there. They got a ride with Mac," says Pinkie.

"It took them long enough to get together. Fluttershy and Mac have been making googly eyes at each other for almost a year now," says Rarity.

"Well, you know Fluttershy. She isn't exactly assertive," says Twilight. If only she knew... You and Dash toss your suitcases in the trunk, and squeeze in the car. Pinkie starts it up, and you race off.

"So..." mutters Pinkie.

"So... what?" you ask.

"Oh, don't be like that. You know what," says Twilight.

"No, I don't know what-"

"He got the deal!" Dash shouts, cutting you off. The other girls whoop, and you put your head in your hands.

"It's not even that big of a thing. I'm just doing some art for a magazine," you say.

"But it's a start. With that, and the gallery opening, you're getting your name out there," says Twilight.

"I can't believe I'm friends with a famous artist," says Rarity.

"I'm not famous," you say.

"Yet!" shouts Pinkie.

"And did you hear Dash got her pilots license?" you say.

"Yup, and I only crashed the plane once," Dash says. The rest of the girls laugh, and you give Dash a little nudge. "Man, this is going to be so much fun!" squeals Dash. You reach to your pocket, and feel the velvet case.

"Yeah- this week is going to be great," you say. As the car rides off towards the cabin, you realize you've never been happier.

After The Fact, Act 1: Six Months Later

The rain pounded hard against the windshield. The monotonous drone of the engine, the constant whine of the windshield wipers, and the whistling wind gave Rarity a sleepy feeling. She shook her head. She had to stay awake. Her friend would be here soon. She had waited a long time to see her. Now was not the time to start napping. Still, she couldn't really help herself. White noise always made her drift off. When she had been a little girl, nothing had put her to sleep faster then a drive at night. It was getting dark out now. She closed her eyes, and thought back to when she was small. The world had seemed so much bigger then.

There was a tap against the window. The world snapped back into focus, and Rarity jumped up. She turned to look outside. The figure was obscured in the rain, but even so it was easy to see who it was. The bright yellow dress. The pink hair. Rarity felt a smile form on her face as she unlocked the car door. The door swung open, and the yellow and pink girl stepped inside. She was soaked and shivering. "Oh you poor thing," Rarity said. "You must be freezing."

"I am a little cold," Fluttershy said. Rarity turned on the heater, and Fluttershy sighed in relief. "Thanks," she said gratefully.

"No problem," said Rarity.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long," said Fluttershy. "I hurried as fast as I could."

"Of course you didn't dear," said Rarity. "Besides, I'd have waited forever to see you again." At that, Rarity blushed. She realized before it had even left her mouth how that must have sounded. Fluttershy seemed to have noticed as well. The pink haired girl blushed, and stared down at her lap.

"A little fast, isn't it? We only just met," giggled Fluttershy. Rarity laughed back.

"You know me. I can't help myself," said Rarity. The girls shared another laugh, and settled into the warmth of the puttering car.

"So how are things?" asked Fluttershy.

"To be honest..." Rarity trailed off. She put a finger under her chin, and scrunched up her brow. "A lot different." She leaned back in her seat, and folded her arms across her chest. Fluttershy recognized this gesture. Her friend was deep in thought. "I'm not sure how exactly. But things just seem different. It's subtle, but it's always there."

"Sort of a lonely feeling?" asked Fluttershy. Rarity nodded.

"Exactly. Loneliness, jealousy," said Rarity. "It's not all consuming or anything like that. But when I'm by myself I feel it. When I'm by myself, I turn around and expect to see someone there. When I'm in my bed, I try to snuggle up against something that doesn't exist." Rarity sighed. "It's very strange. I guess I'm just an unusual person."

"If you are, so am I," said Fluttershy. "Because I feel the same thing. I can actually hear him talk sometimes." Fluttershy laughed aloud at this thought, but it was a hollow laugh. She ran her fingers through her pink hair. "And I dream about him. That's the worst. Because I feel like he's actually there. I can hear him talking to me. I can see him. I can..." Fluttershy gulped. "I can feel him touching me. And then I wake up. I realize that it was all a dream. Sometimes I cry." Fluttershy turned to Rarity. "Isn't that silly?"

"Not at all," said Rarity. "I don't dream about him, so I guess I'm lucky in that regard. But I think about him a lot. Sometimes I even get the urge to call him."

"Why don't you?" asked Fluttershy. "I call him all the time."

"Because I'm not as strong as you," said Rarity with a sigh. "Because I know he's happy. And I get horrified when I think of what I might do to him. I run through all the scenarios in my head, and all of them end up in heartbreak for one of us. A few end up in heartbreak for both of us. It's just not a good idea."

"So you're just cutting him and Dash out of your life?" Fluttershy demanded. Rarity stared at Fluttershy. She rarely raised her voice. When she did, it meant business. Fluttershy stared back at Rarity, a grim expression on her face.

"I don't know what other choice I have," said Rarity. "If I was a stronger person, then I could keep them around. But I'm just not."

"You are strong enough Rarity," said Fluttershy. "I know you are. You just..." Fluttershy bit her lip. "Never mind."

"What?" asked Rarity. "If you have something to say, say it!"

"No," said Fluttershy. "It wouldn't do anything but make us both upset." Fluttershy put a hand on Rarity's shoulder. "It is a conversation we should have. But not right now. For now, I just want to enjoy your company." Fluttershy smiled, but Rarity still looked perturbed. The silence grew tense, and Fluttershy's smile began to falter. After a few seconds, Rarity finally hitched a sigh.

"I guess you're right. No sense ruining the nigh before it's even gotten started," Rarity said.

"Right," said Fluttershy.

"All right, let's get out of here," said Rarity. She put the car in gear, and pushed on the accelerator. The car moved slowly forward, tentatively moving into the street. The two friends did not talk. The only noise was the continual swish of the windshield wipers, and the patter of the rain. Rarity did her best not to sigh. She hated this. Ever since the cabin, things had always gone like this. No matter where they started, they always ended up here. They were swallowed up by it. When it had first ended, Rarity thought it would be a blessing. There was a sort of relief at first. The continual tension that had permeated the six girls' friendship had dissipated. Sort of like a backed up pipe getting cleared, and flowing freely. But as the weeks went by it became clear that the tension had not been resolved at all. Questions still hung in the air. The pain had not faded. The injuries had not been tended. Old wounds festered, and new wounds bled freely. The pipe had not been cleared, it had burst. And now things had gone from tense to awkward. As she had said to Fluttershy, she couldn't even talk to Dash (or Rainbow, as she was going by these days.) Applejack was constantly working. Pinkie was always out clubbing. Twilight had thrown herself into research. Rarity knew it was normal for friends to drift, but not like this. The girls always tried to get together, but most of the time they found excuses not to see each other. And when they did get together, it was like this. Sitting in silence. Going to some restaurant to reminisce about high school, or going shopping or something inane like that. It was fun, but it had no real substance. Sometimes the topic of the cabin would be tentatively broached, but it would inevitably dissipate. Once it did, it would not be brought up for the rest of the night. The cabin had been an attempt to repair damaged relationships. It had the opposite effect. It didn't repair anything. It created a new relationship, and damaged the rest. Rarity turned to look at Fluttershy. The pink haired was lost in thought, staring out the window. As she did, she absentmindedly twirled her hair and chewed on her lip. Rarity wondered what she might be thinking about. Likely the same thing she was. The one thing that consumed her. The one thing that kept her awake at night. It was at that moment that something clicked. Something had to be done. Rarity pulled off the main road, onto a smaller side street. Fluttershy awoke from her absentminded wanderings. She looked around, clearly confused.

"Um, Rarity, I think you're going the wrong way," Fluttershy said. Rarity pulled the car over, and put it in park. She turned off the windshield wipers, and turned to face Fluttershy.

"We need to talk about this now," Rarity insisted. "No more fucking around." Fluttershy suppressed a gasp of surprise. She had never heard Rarity curse before. "We need to talk about what happened at the cabin. And not just us two. All of us. Applejack, Pinkie, Twilight. We even need to get Dash in on it."

"What about-"

"No, not him," said Rarity. "He's the cause of all this. If he's there, we'll never fix this."

"Fix what?" Fluttershy asked.

"Us." Rarity reached over Fluttershy's lap, and pulled open the glove compartment. She pulled out a manilla envelope, and reached inside. She pulled out a picture. Her and Fluttershy stared down at it. It was a picture of the six girls. Fluttershy. Rarity. Pinkie Pie. Applejack. Twilight Sparkle. Rainbow Dash. Both girls remembered that day vividly. The six of them had all gone shopping. On a whim, Pinkie had pulled out her camera. She set it to automatically take a picture, and the girls had scrambled into position. The goofy look on the girls faces filled Fluttershy with fondness. She looked at Rarity, and was shocked to see her expression had hardened. "He brought us together. I can't deny that. But he did not keep us together. We still stayed with each other after he left. We stayed because we cared about each other. It started with him, but it shouldn't end with him." Rarity looked up at Fluttershy. "It shouldn't end at all. But look at me. I can't even call Dash. And I see the way you look when you talk about her. You don't notice, but I do."

"I guess... I guess I am a little jealous," Fluttershy admitted.

"I know. What did he see in her that he didn't see in me?" Rarity asked.

"Or me," Fluttershy said.

"I hate him a little, to be honest," Rarity said. Fluttershy looked affronted. "Don't give me that look. Don't you wish sometimes that you had never met him? That you could just live your life?" Fluttershy's expression softened, and Rarity knew she understood. "I've gotten over every other man I've felt something for. Every other man that I've... I've been with. But I can't get over him. And I wasn't even with him."

"He was something special," said Fluttershy. "I guess..." she gulped. "I guess I hate him a little as well," she finally whispered.

"We shouldn't though. We shouldn't hate him. And we shouldn't resent Dash," said Rarity.

"But we can't help how we feel," said Fluttershy.

"Maybe not. But I think we can change how we feel." Rarity put the picture back in the envelope, tossed it in the glove compartment, and shut it. "There's no denying something happened up at that cabin. Something powerful. That sort of thing happens when friends get together, I think. Sometimes it's good, but sometimes it's not. No one ever says that though. Everyone wants to pretend every story has a happy ending. That every time friends get together, it's fun and wonderful. But sometimes the demons come out. And that's what happened to us. The demons came out. And now we can all hardly stand each other."

"I don't think it's that bad," said Fluttershy.

"Isn't it? How many times did we put this off?" asked Rarity. Fluttershy scratched the back of her head. "Six. Six times. We haven't seen each other in two months. We used to see each other every day Fluttershy. And now..." The two were again bathed in silence. The rain continued to fall, and the wipers continued to whine.

"So what's the next step?" asked Fluttershy.

"We get back together. This time, without him," answered Rarity.

"And then what?" asked Fluttershy.

"Wing it, I guess," said Rarity. "That's what we did at the cabin. We just kind of went up there, and let what happened happen. That's what we'll do this time."

"Do you think it'll work? That things will get better?" asked Fluttershy.

"I don't know," admitted Rarity. "Maybe. Maybe not. But are you happy living like this? Happy not having friends? Happy having a damn hole in your heart?" Fluttershy shook her head. "Then we have to change things. And we have to do it fast."

"Why? What's the rush?" asked Fluttershy.

"Because friendships fade. If we don't do it now, we'll wake up in ten years and it'll all just be a memory. A sad memory. And I don't want that," said Rarity.

"Neither do I," said Fluttershy.

And so it began again.

"Will someone get the phone!" shouted Applejack.

"Hold your horses girl!" yelled Applebloom. The little redhead sprinted over to the phone, and picked up the receiver. "Apple residence, Applebloom speaking." Applejack pounded at a pie crust, smacking it with a rolling pin. She didn't know where Mac got this stuff, but it was hard as a rock. She made a mental note to kick his butt for it later. "It's for you Jack," said Applebloom. Applejack gave the crust a final smack, and set down the pin. She brushed her hands off on her apron, and walked over to her sister.

"Thanks," she said, taking the receiver from her sister. "Applejack here."

"Applejack? It's Rarity." Applejack nearly dropped the phone.

"Rarity! Why, we haven't talked since..." Applejack was shocked. She honestly couldn't remember the last time they had talked.

"It's been a while," said Rarity.

"Yeah, It sure has," said Applejack. "What's up?"

"We're getting the girls back together," said Rarity. Applejack felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Oh, we are, are we? Pulling another cabin?" asked Applejack.

"No. The cabin was about him. This is about the girls," said Rarity.

"Well, I don't know. I'm pretty busy these days-"

"Applejack, please!" Rarity pleaded. The tone in her voice was one of desperation. "We need this. All of us do. We can't just drift apart." Applejack groaned, and rubbed at her temple.

"When is it?" Applejack asked.

"Next weekend, at my parents old place," said Rarity. "Please tell me you'll be there." Applejack looked around at her house. It was getting a little dilapidated. She could spend next weekend fixing it up.

"I'll be there," said Applejack. She did a mental double take. It had been like another person was talking through her.

"Great! I'll e-mail you the address. Don't be late!" said Rarity. Before Applejack could retort, the line clicked off. The dial tone rung in Applejack's ear. She put the phone back in the cradle, and massaged her forehead.

"What was that all about?" asked Applebloom.

"Mind your damn business girl," Applejack muttered. She walked over to the dough, and resumed smacking it.

"A little testy, are we?" asked Applebloom. Her sister didn't answer. The younger Apple rolled her eyes, and plucked her coat off of a nearby rack. "I'll be with Scootaloo if you need me," she said. She sauntered out the door. When Applejack heard the latch click, she stopped pounding at the crust.

"This ain't gonna be fun," Applejack said.

"Oh man." Pinkie was in near ecstasy. The girl under the bed sheets writhed, and Pinkie gasped with pleasure. "I'm getting close! Oh God, just a little more..." the phone rung. Pinkie huffed angrily, and ignored it. She reached down, and ground her partners head deeper into her nethers. "Come on, just a little more... yeah, right there..." the phone rung again. Pinkie was starting to lose it. Her partner was doing all the right things, touching all the right places, but that damn phone... "Shit! Stop!" said Pinkie. A brown haired head popped up from underneath the covers.

"Wassmatter?" the girl asked.

"It's the damn phone," said Pinkie. "I can't focus."

"Well hurry and answer it," the girl said. "I want to get back to..." she touched Pinkie, and sent a shiver down the pink haired girls spine. Pinkie plucker her cell phone off the end table, and pressed the missed calls button. Without looking at the name she pressed send, and waited.

"Pinkie?" Pinkie recognized the voice, but couldn't put a face to it. "It's Rarity."

"Rarity!" gasped Pinkie. Her lovers brow wrinkled at the mention of another girls name. Pinkie shrugged apologetically. "How have you been?"

"Fine, I suppose. Yourself?" asked Rarity.

"Pretty good," said Pinkie. Her partner was starting to grow frustrated. "Sorry to be rude, but I'm in a little but of a rush here. What's up?"

"We're getting the girls back together. My parents old place, next Saturday. We'll meet up at noon," said Rarity. "Will you be there?" Pinkie thought about it. It had been a while since she had seen the other girls. She wanted to see them, in theory. But she couldn't help feeling a little hesitant. Ever since that week in the cabin, the dynamic between them had changed. Still, she wasn't doing anything that weekend. And she couldn't imagine what the other girls would think of her if she didn't show. Besides, it might be fun. Maybe.

"Sure, I'll be there," said Pinkie.

"Wonderful. See you then," said Rarity. The line went dead, and Pinkie closed her phone. She turned to her partner.

"So, where were we?" Her partner looked at her sourly.

"Who's Rarity?" the girl asked.

"Just a friend," said Pinkie.

"Seems like you have a lot of friends," said the girl.

"I am pretty popular," said Pinkie. The girl frowned, and got up from the bed. She began pulling her clothes up off the floor.

"I think I'm gonna go," the girl said, shimmying her panties over her butt.

"No, wait! That's not what I meant! I mean, I am popular, but-"

"Goodbye Pinkie," said the girl. She stormed out of the room, and slammed the door behind her. Pinkie let out an exasperated groan, and collapsed onto the bed.

"Guess I'll go take a shower," Pinkie said.

Twilight had her face buried in a long, monotonous text. Most people would be asleep after three hundred pages on organic chemistry, but Twilight was alert. Her highlighter whooshed over the text at the speed of sound. She read page after page, her hands and eyes moving as fast as they could. She was truly in the zone. At this rate she might kill this book by the end of the night. Then some sleep, and onto some super string theory. Yes, this was going to be a productive few days. The phone rang. Twilight nearly knocked the book she was reading off the table as she jumped in the air. Her highlighter flew out of her hand and fell into a nearby potted plant. Twilight rubbed her eyes, and looked at the clock. Almost one in the morning. Who the heck could be calling? She flipped open her cell phone, and put it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Twilight? It's Rarity."

"Rarity?" Twilight asked. She tilted her head quizzically. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything is fine," said Rarity.

"Oh, okay," said Twilight. "Because it's a little late."

"Yes, sorry about that," said Rarity. "I tried calling you earlier, but you had your phone off." No surprise there. Twilight had an eight o' clock class that usually went over three hours. She had just gotten home a little while ago.

"It's okay, I was up researching anyway," said Twilight. "What's going on?"

"Well, I was hoping all us girls could meet up," said Rarity. Twilight tapped her chin. A meet up between the girls, huh? It had been a while. School had been consuming Twilight lately. She had just been given the okay to pursue her doctorate, and that was an excruciating experience. It didn't help that Spike kept getting into trouble. Twilight had hoped he'd have straightened himself out by now, but he still kept her on her toes. It might be nice to unwind, and see all her friends again. But did she want that? Whenever she thought about her friends, a strange aura pervaded her feelings. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she had been seeing them less and less. When was the last time her and Rarity had talked? It felt like months.

"Twilight? Are you there?" asked Rarity.

"Hmm? Oh sorry, I spaced," said Twilight. "Rarity, is there any particular reason you're getting the girls together?" There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.

"You always were the smartest Twilight," said Rarity. "Yes. Me and Fluttershy were talking, and we both came to the same conclusion. The cabin did something to us. Sort of messed up our friendship somehow."

"I concur," said Twilight. "In fact, I should have predicted it. I'm a little ashamed that I didn't."

"Predicted it? What do you mean?" asked Rarity.

"Maybe I better explain it at the meet up," said Twilight.

"So you'll go?" asked Rarity.

"When and where?" asked Twilight.

"Saturday, my parents old place. I'll text you the address in case you don't remember. We'll all meet up around noon, and spend the weekend together," said Rarity.

"Sounds like a plan," said Twilight. "I'll see you and the girls there."

"Okay! Bye now Twilight," said Rarity.

"Bye," said Twilight. She hung up the phone, and leaned back in her chair. Twilight felt like kicking herself. She should have seen this coming. She could have stopped it maybe, or at least headed it off. But now it had been six months. Six months since the cabin. She closed her eyes, and remembered the day they had all first met up.

"Oh, this is so exciting!" shouted Pinkie Pie. She was bouncing up and down in her chair. The other patrons of the ice cream shop were giving her funny looks. The rest of the girls shied away from the bubbly girl, who beamed so voraciously it was a wonder her jaw didn't break. "I haven't seen him in such a long time!"

"None of us have," Twilight admitted. "I feel a little bad about it."

"So do I," moaned Rarity, putting her hand to her head. "I feel just dreadful. How could we have gone so long without even calling him? The poor thing probably thinks we all hate him."

"Yes, I feel terrible as well," said Fluttershy.

"Well, let's all stop feeling sorry for ourselves. We made a mistake, so now we're gonna fix it," said Applejack.

"Exactly. That's why I got all you girls together," said Dash. "We're gonna give him the best week of his life! We're going to show him what he really means to us."

"Plus, we'll all get to spend some quality time together," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Yeah, it'll be nice to have some girl time," said Rarity.

"Look, we'll have girl time. But remember, this week is about him," said Dash.

"You know, I was thinking about that," said Pinkie Pie. "I was wondering how we could all get some time in with him. After all, we all want to see him, right?" The other girls nodded. "Well, I was thinking that maybe we could each have a day with him. Instead of all of us crowding him, we each get assigned a day. All the other girls go hang out on that day, and the girl who's turn it is gets him to herself. How's that sound?"

"Sounds fine to me," said Applejack.

"Yeah, that might work," said Twilight.

"I don't know," said Dash. "Isn't that a little, you know, intimate?"

"Well, is anyone planning on sleeping with him?" asked Rarity. The rest of the girls laughed aloud at that. All of them except Dash, who pulled at her collar. "I certainly don't think so. He's just a good friend, nothing more."

"Right," said Fluttershy. The other girls noticed her blush a little. They attributed it to the heat in the room. Dash fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Well, if that's what you all want..." Dash trailed off.

"Yeah, that's what we'll do," confirmed Pinkie. The rest of the girls giggled and talked, but Dashed merely toyed with her ice cream. At the time, Twilight didn't notice. But in retrospect, Dash had seemed different. All of them had. At that moment, something had changed.

"I'm an idiot," Twilight said to herself. The pieces were starting to come together. All of it. Why Dash invited them up to the cabin in the first place. Why she became so resentful. Why the girls fell apart after it was all over. It all seemed so simple to her now. She smiled, filled with the same feeling she got when she proved a difficult mathematic proof. But the smile quickly faded when she thought ahead to the weekend. A ball of fear curled up in her belly. She realized that the weekend had only two endings. One: the girls realized what had happened, worked it out, and rekindled their friendships. Two: the girls realized what happened, became more resentful and angry, and they tore each other apart. She felt even worse when she realized there might be collateral damage. She thought of him, of the boy they had invited up to the cabin that fateful week. He had no idea what was going on. Yet his relationship that he had so desperately wished for might hang in the balance. Twilight closed her eyes, and put her head on the table. Thinking of this any more was just going to get her upset. For now, she just decided to sleep. Sleep, and face these problems with a clearer head in the morning.

"It looks great honey," Rainbow says to you. You smile.

"Are you sure?" you ask. "I think the coloring could be a little better."

"No, it's great! Really! Professor Kunz is going to love it," Rainbow says. You take another good look at your picture.

"If you say so," you say, shrugging.

"I promise that it is fantastic. Would I lie to you?" asks Rainbow.

"If you did, I might have to punish you," you growl playfully.

"Oh no, whatever am I going to do?" asks Rainbow, putting a hand on her head. She swoons, and then she runs. You jump up and run after her. She ducks behind the couch, and you try to jump over it. But the wayward piece of furniture gets tangled up underneath your feet, and you catapult over the edge. You land on your back. Rainbow looks at you with concern. You feign injury. When she approaches you, you pounce. You pin her to the ground. She stares up at you with a ferocious gaze. But after a few seconds, it melts. You lean down and kiss her. You notice for the millionth time that no matter how many times you kiss her, it still feels wonderful. It still somehow feels new. Everybody always warned you about a relationship getting stale, but you have yet to feel that with her. You let your arms out from underneath you, and you lay on top of her. You keep kissing her, exploring each other as if you were new lovers. You reach down, and undo the first button of her blouse. You feel her getting hot under you. Then, the phone rings. Rainbow looks curiously upward.

"Just let the machine get it," you urge. Rainbow obliges, and you continue to undo her blouse. You expose her chest, and her lacy blue bra. You reach a hand in. The message machine beeps.

"Hello, Dash? Are you there? It's Rarity." Rainbow jumps up fast, and you spin off of her.

"Sorry!" she shouts, sprinting to the phone. She picks up the receiver as you rub a bump on your head. "Rarity? Yes, it's Dash. Oh, I'm doing fine. He's doing great. His professor has showed a real interest in him. Says he has some talent. Uh huh. Yeah, sure! When? Okay, let me just write the address down... okay, what time? Ha, should he wear anything nice?" Rainbow turns to look at you, a strange look on her face. "Just the girls huh? Well, I'm sure he'll understand. Yeah, yeah I'm still in. Okay. I'll see you then. Bye Rarity." Rainbow hangs up the phone. You get up, and walk over to her.

"What did Rarity want?" you ask.

"She invited me out this weekend," Rainbow says.

"Oh, that's cool," you say. "I think I heard that it was a girls only type of deal?"

"Yeah, it was," Rainbow says. "Maybe you could come along though. You're an honorary girl."

"Gee, thanks," you mutter.

"I'm just kidding butt head," Rainbow teases. "But I am a little surprised. It's been a while since you've seen the girls."

"Yes it has," you agree. "And I haven't seem them all together since the cabin."

"Well, while I'm there I'll try to set something up," assures Rainbow.

"That'd be nice. I'd love for all of us to get together again," you say. You notice a shadow fall over Rainbow's face. You're taken aback. She almost never gets like that. You're about to ask her what is wrong, but in an instant she's back to normal.

"Yeah it would," says Rainbow. "Now... where were we?" She begins to kiss you. You return gratefully. But still, something doesn't seem right. You can't put your finger on it, but something about Rainbow... and your thoughts are obliterated when you feel her hand find its way into your pants. Your knees weaken, and Dash laughs. "Men. So easy to please," she says.

Rarity lays in her bed, looking up at the ceiling. Everything has been set. In a few days, all the girls will meet. And whatever plays out will play out. She tries to tell herself that it's just a meeting between friends. But in her heart, she knows it's more then that. Something is going to happen here. Something that could change the dynamic of the girls lives. She remembers what she said to Fluttershy. That one day she'll wake up, and be old. That she might look back at the memories of young adulthood and feel not fondness, but sadness and regret. She shivers. That is her greatest fear. Although in some ways she is glad not to see them, in her soul she misses her friends. The idea that they might never see each other again fills her with primordial dread. But, one way or another, this will get resolved. She pulls the blankets over her, and closes her eyes. Her last thought before she fades is that she might hold onto her friendships for a little longer.

Prologue: Day One

As the bell rings, you sigh and stretch your legs. It's been a long day. Every muscle in your body aches, and your mind barely clings to consciousness. School always seems to meander on days like these. Days where the sun shines bright, without a single dark cloud in the sky. You could be outside, living life to its fullest. But instead you languish at your dreary community college. You shoulder your backpack and walk out of the room, careful to avoid the gaze of your teacher and your fellow classmates. You've had trouble connecting with people lately. It's not that you don't want to. In fact, you really wish you could hang out with people and have friends again. But things have been changing. It seems like every time you put yourself out there, you either get rejected or made fun of. You try not to admit it to yourself, but you've pretty much given up on having a normal relationship with anyone anymore.

You walk slowly through the school hallway, brushing your fingers up against the lockers. You slip through a door, and find yourself outside. You feel the sun shine on you, and a smile spreads across your lips. Days like these always seem to perk you up a bit. You sit down on a nearby bench and relax. Might as well catch come rays before your bus comes. As you begin to unwind you hear a noise that catches your attention. You recognize it at once. It's a voice. Girly, but strong and confident. The face forms in your mind immediately. Her thin pink lips. Her beautiful blue eyes. And of course the rainbow hair. You've always wondered how someone could have hair like that. Hair that radiantly beautiful.

She rounds the corner. She's surrounded, as usual, by a bunch of jocks. She seems to hold her own with them, rather then cling to them like arm candy. She could probably take any of them on in a fight. She is lithe and muscular. And she's fast. Faster then anyone you've ever seen. You wonder what the hell she's doing here in this shitty community college with legs like that. Legs that could take her anywhere in the world. You turn your head away, hoping she doesn't notice you. You don't want to interrupt her good time. She's all smiles right now, in her element. The group passes by, and you breath a sigh of relief. Let her live her life. You don't know why she ever noticed you in the first place, and you don't want her to have to notice you anymore.

Your world goes dark. You feel something tickle your ear as a soft voice trickles from graceful, feminine lips.

"Guess who?" the voice asks.

"Dash?" you ask.

"Who else dummy!" Dash giggles. She lets go of your eyes, and you see her smiling face. She leaps over the bench with no effort, and lands in front of you. She puts her hands on her hips, and tips you a mischievous grin. "Were you trying to hide from me?" Dash asks. You let out a nervous chuckle.

"Of course not Dash. Why would I want to do that?" you ask.

"Well, I am pretty terrible company," she says.

"What? No you're not, don't say that!" you say.

"Chill dude, I was just kidding," Dash says. "You take things way too seriously man." She sits down, and puts an arm around you. You feel your heart beat in your chest. It's pumping so hard you can hear it. You pray she doesn't notice.

"So what have you been up to Dash?" you ask.

"Oh you know. Running circles around everybody. Kicking ass, taking names. How about yourself?" she asks.

"Well, um, I finally beat Battle Toads for the NES," you say. Well, that was a little lame.

"Oh. Awesome, I guess," Dash says. She tried to show enthusiasm for something she clearly knows nothing about.

"Sorry, guess you're not much of a nerd," you say.

"Not really. But I think nerds are pretty cute," Dash says. She ruffles your hair, and you blush. "So what are you doing next week?" Did you hear her right?

"I'm sorry, did you ask me what I was doing next week?" you ask.

"Uh, yeah! You got wax in your ears or something?" Dash retorts.

"No. I mean, I don't think so," you say. She looks at you expectantly. "I guess I'm not doing anything next week. It's the first week of break. I guess you already knew that," you say.

"Awesome!" Dash squeals. "You're going up to my vacation house with me!"

'What?"

"Yeah, my parents have this cabin up in the woods they never use. I asked them if I could use it for a week, maybe bring a friend, and they said I could!" Dash says. She's bouncing up and down with excitement. Your heart is pounding. You feel lightheaded, like you might faint. "Hey, you okay?" Dash asks. "You look a little pale."

"Huh?" You blank for a second, before you realize she's still talking to you. "I'm fine," you finally say. "I'd love to come up to your cabin Dash. It sounds like it would be a great time. It'll be-"

"Just like high school? I was thinking the same thing," says Dash. "We're gonna have a blast!" She wraps her arms around you. You wish she'd never let go.

High school was only a few years back, but it seems like a lifetime ago. In the beginning, it was tough. You weren't popular, and you didn't have a lot going for you. You weren't particularly athletic. You could play some tennis, but most of of the jocks didn't even consider tennis a sport. You weren't particularly smart either. You got decent grades, but you weren't a genius or anything. And you weren't particularly attractive. Your family tells you that you are, but you know that's an obligation. You just weren't much of a catch. But despite all this, Dash hung out with you. You always enjoyed her company. It made the normally dark, dreary days of high school a little brighter. With her help, you became a little bit more confident. A little more willing to take risks. And things began to change. You met some people. They liked you, and you liked them back. You had a lot of good memories with that group. They all ended up becoming friends, and you felt happy knowing you brought them all together. But in the end they left you, just like everyone else. You look back on those few bright moments with fondness, but they were just memories now. Happy little memories that keep you going on some of your darker days. It seemed like there was a lot of those lately. A lot of darker days. But those memories, and the occasional conversation with Dash keep you going. But now, you might have a chance to change things. A full week with Dash. Maybe things will turn around after all.

Your heart races as the car approaches seventy miles an hour. The speed limit is forty, but Dash always has to push it. She doesn't really know the meaning of safe. Sometimes it drives you crazy. Sometimes you love her for it.

"Do we have to drive this fast?" you shout over the roar of the engine.

"Are you kidding me dude? You're lucky I'm not driving any faster!" she shouts back.

"But some of these turns seem a little sharp," you say.

"I know, that's what makes it even more awesome!" She guns the engine, and you see the speedometer crank up even more. The rational part of your brain begs for you to tell Dash to stop the car. It dangles your future before your eyes, imploring you to see the events ahead instead of the immediate present. But the irrational, adrenaline fueled part wants you to tell Dash to speed it up. To crank the car as far as it will go, ride it till the wheels fall off. Normally you might ponder your situation, and try to figure out which part of your brain should take over. But right now, the only thing on your mind is the incredible rainbow haired beauty behind the wheel. When she first asked you to accompany her on a trip to her cabin, you thought it was a prank. When you realized it was true, your heart fell into your stomach. Imagine it. Spending a whole week alone with Dash. You knew she liked you, but you had no idea she liked you this much. But maybe you're just fooling yourself. Maybe this is nothing but a stupid camping trip. You'll laugh, have a good time. But you wont accomplish what you desperately wish for in your heart and soul. You've been bracing yourself for disappointment. But somewhere deep down, you hold a glimmer of hope. You've gone through a lot of shit in your life. Maybe this time, this one time, the universe will cut you a break. "So are you excited or what?" Dash asks.

"Oh, um, of course I am Dash! I mean, I've never spent a whole week up at a cabin before, I'm sure it'll be-"

"Awesome? Radical? Super awesomely radicalocious?" Dash says, cutting you off.

"Sure, we'll go with thaOH MY GOD Dash LOOK OUT!" you shout. Dash jerks the wheel to the right, and you can hear the wheels screech and spin out. You close your eyes, preparing to meet your untimely end. But nothing happens. You slowly open your eyes. You're back on the road, cruising along. Dash smiles at you, looking as if nothing had happened.

"Jeez, you're such a scaredy cat," she says, sticking her tongue out at you.

"Ha ha, yeah. Sorry about that," you say. You almost pissed your pants.

"No problem bud," says Dash. She gives you a soft punch on your shoulder, and you give her an appreciative smile.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, why did you invite me up anyway? Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate that you did. But it just kind of came out of nowhere," you ask.

"Why wouldn't I invite you up? You're one of my best friends dude. What, you think I hang out with you because I have nothing better to do?" Dash asks back. You shuffle around uncomfortably. Although you would never admit it to her, that's almost exactly what you thought. "Plus, I have a big surprise for you." Then she does it. She gives you a look. The raised eyebrow, the softly curved lips. It's unmistakable. You feel your mouth drop open. Is this really happening? Are you interpreting that look right?

"What's the surprise!" you blurt out, unable to control yourself.

"Duh! If I tell you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" Dash asks.

"Right, how silly of me," you say. Your mind fills with images. Dash, dressed in nothing but a soft pink robe. Her hair falls silkily around her waist. She wags her finger, drawing you closer. She puts her hands on your chest, letting her robe fall as she does so. You lean in for a kiss, feeling her warm body pressed up against you...

"Hey! Anybody in there?" Dash. Your fantasy bursts like an overripe bubble. Dash looks at you quizzically.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something," you say.

"You were really into it man. You like, left Earth's orbit. Anyway, I'll give you a little clue about your surprise," Dash says. Your heart pumps ferociously. Your hand clenches and unclenches reflexively, and your foot taps a percussive beat. "It involves our high school."

"What?" you ask. That isn't what you expected.

"Yeah, it's gonna be awesome. Everyone is super excited about it. We've been planning it together for weeks," Dash says. Your heart becomes a tumbling china plate, and it smashes onto a concrete floor. Of course you misconstrued this trip. Why wouldn't you?

"You mean, it's not just going to be us?" you ask.

"Of course not silly! Why would I just invite one person to my great big cabin?" Dash asks back. More people. More guys. All of which are probably more attractive, with better jobs, better cars, better bodies. Damn it.

"Right, right, I don't know what I was thinking," you say. "Who else is gonna be up there?"

"I can't tell you, it's part of the surprise," Dash says. You realize that you don't give a single fuck about the surprise. Only a minute ago you were hoping this trip would never end. Now you wish she would just turn the car around and take you back home. Hanging out with Dash and not telling her your feelings is bad enough. Seeing Dash with other guys would be actual torture.

"We're almost there dude!" Dash says, pointing ahead.

"Great," you mutter.

The cabin is bigger then you had imagined. You knew Dash's parents pulled in some serious money, but you didn't think they could afford anything like this. It has three floors, with a huge chimney poking out of the roof. Smoke lazily winds out of it, drifting into the surrounding wilderness. The scene is one of serenity, but you feel anything but serene. You get out of the car, and stretch. As you reach for the sky, you feel a hand enclose your own. It's Dash. She beams at you, her magnificent rainbow hair standing out from the forests greens and browns.

"Come on, I want you to see your surprise!" she says. She runs, her hand still around yours, and you can barely keep up. She's really holding your hand. It's just a friendly thing, a silly little gesture, but your doing mental cartwheels. You run up the stairs, and stop at the threshold of the entrance. Dash bounces up and down on the balls of her feet, barely containing her excitement. "Oh boy, I can't wait to see the look on your face!"

"Yeah, I can't wait," you say. You try to sound as enthusiastic as possible. But you wish you could wait. That you could spend an eternity here, just standing with Dash. You abhor the idea of going inside and having to deal with a bunch of asshole guys. They probably don't even care about Dash. They just want to fuck her. You imagine their hands all over Dash. It makes you want to throw up.

Dash reaches into her pocket, and pulls out a massive key-ring. She scrutinizes each key, until she finally finds the correct one. She carefully puts it into the lock.

"You ready?" she asks

"Yeah, I'm ready," you say.

"Okay!" Dash swings the door open. Your brain can't register what it sees at first. You think it might be an illusion. That your mind has somehow created a virtual reality to protect you from some cold hard truth. But after a few seconds, you realize it must be real. But if it's real...

Six excited voices shout, "surprise!"

You pass out cold.

"Oh my goodness, I didn't mean to startle him. I knew I was being too loud, I just knew it," says a girl in a timid voice.

"Hush honey, you were fine. His little heart jus' couldn't take it," says another girl with a thick southern accent.

"Wow, he really fell hard didn't he? He was all like, GASP, and then like, BOOM!" shouts someone in a high, excited voice.

"My my, he really does look quite ill. Maybe you should have told him before hand Dash," says a lady with a cultured, thick voice.

"I didn't know he was going to freak out like that!" protests Dash.

"Hush guys, he's coming to," says someone with a kind, soft voice. You slowly open your eyes. Your head pulses with pain. You reach your hand up and gingerly touch it. You hiss as a burst of agony runs through it. You groan, and sit up.

"What happened?" you ask.

"What do you think happened silly? You fell!" A huge bundle of thick pink curls falls in front of you. You see a sweet face, bouncy body, silly disposition. She is dressed all pink. Pink shirt, pink shorts, even pink socks. No doubt about it, it's Pinkie Pie. Next to her is another pink haired girl, but this one is much more reserved. She wears a bright yellow knee length dress. The dress is covered in purple flowers and butterflies. She lets her hair fall in front of her face, and averts her eyes away from you. That's Fluttershy. Next to her is an incredibly beautiful girl with long purple hair. Her makeup is immaculate, her fashion sense unmatched. She wears designer jeans, and a tight black shirt. That is Rarity. Behind her stands a calm looking cowgirl, ten gallon hat and overalls. A toothpick hangs lazily out of her mouth, and her cheeks are dotted with freckles. That's Applejack. And next to her is a thin, plain looking girl with shortish purple hair. She has a book in one hand,The Amateurs Guide to Simple Maladies, and a pencil in the other. She wears a purple sweater, practical khaki pants, and has horn rimmed glasses. Twilight Sparkle, the eternal scholar. And behind them all, staring at you with genuine concern, stands Dash.

"Guess my surprise was a little too awesome, huh?" asks Dash

"No, I just wasn't expecting it! I mean, I haven't seen most of you since high school," you say.

"Such a shame. We really have missed you, if it makes you feel any better," says Rarity. Her stunning beauty still takes your breath away.

"It's true. I can't believe it's taken us thing long to get reacquainted," says Twilight. Strange that she would come here. You always thought she was more interested in books then she was in you.

"Somebody pinch me! Oww!" you hiss, shooting an angry look at Pinkie.

"What? I pinched you, like you asked," she giggles.

"Leave him alone, you crazy critter. He's still gettin' his bearins," says Applejack.

"Are you okay? I mean, if you don't mind me asking," asks Fluttershy.

"I'm fine Fluttershy, thanks. I have a little bump on my head, but it's nothing," you assure. Twilight goes through her book, points to a page, and snaps it shut.

"I'll go get some ice," she says. She whirls around, and walks off to some unknown room in the massive woodland domicile.

"So this is the surprise? Getting to see all of my old high school, uh, friends?" you ask. Dash gives you a guilty smile.

"Well, that's half of it," she says. Half of it? There's more?

"I don't know if I want to hear the other half. I don't think I can handle another surprise like the first one," you say.

"Let me wait for Twilight to get back. Then we can all explain it together," Dash says. Twilight ambles back into the room after a seconds wait, and walks over to you. She gently puts an ice pack on your sore head, and you thank her. She goes back to stand next to Applejack. The girls looks at Dash expectantly. "What, you want me to start?" asks Dash. The other ladies nod at her, and she rolls her eyes. "Alright. Well, as you've already noticed, you went to high school with all of us. We all graduated together five years ago, and believe or not, we didn't forget you."

"That's right," Twilight adds, "you remained in our hearts and minds long after we left school."

"You see hun," says Applejack, "you did somethin' to help us all out in one way or another. You probably don't remember, seein' as how yer such a nice guy, but we did." Rarity nods in approval.

"That's right. We got to know a lot of people over our high school years, but none so kind or gentle as you," Rarity says.

"So uh, we thought that, um, we might try to pay you back in some way," squeaks Fluttershy.

"Pay me back? Oh no, no that's not necessary," you say. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I didn't do it because I wanted something from you all. I did it to be nice." Twilight walks over, and kneels next to you. She puts her hand on your shoulder, and looks into your eyes.

"And that is exactly why we are doing this," Twilight says. "You didn't help us out to try and get in our pants, or for some other self serving reason. You did it out of the kindness of your heart, and that is something that goes woefully unrewarded far too often." You try to say something, but you can't. You just feel to much. Happy, nervous, excited. You can't believe this is happening. You finally pull yourself together, and manage to eek out a few words.

"Thanks girls. I can't wait to spend the week with you guys," you say.

"In a sense," says Dash.

"What do you mean?" you ask.

"Well, we talked about it, and we agreed that we each want to thank you in our own special way. So, starting tomorrow, you're going to spend a full day with each girl. Each one of us has something special planned for you. It's going to be beyond awesome," Dash says. You try to form some sort of coherent thought, but you can't. You can only utter a grateful squeak before you slowly begin to fade. "Oh no, not again!" Dash shouts.

"Quick, somebody get me some water!" says Twilight

"He's so silly, isn't he?" giggles Pinkie.

"Such a drama king," says Rarity.

The bed is one of the most comfortable you have even been in. The mattress is soft, the sheets cozy and wonderfully scented. You snuggle with your pillow, ready to go to bed. It's been such an incredible day. You still wonder if it's a dream, if this can somehow be real. The door slowly opens, and Dash enters the room. She is wearing a short shirt, her belly exposed, and tiny shorts. She sits down gently on the bed, and gives your head a pat. "Told you it was gonna be a heck of a surprise," she says

"I'll say. I mean, it's so unreal. I can't believe this is happening," you say. Dash turns to face you. She pulls your head towards her with her hands, and brings her head closer to yours. You feel her hot breath drawing closer, can almost taste her lips. She turns at the last second, and gives you a kiss on the cheek.

"Believe it," she says. "You're finally getting some of the kindness you give back. Tomorrow you're going to spend the day with Applejack. Then Rarity, Pinkie, Twilight, Fluttershy, and me." She gets up from the bed, and walks back over to the door. "Get some sleep buddy. You got a big week ahead of you." She turns the light switch off.

"Goodnight Dash," you yawn.

"Pleasant dreams," she whispers. She closes the door, and leaves you in the dark. Your mind races for a few seconds, but you are a bit shocked when exhaustion completely overtakes you. It has been a long day. And Dash is right. You should try to get some sleep. These next few days are going to take a lot out of you. You close your eyes, and quickly fade into sleep.

Author's Note

Okay, here's the first major edit to the story. The biggest change is, obviously, denotations on who is talking. I've also worked on grammar, pacing, and superfluous details. I've also done some minor edits to make the story flow a little better. There is no longer a suggested romantic element between the girls (in the first run, this was going to be a harem story. As it evolved, it became more of a dramatic love story.) Notably, the protagonist thinks less about sex, and Pinkie does not drop a particularly lewd suggestion at one point. The next chapter is where some major edits will take place, as it has a few statements that directly conflict with the rest of the story (including the infamous, "never been kissed" line.) But that is for next chapter. Let me know what you think! And if you're a first time reader, welcome! Hope you enjoyed the story, new reader or old friend.

Applejack: Day Two

Strange images pulsate through your mind. Snippets of memory mixed with portraits of places that can never be. Ideas dance in synchronous motion, slowly fading into nothingness. You slowly open your eyes. The light of dawn trickles through the shades of your room. It's been a long time since you've woken up to your own circadian rhythm. It sounds strange, but somewhere inside you almost miss the garish ringing of your alarm clock. You sit up, and realize something- you're not in your room. Your stomach turns in on itself, and your brain goes into panic mode. You look around for some clue as to where you are. The panic starts to build, until you notice a picture on a nightstand. It is of three figures. A large, muscular man, laughing boisterously; a thin, beautiful woman, smiling gently; and a tomboyish little girl with rainbow hair, jumping around playfully. You recognize them as Rainbow Dash and her parents, and it all comes flooding back to you.

"Guess it wasn't a dream then."

You reach under your bed, and pull out your suitcase. You open it, and go through your stuff. It's not folded- your mom would kill you if she found out how haphazardly you tossed everything together. You lazily sort your clothes, pull out something to wear for today, and walk out of your room. The cottage seems somehow bigger on the inside then it does on the outside. It's almost like a mansion- hallways stretch and crisscross, like some sort of wooden maze. You gently begin opening doors, hoping to find some sort of shower. It takes a few tries, but you finally find a bathroom. You set your clothes down, and run the shower. You strip, and look at yourself in the mirror. You give a playful little flex, but the results are so pitiful you sigh and shake your head. You gingerly step in- the water has gotten hot pretty fast, considering you're in a cabin- and you let the water flow over you. For some reason, the shower always makes you think. Maybe it's the monotonous pounding of the water on the tiles, or the mindless set of tasks your body has learned to preform almost autonomously. For whatever reason, your mind drifts...

"What are you, a fucking lesbian?"

They push the girl around, laughing as they do so. You've always wondered how people could be so cruel to each other. The girl- who just transferred in from a school in the south- looks like she's reaching her wits end.

"Look y'all, I aint tryin' to start no fights on my first day o' school. But if ya don't leave me alone, I'll be forced to get violent."

The other girls chuckle at this. There are the popular clique- just because they look better then everyone else, they think they have free reign of the school. They are led by the ethereally beautiful Diamond Tiara. You don't think you've seen her go one day without tormenting some poor freshman, or some weirdo kid who's just trying to get along with life. It seems today she's decided to go with an old standby- picking on the new kid. But you have a feeling this time she may have picked the wrong girl. This one has fire in her heart- her eyes burn with passion, and her teeth grit with fury. She reminds you of a bull ready to charge- and her getup only adds to that. She's wearing a dress, but you can tell it's a hand me down. It's been sewn so may times it's hard to make out where the new stitching begins and the old stitching ends. Her long blond hair is done up in a ponytail, although it's been frayed from being tossed around. She has rather large muscles for a girl, and wears no makeup- probably the source of the accusations being thrown at her.

Diamond Tiara smiles, and flips her hair.

"You know what girls, I think maybe we should leave her alone. It is a little early to get in a fight- I just put on my makeup. And besides..."

She gives a grin that would send shivers down the devils spine.

"I think she might enjoy it."

She walks away, and the other girls follow her, throwing evil looks back at the new girl. The new girl breathes heavily, her body pumping with anger. She balls her hand into a fist, and swings it at the nearest locker.

"Bitches!"

Her hand slams into the locker, and your shocked to see that she's dented the metal. Her breathing slows, and she calms down. She turns to look at you. You see tears welling up in her eyes, and you're shocked. A girl this strong... hurt this bad...

"What're you lookin' at?"

She brushes the tears out of her eyes, and walks away. You stand in the hallway for a few more seconds. You're not sure how to feel. You've never met a girl like that. She scares you a little, but she's a little... a little... exciting. You wish you could have helped her somehow- could have stepped in. But you'll never talk to her. She'll be just like the other girls. Well, except Dash. You can't wait for next period, when you'll finally be able to see Dash. After all that excitement, you really need to see a kind face.

It's been a long time since you've thought of the first time you met Applejack. Hell, it's been a long time since you've thought of high school. It wasn't a very good experience, and you try to keep it out of your memory. But now that it seems you'll be spending a whole day with her, you can't help but go back. She was pretty then- really pretty. She didn't need makeup, really- her face was captivating on its own. Dark, tanned from working out in the sun. The expressions shone so clearly on it- it was impossible for her to ever hide how she felt.

"She must be pretty terrible at poker."

You smile, and continue to let the water run over you. The steam fills the room, fills your lungs- you feel cleansed. You turn off the tap, and step out of the shower. You wrap yourself with a towel, dry off, and put on your clothes. You have to admit that you're a little impressed with yourself. Normally you wear beat up jeans and a T-shirt, but for this week you've actually packed decent clothes. You look handsome in that sort of geeky way- not rugged, but at least you're trying. You go back to your room, throw your dirty clothes on the floor, and set about exploring the house. It's still pretty early- none of the girls are probably up yet. You walk through the hallways, exploring some of the open rooms. Many of them are empty, but a few of them have some pretty interesting stuff. In fact, there is an entire room filled with animal heads- you know Dash's dad enjoyed hunting, but this was pretty insane. You don't even recognize some of the more exotic creatures. You're about to enter another room when something catches your attention. It's a smell- a really good one at that. Something's cooking. You bolt down the stairs towards the source of the smell, skidding on the wooden floor with your socks. You finally find the kitchen, and you're greeted by a familiar face. Applejack is cooking pancakes, and frying up some bacon. You sit down, and she gives you a smile.

"Mornin' handsome."

You look around, before you realize she's talking to you.

"Oh! Good morning Applejack. What's, uh... what's cooking?"

God you are so lame.

"A little of this, a little of that. I didn't know whatcha liked, so I just made everythin'."

"Thanks Applejack. You didn't have to do all that- I would've just settled for some toast."

"No way Jose. This is my special day with you, and I ain't lettin ya eat somethin' as simple as toast. I didn't think you'd be up this early, to be honest. I was gonna give ya breakfast in bed."

"Well, I just woke up with the sun, I guess."

"That's the best way to get up. Back on the farm, that's how I'd get up every day- as soon as the sun peeked its head above the fields, it was time to go to work."

She puts everything on a plate, and places it in front of you. It's a really mesmerizing amount of food- pancakes, bacon, hash brown, eggs- even scrapple.

"Wow, thanks. I don't know what to say."

"Yer welcome."

She sits next to you, and begins digging into a plate of eggs. You two eat in silence for a little bit, before you finally think of something to say.

"I was thinking of you in the shower."

"What's that now?"

"Oops! Umm, not like that! I meant, I was thinking back to when we first met."

"Oh yeah, that's right. In Ms. Cherilee's class."

That's not exactly what you were thinking of, but you don't want to bring up painful memories.

"Yeah, right, Ms. Cherilee. She was a really good teacher."

"Yeah, she was pretty cool. But she wasn't my favorite."

"Really? Who was?"

"You really have to ask? You, of course."

You wander into class, and sit in the back next to Dash. You turn to say hi, but she's already nodding off. Figures- the first bell hasn't even rung yet, and Dash has already checked out. You give her a tap on the shoulder, and she jolts up.

"Whaddya mean I'm a pony?"

She wipes the sleep out of her eyes, and stretches.

"Oh hey dude. I was just having the weirdest friggin' dream. Class started yet?"

"Not quite, but the bell should ring any minute-"

She walks in, and sits down. She buries her head in her arms, and tries to seem inconspicuous. It's the girl you saw outside- the girl who punched the locker.

"... now."

Dash gives you a funny look, and then follows your eyes.

"Oh, a new girl. Not bad lookin' either, huh buddy boy?"

She elbows you in the ribs playfully.

"Yeah, she's, uh... something."

Dash chuckles, and leans back in her seat. The bell rings, and class starts. Ms. Cherilee- dressed in a bright pink flower print dress, as always- zips through the lesson. You don't know how she manages to make a subject like math seem exciting, but she does, and before you know it class is over. Dash is sleeping, of course, but you actually think you've learned something. You nudge Dash awake, and as you two go to leave, Ms. Cherilee calls you back. You feel a little anticipation- Ms. Cherilee has never asked you to stay behind before. You don't think you've done anything wrong- in fact you're sure of it- so maybe you failed a test. But you thought you were doing so good!

You slowly amble up to the front, like a convict at a sentencing hearing. As you approach her desk, you see that another student is following you- the new girl. She stands beside you, and you can't help but feel a little tense- you know it's incredibly childish, but girls don't stand next to you very often. Ms. Cherilee sets down her papers, and addresses the two of you.

"Applejack, I want you to meet the most accomplished student in my class."

You smile at the compliment, and Applejack nods at you.

"Pleased to meet yer acquaintance."

Her tone of voice is flat, and her face seems just as expressionless. You can't tell whether she's really stoic, or just trying to hiding something.

"As you know, Applejack is a new student. And, well, math isn't exactly her strong point."

"I don't get numbers. I don't see why ya need to be able to do more then add and subtract."

She seems genuinely irritated for a second, before her face reverts back to its stoic glare.

"Well miss Applejack, you're going to need to learn more then addition and subtraction if you're going to pass my class. And that's where you come in."

Ms. Cherilee turns to you, and gives you a serious look.

"I'd like you to tutor Applejack. I'd give you extra credit, of course- not that you need it. You're just my best student, and I figured rather then keep her after school, which would be an inconvenience for her family, it might be better for a classmate to help her."

"Well, I'd be fine with that. I've never tutored anyone before, but it can't be that hard."

"Well Applejack? Does this sound acceptable."

Applejack frowns, but nods.

"I guess that's alright."

"Great! You two work out some times to meet up. I'm sure you'll be caught up in no time."

The two of you walk out of class, and you turn to her. You open your mouth to speak, but she cuts you off.

"Look, I'm sorry for yellin' at ya before class. I was a little upset... I don't take kindly to people picking on me."

"Oh, that's okay. I understand."

You two shuffle around in awkward silence.

"So, um, when do you want to meet up?"

"How about on the weekends? I don't have to work as much then. I mean, unless you're busy."

"No, not really. The weekends are fine."

"Great. Just give me a phone call before you come over. Here's my address."

She takes your hand, pulls out a pen, and writes down her street and phone number.

"I'll see ya around, I guess."

She walks away. You feel something tug at your heartstrings. You're just a tutor, that's it. Not even a friend... just a tutor. You're wrapped up in your thoughts when the wind is crushed out of your chest, and a fist rams itself into your head.

"Get some playa! I knew you could do it!"

"No, I'm just her tutor Dash. It doesn't mean anything."

"Yet. Doesn't mean anything-yet. But I'm sure you'll get her, you dirty dog you."

She punches you a few times, and the two of you walk to class. Maybe she's right... maybe this time...

She wraps her arm around yours, and guides you. In her other hand she balances two fishing poles- and a box of bait and tackle. You've never been fishing before- well, unless you count getting seasick and nearly going overboard off of your dads old canoe. You walk out of the house- the first thing that hits you is the silence. In a world of noise, this kind of serenity is almost alien. The only thing you can hear are the birds, the soft footsteps of yourself and Applejack, and the reedy sound of the wind through the trees. Applejack leads you into the forest, onto a path.

"Dash told me about this place. She said her Dad would take her down here all the time- that they would spend hours just sittin' and fishin' together."

"I can't believe how quiet it is. I mean, I've read about this kind of stuff in books before, but..."

"Yeah, you city folk are a bunch of noisy rascals. Y'all forget about what really counts- nature. We wouldn't have anything without it, ya know? Everythin' we eat- heck, everythin' we breath- comes from nature. But everyone forgets."

"I don't think I'm ever going to forget this."

Applejack smiles and pulls you in a little closer.

"I hope not."

"This can't be the right place."

You've been driving for almost an hour, desperately trying to locate Applejacks house. You didn't realize it was out in the boondocks. You've only been out here once or twice- when you were a kid, you went on a few field trips to the farms. And here you are again- at a farm. Sweet Apple Acres, to be exact. You've actually heard of these guys before- you've seen their apples and jams in a few health food stores. The farm isn't actually that big, compared to some other ones. They have a lot of apple trees- more then you'd care to count- and a pen with some sheep in it. Other then that there isn't much to it. You double check the address you were given on the mailbox, and it matches. You start to feel a little queasy. Maybe she gave you a fake address. It wouldn't be the first time. You sigh, pick up your books and paper out of the car, and start the trek down the farm. You pass through the apple trees, picking a low hanging apple as you do so. Just as you're about to take a bite, you hear a gasp.

"What in the hell do ya think yer doin'?!"

A hand snatches the apple from you. It's Applejack, and she looks pretty livid.

"This is our livelihood! Picking one of these is like stealing from us!"

Your mouth hangs agape. You can't think of a response- all you wanted to do was eat an apple. Applejack sighs, rolls her eyes, and puts the apple back in your hand.

"Well, you already picked it. Ya might as well eat it."

"That's okay, I'm not hungry anymore."

Applejack frowns guiltily.

"Sorry, I have a little bit of a temper. It's just we've been struggling a little bit, and well..."

"We? You mean your family owns this place?"

"Yup. We've had Sweet Apple Acres since my great-grandparents opened it up over fifty years ago. But now we only got two people who can really do the work. What with Mom and Dad gone, Granny Smith bein' so old, and Apple Bloom bein' so young... ah, whatever. You don' care about that. Let's just get this tutorin' stuff over with."

She puts her hands in her pockets, and walks down the dirt road. She kicks at it occasionally, stirring up a little tornado of dust. You still don't know what to make of her- it seems like half the time she's at your throat. But the other half of the time, you see something in her. Something nice. Something vulnerable.

You reach the house, and she lets you in. You walk through the living room, where a little girl with a large red bow in her hair sit playing jacks. She looks up at you inquisitively.

"Hey Applejack, who's that?"

"This is my friend. He's, uh... he's helping me learn math."

"What do ya need to learn math for?"

"You know Applebloom, I honestly do not know."

"Huh. Weird."

She goes back to her jacks.

"Come on, my room is upstairs."

As you approach the stairway, you're startled by a massive man. He's well over six feet, and has muscles that would make some weightlifters jealous. He has long, uncombed blond hair, and his skin is tanned almost red from being out in the sun. His arms are crossed, and he glares at you suspiciously.

"Don't worry Big Mac, we'll leave the door open."

"Yup."

You stare at him for a few more seconds, before Applejacks tugs at your shirt.

"Come on, whaddaya need, a written invitation?"

"Sorry."

You walk up the wooden stairs, and into her room. It is adorned very simply- a few trophies for cattle wrestling and lasso tying, and some pictures of two people you can only assume are her parents. She sits down on her bed, and pulls out a chair from an extremely dusty wooden desk. You sit down, and mingle in awkward silence for a few seconds.

"Well, what are ya waitin' for? Start tutoring."

"What do you mean?"

"Isn't that why you came over here? To tutor me?"

"Well yeah, but... what areas do you need help in?"

"All of 'em, I guess."

You gulp. This might be a little more difficult then you anticipated.

Applejack is on the ground, shaking with laughter. She's tried three times now to show you how to cast out, and every single time you mess it up. This time you've somehow managed to get the line all over you, while the fishing rod hangs lackadaisically around your waist. Applejack finally calms herself, and wipes some tears from her eyes. She helps you untangle yourself.

"I think maybe I better cast yer line for ya."

"Not a bad idea."

She fixes the line back in place, and casts it out into the stream with a simple flick of her wrist. She sits down, and tends to her own rod. You follow suit. The two of you sit there in silence, absorbed in your work. You notice her gently scooting over to you, inching herself closer and closer. She gets up close to you- nearly touching- and leans herself on you. You feel your pulse start to pound out of control. Your breath quickens, and you start nervously tapping your foot. You can't take it- it's just too much. You jump up, and dust yourself off.

"I'll be right back, I gotta, um... go to the bathroom."

You run off, leaving Applejack looking hurt and confused. You find a secluded area, unzip your pants, and relieve yourself. Damn, this is always how it goes, isn't it? Anytime a girl gets a little close to you, you start freaking out. You have to calm yourself down... calm...

You return, and Applejack does not acknowledge you. You pick your rod back up, and pull on it a little. You don't think there's a fish on there, but you can't tell for sure.

"Hey Applejack, can you see if I have a bite? I can't tell-"

"What's wrong with me?"

You're shocked to see her face quivering with emotion. You don't know what to say.

"Am I... am I not pretty enough? I know I don' wear makeup, or dress fancy, but I always though I was..."

"What? No, Applejack, you're beautiful."

"Oh shut up, you don' mean that. Every time I try to get close to ya, you run away like I'm comin' atcha with a brand or somethin'."

"That's not your fault! It's... it's mine. I'm just shy. I've never really been close to a girl before, and I just have no idea what to do. Every time you get close to me I feel like I'm having a heart attack. I just don't know how to handle it."

Applejacks face slowly changes from sadness to confusion.

"Ya mean... you've never been with a girl before?"

The question makes you blush furiously. You've always been uncomfortable talking about stuff like this- it just seems so foreign.

"Well, I guess not in the strictest sense... I mean, I've hung out with girls, but I've never um... you know..."

A slow grin spreads over Applejacks face.

"Well tarnation. Here I was thinkin' that there was somethin' wrong with me, but this whole time you've just been nervous. Damn, I wish you'da told me earlier. I spent more hours then I care to think wonderin' why I wasn't good enough for ya."

"Really? You cared that much?"

"Well, normally I don't care what guys think of me. I live for myself, nobody else. But you were different. You ain't like other guys. You had a lot of opportunities- and I mean a lot- to hit on me, but you never did. At first I thought maybe you weren't inta girls-"

"What!?"

"Sorry, I'm jus' bein' honest. But the way ya always hung around Dash, I realized that couldn't be it. So I just kept thinkin' about it, and the only thing I could think of was that... it was me... but now that I think about it, you bein' shy does make sense. I jus' never pegged you as a guy that would have trouble with girls."

"Really? I always thought it was pretty obvious."

"No, it wasn't. I mean, you were always hangin' around girls at school. A lot of people thought you was some kinda playboy."

Your mouth drops open? A playboy? No way...

"Well, I'm anything but a playboy. I mean, I haven't even..."

You shut up. You don't really want to tell her this. But again she scoots over to you, this time getting even closer. She puts her hand on your face, and turns it towards her.

"Haven't even what?"

"I haven't even... kissed a girl."

She smiles, and brings you to her. Your lips touch, and you can't believe it. You're sure it's a terrible kiss- you're eyes are open, your mouth hangs slack-jawed- but you don't even care. She pulls away from you, and starts giggling uncontrollably.

"That bad huh?"

"No, no... it's just... yer face! I've never seen someone look sp surprised!"

Her giggles turn into laughter, and she hugs you close to her. You feel her body pulse up against yours as she laughs, and you don't think you've felt anything better in your life. But then her laughter slows, and she lets you go. Again she takes your head into her hands, and brings your lips to her. This time though, you go with it. You're wrong- this is better. A lot better.

"I don' get it!"

Applejack is furious. She paces back and forth, punching the air at random intervals.

"I studied with you, I did the work, and I... and I..."

"Applejack, you got an A!"

"I know, it's driving me crazy!"

Earlier that day, Ms. Cherilee gave back midterms. You'd been working with Applejack for more then a month now. Applebloom, Granny Smith, and even Big Mac had come to regard you as a family friend. After all, you'd been putting your heart and soul into tutoring her. She was right- she did need a lot of help. She didn't know much beyond basic addition, subtraction, and multiplication. To be frank, it was stunning that she had managed to get this far in her schooling without being held back. But despite all that, you pushed through, and it had paid off.

Or so it seemed.

"An A! In math! I never thought it could happen! It can't happen! It shouldn'ta happened! I... I must've cheated somehow! Or got lucky!"

"That's not true, and you know it. We spent hours and hours studying together. You're one of the fastest learners I've ever met Applejack. You picked everything up so quickly- and you retained it. You put so much work into this. Why are you trying to discredit yourself?"

"Because... because..."

She stops pacing, and punching the air. Her entire mood changes. Her shoulders slump, and her face melts into a frown.

"Because I'm stupid."

She sits on her bed.

"It's really that simple. I ain't never been good at learnin'."

"What? Who told you that?"

"Everybody I ever met. I mean, face it. The way I talk, the way I dress. I work on a damn farm! I ain't no scholar! I'm just... I'm just stupid!"

You sit next to her on the bed.

"I'm sorry Applejack, but you're wrong."

You put your arm around her shoulders. All the normal apprehension you feel when you talk to women is gone. You can see how badly she's been hurt- and you have to help her."

"Just because you work on a farm, or don't where makeup, or dress differently doesn't mean you're any smarter or dumber then anyone else. I think you're very smart Applejack."

Her face contorts in anger, and she pushes you away.

"What do you know! You don't know anythin' about me!"

You walk up to her.

"I know that I see a girl who is in a lot of pain. A girl who has been lied to, and torn down, just because she is different from everybody else. And I know that she doesn't deserve that. No one does."

She looks back at you. Again the anger melts away, but this time something else does to. That tough exterior... it melts away into nothingness. For the first time you see what she really looks like- and it's mesmerizing. Tears stream from her face, and she hugs you close. You hold each other, and in that moment, you realize you've helped her more then you could ever realize. For the first time in your life, you feel truly fulfilled.

A few weeks later, you meet back up with her at school. Ever since that day, she's been hanging around you more often. She seems like she's always waiting for something- anticipating something from you. You have no idea what she could be waiting for- she's already excelling in math, so it can't be for tutoring. You decide to ask Dash about it.

"Well duh! She wants you to ask her out!"

But you know that's not true. You're grateful that Dash is trying to make you feel better, but you know how it goes. And, as time passes, you see each other less and less. She seems to grow more and more distant from you, and that aura of anticipation begins to sour into an aura of disappointment. You feel bad, and wish you could fix it, but you just don't know how.

"Ever since that day, I kept waitin' fer ya to do somethin'. But it jus' never came."

"I'm so sorry. I just couldn't imagine a girl like you would want-"

"An awesome guy like you? What's a matter with you fella? Ain'tcha got any common sense?"

You shrug.

"I think I see the problem. You ain't got no self esteem. Well let me tell ya somethin.' You are a great guy. And I'm not just sayin' that. I mean for real. I've had many a gentlemen canter into my life- but you're the only one that got stuck in my craw."

She kisses you again. You don't know how you could have lived without this for so long. It's beyond thought, beyond senses. You pull away, and smile.

"Thanks Applejack. I... I think I needed this. It's been a while since anybody has said that I was important."

"Well ya are sugar cube. And don't let anyone else tell ya any different."

The kisses come again, but this time they are different. They are deeper, slower, softer.

"Do you wanna... be with me?"

You don't know what to say. All this time, you've waited... wondering what it was like... how it would be...

But you have to be honest with her. You owe her that much.

"Applejack, you have given me more today then I ever could have hoped for. But... I can't."

"Why?"

"Because I made a promise to myself... I promise I intend to keep."

"A promise? What promise?"

You lean close to her, and whisper in her ear. She looks at you, and nods.

"That makes sense. I thought you might be that type of guy."

"Thanks for understanding."

The sun begins to dip beneath the horizon, it's final lights burning blue and red in the sky. The moon begin its decent up the celestial ladder, and night slowly befalls the tranquil forest. You two sit together for a little while longer, before Applejack stands up. She reaches out to you, and pulls you up. She packs up the gear, slings it over her shoulders, and takes your hand. You two walk back to the cabin, and stand by the door.

"Well, if any other day is as half as good as this one was, this'll be a hell of a week."

"You gonna give this little cowgirl a kiss goodnight?"

You lean in, and give her one final kiss. In it you can taste the sweetness of the day, the bittersweetness of the past, mingled with hope and tinged with regret.