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.