Rarity was not one for heights, especially considering what she had just experienced at the Best Young Flyer Competition, but for the business she had, she could make an exception this time. Borrowing Twilight’s balloon, she ascended into the clouds to talk to Rainbow Dash. The two had not spoken since the incident in Cloudsdale a few days prior and Rainbow had just returned from her prized day with the Wonderbolts the previous night.

Although Rainbow seemed to bear no hard feelings toward Rarity for her obvious callousness, the unicorn felt it necessary to apologize once again for good measure.

Who knows? Maybe this is the opportunity to bond that I’ve been hoping for.

Rarity arrived at Rainbow’s lavish cloud house. So gorgeous. How is she able to afford such a maison? Approaching the front door, still inside the balloon, she gave three dainty knocks. Expecting a warm welcome, Rarity was instead greeted to a scowling pony with a messy bed-mane and tired eyes.

“What?”

“Good morning, Rainbow Dash? How, might I ask, are you?”

“Sleeping. Well, that is, until somepony decided to wake me up.”

“Well, nothing like getting up and enjoying the gorgeous day, wouldn’t you agree?”

Her teeth gritted, Rainbow replied, “Oh absolutely, but when you don’t get back from spending the day with the Wonderbolts until 3AM, nothing hits the spot more than getting some damn sleep. Wouldn’t. You. Agree?”

Two muzzles were now pressed against each other. Rarity, however, seemed to have either been oblivious of or flat-out ignoring Rainbow’s animosity.

Gently pushing Rainbow off of her face, Rarity replied, “Oh, I must certainly agree. I always make sure to get a minimum amount of beauty sleep, and I will let you get back to that as soon as I make a request.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Request?”

“Well, a request and an apology. Once again, I am ever so sorry once again for hogging all of that glory and unnerving you before the competition.”

Rainbow sighed. “Look, Rarity, I don’t know what to tell you. I already forgave you and junk. It doesn’t even matter to me anymore.”

Rarity pouted. “It means something to me. Look, I know all about stage fright. When I saw you at the library, I had never seen you so vulnerable. I knew I just had to come to Cloudsdale to offer you the support you needed...” The unicorn sighed. “And then Twilight gave me those wings, those beautiful, beautiful wings, and I lost all sense of myself and why I even went up to Cloudsdale, and—”

“Is this going anywhere?”

Rarity narrowed her eyes. “You have a rather nasty habit of cutting ponies off.”

“Oh no, Rarity, I promise it’s only you.” Rainbow smirked. “You’re special to me like that.”

Rarity groaned. “Long story short, as you prefer to have it dictated, I want to make my apology full circle. I want to treat you to brunch.”

“Brunch?”

Rarity nodded. “Indeed. I feel like I should make it up to you over a lovely meal, and you and I can finally do some bonding.”

Rainbow was ready to fire off another sarcastic quip, but to her chagrin, she couldn’t attack her friend's sincerity. The pegasus yawned and said, “Rarity, brunch sounds good, but can it wait until another day? I am so damn tired, right now.”

Rarity grinned. “Absolutely! You just show up at the Boutique at any time, and I will be ready to go!”

Rainbow blinked. “Any time?”

“Well, anytime in the morning, otherwise it wouldn’t count as brunch, now would it?”

Rainbow adorned a devious smirk. “No.. it wouldn’t. I’ll make sure to take you up on your offer.”

Rarity clapped her hooves together. “Excellent! Well, I suppose I’ll be on my way. You have a fantastic day, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity waved to her friend and turned off the flame in the balloon to begin her descent into town.

“Oh, you too, Rarity, you too...” Rainbow waved to the unicorn, still having the smirk on her face.

Oh, she is so gonna regret this.

—5AM, The Next Morning—

Rarity was awoken to a thunderous torrent of knocking. Jerking out of her bed, the unicorn predicted the very worst.

"OH, CELESTIA! IT'S HAPPENING! THE GRIFFONS HAVE MADE THEIR MOVE! SWEETIE BELLE, INTO THE PANIC ROOM!"

After trampling down the stairs, Rarity took off her sleeping mask to investigate where the noise was coming from. Approaching the front door with great trepidation, the petrified unicorn hesitantly opened the door with her magic.

Greeting Rarity was not a child soldier of the Griffon Holy Resistance, but rather, a widely grinning Rainbow Dash.

"Good morning, Rarity! How are you on this radical day?"

Rarity took a while to respond, taking several deep breaths to regain her composure. After letting herself feel relieved to wake up to another revolution-free day, the fashionista allowed outrage to take over.

"Well this a fine 'How do you do?', Rainbow Dash!" Would you care to explain why in all of Equestria you would bang on a lady's door and scare her half to death at..." She looked at the clock. "5AM?!"

“I thought I would take you up on that offer of treating me to brunch. So can I come in?”

“Are you honestly that dense, darling? It’s five in the morning, and you’ve just woken me from my beauty sleep! Can’t it wait a few hours? Brunch doesn’t even customarily start until 10ish.”

Rainbow’s grin turned into a smug smirk. “Au contraire, Rarity. You told me to come at any hour of the morning, and you would be ready to go. So let’s go into your kitchen and make ourselves some grub!”

Rarity huffed. “Well, I certainly hate to burst your bubble, darling, but obviously, I didn’t mean five o'clock in the morning. You’re just going to have come back another time.”

“Okay then. I guess you don’t want to be anything more than friends by association, or whatever.”

Rarity's eyes widened. "Beg your pardon, Dash?”

“I mean, it’s cool and everything. We’ll just keep being strangers and such. Well, I’ll see you around.”

Rainbow turned around to leave, but stopped when she heard Rarity’s deep groan. “Very well, come in... but wipe your hooves on the mat first.”

Rainbow smugly beamed and walked inside. Oh man, she is too fun to torture.

Rarity went to her breakfast nook and yawned. “Well, before I make you anything, I need to wake myself up. Somepony had to go and cut my beauty sleep short.”

Rainbow smirked. “Just consider it payback for cutting my swag sleep short.”

Rarity got quizzical. “Pardon? Did you just say 'swag' sleep?”

Rainbow nodded. I need to get a good amount of swag sleep, because if I don't, I’m not sufficiently Dash-esque until the afternoon. That’s why I take so many naps. It gives me that quick swag boost.”

Rarity stared at Rainbow dumbfoundedly. She finally managed a response. “Can I assume that 'swag' and 'coolness' are separate attributes?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Well, duh! Honestly, Rarity, don’t you know anything important? “Coolness” is a finite resource that can only be gained by the few who can earn it. Whereas 'swag' is a sort-of energy that’s innate in all ponies. However, it needs to be unlocked. Once harnessed, you can use your swag and combine it with your flesh and will to unlock your Tekken, and Tekken is—”

“Rainbow, I stopped listening ages ago. Would you like some coffee?”

Rainbow did a quick double take. Sure, she expected Rarity to cut her off, but she certainly didn’t expect Rarity to offer... “Coffee? Uh... yeah, coffee would be great.”

The coffee maker finished the brew and Rarity filled two cups, levitating them over to the breakfast table. Rainbow took a swig of her coffee while watching Rarity doing the same.

“Wow, you even take it black.”

Rarity raised and eyebrow. “Hmm? Beg your pardon?”

“Oh it’s just... I didn’t think somepony like you would drink black coffee to get you up in the morning.”

Rarity nodded. “I would have chastised you for once again not sufficiently knowing me, but for once, I will concede that it’s a tad unexpected of someone like me to drink black coffee. Well, I’ll be honest, Rainbow. I’m just not a morning pony. I practically work nocturnally whenever I can, which, I must say, is one of the great things about working from home, but some days, when I need to be up and awake, tea just won’t do it for me.”

Rainbow closed her eyes and gave an approving nod. “Respect, respect. Yeah, I’ve been drinking coffee for as long as my parents have let me. I drank it black because I wanted to be cool and grown-up, and I’ve just never grown out of the habit." The pegasus took another sip and sighed in contentment. "I like it black, anyway.”

Rarity gulped down half of her cup. Her energy was clearly returning. “As do I. I suppose you could call it a guilty pleasure of mine, as black coffee isn’t exactly the classiest drink.”

“Yeah, but it gets the job done.”

Rarity smiled and nodded. “Does it ever.”

The two shared a laugh and decided to make an impromptu toast. They raised their cups together and proclaimed, “To coffee that’s black as night!” The unicorn and pegasus then downed the last of their drinks.

Rising from her seat, Rarity made her way back to the kitchen counter. “Well, I don’t know about you, Rainbow Dash, but I feel one hundred percent rejuvenated!”

“Yeah, I feel great! Thanks for the coffee, Rarity.”

“Well now, what should I make you for our... well, I was going to say brunch, but at 5AM that seems a bit inappropriate, so what shall I make for our breakfast?”

“Ehh, it’s your place, Rarity. Make what you usually make.” The pegasus leaned back in her chair and placed her hind hooves on the table.

Rarity huffed. “One, I would appreciate it if you refrained from getting your muddy hooves on my table cloth; and two, don’t be neutral here, you’re my guest. I’m sure I have some hay bacon in the refrigerator that I can fry.”

Removing her hooves, Rainbow stood up off her chair. "Hay bacon? Sorry, Rarity, I’m afraid that’s a no-go. I don’t go for any of that ultra-processed stuff. I’m on an au naturale diet.”

Rarity’s eyes widened. “You? Rainbow Dash? On an au naturale diet? Why, of all things!”

Rainbow chuckled and waved her hoof. “Yeah, I get that reaction a lot. Ponies see me and they expect that I can metabolize all the junk food that I want, but let me tell you something, when you become a mare, your metabolism hates you. So I had to sacrifice the fried stuff to maintain this physique.”

Rarity beamed. “I couldn’t agree with you more, darling. Nothing would make me happier than to just gorge myself in chocolate, but I need to stay beautiful for my prince.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, good luck with that one. Run me through the plan again: so you’re gonna walk up to an Equestrian prince, and he’ll be so turned on, that he’ll put a ring on you just to get a piece of that flank?”

Rarity scoffed. “Honestly, Rainbow, why must you be so crude?”

Dashie smirked. “Because it’s fun to watch you react like that.”

The unicorn huffed. “Well, you won’t get that satisfaction anymore. Now, what do you usually do for breakfast?”

“Well, I guess on a normal day, I just blend my supplements with a bunch of fruits.”

Rarity smiled. “Well then, fruit salad it is.”

—One Meal Later—

The sun was now fully risen as the two mares finished their delicious salads. Rarity and Rainbow conversed about various topics, and, ultimately, the mood was splendidly cordial. That didn’t stop the two from constantly trading sarcastic jibes or witty comebacks, but at the this point, both Rarity and Rainbow Dash accepted that this would simply be an inescapable element of their rapport.

Besides, Rarity thought, it’s nice to have somepony to duke it out with in a battle of sharp wit. She’s definitely better than I gave her credit for.

Rainbow offered to do the dishes, much to the pleasant surprise of Rarity, who graciously accepted.

“I must say, Rainbow, what has gotten into you?”

“Eh, just my way of saying thanks for breakfast and stuff. I gotta admit, you’re cooler than I gave you credit for.”

Rarity squeed. “Does this mean we’re... friends?”

The pegasus chuckled. “Duh. We already were friends, Rarity. But yeah, we’re now the kind of friends that hang out together. Happy?”

Nodding, the unicorn replied with a resounding, “Absolutely.”

After doing the dishes, Rainbow said her goodbye to Rarity and to Carousel Boutique, promising the fashionista that they would be doing something like this again soon, and flew into the sky to take a nice nap on a cloud.

As Rarity watched her newfound buddy soar off into the distance, she let herself be taken over by glee.

Yes! A rapport! We have a rapport! Eeee...

While on to find a cloud to sleep on, Rainbow Dash was wrapped in her own thoughts about the recent developments.

Huh? So I actually bonded with Rarity, of all ponies? Well, as long as she doesn’t turn me into a sentimental girly-filly like her, then everything should be cool, I guess. She’s got some awesome-ish qualities, and she’s cool-ish, so we should be cool together.

Rainbow found the cloud that she liked and rested herself onto it, drifting into a comfortable sleep.

Yep. This could be the start of something pretty awesome.

Author's Note

FORESHADOWING!!!! (again )

Just for clarification: I have never played Tekken. However, I have watched the shitty English Dub of the OVA, if that counts for anything.