“Rarity, I don’t think we should be doing this.”

“Oh, come now, darling. I know how long you’ve wanted this.”

Rainbow Dash gulped. Rarity was right. This was true. She did want this for quite a long time, actually. How many nights had she spent tossing and turning wanting this succulence right in her face? How long had she literally drooled at the prospect of finally licking up the sweet nectars in hedonistic stupor?

It was now or never, and at that moment, Rainbow realized that if she made the dive, there was no turning back.

...To heck with it. You only live once.

Taking a deep breath, Rainbow threw aside her inhibitions and dived her muzzle into the Trotson Cream doughnut that Rarity had placed in front of her. Rarity grinned deviously.

“You like?”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t create coherent statements as she simply squealed in delight, shoving the glazed goodness into her mouth, swallowing all of it after chewing the whole thing. Moaning with absolute pleasure, she licked the corners of her mouth for any stray cream and reclined against her chair. Then, her eyes widened as she adorned a look of regret. Dash cried to the ceiling and hid her face with her hooves.

Rarity chuckled as she sipped her tea. “Problem, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow glared at Rarity. “You evil witch! You knew I’ve been trying to avoid these kinds of sweets! You knew!”

Rarity waved her hoof. “Oh, come now, Rainbow Dash. You’re acting like you’re the only one who’s letting her body suffer. Look,” Rarity lifted a piece of chocolate cake and took the tiniest bite from it, nibbling daintily. “Now see? I too am sinning against my body.”

Rainbow scoffed. “Yeah right, that barely even counts. You’re taking wuss bites.”

Rarity giggled as she dabbed her lips with a napkin. “Well, darling, I clearly just have more willpower and self control than you.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes as she looked around the dining cart, which was vacant aside from the two of them. “Hey, are you sure we should be back here? It’s like midnight, and it closed hours ago.”

“Ah, yes, true, but I simply had to share these delectable delights with somepony, even if it meant being a tad devious for one night. Besides, it’s not like the others will notice, since they’re gassing on about some oddity. By the way, what is this I hear about you believing Fluttershy to be a tree?”

Rainbow face-hooved. “Oh, Celestia, not this again. I do not think Fluttershy is a tree, okay?”

Rarity smiled. “Well, from what I gathered the other night, you did claim that Fluttershy was a tree.”

Rainbow grimaced at Rarity before sighing. “Fine. Yes. I think Fluttershy is a tree.”

“Is that so?” Rarity grinned. “Well then, Rainbow Dash, you can rest assured that Fluttershy is in fact, not a tree.” She giggled as she took another sip of tea.

Rainbow sighed. “You’re just messing with me, aren’t you?”

“Don’t I always?”

Rainbow chuckled. “Point taken.” She leaned back against her chair again and began tapping the table. Mentally, Rainbow Dash was kicking herself, as she had promised a little over a week ago that she would stay clear of Rarity to get whatever infatuation out of her system. However, avoiding somepony you had to travel various places with proved to be a rather difficult task. It also didn’t help that it was Rarity who initiated contact with Rainbow Dash by asking her to join her at the dining cart and that Rainbow happened to be hankering for a snack.

In summary, Rainbow Dash had failed, and she still considered Rarity quite desirable.

If we had to pay for these treats, I’d pay for her... oh, Celestia, it’s getting worse!

It got worse. Rainbow was broken from her thoughts by Rarity’s hoof touching her own. Dash looked to her friend who was giving her a soft look that elevated her heart rate. Rainbow meeped.

“There’s another reason I asked you to come with me, Rainbow Dash. I missed you.”

Rainbow gulped. “W...what?”

“Where have you been, darling, it’s been ages since we’ve had a meal together. I’ve missed the time we’ve shared, since we’ve been becoming such dear friends.”

“Oh.” Rainbow sighed as she wiped sweat from her brow and reclined in her chair. “Yeah, I’ve been busy... you know, with stuff.”

Rarity nodded. “Hmm. I can imagine. I myself have been absolutely swamped with this business with Fluttershy.”

“Oh yeah, what was the deal with that? Why’d she quit?”

Rarity sighed as she lowered her cup of tea. “She loathed being a model, Rainbow Dash. It was my fault too, I pushed her into it and she nearly cracked under the pressure of being famous. We really weren’t being honest with each other, and it escalated beyond the point where it needed to be.”

“Pfft. Seriously? She didn’t like being rich and famous? She didn’t want the eyes of Equestria on her while she wowed the crowds?”

“Darling, keep in mind, this is Fluttershy we’re talking about.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. Still, I constantly work to get fame. I don’t get how somepony could just... not want that. Do you feel me?”

Rarity beamed. “I absolutely ‘feel’ you, Rainbow Dash. That’s what I like about you, yes? You get what it’s like to want something more beyond Ponyville.”

Rainbow grinned. “You know it. I mean, hey, Spitfire never got to where she was by bumming around Palomino Beach her whole life. She worked her stuff and she proved her awesomeness to the world. Now she travels that world. I need to follow that example.”

Rarity nodded. “I know where my place is. I want esteem, Rainbow Dash. I want to be known as the best fashionista in Equestria because I am the best fashionista in Equestria.” She giggled. “Ooh, I must say, it’s rather fun to be cocky.”

Rainbow nodded. “I feel you so much, Rarity. And you know what? I’m gonna be there for you. Whatever you do, I’m rooting for you all the way. I may not be into all this namby-pamby fashion stuff, but if you’re doing it, it’s gotta be cool.”

Rarity choked up a little. “Do you... really mean that?”

Rainbow ignored the lump in her throat as she put a hoof on Rarity’s. “Totally.”

Rarity simply laughed and shook her head. “Oh, Rainbow, Rainbow, Rainbow. I daresay, whatever am I going to do with you?”

Rainbow arched an eyebrow. “What’re you talking about?”

“You confound me, Rainbow. I never thought that I could find anything in common with you, truth be told, but... I really feel a connection with you nowadays. You have such a drive and passion that the others simply don’t have. It’s inspiring, really, and I hope to emulate it.”

Oh, heck no. Now you’re emotionally connecting with her? This is bad, me. This is really, really bad. Quick, think of something to say to move forward, now.

Rainbow cleared her throat as she looked to Rarity straight in the eyes. “Th-anks?” She said with a crack in her voice.

Smooth. Come up with a new topic, pronto.

Dash looked around the room desperately trying to find something else to talk about. Eventually, she settled for the piece of strawberry cheesecake that Rarity was taking bigger and bigger bites of. Rainbow snorted. “So much for more willpower and self-control, huh?”

Rarity looked to Rainbow Dash, mouth wide open, and then looked to her bite of cake, which was half the slice. She lowered it onto her plate and huffed. “I’m hardly able to enjoy myself. Can’t I reward myself after a stressful couple of weeks?”

Dash waved her hoof. “Yeah, I’m just messing. Besides, I think your prince might like a girl with a jiggly butt.”

Rarity slammed her fork onto the table and scoffed. “Really now, darling? Must you be so crude?”

Dash pondered for a moment and replied, “Yes. Yes, I must.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “I’ll have you know that I will keep myself in tip-top shape, so that my ladylike figure will positively dazzle my prince charming. He’ll fall in love with me on sight.”

“But do you love him?”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Come again?”

“I mean, are you actually in love with... Prince Blueballs, or whatever his name is?”

“Blueblood, darling.”

“Yeah, that’s it. Blueblood. Are you actually in love with him? Do you want to marry him because you’re in love with him?”

Rarity hesitated to answer. She tapped her hoof on the table and let out something that sounded like, ‘ummm.’

Eventually, Rarity looked to Dash and said, “Might I ask why you’re curious about this all of a sudden?”

“A-ha!” Rainbow clapped her hooves together, grinning triumphantly. “So you don’t really love him! I should have known. You’re a gold-digger.”

“A what?”

“Yeah, a gold-digger. You wanna marry Blueblood because he’s a loaded prince. You’re not actually in love.”

Rarity scoffed. “Rainbow Dash, I simply resent the idea that I’m only after him for his status. Have you not ever heard of true love at first sight?”

“Um, yeah, and I know that it’s a bunch of baloney.”

“Really now, you claim to be an expert on this sort of thing?”

“Pfft. No. But I do know that’s not how it works.”

“Really?” Rarity leaned back into her chair and motioned her hoof. “Go on, then. You have the floor. Enlighten me on how ‘it’ really works.”

“Oh, come on, Rarity, you should know this too. It starts off with finding somepony you really want to have sex with—”

“Language, darling!”

“Hold on, now.” Rainbow place a hoof to Rarity’s mouth. “You said I had the floor. Now gimme my floor.” Dash retreated back into her seat as Rarity huffed.

“Okay, so you meet a pony that... ‘you find attractive’. You find yourself wanting to spend more and more time with her, or him, if that’s how you swing, I’m not one to judge. So if you really want to... ‘get in bed’ with this pony, you’ll offer to take her out to dinner to play the game. Oh yeah, love’s a game, just so you know. It’s kind of like your little princess fantasy.”

Rarity rolled her eyes.

“So, if you’re lucky, you ‘get lucky’ with this pony, and you decide to take her out on more dinners, or movies, or whatever else. Eventually, it gets past simply wanting to sleep with her, and starts becoming about how you actually like her. You start to realize that you have more in common with her than you thought, and that maybe she’s something really special. Eventually, she becomes a nagging annoyance in your mind, and it won’t shut up unless you see her again. And you just hope beyond hope that there’s a slim chance that she’s feeling the same way. Do you feel me?”

Rarity’s eyes were wide. “...You’re sweating right now, you realize?”

Rainbow flicked her hoof across her forehead and frantically scrambled back into a normal sitting position, her frequent hoof gestures contorting her posture. “Oh, well, um... you know, I’m... thinking about stuff.”

“Eh? What kind of ‘stuff’?”

Rainbow cleared her throat. “Well, you know, I’ve been around the block a few times, and I know what it’s like to date. It’s never really gone to the endpoint I’ve described, but I know what it’s like for other couples. You’ve probably been there before, right?”

Rarity pondered for a second. “Actually, no, Rainbow Dash. I daresay, I haven’t had that much experience in dating. It’s been many factors: work, my prince charming, that sort of thing. So, I daresay I’m what you would call a ‘rookie’ in this field. My only experience is vicariously through romance novels.”

Rainbow’s eye twitched as she tried to contain her laughter. It was to no avail as she fell to the floor in hysterics.

Rarity gritted her teeth as she threw her now lukewarm tea onto Rainbow Dash, who simply continued laughing.

“You absolute brute! I thought the two of us were having a heart to heart!”

“Sorry, Rarity. That was too priceless!” Rainbow pounded the floor as she rolled from side to side. In a huff, Rarity got up and exited the dining cart, retreating to the private cabin once occupied by Bloomberg.

As she nestled under the covers, Rarity grimaced at the ceiling, annoyances dancing in her head.

“Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said as she huffed. “Confound her. One minute, she’s a true friend, the next minute, she’s... Rainbow Dash.”

She turned over to her side as she sighed. “Maybe I overreacted. I mean, Rainbow Dash is quite the jest, but that’s what I love about her. She’s fun to be around. I like what I become when I chat with her. It’s fun.”

Rarity looked at the alarm clock on her bedside. She sighed as she rubbed her temples. “It’s far too late. A lady needs her beauty sleep.” She yawned as she stretched out her legs and cuddled up against one of her pillows in a comfortable postion.

Things will be better with her in the morning...

With that, Rarity drifted into sleep, and her thoughts of Rainbow Dash didn’t leave her head.

Author's Note

So, I'm back.

Yeah, long story short, I didn't like where this story was, and I was in a really bad funk writing-wise. I got away from it and got RazedRainbow to smooth out the rougher edges for the initial chapters.

I'm better now. I'm ready to deliver RariDash onto the world once more. However, there's also some TwiDash and AppleDash contests and collabs coming up, however, I'll try to not do this months-long hiatus crap anymore with this story. Plus, I'm back in school, so there's that. Expect more weekend updates with that said.

The point being, this story ain't dead. I wanna write it, so that's what's gonna happen.