“So, Applejack informs me you dismantled a barn in your own... ‘unique’ way, today.”

“Hmm?” Dash downed the last of her wine glass, setting it down as her eyes widened, looking to the mare across the couch. “Oh yeah, that! Yeah, I smashed it. Smashed it good.”

Rarity grinned. “Articulate, aren’t we?”

“Pfft,” Dash replied as she poured herself another glass. “Do you even know me?”

“Unfortunately.”

Dash shook her head as she swung back another gulp of wine. The air in the library was rather jovial, as Twilight’s nerves were finally calmed after the whole ‘magic kindergarten’ business. So now with Celestia gone, and Spike asleep, the girls decided to use the evening as a bit of a picnic do-over since Twilight couldn’t enjoy the one earlier today, what with her temporary fit of insanity, and all.

Naturally, this meant an abundant flow of booze, and Dash was not one to complain about that.

“So,” Dash went on. “Liking the wine?”

Rarity gulped. “Oh my, yes. It’s clear our dear Twilight has a far-more refined taste than your... Brickmart palate.”

“Boxmart,” Dash sternly corrected. “Brickmart sells construction materials.”

“Ah,” Rarity replied, spinning around her half-empty glass. A smirk came to her lips. “I suppose that’s why I got confused. Roughly the same taste.”

Dash snorted. “Just the other night, you were telling me you thought it was pretty good. I fooled you into thinking it was fancy stuff. You wanna talk about a bad... uh, pallay?”

“Palate, love.”

“Yeah, that.” Dash gulped down her next glass. “It’s, uh... wait, what was I talking about?”

“Twilight having better wine, love.”

Dash nodded. “Right, right... and you loved that crappy Boxmart wine!”

“Perhaps I was simply too drunk on that crappy Boxmart wine to make a proper judgement,” Rarity retorted with a smug grin before finishing her own glass.

Dash was feeling loose. A good kind of loose. She inched a little closer to Rarity and moved her foreleg around Rarity’s shoulder. With a giggle, she leaned in and whispered “I got a feeling what you’re really drunk on, or should I say, who.” Dash couldn’t help but contain her laughter as Rarity socked her in the ribs.

Rarity, a smile breaking through, but trying to look annoyed, rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Dash, even by your standards, that’s a terrible come-on.” She stifled a giggle.

“You know you love it,” Dash teased.

“Sadly, you’re right.” Rarity hid her smile and looked at the bottle of wine, and back to her tipsy lover. “I’d wager you’ve had enough, Rainbow Dash.”

Dash giggled. “Oh, come on, mooooom.”

Rarity puffed herself full of authority, removing Dash’s wine glass from her hoof. “I don’t want you making an embarrassment of yourself in front of our friends.”

“At this point, I’ve probably done that so much, it wouldn’t even phase them.”

Rarity’s eyes shot open. “...Being drunk gives you a stunning level of self-awareness.”

“Oh, whatever,” Dash bemoaned before sticking her tongue out at Rarity.

“You’re the one who said it, love,” Rarity stated as matter-of-fact.

Dash just shook her head and sighed. “Alright, fine. I’ll lay off the sauce for tonight.”

“Thank you, love,” Rarity answered as she gave a light peck on Dash’s cheek. Dash grinned at the warm feeling of Rarity’s wine-slicked lips on her face. She brought her in closer as they rested her heads together.

“No problem, babe.”

Dash didn’t even notice that the music had stopped.

Her eyes opened, and she saw the rest of her friends surrounding the couch, their gazes all astonished and slack-jawed.

Rarity was the first to scoot away from their position to the opposite side of the couch while Dash stayed where she was, confused at what was going on.

She cleared her throat. “Uh... yeah?”

Twilight was the first to speak up. “Rainbow, how much have you and Rarity had to drink?”

Dash scrunched her face. “Uh, let’s see...” she picked up bottle sitting on the floor and shook it, noticing it was roughly three fourths empty. “Ooh, kind of a lot.”

“Now you why I told you to ease on it, darling.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Dash concurred, chuckling as she hiccuped.

“Pfffffft. Call that a lot?” Applejack interjected. “Have mercy, I swear hornheads ‘n featherbrains were built as lightweights.”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow and said with as much sternness as she could muster, “Um... how much have you had to drink, Applejack?”

Applejack belched, causing her to sidestep a little, her eyes erratically blinking. “Uh... no comment.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Anyway, Rarity and Rainbow Dash, that would explain... well, what we just saw.”

Dash looked to Rarity, and she seemed just as confused. Suddenly, though, it came to her.

“Oh, wait! Dash jumped off the couch and flared her wings. “I knew there was something we forgot to do today, Rare!” She strutted up to Rarity and placed a wing around her. “Yeah, we’re dating now. It’s awesome!”

Dash didn’t hear the collective gasp from the group as she was busy getting shoved away from Rarity, who breathed a loud scoff.

“Really now, Dash, couldn’t you have injected a little ceremony into the announcement?”

Dash scrunched her face again, dusting herself off from the shove. “Well, excuse me, princess. I just realized we forgot to tell everyone at the picnic like we planned.”

“And whose fault is that?

“Yours! What were you doing all picnic but moaning on your couch!”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “I forgot. the. plates.”
“Oh, don’t get me started–”

“GIRLS! PLEASE!” Twilight interjected with a stamp of her hoof. “No fighting!”

“Aw, c’mon, Twi,” Applejack bellowed, as she wrapped her forelegs around Twilight, pressing her cheek to hers. “It was just gettin’ good!”

“AJ’s right!” Pinkie concurred. “I was just about ready to provide color commentary!” In the blink of an eye, Pinkie Pie had a shiny microphone in her hooves.

Twilight’s eye twitched. “Pinkie Pie, why would you have a microphone?”

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “Why would I not have a microphone?”

Rainbow nodded. “You gotta admit, Twi, that was kind of a dumb question to ask.” She looked back over to Rarity. “But look, Rarity, I’m sorry, alright? I guess I’m just so glad about being with you, that I didn’t think much about making too much of a show about it. It’s an awesome feeling I wanna share, y’know?”

There was a gleam in Rarity’s eyes as she smiled. “Aww... you’re incredibly drunk, aren’t you?”

“Oh, like you wouldn’t believe. AJ’s right, I am a lightweight.”

“Heh,” Applejack interjected, still hanging off of Twilight. “Called it.”

Twilight rolled her eyes as she pushed Applejack off of her. “Rarity, Rainbow Dash, I’m certainly happy for you two, but... this doesn’t make any sense. I mean, you two don’t seem compatible in the slightest.”

Dash looked to Rarity and shrugged. “She’s got us, there.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “Well, Twilight, a few months ago, I would have agreed, but Rainbow Dash and I had begun spending time with each other, and... we realized we greatly enjoyed being together.”

Pinkie Pie bounced between the two. “But, Rare-bear, what about finding your prince? Dashie’s great and all, but she’s not a prince!”

Dash rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Pinkie.”

“You’re welcome.”

Rarity chuckled. “Well, girls, truth be told, I myself had longed to be with a stunning prince, but... well, then the Gala happened.” A visible shudder ran up her spine, but she shook it off and continued. “Now, I’m going to try letting myself be surprised a little more often, and that started with, well...” Rarity tossed a sultry look at Dash, who beamed with pride.

“Aw, yeah. I rock.”

“I knew it was gon’ happen,” Applejack slurred. “Dash’d been hot’n bothered fer Rare a good long time. I got a keen mind fer this sorta thing.”

A loud thud followed Applejack’s tumble to the ground.

The group bellowed in laughter as Twilight tried to calm the situation, though, even she couldn’t help but let a few giggles escape.

“Alright, then, I think we should all start heading home.” Twilight began to levitate Applejack’s body as she looked to her friends. “Rarity, Rainbow Dash, I still don’t quite understand what you two see in each other, but aside from that,” a smile came to her lips. “I’m very happy for you two.” Pinkie and Fluttershy muttered in agreement.

Rarity hopped off of the couch and cantered to Dash’s side. “Thank you so much, Twilight. I promise, this won’t affect any of our friendships in the slightest.”

Twilight’s eyes beamed. “Ooh, this is actually perfect! I had been meaning to explore the effects of friendship turning into romance, but I never had proper subjects! You and Rainbow Dash are already unlikely friends, so an unlikely romance just makes things more intriguing. You just have to let me study you two!”

“Hey!” Dash objected. “We are not lab rats!”

“Dashie’s right, Twilight,” Pinkie chimed. “You have to offer them cheese, first. Then, they’ll be lab rats.”

Rarity grinned and shook her head. “Love, don’t think of us like we’re lab rats. Think of Twilight as... our audience.”

Dash raised an eyebrow and looked Rarity in the eyes. “To see how awesome we are?”

Rarity giggled. “Undoubtedly.”

Dash beamed and looked back to Twilight. “Then we’ll do it!”

“Excellent!” Just like that, Twilight had floated in a pen and calendar. “I’ll set up a timetable of hours for observation. Does next Tuesday work for you two?”

Rarity nodded. “I’m sure Dash will be over for breakfast.” Her eyes shot open as she realized what she had just said. “And by that, I mean she comes over for breakfast in the mornings.”

Dash nodded as she snickered. “Yep. Totally.”

Twilight seemed unfazed. “Great! I’ll come by with all the necessary materials. I’ll finally take the next big step in the study of friendship!”

“Pfft, egghead.”

“Don’t be rude now, Dash.”

“But she is,” Dash bellowed as she tripped over herself. “Woah.”

Rarity sighed and moved in closer to her marefriend. “I suppose you’ll be needing a place to stay the night. I doubt you’ll want to be flying in your condition.”

Dash attempted to steel herself. “Hey, I... yeah, you’re probably right. Let’s go to your place.”

Rarity looked around and cleared her throat. “And you are most certainly sleeping on the couch. Honestly, Dash, getting so drunk like this. You’ve made a fool of yourself in front of all our friends.”

Twilight giggled. “I think a certain somepony has her beat to that, Rarity.” The group looked to the still floating Applejack, who bellowed another belch.

Everyone laughed as they made their way toward the door. Once outside, goodbyes were shared as well as congratulations for the new couple.

Once Rarity and Dash were alone on their way to Carousel Boutique, Dash spoke up again.

“I’m not really sleeping on the couch, am I?”

Rarity huffed. “You most certainly are...” A chuckle escaped her as she shook her head. “No, no you’re not.”

“Pfft. Knew it.”

“Is there anything you don’t know?”

“I don’t know how to not be awesome.”

“Oh, I think you’re well-versed in that field.”

“Well, I think that you’re–oh, I can’t think of anything clever. Let’s just get to bed.”

Rarity purred as she pulled Dash closer. “That's the first bright thing you’ve said all evening.”

Dash grinned, giving Rarity a kiss. "Like you said, there's nothing I don't know."

Author's Note

So yesterday commemorated two years I've spent on this site. I thought to myself: 'what was that thing I did when I first joined? Oh yeah, write and update stories!'