Mate for Dash 2/2
Previously: Part 1
Rainbow landed at the edge of the clearing in which Fluttershy had built her home. A host of animals looked up from where they’d been grazing or sprawling, and just stared at her. Rainbow spread her wings, trying to look intimidating, but then a rabbit she hadn’t noticed before hopped to the end of a branch he’d been standing on and slapped her flank.
“Hey!” Rainbow turned to glare and met Angel Bunny’s beady eyes. “Why you...” She grabbed the offending rabbit by the scruff of his neck, but he responded with a quick bite and, when Rainbow dropped him in shock, he fled at top speed towards Fluttershy’s house.
“Get back here, you stupid bunny!” Angel burst through the low swinging door set in the entrance to Fluttershy’s house, and Rainbow, pursuing, skidded to a halt just as the front door swung open to reveal Fluttershy’s delicate form. Her blue eyes were a hardened, icy shade, but when she saw Rainbow, she took a step back, eyes snapping open into wide, frightened orbs.
“Rainbow Dash? What are you-? Angel Bunny, were you pestering Rainbow Dash?” The rabbit stuck out his tongue, to which Fluttershy narrowed her eyes. “Don’t look at me that way, Angel; I know that look. You were trying to get her in trouble! Well, you can just sit over by your hutch until dinner. I’m so sorry, Rainbow. Angel Bunny has just been in high spirits lately.”
“He tried to eat me,” Rainbow said, and shot the rabbit a threatening glare. He stuck his tongue out at her.
“Um, Rainbow, Angel Bunny is an herbivore. Like ponies.”
“Sure he is,” Rainbow growled.
A cough drew Rainbow’s attention away from the unrepentant rabbit and up to Fluttershy, who was watching Rainbow carefully. The yellow pegasus looked slightly more nervous than usual; she kept shifting away from Rainbow every time Rainbow looked her way.
“Is something wrong, ‘Shy?”
Fluttershy yelped and shook her head. “Oh, no. I’m just...if it’s not too rude, can I ask what you’re doing here? Not that I’m not delighted to see you. But you usually don’t come to visit. I know it’s my fault, having such a down-low house, but...well. Um?”
Rainbow winced, but shook off the moment of guilt. Now was probably not the time. “I sort of came to tell you something, Fluttershy. Something important.”
“Oh! I’m sorry for going on.” Fluttershy sat, sending Angel skittering to the edge of the room. “Go ahead; I’m listening.”
Rainbow, mouth open, ready to talk, snapped it closed when Fluttershy turned towards her, the very picture of demure attentiveness. “Um...” She felt her ears heat, and knew her coat was turning an unattractive violet shade. “It’s sort of...”
“Would you like a cup of tea? Or coffee? Only, you look sort of...”
“I’m a filly fooler,” Rainbow said.
“Oh!” Fluttershy took a step back from Rainbow, wings twitching nervously. “That’s...um, very nice, Rainbow.”
Rainbow watched her friend try her best to put distance between Rainbow and herself and felt her heart sink and twist into a pained knot. It was possible Twilight and Spike’s unsolicited show of support had been more surprising, but this pain would stick with her forever. The thought of Fluttershy not liking her anymore because...
“Yeah, okay. Sorry to bother you,” Rainbow muttered. “I’ll see myself out.”
Fluttershy’s head snapped up; she stared at Rainbow with wild eyes, herself frozen in place, but when Rainbow started towards the door, Fluttershy exploded into motion, throwing herself between her friend and the exit.
“Wait wait, what are you doing?”
“Leaving,” Rainbow snapped. “Since obviously I make you so uncomfortable-”
“No!” The volume of the shout was enough to stop Rainbow, at least for the crucial moment it took for Fluttershy to block the door. Her wings were ruffled, making her look twice her normal size, and when Rainbow met Fluttershy’s eyes, they had the hardened, dazing look of the Stare. “You stay right here, Rainbow Dash.”
“Hey! Cut that out!”
Fluttershy yelped and folded in on herself, freeing Rainbow from the compulsion of the Stare, but also compelling Rainbow to stay just to make sure Fluttershy wasn’t upset.
“Fluttershy?” she asked. “Are you ok?”
“You’re mad at me,” Fluttershy murmured. “And I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash. You’re a wonderful pony, and I think you’re lovely, and I do love you with all my heart, but...I just...think we shouldn’t...date.”
Rainbow stared at the cowering pegasus for a few shocked moments before she asked, slowly, “Date? Not that you aren’t cute, Fluttershy, but what made you think I was asking you out?”
Fluttershy raised her head and stared speculatively at Rainbow. “Well, I thought, since you already knew I preferred mares, you might...maybe have thought...”
“You what?” Rainbow demanded. “How was I supposed to know that?”
“I told you,” Fluttershy said. “I can understand if you didn’t remember-”
“No, I’m sure I’d remember something like that,” Rainbow replied. “When was this?”
“After we graduated from flight school?” Fluttershy said uncertainly. “We left that party early?”
“Was that what that was about? I thought you were telling me you didn’t want to live in Cloudsdale anymore.”
Fluttershy smiled gently. “Well, maybe a little. But I tried to tell you that I...felt different from other fillies.” She giggled, only to flush, mortified, as soon as the noise escaped her throat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh at you.”
“It’s all right. I guess it is a little funny,” Rainbow replied. “I mean, here I was worrying about what you’d say...”
“You were...worried?” Fluttershy asked. She leaned in to nuzzle Rainbow’s neck. “You’re one of my friends, Rainbow Dash.”
“I...know that.” Rainbow stepped away from the gesture, but smiled, she was certain a little uneasily, at Fluttershy. It made her a little ashamed to realize she’d doubted Fluttershy, who aside from being a lot more like Rainbow than she’d ever thought, was the gentlest soul Rainbow knew. “But maybe not well enough.”
Fluttershy smiled brightly at Rainbow. “Then I guess I’ll have to remind you. You’re my friend, Rainbow Dash, and I love you...no matter what.”
“We all do!”
“Yagh!” Rainbow recoiled, and Fluttershy bolted, from the sudden appearance of Pinkie Pie. The pink earth pony grinned widely at both of them from her seat on top of the table. There was nothing that Pinkie could have been hiding behind, unless you counted the small vase of flowers next to her. “Where did you come from?”
“A rock farm, silly!”
Rainbow opened her mouth and then let it shut closed. There wasn’t much point in arguing, anyway. “So random,” she mouthed at Fluttershy.
“Anyway, I hope you realize we all love you so much, Dashie! And nothing’ll ever change that, not ever! I bet you’d believe nopony cares whether you like stallions or mares if we had a giant party for you! A coming-out party! Only not the old-fashioned kind, where everypony’s in tux and tails. I wonder why they’re both called coming-out parties?”
“No!” Rainbow snapped. “We’re not having a party, Pinkie Pie. I don’t want you - either of you - to tell anypony. If anypony figures out, it’s because I told them, all right?”
Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie exchanged a look, and Pinkie produced a pair of frosted cupcakes. “Sure thing, ok, Flutter? Cross our hearts and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Fluttershy joined in the ritual, somewhat less enthusiastically than Pinkie Pie at the last line. “And if you want to tell everypony yourself, you might want to hurry, cause I’m pretty sure most everypony thought you were a filly-fooler before you started going out with all those stallions. Why, just last month Mrs. Cake asked me when you were going to find a nice mare to settle down with, and I told her, ‘Dashie’ll settle down when she’s good and ready, just like me, except I’m going to settle down with a stallion if I ever settle down. Or two, maybe. I always thought things would be more fun that way-”
“Pinkie, just be quiet for a second - two?!”
Pinkie grinned unabashedly at Rainbow. “Well, it’s hard to have a party with just two ponies, after all.”
Rainbow could see Fluttershy’s cheeks were stained scarlet, and she was certain she looked just as embarrassed. A part of her wanted to ask Pinkie for more information, but the rest of her just didn’t want to know. So Rainbow compromised.
“What do you mean, everypony thinks I’m a filly-fooler?”
Fluttershy shrank back, but Pinkie just bounced to Rainbow’s side, slinging a leg over her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, Dashie, nopony who’s anypony thinks it’s anything to worry about. I admit, you threw us all for a loop when you started going on dates with stallions, but I say, let bygones be bygones-”
“Okay, Pinkie, shut up for half a second, okay?” Rainbow insisted. She began pacing in a distracted circle. “I cannot believe everypony in town-”
“Not to forget Cloudsdale!” Pinkie interjected.
“Not to mention Cloudsdale, thought I was a filly-fooler.”
“Um, Rainbow Dash, I don’t mean to be rude, but aren’t you-”
“That’s not the point!” Rainbow snapped. “I’d gotten enough of all that whispering and rumor-mongering when I was a filly without knowing everypony around here was doing the same thing!”
“I don’t...think it’s the same thing at all,” Fluttershy murmured.
“Yeah, Dashie, nopony was making fun of you for it.” Pinkie nudged Rainbow’s side hard with her head. “At least nopony I ever heard. And if I did hear it, I’d give ‘em such a talking to they wouldn’t know what happened to them. They’d be like, ‘oh, I feel so contrite for making fun of Rainbow Dash’s love of sweet filly rump-’” Rainbow heard a choked sound from Fluttershy. “‘I guess there’s nothing left to do but beg her forgiveness and throw her an awesome party!’”
“No parties, Pinkie,” Rainbow repeated. “Even if everypony already thinks I prefer mares.”
“At least...you know...how people react thinking you’re a...fiily fooler,” Fluttershy said. When Rainbow looked in her direction, Fluttershy kicked nervously at the dust.
“Oh, Celestia, don’t make me say this, Flutter,” Rainbow groaned.
Pinkie Pie sidled up to Rainbow and leaned close, grinning. “Come on, Dashie, you know you want to,” she said in a sing-song voice. “I even know a song for a moment like this-”
More worried by the prospect of Pinkie singing than the embarrassment of discussing emotions, Rainbow spoke hurriedly. “Look, Fluttershy, I...love you. And I know all your friends do, too. I can’t think of a single pony who doesn’t think you’re the sweetest thing alive. I can think of a list of ponies the length of your wingspan that’d be ready to pound some sense into anypony’d who’d say a mean word to you about that, and I’d be the first on that list.”
“Oh.” Fluttershy’s voice was nearly as quiet as Rainbow had ever heard it, and her eyes, shielded by her hair, were fixed on her hooves. “I’m sure you don’t need to do anything like that,” she added.
“And let somepony hurt my girl Fluttershy?” Rainbow asked. “What kind of pony do you think I am?” She strutted forward and got in Fluttershy’s face; the pale pegasus pulled back, but didn’t make a noise. “I am not the sort of pony that leaves a friend hanging, especially not my oldest, kindest friend who never hurt anypony in her life.”
“Eep?”
“Dashie’s right, Fluttershy! There’s no reason anypony’d think any different of you when they all still like her.” Pinkie Pie exploded up between the two pegasi, throwing her legs around the both of them into one, PInkie-themed hug. “Maybe we could have a party for you!”
“Oh...no, thank you anyway, Pinkie,” Fluttershy said. “I’d like to tell ponies myself, if it isn’t too much trouble.”
Pinkie Pie dropped onto all fours again, face scrunched into a mildly concerned expression. “All right. But I’m beginning to think I’m never going to get to throw a party.”
Fluttershy gave Rainbow a helpless look, so Rainbow shrugged and, pulling Pinkie Pie after her, waved good-bye to Fluttershy. “Hey, nopony said you had to throw a party for me or Shy. I mean, you’re Pinkie Pie. Since when do you need a reason to throw a party?”
Pinkie Pie nodded seriously. “You may have a point. Soo...since you’re at loose ends, do you want to get up to some pranking?”
“Sorry, Pinkie, but I got a couple of things to do,” Rainbow apologized.
Pinkie gave her a curious, piercing look. Rainbow took an uncertain step back, but then Pinkie shrugged and gave her a blinding grin.
“All right. I know you’ve got a lot to think about. But you gotta promise to let me throw you a party sometime.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Fine. You can throw me an engagement party if I ever settle down.”
“Ooh! Really?” Pinkie Pie bounced forward and nuzzled Rainbow. “I’m going home and start planning.”
“Have fun!” Rainbow said, and watched PInkie bound off into the distance. Then she took to the air, alighting on a cloud not far from Fluttershy’s. The day was darkening, sun sinking towards the clear horizon, and Rainbow, rolling onto her back, took a moment to watch it without thinking, something she’d been doing too much of, in her opinion.
The attempt lasted only a few minutes before Rainbow’s thoughts drifted. Fluttershy...Rainbow hadn’t seen that coming. It gave her a little burst of confidence regarding her own recent revelation. If Fluttershy, frightened of her own shadow, could deal with the uncertainty of being...a little abnormal, Rainbow should be able to take the whole thing in stride.
That is...if all of her friends were understanding. If Pinkie was right, everypony already thought they knew all about her. But still, there was an uncomfortable knot in Rainbow’s stomach. Now that Pinkie and Fluttershy...and Spike and Twilight had expressed their whole-hearted support for her, there seemed not very much to worry about. But Rainbow was acutely aware that not all of her friends had declared acceptance for Rainbow’s revelation; Applejack, in particular, was set in her ways, and if she thought it was gross, or wrong...there wasn’t much Rainbow could do to change it.
Still, it seemed it couldn’t hurt to butter her up a little before telling her.
Rainbow rolled right-side up, grinning. It had worked last time, hadn’t it? In fact, she had the absolute best idea! It was going to take planning, hard work, and totally awesome stealth.
<3 <3 <3
Early the next afternoon, Rainbow knocked at the door to Applejack’s home. After a moment, it swung open to reveal Big Macintosh. He took a long look at Rainbow, loaded down with the packages it had taken her all morning to collect, before drawling, “Applejack’s out.”
“Good,” Rainbow said. “I didn’t want to see her right now, anyway.”
Big Macintosh narrowed his eyes at Rainbow, mouth twisting into a distinct scowl. “Rainbow, I thought I was clear I’m not gonna date you.”
“What? No! No, I got that message loud and clear,” Rainbow protested. “I was just here to ask you for a little favor, nothing big. You see, I’m planning a surprise for Applejack, to thank her for being such a great friend, and I wanted to borrow your kitchen. And maybe ask you to stay out of our manes tonight, and maybe find somewhere to keep Applebloom busy?”
Big Macintosh stared at Rainbow for several tense moments. She tried not to squirm under the attention, but the Apple clan had talent for a unique, penetrating gaze. She’d heard from Twilight how a wide-eyed pleading look from Applebloom could have melted Nightmare Moon’s heart. Big Macintosh’s stare made her want to blurt out the whole story, from beginning to end, even though she knew she wasn’t guilty of anything.
“A thank-you dinner?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Rainbow said, lifting up one of the bags. “I’ve got a cookbook and a buncha stuff from Pinkie Pie. Soo...”
“Ayup. I’ll be back at dawn,” Big Macintosh said. “Try to be out of the way by then.” He winked at Rainbow before grabbing the strap of a bag sitting by the door and stepping out past Rainbow.
“Dawn?” Rainbow demanded at Big Macintosh’ retreating back. “What the hay are we going to be doing until dawn? It’s just dinner!”
“Have fun, Dash!” he called.
Rainbow stared after Big Macintosh for a few minutes, until she was sure he was gone, and then grabbed her bags and trotted into the kitchen. She set the cookbook on one of the tables and stared at it. She took a deep breath. This was for her friend; she could do this.
“Step one,” Rainbow read, “peel one pound sweet apples...”
Two hours passed relatively uneventfully; Rainbow found that there were few mistakes you could make while cooking that couldn’t be worked around with the right spices, or taking a knife to offending portions of a meal. All that was left was the pudding, which Pinkie Pie had assured Rainbow was foalproof.
She poured the sugar, butter, and water together before realizing she didn’t have corn starch, and she had no idea where to start looking. Luckily, Rainbow found a few cobs of corn she mashed up and added to the sugar mix. It looked sort of like butterscotch already, although the mixture didn’t thicken on the stove so much as brown. Still, she thought as she tipped the mixture into her pan with the apples and flour, it smelled sweet, and that was all it needed.
Rainbow began carrying plates to the table as the dessert cooked, only to freeze when the door opened, admitting Applejack. The orange earth pony paused in the door, staring at Rainbow, who had submitted to an apron once a pot of tomato sauce had nearly exploded over her coat.
“Hey, AJ,” Rainbow said.
“Sugarcube, what’re you doing?” Applejack peered around Rainbow into the kitchen. “You didn’t stash Big Macintosh anywhere, did ya?”
“What? No,” Rainbow scoffed. “He said it was all right for me to use your kitchen.”
“For a date?” Applejack demanded. She tensed, eyes narrowed as she glanced suspiciously around the kitchen.
“For you,” Rainbow said. Applejack’s eyes widened, scanning the room for a startled second before settling back on Rainbow. She bit her lip and stared at Rainbow Dash, again giving the pegasus the uneasy feeling of having somepony staring through her.
“It this...some kind of joke, Dash?”
“Of course not! I know you’re probably sick of hearing about this whole thing, but you helping me with this whole dating thing was pretty awesome of you. I know you didn’t have to, so I thought I’d surprise you with a little dinner.” Rainbow grinned at Applejack, whose belligerence gave way to a weary smile.
“Well, I can’t imagine turning down such a kind offer, especially since you went to...a lot of trouble.” Applejack took a long glanced at the kitchen; Rainbow glanced behind her, only now seeing the pots and pans scattered across the kitchen counters, the sink full of dirty silverware and measuring cups, and the fallout from the occasional rogue splatter of food painted liberally along the walls and floor.
“Heh heh,” Rainbow chuckled. “Well, I don’t expect you to clean up. Come on, I got everything almost ready!”
Applejack approached the table cautiously while Rainbow gathered the rest of the plates. She set them down on the table one by one, giving them a proud examination before looking to Applejack. The earth pony had a stiff smile on her face; when she caught Rainbow looking at her, she gave the pegasus a warmer smile.
“It’s a mighty fine spread you put out, Dash. I reckon you must have put a lot into it.”
“It was nothing. So go ahead and eat.”
Applejack chuckled. “That’s mighty gracious, Dash. Why, a mare could get used to treatment like that.”
She bent down and took a bite of the salad. Slowly, Applejack chewed, eyes fixed on the salad. Applejack took another bite.
“Great, huh?” Rainbow asked, leaning in.
Applejack made a thoughtful sound. “It’s edible. Which, to be honest, was more than I was expecting.”
“What? Why wouldn’t I be awesome at cooking?”
“Sugarcube, when’s the last time I’d’ve seen you cook?”
Rainbow let her jaw snap shut. She smiled weakly at Applejack. “Heh-heh. Well. I guess you’ve got a point.” She groaned when that thought brought to mind the fact that she still had to talk to Twilight.
“What’s the matter, hon?” Applejack asked.
“I still gotta tell Twilight she was right,” Rainbow said. “And she’s going to be insufferably supportive about it, so I can’t even be annoyed with her about it.”
“Well, it ain’t going to do you any good sitting here moaning about it,” Applejack said, snapping up the sauteed (and only slightly blackened) vegetables. “You could practice on me, if you thought it’d do any good.”
Rainbow looked up from her plate, a slight warmth coiling in her stomach. She couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to tell Applejack; Applejack liked her food, appreciated the gesture of Rainbow cooking for her, and had practically asked Rainbow to tell her what Rainbow was thinking about.
“I think I gotta tell you something, first,” Rainbow said. “All this dating thing has made me do a lot of thinking - I mean, a lot of thinking. And with one thing and another, I...well, I sort of...like mares.”
“Come again?”
“I’m a filly-fooler,” Rainbow said. She paused, not certain her usual bluster would work here. She couldn’t even think of what she could say, beyond that simple statement. She wasn’t here to look for advice, so the whole vanilla-frosting story wouldn’t be a good idea. Besides, Applejack knew most of it already.
Applejack hadn’t replied, the interior of the house almost dead silent. Rainbow looked at Applejack, who had dropped her eyes to the table, hat shielding her green eyes, and in fact, whole expression, from Rainbow. Rainbow could see Applejack was shaking, just a bit.
“Applejack?”
“And you thought you’d make me a nice dinner to tell me?” Applejack asked. “Get me to settle down so you could drop the news on my back?”
“You’re my friend, Applejack-”
“I reckon I know that!” Applejack snapped back, finally raising her head to meet Rainbow’s stare. Her cheeks were a dark orange, nearly red all the way through, and her eyes were narrow, barely-visible green chips fixed on Rainbow. And Rainbow thought she could see tear tracks on her friend’s face. “So I don’t need to hear every apple-bucking detail about it! All right?”
“Applejack?” Rainbow asked cautiously. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Applejack said, voice even although Rainbow could see she was still shaking. “I...think you’d better leave, sug-Dash.”
Rainbow’s heart sank. “AJ, you don’t mean-”
“I wanna be left alone right now, Dash,” Applejack repeated. “Do you need me to say it plainer?”
Rainbow stared at her friend, hoping that the other mare would take it back, or say it was a joke, but Applejack’s stern glare remained firm. “I...” Rainbow found her words stuck in her throat; she didn’t know what she could say to Applejack that could change the earth pony’s mind. “Fine,” Rainbow growled. “I’ve got plenty of other friends if you don’t want to be seen with me.” She stalked away from the table and out the door, only to stick her head back into the house to add, “And I’m not cleaning the kitchen!”
Rainbow fled the farm as fast as she could, taking refuge in a cloud near the edge of Ponyville, high enough that Fluttershy would be hesitant to visit her, and just far enough from the town that nopony should even look for her.
Rainbow collapsed into the cloud and glared at the sky, unwilling to let go of the heat of anger in her breast. She didn’t know who she was angry with - Applejack, herself, Twilight - but she was certain if she let her anger slip for even a moment she’d start crying. And Rainbow wasn’t going to cry just because Applejack was an ass. She had at least four other friends who didn’t care that Rainbow preferred mares - five, if she counted Bon Bon among her friends. It wasn’t as if she could expect all of her friends to feel the same way.
Rainbow growled at that thought and rolled onto her back. Of course it was different. Sure, it was sweet that, say, Twilight and Spike had come right out and said they supported Rainbow no matter what. But it had been talking to Fluttershy, Pinkie...Applejack, that had twisted Rainbow’s stomach in knots. Her oldest friend, her best friend, and the closest thing Rainbow had to an equal around here. It was a shock to find that, for all that Rainbow had come to expect from Applejack, it was she who’d turned on Rainbow first.
“Well, at least she was honest about it,” Rainbow muttered.
“Excuse me?”
Rainbow scrambled to her feet, heart pounding as her eyes darted around, looking for the intrusion into her embarrassment. She sighed when she saw a grey pegasus fluttering just next to the cloud.
“Ditzy,” she sighed. Ditzy Doo was the least likely pony to go off and rat that Rainbow Dash had been trying not to cry into a cloud. At least, the least likely to do so intelligibly. “What do you want?”
Ditzy tilted her head, yellow eyes fixed on Rainbow in a show of focus unusual for her. “You’re...not Rainbow Dash,” she said.
“Ditzy, we work together every year at Winter Wrap-Up,” Rainbow said, exasperated. “Not to mention emergency weather work.”
The grey pegasus shook her head. “No, Rainbow is different. She’s not sad.” She fluttered onto the cloud next to Rainbow and nudged Rainbow’s head, sending Rainbow shying away from her.
“Hey! Keep your distance!” Rainbow snapped.
Ditzy’s mouth flickered upward, and she seemed to relax, allowing her eyes to drift as they were wont to. “You are Rainbow Dash,” she said wonderingly. “But you’re sad Rainbow Dash. Which is silly.”
Rainbow almost told Ditzy to leave, but the cheerful dismissiveness of the other pegasus’ words gave her pause. “You think I can’t be sad about things?”
Ditzy tilted her head, considering Rainbow...or possibly the sky, or her dinner. It was hard to tell with Ditzy. “You have a lot of friends,” she said. She smiled at Rainbow. “I don’t have a lot of friends. But Dinky keeps me from being sad.”
Rainbow snorted. It was usually a good idea to ignore Ditzy, but Rainbow normally didn’t, because if it wasn’t worth a laugh, there was a chance she’d come out with something worth listening to. “And what if my friends are the problem?” She was struck with a sudden burst of courage; she’d experienced the best and the worst possible reactions from her friends already. What could she possibly fear from Ditzy? “One of them hates me because I told her I’m a filly-fooler.”
“Oh. Are you sure?” Ditzy asked. “All of your friends are very nice.” She frowned momentarily. “Mostly.”
“Well, then you’ve never gotten on Applejack’s bad side,” Rainbow retorted. She dropped back onto the cloud with a gusty groan. “What am I supposed to do?” she asked.
“Can you stop wanting to kiss other mares?” Ditzy asked.
Rainbow shot Ditzy a contemptuous glare which seemed to go right over the other pegasus’ head. “I wouldn’t do that just to keep Miss Close-to-the-Earth from feeling uncomfortable. Ha! I don’t let anypony tell me what to do!” She flinched away at Ditzy’s wide smile. “Yeah, I know,” she muttered. “There it is. Don’t be ashamed about it.” She dropped her head onto her hooves and sighed again. “But it still hurts.”
Ditzy nodded and then took a deep breath. “People think I’m strange, but when they see Dinky, they know we’re happy. Maybe...” She paused, squinting her eyes as she tried to draw out the words she needed.
“What about you? Do you think it’s weird?”
Ditzy frowned thoughtfully. She looked up, although one of her eyes drifted down to fix on Rainbow as Ditzy thought. At last, the grey pegasus shook her head. “Everypony has a different favorite type of muffin.” She made a ‘tsk’ noise. “And some ponies don’t like muffins. Nopony should hate you for being happy.” She took a step forward, and bent down to nuzzle Rainbow again. Rainbow, emotionally exhausted and feeling grateful for Ditzy’s advice, didn’t pull away. “I think...” She stepped back before speaking up again. “Be Rainbow Dash. Applejack likes Rainbow Dash.”
“But-”
“Sorry; I gotta go.” Ditzy winked at Rainbow. “But don’t worry. Like Coach always said: it’ll work out if you just power through.” Her wings blurred, sending Ditzy rocketing off.
Rainbow watched the retreating contrail, a bemused smile drifting onto her face. Maybe Ditzy was right; she seemed to be so more often than not, at least when it didn’t come to directions. Rainbow had to admit, it was an attractive suggestion to just give Applejack time to adjust. And if Rainbow found just the right mare, maybe Applejack would come around.
Come to think of it, Rainbow had an idea of the perfect opportunity...
<3 <3 <3
“Hey, Twilight!” Rainbow kicked the door to the library a few times, experimentally, but with no result. She dropped her hooves and glowered at the wood. “Come on,” Rainbow muttered. She butted her head against the door, which at last caused it to swing open. “Finally!”
“Who?”
Rainbow stared at the owl, who must have been perched on the doorknob on the far side of the door, as he peered around at her.
“It’s me, Rainbow Dash,” she said. “Is Twilight in?”
“Who?”
“Rainbow Dash, the unicorn who runs the library? Has a little dragon following her everywhere?”
“Who?”
“Oh, come on, now you’re just messing with me!” Rainbow snapped. “And aren’t you noc - don’t you sleep during the day, anyway?”
“Yes, he does, but someone thought it was a good idea to give him coffee.” Twilight appeared behind the owl, sending him fluttering back into the library. “What can I do for you, Rainbow?”
Rainbow took a deep breath and then shoved her way past Twilight. “First, you have to promise you won’t be insufferable about this.”
Twilight tilted her head, confused, as she stared at Rainbow. “I’m sorry?”
“Just promise!” Rainbow snapped.
Recoiling, Twilight gave Rainbow an uneasy smile. “OK. Just...what’s this about?”
Rainbow looked at the wall as she answered; she couldn’t bear to see anything approaching smugness on Twilight’s face. “You were right. About me. And...mares.”
“I’m glad you feel comfortable enough to tell me, Rainbow Dash-”
“And I was thinking, now that I’ve told you, you can introduce me to your friend in Canterlot!”
Twilight shied back, shaking her head emphatically. “No. I don’t think that’s a good idea, Rainbow.”
“Why not?”
Twilight opened her mouth, and then let it close without speaking. She glanced at Rainbow, and then at the floor. “It’s...hard to explain. I just think...you really...wouldn’t get along.”
“Aw, c’mon, how do you know if we don’t try? You could be keeping your friend from true love!” Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but Rainbow decided now was the time to play dirty. She tapped into the filly she had once been, and opened her eyes wide, letting them tear a little. “Please?”
Twilight sighed, dropping her head in defeat. “Fine. But I can’t promise you’ll like her.”
“Aw, don’t worry. Everything’s going to be perfect!”
<3 <3 <3
Rainbow shivered at the mare began to pace around her, piercing eyes fixed so intently on her, she was certain the other mare could see into her soul.
“Um-” Rainbow began.
“So!” Princess Celestia snapped, cutting Rainbow off. “We understand you wish to court our sister.”
Rainbow tried to smile at Princess Celestia, but the expression lost some of its bluster in the face of the sun goddess, who had a glare that could burn toast. “Well-”
“SILENCE!” the goddess roared. “We understand that among ponies of your generation, you are...lax with concepts of commitment and fidelity. So I will warn you, pre-emptively. If you hurt my little sister, you’ll spend TWO thousand years on the moon!”
Rainbow recoiled from the force of the glare. “I-”
And then Celestia burst out laughing. “Oh, you should have seen your face! Really? Two thousand years on the moon?”
“Heh heh,” Rainbow said weakly. “I guess that is a little silly.”
“Of course! You’d suffocate after ten minutes!” Celestia chortled.
Rainbow gulped. “So...you wouldn’t really send me to the moon, right?”
“Of course not,” Celestia said, patting Rainbow’s head. “I’d plaster your tormented image into the stars so that ponies a thousand generations from now will remember the price of crossing Princess Luna.” Her eyes grew dark and flinty, and voice was, by the end of the litany, a harsh, sputtering hiss, like the sound of an all-consuming fire.
“Can we just leave for dinner?” Rainbow squeaked. “I made reservations for 8 and it’s late already-”
Celestia’s face lost its vicious edge, returning to the placid expression she normally bore around her subjects. “Oh! Of course; let’s not keep my sister waiting.”
Ten minutes later, Rainbow and Princess Luna were settled at their table at the Horned Dorset, possibly the fanciest restaurant Rainbow Dash had ever set foot in. Rainbow gave the princess a weak smile.
“So...”
“I have heard from my sister that you are quite a skilled aerobat,” Luna said.
“Aero - you mean, flying? Oh, sure! I’m the best!” Rainbow agreed. “I’ve perfected the Sonic Rainboom, only the awesomest aerial maneuver in Equestria!”
Luna nodded. “Of course; I’m fascinated by the concept. I always theorized that because the speed of sound, light, and magic are so similar, surpassing those barriers would lead to an astromagical event with truly phenomenal properties. If properly harnessed-”
“Hey! Look, it’s our waiter!” Rainbow waved down one of the sheep who delivered food, in the hope that food would distract Luna from babbling.
“Oh, yes!” Luna turned to the server. “We demand your finest preparations, server! If your efforts are in good faith, you will be well rewarded with our grace!”
Rainbow sighed, dropping her face to her hoof. Attention was all well and good, but...apparently, Luna hadn’t quite adapted to modern life yet. “You might want to turn down the volume a bit, Luna.”
“How dare you - oh, yes, of course, Rainbow.” Luna smiled at Rainbow again.
“Um...” Rainbow scratched the back of her head, floundering for ideas. “I bet you’re a good flier, right?”
“Oh, no. Not in that way,” Luna replied. “I fly as the night does, on silent wing. My sister’s flight is the speed of the hunter - although, to be honest, I don’t think she’s ever broken the light barrier.” She leaned in close for the last line, confirming that Luna knew what an indoor voice was.
“Well, I know I’m awesome. What do you do for fun, then?”
Luna sighed. “My sister has insisted I learn the evolution of Equestria’s politics and economics over the past thousand years. So in my free time, I watch over my friends.”
“Friends?” Rainbow asked. She could have smacked herself when the words escaped her lips. “I mean-”
“No, I understand,” Luna said with a brief smile. “The moon is not known for its social scene. But I spent that time caring for the stars - the one thing over which I had any control on the moon. I say control, but of course, how much control can one really have over the night? Leo and Taurus are docile enough, but just try getting Scorpio to go to sleep at dawn.”
“You sound like-” Rainbow let her mouth snap closed before she could complete the sentence. Luna reminded her of Fluttershy, for all her godlike power and sister-complex. And thinking like that - well, Rainbow couldn’t see this going anywhere. She loved Fluttershy, but they didn’t have a lot in common. Rainbow suspected she had a lot less in common with Princess Luna. And as for somepony she did have something in common with...
Rainbow started once she realized she’d been staring into space for longer than was remotely polite. Luna’s expression was soft, and there was a light smile on her face. “I know that look, Rainbow Dash.”
“What?”
“The night is not just the realm of stars and night creatures,” Luna said. “I was once known as the goddess of secret desire.” She leaned close. “And I can see writ plain on your heart that your heart lies elsewhere.”
“You can? It does? Then why the hay don’t I know about it?”
Luna’s smile grew softer, giving her an enigmatic, distant expression. “You do, Rainbow Dash. In your heart of hearts, when you meet a pony, you see what is lacking, how she compares poorly to the one you love.”
Rainbow scoffed. “That’s ridiculous! If I know what I want, how come I haven’t figured it out yet?”
Luna shrugged. “Ponies hide from themselves for many reasons. But I suspect, if you think on it, you’ll find that you know exactly what you want. Oh, thank you.” She nodded to their waiter as he dropped the plates on their table. The sheep paused, staring dazedly at Luna for a moment before flushing and trotting away. “How about we dig in? I’ve missed eating.”
“Sure.” Rainbow dug in, but found herself distracted by Luna’s words. How could she possibly know what she wanted? All she knew was what hadn’t worked. She wanted someone who liked her, who didn’t belittle or patronize her, who shared her interests, who could maybe keep up with her, and...
“Oh, horseapples,” Rainbow growled. “Luna?”
“I’ll tell them to wrap up your dinner,” Luna said with a smile. She then winked at Rainbow. “Plus, I’ll keep Celly from going too overboard.”
Rainbow paused, already half-rising from the table. “Oh. Thanks. Hadn’t thought about that.”
“No problem,” Luna said. “If anything, it’s my responsibility to keep Celly level-headed.” She winked at Rainbow. “Good luck.”
“Yeah,” Rainbow said. “I’m going to need it,” she muttered.
<3 <3 <3
Big Mac stared at Rainbow Dash, who was almost recumbent under the weight of her baggage. “Now, normally, I’d reckon it’d be a poor idea letting you in here, after the snit you put Applejack in-”
Rainbow wilted under the colt’s attention. “Sorry. But-” She abruptly rallied, glowering at Big Mac. “She’s the one who kicked me out!”
“That don’t matter none; she’s family,” Big Mac replied.
“Yeah. So that’s why I’m back here. I need the house for the night.”
Big Mac’s stare didn’t shift. “Another thank you dinner?”
Rainbow opened her mouth to retort, but snapped her mouth shut and shook her head before she could let the whole thing slip. “It’s personal,” she said.
“Personal?” Big Mac leaned in close, peering carefully at Rainbow. “What kind of personal?”
“Personal personal!” Rainbow snapped. She could feel her cheeks heating under Big Mac’s scrutiny. “What’s it to you, anyway?”
“She’s my sister,” Big Mac replied. But he was smiling. “In any case, I reckon I’ve got errands to do. Try not to leave Applejack in such a state this time, all right?”
Rainbow gulped and nodded. “I’ll try.”
Once Big Mac left her alone, Rainbow sighed and took out the cookbooks she’d borrowed from Pinkie. This was bigger than a thank-you dinner, and, given how badly the last one had gone, she knew everything had to be perfect. No burned apples or soggy salad.
Two hours later, Rainbow stepped back from the meal and gave it an appraising look. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a damn sight better than the last meal Rainbow had made. Now just to get the presentation right-
Rainbow nearly leapt out of her hide when the front door opened. “I’m about ready to collapse, Mac, so I hope you weren’t planning on me making - what in tarnation are you doing here, Rainbow?”
Rainbow hadn’t remembered Applejack’s glare being so fierce, but then again, the last time Rainbow had seen it, she’d been doing what Applejack asked, instead of invading her home again. But Rainbow Dash wasn’t a coward. She wouldn’t back down from Princess Celestia, so one of her best friends couldn’t be any worse. Right?
Rainbow gulped and tried to flash Applejack a weak smile. “Surprise?”
“Rainbow...” Applejack sighed, head drooping. “Don’t...” Rainbow stared; she’d expected Applejack to be furious, to shout and rave. That’s what Applejack did when Rainbow made her mad. She didn’t fold in on herself and look sadder than a deflated Pinkie Pie. It didn’t make any sense. Applejack had been the one to throw Rainbow out. She shouldn’t look so miserable.
Rainbow shook herself, refusing to dwell on the incongruity. She had something to do, and she wasn’t leaving until she’d done it. “Look, you don’t have to eat anything if you don’t want to, but just hear me out, okay?” Applejack nodded almost imperceptibly, but she was still staring at the floor. “I’m sorry that I made you mad or uncomfortable or anything, but I can’t change who I am just because you might not like it-”
“What?” Applejack’s head snapped up. Her eyes had a wild, unfocused look. “I didn’t - I wouldn’t hate you because of that!” She let out a weak chuckle. “I wouldn’t deserve the Element of Honesty if I did, sugarcube.”
“Oh.” Rainbow’s heart lifted a fraction. “Well, that’s good. That’s...great.” She couldn’t quite resist beaming at Applejack. The earth pony stared at the expression, tilting her head and focusing an uncertain stare at Rainbow. “But I gotta say this, Applejack. I know you’re crazy from me running all over trying to find the right pony - right mare - for me. But that’s done. Search over. Finis!”
Applejack’s frame shook with the force of her exhalation. “Of course. And you wanted to run right down and tell me. That’s great, sugarcube, but I’m real tired-”
“You’re not listening!” Rainbow snapped. “I found the mare I wanna spend the rest of my life with! Luna was right; every time I went out, it didn’t feel right because nopony else could measure up to h - to you!”
“Luna? You’re really cutting your way through the dating pool, aren’t you, sugar-” Applejack’s words trailed off. She took a cautious step toward Rainbow, who, though shivering to her core and having fixed her eyes at the ground, didn’t move a step. Applejack bent her head to meet Rainbow’s eyes. “Dash? What did you say?”
“I said nopony mea - I mean, I said I love you, AJ.” Rainbow almost collapsed with the effort of getting the words out. “And I said nopony measures up to you. I mean, if I’d thought that one out, I’d have come to you first. Who’s the most awesome pony around here, besides me, of course?” She tried to chuckle, but the sound was choked.
She looked at Applejack, who had dropped her head again. The earth pony wasn’t moving, and it took a careful look to see she was breathing. “I know it’s a big shock, and a bigger honor, but I think in time you’ll get used to it.” Rainbow realized with a moment of horror that she was babbling. With that one big confession out, she was going to just keep talking until she got a response or her jaw fell off or-
Applejack’s lips were pressed against Rainbow’s.
That.
That’d do, Rainbow thought vaguely, as she took a tiny step closer and kissed, really kissed Applejack. The kiss probably only took a few seconds, but Rainbow would never be sure. She lost track of - well, everything in that moment. And then Applejack stepped back. Rainbow whimpered, and Applejack, whose expression was nearly unreadable, smiled.
“I was gonna ask if that was ok, but I think you answered already, eh, sugar?”
“I - you - you kissed me!” Rainbow declared; she felt indignant, but wasn’t certain why, exactly. She’d probably planned to be the one to kiss Applejack, but given the haze in her mind, she couldn’t be sure.
“You seemed to like it, Dashie,” Applejack replied. Rainbow shivered at the husky tone Applejack had taken, as well as the familiar nickname.
“Did - did you?” Rainbow choked out.
Applejack’s smile widened. “Not all of us have wings to, ah, show it, sugar, but I assure you, I did. Very much.” Applejack’s grin had something of a hungry wolf in it, and Rainbow began feeling a little out of her depth, and, inexplicably, nervous.
“Does that mean - I mean...” She trailed off, realizing she didn’t know how to ask in the face of this new, almost feral Applejack.
Applejack’s expression softened into a more familiar fond smile, and the earth pony stepped back next to Rainbow, nuzzling her cheek. “Course I love you, Dashie. Don’t doubt it for a second.”
Rainbow tried to reply, but there was something stuck in her throat. When her vision blurred, Rainbow realized she was crying, like some stupid filly in a stupid-
“Dashie? Don’t tell me you’re - stop it, Dash, right this second or I’m gonna...” Applejack sniffled, and that set off Rainbow to giggling, which itself caught Applejack. When that died down, however, Rainbow found she was grinning ear-to-ear at Applejack, who had a similar smile.
“Say, I’ve got an idea,” Rainbow said. “Seems somepony left a perfectly good dinner sitting on your kitchen table. Now, this may be a little forward, but heck, I’m always one to go for broke. Would you like to join me for dinner?”
Applejack snickered. “Sure thing, sugarcube. Even if you made that monstrosity with the corn again.”
“Cause you love me, right?”
“Yeah, sugarcube.” Applejack grinned at her.
“Love you too, AJ. And who knows? Play your cards right, and you might get lucky tonight.”
“Well,” Applejack said, trotting toward the dinner table, brushing against Rainbow as she did, “don’t let it get to your head or nothing, but I think I already have.”
Rainbow preened, but because Applejack was still her best girl, replied, “Me, too.”
<3 <3 <3
“No.”
“Please? I have to show that pegasus that there are consequences to toying with my little sister’s heart!”
“You are not sending Rainbow Dash to the moon,” Luna declared. “Not even a little bit!”
Celestia pouted. It was an expression that had lost nothing over the twelve thousand years since Celestia was a foal. Luna smirked at her.
“How about a compromise? You can get revenge, but only a little bit. No fires, no tricking someone into thinking they killed your pet, and no sending anybody to the moon!”
Celestia’s pout gave way to a wicked grin. “Excellent.”
Luna rolled her eyes. Sisters could be so weird, sometimes. Still, she wouldn’t trade her for anything in Equestria.
Rainbow landed at the edge of the clearing in which Fluttershy had built her home. A host of animals looked up from where they’d been grazing or sprawling, and just stared at her. Rainbow spread her wings, trying to look intimidating, but then a rabbit she hadn’t noticed before hopped to the end of a branch he’d been standing on and slapped her flank.
“Hey!” Rainbow turned to glare and met Angel Bunny’s beady eyes. “Why you...” She grabbed the offending rabbit by the scruff of his neck, but he responded with a quick bite and, when Rainbow dropped him in shock, he fled at top speed towards Fluttershy’s house.
“Get back here, you stupid bunny!” Angel burst through the low swinging door set in the entrance to Fluttershy’s house, and Rainbow, pursuing, skidded to a halt just as the front door swung open to reveal Fluttershy’s delicate form. Her blue eyes were a hardened, icy shade, but when she saw Rainbow, she took a step back, eyes snapping open into wide, frightened orbs.
“Rainbow Dash? What are you-? Angel Bunny, were you pestering Rainbow Dash?” The rabbit stuck out his tongue, to which Fluttershy narrowed her eyes. “Don’t look at me that way, Angel; I know that look. You were trying to get her in trouble! Well, you can just sit over by your hutch until dinner. I’m so sorry, Rainbow. Angel Bunny has just been in high spirits lately.”
“He tried to eat me,” Rainbow said, and shot the rabbit a threatening glare. He stuck his tongue out at her.
“Um, Rainbow, Angel Bunny is an herbivore. Like ponies.”
“Sure he is,” Rainbow growled.
A cough drew Rainbow’s attention away from the unrepentant rabbit and up to Fluttershy, who was watching Rainbow carefully. The yellow pegasus looked slightly more nervous than usual; she kept shifting away from Rainbow every time Rainbow looked her way.
“Is something wrong, ‘Shy?”
Fluttershy yelped and shook her head. “Oh, no. I’m just...if it’s not too rude, can I ask what you’re doing here? Not that I’m not delighted to see you. But you usually don’t come to visit. I know it’s my fault, having such a down-low house, but...well. Um?”
Rainbow winced, but shook off the moment of guilt. Now was probably not the time. “I sort of came to tell you something, Fluttershy. Something important.”
“Oh! I’m sorry for going on.” Fluttershy sat, sending Angel skittering to the edge of the room. “Go ahead; I’m listening.”
Rainbow, mouth open, ready to talk, snapped it closed when Fluttershy turned towards her, the very picture of demure attentiveness. “Um...” She felt her ears heat, and knew her coat was turning an unattractive violet shade. “It’s sort of...”
“Would you like a cup of tea? Or coffee? Only, you look sort of...”
“I’m a filly fooler,” Rainbow said.
“Oh!” Fluttershy took a step back from Rainbow, wings twitching nervously. “That’s...um, very nice, Rainbow.”
Rainbow watched her friend try her best to put distance between Rainbow and herself and felt her heart sink and twist into a pained knot. It was possible Twilight and Spike’s unsolicited show of support had been more surprising, but this pain would stick with her forever. The thought of Fluttershy not liking her anymore because...
“Yeah, okay. Sorry to bother you,” Rainbow muttered. “I’ll see myself out.”
Fluttershy’s head snapped up; she stared at Rainbow with wild eyes, herself frozen in place, but when Rainbow started towards the door, Fluttershy exploded into motion, throwing herself between her friend and the exit.
“Wait wait, what are you doing?”
“Leaving,” Rainbow snapped. “Since obviously I make you so uncomfortable-”
“No!” The volume of the shout was enough to stop Rainbow, at least for the crucial moment it took for Fluttershy to block the door. Her wings were ruffled, making her look twice her normal size, and when Rainbow met Fluttershy’s eyes, they had the hardened, dazing look of the Stare. “You stay right here, Rainbow Dash.”
“Hey! Cut that out!”
Fluttershy yelped and folded in on herself, freeing Rainbow from the compulsion of the Stare, but also compelling Rainbow to stay just to make sure Fluttershy wasn’t upset.
“Fluttershy?” she asked. “Are you ok?”
“You’re mad at me,” Fluttershy murmured. “And I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash. You’re a wonderful pony, and I think you’re lovely, and I do love you with all my heart, but...I just...think we shouldn’t...date.”
Rainbow stared at the cowering pegasus for a few shocked moments before she asked, slowly, “Date? Not that you aren’t cute, Fluttershy, but what made you think I was asking you out?”
Fluttershy raised her head and stared speculatively at Rainbow. “Well, I thought, since you already knew I preferred mares, you might...maybe have thought...”
“You what?” Rainbow demanded. “How was I supposed to know that?”
“I told you,” Fluttershy said. “I can understand if you didn’t remember-”
“No, I’m sure I’d remember something like that,” Rainbow replied. “When was this?”
“After we graduated from flight school?” Fluttershy said uncertainly. “We left that party early?”
“Was that what that was about? I thought you were telling me you didn’t want to live in Cloudsdale anymore.”
Fluttershy smiled gently. “Well, maybe a little. But I tried to tell you that I...felt different from other fillies.” She giggled, only to flush, mortified, as soon as the noise escaped her throat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh at you.”
“It’s all right. I guess it is a little funny,” Rainbow replied. “I mean, here I was worrying about what you’d say...”
“You were...worried?” Fluttershy asked. She leaned in to nuzzle Rainbow’s neck. “You’re one of my friends, Rainbow Dash.”
“I...know that.” Rainbow stepped away from the gesture, but smiled, she was certain a little uneasily, at Fluttershy. It made her a little ashamed to realize she’d doubted Fluttershy, who aside from being a lot more like Rainbow than she’d ever thought, was the gentlest soul Rainbow knew. “But maybe not well enough.”
Fluttershy smiled brightly at Rainbow. “Then I guess I’ll have to remind you. You’re my friend, Rainbow Dash, and I love you...no matter what.”
“We all do!”
“Yagh!” Rainbow recoiled, and Fluttershy bolted, from the sudden appearance of Pinkie Pie. The pink earth pony grinned widely at both of them from her seat on top of the table. There was nothing that Pinkie could have been hiding behind, unless you counted the small vase of flowers next to her. “Where did you come from?”
“A rock farm, silly!”
Rainbow opened her mouth and then let it shut closed. There wasn’t much point in arguing, anyway. “So random,” she mouthed at Fluttershy.
“Anyway, I hope you realize we all love you so much, Dashie! And nothing’ll ever change that, not ever! I bet you’d believe nopony cares whether you like stallions or mares if we had a giant party for you! A coming-out party! Only not the old-fashioned kind, where everypony’s in tux and tails. I wonder why they’re both called coming-out parties?”
“No!” Rainbow snapped. “We’re not having a party, Pinkie Pie. I don’t want you - either of you - to tell anypony. If anypony figures out, it’s because I told them, all right?”
Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie exchanged a look, and Pinkie produced a pair of frosted cupcakes. “Sure thing, ok, Flutter? Cross our hearts and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Fluttershy joined in the ritual, somewhat less enthusiastically than Pinkie Pie at the last line. “And if you want to tell everypony yourself, you might want to hurry, cause I’m pretty sure most everypony thought you were a filly-fooler before you started going out with all those stallions. Why, just last month Mrs. Cake asked me when you were going to find a nice mare to settle down with, and I told her, ‘Dashie’ll settle down when she’s good and ready, just like me, except I’m going to settle down with a stallion if I ever settle down. Or two, maybe. I always thought things would be more fun that way-”
“Pinkie, just be quiet for a second - two?!”
Pinkie grinned unabashedly at Rainbow. “Well, it’s hard to have a party with just two ponies, after all.”
Rainbow could see Fluttershy’s cheeks were stained scarlet, and she was certain she looked just as embarrassed. A part of her wanted to ask Pinkie for more information, but the rest of her just didn’t want to know. So Rainbow compromised.
“What do you mean, everypony thinks I’m a filly-fooler?”
Fluttershy shrank back, but Pinkie just bounced to Rainbow’s side, slinging a leg over her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, Dashie, nopony who’s anypony thinks it’s anything to worry about. I admit, you threw us all for a loop when you started going on dates with stallions, but I say, let bygones be bygones-”
“Okay, Pinkie, shut up for half a second, okay?” Rainbow insisted. She began pacing in a distracted circle. “I cannot believe everypony in town-”
“Not to forget Cloudsdale!” Pinkie interjected.
“Not to mention Cloudsdale, thought I was a filly-fooler.”
“Um, Rainbow Dash, I don’t mean to be rude, but aren’t you-”
“That’s not the point!” Rainbow snapped. “I’d gotten enough of all that whispering and rumor-mongering when I was a filly without knowing everypony around here was doing the same thing!”
“I don’t...think it’s the same thing at all,” Fluttershy murmured.
“Yeah, Dashie, nopony was making fun of you for it.” Pinkie nudged Rainbow’s side hard with her head. “At least nopony I ever heard. And if I did hear it, I’d give ‘em such a talking to they wouldn’t know what happened to them. They’d be like, ‘oh, I feel so contrite for making fun of Rainbow Dash’s love of sweet filly rump-’” Rainbow heard a choked sound from Fluttershy. “‘I guess there’s nothing left to do but beg her forgiveness and throw her an awesome party!’”
“No parties, Pinkie,” Rainbow repeated. “Even if everypony already thinks I prefer mares.”
“At least...you know...how people react thinking you’re a...fiily fooler,” Fluttershy said. When Rainbow looked in her direction, Fluttershy kicked nervously at the dust.
“Oh, Celestia, don’t make me say this, Flutter,” Rainbow groaned.
Pinkie Pie sidled up to Rainbow and leaned close, grinning. “Come on, Dashie, you know you want to,” she said in a sing-song voice. “I even know a song for a moment like this-”
More worried by the prospect of Pinkie singing than the embarrassment of discussing emotions, Rainbow spoke hurriedly. “Look, Fluttershy, I...love you. And I know all your friends do, too. I can’t think of a single pony who doesn’t think you’re the sweetest thing alive. I can think of a list of ponies the length of your wingspan that’d be ready to pound some sense into anypony’d who’d say a mean word to you about that, and I’d be the first on that list.”
“Oh.” Fluttershy’s voice was nearly as quiet as Rainbow had ever heard it, and her eyes, shielded by her hair, were fixed on her hooves. “I’m sure you don’t need to do anything like that,” she added.
“And let somepony hurt my girl Fluttershy?” Rainbow asked. “What kind of pony do you think I am?” She strutted forward and got in Fluttershy’s face; the pale pegasus pulled back, but didn’t make a noise. “I am not the sort of pony that leaves a friend hanging, especially not my oldest, kindest friend who never hurt anypony in her life.”
“Eep?”
“Dashie’s right, Fluttershy! There’s no reason anypony’d think any different of you when they all still like her.” Pinkie Pie exploded up between the two pegasi, throwing her legs around the both of them into one, PInkie-themed hug. “Maybe we could have a party for you!”
“Oh...no, thank you anyway, Pinkie,” Fluttershy said. “I’d like to tell ponies myself, if it isn’t too much trouble.”
Pinkie Pie dropped onto all fours again, face scrunched into a mildly concerned expression. “All right. But I’m beginning to think I’m never going to get to throw a party.”
Fluttershy gave Rainbow a helpless look, so Rainbow shrugged and, pulling Pinkie Pie after her, waved good-bye to Fluttershy. “Hey, nopony said you had to throw a party for me or Shy. I mean, you’re Pinkie Pie. Since when do you need a reason to throw a party?”
Pinkie Pie nodded seriously. “You may have a point. Soo...since you’re at loose ends, do you want to get up to some pranking?”
“Sorry, Pinkie, but I got a couple of things to do,” Rainbow apologized.
Pinkie gave her a curious, piercing look. Rainbow took an uncertain step back, but then Pinkie shrugged and gave her a blinding grin.
“All right. I know you’ve got a lot to think about. But you gotta promise to let me throw you a party sometime.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Fine. You can throw me an engagement party if I ever settle down.”
“Ooh! Really?” Pinkie Pie bounced forward and nuzzled Rainbow. “I’m going home and start planning.”
“Have fun!” Rainbow said, and watched PInkie bound off into the distance. Then she took to the air, alighting on a cloud not far from Fluttershy’s. The day was darkening, sun sinking towards the clear horizon, and Rainbow, rolling onto her back, took a moment to watch it without thinking, something she’d been doing too much of, in her opinion.
The attempt lasted only a few minutes before Rainbow’s thoughts drifted. Fluttershy...Rainbow hadn’t seen that coming. It gave her a little burst of confidence regarding her own recent revelation. If Fluttershy, frightened of her own shadow, could deal with the uncertainty of being...a little abnormal, Rainbow should be able to take the whole thing in stride.
That is...if all of her friends were understanding. If Pinkie was right, everypony already thought they knew all about her. But still, there was an uncomfortable knot in Rainbow’s stomach. Now that Pinkie and Fluttershy...and Spike and Twilight had expressed their whole-hearted support for her, there seemed not very much to worry about. But Rainbow was acutely aware that not all of her friends had declared acceptance for Rainbow’s revelation; Applejack, in particular, was set in her ways, and if she thought it was gross, or wrong...there wasn’t much Rainbow could do to change it.
Still, it seemed it couldn’t hurt to butter her up a little before telling her.
Rainbow rolled right-side up, grinning. It had worked last time, hadn’t it? In fact, she had the absolute best idea! It was going to take planning, hard work, and totally awesome stealth.
<3 <3 <3
Early the next afternoon, Rainbow knocked at the door to Applejack’s home. After a moment, it swung open to reveal Big Macintosh. He took a long look at Rainbow, loaded down with the packages it had taken her all morning to collect, before drawling, “Applejack’s out.”
“Good,” Rainbow said. “I didn’t want to see her right now, anyway.”
Big Macintosh narrowed his eyes at Rainbow, mouth twisting into a distinct scowl. “Rainbow, I thought I was clear I’m not gonna date you.”
“What? No! No, I got that message loud and clear,” Rainbow protested. “I was just here to ask you for a little favor, nothing big. You see, I’m planning a surprise for Applejack, to thank her for being such a great friend, and I wanted to borrow your kitchen. And maybe ask you to stay out of our manes tonight, and maybe find somewhere to keep Applebloom busy?”
Big Macintosh stared at Rainbow for several tense moments. She tried not to squirm under the attention, but the Apple clan had talent for a unique, penetrating gaze. She’d heard from Twilight how a wide-eyed pleading look from Applebloom could have melted Nightmare Moon’s heart. Big Macintosh’s stare made her want to blurt out the whole story, from beginning to end, even though she knew she wasn’t guilty of anything.
“A thank-you dinner?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Rainbow said, lifting up one of the bags. “I’ve got a cookbook and a buncha stuff from Pinkie Pie. Soo...”
“Ayup. I’ll be back at dawn,” Big Macintosh said. “Try to be out of the way by then.” He winked at Rainbow before grabbing the strap of a bag sitting by the door and stepping out past Rainbow.
“Dawn?” Rainbow demanded at Big Macintosh’ retreating back. “What the hay are we going to be doing until dawn? It’s just dinner!”
“Have fun, Dash!” he called.
Rainbow stared after Big Macintosh for a few minutes, until she was sure he was gone, and then grabbed her bags and trotted into the kitchen. She set the cookbook on one of the tables and stared at it. She took a deep breath. This was for her friend; she could do this.
“Step one,” Rainbow read, “peel one pound sweet apples...”
Two hours passed relatively uneventfully; Rainbow found that there were few mistakes you could make while cooking that couldn’t be worked around with the right spices, or taking a knife to offending portions of a meal. All that was left was the pudding, which Pinkie Pie had assured Rainbow was foalproof.
She poured the sugar, butter, and water together before realizing she didn’t have corn starch, and she had no idea where to start looking. Luckily, Rainbow found a few cobs of corn she mashed up and added to the sugar mix. It looked sort of like butterscotch already, although the mixture didn’t thicken on the stove so much as brown. Still, she thought as she tipped the mixture into her pan with the apples and flour, it smelled sweet, and that was all it needed.
Rainbow began carrying plates to the table as the dessert cooked, only to freeze when the door opened, admitting Applejack. The orange earth pony paused in the door, staring at Rainbow, who had submitted to an apron once a pot of tomato sauce had nearly exploded over her coat.
“Hey, AJ,” Rainbow said.
“Sugarcube, what’re you doing?” Applejack peered around Rainbow into the kitchen. “You didn’t stash Big Macintosh anywhere, did ya?”
“What? No,” Rainbow scoffed. “He said it was all right for me to use your kitchen.”
“For a date?” Applejack demanded. She tensed, eyes narrowed as she glanced suspiciously around the kitchen.
“For you,” Rainbow said. Applejack’s eyes widened, scanning the room for a startled second before settling back on Rainbow. She bit her lip and stared at Rainbow Dash, again giving the pegasus the uneasy feeling of having somepony staring through her.
“It this...some kind of joke, Dash?”
“Of course not! I know you’re probably sick of hearing about this whole thing, but you helping me with this whole dating thing was pretty awesome of you. I know you didn’t have to, so I thought I’d surprise you with a little dinner.” Rainbow grinned at Applejack, whose belligerence gave way to a weary smile.
“Well, I can’t imagine turning down such a kind offer, especially since you went to...a lot of trouble.” Applejack took a long glanced at the kitchen; Rainbow glanced behind her, only now seeing the pots and pans scattered across the kitchen counters, the sink full of dirty silverware and measuring cups, and the fallout from the occasional rogue splatter of food painted liberally along the walls and floor.
“Heh heh,” Rainbow chuckled. “Well, I don’t expect you to clean up. Come on, I got everything almost ready!”
Applejack approached the table cautiously while Rainbow gathered the rest of the plates. She set them down on the table one by one, giving them a proud examination before looking to Applejack. The earth pony had a stiff smile on her face; when she caught Rainbow looking at her, she gave the pegasus a warmer smile.
“It’s a mighty fine spread you put out, Dash. I reckon you must have put a lot into it.”
“It was nothing. So go ahead and eat.”
Applejack chuckled. “That’s mighty gracious, Dash. Why, a mare could get used to treatment like that.”
She bent down and took a bite of the salad. Slowly, Applejack chewed, eyes fixed on the salad. Applejack took another bite.
“Great, huh?” Rainbow asked, leaning in.
Applejack made a thoughtful sound. “It’s edible. Which, to be honest, was more than I was expecting.”
“What? Why wouldn’t I be awesome at cooking?”
“Sugarcube, when’s the last time I’d’ve seen you cook?”
Rainbow let her jaw snap shut. She smiled weakly at Applejack. “Heh-heh. Well. I guess you’ve got a point.” She groaned when that thought brought to mind the fact that she still had to talk to Twilight.
“What’s the matter, hon?” Applejack asked.
“I still gotta tell Twilight she was right,” Rainbow said. “And she’s going to be insufferably supportive about it, so I can’t even be annoyed with her about it.”
“Well, it ain’t going to do you any good sitting here moaning about it,” Applejack said, snapping up the sauteed (and only slightly blackened) vegetables. “You could practice on me, if you thought it’d do any good.”
Rainbow looked up from her plate, a slight warmth coiling in her stomach. She couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to tell Applejack; Applejack liked her food, appreciated the gesture of Rainbow cooking for her, and had practically asked Rainbow to tell her what Rainbow was thinking about.
“I think I gotta tell you something, first,” Rainbow said. “All this dating thing has made me do a lot of thinking - I mean, a lot of thinking. And with one thing and another, I...well, I sort of...like mares.”
“Come again?”
“I’m a filly-fooler,” Rainbow said. She paused, not certain her usual bluster would work here. She couldn’t even think of what she could say, beyond that simple statement. She wasn’t here to look for advice, so the whole vanilla-frosting story wouldn’t be a good idea. Besides, Applejack knew most of it already.
Applejack hadn’t replied, the interior of the house almost dead silent. Rainbow looked at Applejack, who had dropped her eyes to the table, hat shielding her green eyes, and in fact, whole expression, from Rainbow. Rainbow could see Applejack was shaking, just a bit.
“Applejack?”
“And you thought you’d make me a nice dinner to tell me?” Applejack asked. “Get me to settle down so you could drop the news on my back?”
“You’re my friend, Applejack-”
“I reckon I know that!” Applejack snapped back, finally raising her head to meet Rainbow’s stare. Her cheeks were a dark orange, nearly red all the way through, and her eyes were narrow, barely-visible green chips fixed on Rainbow. And Rainbow thought she could see tear tracks on her friend’s face. “So I don’t need to hear every apple-bucking detail about it! All right?”
“Applejack?” Rainbow asked cautiously. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Applejack said, voice even although Rainbow could see she was still shaking. “I...think you’d better leave, sug-Dash.”
Rainbow’s heart sank. “AJ, you don’t mean-”
“I wanna be left alone right now, Dash,” Applejack repeated. “Do you need me to say it plainer?”
Rainbow stared at her friend, hoping that the other mare would take it back, or say it was a joke, but Applejack’s stern glare remained firm. “I...” Rainbow found her words stuck in her throat; she didn’t know what she could say to Applejack that could change the earth pony’s mind. “Fine,” Rainbow growled. “I’ve got plenty of other friends if you don’t want to be seen with me.” She stalked away from the table and out the door, only to stick her head back into the house to add, “And I’m not cleaning the kitchen!”
Rainbow fled the farm as fast as she could, taking refuge in a cloud near the edge of Ponyville, high enough that Fluttershy would be hesitant to visit her, and just far enough from the town that nopony should even look for her.
Rainbow collapsed into the cloud and glared at the sky, unwilling to let go of the heat of anger in her breast. She didn’t know who she was angry with - Applejack, herself, Twilight - but she was certain if she let her anger slip for even a moment she’d start crying. And Rainbow wasn’t going to cry just because Applejack was an ass. She had at least four other friends who didn’t care that Rainbow preferred mares - five, if she counted Bon Bon among her friends. It wasn’t as if she could expect all of her friends to feel the same way.
Rainbow growled at that thought and rolled onto her back. Of course it was different. Sure, it was sweet that, say, Twilight and Spike had come right out and said they supported Rainbow no matter what. But it had been talking to Fluttershy, Pinkie...Applejack, that had twisted Rainbow’s stomach in knots. Her oldest friend, her best friend, and the closest thing Rainbow had to an equal around here. It was a shock to find that, for all that Rainbow had come to expect from Applejack, it was she who’d turned on Rainbow first.
“Well, at least she was honest about it,” Rainbow muttered.
“Excuse me?”
Rainbow scrambled to her feet, heart pounding as her eyes darted around, looking for the intrusion into her embarrassment. She sighed when she saw a grey pegasus fluttering just next to the cloud.
“Ditzy,” she sighed. Ditzy Doo was the least likely pony to go off and rat that Rainbow Dash had been trying not to cry into a cloud. At least, the least likely to do so intelligibly. “What do you want?”
Ditzy tilted her head, yellow eyes fixed on Rainbow in a show of focus unusual for her. “You’re...not Rainbow Dash,” she said.
“Ditzy, we work together every year at Winter Wrap-Up,” Rainbow said, exasperated. “Not to mention emergency weather work.”
The grey pegasus shook her head. “No, Rainbow is different. She’s not sad.” She fluttered onto the cloud next to Rainbow and nudged Rainbow’s head, sending Rainbow shying away from her.
“Hey! Keep your distance!” Rainbow snapped.
Ditzy’s mouth flickered upward, and she seemed to relax, allowing her eyes to drift as they were wont to. “You are Rainbow Dash,” she said wonderingly. “But you’re sad Rainbow Dash. Which is silly.”
Rainbow almost told Ditzy to leave, but the cheerful dismissiveness of the other pegasus’ words gave her pause. “You think I can’t be sad about things?”
Ditzy tilted her head, considering Rainbow...or possibly the sky, or her dinner. It was hard to tell with Ditzy. “You have a lot of friends,” she said. She smiled at Rainbow. “I don’t have a lot of friends. But Dinky keeps me from being sad.”
Rainbow snorted. It was usually a good idea to ignore Ditzy, but Rainbow normally didn’t, because if it wasn’t worth a laugh, there was a chance she’d come out with something worth listening to. “And what if my friends are the problem?” She was struck with a sudden burst of courage; she’d experienced the best and the worst possible reactions from her friends already. What could she possibly fear from Ditzy? “One of them hates me because I told her I’m a filly-fooler.”
“Oh. Are you sure?” Ditzy asked. “All of your friends are very nice.” She frowned momentarily. “Mostly.”
“Well, then you’ve never gotten on Applejack’s bad side,” Rainbow retorted. She dropped back onto the cloud with a gusty groan. “What am I supposed to do?” she asked.
“Can you stop wanting to kiss other mares?” Ditzy asked.
Rainbow shot Ditzy a contemptuous glare which seemed to go right over the other pegasus’ head. “I wouldn’t do that just to keep Miss Close-to-the-Earth from feeling uncomfortable. Ha! I don’t let anypony tell me what to do!” She flinched away at Ditzy’s wide smile. “Yeah, I know,” she muttered. “There it is. Don’t be ashamed about it.” She dropped her head onto her hooves and sighed again. “But it still hurts.”
Ditzy nodded and then took a deep breath. “People think I’m strange, but when they see Dinky, they know we’re happy. Maybe...” She paused, squinting her eyes as she tried to draw out the words she needed.
“What about you? Do you think it’s weird?”
Ditzy frowned thoughtfully. She looked up, although one of her eyes drifted down to fix on Rainbow as Ditzy thought. At last, the grey pegasus shook her head. “Everypony has a different favorite type of muffin.” She made a ‘tsk’ noise. “And some ponies don’t like muffins. Nopony should hate you for being happy.” She took a step forward, and bent down to nuzzle Rainbow again. Rainbow, emotionally exhausted and feeling grateful for Ditzy’s advice, didn’t pull away. “I think...” She stepped back before speaking up again. “Be Rainbow Dash. Applejack likes Rainbow Dash.”
“But-”
“Sorry; I gotta go.” Ditzy winked at Rainbow. “But don’t worry. Like Coach always said: it’ll work out if you just power through.” Her wings blurred, sending Ditzy rocketing off.
Rainbow watched the retreating contrail, a bemused smile drifting onto her face. Maybe Ditzy was right; she seemed to be so more often than not, at least when it didn’t come to directions. Rainbow had to admit, it was an attractive suggestion to just give Applejack time to adjust. And if Rainbow found just the right mare, maybe Applejack would come around.
Come to think of it, Rainbow had an idea of the perfect opportunity...
<3 <3 <3
“Hey, Twilight!” Rainbow kicked the door to the library a few times, experimentally, but with no result. She dropped her hooves and glowered at the wood. “Come on,” Rainbow muttered. She butted her head against the door, which at last caused it to swing open. “Finally!”
“Who?”
Rainbow stared at the owl, who must have been perched on the doorknob on the far side of the door, as he peered around at her.
“It’s me, Rainbow Dash,” she said. “Is Twilight in?”
“Who?”
“Rainbow Dash, the unicorn who runs the library? Has a little dragon following her everywhere?”
“Who?”
“Oh, come on, now you’re just messing with me!” Rainbow snapped. “And aren’t you noc - don’t you sleep during the day, anyway?”
“Yes, he does, but someone thought it was a good idea to give him coffee.” Twilight appeared behind the owl, sending him fluttering back into the library. “What can I do for you, Rainbow?”
Rainbow took a deep breath and then shoved her way past Twilight. “First, you have to promise you won’t be insufferable about this.”
Twilight tilted her head, confused, as she stared at Rainbow. “I’m sorry?”
“Just promise!” Rainbow snapped.
Recoiling, Twilight gave Rainbow an uneasy smile. “OK. Just...what’s this about?”
Rainbow looked at the wall as she answered; she couldn’t bear to see anything approaching smugness on Twilight’s face. “You were right. About me. And...mares.”
“I’m glad you feel comfortable enough to tell me, Rainbow Dash-”
“And I was thinking, now that I’ve told you, you can introduce me to your friend in Canterlot!”
Twilight shied back, shaking her head emphatically. “No. I don’t think that’s a good idea, Rainbow.”
“Why not?”
Twilight opened her mouth, and then let it close without speaking. She glanced at Rainbow, and then at the floor. “It’s...hard to explain. I just think...you really...wouldn’t get along.”
“Aw, c’mon, how do you know if we don’t try? You could be keeping your friend from true love!” Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but Rainbow decided now was the time to play dirty. She tapped into the filly she had once been, and opened her eyes wide, letting them tear a little. “Please?”
Twilight sighed, dropping her head in defeat. “Fine. But I can’t promise you’ll like her.”
“Aw, don’t worry. Everything’s going to be perfect!”
<3 <3 <3
Rainbow shivered at the mare began to pace around her, piercing eyes fixed so intently on her, she was certain the other mare could see into her soul.
“Um-” Rainbow began.
“So!” Princess Celestia snapped, cutting Rainbow off. “We understand you wish to court our sister.”
Rainbow tried to smile at Princess Celestia, but the expression lost some of its bluster in the face of the sun goddess, who had a glare that could burn toast. “Well-”
“SILENCE!” the goddess roared. “We understand that among ponies of your generation, you are...lax with concepts of commitment and fidelity. So I will warn you, pre-emptively. If you hurt my little sister, you’ll spend TWO thousand years on the moon!”
Rainbow recoiled from the force of the glare. “I-”
And then Celestia burst out laughing. “Oh, you should have seen your face! Really? Two thousand years on the moon?”
“Heh heh,” Rainbow said weakly. “I guess that is a little silly.”
“Of course! You’d suffocate after ten minutes!” Celestia chortled.
Rainbow gulped. “So...you wouldn’t really send me to the moon, right?”
“Of course not,” Celestia said, patting Rainbow’s head. “I’d plaster your tormented image into the stars so that ponies a thousand generations from now will remember the price of crossing Princess Luna.” Her eyes grew dark and flinty, and voice was, by the end of the litany, a harsh, sputtering hiss, like the sound of an all-consuming fire.
“Can we just leave for dinner?” Rainbow squeaked. “I made reservations for 8 and it’s late already-”
Celestia’s face lost its vicious edge, returning to the placid expression she normally bore around her subjects. “Oh! Of course; let’s not keep my sister waiting.”
Ten minutes later, Rainbow and Princess Luna were settled at their table at the Horned Dorset, possibly the fanciest restaurant Rainbow Dash had ever set foot in. Rainbow gave the princess a weak smile.
“So...”
“I have heard from my sister that you are quite a skilled aerobat,” Luna said.
“Aero - you mean, flying? Oh, sure! I’m the best!” Rainbow agreed. “I’ve perfected the Sonic Rainboom, only the awesomest aerial maneuver in Equestria!”
Luna nodded. “Of course; I’m fascinated by the concept. I always theorized that because the speed of sound, light, and magic are so similar, surpassing those barriers would lead to an astromagical event with truly phenomenal properties. If properly harnessed-”
“Hey! Look, it’s our waiter!” Rainbow waved down one of the sheep who delivered food, in the hope that food would distract Luna from babbling.
“Oh, yes!” Luna turned to the server. “We demand your finest preparations, server! If your efforts are in good faith, you will be well rewarded with our grace!”
Rainbow sighed, dropping her face to her hoof. Attention was all well and good, but...apparently, Luna hadn’t quite adapted to modern life yet. “You might want to turn down the volume a bit, Luna.”
“How dare you - oh, yes, of course, Rainbow.” Luna smiled at Rainbow again.
“Um...” Rainbow scratched the back of her head, floundering for ideas. “I bet you’re a good flier, right?”
“Oh, no. Not in that way,” Luna replied. “I fly as the night does, on silent wing. My sister’s flight is the speed of the hunter - although, to be honest, I don’t think she’s ever broken the light barrier.” She leaned in close for the last line, confirming that Luna knew what an indoor voice was.
“Well, I know I’m awesome. What do you do for fun, then?”
Luna sighed. “My sister has insisted I learn the evolution of Equestria’s politics and economics over the past thousand years. So in my free time, I watch over my friends.”
“Friends?” Rainbow asked. She could have smacked herself when the words escaped her lips. “I mean-”
“No, I understand,” Luna said with a brief smile. “The moon is not known for its social scene. But I spent that time caring for the stars - the one thing over which I had any control on the moon. I say control, but of course, how much control can one really have over the night? Leo and Taurus are docile enough, but just try getting Scorpio to go to sleep at dawn.”
“You sound like-” Rainbow let her mouth snap closed before she could complete the sentence. Luna reminded her of Fluttershy, for all her godlike power and sister-complex. And thinking like that - well, Rainbow couldn’t see this going anywhere. She loved Fluttershy, but they didn’t have a lot in common. Rainbow suspected she had a lot less in common with Princess Luna. And as for somepony she did have something in common with...
Rainbow started once she realized she’d been staring into space for longer than was remotely polite. Luna’s expression was soft, and there was a light smile on her face. “I know that look, Rainbow Dash.”
“What?”
“The night is not just the realm of stars and night creatures,” Luna said. “I was once known as the goddess of secret desire.” She leaned close. “And I can see writ plain on your heart that your heart lies elsewhere.”
“You can? It does? Then why the hay don’t I know about it?”
Luna’s smile grew softer, giving her an enigmatic, distant expression. “You do, Rainbow Dash. In your heart of hearts, when you meet a pony, you see what is lacking, how she compares poorly to the one you love.”
Rainbow scoffed. “That’s ridiculous! If I know what I want, how come I haven’t figured it out yet?”
Luna shrugged. “Ponies hide from themselves for many reasons. But I suspect, if you think on it, you’ll find that you know exactly what you want. Oh, thank you.” She nodded to their waiter as he dropped the plates on their table. The sheep paused, staring dazedly at Luna for a moment before flushing and trotting away. “How about we dig in? I’ve missed eating.”
“Sure.” Rainbow dug in, but found herself distracted by Luna’s words. How could she possibly know what she wanted? All she knew was what hadn’t worked. She wanted someone who liked her, who didn’t belittle or patronize her, who shared her interests, who could maybe keep up with her, and...
“Oh, horseapples,” Rainbow growled. “Luna?”
“I’ll tell them to wrap up your dinner,” Luna said with a smile. She then winked at Rainbow. “Plus, I’ll keep Celly from going too overboard.”
Rainbow paused, already half-rising from the table. “Oh. Thanks. Hadn’t thought about that.”
“No problem,” Luna said. “If anything, it’s my responsibility to keep Celly level-headed.” She winked at Rainbow. “Good luck.”
“Yeah,” Rainbow said. “I’m going to need it,” she muttered.
<3 <3 <3
Big Mac stared at Rainbow Dash, who was almost recumbent under the weight of her baggage. “Now, normally, I’d reckon it’d be a poor idea letting you in here, after the snit you put Applejack in-”
Rainbow wilted under the colt’s attention. “Sorry. But-” She abruptly rallied, glowering at Big Mac. “She’s the one who kicked me out!”
“That don’t matter none; she’s family,” Big Mac replied.
“Yeah. So that’s why I’m back here. I need the house for the night.”
Big Mac’s stare didn’t shift. “Another thank you dinner?”
Rainbow opened her mouth to retort, but snapped her mouth shut and shook her head before she could let the whole thing slip. “It’s personal,” she said.
“Personal?” Big Mac leaned in close, peering carefully at Rainbow. “What kind of personal?”
“Personal personal!” Rainbow snapped. She could feel her cheeks heating under Big Mac’s scrutiny. “What’s it to you, anyway?”
“She’s my sister,” Big Mac replied. But he was smiling. “In any case, I reckon I’ve got errands to do. Try not to leave Applejack in such a state this time, all right?”
Rainbow gulped and nodded. “I’ll try.”
Once Big Mac left her alone, Rainbow sighed and took out the cookbooks she’d borrowed from Pinkie. This was bigger than a thank-you dinner, and, given how badly the last one had gone, she knew everything had to be perfect. No burned apples or soggy salad.
Two hours later, Rainbow stepped back from the meal and gave it an appraising look. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a damn sight better than the last meal Rainbow had made. Now just to get the presentation right-
Rainbow nearly leapt out of her hide when the front door opened. “I’m about ready to collapse, Mac, so I hope you weren’t planning on me making - what in tarnation are you doing here, Rainbow?”
Rainbow hadn’t remembered Applejack’s glare being so fierce, but then again, the last time Rainbow had seen it, she’d been doing what Applejack asked, instead of invading her home again. But Rainbow Dash wasn’t a coward. She wouldn’t back down from Princess Celestia, so one of her best friends couldn’t be any worse. Right?
Rainbow gulped and tried to flash Applejack a weak smile. “Surprise?”
“Rainbow...” Applejack sighed, head drooping. “Don’t...” Rainbow stared; she’d expected Applejack to be furious, to shout and rave. That’s what Applejack did when Rainbow made her mad. She didn’t fold in on herself and look sadder than a deflated Pinkie Pie. It didn’t make any sense. Applejack had been the one to throw Rainbow out. She shouldn’t look so miserable.
Rainbow shook herself, refusing to dwell on the incongruity. She had something to do, and she wasn’t leaving until she’d done it. “Look, you don’t have to eat anything if you don’t want to, but just hear me out, okay?” Applejack nodded almost imperceptibly, but she was still staring at the floor. “I’m sorry that I made you mad or uncomfortable or anything, but I can’t change who I am just because you might not like it-”
“What?” Applejack’s head snapped up. Her eyes had a wild, unfocused look. “I didn’t - I wouldn’t hate you because of that!” She let out a weak chuckle. “I wouldn’t deserve the Element of Honesty if I did, sugarcube.”
“Oh.” Rainbow’s heart lifted a fraction. “Well, that’s good. That’s...great.” She couldn’t quite resist beaming at Applejack. The earth pony stared at the expression, tilting her head and focusing an uncertain stare at Rainbow. “But I gotta say this, Applejack. I know you’re crazy from me running all over trying to find the right pony - right mare - for me. But that’s done. Search over. Finis!”
Applejack’s frame shook with the force of her exhalation. “Of course. And you wanted to run right down and tell me. That’s great, sugarcube, but I’m real tired-”
“You’re not listening!” Rainbow snapped. “I found the mare I wanna spend the rest of my life with! Luna was right; every time I went out, it didn’t feel right because nopony else could measure up to h - to you!”
“Luna? You’re really cutting your way through the dating pool, aren’t you, sugar-” Applejack’s words trailed off. She took a cautious step toward Rainbow, who, though shivering to her core and having fixed her eyes at the ground, didn’t move a step. Applejack bent her head to meet Rainbow’s eyes. “Dash? What did you say?”
“I said nopony mea - I mean, I said I love you, AJ.” Rainbow almost collapsed with the effort of getting the words out. “And I said nopony measures up to you. I mean, if I’d thought that one out, I’d have come to you first. Who’s the most awesome pony around here, besides me, of course?” She tried to chuckle, but the sound was choked.
She looked at Applejack, who had dropped her head again. The earth pony wasn’t moving, and it took a careful look to see she was breathing. “I know it’s a big shock, and a bigger honor, but I think in time you’ll get used to it.” Rainbow realized with a moment of horror that she was babbling. With that one big confession out, she was going to just keep talking until she got a response or her jaw fell off or-
Applejack’s lips were pressed against Rainbow’s.
That.
That’d do, Rainbow thought vaguely, as she took a tiny step closer and kissed, really kissed Applejack. The kiss probably only took a few seconds, but Rainbow would never be sure. She lost track of - well, everything in that moment. And then Applejack stepped back. Rainbow whimpered, and Applejack, whose expression was nearly unreadable, smiled.
“I was gonna ask if that was ok, but I think you answered already, eh, sugar?”
“I - you - you kissed me!” Rainbow declared; she felt indignant, but wasn’t certain why, exactly. She’d probably planned to be the one to kiss Applejack, but given the haze in her mind, she couldn’t be sure.
“You seemed to like it, Dashie,” Applejack replied. Rainbow shivered at the husky tone Applejack had taken, as well as the familiar nickname.
“Did - did you?” Rainbow choked out.
Applejack’s smile widened. “Not all of us have wings to, ah, show it, sugar, but I assure you, I did. Very much.” Applejack’s grin had something of a hungry wolf in it, and Rainbow began feeling a little out of her depth, and, inexplicably, nervous.
“Does that mean - I mean...” She trailed off, realizing she didn’t know how to ask in the face of this new, almost feral Applejack.
Applejack’s expression softened into a more familiar fond smile, and the earth pony stepped back next to Rainbow, nuzzling her cheek. “Course I love you, Dashie. Don’t doubt it for a second.”
Rainbow tried to reply, but there was something stuck in her throat. When her vision blurred, Rainbow realized she was crying, like some stupid filly in a stupid-
“Dashie? Don’t tell me you’re - stop it, Dash, right this second or I’m gonna...” Applejack sniffled, and that set off Rainbow to giggling, which itself caught Applejack. When that died down, however, Rainbow found she was grinning ear-to-ear at Applejack, who had a similar smile.
“Say, I’ve got an idea,” Rainbow said. “Seems somepony left a perfectly good dinner sitting on your kitchen table. Now, this may be a little forward, but heck, I’m always one to go for broke. Would you like to join me for dinner?”
Applejack snickered. “Sure thing, sugarcube. Even if you made that monstrosity with the corn again.”
“Cause you love me, right?”
“Yeah, sugarcube.” Applejack grinned at her.
“Love you too, AJ. And who knows? Play your cards right, and you might get lucky tonight.”
“Well,” Applejack said, trotting toward the dinner table, brushing against Rainbow as she did, “don’t let it get to your head or nothing, but I think I already have.”
Rainbow preened, but because Applejack was still her best girl, replied, “Me, too.”
<3 <3 <3
“No.”
“Please? I have to show that pegasus that there are consequences to toying with my little sister’s heart!”
“You are not sending Rainbow Dash to the moon,” Luna declared. “Not even a little bit!”
Celestia pouted. It was an expression that had lost nothing over the twelve thousand years since Celestia was a foal. Luna smirked at her.
“How about a compromise? You can get revenge, but only a little bit. No fires, no tricking someone into thinking they killed your pet, and no sending anybody to the moon!”
Celestia’s pout gave way to a wicked grin. “Excellent.”
Luna rolled her eyes. Sisters could be so weird, sometimes. Still, she wouldn’t trade her for anything in Equestria.