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Of Parties and Rainbows

by Donny's Boy

Chapter 8: The Lovers That Never Were, Part 2

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"The Lovers That Never Were (Part 2)"

Synopsis: If she shut her eyes and concentrated intently, she could still remember the exact place where the other mare's lips had touched her face. Could still feel how the kiss had burned against her cheek.


It was all a terrible, terrible mistake.

She realized this almost as soon as she'd stepped through the door and caught sight of the anemic excuse for a party in front of her, as soon as she saw the hollow bleakness in Pinkie's eyes. With sudden, awful, belated clarity, she realized they never should have taken their birthday surprise this far, not after they'd found out how upset Pinkie was getting.

But Rainbow Dash always did learn her lessons just a little later than she should.

"Hey there, Pinkie Pie" Her voice almost cracked with the strain of forcing false cheerfulness into the words she was speaking. "Sorry I was in such a rush earlier ..."

Things rapidly went downhill from there.


Pinkie Pie avoided her for an entire week after the surprise birthday party. Pinkie didn't act angry or upset or anything like that - she just managed to somehow never be anywhere within a mile radius of Dash. It was almost as though she was a ninja. The few times the pegasus did manage to actually track down Pinkie, Rainbow would blink or turn her head or hear somepony call out her name, or something, and in that fraction of an instant she was distracted, Pinkie would just vanish on her.

It was the longest week of Rainbow Dash's life.


"Dashie?"

Dash's head jerked up, and her eyes went wide, as though she'd just seen an apparition. Even though she sat right at her usual table at Sugar Cube Corner - and therefore shouldn't be at all surprised at hearing who'd just called out her name - she'd given up all hope of actually catching glimpse of the pony who now stood in front of her.

"Pinkie," she murmured, her voice rough and ragged.

The pink mare shifted back and forth on her hooves, rocking with nervous energy, as she stared down at the floor. "I'm sorry I haven't been around much this week, Dashie."

"You haven't been around at all."

"I … I know."

Why?

The question burned on the tip of her tongue, but Dash stubbornly bit it back and remained silent. She contented herself with glaring. Glaring was good; glaring was safe.

"I just felt so guilty," Pinkie whispered, as though she'd somehow heard Dash's question. "After everything you girls went through to put together such a nice surprise … I treated all of you terribly! Especially you, Rainbow Dash."

The pegasus blinked stupidly. She wasn't sure exactly what she'd been expecting from this conversation, but it wasn't this. "It was no biggie. I mean, you didn't know what we were planning."

"Still, I should've known better than to think the Element of Loyalty herself would just give up being friends with me. I can be such a silly filly sometimes." She shook her head, a bit sadly and more than a bit regretfully. "So I just wanted to say thanks, for dragging me to that super-duper awesome party, even when I didn't think I wanted to go."

"Hey, sure thing," Dash replied with a grin.

"And thanks for not giving up on me, even when I was being a big grumpy meany-pants." Smiling brightly, Pinkie leaned forward and kissed the pegasus on the cheek. "You're the bestest friend a pony could ever ask for, Dashie."


It wasn't everything she wanted. It wasn't eternal love and devotion; it wasn't passion or romance. But even so, Pinkie's friendship and Pinkie's forgiveness were an awful lot. They were precious.

Even though it wasn't everything she wanted, it could be enough, she decided. It'd have to be, at any rate. But it was hard sometimes. If she shut her eyes and concentrated intently, she could still remember the exact place where the other mare's lips had touched her face. Could still feel how the kiss had burned against her cheek.

It could never be enough.


Nothing good ever lasted. Nothing good could ever be real or could ever be trusted.

Rainbow Dash sometimes wondered if her entire life was nothing more than a long, torturous exercise designed to teach her this truth, over and over and over again, until she finally remembered it and stopped expecting anything different. And yet, knowing all this as she did, she still couldn't help the sudden shock of surprise that ran down her body and through her wings.

She always did learn her lessons just a little later than she should.

Beneath Dash, pinned firmly on her back, laid a smiling Pinkie Pie. But Pinkie's eyes were troubled and unhappy, and her smile was as hollow as a bullet.

The mask of the mysterious Mare Do Well rested on the ground right next to them, silent, accusing.


"I said I was sorry!"

"And I heard you." Dash turned away. "I just don't care."

There was a blur of pink, and then the earth pony was right back in front of her, blocking her exit. "Please, Dashie! Please let me make this up to you."

Her eyes were soft and blue and pleading, and it seemed suddenly wrong and terribly unfair that those eyes could reach down deep inside Rainbow Dash and pluck at her heart the way that they did. As if to add insult to injury, a hint of tears made the blueness of Pinkie's eyes shimmer like the sea. Dash decided she couldn't stand looking into those eyes even one second longer or else she'd completely lose what little of her mind she still possessed.

"Buzz off, Pinkie Pie."

The other pony flinched as if she'd been struck.

"Didn't you hear me? Get lost!" Dash repeated, louder this time. Don't go, whispered a voice in the back of her head, which she resolutely ignored. Please don't leave me. "Just - just get out of here!"

When Pinkie finally spoke, her words were quiet, halting - broken. "Dashie. Dashie, I … "

With a grimace, Rainbow shut her eyes. Her breaths turned ragged in her chest, and it took everything she had to hang on to what meager control she still possessed. "I need you to go away," she muttered, almost to herself, as she struggled to keep her tone calm and even. "If you stay, I won't be able to … I can't … "

"Dashie, I love you. I'm sorry, and I love you."


Rainbow Dash's eyes shot open. Pinkie was still looking right at her. A few stray tears trickled down the pink pony's cheeks.

I love you.

The sound of those words ringing in her ears, of those words said in Pinkie's voice, drowned out the noise of her own heavy, labored breathing. Slowly but surely, all the rage and pain drained from her body. She felt strangely empty without those emotions, so familiar and so comforting, and a creeping ache snuck in to fill up the empty space.

Eyes full of uncertainty, Pinkie bit her lower lip. "Um. Is it okay for me to stay? Or do you still want me to - "

Rainbow Dash leapt forward and kissed Pinkie hard on the mouth.

The kiss was much rougher than it had been in all those many times she'd dreamt of this moment-much more of an assault than a caress. It took Dash a moment to realize that Pinkie wasn't kissing her back. Abruptly she pulled away, and she braced herself for anger or disgust or hatred or … or she didn't quite know. But all she saw in Pinkie's shining, bright blue eyes was joy and affection.

"Say it again," Dash heard herself blurt out.

Pinkie frowned slightly and seemed confused. She hesitated before offering, in a tentative tone, "I … I love you?"

"Again." Dash sounded desperate even to her own ears. "Say it again."

Pinkie's voice was stronger this time. "I love you, Rainbow Dash."

Pinkie took a step forward and kissed her, with all of the gentleness that had been missing from Rainbow's own kiss of just seconds before. The earth pony tasted vaguely spicy, much like the hot sauce she was so fond of, and Dash happily breathed in the sweet smell of Pinkie's mane. Finally, Pinkie pulled back and stared at the pegasus with an inscrutable expression on her face and a trembling smile on her lips.

Rainbow smiled back.

"I love you," said Pinkie, as she kissed Dash's cheek.

Dash allowed her eyes to slide shut once again.

"I love you," said Pinkie, as she kissed Dash's neck.

Dash felt her throat tighten and her legs begin to shake. She was half afraid that her knees would buckle under her, but she dared not move a muscle.

"I love you," whispered Pinkie, fiercely, protectively, as she kissed the very tips of Dash's wings.

A single, keening sob escaped Dash's lips before she could swallow it down. "Love you, Pinkie Pie," she gasped out, her voice a strangled whisper. "So much. So much."


They made love all night and well into the early morning hours. They made love until they were utterly exhausted and spent, and then they collapsed into a deep, dreamless sleep.

When Dash finally awoke, it was to the sound of Pinkie giggling - giggling at the sight of the pegasus' mussed, tangled mane. Dash raised an eyebrow and, with a wicked grin, she shoved Pinkie Pie out of the bed. A second later, the earth pony hopped right back up and, as fast as lightning, swung a pillow aimed directly at Rainbow's head.

The next half hour passed in a dizzying whirl of high-stakes, pillow-enhanced warfare interspersed with stolen kisses and giggly laughter.

It was everything Rainbow Dash had ever wanted.


Author's Notes: The title of this story is taken from Paul McCartney's song, "The Lovers That Never Were," from his 1993 album, Off the Ground.

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