"Excuse me?"

Rainbow Dash rolled onto her back and looked at me over her brow; an amused smile played on her lips. "You heard me, Twi," she chuckled.

I was dumbstruck; the sheer randomness of her declaration—let alone its absolute absurdity—had me mentally reeling. Rainbow was no stranger to over-confident boasting, but surely even sheknew that this one was simply too far.

"You could not beat me in a staring contest."

Cyan lips pulled back and revealed pearly white teeth as Rainbow giggled. "Sure I could." She sat up and looked me square in the eyes. "I never lose staring contests."

"Well," I snorted, turning back to my text on extra-galactic theory, "You would against me. I've trained myself to be able to not blink for hours at a time; the seconds add up after a while."

A few moments of silence later, I found myself looking back up to see Rainbow's face contorted in silent laughter. Her watering eyes were barely visible behind her cheeks as she doubled over and breathed heavily. Suddenly, whatever control she had shattered and she burst into guffaws. "L-lemme guess!" she said between gulps of air, "So that you can read without blinking?"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course, Rainbow."

Rainbow's laughter only increased. "That... is so... you!"

With a sigh, I gave up on my book and marked my page with one of the numerous feathers Rainbow had left on the floor when she molted a few weeks ago—though a bit tacky and worn, they'd proven quite useful as placeholders. "Regardless," I said, closing the book, "You could never beat me in a staring contest."

"Oh, yeah?" Dash growled playfully. She hopped off the couch and strutted across the floor to where I was sitting. Her eyes flashed with cheer and... something else. Cunning? "Prove it."

I gave her a deadpan look. "As much fun as staring at you for hours sounds, Rainbow, I have to re-alphabetize the card system. I've been putting it off for far too long."

With that, I got off my chair and made for the library desk. I was only halfway across the floor when Rainbow spoke up. "What if it only took a minute?"

I paused. She wasn't going to drop this, was she? Looking back, I could see Rainbow standing by my chair with a hopeful air about her. Her wing twitched.

"C'mon, Twi!" Dash insisted, "What have you got to lose?" She walked closer, grinning wildly. "Besides the contest, I mean."

A groan forced its way out of my throat. There was no way any staring contest between myself and a pony that could fly at supersonic speeds without eye protection would last less than a minute, and it didn't seem like Rainbow was going to drop the subject anytime soon. I should have just stayed quiet...

"Fine," I conceded, shaking my head. "Let's just get this over with."

Rainbow's eyes lit up. She jumped in the air with a squeal of delight and hovered there for a moment, grinning like a maniac. "Sweet!"

"So, when do we—"

"Right now!" Rainbow said exuberantly. She lunged forward and suddenly my vision was filled with her magenta irises. The smile on her cheeks extended into her core, reflecting out of her like a beacon. "Go!"

I sighed and stared back. She was mere inches from my face; I could feel her breath brush my cheeks every time she exhaled. Figures she'd want to be face to face for this, I groaned internally.

Rainbow's eyes narrowed in fierce determination. She was preparing for the long haul, I realized moments before she pressed her forehead into mine. "You are so going down!" she cackled warmly.

"You said this wouldn't take long, Rainbow," I groaned, pulling away from her so that our faces were no longer touching.

For an instant—a mere half of a second at most—light in her eyes seemed to die a little, but it must have been my imagination, because it came roaring back ten times brighter. "It won't," she promised, leaning closer.

"Oh?" I leered back, determined not to lose to Rainbow. At the slightest twitch or movement of her eyelids, I was calling this off. I had a ton of work to do and I couldn't afford to waste time on a meaningless game like this.

"Yeah."

In an instant, my vision filled entirely with magenta. I reeled back as a pressure assaulted my lips. A surprised yelp jumped out of my throat before I realized what was happening.

It was Rainbow.

She was...

She was...

My mind went blank. My vision blurred. This didn't make any sense. Why would she... This was only a staring contest!

Maybe she...

No. She wouldn't have... Not just to get a win, but...

Slowly, as the pressure on my lips vanished, my vision returned. Rainbow's eyes were filled with elation and her signature cocksure pride, but there was something else—that same hidden quality that fed through her eyes that gave me the feeling I'd just been had. And I had.

My cheeks grew hot as Rainbow pulled back. My heart was bounding like I'd just ran a hundred miles in five minutes. I tried to say something, but all that came out was monosyllabic nonsense and a bunch of incoherent splutters.

My best friend had just...

She'd...

Smirking like she hadn't just kissed me square on the lips, Rainbow chuckled and said: "You blinked." She brushed her mane to the side and started for the door. "Told you I'd win, Twi!"

I tried to tell her to stop. My tongue contorted and my jaw flapped, but my demands for her to come back here and explain herself were as silent as the library after closing time. Instead, I watched as Rainbow opened the door and looked back at me with a wild smile.

Her tail swished happily behind her and, for a moment, she just stood there looking at me. Then she said "I'll let you get to re-alphabetizing your catalog then." She snickered slyly and started out the door. "I'll see you tomorrow Twilight! We can hang out some more—maybe go get dinner together, if you want!"

Slam! The door closed.

I stood stock still in the center of the library, still staring at the door Rainbow had just vanished behind.

I'd lost.

I'd lost to Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash had kissed me.

Rainbow Dash had asked me out.

Then, the gears in my brain kicked back on and my blood boiled with indignation. I sat down and huffed angrily.

Rainbow Dash had cheated.