"So... that's the story of how Rarity tried to use me, too," Rainbow Dash says. She glares down at their table. It's crowded with a few more empty plates by now.

Twilight sips some coffee, trying to parse out all that she's just heard. "You just left?" she asks.

"Yup. Went home."

"Have you two talked about this at all?"

"Yeah, we ran into each other the next day. That's when she made me promise not to tell anyone."

Twilight mulls it over, when one word in particular catches up to her. "I don't think Rarity tried to use me," she says.

"No? Well what's with all the secrecy then?"

Twilight puts her coffee mug down and watches the brown liquid slosh around inside. "I don't know," she says. "But I really don't think that's what she was trying to do. In either case. Did she apologize?"

"Kind of."

"Kind of? What does that even mean?" Twilight says.

"Well she said sorry. But I don't think she meant it."

Twilight just sighs. "Did you apologize?" she says.

"For what? Don't tell me you're gonna take her side!" Rainbow Dash glares at her.

"I'm not taking anypony's side. I wasn't there." Twilight grabs her cup again and takes a deep pull from it. She doesn't want any more to drink, she just needed a second to collect her thoughts.

What an awful mess.

She feels bad for Rainbow Dash, but she's known the pegasus long enough to read between the lines a bit. She's missing a big piece of this story, but she can't just ask Rarity for her side. Then Rarity will know they both broke their promise to her.

What to do, what to do...

"It's not really a big deal," Rainbow Dash interrupts her pondering. "I think we're both pretty much over it. We get along fine now."

"No you don't."

"What are you talking about? Things are just like they were before. Between me and her, I mean."

Not good enough. This isn't right.

"I think you two need to talk about this," Twilight says. Rainbow Dash gives her a sour look.

"It's old news, Twi. She's moved on, I've moved on, don't worry about it."

Twilight just grimaces. Rainbow Dash and Rarity exist on opposite ends of her spectrum of friends – it just seemed natural before that the two of them didn't really spend time together unless it was through intermediary connections. Now that she knows the truth, Twilight feels a little stupid for not seeing it before.

Well, it isn't too obvious, she reasons. Of course her friends are going to butt heads sometimes – Twilight herself has had her own differences with some of them. Rarity and Applejack do it all the time. But with them it's loud and obvious. This was different – something quiet, festering under the surface. She might never have found out if Luna hadn't gotten her on this quest.

What to do...

"It's really fine, Twilight. I can see you getting all worried about it. It's not your problem," Rainbow Dash says.

"So you do think it's a problem?" Twilight says.

"I didn't say that," Rainbow Dash says.

"Yes you did, right now..."

"You know what I mean. Just don't worry about it. We're getting sidetracked, anyway."

"Sidetracked? What do you mean?"

"This isn't really what I wanted to talk to you about." Dash pokes at a bit of carrot left on one of her plates.

"It isn't?" Twilight says.

That whole thing was a sidetrack? What could possibly be the main topic here?

Twilight silently vows to come back to this, whether Dash wants to or not.

"We're supposed to be talking about you. And your thing."

"Oh. Right." Twilight finishes her coffee, trying to draw connections, some way to loop this back around to Rarity. "Well I still need to find a mare to date. Someone who doesn't mind me telling other ponies about it."

"Yeah, I figured. And you still want me to help you find one."

"If you don't mind."

Rainbow Dash leans forward and rests a hoof over Twilight's, cocking one eyebrow in a way that makes Twilight's eyes go wide.

"Well you're in luck. I'm free tonight," the rainbow pegasus says.

WHOA... whoa, whoa, wait a minute...

"Are you..." Twilight completely forgets her vow. "Did you just ask me out?"

"I did say I was gonna get you the hottest filly action around, didn't I?" Rainbow Dash flashes a smile at her. Twilight just smiles back, her mind reeling a bit. She thought she was used to Dash's bravado, but she feels a little weird now and... turned on?

She takes a long, hard look at Rainbow Dash. Her friend has that cocky smile she always gets, but there's the slightest hint of nervousness in her eyes. Twilight can't help but dart her eyes up to that wild, multi-colored mane and down over Dash's slim frame, tracing the curve of her neck and her firm, strong forelegs...

Yup, definitely turned on all of a sudden.

"I don't know about tonight," Twilight says, feeling her ears get warm. "But we could go on a date sometime. I'd like that."

"If by date, you mean you come over to my place and we get you one step closer to Luna." Rainbow Dash winks at her.

"Come on, Dash. You could at least take a girl out for dinner first," Twilight says. It's just a front – she's swooning on the inside. This is so refreshing, so direct, she can feel light, fluttery excitement in her chest with every breath.

"Okay, fine, we can be all romantic and stuff. What's wrong with tonight?" Rainbow Dash says.

"I've got a letter to write."

"Letter?" Dash's face says volumes about how lame that sounds.

"It's important. We could meet tomorrow night. How's that?"

"That'll work."

"Good. Hey, this is exciting!" Twilight giddily clops her hooves together. "My first real girl date!"

"How do you know we didn't have one just now?" Rainbow Dash cocks an eyebrow at her.

Twilight gasps a little. "Is that what this is? Are we on a date right now?" she asks.

"Naw, I'm just messin' with you. You're a real laugh sometimes, Twilight. Too easy!" Rainbow Dash chuckles.

Twilight smiles, but it fades away quickly as she remembers...

"What about Rarity?" she says.

"What about her?"

"I don't know. After this whole thing with Braeburn, I'm kind of scared. I don't want to hurt anybody."

"Hey, listen. She knows you're after Luna, right? And she knows you're looking for a mare to date."

Twilight just nods.

"Besides, she had her chance, and she decided she wanted to be all super secret. So now I get my shot at you. She didn't get upset when you did your thing with Braeburn, did she?"

"She actually congratulated me."

"See? She understands. No worries. I'll show you a good time, and by next week you'll be all up in Luna's business."

Ah, Luna's business...

Twilight starts to wander off in her head, but it doesn't quite come. Instead she sees Rainbow Dash in bed next to Fluttershy, doing some business of her own.

Well, I'm a little preoccupied at the moment.

Luna is far away and in the future – here and now is all about Rainbow Dash.

"You can still do that walk on clouds spell, right?" Dash asks.

"Oh, sure. Nothing to it."

"Cool. I'll pick you up around seven tomorrow?"

"Okay, seven it..." Twilight quickly changes her mind. "Actually, you don't need to pick me up."

"Yeah?" Dash gives her an amused look. "You gonna fly on up there yourself?"

"That's exactly what I had in mind."

Twilight trots around the basket of her hot-air balloon, checking the various ropes and weights hanging off of it. The lamp is burning bright, but the balloon itself is still heating up, so she has nothing to do for a few minutes but check it and re-check it and check it again.

"Twilight!" Rarity's voice jolts her out of her inspection. She turns to see her friend coming around from the front of the library. "Spike told me you were back here. And oh, the balloon! I haven't seen you use this thing in ages. Where are you flying off to?"

Twilight hesitates. Should she make something up? No, that's never a good idea. It should be fine – like Dash said, no worries. Right?

"I'm just going up to Rainbow Dash's house for the night," Twilight says, trying very hard to be nonchalant.

"For the night?" Rarity says. "You don't mean... for the night, as in...?"

Twilight stops checking her basket and looks her right in the eye. "That's sort of the plan, yes," she says. She can't quite figure out the face Rarity makes at that. Whatever it is, it's part surprised.

"Oh. I see," Rarity says.

"Is that alright?" Twilight asks.

"Of course it's alright. It's very expedient, I should say."

"Well, at the very least, she isn't going to mind me talking about it."

Rarity shifts her eyes around nervously. "Ha! Ha ha, yes... uh... very true. Ahem." She fake coughs into her hoof a few times. "Anyway... I wanted to ask you how you were doing. Otherwise."

"Otherwise?"

"Yes, I was going to ask what mares you were aiming for, but... what about Braeburn? Have you heard back from him yet?"

Twilight bows her head. "I only just sent the letter today."

"Today?!"

"I know, I know. It was hard to write."

"Well, as long as you actually did it. It's for the best, I think."

"Yeah..."

The lamp on the balloon burns loudly. The sack of cloth is slowly rising, filling out from within.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to get you down before your..." Rarity pauses, thinking. "Before your big date."

Twilight tries to look just curious – she doesn't consider herself to be good at this whole social masking thing, but she tries.

"Are you sure there isn't something you want to tell me about Rainbow Dash?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Rarity looks completely innocent.

Clearly she's better at this than me.

"Nothing. You just looked like you wanted to say something," Twilight lies.

"How about if I just say how happy I am for you?" Rarity says. Twilight doesn't know how to respond. She just feels warmth in her chest, like her heart is filling up. "You're well on your way to finding your heart's desire. I'm glad one of our friends is here for you for this next step."

Twilight looks at her friend. She really is beautiful – pink and orange light from dusk is filtering down through the leaves all around them, and Rarity looks just radiant. Twilight feels an aching urge to ask her about everything, promises be damned. She really is a great friend, but Twilight can't help but feel like the secrets between them are tainting it somehow. She doesn't want to feel sad for Rarity.

"Rarity..." Twilight knows she looks more concerned than she should, and tries hard to not sound condescending. "Are you okay?"

"Am I... I'm fine, dear. What are you talking about?" Rarity does look fine. Not a hair out of place, not a trace of bad emotion on her face. Twilight smiles at her.

"You've really been there for me lately. Just remember that I'm here for you, too. If you ever need to talk. Or anything," she says.

"I know, Twilight." Rarity points up at the nearly full balloon wafting above them. "Your balloon looks ready. I don't want to keep you."

So it is.

She takes one last look at Rarity, and in a sudden burst of impulse walks over to her. She darts in and kisses her once on the cheek before her friend can react.

"Wha... what was that?" Rarity's cheeks turn bright red and her eyes dart around. Twilight realizes she's checking to see if anypony saw them.

"Just a little secret. Between us," Twilight says as she climbs into the balloon's basket. The balloon is starting to strain at its anchoring lines, and Twilight starts untying them with her magic. Rarity is her usual composed self again.

"Good luck tonight!" Rarity calls up to her.

"You think I'll need it?"

"No. I'm sure everything will go swimmingly, and soon enough you'll be with your princess."

The balloon leaves the ground and drifts up into the darkening sky. Rarity is watching her ascend, smiling warmly at her. She smiles back and waves as she floats away. They hold eye contact for a long time, Rarity getting smaller and smaller as the seconds tick by.

"Oh, shoot!" Twilight snaps out of it as she realizes she's getting a little too high too quickly. She turns around and adjusts the flame with her magic. When she turns back around, the small speck of white that is her friend is walking away. She feels a small, irrational tinge of sadness.

Is not friendship just another form of love?

But it goes away the moment she looks up and around her.

It's breathtaking. Literally. The sun is almost finished slipping beneath the horizon, and all around her the clouds are glowing pink and orange. She's floating through something that looks like what would happen if you asked Pinkie Pie to paint a picture of the sky. Ponyville is far below her, rapidly sinking into darkness.

It's cold up here. She shivers in the wind and tightens a scarf around her neck. She closes her eyes and pushes gently with her magic, guiding the balloon towards her destination. It shouldn't take long.

She tries to clear her head, to think about nothing. She's been so tangled up in her own thoughts for the last few days. Finally finishing and sending the letter to Braeburn should have been a relief – that's over with, at least. But instead the whole thing just weighs heavier on her. How will he take it? Will he be alright?

Will I ever see him again?

And now this whole mess between Rainbow Dash and Rarity...

No, no, this isn't working.

It's not your problem – not everything is your problem. Give them a chance to work it out.

Try to get your mind off it, for tonight at least.

Tonight... Twilight was only half-joking when she told Rainbow Dash she wanted to actually go out somewhere, but her suggestion had been ignored. And here she is, going along with it. She couldn't say no. Everything about this is thrilling her, once she gets her mind off her troubles. Rarity and Braeburn had just fallen into her lap. This thing with Rainbow Dash is so deliberate, so different. She hasn't even gotten there yet and she's already a little giddy with anticipation.

She shivers as a strong blast of wind buffets her scarf around. She's not really that cold. She realized at some point today that she was nervous, and she's been wondering why. She's a little experienced now, after all – she was beginning to feel like she was getting a handle on sex.

But this is different, isn't it? Rainbow Dash is... well, she's a little intimidating, Twilight finally admits. This is somepony who really seems to know what she's doing and what she wants. Twilight doesn't want to embarrass herself, or disappoint anyone.

Just think of all you can learn from her.

Rainbow Dash seems so carefree and confident.

I could stand to be more like that.

Especially with recent events... how does Dash do it? What goes on in her brain when it comes to love?

Rainbow Dash's cloud house floats into view below her.

Never a better chance to find out.

She turns her balloon's flame down and feels the wind change character around her as she descends.

She guides the balloon with her magic, docking gently. A quick glow of her horn forms another glow of magic around her hooves, and a passing feeling of vertigo tells her the spell worked – she can walk on clouds, if only for the next three days. She hops out of the basket and sinks a little into the clouds forming Dash's front porch. It's soft and cool, like warm snow, and she stomps around for a second like a little foal, giggling.

She looks up at the cloud house. She's never been here before. The pink sky is fading into black, and stars are just starting to fade into view. The cloud house itself is impressive – the rainbows cascading down the sides are glowing with their own light, shining multi-colored shades onto the columns adorning the home. She walks up to the front door, smirking at the crest above it displaying a large picture of Dash's cutie mark.

Very modest, of course.

Twilight giggles. She knocks on the door, feeling that anticipation well up in her chest. She isn't sure what's going to happen tonight, but it'll definitely be interesting.

The door opens. Rainbow Dash shoots her a smile that makes that feeling swell higher in her chest and... other areas. She smiles back.

"Welcome to Rainbow Dash's Pimp Palace! Come on in," Dash says, beckoning her inside.

Twilight rolls her eyes and steps through the door into a spacious living room. She doesn't think she could ever get used to a cloud home. The contrast between the furniture and the soft, puffy cloud underneath it is too dissonant. She keeps thinking everything is suddenly going to plummet through the floor.

Trying to ignore that nagging thought, she looks around. It's kind of a mess, really. For all the stately grandeur outside, the interior looks like a college dorm room. Empty cans and old take-out boxes are littered everywhere, and worn, tattered Wonderbolt posters hang on the walls.

"So!" Rainbow Dash says. "Uh... this is my place. Just make yourself at home for a minute, I gotta finish up in here." She glides through an open doorway, into what must be a kitchen.

"Finish up?" Twilight says. Only now does she notice the smell. It's interesting, and it does make her mouth water, but Twilight isn't sure if she would call it good. She follows Dash through the door and finds herself flabbergasted at what she sees.

"Are you... cooking?" Twilight asks. The kitchen is an even sadder sight than the living room. Dirty dishes, some looking almost ancient, are everywhere. Rainbow Dash is hunched over a frying pan with an intense look on her face, a spatula in her mouth. She's jabbing at something in the pan like it needs to die, quickly. Twilight feels a naughty thrill at watching her from the doorway. Her eyes follow that bright shock of a tail as it flicks around her friend's backside.

With a satisfied smirk, Rainbow Dash spits out the spatula and turns to Twilight. Twilight jerks her eyes up. Why is she worried about getting caught staring? It doesn't seem like Dash would really mind.

"Yeah, I'm making dinner," Rainbow Dash says.

"Wow. I didn't know you could cook," Twilight says.

"I don't usually. But you said you wanted to do things kind of romantic and stuff. So I was like, hey, what's more romantic than a hoof-crafted dinner?"

"That is pretty..." Twilight steps up to the stove, peeking over Rainbow Dash's shoulder, and her face falls at what she sees, "...uhhh, romantic. What is it?"

"Eggplant Parmesan." Rainbow Dash strikes a smug pose.

"Is it supposed to be all black like that?"

"I think so. Hey, you put the bread crumbs on after you cook it, right?"

Twilight is pretty sure that sounds wrong, but she can't bring herself to say so.

"Don't look at me," Twilight says.

"What, you don't cook?" Dash says.

"I tried a few times. Spike made me promise not to do it again."

"Ha! I can imagine." Rainbow Dash picks up the spatula again and stirs the eggplant around. It sizzles delightfully, but it looks charred and brittle.

"No offense – this is sweet, really – but those don't look very... uh..." Twilight falters, searching for polite words. There aren't any.

"Yeah, I think they'll look better once I get 'em all bread crumbed. You should see the ones from before!" Dash laughs. Twilight just frowns at her, cocking a curious eyebrow. "I forgot to... uh... put oil in the pan. Didn't turn out well," Rainbow Dash says quietly.

Twilight tries to think of what eggplant Parmesan is supposed to look like and her stomach growls. She looks at the mess on Rainbow Dash's stove and realizes there's only one pan with some blackened clumps in it.

"You didn't make any sauce?" she asks.

Rainbow Dash slaps a hoof to her forehead. "Aw, man! I knew I forgot something."

Twilight's stomach growls again, louder, as if in protest. "What about pasta?" she asks.

"Oh, I got that. In here." Rainbow Dash reaches under the stove and opens the door of an oven. There's a pan inside covered in something that looks crunchy and brittle, like hay fries.

"You put spaghetti in the oven?" Twilight says.

"Yeah, I don't like boiled stuff. Why?"

"Uh..." Twilight trails off.

If you can't say anything nice...

Maybe it'll be good... maybe Dash is inventing new techniques or something. Stranger things have happened.

"There's drinks and stuff in the fridge." Rainbow Dash nods towards her icebox. "If you want anything while you wait."

Twilight walks over and opens it up. There's a six pack of beer and a whole slew of condiments, but little of anything else. She digs through the rack on the door and finds a can of apple juice that looks like it's been there for a long while. Twilight isn't sure how she can tell that – it's just a strong hunch.

"Can I get you anything?" Twilight asks.

"Mmm mmh," Rainbow Dash says through the spatula in her teeth, shaking her head. Twilight floats the can out and goes back to staring at what's supposed to be their dinner. Rainbow Dash is focused on her cooking with an intensity one normally sees with an artist creating their masterpiece.

"Can I help with something?" Twilight asks, sipping at her drink.

"Naw, I got this. You go relax. I'll be done in a jiffy." Rainbow Dash doesn't look up from her stove. Twilight shrugs and goes back to the living room.

She settles into a couch made of cloud – so, so soft – and sips some more apple juice. She looks around the room, trying to play garbage detective. Clearly the small pile of goggles by the door are from when Rainbow Dash comes home from work. The empty bottles and cans on the table next to the couch are different types and flavors than those on the coffee table – breakfast as opposed to dinner, probably. The flight suit and pillow on the floor in front of the couch probably mean that Dash sleeps down here occasionally.

Twilight starts wondering where they're supposed to eat this dinner. She quickly clears the coffee table with her magic, sorting the garbage onto the floor by type. By the time she's finished, Rainbow Dash walks in carrying a large tray. She sets it down on the coffee table triumphantly.

"Ta da! Oh, hey, thanks for clearing a landing zone for me," Dash says.

Twilight looks over their meal. There are just two plates, each with a nest of brittle pasta and a few black, ugly lumps of eggplant. The only other thing on the tray is a sad, lonely flower sticking out of an empty soda bottle. Her stomach should be growling, but it's been shocked into silence. Rainbow Dash drops herself onto the couch next to her.

"So... pretty great, huh?" Rainbow Dash says.

"Um..." Twilight sniffs carefully at her plate. Again, her mind is racing for something diplomatic to say, and coming up empty.

"Yeah, pretty great dinner we have here," Rainbow Dash says. Neither of them make a move to eat anything. After a few seconds Dash turns to Twilight.

"Aren't you gonna try it?" she asks.

"After you." Twilight grins politely.

"Hey, you're the guest. Go crazy."

Twilight stares at the... food.

"Gosh, I don't know if I can. I mean, please don't take this the wrong way, but it looks..."

"...Terrible?" Rainbow Dash finishes her sentence.

Twilight folds her ears down and winces a little. "Yeah," she says.

Rainbow Dash puts a hoof to her chin. She regards her handiwork as if it were some kind of puzzle.

"I'll try it if you try it," she says.

Twilight's fake smile fades into a real one. "That sounds fair," she says.

"Alright... three... two... one... go!" Rainbow Dash says. Twilight leans down and bites into one of the black chunks that used to be eggplant, and instantly gags. She doesn't even get it into her mouth to chew – it's an awful combination of bitter, flaky burnt and cold, mealy, uncooked bread crumbs.

"Bleugh!" Twilight recoils, trying to scrape the taste off her tongue with her teeth. She turns to see Rainbow Dash doing almost the same thing, coughing out bits of crunchy pasta.

"Rainbow Dash?" Twilight says.

"Yeah?"

"I think this is the worst food I've ever seen," Twilight says.

"...Yeah?"

"I'm not trying to be mean. I'm actually kind of amazed. It's like some kind of epic tragedy on a plate."

"Ha, yeah."

"If somepony asked me to write a story about Equestria's worst cook, I could not have come up with something this bad."

"...Yeah." Rainbow Dash chuckles quietly.

"You might be an even worse cook than me, and that's really saying something."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"So wait..." Twilight raises her eyebrows. "Are you seriously admitting that you aren't the best at something?"

"Who, me?" Rainbow Dash smiles at her, that trademark cocky smile. "Well, I'm the best at so many things. I guess it's only fair for me to be bad at something." Her smile drops away, and she looks almost worried. "Look, I don't really know what I'm doing in the kitchen. I know that. I guess I just wanted to try and make this kinda special for you. Something you would like."

Twilight feels her heart melting a little, overpowering any hunger she felt before. "No, I get it," she says. "I get what you were going for. I think it's really sweet of you."

"Thanks," Rainbow Dash says. "But you're still hungry, huh?"

"You don't have anything else?"

"Not really." Rainbow Dash looks thoughtful again. "How 'bout we just order in?"

Twilight smiles at her again. "That sounds nice," she says.

One short wait and a long dinner later, Twilight sighs contentedly on the couch. She takes another swig of her beer. It's some kind of sarsaparilla, cool and with a bite of ginger. Twilight relishes the bubbles on her tongue, letting them tickle the roof of her mouth.

She looks down at the aftermath of their meal. Her plate still has a half-eaten slice of grass-and-mushroom pizza that she doesn't intend to finish. Dash's plate is littered with leftover crusts. Twilight hates it when ponies don't eat the crust.

Whatever. I was hungry, now I'm not, and it was good.

Rainbow Dash finishes off her beer and drops it gracelessly on the table.

"Ahh!" She wipes her mouth with a hoof. "That was great. Pegasus delivery, huh?" She nudges Twilight with an elbow.

"Yeah, that was fast." She frowns a little as some niggling thought comes to the fore of her mind. "How do you send the order in without unicorn magic?"

"Huh?"

"How do you order when there's no unicorns around?" Twilight asks again.

"Uhh... you don't?" Dash says, shrugging.

"Huh." Twilight mulls this over for a second. It's the small things she never thinks of – she wonders sometimes what life without magic would be like, but she never hits on little details like that.

"Yeah, I just go pick it up usually. You're pretty useful, Twi – maybe I should have you over more often." She winks at Twilight.

"Well as long as you practice cooking a little before next time." Twilight smiles cheekily.

"Ha ha ha." Dash rolls her eyes, then suddenly looks serious. "Yeah, I hadn't really tried that before."

"Really? You brought out an unpracticed stunt for our date?"

"It was Pinkie's idea."

"Oh?"

"But then I asked her for some recipes and she gave me a bunch of stuff for making cakes and candy. So then I asked AJ, but she... well, she wasn't too helpful. For once."

"Oh." Twilight sinks a little lower into the couch.

Rainbow Dash sits up a little, belting out a cheesy approximation of Applejack's accent. "How can you go out with 'er when she's just fixin' to leave you fer that dang princess?" Rainbow Dash spins a hoof beside her head, sticking her tongue out.

"Oh..." Twilight turns away and takes a deep pull of her beer.

"Don't worry about it, Twilight. She just doesn't get it."

"I'm not sure if I get it, honestly."

"Get what?"

"You. I don't know, you're so casual about this. Is this how you always do things? Just... doing it with different ponies? No real relationships?"

"What, you don't get that? I thought that was kind of your thing lately." Rainbow Dash gives her a curious look that makes Twilight feel embarrassed for some reason.

"That... that's different."

"How?"

"I don't know. I mean, yes, I did kind of do that... but I didn't really mean to. I don't think. And I do love Luna. I think."

"You think?" Dash looks skeptical now, and it raises some questions in Twilight's head that she'd rather not think about tonight. But, since they are talking about it... maybe Dash can help her.

"How do you know? If you're in love, I mean. Real, true love," she asks.

"Pfff, that's fairy-tale stuff, Twilight." Dash waves a dismissive hoof. "That's all just foal crushes."

Twilight frowns, creasing her brow in thought. "A lot of adult ponies seem to think it's real enough. You think they're wrong?"

"Maybe. I don't really know. Mushy romance stuff isn't really my bag, honestly."

"Well, what is your 'bag' then?"

"I don't know... going out with ponies is fun. And doing stuff feels good. As long as nopony gets hurt, what's the difference?"

"You don't ever think about something more serious?" Twilight asks.

Dash opens her mouth to speak, but thinks better of it. She grabs her bottle with a hoof and goes to drink, but realizes it's empty and just stares at the wall for a few moments. Twilight waits, letting her think, but soon loses her patience. She's just about to repeat her question when Dash speaks.

"I used to. When I was younger." She turns to Twilight, "I'm just not interested now, I guess."

"Really? You never want to settle down with somepony?"

"Yeah, sure, maybe one day. Later. If I meet someone good enough."

Twilight is at a loss for words. She can picture herself being with Luna, easily – for ever and ever and they both lived happily ever after. Before all this, she hadn't put any real thought into it, but there was still a weird, kind of abstract idea that of course she would find someone, someday. Everyone did, right?

"Hey." Dash's hoof touches her own, bringing her back. The blue pegasus must have noticed her slip into her own thoughts. "We're young, right? Live life to the max. Get all the kicks you can. Worry about that other stuff when it happens." Dash smacks her empty bottle against Twilight's with a loud clink.

"That sounds kind of lonely. Like you don't have someone special you really care about," Twilight says, wincing as it leaves her mouth.

Jeez, when did I get so sappy?

Rainbow Dash seems to share that thought. She just glares back at Twilight. "It's not like that. Just because I keep it casual doesn't mean I don't care. What, you don't care about Braeburn? Or Rarity?"

Ouch... got me there. This round goes to Rainbow Dash.

"Good point." She grabs her own bottle out of the air, winding down her magic. The beer left inside is warm by now. She just wanted something in her hooves to fiddle with. "This is all so confusing sometimes. I don't know what I'm supposed to feel."

Rainbow Dash touches her foreleg again and leaves her hoof there, looking tenderly into Twilight's eyes.

"It doesn't have to be confusing. Just take it as it comes, y'know?" Dash says. Twilight looks away – she feels her ears getting hot again, feels that rush of hormones start to kick in. She forces herself to meet Dash's eyes, and her busy mind slows down, grows quiet, and starts to melt away. She's been keeping some very insistent urges pushed to the back of her head, but they're starting to get louder...

Dash smiles, like she knows exactly what's going on in Twilight's head.

"Like you and me," she continues. "We know going into this it's just for fun. Doesn't mean I don't care about you." She rubs Twilight's leg, her firm hoof throwing a delightful chill up the foreleg and down Twilight's spine.

"I care about you, too," Twilight says, feeling a little dumb. Dash scoots over and leans in close, and Twilight just tries out what she thinks is a demure smile. She hinted and hinted with Braeburn, but had to get a little bold to make anything happen. She's pretty sure she won't have to do that tonight.

They're sitting close together now, Twilight can feel Dash's breath against her cheek and the light tickle of feathers against her side. She levitates her bottle to the coffee table and turns to Dash – her face is right there, so close their lips are almost touching.

Pinkie said rainbows were spicy... I wonder if Dash's mane...

Twilight giggles at her own absurd thought.

What is it with me and manes?

"What?" Rainbow Dash asks.

"Nothing, nothing." Twilight snickers. She can't hold it in.

Dash just smiles and leans in closer. That stops Twilight's giggle fit. Their noses touch. Twilight feels that strange, tight lightness in her chest. She can feel her friend's nostrils flaring, feel her hot breath mingling with her own. Twilight closes her eyes and goes to purse her lips...

"Hey! I almost forgot!"

Twilight opens her eyes and Dash is already off the couch and floating in front of her. She just sits there, her eyes wide, that demanding, pressing urge still winding up in her chest and lower down.

"What?" Twilight says, sounding far more annoyed than she meant to.

"I wanted to show you something. You like star-gazing, right?" Dash says, like they weren't just about to make out.

Twilight arches her eyebrows, her annoyance forgotten. Star-gazing? Science? That's maybe the only thing that could take her mind off sex right now.

"Yeah, I thought so." Rainbow Dash laughs. "Follow me." With just a few flaps of her wings, Rainbow Dash rises up and shoots through the cloud ceiling, punching a small hole through it.

Twilight just sits there, staring up. Is this some kind of joke?

First she teases me on the kiss and now on the science... is this whole date a prank or something? Is Pinkie hiding somewhere with a camera?

Twilight looks around suspiciously, but Dash comes floating back in through the hole in the ceiling and lands in front of her.

"Heh... sorry. I forgot you can't fly for a second. Since you're up here, and all." Rainbow Dash rubs the back of her neck with a hoof, looking down. Then she crouches down in front of Twilight, flaring her wings out straight.

"Hop on," she says.

"Hop on?"

"Yeah, go ahead. Watch the wings."

Rainbow Dash holds her pose, and Twilight gets up. She takes a second to think about how to go about this. She's never flown before. Not like this. Is Dash strong enough to hold her? Twilight's never seen her carry – oh wait, yes she has. During their trip to Cloudsdale, Rainbow Dash carried four ponies.

Stronger than she looks.

She smiles as she climbs onto Rainbow Dash from behind. Watch the wings, right? Dash's tail flags against her belly as she awkwardly climbs up, and Twilight feels delightfully lewd for a second, mounted on the back of her friend. Then she hoists herself up and wraps her forelegs around Dash's neck, taking care not to squeeze too hard.

"You ready?" Dash asks, glancing at her over her shoulder.

"I think so." Twilight barely says it before Dash takes off. She yelps and squeezes her eyes shut, the sudden acceleration waking up a swarm of butterflies in her stomach. She is vaguely aware of the tight muscles of Dash's back and shoulder flexing against her skin – much stronger than she looks, oh my – but the wind whipping through her mane and that feeling of insane speed cloud it out.

Then, as suddenly as it began, it's over.

Twilight forces her eyes open. She sees bright, vivid hues, her face enveloped by Dash's messy mane. She's about to sneak a deep breath of it when she remembers that they've stopped and realizes how tightly she's squeezing her friend.

She slides backwards, pausing as her hind legs find purchase. She's really mounting Dash now, just like a stallion would, and a weird, giddy little thrill passes through her hips. Then she looks up and Dash is looking at her over her shoulder, eyes half-lidded. Twilight freezes. Dash waggles her eyebrows and grins, then flicks her tail up into Twilight's face.

"Sorry!" Twilight backs off, feeling blood rush up into her cheeks and ears, she can hear her heart thumping like mad.

"Why?" Dash turns around, still grinning.

"Heh... I don't know... I..." Twilight starts to say.

"Later. Look." Dash gestures up with her hooves.

Twilight does look and is stunned. Utterly stunned. They are standing on the roof of Rainbow Dash's cloud house, and all of Luna's heavenly glory is spread out above them. It's so much more crisp, more clear, than it ever looks from the ground. Every star is a piercing, twinkling light against a deep, dark, beautiful blue sky. The moon shines down at them, a haunting waxing gibbous.

Twilight's heart soars and she half-sits, half-collapses into the soft vapor beneath her. Her arousal is far from forgotten. If anything, it's mingling with this new excitement, more intense than ever, her mind just as sensitive and overwhelmed as her flanks. She gawks up at the sky, her mouth hanging open.

"Yeah, I thought you might like this," Dash says, smirking.

"I... it... this... it's..." Twilight stammers, forgetting to even breath.

"Yeah, it's alright," Dash says, giving one of her hooves a bored look. She slumps down into the cloud next to Twilight, leaning against her.

"This is amazing," Twilight spits out as soon as she remembers to breathe. How did she never think of this before? She has a balloon, for Celestia's sake. She could have seen this every night if she had just thought of it.

They sit there together for some amount of time that Twilight can't comprehend. It doesn't matter. Nothing matters at all. She drinks in the stars, she can't possibly see all the beauty at once. Every shift of her eyes is like seeing the whole thing all over again. It's impossibly, indescribably beautiful. Normally she would be ticking off galaxies and constellations in her head, feeling a smug little thrill at every insignificant detail she had memorized.

Not tonight. She sees the forest. The trees are forgotten.

She tears her gaze away and turns to the pony next to her. Dash is looking up, too. She's smiling, clearly not as enthralled as Twilight, but smiling beautifully. Stars shine in her pink eyes. Her face is strong, proud, framed by that dazzling, wild mane, and Twilight feels a wild urge to just tackle her and make furious love right there.

Her whole body is burning, her heart straining at her ribs. She tenses up, ready to ravage her friend, when Dash turns to her and their eyes meet. It halts and surprises Twilight. The animal, feral drive to take her stops short.

"So..." Dash says. Words come back to Twilight, she feels obligated to respond in kind.

Does she have any idea what she just did?

I was about to fuck her silly!

Dear god did I just think that what is wrong with me?

Twilight shakes her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She's barely keeping that drive under control, she's not even sure why. This is why they're here, right? But something in Rainbow Dash's face makes her hold back. What is it...

Darn it, darn it, I can't think straight, she's looking at you say something!

"Dash... this is amazing!" she forces out. "I guess this romance stuff is kind of your bag, after all." She gives Dash her amateur's seductive smile.

"Ha! Yeah, I try." Dash leans into her and nuzzles right behind Twilight's ear. Her whole body quivers, shivers running up and down from her nose to her tail. She closes her eyes and bites her lip.

"You cold?" Dash asks, draping a wing over Twilight's body.

No but I will pretend to be cold.

"A little." Twilight leans into the blue pegasus, snuggling their sides close together. She nuzzles Rainbow Dash back, feeling that unique and beautiful mane against her face, it's slick and wiry and it tickles. Rainbow Dash nickers softly, extending her neck, offering it to Twilight.

Twilight declines the offer, instead raising her head and locking eyes with Rainbow Dash. They stare at each other, inching closer, both panting heavily. Something unspoken passes between them and they both attack at the same moment, pressing their lips together.

It's the most intense kiss Twilight's ever had, even more than when Luna kissed her, different in every way. It's burning and pushy and fierce. Their tongues fight for supremacy, pushing back and forth from one mouth to the other. Twilight feels pushing on her body and movement, somehow she's on her back now, their mouths are still locked together. She doesn't even moan or move her legs, everything is this kiss, this perfect, intense kiss.

It stops as suddenly as it began. Twilight opens her eyes. Rainbow Dash is looming over her, her wings blocking her view of the sky. Her eyes are eager, crazy, like Braeburn's were at the height of their passion.

"Is it cool if I'm on top?" Dash blurts out, her chest heaving.

"I don't care, anything." Twilight pulls her down into another kiss. She did kind of want to be on top, but it doesn't matter. They have all night.

Dash breaks the kiss quickly and starts furiously moving her mouth all over Twilight, kissing her face and neck and chest and shoulders. She darts around like a bird, sending waves of pleasure through Twilight from each little peck. It's perfect, exactly what she's yearning for right now. Twilight wraps her hooves in that brilliant mane and lets her go to work, offering herself completely. She cranes her head back and just revels in the pleasure, biting her tongue. She doesn't want to start calling out just yet – it's exciting to hold it in for some reason, to fight it a little.

Dash starts kissing harder, getting more sloppy. She moves down, rubbing her snout against Twilight's belly and sides, moaning and neighing softly. Twilight lowers her eyes and glances down her friend's body, resting her gaze on Dash's firm rump wiggling in the air, her tail lashing about. The colors of her tail shine and waver against the stars, and Twilight starts trembling, feeling deep quakes of longing shake through her whole body. She arches her back, inviting Dash to take her any way she wants. She cranes her head back again, taking in the stars.

Twilight just stares up, gasping. Dash moves her snout lower and lower, grazing at her lower belly, moving over her flat nipples... then moves up again, drawing a disappointed moan from Twilight's lips. Dash seems to ignore her, kissing and nibbling along her ribs. Twilight squeezes harder with her hooves, pushing her head down gently. Dash takes the hint and slides down again, but halts just above her crotch, rising back up.

Good goddess WHY... do I have to beg for it?

Twilight relaxes her hooves and tries to let Dash do her thing. She's getting intensely worked up, the pressure in her loins is incredible. Patience, she tries to think. All this teasing is making her wetter than ever.

This is how experienced lovers do it, right? Hold off a little, take it slow, let it build up...

"Ahhh!" she cries out, hearing her voice rise up into the night sky. It takes her completely by surprise. Rainbow Dash was nibbling at her belly, but she quickly moved down and bit the inside of Twilight's thigh, hard. She's not sure if it hurt or felt good or both. Dash is nibbling her thighs now, jumping from left to right, nipping and biting, the pinch of each sharp bite makes Twilight gasp.

She opens her eyes and...

The moon.

She freezes, staring at that white, waxy orb.

Can she see me?

Twilight shrinks suddenly, feeling her whole body tense up.

Did she hear that just now? Is she watching? Can she even do that?

Rainbow Dash is still enthusiastically kissing her body, moving back up to her ribs, running her hooves up and down Twilight's sides. It feels good, she wants it to feel good, but she can't shake the feeling of being watched.

She told me to do this... this is what she wanted. Right?

A wave of guilt washes over Twilight. It should be Luna between her legs, caressing her coat with her tongue.

That's silly this is amazing with Dash get it together.

"Twilight?" Dash is looking up at her, resting her chin on Twilight's chest. "You okay?" she asks.

Twilight bites her lip, glancing up at the moon again. It looks like a glaring eye now, almost sinister. She looks back down at Dash and finds relief in her intense pink irises.

"Can we go back inside?" Twilight asks quietly.

"You cold?"

"Yes. Yes, I'm cold. It's cold out here. Brrr."

Dash looks at her like she's joking, then smiles. She rolls off Twilight and stomps with her hooves, kicking a hole in the cloud beneath them. Twilight looks down and sees a bedroom, not quite as messy as the cloud house downstairs, lit only by dim starlight. It looks like a long drop, but Rainbow Dash gestures for her to go first. She slides off the edge, landing easily in the cushioning clouds of the floor.

Rainbow Dash follows, patching up the hole after her. Twilight doesn't bother to observe anything about the room – she can't see the moon through the windows, just more brilliant stars. There is a bed. There is Rainbow Dash. There is exactly one thing on her mind.

She plants a quick kiss on Dash's lips and dives onto the bed, turning and smiling at her new lover. Unexpectedly, Rainbow Dash slowly, almost hesitantly climbs in with her. She sits next to Twilight, folding her arms beneath her.

Twilight grins at her. What new game is this? More teasing? She leans forward and starts kissing Dash's face and ears. Dash responds with moans and a smile, but doesn't move from her sitting position.

"So... heh heh... uh... where were we?" Dash says.

"Oh, right about here, I think." Twilight rolls onto her back and parts her legs slightly, smiling innocently.

"Oh! Yeah..." Dash glances at Twilight's invitation and darts her eyes away, sweating. "Yup. Gonna make some love. Right now. Gonna give it to you like... like all hot and sexy and stuff."

Twilight props herself up on her elbows, staring at the blue mare in disbelief. "Dash, are you... nervous?" she asks.

"No!" Rainbow Dash snaps, looking away.

"Oh my god you are nervous!" Twilight fights hard to hold a laugh in.

"No way! Shut up!" Dash is rooted to the bed, fidgeting with her hooves nervously.

"I thought I would be the nervous one. I mean, you're so much more experienced than me..."

"Well, yeah... I..." Rainbow Dash shrinks, casting a guilty look down into the bed.

"Dash?" Twilight glares at her. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know!" Rainbow Dash throws her hooves up, on the edge of a major freak out.

"Are you worried about –" Twilight starts to say.

"I'm not worried, I'm not... grr!" Rainbow Dash cuts her off, stomping her front hooves into the bed a little. "I like you, Twilight!" she says angrily.

"Oh... kay..." Twilight backs off a little. "I like you, too."

"I mean we've been friends for, like, forever and I always thought you were kind of cute."

"...Thanks?" Twilight cocks an eyebrow.

"And when you started talking about trying out mares I was like, yeah! Finally!" Rainbow Dash looks like her old triumphant self for just a second before her eyes plummet back the the bed, shifting back and forth. "And now we're here and it's awesome but I feel all... like... I don't know!"

Care to expand on that with real words?

Twilight suppresses a sigh. She wants to help, but as often with Rainbow Dash, half the battle is figuring out what's even going on in the pegasus mare's head.

"We're just friends, right?" Rainbow Dash says, like a pony on the edge.

Twilight reaches out and puts a hoof on her friend's shoulder, hoping to calm her. "Of course we are. I'll always be your friend."

Rainbow Dash looks up, finally meeting her eyes again. "Always?" she asks.

"Always."

They lock eyes for a long moment. Twilight can see the life ebbing back into her friend's eyes. "We don't have to do anything, you know. It's fine," she says. She means it.

"No! No, I want to. Dear bucking Celestia, do I want to!" Rainbow Dash grabs Twilight's arm desperately. That buzz of arousal flares up in Twilight's head again, her netherlips twitch, she's wound up and craving any kind of release.

"Well let's do this, then." She shifts closer on the bed, planting a kiss on Dash's foreleg.

Can't think of anything that would cheer you up more...

"I... yeah. Okay. Okay." Dash takes a deep breath, but doesn't move otherwise.

"What's wrong now?" Twilight says, more rude than she wanted to. Her craving is making her brash, impatient.

"You think I'm some kind of expert. I don't wanna disappoint you. What if I don't get you off or something?" Rainbow Dash cries out.

"Are you serious?!" Twilight glares at her. Rainbow Dash winces. "You're Rainbow Dash!"

"...yeah?" Rainbow Dash says meekly.

"Yes! You're the fastest flyer in Equestria, and a future Wonderbolt!" Twilight says, gripping her friend's shoulders.

"Yeah? Hey, yeah!" Dash glows noticeably.

"And you're the hottest filly action in Ponyville."

"...yeah!" Rainbow Dash says slowly, like she's just realized.

"We haven't even gotten started and I'm the most turned on I've ever been. You. Are. Hot." Twilight pokes her in the chest, emphasizing the last three words.

Dash gets that cocky smile, that beautiful, arrogant, intense grin.

"Ha, yeah, of course I am! You're hot too, Twilight."

"Thanks. Now, are you gonna take me like the Rainbow Dash I've been dreaming about?" Twilight lies back again, turning her seductive smile up to eleven.

"Hell yeah!" Rainbow Dash glares with blazing intensity and charges in. She wraps her arms around Twilight's hips and yanks her up, turning her roughly on to her stomach.

"Oof!" Twilight feels a little of her breath get knocked out as Dash pulls her hind legs, propping her rump up in the air. She pants and tries to figure out what's going on, she's burning up all over, it feels like her whole groin is just melting, running down her legs. She feels teeth clamp around her tail, and then...

"AHH ohhhhhh..." Dash pulls her tail to the side, giving a little yank farther than she had to. Pain shoots through Twilight's mind and is chased by quivering pleasure. Her hips flex and writhe on their own. Twilight starts to think that it feels so good nothing's ever felt so good and she is immediately made a liar when Dash shoves her snout roughly into that moist, burning slit between her legs.

"Ah! Ah! YES!" Twilight cries out, she couldn't hold back if she tried. Dash laps at her frantically, then pushes her tongue deep inside. It slides in easily, Twilight's so wet it even makes an awful squelching noise. Dash wiggles her tongue inside Twilight's tight hole, squeezing her hooves around Twilight's thighs. Twilight moans loudly, her own tongue hanging out onto the bed. Dash pulls out and starts kissing and licking all over Twilight's thighs, then nips at her rump a few times, then clamps her teeth around Twilight's purple tail and yanks again, hard.

"OH!" Twilight's eyes go wide and she feels herself clenching, her tight, wet passage grasping eagerly at nothing.

Am I coming did I just was that like a mini-orgasm what is this

She moans loudly, rolling her eyes back. That came out of nowhere, she would think if she was capable of real thought. Instead she just moans louder and rides the waves of pleasure higher – it's like no orgasm she's had before. Instead of climaxing and then falling off, she's just plateaued on some new, more intense level of arousal.

Rainbow Dash is licking her up and down now, paying special attention to her swollen clit. Twilight is bucking her hips slightly with each stroke of her friend's tongue. She swishes her tail in Dash's face, unconsciously begging her to pull it again. Dash ignores it and moves her focus to just that lovely little button at the top of Twilight's mound, attacking it with her tongue.

Twilight feels her knees shaking and threatening to give out, if Dash wasn't propping her up she would've collapsed by now. She opens her eyes wide as that tongue, that frantic, aggressive, wonderful tongue hovers just around her clit. She wants to see it, she wants to watch what's happening, she flexes her neck every which way but it feels too good and she can't focus at all. She gives up and squeezes her eyes shut tight, rubbing her face into the bed sheets.

The tongue moves up now, Twilight can feel Dash's snout probing, searching, exploring her. She drags her tongue up Twilight's slit again but doesn't stop, going higher, right onto...

"WHOA!" Twilight's head shoots up. She yelps and instinctively curls her tail between her legs. For just a second that tongue had tickled her right under her tail, on her... that's so dirty, she starts to think...

"AHH!" Her tail is yanked to the side again and she feels Dash pin it there with a hoof. Dash's tongue dives right back into her tight anus, licking around it in little circles, and Twilight just about loses her mind.

"Dash! Dash! What are you... you... you ohhhhhhhh wow!" she gasps out, feeling every muscle in her hips starting to clench again. She never imagined this, never thought that part of her was something sexual. Dash yanks at her tail with her hoof, making Twilight yelp in shocked pleasure. She starts pushing her hips back, her body begging for more, she's so close again... again? More than once oh sweet Celestia this is amazing...

Dash reaches her other hoof up and presses it to Twilight's clitoris, and the whole world just explodes into stars.

Twilight has no idea what happens next. Or how long it happens. Or anything. She's barely cognizant of drooling and shaking and screaming out some things and it feels so, so, sooooo good.

She floats back up out of complete and utter oblivion as Dash takes her hoof away from her clit – was it there the whole time, what else did we just do – and feels Dash's tongue give one last lick and kiss to her swollen lips. Dash lets go of her tail and Twilight just collapses. She's breathing like she's dying, fighting for air, just collapsed on the bed with her rump still sticking up, trembling.

Strong hooves roll her over and she's on her back now, and Dash's beautiful face and beautiful mane are smiling down at her. Dash kisses her, hard...

Eww she was just... eww! Oh whatever...

Twilight tastes her own tangy moisture on her friend's tongue and it reminds her of Rarity for a moment, of that night they shared together not so long ago and then it's gone. Rainbow Dash slides herself onto Twilight, pressing their hips together. She can feel the heat between Dash's legs, burning, dripping heat, pressing into her own and then they touch and pleasure rocks her body violently, it's not over yet it's far from over this is just a new, more fantastic plateau.

Dash grunts like a stallion and bucks down into her, rubbing their swollen nubs together. They gasp in unison. Twilight shoots her eyes open and they share a moment, gazing into each others' eyes, it's beautiful and tender and Twilight feels so close to her, like a part of her, she could lie like this forever.

Then Dash gets a wicked look in her eyes and she grinds her hips again.

"Ah! Ahh! Ahhhhh! AH!" Twilight almost screams out.

Dash is bucking against her at a steady rhythm now, mashing their mounds together. Spasms shake through her wings, shedding feathers here and there. They fall around Twilight like dead leaves.

Twilight writhes against the bed, flexing her hips unevenly, jerking them. Somewhere in her head she wants to try and match Dash's rhythm, to move with her, be one with her, but she can't summon the coordination required.

Dash presses her hooves against Twilight's arms and slides them up, pinning them above her head. She leans her own head down and starts kissing Twilight, starting with her face and then moving up, nipping at her ears and licking her horn.

The wet tongue on her horn shoots chills right down into her brain. It's much more sensitive than she ever knew, like a second clit connected directly to her thoughts. She howls in delight, flexing her arms against Dash's, pushing up against her, pretending to fight. Then she gives up and just takes it, just takes it all for however long Rainbow Dash can give it.

Which isn't too much longer, apparently. Dash slows down a little. Twilight opens her eyes and Rainbow Dash is propped above her, smiling, hanging her mouth open. Her lips are trembling, she looks like she's about to peak.

"Harder please I'm so close..." Twilight moans out.

Dash's eyes snap down to her like she had forgotten there was another pony in the room. She bears down with her arms, crushing Twilight's hooves into the bed, and starts thrusting her hips like a girl possessed. Twilight feels their hot, engorged nubs flicking past each other and Dash is staring into her eyes and she's sweating all over, curls of white lather stand out against her blue coat and oh god this is it!

"aaaaaaAAAHHH YES!" Twilight screams out, jerking her hips violently.

"Unh! Unh! Oh fu... fu... Augh!" Dash grunts out with her last few strokes, then slumps down onto Twilight, her body shaking.

They lie like that, pressed together. Twilight can feel spasms and quakes running through Dash's mound, symptoms of the same post-lovemaking bliss that's running through her. Her inner walls are clenching over and over again on their own, it feels lovely, just lying there with a hot, heavy body on top of her. Dash shifts against her and some part of her brushes past Twilight's clitoris. She takes in a sharp breath, it hurt! It's beyond sensitive now, sore to the touch.

Dash slides off to her side and sinks into the bed, one foreleg draped lazily over Twilight's chest. Twilight doesn't move. They both slowly catch their breath. Twilight stares mutely at the ceiling. At first it looks solid, unmoving, but eventually she realizes that it's slowly drifting and shifting. She feels lips on her cheek. She turns her head as they leave.

Rainbow Dash is staring at her with a tired smile. "Hey," she croaks out.

"Mmm," Twilight moans back. She rolls onto her side and scoots closer to Dash, running a hoof up her blue chest.

"So... that was good, right?" Dash says.

Twilight sighs loudly. "That was great."

Rainbow Dash nods very seriously, looking satisfied. She reaches down and messes with the sheets – Twilight is vaguely aware of squirming around, letting her pull the blankets out from under them and then over top of them. She rolls over a little, ready for the forelegs she's sure are about to slide around her –

And then nothing.

She looks over and Rainbow Dash is lying in bed next to her. Just far enough away that their bodies aren't touching. Dash's eyes are closed, and a smug smile is creeping across her lips.

That's it?

Twilight lies there for a few seconds, curled up under the covers. Then she rolls over and slides her back into Dash's strong arms and legs.

"Hmm?" Rainbow Dash doesn't move, barely reacts except for the sound.

Twilight lies there uncomfortably, wondering if this part is less standard than she thought.

Come on, hold me darn it!

And then cyan blue limbs wrap around her. Rainbow Dash drags her snout through Twilight's mane and then rests her chin on Twilight's shoulder. Twilight lets out a pleased sigh. She can feel her friend's chest rising against her back. Dash's forelegs are wrapped around her, tucked under her own. It's perfect.

Rainbow Dash yawns loudly against the back of her head. It's immediately contagious, and Twilight can't help but yawn. She doesn't open her eyes again, her eyelids are too heavy. She quickly falls into a dreamless, satisfied sleep.

"Aw, yeah! Right there!"

Rainbow Dash squeezes Twilight's hooves with her own, panting. Twilight shifts her mental focus, shooting waves through the glow of her horn.

"There?" she asks.

"Ugh! Yeah, there, perfect... harder!" Rainbow Dash says.

Morning light pours in through the window. At some point in the night they had switched positions – Rainbow Dash is backed up against Twilight now, squirming in against her belly.

Twilight closes her eyes, throwing more oomph into her telekinesis. She can feel her friend's slick entrance in her horn – it's undeniably strange but amazing, like having a fifth hoof. A fifth, sensitive, shape-changing hoof. A magic extra hoof that is reaching deep inside her friend's opening and massaging inside her right now... Twilight opens her eyes again. She's breathing heavily, every moan and tremble Rainbow Dash gives pushes her a little higher, sends tingles through her horn.

She breathes deep of Dash's rainbow mane. Last night had been so sudden, so rough...

Sooooooo good...

She hadn't really had a chance to dig in to her friend's prismatic hair. She takes a big patch of it in her teeth. It doesn't taste spicy, it tastes of sweat and discount shampoo. She jerks her neck back, yanking on the hair.

"Owww yeah! Yeah!" Rainbow Dash growls, brushing her tail base back and forth across Twilight's belly. She can feel tight squeezing in her horn, Dash must be close, she's panting quickly now. Twilight concentrates harder – it's not easy when she's so aroused, but she manages.

Twilight grins around the hair in her teeth. She sends a tendril of magic out from the glow around Rainbow Dash's sex and presses it firmly against that dirty little second hole under her tail.

"Whoa! Whooooaaaaoohhhhhh..." Dash stiffens up for a second and then relaxes completely. A few seconds later Twilight can feel her clenching up one last time and then releasing in a wave of moaning and shaking. Dash sighs and hugs Twilight's forearms to her chest. Twilight keeps working at her with her magic, relishing the squeezing of her friend's walls against her mind's hoof.

"I came," Dash moans out a little shakily.

"Good." Twilight spits the multi-colored mane out of her mouth and makes her horn glow harder.

"Okay, okay, you can stop now." Dash laughs, her voice is high-pitched.

"Hmm... no, I think you need more." Twilight smiles deviously.

"C'mon, Twi, it hurts!" Dash laughs more, squeezing at Twilight's hooves.

"Oh, alright." Twilight rolls her eyes and fakes a severely disappointed tone. She turns off her horn and Dash unwinds, melting in Twilight's arms.

They lie together for a few minutes. Twilight nibbles idly at the back of Dash's neck, not really thinking. She's concentrating on the rising and falling of that blue chest, slowly evening out and becoming normal.

Suddenly, Dash gets up and rolls off the bed.

"'Scuse me," she says, trotting off to another room.

Twilight watches her go, her eyes following those blue flanks. She pouts a little when Dash closes a door behind her. The sound of a running shower comes from the other room.

I guess she's just cleaning up.

She looks around a little, paying attention to Dash's room for the first time. It's a pretty simple affair – posters of racing pegasus ponies, stacks of magazines, trophies and medals hung up all over the place.

She thinks about Dash some more. Round two only whetted her appetite, and she feels just a bit of craving hunger wound up in her hips. She starts to imagine Rainbow Dash with a wet mane plastered to her face, standing in a steaming hot shower...

She's just working up the courage to see about joining her friend when the door opens and the mare in question trots back in, a towel on her back. She shakes herself off like a dog, spraying water everywhere.

That was quick... well, she is always bragging about how fast she is...

Twilight giggles, thinking about their more recent lovemaking.

"What?" Dash looks at her, shaking drops of water out of her wings.

"Nothing." Twilight traces a circle on the bed with her hoof. "So... what are you up to today?"

"I gotta go to work."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, thought I might show up on time for once. Surprise everypony, y'know?"

It is pretty early. Then again, they did go to bed kind of early... she giggles again, then stops short.

"Wait... are you going now?" Twilight asks.

"In a few minutes, yeah," Dash says, dropping the towel on the floor. She walks over to a pile of laundry and other junk and starts digging around for something.

"Oh." Twilight droops her ears. The lingering heat in her loins disappears. "I was kind of thinking we could go get breakfast or something."

"Nah, I really gotta get going. Sorry." Dash pulls a pair of goggles out of the pile. How many of those does she own?

"You don't wanna take the day off?" Twilight tries to turn on the seductive smile. Dash doesn't even look over.

"I shouldn't. Really... we got a big move today. Huge storm this weekend. You heard, right? They're gonna need me out there."

Twilight frowns a little.

Isn't Dash always taking days off?

No, stop it, you're being silly.

She has to go to work. Get over yourself.

"That's okay, right? I mean, I'm sorry I gotta jet on you like this," Rainbow Dash says, adjusting her goggles on her head.

"No, it's fine. I understand," Twilight says.

"Cool." Dash walks over to the bed and nuzzles her one last time. "I'll see you later, yeah? You can take your balloon home."

"Yeah..." Twilight looks down at her hooves. "Yeah, I can do that."

They say quick goodbyes and Rainbow Dash graciously offers her a breakfast of cold pizza as they leave. Twilight declines the offer. A short ride through the clouds later and she's opening the door of her library.

She feels exhausted... completely spent. And gross. About halfway home she had realized how sweaty and smelly she felt from the night before.

"Spike?" she yells, then winces as she realizes he's probably asleep. It's still early, and he's probably taking his night alone as an opportunity to sleep in. The library is silent, empty. Twilight almost knocks on the door of Spike's new room, just to check on him, but she thinks better of it.

She goes upstairs instead and treats herself to a long, hot bath. It does wonders for her mood, and she spends long minutes letting the hot water seep into her joints, trying hard to think about nothing. It doesn't work, of course – a cocky, arrogant smile keeps flashing in her mind.

She shakes her head, feeling stupid. Luna's smile is prettier, anyway. She remembers the night Luna came to her. It feels like a long time ago, but she can still see Luna's playful, mischievous little smirk.

Hey! Hey, I did it! This is it!

She practically jumps out of the bath, toweling herself off as quickly as possible. She walks back to her room and goes to brush her mane a little, when something on her neck catches her eye. It isn't quite as bad as when she woke up to find her horn full of poison joke, but it's a similar shock.

Her neck is marked with a few dark, ugly bruises. Souvenirs, courtesy of Rainbow Dash. Part of her mind is chuckling but the rest of her is horrified. They're very obvious – everypony she runs into is going to know exactly what she's been doing. She cringes and then doubles her cringe as something else occurs to her.

She turns around and shoves her backside up to the mirror awkwardly. It's hard to see clearly, but there are a few obvious marks on her thighs and even one high up on her rump. And... oh dear Princess why... one big bite mark on her inner thigh, right next to her most private spot.

She slams her rump down and sees a very embarrassed unicorn in the mirror staring back at her.

I could just not go outside for a few days.

I could probably get away with that. Oh horse apples, what about Spike? Rainbow Dash, why do you have to be so rough?

You weren't complaining last night...

She glares at herself, remembering why she came out here. This would have to be dealt with later. She's on a mission.

She digs out a quill and blank paper and sets to work.

Dearest Princess Luna,

I've known the touch of two lovers, one stallion and one mare. Both were lovely, but I think I know where my inclinations truly lie now. I've learned much about love – enough to know how badly I want you.

You were right to set me on this path. I had no idea what love was, what it could feel like, what it could do to a pony. I've even seen a little of the dark side of romance. There is great risk of hurting someone if you aren't careful. I understand that now, and I think I understand why you asked me to do this.

But I have learned, and I'm ready. I'm yours, whenever you come to take me.

Your Eager Student,
Twilight Sparkle

She hastily wraps it up in an envelope and casts a spell on it, excitement pounding in her chest. She can hardly focus, and the awesome feeling of touching Luna's mind shoots through her and is gone almost instantly.

The envelope vanishes in a flash of light. Twilight sits, looking around, waiting impatiently. Birdsong drifts in through the windows. She starts to mindlessly tap a hoof on the floor.

You didn't really think she was going to show up instantly, did you?

She sighs, wondering what she's doing. Luna hasn't even had time to read it yet. She's probably asleep, honestly. Does she sleep? Like a normal pony, anyway?

Twilight trudges over to her bed and flops onto it, sighing heavily. She imagines Luna there with her, cuddling her, whispering sweet words in her ear. Luna wouldn't usher her out in the morning, pretending nothing happened. Luna wouldn't rush off to catch some stupid train. Luna wouldn't leave her to go home alone with nothing but cold, stiff leftovers. Right?

Would she?

Twilight frowns and feels strangely scared, alone. Her bed feels larger than ever, cold and empty. She scoots herself under the covers like one of Fluttershy's animals cowering under a hawk's shadow. She hugs a pillow tightly to her chest.

How can you think those things... all three of them care about you!

She knows the feelings are foalish, but they grip her anyway, and she just feels worse for letting it happen.

I can't believe I just sent that letter.

She hadn't even proofread it, just scribbled it out and sent it off frantically. She can't send another one so soon... it would look strange.

She spends a long time staring into space, squeezing her pillow. One of her ears twitches.

What am I doing?