Twilight Sparkle and Spike stood back and let out a satisfied sigh. They had been organizing books all day. Princess Celestia had really overdone it this time, but Twilight wasn’t going to complain. What pony would complain about being sent a lot of books? Princess Twilight was sure Celestia would send even more after she’d finished reading these ones, but this batch today had included enough books to fill three rooms worth of bookshelves.

Spike was exhausted. “Was that the last one?” Twilight nodded. Relieved, the little dragon threw himself onto the couch and yawned. He grabbed his little Rarity plushie and closed his eyes, snuggling into the soft cushions.

“Why you don’t go to spa and relax?” asked Twilight.

Spike opened his eyes, raised his head and laughed. “No way, Twilight. Now that I know Bulk Biceps is working there, I don’t think I’ll go ever again!” He remembered how he hadn’t been able to sit straight for a week. Spike didn’t want to feel like that again.

“Don’t be silly, Spike — I’m sure the twins can help you relax. You need a break after carrying all these books, and I need to start cataloguing them.” Twilight stopped and looked at Spike. “That means I need a some time alone. There might be something important. And you can go also go to visit Rarity’s boutique on the way back.”

Spike widened his eyes. “Okay, you win, I’m going. But just because you need to read, not because I want to go see Rarity… because you need to read!” He rose hurriedly and Twilight giggled. “Bye Twilight!” He dashed out of the door happily, heading for the spa.

Twilight shook her head and smiled. She turned her attention back to the books. “Well, I really need to organize them by subject too after I’ve finished reading,” Twilight said to herself. She and Spike had organized all the books alphabetically by author and title as an interim measure. (Of course Twilight wasn’t a complete maniac, obsessed with organization! What kind of pony would think that about her?!)

Determined to figure out what all these books were about, and if they had any subject in common, she picked one at random, and sat on a pile of pillows in front of her large new shelves.

The Diary of Star Swirl the Bearded… Twilight read and stopped for a moment. “Yes! Yes! Yes!” she exclaimed happily, getting up and jumping up and down on the pillows in excitement. “It’s Star Swirl’s personal diary!” Twilight caught herself acting like a fangirl, coughed and looked around to make sure nopony had seen her. Sitting back down and wrapping her tail around her right side, she began to read. “Well let me see… Entry one--”

Out of the blue, with a sound of beating wings, Rainbow Dash plummeted in through the castle window and barrelled straight into Twilight. “Rainbow Dash?! What are you doing?!” Twilight shouted. She looked around at the books that were scattered on the ground. “Look what you did to my beautiful, beautiful shelf!” she said, pointing at the scene of devastation. “You’re going to--” Twilight stopped speaking while Rainbow picked herself up. “Are you okay?”

Rainbow Dash coughed and turned her back to Twilight, who looked more confused than ever.

“Okay, Rainbow, is this another one of your pranks? Because I am not in mood for--”

Rainbow shook her tail and flank. She opened her wings, beating them as if she were about to take off. She turned to Twilight, still beating her wings against the air and started circling the princess. Twilight, though very confused, liked Rainbow’s display. For some unknown reason, she felt the beginnings of a blush and her wings filled with tension and warmth, trying to push themselves open.

Rainbow Dash stopped in front of her and puffed out her chest, tapping a hoof on the ground. She stopped beating her wings and spread them proudly, showing her well-defined muscles and perfectly preened blue feathers. Rainbow began to purr softly and lowered herself to the ground, wings still stretched. “Are you not entertained, egghead?” Rainbow asked, fluttering her eyelids.

Twilight squeaked in a not so very princess-like way and blushed, clamping a hoof over her own mouth. She recognized Rainbow’s actions from a book about the different pony kinds. It was the pegasus mating dance. “Wha--” Twilight stopped speaking and concentrated on closing her wings, which she had just noticed were spread open for some reason, and were proving harder than usual to fold away. “No! Of course not…” She bit her lip nervously and shifted her tail, looking away. “And you’re going to…” Twilight stopped when she heard the purring once again. “Could you stop with that, Rainbow? I have things to do! You know what? I can just re-shelve the books myself. You can just go.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t stop. She closed her eyes, and continued to puff out her chest and purr.

Twilight buried her blushing face in a hoof, and shook her head. She looked at Rainbow. “You are not going to leave me in peace, are you? Okay…” Twilight lowered her ears and approached Rainbow, giving her a soft kiss on the lips. “There — are you happy? I’m entertained.”

Rainbow opened her eyes. She squealed with delight and grabbed Twilight, giving her a deep, slow kiss in return. Twilight feel herself blushing even more (if that was possible). She felt butterflies in her chest and an unfamiliar warmth in her belly; her wings opened wide.

“I win! Thanks, egghead!” Rainbow dropped Twilight on the floor and flew out of the castle.

Twilight raised an eyebrow and looked around. “What the… what just… I don’t even…” She shook her head. She put a hoof to her lips and sighed. “Was that…? No, it can’t be… hehe.” Twilight carefully folded her stiff wings back in, and looked at all the books on the ground. “Well, it seems I’ve got a lot of work to do. No point in standing around and thinking about… whatever that was all about.”

Twilight went back to work, dismissing what had just happened as yet another one of Rainbow Dash’s weird pranks, nothing more!

Meanwhile…

“So, AJ…” Rainbow smirked. “My ten bits, right now, hillbilly! I said I could do it my own way!” She thumped her chest proudly.

“And what exactly is yer own way?”

“First step: impress the girl. Second step: kiss the girl. Third step: success.” Rainbow put on her dark glasses and smiled. “Best bet ever!”