Author's Notes:

This is an important chapter, so let me know what you thought of it in the comments below!

**11 Days Later**

"Dammit... I'm fucking done!" I collapse on the bleachers, Alex dropping next to me. After running two miles in gym, we were just about to pass out. "How are they still going!?"

We sit and watch both Skyler and Rainbow as they continue to run around the track. Rainbow must have a hell of a lot more stamina than us since she's a pony, but Skyler... well I can't explain her. She's always been big on running.

"You think they'll ever stop?" Alex says through heavy breaths.

"Doubt it..." I wipe the sweat off my forehead. "Hey, today's Friday right?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"So tonight's the big dance. I'm pretty excited about it."

"You're still on with Skyler right? Nothing's changed?" Alex says, finally catching his breath.

"Yep! Just one downside though. She said she just doesn't feel the same way about me as I do to her. BUT she said if it all goes well tonight, she might give me a real shot!"

"Nice dude!" Alex gives me a fist bump. "What about Rainbow over there? She got a date?"

"Nah, not really. As far as I know, we're the only two guys she talks to on a regular basis, so unless you asked her out, I don't think she does..."

"I don't think I'd ask out a pony though." Alex swipes his bangs off his forehead.

"Hey, what does that mean?" I feel slightly offended, though I don't really know why.

"Oh I mean... I've got nothing against her but... I mean she's not human. It would be weird y'know?"

"I mean... I wouldn't let that hold ME back if I... had feelings for her."

"Ah but there's the real question Matt. Do you have feelings for her?"

"W-What? Me and Rainbow? I don't think so man. I mean... she's really cool and all but... I don't know man, would that even be legal?"

"Well by definition she's not an animal soooo I don't think it would be illegal, but it might be frowned upon. I don't know dude, I can't speak for society as a whole. You didn't answer me though Matt. Do you, or do you not have feelings for her?"

"Well... I... may have thought of it once or twice, but I just don't think she'd feel that way. Besides, I doubt she'd fall for a human right?"

"I can't answer that dude. I'm not some fucking mind reader."

"Whatever, if my watch is right, then gym is almost over. Let's go hit the showers before it's too late."

We walk sluggishly to the showers and wash down. I dress back into my school clothes and wait for Rainbow by the gym door.

"C'mon, where the hell is she?" I tap my foot on the ground and stare at my watch. "I'm ditching her if she doesn't walk out her in the next minute." I mumble to myself.

"Hey Matt!" I look up to see Rainbow flying towards me, her hair hanging down over her face.

"How can you even see?" I ask as I part the wet hair in front of her eyes. "Anyway, let's hurry up. It's the last class of the day! Then we can go home and get ready for that dance tonight."

"Oh yeah... the dance." Rainbow slows down slightly.

"Hell yeah! It's gonna be so fun! Especially with my favorite pegasus there. Who knows, maybe you'll be named prom queen!"

"Yeah... can't wait!"

We walk into my last class of the day, which is Trigonometry, my least favorite class by far. I sit down at my desk, while Rainbow sits in an empty desk in front of me. In most classes she has to sit on the floor or in the back due to lack of seats. However, the student that sat in front of me in Trig moved just a day or two ago. So now, Rainbow actually gets a real chair to sit in, and I don't hear her complaining at all.

"Hooooly Shit." I mumble to myself, my head buried in my arms on my desk. I look up with one eye and see Rainbow rolling a piece of paper around on her desk. She's lucky as shit since she doesn't have to pay attention at all. It seems like if I look away for one second, I lose track of where we are and end up failing the lesson. Being the bored idiot that I am, I just stare at Rainbow's hair, trying to think of a prank to pull on her.

"Matthew? Do you know the answer?" My teacher calls out. Ah fuck. I'm doomed now!

"Uh..." I say dumbly, regretting losing focus of the lesson. Don't get me wrong, I get all A's and B's, I'm not an idiot. I just don't like to pay attention.

"I know!" A girl in the back of the class raises her hand. Ah, Abby, the smart ass girl that everyone gets annoyed at for knowing everything. I can't even be mad at her as she just saved my ass.

I look back at Rainbow, who's shoulders are moving up and down gently. Is she fucking laughing at me? I pull back on one of her wings as revenge.

"Ow!" She whispers. She doesn't turn around since she probably already knows why I did that.

*RIIIING*

"Oh thank the Lord!" I quickly throw on my backpack. "Come on Rainbow, let's get the fuck outta Dodge." I stand up but Rainbow doesn't move at all. "Oh my god! I'm not carrying you again!" Sure enough, she's sound asleep on the desk without a care in the world.

"Son of a..." I bend down and scoop her up. "This is the last fucking time."

I run out into the hallway, and run as fast as I can to my truck.

"Huh?" Rainbow mumbles. I look down to see her eyes slowly opening. "Are you carrying me?" She looks up at me, her eyes red from sleep.

"Yes I am. And it's only because I wanna get out of here. You can get down now." I try to drop her, but she clings onto my jacket.

"Nope! You're gonna carry me!" She had an evil smirk on her face as she closes her eyes again.

"You little..." I'm cut off by a yell from down the hall.

"Matt Green! Come here!" I spot Jack down the hallway. Oh shit. He's been out since last Monday getting surgery on his nose. He was out an extra week for some football tournament. But now, he's back, and it looks like he wants some revenge.

"Oh shit!" I yell as I sprint out into the parking lot, Rainbow slowing me down slightly.

"Come here pony boy! I ain't done with you!" Jack is shoving people out of the way as he barrels towards me. I quickly open my truck's driver side door, and basically throw Rainbow into the passenger seat.

"Huh? What's going on!?" She panics after hitting her head on the other door.

"No time, gotta drive!" I lock my door just as Jack smashes up against the window. I floor it out of the parking lot and head straight for the highway.

"Holy shit... that was close." I try to catch my breath while also maneuvering through the traffic.

"Was that Jack? What did he want?"

"Apparently he wants revenge for breaking his dumbass little fucking nose!" I spit out angrily. "I just hope I can avoid him at the dance..."

"Don't worry, if he tries to mess with you, I'll show him what for!" Rainbow raises her hooves into a fighting stance.

"Rainbow, this isn't your battle. I don't want you getting hurt because of me."

"And I don't want you getting hurt because of me!" She retorts. She has a point. Jack starting mocking me just because of Rainbow. Of course I wouldn't hold it against her, but she is technically the cause of all this.

"Look... do whatever, but promise me you won't get hurt." I take my eyes off the road for a second to look directly at Rainbow. "Promise me that, and I'll be fine with whatever you decide to do."

"Trust me Matt, nobody will lay a hoof on me! I'm too quick."

"THAT I believe." I say with a chuckle.

We eventually pull up to the house and I spot Emily just entering the front door as we exit the car.

"Sup Em." I wave to her as I open Rainbow's door.

"Hey Matt!" She runs up and hugs me around my waist. She runs up and hugs Rainbow when she jumps out of the passenger seat.

"Hey kid." Rainbow wraps a wing around Emily's side.

We all walk inside after I unlock the front door. Rainbow and Emily plop down on the couch to watch TV, but I head up to my room to get ready. The dance is in a couple of hours, so I want to be ready as soon as possible. I walk into my room and let out a long sigh of relief, glad that school is over for the week. I walk over to my closet and pull out a pair of black pants and a white t-shirt. I slip off my jeans and pull on the black dress pants. I change out of my red t-shirt and pull on the white one.

"There we go..." I fix up my clothes in the mirror. I pull a black jacket off of the rack and put it on over my t-shirt. "It's no tuxedo, but it looks nice as shit..." I mutter to myself.

I'm about to close my closet when I catch a glimpse of light green in the top corner of the closet.

"What the hell is this?" I pull out the piece of fabric and unfold it. It's a small green dress with white trimmings along the edges. I think it might belong to Emily, but something just looks off about it.

"Is this Rainbow's?" I turn the dress around at different angles. It definitely wouldn't fit on a human, so it must be hers. I assume my mom made it for her as she's always been really good a sewing and creating clothes.

I place the dress back where I found it, and close the closet. I got into the bathroom and pull out my razor. I shave off the stubble that's grown over the week, then I wash my hair in the sink. After drying off, I style my hair, making my bangs spike in the front. I head downstairs and jump next to Rainbow on the couch. My weight from jumping makes Rainbow and Emily bounce into the air before falling back down.

"Matt! Why did... you... do..." Rainbow starts to lose her words as she stares at me. I give her a confused look and wave my hand in front of her eyes.

"Uh, earth to Rainbow? Come in Rainbow."

"Oh uh... sorry."

"What are you guys watching?" I turn my attention to the TV, which is currently showing a commercial for some mattress.

"Me of course." Rainbow points to herself with a prideful expression. The show jumps back to a shot of Rainbow. The title pops up at the top of the screen. "The Mysterious Mare Do Well."

"C'mon! Let's watch football or something." I beg Emily.

"Oh! I remember this!" Rainbow points to the screen.

We watch the show for a while, though I'm not all that focused on it. What I did pick up from it, was that Rainbow had a serious ego problem.

"Jesus, Rainbow. You're ego is fucking huge."

"Hey! That was a long time ago! I'm different now."

"I can confirm, that that is not true at all." I chuckle. I'm quickly hit in the arm by a hoof. I retaliate with a flick to the ear.

"You wanna go Green?" Rainbow says playfully.

"It's not like it would be much of a challenge... Rainbow Crash." I tease her after having picked up a nickname that she hated from the show.

"You!" Rainbow tackles me off the couch and we roll around, throwing limbs at each other. We laugh the entire time though, showing that we weren't actually fighting. I finally get flipped on my back, Rainbow pinning down my arms.

"You're strong Green, I'll give you that." Rainbow says cockily as she flips her hair out of her face.

"Yeah, I am!" I catch her off guard and flip her onto her back. Now I have her pinned to the floor. "Take that Dash!"

"Alright you win!" Rainbow giggles under me. For one second, our eyes lock and we stop laughing. We both just stare at each other with small smiles on our faces. What am I feeling? Why did I suddenly just stop laughing?

"Are you two gonna kiss or something?" Emily pipes up from the couch. I quickly throw myself off of Rainbow and roll towards the TV.

"Emily!" I yell as I throw a pillow at her. "Not cool." I look over to Rainbow to see if she's going to say something, but instead she's just blushing deeply. Probably just embarrassed.

"What's going on in here?" My mom walks through the door, laughing at the sight of us sprawled out on the floor.

"She started it!" I point to Rainbow immediately.

"What!? No I didn't! You said I had a big ego!"

"I... might have said that."

"You DID say it!"

"I think your ego is just fine Rainbow." My mom jumps in.

"Thank you!" She shouts back in gratitude.

"I'm just saying, you really, REALLY like winning and being the best." I retort.

"Yeah, but doesn't everyone?"

"Yes, but you take it to whole new level Dashie."

"D-Did you just call me..."

"Sorry, that sounds dumb, it just slipped out."

"No no... it's fine." Rainbow looks up at me with a small smile.

"Whatever you say!" I throw my hands up in defeat. "It's about time to go. You need to do anything first Rainbow?"

"Uh, yeah actually I do." She flies quickly up the stares towards my room.

"Did you make her that dress?" I look over at my mom who's still putting her work stuff down.

"Yes I did! It took me two days, but it came out very nicely. It took a while to get her measurements though."

"She doesn't seem like a fancy dress kind of person though. Did she ask you to make it herself?"

"Actually yes. She asked if I could make something would impress someone. Didn't say who though."

"Really? That's weird..."

"I'm ready!" Rainbow slowly comes down the stairs in her green dress.

"Holy..." I mutter to myself. The dress itself looked nice enough by itself, but it really compliments her color scheme nicely.

"Does it look okay?" Rainbow starts spinning in circles. "Does it make me look weird?"

"It's pretty!" Emily says from the couch.

"Thanks!" Rainbow trots over to the door. "C'mon Matt, let's go!"

"Alright, alright!" I open the door and Rainbow walks to the truck, but I'm stopped by someone pulling on my collar.

"Ooooh my baby is so grown up!" I spin around to see my mom. "You two have fun together alright? And be home by eleven!"

"I will mom, love you!" I walk up to the truck and let Rainbow in. I enter the driver side and bring the engine to life.

"So... How do I look?" Rainbow looks over at me with a nervous expression. I stop at a stop sign and look back to her.

"Just one thing." I reach over to her. She had done her mane for the first time since I've met her. She tried to make it look all fancy, but it just wasn't her. I ruffle my hands through her hair for a few seconds before letting it fall back into it's normal messy look.

"Matt! What was that for!?" Rainbow asks angrily.

"There, you don't need that Rainbow."

"Yes I do! I want to look my best!"

"You're beautiful the way you are, and you know that." I being to drive forward again.

"I-I'm... what?"

"Beautiful? Don't tell me nobody has ever told you that before Rainbow."

"No... actually everybody always says I look nice or just okay..."

"Well I think you're gorgeous Rainbow. You'll definitely make someone really happy if you ever make it back home."

"What do you mean by, 'If I ever make it home'?"

"Well I doubt you'd ever fall for a human right? But if you make it back home, you'd totally make some lucky stallion very happy."

"Yeah... humans, ew." Rainbow looks down and rubs the back of her head.

"Something wrong?"

"Matt I... never mind. It's nothing important really." She laughs nervously.

"I just- Oh hey we're here." I cut myself off as I pull into the school parking lot. "Ready to get your dance on?"

"You.. bet!" I can tell Rainbow is forcing herself to be enthusiastic, though I just can't tell why. Everything's going perfectly right now.

"Matt!" I spot Skyler running up to me in a stunning dress. I think I hear a puff come from Rainbow, but I can't process it before I refocus my attention to Skyler.

"Holy shit..." I say to Skyler as she approaches. "You look amazing Sky!"

"Thanks! My mom helped me pick it out and... Oh my gosh! Rainbow you look so cute! Oh my gosh!"

"Thanks... Matt can we go inside now?" Rainbow looks up at me, but her eyes are squinted and her nostrils are flared. The hell is her problem?

The three of us are about to enter the gym when a large amount of pressure is put on my shoulders. I watch as Alex basically jumps over me and lands with a thud.

"Sup guys?" He spins around with his hands out. "Like the tux?"

"Hell yeah man. Gimme some." I hold out my hand for a fist bump. "You got a date man?" I ask Alex.

"Nah, I'm a lone wolf tonight. Which means that I'm totally available." He says smugly.

We open the gym doors, only to be blasted by a wave of loud music. Tables and chairs are scattered throughout the gym, with a cleared out space in the middle for a dance floor.

"Whoa they totally outdid themselves this year!" Skyler shouts over the music.

"Yeah! You guys want some punch!?" I yell back.

"That sounds nice!" Skyler has to cover her ears.

Alex and I walk over to the punch table while Skyler and Rainbow sit down at a table. We each grab two cups and start filling them up with a ladle.

"Looks pretty cool this year huh?" I don't have to shout now that the loud song has ended.

"Yeah, looks like they actually put effort into it this year." Alex responds as the next song starts up.

"You sure you don't mind being a 'lone wolf' as you put it?"

"I'm cool man, it's Rainbow you should be worried about."

"Huh? Why's that?"

"Dude she looked totally bum when you guys came in here. What did you say to her?"

"Nothing! She was all happy and shit until we got here!"

We carry the drinks over to the table and place them in front of Rainbow and Skyler. I sit between the two and Alex sits to the left of Skyler.

"And how are my two favorite ladies doing?" I wrap an arm around each of their shoulders.

"Good!" They both shout at the same time.

"Music's a little loud though!" Skyler shouts over the blasting bass.

"It hurts!" Rainbow has her hooves pushing down on her ears. The music is already loud enough for us, but with her ears, Rainbow probably hears the music even louder than we do.

We chat, or at least try to, until finally a quieter song comes on, a slow dance actually.

"Shall we?" I stand up and hold out my hand to Skyler.

"We shall." She takes my hand and stands up. Alex heads over to the snack table, and Rainbow... she just kinda leans her head on a hoof.

"Rai-" I try to get Rainbow's attention, but I'm pulled into the middle of the dance floor.

"I'm not much of a dancer." I tell Skyler as we slowly spin in a circle.

"Ha, neither am I."

We dance slowly for a few songs. I'm finally doing what I'd dreamed of for three long years... But something feels off. I look over to check on Rainbow, and what I see makes me stop moving entirely. She's got her head buried in her front legs, her shoulders are bobbing up and down. Did something happen?

"Matt..." I look back at Skyler who's looking at me with a worried expression. "Tonight's been fun, but look at her, something's really bothering her. Please Matt, for me, go be with her."

"But Skyler..."

"Go Matt!"

I nod and start walking towards Rainbow, when I see the devil himself start approaching our table.

"Well well well, why's the little pony crying?" Fuck... Jack.

Rainbow doesn't look up at all.

"Well if you ain't gonna talk, I'll make ya! This one's for Matt!" Everything goes into slow motion as his fist raises into the air.

"NO!" I full sprint towards Jack. Just before his fist can make contact, I barrel into him, throwing both of us to the floor. I hear Rainbow gasp as we hit the floor with a thud.

"There you are you little shit!" Jack snarls at me. "It's time for a little payback!" Jack's fist comes down hard on the center of my chest. I cough as the air is forced out of me. The music has stopped now, and everyone in the room is staring at us. Nobody tried to help... except for one.

"Leave... Him... ALONE!" Rainbow shouts louder than I've ever heard her scream before.

"What's that little pony? Do you love him or something!?"

"Yes I do!"

Jack is stunned by the answer, but not as blown away as I am. I don't have time to be shocked though. I take the opportunity to grab Jacks arm and flip him off of me. I stand up and grab his arm.

"Nighty night." I say calmly. I take the middle of his arm, and snap his elbow backwards over my knee. Jack lets out an animal like scream as his elbow snaps in half.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" He yells as he flails around on the ground. His friends come and rush around him, but one look at me and they don't even attempt to say anything to me.

I snap back to my senses and spin around violently looking for Rainbow.

"Alex!? Where'd Rainbow go!" I grab Alex by his shoulders as I notice him nearby.

"She flew out the door after she yelled. Nobody knew what she meant by 'Yes I do'... What did she mean by that?"

"I'll tell you later dude!" I yell as I rush outside. I throw the door open and I'm hit by a blast of cold wind.

"Where the hell is she!?" I yell to nobody in particular. I look up at the gym roof and see a small bit of rainbow colored hair flapping in the wind over the edge.

I run around to the back of the gym where I find a ladder that leads to the roof. I knew it would be pointless to try to yell at her over the wind, so I knew I'd have to take the direct route.

I reach the top of the gym where the winds blows violently at my clothes. I run up to Rainbow who is sitting on the edge of the gym, her face buried in her hooves.

"Rainbow?" I come to a stop a couple of feet behind her.

"What do YOU want!?" She spits out as she turns to me. Her eyes are puffy and red.

"I want to know why you ran out!"

"Because now you know the truth! I know you hate me now, so leave me the buck alone!"

"I don't hate you Rainbow!"

"You said I could never fall for a human Matt! Well guess what! I did!"

"Rainbow..."

"No Matt! You were right! I'm just some dumb animal! I'll never be Skyler will I? Will I Matt!?"

"That's not true!" I finally realize why I'd been feeling weird around Rainbow lately. I hadn't even noticed it... but I think I've fallen for her too...

"Yes it is! Say it Matt! Tell me I'm an animal!" She's crying even harder now. I feel so bad for not noticing sooner. Thinking back the signs were all there! How could I have been such an idiot!

"You're not an animal Rainbow!" I retort. "I would know because I could never fall in love with an animal!"

"W-What?"

I pick Rainbow up as the wind whips past us at incredibly fast speeds. Her bottom half dangles down, but I support her upper half. She buries her head in my chest and wraps her legs around the back of my neck.

"I love you Rainbow! And nothing could ever change that!"

"You what!?" Her head pops up extremely fast. "Stop messing with me Matt!"

"I'm not kidding Rainbow! I fell for you, and I can't deny it! I may not have been aware of it at first, but I realize it now! These past couple of weeks have been the best weeks of my life... And I owe it all to you!"

"You really fell in love with a pony Matt?" She chokes through her tears.

"No, I fell in love with YOU."

A sheet of cold rain starts to fall on us, but we don't move at all. We just stare deeply into each other's eyes. I pull her tighter into my chest as tears start to roll down both of our faces.

"I never thought I'd fall in love with an egotistic pegasus."

"And I never thought I'd fall in love with a dorky human."

We laugh gently at our own comments before Rainbow's eyes slowly close. She slowly starts to lean her head towards mine, and I understand what she's trying to do.

My mind goes blank and my body goes numb as our lips slowly meet together for the first time.