"I can't believe I agreed to do this," Rainbow Dash grumbled, ears pulled back. She looked at herself in the Carousal Boutique's triple mirror. Above her head floated a hairbrush, held in a pale blue aura of magic.

"Oh, come now, darling," Rarity said as she continued to brush Rainbow Dash's mane. "It is simply one date with Marble to see if the two of you are actually compatible. It's not such a bad thing."

"It's not that," Rainbow replied. "I like Pinkie, and Maud turned out to be pretty cool once you get to know her... even if she is a bit rock obsessed. I have no problem spending time with one of her other sisters. I just can't believe that I'm going on a date with her because some rock I've never heard of before thinks that we might be a good relationship or whatever." She turned to look at Rarity as best she could. "Besides, didn't Applejack say that Big Mac liked her or something?"

"Hold still," Rarity stated, using her magic to have the other mare look forward again. "I'm still trying to untangle this... rat nest you call a mane. I swear, would it kill you to take better care of it?" She let out a snort.

Rainbow Dash snorted back, but said nothing. It was not her fault that her mane was messy. At least not entirely. Flying at speeds that she did tended to send hair flying and whipping around. Even if she was willing to take the time and effort to put as much care into her mane and tail as Rarity did (or half, or even a quarter for that matter), it would still end up getting tangled when she was flying. It was also one of the reasons that she liked to keep it short.

"The Pairing Stone is a very important tradition to Pinkie's family," Rarity said as she continued her work. "Especially her parents. So it is important to them -- and thus, their children, Pinkie Pie included -- that they at least attempt to do as the stone dictates. You are simply being asked to go on a date with Marble and see how it goes. It's not as though they are asking you to marry her immediately.

"Besides, I for one think it's so romantic." Rarity let out a sigh, her mind drifting away as hearts filled her eyes. "Two ponies, chosen by fate to be together. Both barely know each other, but as they spend time together, they find that they are perfectly compatible for one another. Until finally, one decides to make the bold move and propose. Of course I'm somewhat shocked, but not entirely surprised, and of course say yes. There is a grand wedding, where all our friends and family are invited to watch as we became husband and wife, living happily ever after at his grand country estate."

She let out another sigh.

"Really?" Rainbow asked, bursting Rarity's fantasy bubble. "I didn't know you would take relationship advice from a rock, just wanted to marry one." She then burst into laughter.

Rarity's eyes narrowed and her lips pursed.

"I thought we agreed not to talk about that."

"I don't remember agreeing to that," Rainbow said. "Just you declaring that we never would." She then started chuckling again.

Which quickly turned into a yelp as the brush yanked at her mane hard.

"Oh," Rarity gasped out, eyes wide as she brought a hoof to her mouth. "Terribly sorry about that Rainbow Dash. I must have found a particularly nasty snag." She narrowed her eyes. "I do hope that I don't find any more like that."

Rainbow Dash huffed out, giving Rarity a dirty look in the mirror. The smug look she could see irritated her more. On one hoof, she did not like the idea of Rarity getting the last word on the matter. On the other, she also did not want to risk having to suffer more of the mare's brush-related wrath. She was willing to bet that Rarity could competently wield the thing like masterful torture device.

"You know, Dash," Rarity said gently, "there is a little bit of time before your date. I could fix your mane and tail. Give it a trim and a little bit of styling. Why, it would be absolutely elegant."

"No," Rainbow replied. "I like my mane the way it is. And the whole idea is that the two of us get to know each other, right? So I should just go as myself and see if that works out. Not pretend to be somepony that I'm not."

"I'm not saying that you not be yourself... although, traditionally a pony does try to be a more idealized version of themselves. I was merely suggesting that perhaps you would like to have your mane look a little more stylized. However, it is your date and your choice. Although I do think it is a bit of a waste."

"Oh come on," Rainbow huffed. "You've already got me wearing this dress."

At that, Rainbow Dash looked at herself in the mirror again. She would never actually admit it to Rarity out loud, she actually kind of liked the dress. The red belt was kind of strange, but it did seem to help the skirt show off her backside, and probably hold the thing in place. Really, it was the yellow and orange streaks that she liked. It reminded her of flames, which was a nice contrast for a pony as cool as her.

"I simply want you to look your best for the evening," Rarity said. "I feel like I'm seeing my sister off on a date." She shifted, tapping at her chin. "Although... if I actually were sending Sweetie Belle out on a date, it would not require as much work as you since she is at least able to brush her own hair without too much trouble."

"Oh, ha ha," Rainbow responded, rolling her eyes.

After finishing with the mane, Rarity moved on to the tail.

"Rainbow, I want you to promise me something."

Turning her head, Rainbow Dash looked at Rarity as best as she could.

"Yeah?"

"I want you to make an actual, sincere effort on this date. Try and get to know Marble and see if there is any genuine possibility of a relationship between the two of you. And most importantly, do try to be patient. From what I've gathered, Marble Pie is very shy, possibly even more so than Fluttershy. So you're going to need to take time to work on drawing her out of her shell before you get to know the real her. Can you do that for me, dear?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rainbow Dash asked, turning around to look at Rarity directly.

"Oh come now," Rarity said with a roll of her eyes. "You are my friend, and I care for you, but you are not what one would call a 'patient' pony. You also tend to get rather irritable when you grow impatient. I don't want you to miss out on the possibility of a great romance because you could not take the time to get to know a mare properly."

Rainbow Dash chewed her lip, but did not say anything as she turned back around. If she were honest with herself, it was pretty true. She could still remember how often she got annoyed with Fluttershy for being so shy and meek. She could also remember that if she had not been around, she would not have seen how awesome Fluttershy could be when needed. Like standing up to a dragon.

Once Rainbow Dash turned around, Rarity let out a small sigh of relief. In truth, the reason that she gave was not the actual reason that she had asked for a promise. It was an odd thought. Silly. Outrageous even. She was not even sure why she would think such a thing. Still, there was a part of her that could imagine Rainbow Dash -- intentionally or not -- sabotaging her date with Marble Pie in order to have Marble end up with Big Macintosh, free of obligation.

It was not much longer before the date preparations were done. Rainbow Dash was all brushed up, dressed, and with a bare hint of make-up. It had been more than Rainbow Dash had wanted, but not as much as Rarity thought sufficient. Just the small bit had been pretty much a compromise between the two. Although, Rarity did try to coax Rainbow in a little more, much to her annoyance.

Once the time had come and Rainbow Dash left, it was almost a relief. Although, now she felt a little bit of nervousness at the prospect. She was actually about to go on a date. It was not her first date. She had been on plenty of them. There had even been a couple where she had been the one in charge of it. So why did she feel so nervous about this one?

Flowers. She should totally pick up some flowers. That was part of the dating ritual stuff, right? The one that was supposed to be in control of the whole thing brought flowers to the intended date? But what kind should she get? Rarity or Twilight would both want -- or give -- roses, Rarity because it was classic romance, and Twilight because it was probably what was in her books. Fluttershy would like daisies. If it was with Pinkie Pie, Rainbow could go with honeysuckles. Marble was Pinkie's sister, so maybe that would work for her as well. Except if it was Maud, she would not want actual flowers, but probably some sort of flower shaped rocks, so that did not entirely work.

What all did Rainbow Dash know about Marble Pie: one of Pinkie's sisters, and the youngest of the triplets; spent pretty much her entire life on a rock farm; was the shy and quiet type.

That last one gave her an idea. It would all be easy enough for her to do as well. The flower stand was actually on her way. Rainbow would just swing by on her way, and hope they had what she was looking for. If not, then she would probably be able to get a recommendation from one of the flower mares.

...provided they did not freak out and faint...

At the stall, Rainbow found that Lily Valley was there, and so were the flowers she was looking for. Once she had the bouquet -- and put up with some stomach-churning gushing by the flower mare -- Rainbow Dash continued on her way.

Soon she found her way to Sugarcube Corner. Inside, Marble Pie would be waiting for her. All Rainbow had to do was go up, knock, and Marble would be there. That was it. At this point, she did not even need to meet with Marble's family. Although that was rather moot since she pretty much had already.

Closing her eyes, Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and slowly let it out. This was easy. A piece of cake. It was just a date with a mare. Not like she was going to be doing a stunt show or anything. Nopony was going to be watching or paying attention to them. Dates happened all the time. At worst, it would mean that Marble Pie would get with another pony, be it Big Macintosh or somepony else she was set up with. At best...

At best it would be the start of a lifetime relationship.

That possibility sent a thrill of excitement and a chill of fear through Rainbow Dash's body.

Pushing the fear aside and focusing on the excitement, Rainbow Dash made her way to the door.

With a slight tremor in her hoof, she knocked.

The door opened and Marble Pie stepped out.