When Rainbow arrived back at the dorm, Tank wrapped in one arm, it was to find Sunset Shimmer already in bed, laying on her side and facing the wall. She assumed her roommate was sleeping and tried to move quietly, but she was surprised when Sun’s voice reached her through the dark.

“Heya, Dashie,” Sunset murmured. She lifted her head, but her features were indistinct in the shadows. “Don’t mind me. I’m having trouble sleeping.” Her voice was low, but her words were crisp and alert.

“That sucks,” Rainbow said, grimacing. She rubbed her neck. “I’ll try to be quiet.”

She dropped her duffel bag on the floor and went to turn on the bathroom light. She left the door ajar, and the light that streamed through the cracks and through the opening displaced enough of the darkness that Rainbow could get settled without fumbling around.

She refilled Tank’s water bowl, then pulled out a garden salad she’d bought at a gas station from her duffel bag. Rainbow knelt down and set the tortoise on the carpet, smiling as his scaly head emerged from his shell. He blinked up at her through his crusty gaze.

“Oof… Better get that taken care of, Tank,” she whispered with a little frown. “I might forget later.”

Retrieving his eye drops from her bedside table, she carefully dropped the medicated solution into his eyes. He blinked each individually the moment the medicine landed.

Rainbow pouted in sympathy. She stroked the tortoise’s head. “Poor guy. That feel better?”

Tank nodded.

Rainbow grinned. “Good.”

Then her smile wiped from her face.

“Wait.” Her eyes grew. “Waaaait. Did you understand me?”

Tank nodded again.

Rainbow shot up, her legs tucked under her. “No way.” She buried her hands in her hair and said louder, “No way!”

“What?” Sunset asked with a yawn. She sat up.

Rainbow Dash pointed a shaking finger at Tank. “Tank understands me!”

“Huh? What tank?” Sunset’s bed creaked as she crawled to the end of her mattress to look down at Rainbow and the tortoise. “Woah, hold on! Since when were you keeping that tortoise here? I thought Fluttershy was taking it home!” Her brow creased. “And... did you just say he understands you? Like… he understands words?”

Rainbow nodded emphatically, her feathery bangs falling into her eyes. “Yuh-huh! Look!” She leaned down, and with a very serious expression, she said, “Tank, if you understand the words coming out of my mouth, then I want you to shake your head side-to-side!”

Tank blinked at her.

Sunset squinted one eye. “Are you sure—?”

Very, very slowly, the tortoise shifted his head to the left, then to the right, and back again.

Rainbow laughed, slamming a fist on the floor. The little reptile jumped and retreated partially into his shell. “I knew it!”

Sunset’s eyebrows shot up. “Wow. Okay. Soooo… he’s magic touched like Angel Bunny.” She smiled. “Cool.”

“Right?” Rainbow stroked the side of Tank’s head. Her finger paused when a thought struck her.

Hold on. So back when we were outside of Tambelon, that mook tripped over Tank… Was that intentional?

“Tank, did you trip that thug that was chasing us the other night? On purpose?”

After a single beat, Tank nodded his head.

Rainbow felt her heart squeeze with such an unexpected surge of affection, she thought she’d cough up sugar and rainbows. But…

She gave him a pursed smile. “You must have really hustled to get in his way. Like, really hustled. Thanks for having my back...” She frowned, her smile still in place but her eyes tensing. “Why, though? Why would you do that? The day I got you, I treated you like a nuisance! There wasn’t a good reason for you to—”

The tortoise licked her finger with his pink tongue. It was warm and wet. Rainbow fell silent, her smile falling away and her forehead wrinkling.

Sunset hummed, her red curls spilling over her shoulder as she lay on her stomach. She leaned her cheek on a loose fist. “Y’know, Rainbow… Sometimes people just do things out of kindness, or because it’s the right thing to do... even when they’ve had no motivation to do so. Heck, even when they’ve been discouraged from doing so!”

Rainbow glanced at her, her eyes unable to stay off of Tank and his serene, scaly face. “Do people really do that, though? I know ponies do, but do magic tortoises?” She disliked the sullen tone that crept into her last words.

Apparently, so did Sunset. “You think Tank has some ulterior motive?” The question dripped with wry disbelief.

The tomboy’s cheeks colored faintly. “Of course not!”

“Then why is it hard for you to imagine this lil’ guy just has that big of a heart?”

“Because…” Rainbow swallowed and looked away from Tank.

She thought of Rainbow Blaze. Of how he loomed over her at age nine. Of his flinty eyes as they ran over her latest arts and crafts project: a misshapen clay mug with Best Dad colored on it in bright red marker, little blue and yellow lightning bolts shooting across the mug’s dull beige surface in wild directions.

It was something she’d made in the aftermath of her mother leaving them. An effort to cheer her depressed and brooding father. A gift for the parent who had stayed. Blaze’s hands had turned it over slowly, before stopping with the mug’s proud declaration staring up at his suspicious face.

Rainbow Dash picked Tank up and hugged him. She wasn’t entirely sure how much he felt with his shell, but she hugged him. Hard.

“Rainbow…”

The tomboy looked at Sunset reluctantly. Her roommate’s gaze had softened, her lower lip pushing up in sympathy. “It doesn’t ever really go away, does it?” the other girl asked quietly.

Rainbow’s brow tightened. “What doesn’t?”

“The discomfort.” Sunset pushed up from the mattress and sat back on her legs, hands folded in her lap. “Someone does something nice for you, and you have to wonder why.”

“Look, I know. Obviously, people do nice things sometimes—!”

“You just feel uncomfortable when it comes from someplace new. Someplace powerful. You might even wonder if you deserve it.” Sunset gave a slanted smile. “When you first met Fluttershy, was it easy to believe her kindness came with no strings attached? That it came implicit with forgiveness for whatever crappy thing you may have done before?”

Rainbow’s mouth thinned.

No.

Her mind flashed with a young Flutters, tallest in their kindergarten class with the longest hair to match, crouched down and blowing softly on Rainbow’s freshly skinned knee. Rainbow had recoiled from the other girl’s sweaty touch and chocolate milk breath, her eyes almost wild as she jumped up and ran away, screaming about cooties. That had been before she’d defended her shy classmate from the relentless bullying of Hoops and Dumb-Bell. Before she’d finally realized that, despite what her father kept telling her, people this nice did exist...

They existed, and they needed tough people like her to defend their kumbaya-singing butts.

“It was hard for me, too,” Sunset murmured, looking down at her bed. “When I was Princess Celestia’s student, she treated me so kindly… But I was certain everything she did was for her own agenda.” She took some of her hair and stroked it with idle disquiet. “Even after you guys became my friends, I still had these thoughts. It was like…”

“Like even just being kept around was its own reason,” Rainbow said with a low voice. She stroked Tank’s head again, and the tiniest smile flared on her lips when the reptile licked her hand once more. It was short-lived. “Like… they were doing nice things just to keep me close, so they could turn around and use me when they needed to.”

Sunset nodded, her eyes bright with understanding. “But our friends were never so selfish, were they?”

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed as she set Tank on the floor again. “Not them. But other people have used me. And I’m always finding new ones who try...”

Sun held out a hand in acknowledgement. “And that happens sometimes, and it feels terrible when it does,” she touched a hand to her chest, her cyan eyes gaining a shimmering clarity in the dark that made Rainbow’s hair stand on end. “But letting jerks make you question every kind act—even from magical tortoises...that isn’t right!”

Sunset shrugged. “At some point, you just have to believe that people want to help and be kind simply... because. Maybe they like you, faults and all. Or maybe, like I’m guessing is Tank’s case, they just see something in you and feel moved to act.”

Rainbow blushed and rose quickly to her feet, her arms crossed as she hunched her shoulders. “Yeah, yeah…”

A little sigh escaped Sunset. “Fiiiine! I’ll drop it. Just think about it some more, okay?” Sunset’s lips gained an amused tilt. “You’d think after all of our friendship convos, you’d get less fazed about them by now!” She wagged a finger as she lay back onto her bed. “Now, about Tank—I’m fine with him staying here, but I better not find tortoise droppings all over the place!”

Rainbow uncrossed her arms, relieved at the chance to change the subject. “Hey! Give the little guy a break! I’ve been watching him for two days now, and he has yet to have an accident! He’s always done his business outside! Right, Tank?”

Tank only gazed up at her placidly.

Rainbow shrugged. “Mmm… I guess you could use with like a litter or something in case I have to leave you here.” She looked around their room. “Maybe a box with shredded paper...?”

After a quick search, she found an old shoe box under her bed, and a stack of old papers from freshman year. Taking these, she shredded the papers into strips and pieces into the box, then ripped off one side of it so that the reptile could go in. This she placed in the corner next to the closet.

“There ya go, dude!” she said with a wave of her arm. “Best I could do on short notice. We’ll fix up something better later.”

The tomboy fetched some clean PJs, and hurried into the bathroom to change and brush her teeth. When she emerged, it was to find Sunset had returned to her original position on her bed, and Tank eating a piece of carrot from the salad.

When she was sure Sun wasn’t looking at her, she knelt down fast and gave the tortoise a quick kiss on the head.

She grinned as he looked up at her… and was she crazy, or did it look like he was smiling?

I never thought I’d think this, but Tank’s sort of adorable… in a slow, reptile-y way.

Rainbow shut the bathroom light off, casting the room into darkness, and groaned as she climbed into bed. It was nearing midnight. If she was lucky, she’d fall asleep instantly and get just enough sleep to head to the gym in the morning.

Only she didn’t fall asleep instantly.

Rainbow lay on her back and stared up at the ceiling. Weary as she was, her mind just kept turning.

Fluttershy knows everything. Now, there are no more secrets.

But she knew that wasn’t entirely true. Not when she still harbored the truth about Applejack’s feelings.

The one stone we left unturned...

Rainbow wanted Applejack to be happy. She wanted them to stay friends. All of them. She just needed Applejack to get over Fluttershy.

The way I got over Lightning Dust was racing my way through a ton of girls… Somehow, I doubt AJ will be up for that. Rainbow’s mouth pinched. Not that I have a ton of girls to hook her up with anyway. Then her expression cleared. Oh, but it’s not just who I know!

“Hey, Sunset?” Rainbow called softly.

She heard her friend shift in the other bed. “Yeah?”

“Do you know any single girls who would be into Applejack?”

There was a long pause.

Then Sunset let out a tight laugh. “What?”

Rainbow frowned and turned her head toward the other side of the room. “Seriously! I think AJ could use with a nice date!”

She saw Sunset sit up and turn on her bedside light. Rainbow squinted against the yellow glow.

Her roommate crossed her arms and looked at Rainbow with a little frown. “So you know now, huh…?”

“Yeah.” Rainbow sighed and turned her gaze back to the ceiling. “Kinda feel dumb I never noticed it before. It’s so obvious to me now.” The way she kept looking at Flutters through high school… Her stomach clenched, and she felt sorry that it wasn’t just for sympathy for her friend.

Lightning Dust always said I was super jealous.

Sunset drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them. “Rainbow, I understand that you want to help her be happy, but playing matchmaker is likely just going to push her away.” Rainbow looked to see Sunset eyeing her sidelong. “It’s… hard to say how things will go now. I think Applejack still wants to be friends with you and Fluttershy, but I wouldn’t blame her if she took a little break from the group for a while.”

“She’s already drifted away,” Rainbow grumbled. She sat up, kicking off her covers before crossing her arms and legs. She glared at the opposite wall. “If we let her go any further…” she trailed off, finding the words too painful to air. She was even surprised at the fresh tension entering into her throat. How many times tonight would she get emotional?

Rainbow Dash hated to think that finally finding the kind of relationship she’d always wanted meant losing one of her closest friends. She still remembered what it was like when she and Applejack were inseparable—always horsing around, always competing, always having fun… They had understood one another.

When their other friends were disheartened from the antics of a magical foe, Applejack was right there with Rainbow on the front line, pushing back. When Rainbow needed that extra fuel in training, Applejack was there with her carb-rich apple brown betties. And who else had the guts to go cliff jumping with her on a camping trip?

We were best buds once… I shouldn’t have let that go so easily!

“I think leaving her alone is just letting her go,” Rainbow said, her voice a little raspier as she fought to speak around the lump in her throat. “I don’t want to do that. She’s my friend. I stick by my friends.”

“I… I think—” Sunset groaned without warning and pinched the bridge of her nose. Rainbow peered at her, confused at the outburst.

Come to think of it, she was chatting with AJ before we left Sassaflash’s house. Rainbow’s mouth screwed up. Is she doing that thing when she takes everyone’s problems onto her shoulders again? She needs to lighten up! It’s not all up to her!

A niggling part of her brain heckled her just for thinking this, and her cheeks burned.

It’s not the same for me! I’m, like, part of the reason Applejack is upset! She sagged a little. Nothing new with my friends, I guess. I’ve gotta figure out how to be less of a pain...

Sunset bared her teeth as she swung her feet over the side of her bed. Her bare toes wriggled in the carpet as she glared down at her knees. “Y’know? Forget what I said. I actually feel the same way. I think leaving AJ alone right now would be a mistake.”

Rainbow swung her feet to the carpet too. “I’m going to help her on the farm on Saturday. She says she’s been swamped.”

Sunset’s eyebrows rose. “Oh?”

“Yeah. I dunno. I figured it was the least I could do. Plus it gives us a chance to talk more.”

Sunset rubbed her chin. “Hmm… And you know what? I think I know where she takes her lunch most days. Maybe I’ll stop by to see her today?”

Silence.

Rainbow wrung her hands and leaned on her knees. “This is better, right?”

Sun looked at her, pulled out of her reverie. “Er, better than what, exactly?”

“I mean, like, this is something we can solve,” Rainbow said, her voice dropping lower. Her eyes pricked again with more tears. “Not… Not like…”

Sunset flinched and closed her eyes. “Pinkie. Yeah.”

Rainbow ground her teeth. “If I see that Party Favor, I’m—!”

“You know that isn’t what she wants.” Sun’s voice was stern.

“But maybe it’s what I want!” The tomboy’s fists clenched.

Sunset crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

Rainbow glared at her for a beat before averting her gaze. “Man! I know, I know…” Her eyes narrowed.

That weasel still better hope I don’t run into him on campus!

She wouldn’t hurt him. Maybe just push him around a little. Chew his butt out like he deserved. Getting publicly cut down to size by one of the university’s star athletes had a way of sticking with you. She’d seen it happen to other people, sometimes justified, sometimes not. She’d never used her status like that before, but she was perfectly willing to make the unrepentant Party Favor the first.

“Maybe we need to do something to wind down,” Sunset offered gently. “It’ll take our minds off things enough to let us sleep.”

Rainbow perked, looking at her roommate. “Like what?”

Sunset smiled curlingly. “Jam sesh?”

Rainbow mirrored the smile. “If you can even keep up!” She slid off her bed and reached for her guitar case under the bed frame.

Sunset stuck her tongue out as she stood to her feet and went to their shared closet. “Well unlike you, I’ve still been practicing…!”

“Urgh, the elevator’s in use!”

“Screw it, let’s take the stairs!”

“How did we sleep through both of our alarms?!”

“Heh, I think I’m finally rubbing off on you, Sunset!”

Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer flew down their dorm’s stairwell, skipping steps as they went. The former was still trying to shove an arm into her hoodie, while the latter was frantically brushing her hair with her school bag swinging wildly in the crook of her elbow. It was almost eight o’ clock.

“Twilight’s gonna kill me!” Sun whined, just as they burst through the base exit door into the bright sunlight.

Rainbow was already sprinting in the direction of her class. She waved a hand and grinned. “Just tell her I hypnotized you with my amazing licks!” she yelled back, just as she dropped her blue penny board.

She heard Sun laugh as her foot landed on the board, the other pushing off the cement and sending her flying.

If I really book it, I can make it to class right when Dr. Axon’s lecture starts!

Rainbow tore through the quad. She was a decent skateboarder, but even she knew she was putting a little too much faith in her wheels and bearings at this speed. But she needed to be there on time. She didn’t want Dr. Axon thinking she was slacking off.

And Flutters…

Her heart tweaked at the thought of her girlfriend waiting outside of class, looking around expectantly for her.

Just hold on, Fluttershy! I’ll be there!

The doors were shut. Why were the doors shut? It was only one minute past eight! Was he really that punctual?!

Rainbow skidded to a halt in front of the doors. She ran a quick hand over her hair, took several deep breaths to calm her ragged breathing, then opened a door (Yes, it’s not locked!) and peeked in.

Dr. Axon was at the front of the class, but he wasn’t speaking yet. Students were still settling into their seats. Rainbow let out a breath of relief.

I actually made it!

She slipped in and quietly shut the door behind her. She scanned the seats for Fluttershy and found her girlfriend was in the same row and section as last week, but she was too preoccupied with getting out her notes to make eye contact.

Rainbow grinned and hurried up the steps to her row, then quickly sidled down to Fluttershy’s section.

“Shy, hey!” Rainbow breathed as she neared.

Fluttershy looked up with wide eyes, as if she couldn’t believe Rainbow was actually there on time.

Rainbow Dash’s grin grew slanted. Yeeeah, I probably deserve that.

“I wondered if you’d slept in again,” Fluttershy murmured to her.

“And miss a chance to sit next to you? As if!” Rainbow plopped into the neighboring seat and quickly leaned over to give Fluttershy a peck on the cheek.

Stifling a laugh at Shy’s blush, Rainbow set about getting out her binder from her backpack.

It’s crazy… just a week ago, I would have paid money not to be next to Fluttershy…

Rainbow straightened and set her binder on her desk. She paused when she realized Fluttershy was still gazing at her.

Starting as if she’d been caught doing something bad, Shy turned away and busied herself with turning to the right page in her notes.

Rainbow’s gaze softened, and she laid her hand, palm-side up, on Fluttershy’s desk.

Now, I can’t get enough of her.

Fluttershy paused her page-turning, her eyes sliding to Rainbow’s hand. She wiggled her pencil. Once. Twice.

The blush reached her ears as she put her soft hand in Rainbow’s.

Rainbow smiled and squeezed it, her thumb caressing Shy’s skin. She turned to a fresh page in her notebook and looked down at Dr. Axon as he began to speak.

“My brain…” Rainbow held her head in her hands as she and Fluttershy walked out of the lecture hall. “How am I gonna remember all that crap?”

Fluttershy rubbed her back, her body close as they made their way slowly down the hall to the building exit. “Oh, Rainbow… We’ll find a method that works for you, okay?”

“Yeah…” Rainbow dropped her hands and smiled at Fluttershy. “Yeah, we will. We can do this.”

Fluttershy laced her hand with Rainbow’s. “We can.”

“Sooo...” The tomboy swung their arms, her steps slowing as they came to the exit. “What’cha got going on after this?”

“Oh! Um,” Fluttershy ran a hand through her hair. “Well, usually I use this time to study and do classwork until two-thirty. That’s about when I need to get ready for my work study at the animal clinic. But,” she bit her lip and ducked her blue gaze, her hair slipping forward to conceal her face. “Right now, it’s close to Star Weld’s lunchtime. This might be a good time to tell him… y’know… about us.”

Rainbow stilled, her eyes going wide. “Right. You wanted to do that... today.” Damn! How did I forget?

Fluttershy nodded meekly.

The pair fell silent as a small group of students entered the building and passed them by.

The animal lover spoke first. “I know maybe it seems like an awkward time to talk about this, but Star has an hour-long lunch, and honestly, if we wait till the end of the day, he’ll be grumpier.”

Sweat broke out over Rainbow’s skin. “Y-You think he’ll get upset?”

“I… don’t know,” Fluttershy said with a tiny shrug. “I’ve never talked to him about this kind of thing. I just know he’s protective of me.”

“Great,” Dash said flatly. She seriously hoped Star didn’t remember the suspicious ‘rash’ Fluttershy had acquired on Saturday. The mark had faded a lot, but it was still visible on Shy’s creamy skin if you really looked.

Fluttershy hugged her arm, and Rainbow’s growing panic was disrupted long enough for her to appreciate her girlfriend’s soft chest pressing against her.

“Rainbow, Star has known and liked you for years!” Shy laid her head on Rainbow’s shoulder, and the tomboy rested her cheek on the top of her head, her eyes falling shut. “Please don’t think the worst! I understand feeling nervous, but he’ll accept us.”

“What if he doesn’t, though?” Rainbow asked with a little grimace.

She felt Fluttershy pull away, and when she opened her eyes, it was in time to see her girlfriend take hold of her face.

“Then I’m afraid he’ll just have to deal with it!” the pre-vet said with piercing eyes. “I’ve dreamed about being with you. I’m not going to let him be a meanie and ruin it!”

Rainbow Dash felt her cheeks color at seeing Fluttershy’s resolve.

Her stomach clenched as she thought:

Will I be as determined when I tell my dad…?

With their plans set, the couple drove to Fluttershy’s house. Both admitted to being too nervous to eat lunch, so the animal lover led the tomboy to her bedroom.

Flutters looked at Rainbow pointedly, her Mothershy look in full effect. “We are just coming here to rest and maybe get some work done while we wait for Star!”

Rainbow chuckled and held up her hands. “Whaaat? You think I’d try something right now?”

She received a raised eyebrow in response.

“Ugh, okay.” Rainbow shoved her hands into her back pockets and slouched. “I’ll behave. I have math work I have to do, anyway.”

When they entered the bedroom, however, something immediately caught the athlete’s eye.

Rainbow blinked as she drifted to Fluttershy’s desk, where a pile of various diet and recipe books could be seen.

Fluttershy set her bag on her bed and greeted Angel Bunny with a warm pat on the head. Then she looked back at Rainbow and froze, her eyes becoming circles as she saw what her girlfriend was looking at.

“Babe, are you planning on starting a diet?” Rainbow asked with a small tilt of the head. She picked up one of the books. The title read 100 Green Recipes.

Fluttershy blushed, her head ducking. “M-Maybe?” She picked up Angel and scratched him delicately under the chin. His ears went lax and he sighed. “I was thinking maybe I needed to go the vegan-route. Um… Perhaps get a gym membership, too? Only…” she chewed the corner of her lip and fidgeted.

Rainbow frowned. “Why do you need to go vegan? What’s wrong with being vegetarian?” Then she snickered. “I mean, besides doing it at all!”

Fluttershy pouted. “A vegetarian diet is much healthier than a meat-based diet!”

Rainbow smirked. “My diet is meat-based, and I’m awesome.”

“Sassaflash is vegetarian. Isn’t she your second best player on the team?”

Rainbow’s smirk waned. “Well, yeah. But…” she huffed. “Look, you just can’t get the bursts of power you need from eating only plants!”

Fluttershy set Angel down (ignoring his squeaking protests) and crossed her arms. “Based on what evidence?”

“History!” Rainbow threw her hands up. “I mean, seriously! Record breakers eat meat!”

“There are many athletes who are vegan or vegetarian,” Fluttershy said. “I saw it on a documentary!”

“Oh yeah?” Rainbow shifted her weight to one foot, her eyes taking on a glint of challenge. “What documentary?”

“We have a little time! We can watch it while we wait for Star Weld.”

“Sure!” Rainbow chuckled. “I’d love to see what egghead reasons this so-called ‘documentary’ has got in store.” Then her eyes narrowed. “Hey, it’s not going to just be a bunch of scientists droning at us the whole time, is it?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Oh, goodness no! The creator is a mixed martial artist. He has many other athletes talking about their experiences. At one point, a world record is even broken! I found it when I was looking for things to convince Star Weld to go vegetarian.”

Rainbow grinned. “Now I’m curious!”

One hour later.

“I can never look at meat the same way again,” Rainbow intoned.

She was laying on the living room couch with her head in Fluttershy’s lap, her haunted stare piercing through the ceiling.

Fluttershy stroked her girlfriend’s hair, a sympathetic smile on her face. “Poor, Rainbow… It isn’t so bad. You can start slow.” Her smile widened when Rainbow’s gaze shifted to her. “Try smaller portions of meat, just a few times a week. Then gradually you can try substitutes!”

Rainbow frowned. “But the documentary said just one meal can make a difference in twenty-four-hours! Heck, look at what it did for those guys who tried it for a week! I mean… geez! A hundred point drop in cholesterol? And those blood plasma tests! Are you kidding me?!”

She sat up suddenly, making Fluttershy squeak. “Y’know what? No way. More than my love of meat, I wanna be the best athlete I can be. Especially before the game this Sunday!”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “You mean…?”

Rainbow’s jaw tightened. She leaned on her knees. “I’m going vegan.” Her lips thinned. “For a week, at least.” She stilled and looked at Fluttershy sidelong. “Well… okay, maybe vegetarian.” Her lower lip pushed out a little and she glared down at her shoes. “I still like milk and eggs…” she mumbled.

She heard Fluttershy squeal, and within the next second, Rainbow Dash was gripped in a tight hug and buried in kisses.

“Fluttershy!” she laughed. “Wow! If I’d known you’d get this excited, I would have done it sooner!”

“You’ve made me so happy!” Fluttershy said with a small giggle. She pecked Rainbow’s cheek, her jaw, her chin… her lips.

Rainbow perked up at this last kiss, her body awakening with sudden lustful energy. Her arms wrapped around Fluttershy and she caught that pretty mouth before it could get any further.

She was rewarded with a happy hum, their bodies turning towards each other, molding together as Rainbow pressed in, laying them out on the couch. As their kissing heated up, desires suddenly ignited seemingly beyond their control, the tomboy pulled away—just for one aching moment—to pant:

“Y’know, I could help—mmm…” Her eyes slipped shut as Fluttershy’s soft mouth closed over hers. Rainbow pulled back again, laughing. “Wait, wait! I just wanna say—” She broke off with a sigh, and Fluttershy winced apologetically.

“I’m sorry,” Shy murmured. “I was just…” Her pink lips curled, just the tiniest bit. “Excited.”

Rainbow forgot how to breathe for a second.

With a cough she nodded jerkily, her rainbow hair spilling forward. “No, I get it. I just wanted to say that, y’know, if you really want to get in better shape, I’d be happy to help. Not that you need to.” Her hands roamed down Fluttershy’s sides, her curvy hips, those smooth thighs… She groaned softly. “You look so good.”

Rainbow squeezed her eyes shut and gave her head a little shake. Focus, pervert!

With effort, she resumed: “Uh— but hey, I know how it is when you want more, so if you’re up for it, maybe we can go to the gym together every once in a while? I’ll even try out yoga with you. Just…” she smiled. “Do it because you want it for you, Shy. Cuz I think you look amazing. Like…” her voice dropped to a husky murmur. She brushed her mouth against Fluttershy’s quivering lips. “Like I just want you, right now—”

The front door rattled.

Rainbow shot up, her hair mussed and in her face, her muscles tensing. Crap! Is that—?!

Fluttershy was scrambling to sit up, one hand gently pushing at Rainbow’s taut shoulder. “Rainbow! Rainbow, I need to get—!”

It finally clicked.

Or rather, the door did.

Rainbow’s eyes shot wide as the knob jiggled and she practically flew to the other side of the couch, heat scorching her cheeks. Fluttershy sat up, sporting what looked like a full-body blush, her hands fumbling to straighten out her clothes and hair.

The door swung open. Star Weld paused partway through the doorway, his eyes blinking at the sight of the two girls staring at him. He was dressed in dirty workman’s overalls, a greasy lunch bag gripped in his hand.

Rainbow thought belatedly to grin. She hoped it looked like a grin, at least, and not a look of abject terror.

“Heeey,” Star said, one eyebrow quirking as he looked between the pair. “What’s up, girls?”

“Nothing!” Fluttershy said. Her voice sounded choked.

“Just hanging out,” Rainbow added quickly with a heavy bob of her head.

Now Star’s eyebrow arched up all the way as he shut the door behind him. “Okay? Just chattin’, or—?”

“Talking! Yes. We were.” Fluttershy fussed with her skirt again, her gaze dropping.

Star laughed a little. “Wait no, something’s up. I feel like I interrupted something.” He waved toward himself. “Come on. Spill. It’s not bad is it?” At their prolonged silence his smile turned strained. “Seriously. It’s not, right?“

Fluttershy jumped to her feet, her hands wringing. “N-No! It’s not bad.” She looked at Rainbow. “It… is important, though.”

Rainbow rose as well, her heart hammering. Woah, straight to the point, huh? Geez, Shy has guts!

With a steadying breath, Shy spoke.

“Star Weld, you should know… Rainbow Dash and I are together.”

Fluttershy tried to straighten her back. To hold her chin up high. It almost felt as though she were fighting all of the world’s gravity to keep from curling like a pill bug.

Rainbow Dash sidled close, her hands nervously patting her thighs.

Star Weld stared at his sister. “Um, yeah? You are together. Like all the time lately, right?” He grinned. “Just like when you two were kids!” He hefted up his lunch bag and started for the kitchen nook. “One sec. I wanna take my food out, I’m starving!”

The utter thick-headedness of this response floored Fluttershy. Her mouth opened. Shut. Opened again. She looked at Rainbow Dash with tense brow, only to find that her girlfriend was looking at her with the same expression.

Is my brother serious?

“Star,” Fluttershy tried again, her voice strained. “You don’t understand. I’m with Rainbow Dash.”

The older man paused just as he reached the end of the kitchen counter. He gazed back at his sister with a frown as he slowly set his bag down. “Huh?”

“We’re a couple now, Star.”

Star Weld’s eyes narrowed slowly. He looked between Rainbow and Fluttershy. “Like…?”

Rainbow slapped a hand to her face and groaned. “Oh for the love of—!” Fluttershy squeaked as the tomboy grabbed her around the shoulders and pulled her close. “Dude, I am dating your sister! We’re girlfriends now!”

Star’s expression wiped clean. The color drained from his face. His hands dropped to either side of him. “You’re dating my sister.” His voice was faint.

“Yes.” Fluttershy leaned into Rainbow, her body trembling. This isn’t going quite how I’d hoped! “We wanted to tell you. I know how important it was for you to meet—”

“Rainbow Dash, you’re... dating... Fluttershy?” The way Star Weld said it, made it feel less like a real question, and more like he was trying to mull over the existence of the sentence. He was levelling a hard stare at the tomboy.

Rainbow rolled her shoulders back, her nose lifting. “Yup.”

Star Weld’s lips thinned. Slowly but surely, the man started to turn red. “And how long has this been going on?”

Fluttershy tensed. Slipping out from under Rainbow’s arm, she hurried around the couch toward her brother. “N-Not long, Star! It just happened this Friday.”

“But you’ve been meeting before that,” her brother said, his neck muscles cording.

Fluttershy stopped just out of reach of him, her body finally succumbing to its desire to shrink in on itself. He’s… He’s upset! Why is he so upset?

“We weren’t sneaking behind your back, okay?” Rainbow said. She crossed her arms and glared. “All those other times we met, we were still just friends. This is new. We told you as soon as we felt we could!”

Star Weld started to nod his head, but Fluttershy knew better. His head bobbed almost jerkily, sending his blue hair flopping into his eyes. His skin was getting redder.

The only other time she’d seen her brother get like this was when one of her foster animals had peed on his car’s custom leather seats.

The man rubbed at his stubbled face, then jerked a thumb toward the kitchen’s backdoor. “Rainbow. Backyard.”

Fluttershy wrung her hands. “Star, I want to come—”

“No.” His words felt like an iron wall being thrown into her face. It was like she was twelve years old all over again...

Her nostrils flared, and her spine eked itself straight.

But she wasn’t twelve anymore.

“I am not a child, Star,” she said firmly. “If you dislike our relationship, you can tell me.”

Star Weld closed his eyes, his jaw clenching. He put his hands on his hips and fixed her with a stare. “I don’t have a problem with you dating a girl. Is it unexpected? You’re damn right it is. I can deal with that, though. But I told you— I reserve the right to play scary big brother. The fact that you’re with Rainbow Dash doesn’t nullify that.” He thrust a finger at the couch. “So just sit. Wait. This won’t take long.”

The two siblings gazed at each other hard. Star had a Stare comparable to his sister’s, but Fluttershy didn’t curl up again. She wouldn’t.

So concentrated was she, that when Rainbow’s hand fell on her shoulder, she jumped.

“Fluttershy.” Rainbow was gazing at her with unchecked affection, a soft smile on her lips. “It’s okay. We’ll be right back.” She winked and squeezed Fluttershy’s hand. “I got this.”

Fluttershy wanted to protest. She wanted to assert that, though she loved her brother and could never repay him for all he’d done for her in the wake of their parents' death, her life was still hers to live. She wanted to have some say in what was no doubt a pivotal moment in her life.

But she trusted Rainbow.

I’ll speak with Star some more on my own if I have to, she thought as she watched, rooted, as her girlfriend and sibling exited to the backyard.

Shy’s lips pinched so tight, they turned white. She crossed her arms, trying to stop the tremors of adrenaline coursing through her. She felt almost ill with indignation and fear.

If I hear yelling, I’m going out there!

Then her eyes popped wide as a thought struck her.

“Oh! Oh dear!” Fluttershy’s head whipped around as she began to frantically search the living room. “Where is Star’s bat?!”

Rainbow Dash just wanted to get this over with. Whatever Star Weld needed to get out of his system, she wanted it flushed completely out into the open. She needed to know… would she be on his bad side? Would her being with Fluttershy cause strain for their family?

Seeing the normally amicable pair squaring off had been more distressing than she’d thought. Star and Fluttershy being at odds over their relationship felt ominous, considering it already was causing heartache to Applejack. Couples that got together under such drama didn’t have a tendency of lasting. She’d seen enough fall apart that way.

The tense scene made Rainbow Dash think about what confronting her dad would be like, too.

She just couldn’t bring herself to let it continue. Star Weld wanted to play scary big brother? Fine. She’d faced down magic-crazed girls, blood thirsty shapeshifters, and giant plant monsters. Overprotective siblings she could deal with.

Whatever he says, we’re together now, she thought as they exited out the backdoor. Remember that, and don’t lose your head, Dashie.

The air felt cool outside, chilling the light sheen of perspiration on her heated skin. Cumulus clouds had drifted over the sun. Rainbow inhaled deeply, her warm eyes looking up.

Looks like rain tonight…

The backyard was small, with a small garden shed near the fence line. Though it was clear the flower beds had been abandoned long ago, the lawn was green and trimmed, and the jasmine tree was still thriving. There were two wooden outdoor chairs to the left of the backdoor. Rainbow didn’t sit. Star Weld had gone out to the grass and stood, shoulders tight, one hand on his hip, the other covering his eyes. A breeze picked up, ruffling his mop of royal blue hair.

Rainbow Dash leaned against the house with her arms crossed and waited.

When Star turned and looked at her, his skin had gone from red to pink, and the almost wild look in his eyes had given way to something focused. Sharp.

Rainbow honestly didn’t know if this was any better.

Star inhaled deeply before asking with cold calm, “Your whole thing is loyalty, right?”

She blinked, surprised by the question. “You mean… the thing that powers my magic?”

With a crumpled look of suffering, Star nodded, one hand wheeling impatiently through the air in a, Sure, sure—THAT weird crap gesture.

Rainbow shrugged. “Yeah?”

Star Weld rubbed at his face hard. After returning both hands to his hips, he scowled at her. “So does that actually mean you live by that virtue? Because lemme tell ya, Rainbow.” He sliced a hand through the air. “Having some dick ruin my sister’s life has been my worst nightmare since I became her legal guardian. And I don’t just mean in the usual way—”

Rainbow flinched a little as her mind conjured Pinkie’s mournful eyes—

“—but in the soul-sucking kinda way too.” Star thrust a finger at the backdoor. “During her senior year of high school, I saw my sister go from being a happy girl with big dreams, to someone who brooded and cried without warning!”

The man dug fingers into the sides of his head, his eyes squinting. “I killed my brain, trying to figure out what could possibly be wrong! For the first time since our parents died, Fluttershy refused to open up to me about it! That really killed me, Rainbow! I was certain it was some guy toying with her heart—that’s how down she was!”

Rainbow Dash’s expression went limp. Shy was like that senior year? Her gaze turned down, her forehead wrinkling. She cried…?

Star held up a finger and tapped his head. “Thing is? I seem to recall senior year was also when you came out of the closet and started dating that chick from Crystal Prep.”

She barely heard his words.

I made Fluttershy that depressed? I… I had no idea! She’d seemed fine—!

But Rainbow shook her head, her eyes squeezing shut.

No… wait. I remember now. She sighed, her jaw pushing forward as she glared at her sneakers. Fluttershy had been quiet. Not as smiley. She’d ghost whenever I brought Lightning Dust around. Maybe there were more signs. She clenched her fists.

Damn it. I was so dumb.

Star Weld resumed speaking, and Rainbow lifted her gaze to him again:

“After you guys graduated, and you all started college, Fluttershy sort of returned to normal. I thought, ‘Cool! Maybe sis got over the mystery scumbag and is finally moving on!’” He shook his head. “But she wasn’t totally normal. I mean, the random crying had stopped, and she was smiling again, sure.”

He thumbed over his shoulder. “But gardening? She stopped that. Completely. Never picked up gardening gloves again after she got her diploma. She used to love it. It brought butterflies and birds to our yard!” He exhaled harshly. “On the flipside, the animal volunteer work? Oh that almost got out of hand! She practically slept at shelters and rehab centers the first few months of college! It didn’t die down until partway through her second semester!”

Star ran a hand through his hair. “But even doing all that with animals, I could tell, she wasn’t enjoying it like she used to. It was like she was just using it to distract herself from something bigger.” He sighed, his expression turning sad. “She just kinda lacked this...spark. I thought maybe it had to do with you guys not seeing each other all that much anymore.”

The man’s brow tightened and his eyes darkened. “Then one day, she came home from one of your monthly dinners, and she was in tears.”

Rainbow’s stomach clenched. She braced herself.

Star’s face tightened. “‘What’s wrong?’ I asked her. The only thing she could sob out was, ‘Rainbow won’t even look at me!’” He chuckled humorlessly. “I didn’t get it. At all. When I asked her to explain later, she stammered out some excuse and begged me to forget it. But of course I didn’t. Know why?” He jabbed a finger into his chest and snarled, “Because I hurt, when she hurts, Rainbow. I hurt, when she hurts!”

Star Weld threw his hands up into the air. “I know I’m not the smartest guy on the planet, but I can put a few fucking things together, Rainbow Dash. You’re the one my sister was miserable about for almost two years. You’re the one who dampened her spark. What’s more, you treated her like shit!”

Star crossed his arms, laughing caustically. “And then you just show up out of nowhere, get my sis to help you on a project, and then you announce that you’re dating her?” He shrugged, shaking his head. “If your whole thing is loyalty, then I don’t get it. Really.”

Rainbow Dash sank a little further down the wall and crossed her feet at the ankles. Her shoe wiggled anxiously. She tried to hold Star Weld’s gaze. Her heart was ready to evacuate from her mouth, and her stomach was churning so bad it was almost ready to evacuate other things—but she fought to keep her head up.

“You’re right,” she said, her voice husky with emotion. “You’re totally right, man. I sucked. I should have treated your sister better.”

Rainbow pinched her lips and shrugged. “I don’t have a great excuse other than I was in a crappy relationship that didn’t let me see straight.” She cleared her throat, and gestured at her face. “Um… Almost no one knows this, n-not even Shy, but my first girlfriend used to… uh… hit me.”

Her foot wiggled faster. “We argued a lot. It started out as a rough push whenever we did. She liked shoving me up against walls. She even shoved me down a steep hill once. That time she convinced me it was an accident. Since I didn’t get hurt, I shrugged it off. ‘I’m tough,’ I thought. ‘Whatever.’ Then she started slapping me.”

Rainbow Dash swiped at her nose, her gaze casting down. Star’s impassive face was getting harder to look at. “Her handprint would stay for days. I actually had to buy makeup. I never wore makeup before that.” She closed her eyes, swallowing against the fist in her throat. “She’d cry. Apologize. Buy me things. I’d feel bad and try to comfort her.” She snorted. “As if it was my fault.”

She sighed roughly and rubbed the back of her neck. “Look, I’m not trying to turn this into a sob story about me. I’ve tried to put that stuff behind me. I hardly think about it these days—” she broke off, making a face. After a long pause, she murmured, “But I guess maybe that was part of the problem.”

Rainbow cast her eyes desperately around the small yard, feeling the old pain rise up again.

Keep it together. This ain’t a pity party!

“I just want you to know…” she held up her hands and looked at Star Weld pleadingly. “I wasn’t in a good place, Star. When I was with Lightning Dust, I was dumb. I didn’t even see what Fluttershy was going through, and so I must have made it worse without realizing it!”

She held out an arm and cocked her head to the side, her eyes tensed. “But after Lightning Dust? Bro, my heart was hurt. I didn’t want to be steady with anyone! Not after the last serious relationship I had was such trash! So when the blinders came off and I realized Shy liked me—” She let her arm drop as tears choked her words.

Rainbow held up a finger and touched the bridge of her nose, trying to collect herself. Tears still leaked free. She wiped these away roughly. Angrily.

That was her past. Her past was dead.

She continued, quieter, her voice once again steady: “I’m not saying the way I ignored your sister was all right. It wasn’t. At all. I should have treated her better.” She rolled her eyes, leaning forward only to thump her shoulders back into the wall. “Even this stupid project she’s helping me with… It’s true. I had only meant to use her—”

“Use her?” Star Weld’s face screwed up. “See, now why should I trust you to date my sister when you tell me that, Dash?”

Rainbow frowned. She pushed off the wall and slowly walked to stand in front of the man. “Because, Star Weld…” She shrugged. “Fluttershy and I are together. Period. You knowing won’t change that. But I didn’t want to be dishonest. I’ve been dealing with a bunch of secrets lately. They aren’t just lame, they keep people apart. I don’t want you and me to be apart like that, y’know?”

She touched a hand over her heart. “Fluttershy really cares for me. When we got together for my project… I saw that. Felt it. Right here. And then I just knew I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t use her that way. She was my friend.”

Rainbow Dash looked up at the encroaching storm clouds. “I never wanted to do it to begin with. Things got hairy for a second. I lost my mind, kinda like when I was with Lightning Dust. Dumb plans got hatched. But… y’know the thing that was different this time around?” She smiled and thumbed back at the house. “Her. Fluttershy drummed up all her courage to finally confess to me how she felt!”

Star looked skeptical. “Fluttershy? She did that?”

Rainbow looked off to the side in thought. After a short moment, she slowly nodded her head, her smile growing. “Yeah. I don’t think she realized that I knew, but she wrote me these awesome song lyrics that basically laid out how she felt.” Her eyes turned lidded. “No one had ever done something like that for me before.” She laughed. “To be honest, I freaked out a bit.”

The tomboy returned her gaze. “I freaked because I realized how deep Shy felt for me. I freaked because I already felt so much for her, too. See, Star… it wasn’t just loyalty that brought me back to her. It wasn’t just loyalty that stopped me from being a total jerk. I… I really care about her.”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “Now that we’re together? I’m gonna treat her right. I’m gonna make up for what she went through by being the most awesome girlfriend possible.” She held her hand out. “I’m gonna be with her with or without your blessing, Star. But I’d rather have it, if that’s cool with you? It would make Shy so happy!”

Star gazed down at her extended hand. His eyes flickered to her face. “No more secrets, huh?”

Rainbow nodded once. “That’s right.”

The man scratched at the stubble on his cheek. “So, uh… you wanna tell me what that rash really was the other day?”

Rainbow Dash stilled, her eyes going wide. Her hand slowly dropped to her side. The heat crept up her skin.

Star Weld sucked at his teeth, one blue brow raising. “Thought so.”

He stepped just a little bit closer, one quivering finger raised. “Do not… leave marks… on my baby sister.” His eyes augered into hers. “I get that some girls like that kind of thing and even ask for it… but I know my sis. She wouldn’t ask for it. So that means you sprung it on her.”

His lip curled. “Cut that shit out. You want to treat Fluttershy right? Start with some damn respect! I’ve been around enough guys to know it’s about marking territory. She isn’t cattle for you to claim, Rainbow Dash. Got it?”

Rainbow bobbed her head jerkily. “Yep! Got it. Loud and clear! Sorry, it was just spur of the—”

“Are you crazy? I don’t want to know the details! Just listen to what I said!”

Her blush intensified. “Er, right. M-My bad.”

Star glared for a moment longer before he slowly offered his hand. She looked at it, stunned.

He cocked an eye at her. “Dashie, I’m not holding this out to feel the wind.”

Rainbow was amazed she didn’t light on fire. She hurried to grasp his hand and shake it. “Totally, totally! I was just, uh… surprised!”

When the man let go, he stepped back and his look shifted to something almost appraising.

Rainbow Dash shoved her hands into her pockets—mostly because she didn’t know what else to do with herself.

Are we done? Is that it?

She slouched, long past caring about the wide-eyed prey look on her face.

Pleeeeease say that’s it!

“I appreciate you being honest with me, Rainbow Dash,” Star said. “You didn’t have to tell me about you wanting to use my sister for your project—which I’m assuming she knows about, and has forgiven already?”

“Y-Yeah. She knows.”

“Typical Fluttershy.” Star Weld let out one long ragged exhale. He searched her face. “I’m sorry Lightning Dust beat you. That’s rough, having that be your first relationship.” He looked down. “I’m sorry I assumed it was as simple as you being a careless asshole all this time.”

Rainbow Dash tilted her head to the side with a wince. “I mean, I kinda still was.”

He gave her a look. “Shut up and let me apologize, okay?”

She smiled faintly. “Okay.”

Star gestured at the house. “Better get inside before Fluttershy dials 911!” This earned a small laugh from her.

They started for the backdoor. Just as Star Weld’s hand landed on the doorknob, however, he froze, his ears reddening.

Rainbow groaned inwardly. Horseapples. What now?

Barely turning his head, Star spoke. “Um. And you can still stay over if you want, I guess. You guys are of… of age, s-so it’s not like I can stop you… y’know… doing... stuff.”

Rainbow Dash stared, horrified.

And he just kept talking: “If you’re gonna do it, m-may as well be somewhere safe, right?”

She wanted to sprout wings and fly away. Fast. She covered her flaming face.

Is this real life?

“D-Do lesbians need protection? If you need money for it, I can—”

“STOP,” Rainbow half-yelled, holding her hands out. Then quieter, she pleaded. “Oh my gosh, puh-lease stop!”

“Just keep it PG when I’m around, all right?” Star barreled on. He turned his head a little more, his eyes wide with what almost looked like panic. “And always remember that I never want to know the details. Deal?”

“Star—”

“Deal?”

“Ugh—deal! Okay?! Now can we never freaking speak of this again, please?? This whole topic is cursed! You hear me?? Cursed!”

Fluttershy was sitting on the couch, wringing her hands.

She’d found Star’s bat in his bedroom. A small relief. Very small.

She could hear her brother’s voice get loud a few times outside. Does that count as yelling? Should I go out there? she wondered.

But Rainbow had assured her things would be fine. The tomboy hadn’t returned yet. Still, Fluttershy couldn’t help but ask (well, plead) with Angel Bunny to poke his head through his door flap and see if things were still more or less civil out there. After promising him another carrot sundae, the little critter hopped through the kitchen and peeked outside.

When he returned, Angel informed her that, though things were tense, she didn’t need to use Star’s own bat against him. Not that she appreciated the violent suggestion, but she breathed a little bit easier knowing communication hadn’t broken down.

Of course, that relief practically shattered when she heard Rainbow say, “STOP,” really loudly.

When the backdoor opened, Fluttershy was already on her feet and on her way to see just what was going on.

Star Weld entered first, his skin red, but his expression uncomfortable—like he’d been made to sit through a steamy lingerie commercial next to his sister. Rainbow Dash was similarly flushed, her shoulders hunched around her ears as she shook her head with haunted eyes.

Blinking, Fluttershy asked, “What happened?”

“Nothing!” the pair said in unison. They looked at each other. Quickly looked away.

“Look, we talked it out, Fluttershy. I had some concerns, but the air has been cleared,” Star Weld said. He looked at her and smiled. “I’m... happy for you guys. Really.”

“Oh! Um. Thank you. Though…” Fluttershy frowned, her arms crossing. “I’d still like to discuss things with you later, Star. Just us.”

Star sighed and nodded. “Figured you would.” He winced and pointed at his lunch bag on the counter. “Can we do that tonight, though? My lunch break is running out!”

Fluttershy sighed and nodded. She gestured down the hall. “Rainbow and I will be in my room then, studying.”

As the words left her mouth, the animal lover was bewildered to see the other two recoil and go a fresh red hue. Her hands planted on her hips, a stern look crossing her features.

“All right, I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist!” she said firmly. “What in the world is the matter?”

“Can’t say,” Star choked out, his eyes squeezing shut.

Rainbow Dash nodded, one hand covering her face. “Just trust us, Flutters. Please?”

Fluttershy huffed.

If she did anymore trusting that afternoon, she’d have to let Angel Bunny do her next haircut!

The documentary Fluttershy shows Rainbow was referencing moments from a real documentary film called The Game Changers. I'm not really interested to debate the validity of vegetarianism or veganism, but it's an interesting watch if you guys have time. You can currently find it on Netflix.

Also, this is about where What They Hope to Find starts, the Sunset/Applejack spin-off.

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