Rainbow Dash’s car had been a gift for graduating high school. While her dad was a respected trainer who owned his own training facility, they weren’t Moneybags-rich. Still, a red convertible was a nice used car to own.

Rainbow called it her ‘classic awesomobile’, a designation that Twilight Sparkle habitually corrected because of a myriad of dreary reasons associated with insurance. Rainbow didn’t care. The car was old, well cared for, and most importantly, really cool.

A fact that was apparently lost on Fluttershy.

Her timid friend sank down in her seat, one hand clutching her backpack to her chest, the other trying vainly to keep her long pink hair from dancing with the wind.

Rainbow Dash grinned as her colorful locks flew free in the intense gusts that swept over the car as they soared down the highway with the top down.

When their exit came up, she pouted a bit, but she changed lanes and slowed to the appropriate speed.

Once the wind died down, Rainbow Dash glanced at her friend and asked with a hint of laughter in her voice, “You all right?”

“You were speeding, weren’t you?” Fluttershy asked hoarsely.

“Yep!”

Her friend gave a frustrated huff, and Rainbow Dash flashed her a rakish grin. “Shy, you gotta live a little. Besides, we don’t wanna be late, do we?”

Fluttershy managed an indignant look. “No, but you scared Angel Bunny.”

As if to prove this, she opened her backpack so that the bunny could poke his head out. He looked fine to Rainbow.

She grumbled as they came to a red light, letting the crimson glow wash over them as the sky loomed dark. Just to kill time, she reached over and gently patted Angel’s head. His eyes narrowed as he flashed his teeth with a growl, and she hastily pulled her hand back.

Little punk.

“Sorry little buddy,” she said instead. “I tend to live fast!” Then sparing a curious look at Fluttershy, she said, “Speaking of furry critters, didn’t you start a new job at the animal hospital?”

Rainbow blinked as she saw Fluttershy tense up.

“Yes,” was the delayed response.

The light turned green. Rainbow Dash accelerated, casting another look at her friend. “And?”

“And what?”

“Geez-louise, Shy! I wanna know how it is, that’s all! I’m not asking for your deepest darkest secret or something.”

Fluttershy shrugged, looking away. “It’s fine. My co-workers are nice. I’m learning a lot there.”

Rainbow frowned. Though she knew it was a poor habit, she kept glancing between Fluttershy and the road.

“Shy? That doesn’t sound so enthusiastic. What’s up?”

She turned down a narrow street to escape the traffic. And also to focus on her friend better. There were considerably fewer cars on this street. Everything nearby was closed.

Fluttershy sighed heavily. She still refused to look at Rainbow Dash. “Nothing important,” she murmured.

They hit another red light, despite Rainbow’s vain attempt at making it to the intersection on yellow.

The little red convertible squealed to a stop, jerking both passengers in their seats. Frustrated and a little nervous now, Rainbow Dash wrung her steering wheel as she cast sidelong looks at Fluttershy.

Something is obviously wrong. Is it because we’ve all grown apart that she doesn’t want to talk to me? Or is it…?

Rainbow could feel her neck and cheeks flush with heat as she fought to leave that thought unfinished.

They sat in a drawn-out silence that made her sweat. She wished Fluttershy would just say something, or at the very least, for the light to turn green. It appeared to be functioning on a timer, much to the athlete’s frustration. She already regretted taking this route.

Rainbow Dash heaved out a heavy breath through her nostrils as she leaned on her door. She sucked at her teeth and frowned.

Man, I suck at this mushy stuff… Will this light just hurry up and change already?

A single beat-up car rattled across the intersection. The light still did not change.

“Seriously?” Rainbow muttered. She contemplated slamming her head against the steering wheel.

When she looked at her friend again, it was to see that Fluttershy was letting her hair fall over her face as she curled over her backpack.

Rainbow Dash groaned inwardly. As uncomfortable as it made her, she couldn’t ignore her friend’s unhappiness. She just wished it were Rarity or Sunset Shimmer handling this and not her. Even Applejack was more suited to this.

Still, she opted to bite the bullet, reached over and touched Fluttershy’s shoulder.

The moment her hand made contact, Rainbow could feel her friend stiffen under her touch. Startled blue eyes peered wide through Shy’s curtain of pink hair.

Rainbow Dash let go immediately, heat crawling up her neck again as she tried to roll the discomfort off her shoulders.

Just before they’d started their time at Everfree University, Rainbow Dash had become aware of a change in Fluttershy. It had been small at first, but with time, it had become more apparent each and every time they met. The shy girl was more skittish around her and blushed constantly. Simple physical contact had become all but impossible.

It was obviously a crush, but if anyone asked her what brought it on, she wouldn’t be able to answer. The one thing she knew was that it made interacting with Fluttershy very difficult.

Rainbow Dash had considered confronting her friend about it, but as their college lives began, they saw less and less of each other. Given the infrequency with which they even got to talk, Rainbow wondered what use there was in causing Fluttershy undue stress. She’d hoped, perhaps in vain, that she would move on and find someone else to moon over.

Rainbow Dash never really could make out how deep her friend’s feelings went. She never really wanted to know. They had a good thing going with their group. Sometimes, it felt like their friendship was one of the few things she could really count on. The idea of losing that made her stomach clench. She especially hated the idea of that dynamic changing because of misplaced feelings.

It’s not like I did anything different to earn them, she thought with mild irritation. If she just thinks I’m cool, then I can’t really blame her. But that isn’t it.

“Sorry,” Rainbow Dash mumbled to her friend. “I just thought—“

She swallowed hard. “You look really down.” She looked at Fluttershy with a creased brow. “I hate to see you sad.”

The light turned green. Rainbow eased onto the accelerator and glared up at the offending traffic light as they passed under it.

Fluttershy uncoiled with what seemed to be a great effort. “No. I should be the one to apologize. I didn’t mean to worry you,” she murmured with a sheepish smile.

“Hey, no biggie. Just want you to know that I’m here, y’know?”

“I know, Rainbow.” She blushed and looked away. “Thank you.”

Oh man, Fluttershy. When are you going to let these feelings go?

Silence descended on the car once more. Rainbow Dash realized with a quick glance that her radio was off. Even with passengers, she usually had it on low volume, so this surprised her. Had she shut the sound off without thinking?

In a quick move, she twisted the leftmost dial and the digital interface became a soft blue beacon in the growing night.

The music that came from the speakers was a spunky pop-rock number from Rainbow’s workout playlist. She grinned and sat back in her seat, hitting the steering wheel with one loosely clenched fist to the rhythm. She wouldn’t have minded if the rest of the ride was spent this way—

“Rainbow?”

“Yeah?”

“I haven’t seen you in Psychology class for a while.”

The athlete’s tongue found a home in her cheek.

Psychology. It had only been a month since the new semester had started, and Rainbow was dismayed to learn that Fluttershy was in her class. By that point, she’d thought the whole ‘crush’ thing would have resolved itself. To say that the issue hadn’t contributed to her skipping a few extra classes would have been a lie.

She couldn’t tell her friend this, of course. It wasn’t even the whole truth, anyway. Rainbow Dash was genuinely busy with soccer. On top of that, in comparison to some of her more basic core classes like Literature or Mathematical Statistics, Psychology just didn’t seem all that pressing.

Other athletes she’d talked to had spoken about it being one of their ‘filler’ classes. It was practically a guaranteed pass.

“Yeah, I know I’ve been absent from class a lot,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “I just have a lot on my plate. I asked my coach to talk to the professor today. It’d be nice to have one less thing to worry about.”

Fluttershy frowned. “I was looking forward to taking a class with you. I understand if you’re too busy though.” She let out a little sigh.

Rainbow Dash winced as she pulled into the parking lot of their destination.

Sure, Dash. That doesn’t make you feel like the biggest heel in the world.

The place they were eating was an Italian family restaurant named Massaro & Rosine’s. Pinkie Pie had recommended it after ordering catering from the establishment for a party.

For lack of better options (or energy to seek them out), it had simply become routine for the group to eat there every month. Rainbow didn’t mind. The food was good and the owner was nice. Only Rarity saw fit to grumble about the carbs every time.

“How about I set aside some time to come in tomorrow?” she offered as they exited the car.

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at her in a rare moment of criticism. “‘Set aside time?’”

“Hey, I thought you wanted to have someone to sit with in class?” Rainbow returned with a scowl.

As they approached the restaurant entrance, Fluttershy rubbed her arm. Her lower lip stuck out in a pout that made Rainbow Dash look twice.

Fluttershy pouting? You don’t see that every day. Without thinking, she smirked. Damn, that’s cute.

“Well, yes,” Fluttershy admitted. “But shouldn’t the main reason you come be because you actually care about your own success?”

Rainbow opened the door and stepped aside, one hand waving away the notion as her smirk widened.

“I already told you!” she exclaimed. “My coach was going to handle it tonight. If I go, it’ll be for you, Shy.”

She immediately regretted her phrasing. Fluttershy had rooted herself to the sidewalk, her eyes going very wide as her face tinged pink to match her hair. Rainbow stared at her in incredulity for a moment before jerking her head toward the open entrance.

“Earth to Fluttershy, come in,” she deadpanned.

When no response came, Rainbow Dash looked up at the sky as if to ask what celestial being had brought this unique brand of torment upon her. Then with an air of great impatience, she moved in to steer her mute friend through the open entrance with an arm over her shoulders.

Fluttershy didn’t seem to know what to do about this, and so she offered very little resistance. Her body radiated with hot embarrassment. Rainbow Dash, aware of her friend’s mortification and the reasons behind it, blushed a little herself, but she pressed on resolutely.

If she let Fluttershy set the pace, they’d never get to dinner in time.

Inside, the walls were painted to resemble the old villa interiors of Tuscany, very warm and textured, with Italian works of art breaking up the negative spaces. The restaurant was reasonably busy without feeling like a zoo, thick with the smell of pasta and flavorful sauces.

Bypassing the restaurant greeters, they headed toward the back of the establishment where a large square table had already been reserved by their friends. Everyone was there, with two empty seats side by side.

Pinkie Pie spotted them and jumped up, waving frantically all the while. “Hey! Heeeey! Rainbow Dash! Fluttershy! Over heeeeere!”

Sunset Shimmer, at Pinkie’s right, reached up and pulled the excitable girl back down.

“Pinkie, I think they know,” she said, patting her friend’s hand.

Sunset smiled at Rainbow and Fluttershy as they took their seats. “Guys! Glad you made it. For a second it looked like we’d have to order without you!”

Rainbow Dash grinned at her roommate. “You might have if Fluttershy had her way.”

Fluttershy blushed and scuffed her shoes on the floor. “I’m sorry.”

Rarity tutted and gestured for them to sit. “Sit, sit! There’s nothing wrong with being fashionably late—”

“Not late,” Twilight Sparkle corrected at her side. She extended an arm to show her wristwatch. “They’re right on time, actually.”

“Fashionably on time then!” Rarity amended irritably. “The point is I’m hungry and would like to order something before I faint. You don’t know hunger until you’ve had to work for fifteen hours straight on a fashion portfolio!”

Applejack, with her fist in her cheek, smirked at the fashionista from across the table. “What? No comments on the carb count tonight?”

She chuckled as Rarity flicked droplets of water from her drink at her.

As Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy settled, Twilight Sparkle threaded her hands together and smiled.

“So shall we start on our monthly updates now, or wait until after we order?” she asked.

Fluttershy actually looked panicked at that. “M-monthly updates?”

“Yes!” Twilight said, her smile widening. “I thought I could start, and then we could go around the table. Then afterward—”

Sunset Shimmer narrowed her eyes at her friend, glancing down to her side.

“Twilight, are you hiding a schedule under the table?”

Twilight stiffened. “What makes you say that?”

Her response was a stern look and an extended hand.

Slouching, Twilight produced the paper she'd been hiding and handed it to Sunset. It looked numbered and typewritten.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Seriously, Twi?”

Twilight pouted and crossed her arms. “I just thought we could use a bit more optimization to our gatherings, that’s all!”

She looked around at everyone with a touch of sadness. “I don’t get to see any of you all that much anymore. I missed being together so much that I figured…m-maybe if we could fit in more meaningful discussion then—”

Sunset Shimmer reached over and took Twilight’s hand. Her smile was sympathetic.

“Twilight, I get it. But you know that isn’t how it works.”

She gestured around at everyone. “We’ve all got our own plans, and that means we go down different paths. It doesn’t mean those paths can’t cross every once in a while. You just can’t force it, y’know?”

She patted the other girl’s hand. “And hey! We’re going to start working on that project together, right? So you’ll get to see more of me, at least!”

Twilight wiped away an errant tear and nodded with a weak smile.

Rainbow Dash shot her an encouraging grin as the bookworm looked around the table and saw similar expressions.

It was still weird to think that this Twilight (Sci-Twi, as Rainbow teasingly called her) was not the same as Princess Twilight. She didn’t have the empathy and social know-how of the pony princess they had first met back in high school. That wasn’t to say she hadn’t learned a lot since they’d all become friends at the Friendship Games, but little naive moves like this always served as a sober reminder that Human Twilight was a separate person.

As it stood, when it came to the Magic of Friendship, Sunset Shimmer was, in many ways, their premier expert.

On its own, it wouldn’t have felt ironic, save for the fact that Sunset had once turned into a demon and tried to turn Canterlot High into her personal army to take over the land of Equestria.

Rainbow Dash shook the thoughts away.

Man, when will that stop feeling strange? Sunset Shimmer is a great person and a great friend. We can’t keep holding that over her head.

At that moment, Sunset Shimmer frowned and looked at Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

“Hey,” she said, a smirk spreading across her lips. “Aren’t you two taking a Psychology course together? You must be hanging out way more than any of us!”

Rainbow glared.

Nope. I take it back. Sunset definitely has a demonic streak still left in her.

“Rainbow Dash hasn’t been showing up to class,” Fluttershy said with a furrowed brow. “So we haven’t…” she shrank as Rainbow Dash’s glare turned on her.

Twilight gasped, her hands actually going to cover her mouth. “You’ve been skipping class!?” she asked with horror.

“I haven’t been ’skipping’ class,” Rainbow said, making air quotations with her fingers.

Rarity cocked her head to the side, one eyebrow raised. “I’m…confused. Did you perhaps drop the class?”

“No.”

“Well, are you at least downloading the lectures off of the course page?”

Rainbow squinted one eye as she crossed her arms. “Pfft, heck no! I’ve got better things to do.”

Rarity smiled with uncertainty. “Darling, I’m sorry to say this, but it sounds as if you have in fact been skipping class, then.”

“It’s still early in the semester, Dashie,” Pinkie Pie commented with a cheery smile. “You still have a bit of time to drop the class and switch to something else.”

She clapped her hands eagerly as an idea struck her. “Oh! Oh, oh, oh! You could take Food and Culture with me!”

Rainbow Dash blinked slowly. “Uh… Pinkie? I’m a Sociology major.”

“And I major in Hospitality Management. Won’t it be fun?” She giggled.

“I meant, I don’t think I can—”

“She can’t take Food and Culture, Pinkie, cuz she’d just skip out on that too,” Applejack said derisively.

Rainbow Dash clenched her jaw. “And what do you know about it, AJ?”

“I know that anyone who pours as much time into kicking a ball back and forth can’t be all that serious about school, Dash.”

The table stilled.

Rainbow sat straight, her body igniting with adrenaline. “Oh yeah? And what about you, huh?”

She could feel Fluttershy touch her tightened arm, but Rainbow jerked away from the contact. She refused to take her eyes off of Applejack, who seemed to be affording her the same kind of attention.

Compared to everyone, Rainbow had felt the rifts of time most acutely with Applejack. She had once been a friendly rival able to match the soccer player in competition, but college life had somehow turned her into this distant, critical, sullen shadow of her former self.

Rainbow had no idea what brought it about, but at that moment she didn’t care for the reasons. She wasn’t going to let anyone take shots at her, and by extension her team, without some returning fire.

Wanna spit on what I care about? Let’s see how you like it.

“Can you even call yourself a real college student when you earn half your credits sweating on a farm?” Rainbow snarked.

Applejack ripped her hat off her head and stood up with eyes ablaze. Rainbow followed suit, her lips hitching up in a humorless grin.

Well, that was easy...

“Woah!” Sunset Shimmer waved her hands frantically. “Hey, hey, guys! Cool it, okay? This is not what these nights are supposed to be about!”

When this appeal didn’t seem to have the immediate effect, Sunset was hoping for, Rarity laughed nervously.

“Girls?” she said. “Surely we can set aside our differences for two teeny hours, yes?” She quailed under their intense stares. “Er… I take it that’s a ‘no’?”

Rainbow Dash pointed an accusing finger at Applejack. “I don’t care if she’s the embodiment of honesty! Being honest doesn’t make her right. If she keeps pushing me, I’m gonna—”

“Yer gonna what?” Applejack snapped, slapping her hand away. “Ya can’t go toe to toe with me, Dash, so don’t even pretend!”

“Wanna bet?”

“Enough!”

Now Sunset Shimmer was on her feet, her eyes shining with focused intensity. “Didn’t Twilight just get through pointing out that we hardly get to see each other anymore? Is this what we want to turn the evening into?”

Applejack looked down at the table, actually looking remorseful. Rainbow Dash just scowled and crossed her arms defiantly.

Sunset’s expression softened as she looked between the two of them, Rainbow in particular.

“Can we sit and just enjoy tonight? Please?”

Applejack sat without another word. Rainbow Dash snorted and did the same.

She peeked around the table. Twilight Sparkle looked outright sad now, her glasses reflecting the white of the table linen. Rarity had a frail smile on her face with stiffness in her shoulders that hadn’t been there before as her eyes darted between them. Pinkie Pie was still smiling pleasantly, but the expression was lukewarm and distant, with her eyes focused on her lap—no doubt to play around on her cell phone. Sunset Shimmer looked tired and worried like she was seeing something troubling that they couldn’t. Applejack looked inscrutable, her face having turned to stone as she stared through the table.

Nice. Real nice, Rainbow Dash. You wait for this an entire month and you make the entire thing Awkward City.

Rainbow Dash turned her head just enough to look at Fluttershy.

The animal lover had refrained from participating in the conversation thus far, but Rainbow was surprised to see the girl giving her a wide-eyed look. Rainbow sat up a little straighter, her expression lengthening in concern.

Did I scare her somehow? Why is she looking at me like that?

Rainbow Dash leaned toward Fluttershy, her mouth opening to whisper her questions to her when Pinkie Pie cut her off in a sudden squeal.

“IT! IS! HAPPENING!” Pinkie cheered as she threw confetti and streamers into the air.

Everyone looked at her in alarm. Rainbow wondered, perhaps for the millionth time during the course of their friendship, if Pinkie Pie had access to some kind of secret party dimension for the express purpose of pulling out surprises at random times.

“What do you mean, Pinkie?” Twilight sniffled out. She even dabbed at her eyes a little.

Rainbow groaned inwardly. Oh geez, Twilight. You were crying?

Buoyed by her automatic annoyance for emotional displays was a fresh sense of guilt that made her squirm. Right then, Rainbow Dash didn’t feel like a very good friend. In fact, after her conversations with Sassaflash and Fluttershy that evening, she was feeling like a downright rotten friend.

Before she could get too deep into her self-pity, Pinkie Pie jumped up from her seat and did a little dance.

“It’s the most amazingest, super-riffic, fantabularastic thing!” She giggled with delight.

The tension that had fallen over the table was already dissipating in the wake of Pinkie Pie’s unbridled joy.

“Pinkie, you’ve got us on the edge of our seats! Let’s hear the good news, already!” Sunset Shimmer said with a grin.

Pinkie Pie appeared behind Rarity in the blink of an eye, bodily lifting up the nonplussed fashionista in her signature bear hug.

“Rarity, I just got the email! Our first ever social event for Delta Alpha Kappa got approved! We’re doing the costume party!”

Rarity’s face went blank as she tried to process this, errant locks of her purple hair dancing in front of her glassy eyes. Then a look of hysterical happiness swept her over her, and she returned Pinkie’s bone-crushing hug as she babbled:

“Oh my goodness! You can’t be serious! Are you serious? You are, aren’t you!? Oh, Pinkie Pie I could just cry!”

Rainbow couldn’t help but chuckle along with the others. Rarity and Pinkie Pie had both joined the same sorority in their first year of college. Apparently, they had been looking to combine their passions to bring something special to Delta Alpha Kappa this year.

“A costume party, huh? What did you guys have in mind?” Rainbow Dash asked with a grin.

If there was one thing that could move the night forward from the tense start, it was this.

Rarity and Pinkie Pie both started to speak at once--

“The 80s! Lots of synth! Big hair! Bigger finishes!”

“Ooh! Picture a simply mesmerizing return of lace, silk, and pearls!”

And just like that, things were all right again. On the surface, at least. It was about as much as Rainbow could bring herself to hope for these days.

Next Chapter: Chapter 3 (2020 3rd Draft Edit) Estimated time remaining: 15 Hours, 50 Minutes