Rainbow Dash ran to Freenote Library, her cell phone lighting up her face in a ghastly glow under the night sky as she checked her last text messages.

>F: We still on 4 2nite?

>F: Sry, jus wanted 2 check…

>R: Ya ;) @8

>F: Kk! Where r we meeting?

>R: 3rd floor. Use 1 of da study rooms.

Freenote was the only twenty-four-hour library in the county, making it an ideal spot for late-night cramming. At this hour there were less people, yet it was far from empty.

Most of these visitors could be found on the first or second floors—precisely why Rainbow wanted to be on the third. She didn’t want anyone or anything interrupting her time with Fluttershy. The less distractions the better.

The building was lit up like a glowing beacon for a lonely night. Yet, it felt hollow and eerie inside, with the checkout desks empty and the typically busy computer rooms locked up.

There was just one security guard seated at the front with the door sensors in case anyone tried to take books without permission.

The handful of students Rainbow spied were closed off in their own academic pursuits. They sat alone or in small groups, their shadowed eyes already showing the fatigue from their work.

Seeing these people diligently studying made Rainbow flinch with guilt as she passed, yet she quickly brushed it off and focused on the goal at hand.

Fluttershy said to meet at eight, so you show up at nine? Smooth move, stupid. Real smooth.

The dinner with Blaze had left her especially drained. Every minute that had passed was spent monitoring herself and her father. She was assailed with thoughts like—

If she talked about her day, would he get irritated? Did he think she was being sympathetic enough to his latest work troubles? Did he feel generous today, or would he guilt trip her for ordering something over ten bucks?

It didn’t help that she stuffed her face like a hog. By the time they got out, it was a quarter past six, and Rainbow was dead on her feet.

Just a quick snooze, she had thought. I have almost two hours before I have to meet Fluttershy.

Of course, she’d failed to take into account that she'd already slept through one alarm that day—doing so again should hardly have been a surprise, and yet...

Rainbow cursed as she skidded to a halt in front of the library elevators. There were two, but one was out of service, and someone was already using the other one.

Great! Just great!

Rainbow’s heart hammered thunderously. Her t-shirt hung heavy with sweat under her jean jacket. She was already a mess, but she’d hoped to use the elevator ride to straighten herself out. Now she needed to sprint up four flights of stairs to meet Fluttershy in time, assuming she was even still there.

Showing up looking like a sweaty slob was not her ideal start to this, but what could she do? She needed to make up for the lost time.

As Rainbow ran to the stairwell that led to the second floor, her mind couldn’t help but play the day’s previous events through her head.

All the pride and acceptance she had felt from her father had long since worn off. It usually happened that way.

When fully in the sphere of Blaze’s influence, he could make almost anything sound justified and reasonable. Caught under his scrutiny, all Rainbow could think about was staying in his favor. It was only when they were apart, and she felt like she had room to breathe, that the doubt and resentment crept back.

I can’t believe I’m going through with this.

She could feel her stomach do a somersault as her throat tightened in revulsion.

I should turn around. I should call my dad and tell him that I’ve changed my mind. I can find some other way...right?

Rainbow Dash took the stairs two at a time, reaching the second floor fast.

Fluttershy is my friend. That’s supposed to mean something.

She paused on the first step for the last flight of stairs, her eyes blinking away sweat.

I’m supposed to embody loyalty, right? What happens when my loyalty is split in two?

Her hand held the railing in an iron grip as her eyes glazed. She looked up the stairs and thought of Fluttershy—sweet and kind Fluttershy, who’d sacrificed her free time to help others. How many times had Rainbow stuck up for her friend growing up? What about all the fun and adventures they had shared since then? Was she really going to just use her childhood friend this way?

Then Blaze cut into her thoughts—

Damn it, Dash! If you drop out, this could ruin me!

What will people say when my kid turns into a loser?

You have never appreciated what I’ve done for you.

Rainbow Dash squeezed her eyes shut and slammed the heel of her palm into the railing as hard as she could. The sharp pain anchored her, sending the confusing thoughts crashing into the ether of her mind. Steeled against her doubts, for the time being, she resumed her ascent up the stairwell.

At the third floor, she slowed to a stop in front of the elevators, her chest heaving as she scowled at her surroundings. The lights weren’t on except for the landing area.

Oh man! I thought the first floor was dead… The third floor is friggin’ dead, buried and rotted. Where the heck is Fluttershy?

Rainbow Dash wiped at her wet brow as she looked at the elevator that was still operable. It was humming. She glanced up at the elevator’s top display. The light gradually stopped at the number three.

Is this the same person that—?

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Rainbow gaped at who was inside.

“F-Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy gasped and rushed towards her, her hands clasped before her face as unshed tears shone in her eyes. Her hair was damp and a bit frizzy. Her clothes were wrinkled and stale, like she’d pulled them out of the bottom of a drawer. She even lacked the small amount of makeup she typically wore.

“Omigosh, Rainbow I’m so sorry!” Fluttershy wheezed.

Rainbow Dash swiftly gathered herself—a feat managed both due to her natural instinct to maintain an image of ease and coolness, as well as her mischievous side perking up at the ripe opportunity for teasing.

She crossed her arms and frowned, though her lips quivered with the desire to pull up in a monkey-like grin.

“You’re late?” she said with false indignation. In reality, cool relief had pooled into her stomach knowing that she hadn’t left her friend waiting alone on the deserted third floor.

“I’m so, so, so sorry!” Fluttershy panted. She took a deep breath and spoke almost too fast for Rainbow to follow:

“Earlier today I told you I’d be free at eight, only really I should’ve said nine, but I couldn’t think straight because I was just so anxious, and then I thought, ‘Well Fluttershy, you can do it!’ Only I couldn’t because I had to stay over at work longer than usual because a pet skunk was having diarrhea—!”

Rainbow blinked. “Uh—”

But Fluttershy barreled on, her eyes haunted from her recent trials.

“The only other technician available kept gagging, so she couldn’t stay in the examination room, so I had to stay in the room and help the vet even though I was already supposed to have clocked out, and while I was holding the skunk, he had a—well—um, bowel movement—”

Rainbow made a face. “Fluttershy—”

“And it was really bad, the poor thing, but then that meant I had to get changed and showered, so I had to go all the way back home, and when I did my brother started talking to me, and oh, Rainbow, I hardly ever get to see him these days, so I had to stop for a few minutes to chat—”

“Flutters—!”

“But then I realized how very, very late I was, so I asked Star Weld to drive me over, but he’s not very good at navigating the university roads—even though I tell him where to turn every time, he never listens to me—so then I just told him to drop me off at the main gate, and I had to run all the way across the campus, but you know I’m not very fast—oh, I’m not fast at all—!”

Fluttershy sucked in a giant breath, her cushy chest expanding impressively before she stated with a chastened tuck of her chin, “And THAT is why I’m late!”

Rainbow Dash snapped her mouth shut.

Holy cow, Shy should have joined the swim team! She didn’t come up for air till the very end!

Rainbow held up her hands. “Fluttershy, I was just teasing—!”

“Oh I’m so, so sorry for making you wait!” Fluttershy whimpered before ducking her head.

The athlete’s eyes went wide.

Oh no, here comes the waterworks. Quick, Dash! Think!

Rainbow Dash coughed nervously and patted her friend’s pink head. “Uh… N-no big deal.”

Fluttershy peeked at her through her curtain of hair. Tears streaking down her face.

“Really?” she sniffled.

Rainbow sighed in relief and gave a gentle smile. “Yeah. No biggie. Know why?”

Her friend wiped at her eyes and gave a cute shake of her head.

Rainbow Dash snickered and threw an arm around Fluttershy’s shoulders. She thumbed at herself and said with a wink. “Because I was late too.”

Fluttershy looked at her in surprise. “You mean…?” She looked Rainbow up and down, as if just noticing how sweaty and disheveled she was.

The athlete chuckled. “We got here at the same time!”

It took a moment for this to sink in for Fluttershy. When it did, she joined Rainbow Dash in a good, long laugh.

---

They turned on the lights for the third floor, which greatly helped in making it less spooky, and started to set up in the first study room. Rainbow Dash made it a point to sit at Fluttershy’s right, to the degree that their chairs touched. This earned her a raised eyebrow, but no comment.

Rainbow leaned on the table with her elbows. “So was your whole day that bad, or just the end of it?”

Fluttershy, who had started digging through her backpack on the floor, looked up with a start.

“Um,” she started, as she straightened and ran her fingers through her damp hair. “Sort of?”

“Lame! What happened?”

She could see the debate in Fluttershy’s eyes, till she finally relented.

Slowly, her friend said, “Dr. Heartclaw made me work at the front desk today.”

Rainbow’s face scrunched up. “Uh... Yeaaaah... Has this guy talked to you for more than, like, a minute? Why the heck did he think that would be a good idea?”

“Right?” Fluttershy said with an eager nod, “I mean, he didn’t actually intend for me to speak to any of the customers, but Blue Note—the receptionist—she’s been overworked lately, so she started saddling me with more of her duties.”

“Couldn’t you have just said no?”

Fluttershy wilted, her gaze turning down. “Well, yes, but Blue Note needed help!”

Rainbow took a deep breath to calm her growing irritation at what had been a common problem with her friend.

It wasn’t that she thought little of Fluttershy’s kindness—far from it. But it had always gotten under her skin how easily her friend allowed others to take advantage of her without so much as a complaint. She wished the girl would stick up for herself, but she wished even harder that people would stop being jerks to her.

“Okay,” Rainbow said, trying to make her voice neutral, “That’s, like...really nice of you and stuff…"

She tongued her cheek, one knee bouncing under the table. "So, did something happen while Blue Note had you doing her job?” She couldn’t help letting some sarcasm slip in.

“I was answering phone calls a lot. It was very stressful, and not really worth repeating.” Then Fluttershy stilled, her head lifting. To Rainbow Dash’s surprise, her companion smiled and blushed.

“Oh,” she said, glancing shyly at Rainbow from around her bangs. “There was one thing.”

Intrigued by this shift in demeanor, Rainbow leaned onto her armrest, toward her companion. “What?”

“It’s...very embarrassing.”

“But you’re smiling!”

“I know, I know,” Fluttershy said, letting out a small giggle, “At the time I found it anything but amusing, but now that I think about it, it was kind of funny!”

Rainbow Dash poked her in the side, making her friend squeak. “Well, out with it, Flutters!”

Fluttershy shook her head frantically. “Oh, no! I don’t know if I can say it. It was silly to even bring it up.”

A playful glint entered Rainbow’s eye, and she leaned in closer. “Tell me!” she said with a sing-song tone.

“No, no, I can’t!”

Rainbow pushed her chair back and stood to her feet, her smile curling evilly. “Tell meee!”

Fluttershy shrank as her companion moved to stand behind her chair. “Honestly, it isn’t that interesting! It’ll seem underwhelming after all this—!”

The soccer player placed her hands on the back of her friend’s chair and loomed over her. Her colorful mane spilled over her shoulders as her eyes narrowed. “Fluttershy…”

“R-Rainbow?”

With as much force as she could muster without losing her grip, Rainbow Dash tilted Fluttershy’s seat backward.

“Tell me!” she boomed in a cheesy monster voice.

The other girl squealed, her hands snapping onto her armrests as her feet kicked a little.

Rainbow began to put the seat back up, but she couldn’t help but squeeze in one last scare as she pretended to let the chair fall completely backward.

Fluttershy flinched hard and whimpered out, “D-dogs!”

Finally! “What about dogs?” Rainbow pressed further.

“Rainbow, please put my seat back up!”

Instead, the tomboy shook the chair a little. “Come on, what about the dogs!”

“Th-they were stuck together! Now, will you please put me back?!”

Rainbow Dash chuckled as she put Fluttershy upright again, then returned to her seat. “So the dogs were stuck together. Why?”

“That was mean!” Fluttershy said with a scandalized glare.

“Yeah, yeah. I shouldn’t have done it. I’m a real jerk. Anyway, the dogs?”

The other girl crossed her arms, her lips pursing. Rainbow Dash had to fight to keep the grin from widening on her face.

Fluttershy was turning into ‘Mothershy’, her go-to persona when she felt trespassed by those closest to her in a manner she thought exceedingly immature. The effect was somehow both amusing and impressive all at once. The last time Rainbow had seen this side of the shy girl, she and Pinkie Pie had placed a fake snake in Rarity’s backpack to hilarious effect.

“I would like an apology,” Fluttershy said. Though her voice was as soft and as gentle as ever, a firmness had mingled into her words that brooked no argument.

Rainbow bit her lip in an attempt to chase away her smile. Clearing her throat, she put a hand on her chest and just managed to say with a straight face, “Fluttershy, I apologize.”

Her companion waited a beat before letting a small smile bloom on her lips. Rainbow readily mirrored it.

“I accept your apology,” Shy said graciously.

“Great!” Rainbow clapped her hands and rubbed them together. “Now back to the dogs!”

“Oh.” Fluttershy blushed and let her bangs cover her face. “They were...m-making puppies.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Making puppies?” She smirked. “Lemme get this straight. Someone called to say their dogs were ‘stuck together’, but they were really just screwing?”

“Yes.”

“And did you actually tell the person they were ‘making puppies’?”

Fluttershy frowned at her again, but her lips were twitching at the ends as she tried to find the words. “Well...yes, but—”

Rainbow Dash snorted into laughter, her hand covering her eyes. “Oh man!”

“It’s hard enough explaining the birds and the bees to someone in private, imagine doing that at a front desk where others can hear you!” Fluttershy huffed. Despite her indignant tone, she was no longer hiding behind her hair, and she even had a wry half-smile.

Rainbow shoved at her shoulder. “You’re hilarious! What did the guy do when you told him?”

“But he didn’t hear me! I kept trying and trying.” She heaved a great sigh. “Finally I just lost my patience and snapped at him. I think I hurt his feelings...” Remorse shadowed her eyes as she sobered up.

Rainbow Dash quieted. It must have been bad if Fluttershy snapped at a stranger. She only gets like that when she feels cornered.

Deciding to ease the mood, she nudged her shy friend with her elbow.

“To heck with ‘em! The guy should have gotten his dogs fixed. And anyway, you were doing someone else’s job! You did your best. That’s what counts, right?”

Fluttershy nodded once, though it was plain it lacked conviction. “Right,” she said in a low tone while tugging at a lock of her hair. “What about you? How was your day?”

Rainbow’s mouth immediately skewed to the side.

“Not all that much better, to be honest. Did a bunch of running around. Talked to my coach, my VC, and my dad. The deets are boring, so...” she shrugged, hoping the questions would stop there. Then an idea struck her.

“Hey,” Rainbow Dash said with a big grin. “Really quick. Rock, paper, scissors?”

Fluttershy blinked. “Why?”

“Just humor me! We’ll do best out of three.”

Raising an eyebrow, the other girl slowly put out a fist.

Rainbow held out a fist of her own and counted, “One, two—”

“Wait!” Fluttershy interjected, her eyes wide.

“What is it?”

“Do we go on three, or after three?”

Rainbow Dash felt a flash of impatience. “On three.”

Fluttershy wrung her hands nervously. “And we’re not using dynamite right?”

“No. We’re not.”

“Oh good! I’m not very fond of it—”

“Fluttershy.”

“Sorry, sorry!” Fluttershy put her fist back out.

Rainbow gently bobbed her hand as she counted. “One, two, three!”

She threw rock. Fluttershy threw paper.

“Damn!” Rainbow Dash spat. She scooted closer to the table as if that would somehow better prepare her for the next round. “Again!”

Her companion reluctantly put her first out once more. “Um. Okay?”

“One, two, three!”

Rainbow showed paper. Fluttershy had scissors.

They both stared at the results for what felt like a long time.

“What a stupid game,” Rainbow Dash muttered as she slouched in her chair. She cast a glare at Fluttershy. “It was dumb luck!”

“Actually,” her companion said with a little smile, “Pinkie showed me a few tricks back in high school.”

“Oh yeah?” Rainbow tried to feign more interest for the split ends of her hair. “And what did she tell you?”

Fluttershy jutted her lower lip as her brow wrinkled softly. Her big blue eyes batted as she looked up in thought, a low and pensive hum emitting from her throat. Rainbow did a double-take at the sight before her.

If there was an award for cuteness, Fluttershy would win, hands down.

“She said never throw rock first. That’s an amateur move,” Fluttershy stated after a moment. She added hesitantly, “I think she also said that throwing what beat you in the previous round is generally a bad idea.”

Rainbow scrunched her nose. “Huh? But there are only three options to choose from! I’d either have to choose the thing that I didn’t win with or the thing that is most uncertain!”

Fluttershy shrugged. “It’s all about reading your opponent, Rainbow.” The pre-vet then turned away and proceeded to pull out her things from her backpack.

Rainbow Dash roughly rapped the edge of the table with her fist, making her knuckles sting.

I don’t get it! How do you ‘read’ someone in a game like this? She scowled. I can’t believe Fluttershy beat me! That’s so irritating!

She looked at her friend and her face went blank. Oh. She brought everything we might need tonight. Crap.

Fluttershy had brought her notes, as well as her textbook. Rainbow Dash had brought…nothing. Running out the door, late and in a panic, did tend to leave one disorganized, but even she had to admit her failure in not managing to bring one useful thing.

After some frantic scrambling, she felt slightly less ridiculous when she was able to pull up the past psychology lectures on her smartphone.

“Did Dr. Axon give you any specific guidelines to follow?” Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her head. “Kind of? He said he wanted me to choose what to cover from all the past material he discussed in his lectures, and ‘demonstrate a solid knowledge’ for the course material.”

“Is it a report?”

“Yeah, fifteen pages. Not just that, though. He also wants me to do a thirty-minute presentation.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Oh dear.”

Rainbow sunk down in her seat and glowered at the tiny Axon on her phone. “My feelings exactly.”

“Can you use notecards for the presentation at least?”

“I don’t think he said I couldn’t use them, but he also made it out like I had to be able to talk about this stuff off the top of my head instead of reading from something the whole time.”

Fluttershy bit her lip and opened her textbook. “Um… Maybe we should just focus on something simpler for the moment? After you finish your report, you should feel better prepared to do the presentation.”

Not likely.

“Sure,” Rainbow said instead.

“Hmm.” Fluttershy tapped her chin with a pen.

After a bit, she pulled a journal toward her and started to write in a neat, feminine handwriting style, which quickly drew Rainbow’s eye.

“How about this?” Fluttershy said. “Let’s start with an outline. That way we can plan things from start to finish very carefully. If we have to change it later, it’s fine. The point is to have a guideline so that we’re not so overwhelmed.”

Rainbow Dash leaned in close under the pretext to see what was being written. In reality, she wanted to whisper a comment in Fluttershy’s ear. Something brief and flirty about her handwriting. Not that she was much of an expert on flirting—but she’d heard enough from Rarity to have an idea.

As she drew close to her friend, she caught the sweet smell of lavender and mint. Her eyes fluttered and she lost focus for a moment, taking another whiff.

Fluttershy took a shower? Oh right, she told me before in that rant of hers.

She glanced at Shy’s hair.

Yeah. Her hair is wet.

Inwardly, she rolled her eyes.

Wow, Rainbow, you will never be a detective.

Fluttershy turned her head to say something and promptly froze, her eyes expanding. Their noses were nearly touching. Rainbow Dash quickly pulled away with a nervous giggle, which she tried to amend into a cooler, more nonchalant chuckle.

“M-my bad. I just wanted to see—” she pointed at the journal with a strained grin.

Fluttershy stiffly pushed the journal over, her big blue eyes never leaving Rainbow’s face. It made the tomboy think of how a person would focus on a dangerous animal, too skittish to turn their back.

“Thanks,” Rainbow muttered as she leaned over to inspect the journal—perhaps a little closer than necessary—if only to let her mane of hair fall forward to conceal the blush that was now gracing her cheeks.

I was supposed to do something all sexy, and instead, I just come across as some kind of creepy weirdo! No wonder she’s looking at me like that!

Looking back at the journal, she found that the notes Fluttershy had written were relatively simple. They took most of the major headings from both the sections in their textbook, as well as from the lecture notes. When Rainbow Dash had gathered herself, she sat back and tapped the page.

“Hey, this is good!” she said, smiling brightly.

Fluttershy allowed herself a shy grin. “Twilight showed me how to pay attention to headings in textbooks and lecture slides to identify what I should focus on before tests. She’s much better at it, of course.”

“Shy, don’t be so modest. You’re helping me out a ton already!”

“We still have a lot to do, though. I just hope we can get you ready in time. I know I’m not nearly as smart as Twilight or Sunset, but I want to help you all I can!”

This was a good moment to try and flirt again. Rainbow Dash swallowed hard, almost hating Fluttershy for leaving herself open with that vulnerable statement.

What did Rarity always use to say…?

The athlete’s right hand twitched as if it resisted the idea of cooperating with her diabolical plan. Rainbow shot it a glare before it obediently lifted, crossed her body, and placed itself on Fluttershy’s right wrist. This forced her body to turn and lean in. It was all about shrinking that personal space.

Be smooth.

Rainbow Dash forced a smirk when Fluttershy’s wide eyes snapped onto hers.

Be confident.

“Shy… It means a lot to me that you’re here.” She leaned in closer, and as she did so, she stroked the other girl’s wrist with her thumb, slow and gentle.

Be intimate.

“I need you, okay? So don’t doubt your own worth,” Rainbow murmured under her breath, yet loud enough for her friend to hear it loud and clear.

The blush that came over Fluttershy was almost instantaneous. Her breathing even noticeably hitched. And for just the briefest moment, Rainbow Dash saw her friend’s guard slip. What came through, in that precious second, was such an unbearably open expression of shock and desire that Rainbow’s own heart sped up to see it.

I…have this much of an effect on her? She thought with wonder.

---

Fluttershy felt a great number of things as Rainbow Dash’s thumb teased the tender and sensitive skin of her inner wrist.

Her wrist had been cold, so the warm touch felt intensely stimulating, making all the hairs of her arm stand up. She felt her heart rate quicken, and her body became as hot as a lit stove, her skin now colored a rich shade of red.

But what wasn’t outwardly obvious was the sudden pertness of her nipples, the tension in the pit of her abdomen, or that naughty tingling between her legs.

Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, but only a low squeak emerged.

Rainbow Dash’s smirk widened and she took her hand away. Playfully, she batted her eyes and leaned her head on Fluttershy’s shoulder.

In a horrible imitation of Rarity, she said, “Now then dearest, let’s proceed with the heroic rescue of my tush, yes?”

She chuckled weakly at Rainbow’s joke. “Yes. Let’s,” she mumbled.

They resumed work on the project, but Fluttershy felt stiffness and a certain simmering frustration that she couldn’t shake away.

Rainbow Dash isn’t acting normal. Since when did she keep getting into my personal space?

Fluttershy peeked at her friend sidelong.

And why does she keep saying things like she ‘needs’ me? Rainbow is always telling people she doesn’t need anyone!

She frowned back at her textbook, her eyes staring through the pages. She keeps speaking in such a low voice, too. We’re the only ones on the third floor, and the library staff is gone. What reason would she have to make me lean in all the time to hear her… Unless…

She’s flirting with me?

Fluttershy’s eyes fluttered as she glanced at Rainbow Dash, who was looking up a definition in the textbook’s glossary.

Whether or not Rainbow Dash means it, the fact that she’s doing it at all is bizarre! After all, this is far too sudden.

Fluttershy returned her attention to the textbook, her teeth catching her bottom lip.

If she actually liked someone, would she even go about it this way? It feels like she’s taking cues from one of Rarity’s romance novels! Is that what she thinks I’m into?

She squinted her eyes. Or… Am I into that? It wasn’t as if I didn’t feel something.

Fluttershy felt a flash of annoyance that her preferences could be so formulaic. In spite of her consternation, the frown born from this train of thought quickly morphed to an expression of anxiety, and she gave up being productive in favor of just looking productive.

She snuck another glance at Rainbow Dash, who was now sleepily watching one of the very first Psychology lectures.

The answer was there. Fluttershy could feel it hovering outside of the sphere of her consciousness, waiting for a chance to pierce in and make the truth known.

But really, she didn’t want to know, because she hoped that Rainbow would touch her again. And soon.

---

Rainbow Dash returned to her dorm feeling more at ease. Fluttershy had laid down a lot of the groundwork needed for her project in just one meeting. Another night or two, and she was certain she could ‘encourage’ her shy friend to do most of the work herself.

Rainbow had offered to give her friend a ride home, hoping for another tactical opportunity to flirt, but Fluttershy had insisted she had something already arranged. They agreed to meet again the next night.

Surprisingly, the tomboy found she was somewhat relieved.

She hated this plan. She especially loathed the possibility of making Shy cry. But when she thought of her father turning his back on her… He was the only family she had left.

Rainbow Dash had no idea where her mother was. Windy Whistles had been out of the picture for years. And though she knew she had extended family, including an uncle on her dad’s side, Rainbow and Blaze were fairly isolated from relatives. They were all each other had.

Dad’s the only real family left. If I screw up this plan...

The tomboy tried to console herself with the fact that she’d make it up to Fluttershy. Somehow. Besides, it wasn’t as if Fluttershy wasn’t going to get something out of this, right? After all, judging by her friend’s reaction when she’d touched her, the shy girl had gotten a real kick out of this newfound treatment.

As this thought took hold, the athlete couldn’t help but prance a little on her way to her dorm room.

I wonder if Fluttershy’s ever gotten this kind of attention from someone as unbearably awesome as me?

She snickered a bit as she opened her door.

What am I saying? Of course not!

Inside the room, Sunset Shimmer was sitting on her bed with her laptop in front of her, completely absorbed in her work. She was barefoot and dressed in her pajamas, a lock of hair being chewed absently in her mouth.

As soon as Rainbow shut the door, Sunset jumped and spat the hair out.

“Uh, h-hey roomie!” she greeted as she hastily smoothed back the wet lock with a grimace. “What’s up?”

She paused as she took in her friend’s upbeat attitude with greater attention.

“Oh! Is something actually up? I haven’t seen you that smug since Everfree beat Arimaspi in the soccer championships last year!”

Rainbow Dash smirked and laid back on her bed. “Oh, nothing.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow and set aside her laptop. “Dashie is being coy? Now I have to know.”

“Welllll…”

“Come on, spill! I’ve been burning out on quantum mechanics and could seriously do with a distraction.”

At her roommate’s mischievous grin, Sunset whined and clasped her hands together. “Puh-leeeease?”

Rainbow Dash’s grin turned a little more reluctant.

Wait. She’s expecting it to be some new girlfriend or something. Crap.

The others were aware of Rainbow’s preference—had been since senior year of high school.

She’d had to stop Pinkie Pie from throwing her a coming-out party. Fluttershy had stammered something polite and encouraging, but the news seemed to alarm her—little wonder as to why, now.

Now that I think about it, maybe that’s when she started to…?

Rarity had gushed about how she ‘loved the gays’, and she was quite certain that no matter what shape Rainbow Dash’s identity took—femme, butch, etc.—she could come up with, “Simply the best outfit, darling! Just...please. Please, please, please no plaid! I’m not sorry to say it has fallen out of style again. Hopefully for good this time!”

Twilight Sparkle had started talking about checking out books on being a ‘good LGBT ally’, and floated maybe even attending a lecture course or two. “Oh don’t look so mortified! I just want to understand!” she huffed at a groaning Rainbow.

Applejack had shrugged and said, “What? That’s supposed to be news to us, sugarcube? Please! I had ya pegged freshman year of high school.”

Sunset Shimmer, because she rocked, had the least complicated reaction of them all. She just smiled, put a hand on Rainbow’s shoulder, and said, “It’s brave to come out, Dashie. You should know though, it doesn’t change a thing between us.”

It was one of the main reasons Rainbow had sought to be Sunset’s roommate. She took many things in stride without much fuss, simplifying matters that made the athlete feel uncomfortable. Sun was also as athletic as she was smart, and she wasn’t afraid to stick up for her friends.

Rainbow knew that her roommate had grown a lot since high school. That old-soul persona sometimes made her a sound source of advice, but Rainbow Dash mostly just thought it complimented her own aura of coolness. Still… it was nice to confide in her friend sometimes.

So with a breath, Rainbow sat up and said, “It’s not what you think.”

Sunset Shimmer raised an eyebrow, her look turning more serious to reflect her roommate’s. “Oh?”

“Yeah, it’s not… Look, I’m not seeing someone new. Actually, today could’ve ended up really, really bad. But then Fluttershy helped me out big time.”

“What did she do?”

“It’s what she’s going to keep doing.” Rainbow swallowed and suddenly became interested in picking lint off her jeans. “Y’know how I’ve been bailing on my Psych classes?”

“Yes?”

“Um.” Rainbow Dash chewed her lip for a moment before muttering, “I’m kind of at risk of getting kicked from the class.”

She snuck a glance at her roommate. Sunset Shimmer’s eyes were wide.

“Woah,” Sunset breathed. “That’s… Man, Rainbow. I dunno what to say!”

Rainbow flinched and held up a hand to stave off anymore remarks.

“I know, I know. But see, that’s where Fluttershy comes in. Dr. Axon is giving me one last chance. I have a big project due at the end of the month, and Fluttershy is going to do—er, I mean—” She coughed and said, “Fluttershy is going to help.”

One look at Sunset told her she hadn’t missed the slip. Her roommate crossed her arms and her eyes took on a sharp edge.

“Rainbow…”

“I haven’t been hanging out with Fluttershy lately,” Rainbow Dash said hurriedly, “So I thought maybe I could make it up to her by spending time with her—”

“Spending time with her as a friend, or just leveraging her crush on you to get her to do all the work?”

Rainbow Dash flinched and looked away, ashamed to even make eye contact.

Sunset groaned. “Rainbow Dash, you’ve got to be kidding!”

The athlete scowled and laid back against the bed, her arms crossing on her chest. “As if it isn’t fun for her!”

“I know you’ve known that Fluttershy has had feelings for you. We all have. I just can’t understand why you’d think this is an acceptable thing to do to her! She’s your friend!”

“I haven’t made her do anything crazy yet! I’m working right there alongside her!”

“Yeah, but until what point? When you have her wrapped around your little finger?”

Rainbow rolled to face the wall. “It’s not like that. You didn’t see us in that library.”

“And what happened in the library that could possibly justify any of this?” Sunset asked heatedly. Judging from the location of her voice, her roommate had stood from her bed and was now standing next to Rainbow’s.

Rainbow Dash bit her lip and shrugged, her eyes going foggy as she thought about the sweet scent of Fluttershy’s hair, and her brief flash of desire when Rainbow had touched her.

“It felt…good. That’s all,” was her guarded response.

“Good?”

“Yeah.”

She heard Sunset sigh and kneel down next to her bed. Reluctantly, Rainbow rolled onto her back to look at her roommate. This had been the most the two had talked in months, and she wasn’t too pleased that it was turning into ‘Sunset plays counselor’ time.

But she couldn’t deny her friend, especially when she knew on a deeper level that what was being said was true. This plan was going to blow up in her face. The problem Rainbow felt was that she didn’t feel like she had any other options.

She doesn’t understand. I can’t let my dad down. He could lose everything because of me.

“Rainbow,” Sunset began with strain evident in her voice.

She stopped and took another breath. More gently, she said, “Rainbow Dash, I know that you’ve always been…dodgy about relationships. I get it. You’re busy, and emotions make you uncomfortable.”

Sunset pressed an emphatic finger down into the mattress with every carefully spoken word, “But if you think you might feel something there between you and Fluttershy—”

Rainbow opened her mouth to shoot this down, but Sunset held up a hand and said more quickly, “Or not! Regardless, you need to stop this before you nuke your friendship.”

Sunset frowned, her eyes searching Rainbow’s face. In response, Rainbow tried to make her expression as inscrutable as possible.

Her roommate screwed her mouth up at the lack of input from her tomboyish friend.

The annoyance crept back into Sunset’s voice, “The single worst thing you can do is underestimate Fluttershy. She is really smart, and out of all of us, she’s one of the best at reading people. Don’t think for a second you’ll be able to fool her into doing what you want.”

Pausing for a moment, she added dryly, “I mean no offense, but you aren’t exactly the master of mind games.”

“Then you tell me what I’m supposed to do!” Rainbow snapped. The frustration was building up inside of her, and she just couldn’t contain it. And right now, Sunset was an easy target.

“I can’t let down my dad, but I don’t want to hurt Fluttershy either, so where is the right answer in all of this?”

“I can’t tell you what to do, Rainbow Dash. It has to come from—” Sunset broke off, her eyes fluttering. “Hold on, did you say your dad?”

Rainbow Dash tensed and rolled away from her again. “Never mind.”

“No way. What did Blaze do now?”

Rainbow shot upright and glared. If there was one thing she couldn’t stand from anyone, even Sunset, it was criticism against her father.

“Watch it, Sunset. My dad may be tough, but he was the one who stuck around when my mom bailed like a loser! I’m a champion thanks to him!”

Sunset looked at her with pity. “Man… There are so many things wrong with that, I don’t even know where to begin.”

Rainbow’s lip curled. “Easy. Don’t say a word. We were talking about my project. I didn’t ask you to judge my family.”

“No. We were actually talking about what you’re trying to do to Fluttershy—”

“I’m not going to hurt her!”

“You can’t promise that!”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and reclined on the bed again. “Whatever, Sunset. It’s happening.”

Her roommate’s expression hardened. “And if I told her?”

She looked at her with a humorless smirk. “I thought you were trying to ‘save’ our friendship? Doing that would just end it.”

Sunset stared down at her, the revulsion evident on her face. “You’re more like Blaze than I thought.”

Rainbow Dash felt a tension creep into her throat as she fought the urge to recoil from that stinging comment.

It shouldn’t sting. It shouldn’t. Being like Blaze wasn’t an insult… Was it?

“I won’t hurt her, Sunset,” Rainbow murmured. She stared up at the ceiling.

Sunset released a heavy sigh. “I believe that you mean that. But the reality is that you will hurt her if you go through with this.”

From Rainbow’s peripheral vision, she could see her roommate run a hand through her hair.

“I won’t say anything to Shy, Rainbow… But that’s only because if I intervene, you’ll have lost your chance to save your friendship. I still believe you can make the right decision.”

Sunset Shimmer returned to her side of the room. “But,” she continued ominously. “If I catch wind that she’s doing all the work, you’re going to wish I’d never found out.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t move from where she was, her mind trying and failing to focus on a single thought. So many things were running through her head at once—old memories, imagined fears, and foggy desires—that she got lost in the sea.

Before she knew it, Sunset Shimmer had turned out the light, casting the room into darkness.

Rainbow didn’t bother to change her clothes or even get under the covers. She just laid there, staring, wondering how much she really hated herself, and why.

Next Chapter: Chapter 6 (2020 3rd Draft Edit) Estimated time remaining: 14 Hours, 38 Minutes