After nearly half an hour of stalling you finally get through your morning routine. Luckily you had a spare toothbrush on hand for Dash to use, it’d taken you two thorough brushings to get the smell of your partner’s morning breath out of your mouth.

The weather outside was nice as usual, and Dash trotted along in front of you leading the way to the establishment of her choice with a perk in her step. Your position in tow afforded you the privilege of observation. The bustle of Ponyville went unnoticed as your eyes follow Rainbow’s tail through the crowd. The world around you was filled with a myriad of colors, but hers were the only ones that stood out. It was possible your feelings were augmenting your perception of reality, but her mane and coat somehow seemed more vibrant than everything else…she’s like a fresh oil painting in a world of water colors. Each tone in her spectrum was distinct, but they didn’t clash, they complemented each other. She really is quite beautiful.

You walk into a building behind her and quickly get seated at a large family booth in the corner. You had recently been made aware of another luxury that you’d been overlooking. Mares can have attractive lines too. It didn’t come to you in a single moment of Nirvana, but instead it was the result of a gradual shift in thinking. In the absence of human interaction evolution had restructured your perspective, not only could you distinguish minute differences between the equine’s remarkably similar traits, but you could appreciate them as any stallion could. Your…interactions with Dash only seemed to propel you faster up the learning curve. Even as you sat across from her now you noticed things you never noticed before. Her ears are perkier than most, her chin’s got a very feminine curve to it, and her muzzle’s slender and really…kissab—

”Whatcha gettin?” Her eyes meet yours but it doesn’t stop your inner monologue. She looks a bit surprised to see a blush on your face, but she doesn’t mention it.

“Oh…um…” you look down at the table and realize there’s a menu in front of you, “…where are we at?”

She shoots you an unimpressed look, ”You mean you didn’t see ‘Haypatty Paradise’ in big red letters when we walked in?”

“I was…preoccupied.”

”Well you don’t need to know the name of a place to eat its food.”

“No you don’t, I guess I’ll…take a look.” You pop the menu up and try to steal another peek at your date over the top of the laminate card. She catches you and your eyes revert to the menu.

“It’s upside down ya dork.”

You clear your throat and rotate the menu one-eighty while the mare across from you chuckles, “Heheh, see anything ya like?”

You swallow a lump in your throat, you’d never needed to be smooth with your compliments before, “Y-yeah…everything.”

She looks confused, “Even that boiled spinach junk?”

What is she talking about? It takes a moment to find the disconnect, “No! Um…not that.” Maybe you need to be more overt.

“Okay…just making sure because it tastes worse than it smells.”

At least she didn’t notice, “Have you ever tried it or did you just decide you didn’t like it by looking at it.”

“When I was a filly my parents always tried to feed it to me but I would just drop it through the cloud floor when they weren’t looking.” She chuckles a bit at the memory, “Until this uhh…this farmer sent us a letter asking us to stop feeding his pigs because they were getting sick.”

“Really?”

She snickers mischievously, her face full of mirth, “Heh yeah. The wind currents up there would carry it like a mile over into this guy’s pigpen. My parents tried to ground me but-heh, they decided not to once they realized if it made pigs sick it probably wasn’t any good to begin with!”

“Hahaha! That’s great! I wish my house was in the clouds, would’ve made it easier to sneak the asparagus off my plate.”

Your conversation develops smoothly once you both forget you’re supposed to be on a date. The mild intimidation you experienced from being out with a beautiful mare disappeared completely once you realized this was no different from how you used to hang out.

”Hello Rainbow, Anon! Fancy seeing you two here!” You spin around and see Applejack and Rarity walking up behind you.

”O-oh! Hey guys! Haha, didn’t think you’d be here!” And there goes your privacy.

”Oh of course darling! Today is the tenth anniversary of our weekly spa day and we thought it a marvelous idea to stop by for a bite to eat.”

”You got that right Rarity! Ah never thought I’d take a likin’ to them pretty-fyin places, but ah just feel so refreshed after the spa, ah can’t wait for it errey week!”

Dash makes no effort to contribute to the conversation, so you take up the slack for her, “That’s great you two! It’s good that you found something you both enjoy.”

”I see you and Rainbow seem to take that maxim to heart.”

From what Dash had said at the lake she wanted to keep your relationship between the two of you for now. On second thought that’s not a bad idea. She’s a Wonderbolt with a public image to maintain, who knows what would happen if people found out she was dating an alien.

“Yeah, we always enjoy hanging out.” You catch Applejack’s eye and remember your encounter the other day in the corner store. You really hope she doesn’t bring up the wing thing.

”Oh how nice! We rarely see Rainbow with company, especially when the weather is great for flying like it is today…right Rainbow?”

”O-oh y-yeah! You know me haha! I just looove practicing. Especially cuz I’m a Wonderbolt now! It’s just practice practice practice! Haha!” She would sound more convincing if she wasn’t trying to fake the laugh.

Applejack catches onto her nervous behavior, ”Riaght…soo…whatcha doin’ here anon? Ah mean, no offense or nothin’ but you ain’t exactly the hayburger eating’ type.”

Only a fool would think gossip wouldn’t spread amongst girlfriends like wildfire, chances are she’d filled Rarity in about the details from your earlier conversation. You just need to limit the information you give them, “Well I don’t really like hay, but—”

”—Hey! Just cuz he’s an ahmivore doesn’t mean he’s an animal!” You resist the knee-jerk urge to correct her pronunciation, and instead notice that she was practically on the edge of her seat, where’d that sudden anger come from?

”Slow down there partner! Ah never said he was. Ah’m just sayin’ I didn’t think he’d like this place is all.”

”Well he does! It’s got peanut butter and cranberry jam sandwiches and they’re his favorite!”

It does? Nice!

Applejack takes a step back with a confused look on her face—at a total loss for words, ”Well Rainbow! There’s no need to get upset, dear Applejack was merely asking a question.”

Dash finally catches herself, ”Sorry AJ, I just…uh…”

“…She’s been under a lot of stress since joining the Wonderbolts. She’s just too prideful to let anyone know, isn’t that right Dash…” You make eye contact and she picks up the story.

”Oh dear, Rainbow why haven’t you told us? You know we’ll do anything to help.”

”Shucks ah’m sorry. I didn’t know you were avin’ that hard uva time.”

”Heheh, it’s ok guys, just the price I pay for being one of the best. I’ll get used to it.”

Underneath her obvious Dash-ism was a shaky tone; remnant adrenaline from her previous outburst. She sounded really…defensive.

”I’m sure you will darling. You two won’t mind if we join you…seeing as you have the whole corner to yourselves?”

Dash shuffles a bit, ”Well, it was kinda supposed to be—”

”—Yeehaw the day’s gettin’ better by tha minute! It’s been forever since we got to hang out!”

”Um…about that…” Dash looks at you pensively; you can tell she’s asking for your approval before she invites her friends. You wink at her inconspicuously and she visibly relaxes, ”…Yeah, we’ve got room for two more.” Dash scoots over to sit next to you and ruffles her wing against your side. You glance over but she doesn’t make eye contact.

”So has Flutters told ya about Zephyr yet?”

Wait what. You snap out of your trance as Dash anxiously answers her, ”N-no, what happened?”

Your adrenaline was beginning to flow a bit. Of course, you hadn’t thought about it at the time, but there were laws that prevented assault and battery…even if they deserved every last bit of it. If Green guy chose to contact the police, your story would likely be insufficient to justify your actions. The more irrational part of you starts looking for escape routes.

”He was flyin around the park helpin’ Fluttershy with some errands and he flew right inta the side of a tree! The crazy feller broke his nose!”

Rarity shakes her head slowly while looking out the window.

Dash lets out a snort before breaking down into full-blown laughter—entirely out of relief. You can tell she’d been thinking the same thing you were. Relief washes over you as well and you let a smile creep to your face. Applejack joins in with Dash and Rarity’s normal composed facade cracked a smirk before she dabbed her napkin to her mascara laden cheeks in an attempt to hide it.

”A tree? Really?” Dash chokes, disbelievingly.

”That’s what he told Fluttershy apparently.”

Your thoughts masked any amusement at the situation. Hopefully this meant he finally got the message and just wanted to put everything behind him and move on. But despite your sudden stroke of luck, you can’t help but feel a bit guilty. The fight was starting to seem less and less necessary in hindsight. But what he was doing was pretty unnecessary too, that justified it right?

Rarity finally chimes in after a spell of silence, ”I must say it doesn’t surprise me, he was always an odd one.”

Dash chuckles and looks over to you, her eyes relay even more relief than yours, ”Speaking of which, Rainbow darling you do remember the time he tried courting you?”

Yeah, like it was yesterday. ”Heh, yeah, I almost felt bad for him.”

”Ahn why’s that?” Applejack asks curiously.

Dash’s smirk explodes into a toothy grin, ”Cuz I’m only into stallions.”

This time the whole table cracks up laughing, yourself included. The two mares sitting across from you didn’t realize that her comment makes you feel like you grew a foot taller. Even if it was more of a statement than a compliment, you couldn’t help but feel more attached to her because of it. Normally she was the one constantly getting her ego boosted by others, it was a rare occasion when she did the same for someone else. Her hoof intentionally bumps your leg under the table as the laughter dies down. You channel your reaction into reaching down and straightening out your silverware.

Your tedious habit doesn’t go unnoticed, ”Ya been awfully quiet 'oer there Anon.” Applejack's southern drawl forces you to look up at two inquisitive pairs of eyes.

Shit she’s onto you, “Sorry, just been doing a lot of thinking is all.”

”What about?”

You stare Applejack down, as innocent as her intentions are, you were not about to let your favorite pegasus get embarrassed by letting anything slip about your relationship, or the fight, “The toaster I have to build for the government.”

”Toaster? I assume this is a device that makes toast?” Rarity’s tone sounded more amused than inquisitive.

”Ah always just toss ‘em on hot a pan with some butter, don’t see why tha government’d want a fancy contraption to do it for ‘em.”

Well if that’s how she wants to play…“Sure, but you can’t cook four pieces in thirty seconds that way, and besides, the efficiency factor for electric heat transfer is much higher than the stats for natural gas so the process is much more effective from every standpoint…including safety.”

No one at the table looks too terribly impressed, ”Uh huh, so how does this do-hicky work exactly?”

“It just runs electricity through a circuit that modulates its voltage and amperage, then the electricity travels through thin strips of resistant metal—heating them up and cooking your toast. After an adjustable period of time, a thermocouple triggers the circuit to close and pop out the finished toast.”

The mares sitting across from you raise their brows at your explanation—Dash rolls her eyes; after an awkward silence Rarity pipes up in an altruistic attempt to salvage your dignity, “Well I surely would’ve never thought of such a marvel.”

“Thanks but it wasn’t my idea to begin with. I’m just copying someone else.”

”Either way I would say you’re very well educated.” Rarity offers.

Dash speaks up next to you, ”Yeah like that time you were talking to Twi about the pet that can read minds.”

What the hell? “Oh, you mean the PET scan?”

”Uhh…yeah that one. What’s it again?”

Even Applejack leans in over the table, clearly interested in your tale of otherworldly technology. Anything to keep her off the topic of you and Dash, “It stands for Positron Emission Tomography, it basically reads the little flashes of light that occur when anti particles called positrons annihilate with matter in your bloodstream. You can get a pretty good picture of active areas of the brain by seeing where most of the blood flow is, or where the majority of annihilations occur."

”Ahn anti what now?”

”It sounds a bit perilous, annihilating ponies heads with particles?”

The conversation continues for the next few minutes as you ended up giving a brief overview of classical physics to the best of your knowledge. Like most, they preferred the application to the theory and were more than once impressed by your recollections of space travel and the like. You’d subverted Applejack’s inevitable relationship prying and even your undercover partner seemed to be enjoying herself. Not too bad for a first date.

A smallish unicorn mare finally swings by to take your drinks, halting the conversation, ”I apologize for the wait, what will you have to drink today?”

You notice something off about her when she glances coldly at you with pursed lips. Much to your amusement, she continues her sly glances as she takes everyone’s order. Unbeknownst to you, your blue companion is onto her behavior as well.

When it's your turn, she skips you and goes to Applejack, “Hey there, ah think ya skipped Anon over here.”

”Oh…what does it want to—“

—*ping!

Before she can finish her slur a fork launches across the table and bounces off her forehead—the silver streak of tumbling metal surprising every witness with its velocity. Like a coiled snake Dash springs up with her fore hooves on the table, her wings threateningly half-flared. Her herbivorous teeth were bared in a snarl and it looked like she was trying to set the waitress on fire with her glare.

Applejack is the first to react, ”Rainbow! What’re ya doin!” You reach over and grab her shoulders in an attempt to keep her from advancing any farther.

”He’s got a name you know!” She growls.

Rarity uses her magic to hold her back by the tail. It doesn’t fare well against the athlete’s strength, ”Rainbow, darling stop! Calm down!”

Dash points a hoof menacingly at the cowering form of the waitress, ”Apologize to him!” Everyone in the restaurant is looking at your table now.

“Dash!” She snaps her head to you in an instant, the death glare in her eyes replaced with a concerned one, “It’s okay, calm down.” You say in a quiet voice. It looks like someone’s twisting her insides with a red-hot poker.

”No it’s not. You deserve better than this...” The care expressed in her voice almost makes you choke up.

“I know but she got the message.” She looks into your eyes to see if you had any reservations, a very real, but subdued anger present in her own. At that moment you knew that if you’d given the word, she would’ve probably tore the waitress's head off. But the last thing you want is your favorite pony getting charged with murder, “I’m not upset, it’s over.”

You feel her tense withers relax under your touch as she slumps back down into her seat—reluctantly accepting your decision. You’re too concerned about Dash to notice her friends are staring at you with shocked expressions; you’d just tamed a wild lion as far as they were concerned.

The waitress scrambles to her hooves and grabs her notepad and pen, mumbling an apology before turning tail. A blue aura surrounds her and holds her in place, ”Waitress dear, I forget your name, if you’ll do us the favor of sending another to attend to us we won’t speak with your manager about your uncouth behavior towards customers.” The wide-eyed waitress nods furiously, eyes still full of fear before Rarity releases her and she skitters off around the corner.

The other customers—disappointed that it didn’t devolve into a full-blown hoof fight—return to their usual banter and background noise returns.

Dash turns to Rarity, ”You’re just going to let her, that…arrrgh! Just let her off like that!”

“Dash if Rarity didn’t cut the deal she did, there’s a chance we could get in trouble.” The last thing you wanted was to come between her and her friends. You’d apologize, but that would only exacerbate the situation.

”He’s right ya know.” Applejack adds.

You could tell Rarity was a bit miffed. She tucks a lock of hair away, ”Rainbow, I understand your frustration and I think it’s noble of you to defend Anon, but that type of behavior is entirely uncalled for!”

”Have you seen how some of the ponies in this town treat him! And you call that uncalled for!” She did have a point, some ponies did discriminate against you, but only the more old fashioned ones. Luckily there weren’t many of those around. That being said, Rarity also had a point, Dash has an image to maintain and you’ll be dammed if you’re the reason she ruined it.

”All Rarity’s tryin ta say is you’re goin about it the wrong way.”

The atmosphere was full of tension, and you were in the eye of the storm. You hated taking sides, but you had to. For her sake, “Dash listen…” Again, her fiery attitude changes and she drops her head a bit, knowing exactly what you were going to say, “…I appreciate what you did for me, I really do. But…you’re a Wonderbolt now, you have a reputation, a standard of behavior to uphold. Whether you agree or not, I don’t want to be the reason you get suspended or fired from your dream job. Quite frankly it's not worth it.” She looks at you with concern and compassion in her eyes, disagreement on the tip of her tongue, “It’s happened before and it’ll happen again, it’s just something I have to live with.”

Her eyes drop from yours and she audibly gulps, swallowing any arguments she still had. You just shot down your mare friend for defending you and your stomach felt like it was full of cement. You really wish there was another way to go about this. You realize her stubbornness wouldn’t have permitted it, but it doesn’t bring you any consolation.

”Yeah I guess…” She nudges your shoulder, ”…but don’t expect me to let them get away with it.” Her compassionate eyes lock on yours and she smiles weakly.

If only you could wrap her up and kiss her to show her how much you appreciate her. But the look Rarity was giving you already told you she caught on to more than you’d intended. Applejack was just staring at Dash like a disappointed sibling.

Hoof steps sound beside you. You look over to spot a chipper young earth stallion with a prepubescent mustache, ”I’m sorry for the inconvenience, what would every pony like to drink today!”

Eventually conversation returns to normal and you enjoy your cranberry jam sandwich in peace. Dash stayed mostly quiet and you did your best to pull her into conversation, you also cracked a few jokes that got a laugh out of her. You figured it was the best case scenario considering the circumstances. Upon departure, Dash remembered her promise and signed the check for both of you, Applejack and Rarity paid separately. You said your farewells and went your separate ways. The victory of not tipping anyone off to your relationship seemed trivial in light of the altercation, but Dash didn’t have to face the embarrassment of admitting it in public so you considered yourself successful.

Dash had a few days until her next Wonderbolt performance, she’d mastered her wingtip turn, but she still had to practice her timing with the rest of the team. She hadn’t said anything this morning, but chances were she would have to leave sooner rather than later. You contemplated asking her, but she seemed to prefer the silence as she followed you back to the apartment. You open the door and you shut it behind her, kicking your shoes into the corner. You turn around just in time for Dash’s fore hooves to land on your shoulders and pin you against the wall.

Suddenly you found yourself eye to eye with the pegasus as she stands up on her hind legs…what has gotten into her today? “Uhh…hello?”

Her intense magenta gaze locks on your face and carries an authority that tells you not to look away. Fuzzy ears act like a second pair of eyes and plain breaths leave her nose in succinct bursts, slapping your face and keeping your attention. She doesn’t respond for a moment and you try to comprehend her distraught features.

”I don’t ever wanna hear that again.”

The seriousness of her tone strikes a chord in you, but you’re still at a loss, “Hear what again?”

”That you’re not worth it!”

“Oh, Dash I’m just looking out—”

”—Because you are!” She cuts you off mid-sentence; clearly she had something to say and was intent on saying it. Her confidence wavers a bit as she blinks a few times and moves her fore hooves up your shoulders—her soft frogs resting above your joints, ”And just because I'm a Wonderbolt doesn't mean I have to let ponies hurt you.” She finishes with a tone of finality, her eyes on yours, she meant every word of what she’d said. That scene with the waitress really upset her more than you thought.

You suddenly find it difficult to breathe as your throat chokes up. The things she was saying and the way she said them conjured up feelings that you’d never known before. Deep feelings. Good feelings. You swallow and nod, giving her the satisfaction of knowing she got her point across.

Her remaining confidence leaves her and floods to her cheeks in the form of a blush. Her slender pink tongue darts out to lick her lips and her ears fold against her nape, warning you of her intentions. Humid air wets your face as her parted maw draws closer to yours. You lean forward a bit and bring your hands to her shoulders, ready to receive her affection. The sight of her leaning in for a kiss starts your heart racing and your confused brain races to release endorphins in your sobered state. Seconds feel like minutes as you visualize her nearing muzzle behind closed eyes.

Eventually, short, wet fur finds your upper lip and she adjusts to massage it. She sucks in slightly to pull your lip comfortably between hers where the additional saliva made the massage a much smoother process. Eager to reciprocate, you mirror her actions with her bottom lip and pull her more into you. The connection you shared was worth a thousand words, and not just words but things you couldn’t describe with words. Emotions. The caressing quickly synced your intentions and communicated affection faster than you could confess out loud.

The light fur on her lips was the second most alien thing about the kiss next to the narrow muzzle. As you deepen the kiss, the soft short fibers tickle the inside of your lip, making you giggle silently against her. You didn’t even know you could be ticklish there. She snorts lightly in response to your laughter, a smile forming against your mouth. Her muzzle pulls off you with a pop, leaving a semicircle all the way to the base of your nose a bit red and glistening. She hides her blush by nuzzling your jawline, the smile still evident in the form of her tense cheek.

She pulls back until your noses are touching. You hold the position for a while, minds on each other’s tastes and smells, your arms keep her stable on her hind legs while you share air. Tendrils of lethargy tug on your eyelids and numb your senses; realizing this was no place to fall asleep, you force your eyes back open. Something about the combination of her taste and smell and touch just knocks you out like a pound of sleeping pills.

Finally realizing her blushing wasn’t going to recede you give her another peck, refreshing her grin. How is such a simple action so satisfying? “Just be careful alright. Between my park brawl and your restaurant fight we just might become the next Bonnie and Clyde.”

She quirks an eyebrow, ”The next what?”

“Uh, sorry…they were a famous outlaw couple from where I came from.”

”Heh, that might be fun.”

“No Dash, no it would not.” She only grins wider, “But for the record that was a pretty good throw, I never saw it coming and I was sitting right next to you.”

She chuckles, warming your face with her hot breath, ”What can I say…I’m—”

“—awesome.” You finish for her. You didn’t really have much relationship experience, so you measured your success by how many cheesy one-liners and compliments you could come up with. So far she seems to appreciate it.

She cranes her neck and stretches on one hind leg to bring her muzzle back to your mouth, the other leg kicks fruitlessly as you pull her up against you. Her tongue precludes the kiss and you find yourself tangling with something you were much less familiar with. She wasn’t trying to use it in any manner you expected, instead she simply licks at your mouth. The implications of the uniquely pegasus gesture aren’t lost on you. It was more than a display of simple affection, it showed commitment and loyalty…it showed love.

You didn’t have a manual on this stuff, and your previous misunderstandings were proof that Twilight’s recommended reading was lacking in necessary detail, so you figure your best bet is to mirror your partner. Your tongue leaves its home to return the message and Dash pauses to receive it. She lets out a shaky breath and her shoulders shiver in anticipation. Intimate contact with her pointed muzzle quells any irrational fears she may have had about you not reciprocating her feelings. She holds still and lets you lick her fuzzy lips, submitting entirely to your gestures. The intimacy of the activity finally sinks in and you’re suddenly struggling to balance on weak knees. Her milky flavor, spicy scent, and wet maw swirl into a dopamine-rich haze of joy that commands all of your senses and inflates your chest with butterflies.

Dash finally pulls away and after a brief struggle, manages to focus on you. Her ardent gaze told you your suspicions were right about her intentions. If there had been any lingering doubt there wasn’t any longer; this brash mare was much more than a friend. You’d somehow managed to pass all her tests, infiltrate all her defenses, and now you found yourself privy to her raw feelings—feelings she’d never had for anyone else. Her gaze falters and she tucks her muzzle as her self-consciousness finally catches up to her. She’s going to give you a heart attack someday from that cuteness.

“Y-You d-don’t think that w-was too ss-sappy…do you?” Her scratchy voice stammers.

You pull her into a tight hug, lifting her a few inches off her hind hooves. She sheepishly tolerates it, “Of course not Dash.”

You let her go and she falls back to her hooves, red as a beet, “I just…uh, I-I’m not usually l-like that.”

The poor mare sounds like she’s about to get scolded, “Everyone’s got their own way of showing their feelings, there’s nothing wrong with that.” You wanted to punctuate it with another kiss, but it seemed like she needed space to work out whatever it was she was battling.

She looks at you with fire in her eyes, and on her cheeks…and spreading down her muzzle. She’s definitely not used to opening up like that. For that matter, neither are you. Her ears flicker and she shifts weight on her hooves, “S-so it’s okay if I’m…I’m not c-cool all the time?”

Where the heck did that come from? Better nip that at the bud, “Hey, listen.” Your tone commands her attention. “I don’t know what’s bothering you, but I can tell you this. Nothing you ever do will tarnish your reputation as far as I’m concerned. You’re even more awesome-er underneath that still pretty awesome exterior…“

You poke her chest, “…and it makes me feel very special that you’ve chosen to share that with me.”

You begin to contemplate how many more degrees she’s got to climb before the sweat on her nose tip boils off, but you get interrupted by her squeezing your chest, “Ooof! Hey take it easy, I’m supposed to last eighty years you know.” You joke as your arms move to encompass her nimble frame.

“You better…” She mumbles into your shirt.

Is she crying? “Hey, don’t cry…”

She shudders silently against you before sniffling. A knot forms in your chest. It actually physically hurts to see her like this. “I’m n-not crying i-idiot…” Yeah, you definitely are, “I’m just…*sniff …n-no pony’s ev-ver said that before, and I’m happy you s-said it.”

“Hey, I’m happy too…it’s good to talk about things like this, to get them off your chest.”

“Yeah…*sniff”

You hold onto each other for as long as it takes Dash to find her composure. She finally unburies herself from your chest—leaving two small wet spots on your shirt. You cup her hot, furry cheeks and plant a kiss on the crown of her head. “I better not hear any more of this ‘how sappy's too sappy’ nonsense Ms. Dash.” She wipes her nose and nods with a broken smirk, “Now, I think it’s high time we finish that book we started a few weeks ago.”

She looks up at you with a bit of confusion, sloppy emotions still present in her eyes, ”You have it here?”

“Yeah, remember. You made me read the whole damn thing aloud.”

She brings a fore hoof to her mouth and chuckles lightly at your annoyance, ”Heh, oh yeah, I remember now. You weren’t very good at it either.” Good to see her back to normal. You move to the kitchen to grab a bag of chocolates to snack on.

“Well of course I’m going to stutter when you keep poking me in the side with your feathers.”

”Hey I only poked you after you stuttered! It was to train you not to do it again.” Just like Pavlov’s dog. How touching.

You pick up the humor in her voice but play along anyways, “Oh of course! Because everyone reads better when they know they’re one mistake away from being tickled.”

”Hahaha! Come on! You can’t say it wasn’t fun!”

You make your way over and plop down on the couch next to her, her book already in her hooves, “Fun for you maybe. But I’m not gonna let you get away with it a second time.”

She smirks and slides over next to you, passing off the book, ”Like you’re gonna stop me!”

“More like I’m just going to stop reading.”

”Aww…party pooper. Fine then no feather jabbing.”

“I’m taking your word for it.” You open up to the bookmark and quickly find where you stopped reading last. Dash lays across the couch, resting her head on your leg, her fore hooves tucked and her muzzle pointed straight up. Her multicolored hair pours across your lap, spilling between your legs like a trippy waterfall. You scratch the scruff of her chest before plopping a chocolate into your mouth. Magenta eyes follow your movements as you gulp it down.

You fumble with the book on your knees and hold it with one hand, the other returns to Dash’s chest. Eyes study the words on the page and you begin reading, still a bit self-conscious of any stuttering. As you pick up a rhythm you’re hit with a wave of nostalgia. One of the first things you did together when you and Dash became friends was read a Daring Doo book. Back then there were only three books on the market…now you were working on the fifth. And back then your couch sat under the window. A few sunburns from afternoon naps fixed that problem.

You reach down and grab another chocolate at random. It’s funny how times change, the last time you opened this book you would’ve laughed at the thought of giving your best friend a wing job. You flip the page and reach for another chocolate. The second it clears the bag Dash comes to life next to you, ”Wait! Those are my favorite!”

You glance at the chocolate then look down at her wide eyes with passive interest, “Your point?”

”My point is you need to give it to me!”

You smile inwardly, time to teach her some manners, “So you’re saying that because this…” You glance at the chocolate again and so does she.

”—Milk Chocolate Bite.” She finishes impatiently.

“…is your favorite…” She nods enthusiastically, “…that means I should give it to you?”

”Yeah. And all the other ones in the bag.” Wow she’s not kidding, she must really like these. She hungrily eyes the chocolate that’s slowly starting to melt against your fingers.

“Well too bad cuz they’re my favorite too.” You plop it in your mouth and exaggerate the pleasure of its flavor with a few moans. The smile on her face comedically morphs into a frown in a matter of seconds, “Mmmm, this is really good, I see why you like them so much.”

She scrambles to her hooves, her features alert. You hide your grin by licking your fingers and patting your belly for emphasis, ”Y-you…that was mine!”

You look over into her fiery eyes, luckily you saw nothing like what you saw at lunch, just mild annoyance, ”You hear me? You ate my chocolate!” Okay maybe severe annoyance.

“I don’t see what makes it yours? I bought the whole bag you know.”

“You had two already! It was my turn!” You struggle to keep from snuggling her lest you get a hoof to the jaw. She’s so damn cute when she’s angry!

“Well considering you eat everything else I have I think it’s only fair I get a whole bag of chocolates to myself.” She’s too flustered to pick up on the fact that you’re joking.

”Nice try but you have to share! It’s a…rule.”

“When I read through the Ponyville city code I never came across anything that said I have to share.”

”It's a federal rule doofus!”

Ok that was unexpected, a really good comeback, but unexpected, “Uhh…” You struggle to come up with a defense. The scary thing is, considering they have princesses of love and friendship, a rule about sharing doesn’t sound that unrealistic, “…I don’t know anything about any rules, but if you want one…you’re going to have to come and get it.”

You look into the chocolate bag: there’s one sitting right on top. You look back at your nemesis. Her eyes narrow on you and she crouches, letting out a threatening puff of air from her nose. Gone was the desire to snuggle her and rub her belly.

You could just hand over the bag and this would be over in an instant. But then you wouldn’t have any battle scars to tell your grandchildren about. What the hell. You shoot your hand in the bag—clutching the milk chocolate bite. Dash springs onto your arm; her hooves intercept your hand as it clears the bag. Despite your best efforts, she somehow begins prying your fingers open with the edges of her hooves. You hastily set the book on the coffee table and bring your other hand into the fight. She rotates around your arm until her back is against your chest and her hind leg is pressing on the armrest. It was a pretty smart move, her new position allowed her to push your arm away from your torso with a lot of force. Your other hand holds your fingers closed as you struggle to bring them to your mouth. ”Stop. Struggling!” She yells. Her wing shoots out and presses against your face, blinding you. It doesn’t matter. You were born in the dark. Molded by it. You feel a tongue lash out at a small gap in between your fingers.

“No!” Suddenly you switch directions, leaning forward in the direction of her force. The move throws her off balance and she falls forward onto her chest, face wincing as her chin impacts the cushion. You fall on top of her slender figure, your nose painfully bouncing off her shoulder. With your chest across her back her wings now flutter pointlessly at her sides. Azure legs kick, but your greater weight allowed you to pin her to the couch while you brought the chocolate to your face and plopped it in your mouth. You sit up and take your weight off of her, she spins around in a multicolored flurry, her messy mane complementing her incredulous look. You lean back against the arm rest, taunting her with the melting chocolate on your outstretched tongue. It makes its way safely back into your mouth and you tuck it to your cheek.

“And the winner of round one is—oopf!” You’d underestimated her resolve. She rockets into your chest and throws her hooves around your head. Your arms struggle to push her back as she positions herself on top of you looking straight down at your face. Half-extended wings arch across you for balance as hind hooves come dangerously close to stepping on your balls. Her mane hangs down and tickles your forehead between huffs of breath. Her playful eyes and mischievous smile contradict the blush on her muzzle. What does she think she’s doing?

*mmmpf!

In an instant her mouth is on yours, spreading your lips with her own. Her tongue darts down between your clenched teeth and your cheek as she fishes for the milk chocolate bite. The tip of her nose mashes against your upper lip, occupying you nostrils with the scent of her muzzle. She breathes openly and hastily through her mouth and you quickly begin to heat up. A soft, furry torso lays against yours and her hind legs spread out to either side of you for balance. She’s not fighting you much anymore, it’d be easy to push her off…but that wouldn’t be any fun.

Her tongue slaps around against the inside of your cheek until she eventually finds the chocolate mass. Her nimble appendage hooks around it and begins to pull it towards her maw. Instinctively, your tongue darts out to intercept her. The process causes the chocolate to fall against the back of your tongue. You catch it before you have a chance to choke. Dash wastes no time in going after it. She tilts her head slightly and buries her muzzle in your open mouth, her hooves press your head even farther into the couch cushion. Her tongue easily reaches the back of yours and begins fishing for the chocolate lump.

A tail whisks giddily across your legs.

Adrenaline flows through your veins and heightens your senses. This is fun. You begin the delicate act of fencing with her while protecting your chocolate prize. You find yourself feeling a bit disappointed when her natural milky flavor gets replaced by a coco one as the sweet melts between your slick, thrashing muscles. Your hands no longer fight her, instead they hold her, gently scratching her neck and the side of her face. This isn’t a battle anymore. More than once she gains the upper hand but hesitates long enough for you to snag it back. This is probably the closest she’s ever come to sharing. You experimentally give her control of the slobbery mass but she doesn’t return it. Yep, still competitive as ever.

Her muzzle leaves your mouth and she takes a deep breath, both of your eyes open to meet each other and you realize how messy your embrace had been. Her lips, chin, and a speck on her nose were tainted with chocolate slobber. Chances are you didn’t fare much better. Four cheeks flash red as she sheepishly chews the sad remnants of her milk chocolate bite. She swallows audibly and cracks a shy victory grin, shyness accentuated by folded ears.

You throw your hands up in submission, “You win.” She just giggles and licks away some chocolate beside your lips. You return the favor by smooching her grinning gooey ones. Tasty. Both of you hold the position for a moment, catching your breaths after the make out and savoring the intimacy. She finally plops down with her rump right above your belly button, fore hooves rest on your chest. Her wings sat at an unintentional half-mast and were slowly shrinking back to her sides. You keep from staring at them lest you embarrass her or make them go the opposite way. Your hand reaches out to tuck a bit of stray mane from her eyes.

”T-that w-was…fun.” She whispers while barely keeping eye contact. She flinches at her own flustered stutter but you just smile.

“Yeah. I never knew sharing could be fun.” She taps your shoulder and chuckles at your cheesy remark. Your eyes drift over to the mess of assorted chocolates spilled across the cushion next to you. Dash’s eyes follow and come to rest on the item that’s holding your attention.

A lone milk chocolate bite sat in the center of the cushion…the last in the bag. Your eyes meet again; the same thought occupying both your minds, “Do you want to share it?”

Dash licks her lips as her smile grows, ”Not a chance.”