December 3, 1948
1,000 feet over the Soviet-Turkish border

Rainbow Dash sped through the night sky, rushing under the cover of darkness towards her objective, the Bakoe prison camp in the Azerbaijan SSR. She was to land in the surrounding area and rest for the night. In the morning she would have to quickly rush over the camp and take photos before speeding for the border. This was because the camera that she had been equipped with was only capable of taking clear photographs during the day.

While Rainbow Dash felt nervous about flying over a hostile country as a spy, she was simultaneously exhilarated at the prospect of serving her country and returning home a hero. In particular she hoped that this would impress her crush Fluttershy. She still hadn’t come out to her friend, however, she planned on doing so sometime soon.

“Perhaps on Hearth's Warming Eve we can have some time to ourselves,” she thought to herself.

“Focus on the mission Rainbow,” she reminded herself. She couldn’t let Fluttershy know her true feelings if she didn’t make it back. Besides, Scootaloo would be heartbroken if anything happened to her.

Rainbow Dash had written to her daughter and her friends to let them know that she would be gone for several more days on some “personal business.” She hadn’t been authorized to give any clues about the true nature of her secret mission.

Focusing on the ground, below she scanned for a warm, secluded spot for her to sleep for a few hours before she continued on to the camp in the morning. Judging by the time she had spent flying, Rainbow Dash presumed that she was close to the camp in question.
Landing at the mouth of a cave, she proceeded to make her way inside. While the temperature inside the cave was frigid, she at least found it bearable compared to the absolutely horrid weather outside. The only reason she hadn’t frozen to death was because Celestia had given her a specially crafted suit that was under the effect of a magic spell that enabled the more efficient trapping of one’s body heat.
The effects of the spell only worked when the wearer was in motion and expending large amounts of heat, thus she needed to have an isolated resting spot. Proceeding deeper into the cave, she found a relatively secluded spot behind a rock. Laying out her sleeping bag, Rainbow Dash slid into it, enjoying the warm bliss that came from it.
“Sweet dreams,” she said to herself before closing her eyes and commencing her long awaited slumber.

_______

Rainbow Dash found herself laying in a bed that wasn’t hers. Getting up she looked around the room. Judging by the copious number of pictures of Fluttershy and animals, she guessed that she was in Fluttershy’s bedroom.

“What the hay?” she thought to herself as she rolled out of the bed.

Hearing Fluttershy’s beautiful singsong voice downstairs, she proceeded to head down the stairs. Making her way to the kitchen, she saw Fluttershy gingerly placing some toast into the toaster.

“Oh hey there Dashie,” she said, seductively fluttering her eyelashes at Rainbow.

“Um, hello there,” Dash responded, taken aback by unusual behavior of her friend. “I know this is going to sound like a weird question, but why did I wake up in your bed?”

“You don’t remember last night?”

“No not at all,” said Rainbow Dash. “Hopefully I didn’t do something stupid after drinking too much ‘cider.’”

“Last night you shared your feelings for me. At first I was taken shocked that I had been the subject of a nearly decade long lesbian crush. However, I found the concept rather sweet and well… let’s just say that we shared a romantic evening upstairs,” said Fluttershy.
Rainbow Dash had mixed emotions about this surprising news. Part of her was disappointed that she didn’t remember anything from such a momentous moment in her life. On the other hand, she was simply glad that she had finally done what she should have done years before, coming out to Fluttershy.

“So we are like girlfriends now?” asked Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy let out a chuckle at this serious question. Realizing that Rainbow Dash was being serious, Fluttershy said, “Of course not, I don’t swing that way.”

“Then why did you sleep with me?” asked Rainbow Dash angrily.

“It was an opportunity to have fun and enjoy myself. What did you think Dashie? That I actually love you. Eww, of course not!”

“You- You used me!” screamed Rainbow Dash.

“Oh please,” said Fluttershy, rolling her eyes. “You got what you wanted and I got what I wanted. Quit being such a-”

Rainbow Dash didn’t hear the rest of Fluttershy’s lecturing as she was already rushing out of the door, her vision blurred by the copious number of tears that were streaming out of her eyes. Not being able to clearly see where she was going, Rainbow Dash crashed into tree. The blurred world around her went a solid black.