“Dash! Hey!”

Rainbow Dash glanced down at the street she was flying past, seeing a tall figure waving one long arm to catch her attention. She felt strange for a second, like she wasn’t moving at all, but the sensation quickly vanished. She banked hard, swooping around and backwinging to land with pinpoint accuracy right in front of the tall human. Probably just wants somepony to talk to, she thought, glancing around at the ponies on the street. None of this bunch will. Her mouth twisted sourly for a brief instant. I wish more ponies would give the poor guy a chance.

Lero only had a few friends at the moment, though Rainbow had been trying to change that. It had upset her a little, those few times she’d seen through the stolid mask he wore and got hints about how lonely the poor creature felt. How alien he felt. It was kinda heartbreaking, and it was why she tried so freaking hard to make sure she spent some time hanging around him most days, as well as why she was trying to make sure to introduce him to ponies who might be willing to give him a chance. Like Lyra; she’d been a little surprised at how well the quiet, cheerful unicorn had taken to the tall biped.

“Hey, what’s up?” Rainbow was glad to be flagged down, actually. She knew he’d been a bit shy about seeking out the friends he’d made, even though all of them enjoyed his company. He kept saying he didn’t want to intrude, which was just dumb. She was happy to spend time with him, and so were Fluttershy and Twilight. Rarity liked him too; the elegant unicorn was quite taken by the human’s politeness and manners, though Rainbow preferred it when he was less formal. Lyra... Lyra seemed quietly fascinated. It was subtle, subdued, as was Lyra’s way, but Rainbow could see the curiosity and interest in the unicorn’s golden eyes whenever she was in the human’s company. Maybe she had kind of a thing for him. That’d be funny.

The pegasus glanced aside as she settled to the ground and folded her wings, feeling a gaze on her from somewhere. Three gazes, actually, from three mares; one cream-coated, and the other two sporting coats that were different shades of pink. They stared at Lero with wide, frightened eyes, like they did nearly every time the human passed them in the street. She’d gotten incredibly tired of seeing those three freak out about him over the last few weeks, and she knew it upset him a little to know that he could be so feared. And it was just stupid, anyway; he’d never shown the slightest desire to hurt anypony, quite the opposite.

Rainbow felt irritation rising in her throat. He didn’t need to be hassled by these dumb fillies, and he sure as heck didn’t deserve it. “Hey!” she snapped, “Why don’t you stare harder? I don’t think he’s eaten yet!”

She regretted it almost the instant she said it, and all three mares’ eyes got huge. “Oh, no! He could eat us!” one gasped. “The horror! The horror!” shouted another, before all three wheeled about and bolted down the street. Oddly, none of the other ponies around reacted.

Rainbow covered her eyes with one forehoof, making a frustrated sound in her throat. You dumb bunch of goofuses. There’s three of you, and you’re all earth ponies. Yeah, none of you are an Applejack or anything, but you’re still like twice as strong as he is each. He’s got way more reason to be scared of you. You don’t see him freaking out and running! Dummies.

She heard a snort, and then the human’s voice said dryly, “Well. Thanks for that, Dash. I’m sure they’ll be much less scared of me in the future.”

“Heh, with a face like yours, they can’t really help it.” Rainbow retorted, reflexively, not even thinking about what she said. “Scary stuff.” She grinned at him.

Lero chuckled. “You sure it was my face that scared ‘em? You had just landed…”

That made Rainbow giggle. This was another part of why she’d taken to hanging around him; he didn’t get mad when she reflexively insulted him. Like, not ever, which was unusual enough that it made her want to hang around all the time. He generally gave back as good as he got, and in such a good-humored way that she didn’t even get mad back. She hovered up into the air and shoved him playfully with her forehoof, conceding this exchange and making him grin, too. “So, didya need something?”

“Yeah, you got a minute?”

Rainbow cocked her head curiously, settling back down to the ground again. “Sure. What’s up?” She tilted her head, searching his face and trying to determine what kind of mood he was in. It wasn’t hard, but it wasn’t effortless either; with the immobile ears that framed his face, his expressions were subtler than most ponies were used to. Rainbow, fortunately, had experience in reading beings like that; her friend Gilda had the same thing, and her face had been fairly rigid besides. Lero’s face was at least as mobile as an average pony’s, and to Rainbow’s searching look he didn’t seem upset. Slightly uneasy, maybe, just a tiny bit, but she’d seen him looking that way often enough to not worry excessively about it. She hoped that she’d be able to set him at ease, though. She really wanted to; she knew that he wasn’t all that happy here, and she wished she could fix that. As far as anypony could tell, he seemed to be stuck here, and she wanted him to be okay with that. She kinda liked having him around, after all.

Lero shrugged and knelt down, bringing his eyes level with hers. He folded his hands across his knee, a pose that looked comfortable and relaxed while still looking slightly formal. An odd dichotomy. “I just wanted to say, you know, thanks.”

Rainbow frowned. “Uh… for what?”

He shrugged again. “Well, you know, you’ve helped me out a lot. Since I got here, I mean.” The human fidgeted a bit. “You’ve gone pretty far out of your way to do it, too. Taken hours out of your day, most days, and you’ve put up with my dumb questions without getting impatient.” Rainbow’s brow furrowed again. His questions weren’t dumb, he just didn’t know how things worked. Heck, he was smarter than she was, by a good bit, probably, and sometimes his questions made her think about stuff that had never occurred to her before. He might not be Twilight-smart, but not too far from it, and she didn’t mind answering his questions at all. Before she could interject and tell him that, he continued, his expression earnest. “I just wanted to let you know I realized you were doing it, and to thank you. I don’t want to take your help for granted. So, well, thanks, I really do appreciate it.”

Rainbow felt a pleased flush spread through her body. She wasn’t helping because she wanted attention, she was just doing it because he was a friend and that’s what she did for friends when they needed it. At the same time, though, she had to admit it was nice to be noticed and appreciated. Especially when she hadn’t been expecting it.

She gave the human a cheerful smile, letting the warmth she felt show. “Aw, I can’t help it, big guy. You’re just so pathetic…”

He grinned, and a hand flashed out to ruffle the pegasus’s forelock. She tried to duck, but he still managed to catch her, his fingers tousling the flame-striped hair between her ears. She didn’t duck away the second time; sometimes she did, when she felt playful and wanted to lure him into roughhousing, but this time she just grinned and let him ruffle her mane. The pleased feeling got stronger, a warm, happy sensation growing in her chest, and she stuck her tongue out at him. “You’re quick.”

“Thanks.” His expression turned more serious. “Honestly, though, I really do appreciate everything you’ve done for me. Fluttershy and Twilight have helped out a ton, too, but you’ve spent more time with me than both of them combined. I’ve heard you standing up for me, too.”

Rainbow blinked. “Uh, you have?” She thought those times she’d gotten into arguments with ponies who’d said nasty things about him, he hadn’t been in earshot. There’d been a fight or two, too, which she was sure he hadn’t heard about. She hoped he hadn’t, anyway.

Lero gave her a sidelong look. “A couple of times. And now I’m suddenly wondering how many times it’s happened.”

Whoops. Evidently he’d learned to read her while she was learning to read him. Rainbow’s wing twitched in an attempt at a nonchalant shrug. “Eh, once or twice. No big deal.”

Lero’s look turned shrewd, and she winced mentally. That had to mean he’d seen more than that. Oops again. She’d guessed based on the fact that he’d said “a couple of times,” and she’d evidently guessed wrong.

“Once or twice, eh?”

Shoot, how many has he seen? How many had there actually been, anyway? Six, maybe, counting the nasty stuff Honeydew said. Oh, wait, eight. Haymaker and Grandiloquence had said some pretty mean things, too, though Twilight had been in earshot and had chipped in the second time. Hearing her verbally slap down Grandiloquence even more eloquently than the other mare could manage had been a pleasure to watch.

“Uh… maybe three.” Rainbow replied, hesitantly. “Forgot one before.”

Lero sighed, and she could see in his face that she hadn’t fooled him. He knew it was more. “Wow. I’m sorry, Dash, I didn’t realize I’d be bringing you this much trouble…”

“Hey!” she interrupted, containing a sudden rush of anger. She wasn’t mad at him, she was just angry about the whole situation; the poor guy hadn't asked to be here. He hadn’t tried to get himself stranded. It wasn’t bucking fair for him to have to worry about ponies who didn’t like him just because of what he looked like! She jabbed him with the hard tip of her forehoof, “Don’t apologize. You didn’t do anything, big guy, and don’t you dare say you brought me trouble. You’ve been busting your flank trying to figure out how to act around us. It is not your fault that some ponies don’t like you, and it’s my call if I wanna pick a fight with ‘em when they say nasty stuff about my friend where I can hear ‘em. It’s those jerks who decided not to like you that’re the problem, not you.” Rainbow’s look softened a bit, and she poked him again, more lightly. “I stand up for my friends, Lero. And you’re one of ‘em. Never forget that.”

He caught her hoof to keep her from poking him again. “I won’t.” The human gave her a smile that warmed her heart. “And I understand, Dash.” He shrugged. “I just wish you didn’t have to keep standing up for me, or that it didn’t keep happening behind my back, so I could defend myself instead of making you do it.”

Rainbow nodded, though she still felt a little angry. “I can understand that, big guy. Totally.” She realized that he was still holding her forehoof, because she meant to poke him again, but for some reason she felt curiously okay with that, and didn’t try to pull it free. Instead, she met his eyes, letting him see her anger at the situation and her sincerity. “But you gotta remember, you don’t need to worry if stuff’s going on behind your back, ‘cause I got your back.” She grinned. “Besides, I can watch it better than you can, with those itty bitty eyes of yours.” They weren’t that small, but they were smaller than pony eyes, and it was a good way to tease him.

He laughed, releasing her hoof, and she grinned at him. She liked the fact that she could make him laugh, even when he was upset; it made her feel appreciated.

“Well, we can’t all have those big old headlamps like you’ve got,” he said wryly, pointing at her eyes with two fingers and aiming his own gaze straight down the lines formed by the digits, making eye contact with her in the process. She might make jokes, but she did like his eyes; small or not, they had a pretty color.

“Yeah, I guess we can’t all be this awesome.” She smirked.

Lero snorted. “Watch it, your head may get too big. Might screw up your flight profile.”

“Lucky I’m good enough to handle it anyway, then!” Rainbow shot back, and stuck her tongue out playfully.

Lero snorted again, lifting a hand in a gesture of concession. “You might just be.” He stood up again. “Anyway, like I said, I just wanted to say thanks. Figured you might like knowing that I really do appreciate all you’ve done for me, and now I’ll let you get back to what you were doing!” He flashed her another smile. “See you later today?”

They were supposed to meet up sometime after lunch, just to hang out and see what they felt like doing. She had no intention of missing that, especially not now. Rainbow hovered up off the ground so she could stay at his eye level. “Count on it, big guy!”

“Right.” Lero nodded, turning to go on his way. “Later, then!”

She hovered in place, watching him go as he went down the street, smiling to herself. It really was nice to be appreciated, nice to have her efforts noticed like that. She could still feel the phantom sensation of his hand holding her hoof, his fingers wrapped around and lightly gripping the soft base of it. There was a warm, happy feeling in her chest, a quiet, simple pleasure at being thanked when she wasn’t expecting it. Heh, guess he was paying attention.

Her smile got a little wider, remembering the way his eyes looked when he smiled. He did have pretty eyes. And a nice smile. And, well, he had a pretty nice backside, too, which she’d gotten a good view of as he’d walked down the street. She kinda wished he didn’t cover it up all the time; how bad could it be, anyway? I don’t think it’s bad at all...

Of course, better than any of that was, well, him. He wasn’t like any guy she’d ever been around; if he hadn’t told her he was male, she’d have guessed he was a mare, in spite of his voice. He sure acted like one. Made him tons easier to talk to, which was nice because she liked talking to him. Tall and patchy-coated or not, he was a good guy.

And he had a nice smile.

Rainbow’s eyes suddenly widened. She froze in place, her wings locking up in shock and dropping to the ground on all fours. It seemed like the sky turned odd colors for a brief instant.

Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no. Oh, blast it, it had been a while since she’d had a real, actual crush, and she hadn’t noticed the signs of one forming until right now. She felt trapped between that warm feeling at the prospect of seeing her friend again this afternoon, and a chill. Her crushes hadn’t worked out at all in the past, and she was worried. Lero... he just clicked with her, like no one she’d ever found before. He didn’t get mad when she blurted out something insulting, he laughed at her jokes, and on the occasions that she pushed a joke a little too far, he didn’t get upset, just told her quietly that she was pushing it. A friend like that was someone to be cherished for a pony like Rainbow Dash.

And now this stupid crush threatened that. She always did something dumb when she had a crush, from saying something stupid and insulting without thinking about what it sounded like, to trying to show off in a way that had nearly hurt the poor guy that one time. Sometimes it was a lot of dumb things at once. Argh, she didn’t want to lose him as a friend just because she had this crazy fantasy that he might be more.

The heck was she thinking, anyway? He wasn’t even a pony! He was some kinda tall, half-bald sasquatch thing.

But he had pretty eyes. And a nice smile.

Rainbow sighed, covering her face with a forehoof. Argh. It wasn’t working. She was trying to convince herself what a bad idea this was, but she wasn’t listening. She was still getting that warm feeling in her chest when she pictured his smile, could still feel his soft fingers holding her forehoof.

Rainbow’s head drooped, her eyes squeezing shut. She was doomed. Doomed, and she’d lose a friend she’d come to care for deeply in the process.

The words echoed in her mind, and her head snapped up. No. No, I’m not gonna give up that easy. I can deal with this. The few friends she’d had last time she’d had a disaster had told her she should have taken it slower, been more gradual in her approach. She could try that. Instead of driving straight for the goal, she could hold back some; that seemed like a good idea anyway, since she kinda hoped this crush would fade so she didn’t have to worry about losing her friend to a bungled attempt at a romantic advance.

Rainbow squared herself, tossing her mane and forcing her ears up and forward. Yeah, she could do this. Totally. She was Rainbow Dash, the most awesome pegasus around! She could do anything!

She tried to ignore the quiet little fear that refused to vanish.

There was a blurring sensation, time passing faster and losing definition as she stopped focusing on it. It was confusing, but not strange; almost expected. The sun rose, and set, but little else registered; it was like a smudge of conversation and interaction smeared across her mind.

The next week or so was... awkward. Rainbow tried not to show that burgeoning affection, she really did, but she found herself getting more... tactile than normal. Bumping against him and hugging him more than she had before. Lero didn’t object; to her mild frustration, he didn’t even seem to realize she was doing it, which was both maddening and a relief. She even caught herself nuzzling him in greeting a time or two, pressing her muzzle lightly against the curve of his jaw, just under his ear, in that gesture that said, “I’m glad to see you,” in a mildly intimate way. It helped that she could fly; it would have been difficult to reach him and still make it look casual otherwise. It had been almost automatic, unthinking, just hovering up to him, hugging him with a foreleg, and following through with a light nuzzle. He’d even figured out a way to return the gesture, after a fashion, curling the first two fingers of his hand and gently, briefly rubbing the corresponding spot on the side of Rainbow’s face with the extended knuckles. It was more rigid than a pony’s nose would have been, and smaller, but it was a reasonably close approximation and felt very nice, and her heart had soared briefly the first time he’d done it.

Of course, then she’d realized that he was trying to mimic her body language, something she’d seen him do repeatedly as he tried to fit in. He mirrored her, and other ponies, trying to act toward them the way they acted toward him. It was almost crushingly disappointing, but she persevered; he hadn’t actually shot her down. He hadn’t actually noticed, and even though that stung, it wasn’t his fault. And more importantly, he wasn’t actually rejecting her. Best of all, it meant she hadn’t screwed up and, one way or the other, he was still her friend.

Of course, as it got harder for her to act normally around him, it got easier for other ponies to spot her feelings. Rarity was the first.

That blur again, things happening fast and losing definition. Suddenly, it stopped, dropping Rainbow back into normality with a sudden lurch, like stepping off a step that wasn’t there, and she was in Carousel Boutique.

“Darling, you have to stand still, or I’m afraid I’m going to stick you!” The unicorn exclaimed around a mouthful of pins. The pegasus felt confused for a second, but then realized that everything was normal.

Rainbow had no idea why she kept letting Rarity talk her into being a living mannequin, any more than she knew why Rarity kept asking her to. She had a sneaking suspicion that the dressmaker was deliberately picking the most challenging subject and trying to make her look good.

Her current effort was evidently intended to hide as much of its wearer as possible, and Rainbow chafed under the weight of the fortress of cloth. Even her mane was covered, though Rarity had fortunately left her face free; she was a little worried that she’d suffocate if the unicorn added any more cloth.

“I’m trying.” Rainbow shifted, trying to get comfortable, fidgeting her wings restlessly. There were even cloth covers over them, though the covers only hid them when they were folded; when spread, they would be out from under the outfit’s confines. “This stuff is heavy!”

“I would have thought it would be no burden at all for somepony like you, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity replied, in a transparent attempt to flatter her friend.

It worked. “I guess it’s not that heavy,” Rainbow said grudgingly. It really wasn’t, it was just awkward and chafed a bit, not to mention being a bit restricting. The pegasus didn’t care for being restricted, and had been fighting back slight nervous twitches since Rarity had started packing her into this thing. Rarity hadn’t noticed; Rainbow had a lot of practice in suppressing and hiding her mild claustrophobia.

It might not be heavy, but that didn’t make it comfortable. “Come on, I’ve been here for hours already!” Rainbow complained. “I got other stuff to do!”

“It hasn’t even been half an hour, you’re overreacting.” The unicorn corrected calmly. She adjusted part of what Rainbow wore, shifting the cloth a tiny bit. “Goodness, Rainbow Dash, I only just finished getting you into this! Is that better? Where do you need to be, anyway? Some stunt practice?”

The alteration did make the cloth bind a little less, which reduced Rainbow’s mild anxiety by a corresponding amount. “It’s a little better,” the pegasus observed, working her hind leg to see how much motion she could get. “I did my practice and stuff earlier today, I’m just supposed to meet Lero at Crispy’s for a late lunch. He’s helping Stormy fix those doors, and he thinks he’ll be done late.” She suppressed a grin, thinking of the small prank she’d played on him last time they’d met at a restaurant. She’d picked the Bale, a specialty place whose offerings were all made from hay. The expression on his face, as he’d tried to hide his dismay while scanning through the menu for something he could eat, had been howlingly funny, and subtle enough that Rainbow doubted most other ponies would catch it. The grin got harder to hide at the memory of how he’d been desperately looking for something, not wanting to upset her, until he’d looked up and seen the expression on her face. She’d seen amusement and aggravation in equal measure on the human’s flat countenance as she’d finally lost it, laughing delightedly at the success of her joke and pulling out the bag of sandwiches she’d brought for him and hid under the table. The pegasus had never intended to leave her friend hungry, and she’d worked things out with the Bale’s staff ahead of time. That had been a good joke.

Rarity smiled around the pins in her mouth, seeing the incipient grin on Rainbow’s face. “Ah, yes, your alien friend.” Rainbow thought she saw Lero for a brief second, but he wasn’t here, so he vanished. Rarity sighed. “Such a pity to see someone with such lovely manners doing general fix-it work.” The unicorn cocked her head. “Have you thought about taking him down to the spa?”

Rainbow looked at the designer askance. “The spa? Why the heck would I take him there?”

The unicorn sighed. “Darling, think a moment. I know you don’t much care for the spa,” there was an understatement; Rainbow avoided the place assiduously, “but a lot of ponies like it. They like massages, dear, and these,” Rarity tapped Rainbow’s forehoof with her own, “just aren’t the best tools for that, though they do work well enough. But just think about how those paws of Lero’s...”

“Hands,” Rainbow corrected absently.

Rarity tossed her head. “Hands, paws, talons, whatever. They look delicate, but if they’ve got any strength in them...”

“They’re not ‘delicate’,” Rainbow interrupted again, “and they’re pretty strong, too! Everypony thinks they’re all breakable, but they’re not!” That particular view was one that drove her nuts; everypony knew that Lero wasn’t as strong as most ponies, and a lot of ‘em thought that meant he was fragile, too, especially the long, slender digits of his hands. He wasn’t, though; she’d roughhoused with him some without accidentally hurting him, she’d seen him get pretty rough-and-tumble in the hoofball games she’d pulled him into, and she’d seen when he worked on stuff just how strong those fingers of his were. It bugged her when ponies were so freaking dismissive of him. Heck, the first time she’d convinced him to go out to the hoofball field and show her what he’d got had been pretty darn impressive; he could tackle hard once she convinced him to do it full-force. She’d actually seen stars for a second; he was pretty heavy, and when he got going, the speed and weight combined with the way his height made him drop down from above made for a heck of an impact. He’d been worried that he’d hurt her wings with the way they’d tumbled after the hit, which had been kinda funny. She’d had to reassure him that pegasus wings were freaking tough, and while they could break or sprain it didn’t happen often, and it took a heck of a lot more than a little thump like that. She’d grinned and immediately told him that she wanted him on her team next time she played; he could throw nearly as well as a unicorn and hit nearly as hard as an earth pony, though he had to dodge a lot more since he couldn’t take the hits like an earth pony could. He’d been her teammate since then, and she thought their performance spoke for itself.

Rarity raised an eyebrow at Rainbow’s tone. “In that case, you should definitely take him to see Lotus and Aloe. I’m quite certain he’d make a wonderful masseur, and I think it would be more suited to his temperament than his current work.”

Rainbow’s mouth twisted. There was a sour blare of trumpets that impinged on her consciousness. “He likes fixing stuff, Rarity.” And I don’t really want to have him stuck in the spa all day where I’d have to go in there to hang out with him.

“Indeed, darling, but he doesn’t have to stop. I’m sure the twins would give him whatever hours he wanted to work.” She smirked a little. “They’ve actually been debating with each other about going to talk to him; I overheard them the other day when I was there with Fluttershy.” The unicorn adjusted something Rainbow couldn’t see, pinning the fabric with quick motion. “It’s why I’m talking to you about it now. You could make a better deal for him if you convinced him to go to them, showed the extra initiative. Trust me.”

Rainbow grumbled, unable to come up with a good counterargument. He probably would do fairly well there, and she knew he’d be making way better money than he would currently. It would just cut her off from him for a big chunk of the day. Admittedly, it was a chunk of the day where she was generally already busy, but still, she liked having the option. Mouth twisting, she made a mental note to mention it to him.

Rarity chuckled. “Honestly, darling, it will be good for him!” She snorted. “The way you’re going on, you’d think you wanted him for a saddleblanket or something of the sort...”

Rainbow slammed a forehoof down abruptly, feeling a flash of anger. Everything turned red for an instant. “He’s not a saddleblanket, Rarity.” The pegasus snarled. “Saddleblanket,” was a derogatory term for a stallion one only courted as an amusement. “To keep the back warm,” as the saying went. It was a pretty crude term, and an insulting one, and she was a little shocked to hear Rarity say it.

The unicorn blinked. “Goodness, I’m sorry. That was uncalled for, even though I meant it as a joke.” She tilted her head, regarding Rainbow closely. “Darling, I may have been joking, but you aren’t, are you? You’re quite serious.”

Now it was Rainbow’s turn to blink, her anger dislodged by confusion. “Uh, yeah. ‘Course I am. I don’t like it when ponies talk about my friend like that.”

Rarity was still regarding Rainbow with intent focus. “But you don’t think of him as just a friend, do you?”

Rainbow felt her face flame under her cyan coat, and her jaw dropped while her ears went back. “What? No, no, I don’t... I mean, I’m not... I’m... he... no!” She managed to stem the tide of babble as Rarity’s look grew more assured. Rainbow stopped, cleared her throat, and forced her voice to be steady. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the pegasus said slowly.

She was answered with a raised eyebrow. “Darling, you’re not fooling anypony. I’m not sure how I didn’t notice before. You haven’t been doing a very good job of hiding it, have you?”

Rainbow fidgeted some more, wishing she wasn’t imprisoned in all this cloth so she could be somewhere else. “Seriously, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Rarity heaved a gusty sigh. “Fine. Be that way.” She gave Rainbow a sly look. “Has he responded?”

Rainbow lowered her head, her ears going back as she relaxed her rigid hold on her body language. “I don’t think he’s noticed,” she replied in a small voice. “It’s hard to tell.”

The unicorn sighed again. “Oh, dear.” She tapped her chin with a forehoof. “Well, darling, do you want him to notice?”

“Kinda.” Rainbow’s voice was still quiet.

“Hmm.” Rarity gave her an arch look. “Why wouldn’t you want him to notice? I’d expect you to just barrel in and sweep him off those two feet of his, dear! This kind of hesitance just isn’t you.”

The pegasus shrugged, her mouth twisting. “You ever see what happens when I try to court somepony? I always screw up.” The words left a bitter taste in her mouth, while images paraded in front of her eyes. Rainbow hated to admit failure. “Something goes wrong and it ends bad, and it’s usually my fault. He’s my friend, Rarity. I don’t want to lose a friend ‘cause I did something dumb.”

“Oh, my.” The unicorn gave her friend a sympathetic look. “A thorny situation, dear.” She tapped her chin in thought again, and Rainbow actually felt a sense of cautious hope. Of all her friends, Rarity was the one most likely to have good advice on this subject, and now that she’d managed to pry the information out of Rainbow she might be able to offer some. “Hmm... I assume you don’t want me to make hints to him? Suggest that maybe he ought to look at you in a different way?”

Rainbow’s heart warmed at the unicorn’s offer, but she shook her head. “No, I... I really don’t want to push. Bad things’ve happened when I pushed.”

“Not even by proxy. I understand. Hmm.” Rarity adjusted the cloth contemplatively, and Rainbow noticed an immediate reduction in discomfort. The unicorn really was good at this. “Well, darling, to be perfectly honest, from what I’ve heard of where he comes from, he might prefer to be the pursuer rather than the pursued.” At Rainbow’s puzzled look, she continued, “Well, they are reversed, are they not? Stallions in most positions of power, et cetera?” Rarity waved a forehoof airily, and Rainbow nodded. It didn’t really make sense to her, but it was what he’d said. “Well, then, it’s likely the norm for the stallions to be the ones seeking out the mares, isn’t it? Instead of chasing him, you might be better off trying to entice him to chase you, darling.” Rarity smiled gently. “Though, just this once, you might want to try to lose the race.”

Rainbow blinked. It.. was a weird idea. She could sorta understand the idea, but it... it felt wrong in her brain. Like it didn’t quite fit. And this felt weird, had Rarity actually said that? She shook her head; it didn’t matter. “How would I even get him to notice, though?” None of it really made sense, but she was still willing to try. At this point, she was willing to try nearly anything. Especially if it could avoid the pitfalls and stumbles she’d run into before.

Rarity sighed. “I don’t think there’s really a good answer to that. Just keep showing interest, and hopefully he’ll see it.” She clucked her tongue. “Honestly, though, I really do think you’d be better off just making an unmissable move of your own, Rainbow Dash. That’s much more your style. The two of you get along famously, I’ve seen that for myself, and I don’t think you’d damage your relationship by telling him how you feel.”

Rainbow grimaced. No, that really sounded like a bad idea. A really good way to screw up again and lose the friendship she’d built. Weird or not, confusing or not, she’d prefer to go for the alternative Rarity had offered. “Yeah, maybe. I’ll try your way first, though.” Less chance I’ll mess up.

“Have it your way.” The unicorn adjusted the dress again. “I would be glad to do what I can. Subtly, of course.” She winked. “Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash. This will work out.”

Again the world blurred, as her eyes watered at Rarity’s readiness to offer help. She was getting almost comfortable with the sensation. She noted, with mild puzzlement, that the room felt oddly cold, despite the fact that Rarity had her swathed in cloth. She barely noticed it; she was a pegasus and she didn’t get cold, but it was notable, and a little odd.

Rarity teased her about her crush almost endlessly from that point on. Never anything overt, and nothing mean-spirited, just gentle little jibes that Rainbow understood were really intended to motivate her more than anything else. She’d make little references when the two of them were with their friends that nopony else got, winked at Rainbow when she passed the pegasus and Lero in the street, things like that.

Applejack picked up on it, too, and the orange mare thought it howlingly funny, though she confessed she didn’t see the attraction. She teased Rainbow, too, but only when the two of them were alone together. She didn’t want to actually embarrass her friend, just to poke fun at her. It was still kind of annoying, but Rainbow appreciated the discretion.

As for Lero, he continued to be oblivious, to the pegasus’s endless frustration. She nuzzled him, hugged him, even wing-hugging him several times, but he didn’t seem to notice. He hugged her back, yeah, and there was genuine closeness and affection in the gesture, just... not the right kind. Rainbow wasn’t the only one with that problem; she’d seen Lyra make some tentative moves as well, but the tall human didn’t seem to notice her advances any more than he did Rainbow’s.

What was the worst was when there was some misunderstanding that got her hopes up. The first one was when they were sitting together on a bench, watching the clouds, and he’d idly put his hand on her back. It was right in the sweet spot, on the soft, thin, lightly-coated skin over her upper shoulder blades. His hand felt soft, warm... and good. Her wings twitched involuntarily at the contact, and she felt a sense of shock mixed with pleasure. It was awfully forthright, to just feel her up like that when they were in the middle of the street, and she didn’t want to ruin either his reputation or hers.

“Dude!” she hissed in a whisper, “move your hand!” She didn’t actually want him to, but she wasn’t exactly an exhibitionist, either, (not this kind, anyway) and she was seriously worried about embarrassing him.

Lero blinked, but pulled his hand away immediately. He continued to look confused as Rainbow glanced around, noting with some relief that they hadn’t been noticed. “Er... Rainbow? Did I do something wrong?”

“It’s.... um...” Rainbow cleared her throat, feeling blood rush to her face at the narrowly-avoided embarrassment. “That spot, big guy? Right between my wings? It’s kinda... sensitive.”

He blinked again. “Oh, did I hurt you?”

Oh, so totally the opposite. She fumbled for words, trying to articulate her thoughts. “No, no, I’m fine, uh, it’s not that kind of sensitive.” He still looked blank, and she cleared her throat again, trying to figure out how the heck to put it. “It’s like... it feels good. Like, uh, the sex kinda good. That’s one of the spots a stallion would, like, kiss and stuff if we were getting... uh... into it, if you know what I mean.” Or a mare, if I was into fillies. Her wings had spread a bit as she spoke, involuntarily, displaying her plumage. She fought the feeling down, trying to calm herself and get her wings back under control.

Lero went bright red, something he did when he was embarrassed. Even under these circumstances, it drew a quiet giggle from Rainbow; he looked so funny when he did that. He stammered a bit before clearing his throat. “Um. I had no idea. I’m so sorry, I hope you’re not upset with me.”

“No, no, I’m fine.” Argh, I was kinda hoping that was intentional. “It’s just, uh, maaay not want to do that out in public.” Hint, hint.

He was still bright red. “Right. Got it. Not doing that again. I really, really am sorry.”

“No problem! I’m not mad.” Rainbow grinned, fighting to hide a powerful sense of disappointment and keeping her ears up and forward with an effort of will. I didn’t mean you shouldn’t do it ever! Oh, man, she’d thought he was finally reciprocating. She should have realized; he would never do something that blatant and sudden, and certainly not in public. He was fairly private by nature; if he’d made a move that strong it’d be in private.

She’d shoved the disappointment aside, into a mental box, and gone on with her day. Lero was visibly relieved that she’d excused his slip, completely unaware that she didn’t actually object to it in the first place.

Another blur, another shift. Goodness, it was cold here, colder than it should have been in the sun. Odd. She had the brief impression that the clouds were moving oddly, and they were sitting together again.

This next time was even more disappointing. She’d gotten even more touchy-feely with him, even going so far as to occasionally drape a wing over him, which was actually a fairly intimate gesture and had gotten her a couple of odd looks when she’d done it in public. Wait, disappointing? Nothing had happened yet. And shouldn’t he be snuggling a little more with the cold? He always did that...

She was lying with him under a tree in the park, her right wing covering his chest and belly and chatting idly, when his hand absently stroked her wing. The odd sense of confusion faded immediately, washed away by the immediacy of her friend’s presence. Again, she noticed how soft his palm was, and how flexible. The gentle stroke followed the line of her feathers, smoothing them down in a warm, comforting moment that reminded her of preening. She never let anyone else help her preen; most pegasi were fairly proprietary about their wings, and Rainbow was certainly no exception. This, though... it felt nice, actually, and she certainly trusted him not to disarrange her feathers.

Rainbow shot a look around, seeing nopony looking in their direction... for the moment at least. “Hey, big guy... Uh, careful there.”

“Hm?” He blinked, looking down to meet her eyes, his hand stopping in its motion, but to Rainbow’s mild elation not withdrawing.

“The wings, Lero.” She glanced around, biting her lip. “Um. Not supposed to touch a pegasus’s wings in public.” She really didn’t want to say it, this wasn’t like the last time, and this touch was way more socially acceptable than the last one had been. Some ponies did this in public, and few objected, but she wanted to make sure it was intentional rather than accidental, and he deserved to know what it meant.

He blinked, and jerked his hand away. “Oh, geez, sorry, it’s like the spot on your back, right?”

“Uh... not really.” She chewed her lip, bottling up her feelings. Aw, man. It was an accident. She almost wanted to cry. Maybe if I explain that it’s okay. “It’s... different. The sweet spot is a sex thing, the wings are more... I mean, it’s, well, sorta... intimate instead of sexy, I guess. Close, but not in a sex way. You know?”

He frowned. “I... see.” It was plain on his face that he didn’t.

“Look, big guy, it’s kind of a lover thing, that we shouldn’t really do out in public, y’know?” She put a slight stress on the words ‘in public’, hoping he’d catch it.

He nodded, pulling his hand away.

Part of Rainbow wanted to cry out, you could do that whenever you want to when we’re alone! She stamped that part back almost viciously, working to keep her expression unchanged. Shut up. She snarled at herself. You are why I keep screwing up. I am not going to let you mess this up, too. You are not costing me this friendship. She did kinda wish that she hadn’t said anything, though. That she could have just stayed there, enjoying the feeling of his hand on her feathers, letting that intimate feeling of connection deepen.

Lero didn’t pick up on her thoughts, though, to her crushing disappointment. This one was worse than the last; stroking her feathers like that did seem like the kind of display of affection he might plausibly show her, unlike the previous one. Allowing another to help one preen was a gesture that a pegasus only allowed to very, very close friends or lovers, and it was heartbreaking to have it snatched away like this. She almost, almost said something, but managed to stop herself at the last moment. The trees around her seemed to bend with the strength of her confusion and tension.

When they got up, she had to close her eyes for a moment to contain herself. She’d hoped. She’d so hoped that he’d finally noticed. This was so hard. But she refused to screw up again. No, it wasn’t going to happen.

They were supposed to have a hoofball game in a couple of days against Applejack and her brother. Rainbow was a little scared that she might do something stupid after it; she always got dumb when her blood was pumping, and she was feeling really dumb right now. Maybe Rarity was right, maybe she should do something instead of waiting. She had an astonishingly vivid flash of how it felt for his lips to brush hers, a brief teasing touch before his lips opened, letting her caress his tongue with her own. She blinked, shaking her head; she was getting ahead of herself.

She’d have to see what happened.

The pegasus frowned a bit. Wait, it felt a little chilly, and if it was cold enough that she noticed it, then it was pretty cold... why was nopony shivering? Celestia’s sun was high in the sky, it wasn’t winter...

“Hey, Lero?”

“Mm?” He turned to look at her, and things started feeling stranger, like this wasn’t supposed to happen.

“Are you cold, big guy?” She knew he got cold in situations like this. She could warm him up if he liked, draw him gently down to the sheets she could feel against her coat, gather him against her chest and wrap her wings around him to warm him up the way she always did, as he drew closer to her and she could see the walls of the bedroom and she let her eyes drift closed as his arms went around her...

Rainbow awoke.

The ache invaded her heart immediately. She hadn’t dreamed about Lero in a while. Hadn’t dreamed of how happy they’d been together. Oh, it hurt to be reminded of it, of how the aftermath of that silly game had turned out. How that day had turned into one of the happiest she’d ever had. She wouldn’t have traded those years for anything, no matter how much it hurt now.

The pegasus arose, getting out of the bed. Twilight’s large form didn’t shift; she generally slept heavily, when she slept; Rainbow had had to get used to sleeping alone again, which hadn’t been easy. Not tonight, though; maybe that’s why she’d had the dream. The winged unicorn put one wing over her head, murmuring sleepily. Rainbow didn’t try to wake her; no reason to trouble her. She loved Twilight, dearly, and a good thing, too. Twilight was pretty much all she had left; they’d lost Lero and Lyra to old age decades ago.

Or... was it centuries? Had it been that long? Time had gotten weird. It was hard to focus on it, probably because she’d just woken up.

Rainbow walked to the window, looking out into the night. It was cold. She’d always liked cold nights; it made Lero snuggle a little more. The thought was another little pang in her heart. She swallowed hard, just looking at the stars and trying not to think.

Oh, she missed him. She missed both of them. She missed them so bad, so much that it felt like a hollow, empty place in her chest where the rest of her herd had once lived. Where the little pieces of their hearts they’d gifted her had guttered out, never to warm her again. Nights like this were the worst, when she woke up from a dream like that. The worst. It made her forget the loss, just for a little while, and made it hurt all the more when it arose again. She breathed in slowly through her nose, trying to control the tears. She’d had practice. Lots of it, by now.

She’d figured it would’ve stopped hurting by now. It was always something of a shock when it came back.

She stared up into the stars, thinking, remembering...

And woke up.

Rainbow blinked.

Wait, that had been a dream? Woah. Woah. That was weird. It had felt so real.

It was cold, just like it had been in the dream, but the warm arm around her told her that the rest hadn’t been true. She could feel Lero’s warm body snuggled up against her back, her head pillowed on his bent elbow, his other arm wrapped around her body, his hand resting limply against her chest. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck, where his flat face was buried in her multicolored mane. She focused on it... this felt real. There wasn’t that weird distortion, that sense of dislocation. She could feel the time passing normally. Rainbow relaxed; this was real. She was awake this time.

The cold, lonely ache that the dream had left behind slowly faded. She brought a forehoof up to his hand, pressing it gently closer to her chest, feeling her heartbeat press against it and feeling his pulse through his soft palm. Rainbow could feel his heartbeat, too, slow and steady against the sensitive skin of her back. It was just the two of them in the bed; Twilight was visiting her family in Canterlot, and Spike was with her rather than being in his basket near the foot of the bed.

The pegasus reached back with one wing, hooking it under Lero’s shoulder and using the leverage against his arm to pull him a tiny bit closer, a gesture that was so easy and practiced she barely had to think about it. The human shifted with her, his arm tightening around her body and his face pressing into her neck as he snuggled against her. She heard him murmur something wordless in his sleep, his breath warm against the skin under her mane.

Rainbow felt her lips curl in a smile, the solid presence of her lover driving out the last wisps of lingering, lonely cold left behind by the dream, leaving warm, happy comfort in its wake. She cuddled back against his chest, letting her eyes drift closed again, and sighed contentedly. What the heck had that business with Lyra been? The mint-coated mare had started to make a few tentative advances toward their little herd, but she hadn’t followed up on it. Oddly similar to how Rainbow herself had acted in the beginning, come to think of it. But that deal with her and Lero dying of old age while Rainbow and Twilight just kept on going? No way that was going to happen. There was no way she’d outlive him by decades or centuries. And Twilight having wings?

Nah, that was crazy. Just a crazy dream.

Rainbow drifted back off to sleep, a smile on her lips, the memory of that... dream? Premonition? Whatever it was. The memory of it faded away completely, forgotten like any other fleeting dream against the backdrop of Lero’s warm embrace, and the love it kindled in her heart. She wrapped her wing around his arm, clasping it in a warm, companionable fashion and holding it close as her consciousness slowly retreated again.

Her other dreams would be warmer.