Physically, Rainbow Dash was feeling like a million bits that morning. The skies over Ponyville had been cleared, Cloud Kicker and Raindrops had gone the extra mile and tagged along for her morning workout, all in all things were shaping up to be, as Twilight would say, certainly fine.

Which was just perfect, because she had a lot of thinking to do. Sure, the minor burn of a good few flips, spins, and dashes helped clear her head, and the company for her usual training routine had been nice enough, but the topic on her mind today was heavier than usual. She had two questions that needed answering, and only two.

Am I really gay? And if I am, am I gay for Twilight?

Granted, there were other issues to consider, but she was nothing if not a mare with solid priorities. Flying over Ponyville to do one final check on all the clouds, Rainbow Dash considered some of the mares she knew and how attractive she felt they were.

Let’s see… I wouldn’t make out with Cheerilee, that’s for sure. I wouldn’t try to get hooked up with Fluttershy, I’d hurt her feelings on the first day. I’d drive Rarity nuts because I’m not as finnicky as she is, and Applejack would drive me nuts because she’s as stubborn as I am, so they’re out.

Her mind then drifted to the stallions in her life. I’d totally go out with Big MacIntosh, if he asked. I’d still go out with Thunderlane, and Twilight’s brother isn’t that bad-looking, either. Applejack’s got plenty of stallions in her family I think are good-looking, and none of the mares in her family really do it for me.

She shook her head in confusion. So why is Twilight the only mare I’d wanna be with? What makes her so special? Is it really just us being that much alike? But I had a lot in common with Lightning Dust, too, and Applejack. Twilight’s not the hottest mare in town, even if she is cute, so why Twilight and not them?

She sighed. Then a different detail dawned on her. Hang on. We’re all adults, aren’t we? And adults have some kind of sex life. Except I don’t, or I didn’t until Twilight helped me. Maybe that has something to do with it.

She found herself landing on a cloud -- one that was there with Weather Patrol permission, of course -- near Sugarcube Corner. She looked down at the crowds.

Let’s see… Flitter and Cloudchaser, they probably date stallions. At the very least, they masturbate. There’s Cheerilee, I can’t imagine she doesn’t stroke herself to ease off the stress. Then Derpy. Well, Derpy’s an adult too, she must have needs.

Her eyes wandered to a pair of friends. Lyra and Bon Bon, they’re together a lot. And Bon Bon is a lot less touchy when Lyra’s around, too. I wonder if they’re a couple, and Lyra just gets her off? They look happy together, at least. She shook that thought away. Get a grip, Rainbow Dash. Just because Twilight and you did it doesn’t mean every pair of mares in Ponyville is a pair of lesbian fetish nuts.

That brought the mental image of Lyra and Bon Bon dressed in rubber to Rainbow’s mind. It did not compute. Oh, horseapples.

There has to be a reason, though, doesn’t there? Everypony I know, every adult, knows what sex is, they had the same classes as I did. And they must have all masturbated at least once before they grew up. So why didn’t I? Why would I need somepony like Twilight to show me that? Am I special or is Twilight special? And in a good way or a bad way?

Her loins stirred at the thought. That was really nice of her, though, getting me off when I couldn’t do it myself. Shame it was over so quickly, though, that could’ve been a lot more fun than it was. She felt her face grow flush. Stay focused, Rainbow. She deserved every bite you gave her, too, and it’s still not okay what she tried to do to you, even if it was a turn-on. So why is it getting harder to stay angry at her? Sure, you don’t hold grudges that much, not usually, but that was kind of a big deal. There has to be a reason Twilight’s gotten under your skin while no other pony has.

What makes me different? What makes her different? You can figure this out, Rainbow, it’s not rocket science, it’s sex. Sex is physical, you’re good at physical. Just think why you never masturbated when everypony else has. It’s a normal thing to do in private, everypony does it. Cheerilee masturbates to buff stallions, probably, Pinkie Pie… is Pinkie Pie, no sense wondering about her, Rarity…. probably masturbates to pictures of royalty or something? Do they make prince porn at all?

She rolled over on the cloud, defeated by her train of thought.

Great. That’s just great. First I get so hung up on sex I nearly drive my best friend nuts with it, then I find out I might have the hots for my best friend when we have something that looks like sex, now every single pony I see looks like a compulsory self-gratifier. She pressed a hoof to her forehead when she realised exactly how she’d worded that in her head. And on top of that, Twilight’s been putting the Equestrian Dictionary in my brain.

“Rainbow Dash? Is that you up there?” A voice called out.

Rainbow flipped over and looked at the pony down below. Okay, maybe not every pony masturbates. At least, not for a few more years… I hope. “Hi, Scootaloo.” She flew down with a flourish. “What’s up?”

The filly flashed her a nervous smile, standing unsteadily on her scooter. “Umm, I was wondering if it’s okay if I came over to your place for the weekend? Like, tomorrow night and Saturday night?”

Rainbow Dash cocked her head. “You mean like a sleepover? With Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle?”

Scootaloo looked away and blushed. “No, just me. My parents have this thing to get to, and I was gonna ask Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle, or my grandparents, but I thought since you said you’d be like my big sister and all…”

Rainbow Dash felt her heart sink. Huh. Talk about awkward. I’ve been so wrapped up with the whole sex thing I’d almost forget all the things that aren’t sex-related. Maybe that’s why I never got into it before: I was just too busy.

Scootaloo looked up at the mare, anxious. “Well? Is it okay for me to come?”

Rainbow Dash did her best not to chuckle or drag the filly off to wash her mouth with soap. Kid, you have no idea how bad that sounds with everything that’s been going on. “Sure. You’re right, I did promise I’d take you under my wing, and it’s about time I did. I’ve got nothing planned, you can come over for the weekend.”

Scootaloo’s face lit up with a smile so wide it made Rainbow wonder if the girl had been taking lessons from Pinkie Pie. “Really?”

Rainbow Dash nodded, smiling brightly at her fan. “Sure. If your parents are okay with it.”

The filly’s smile evaporated. “Oh, they are. I’ll see you tomorrow then, Rainbow Dash!”

Scootaloo turned and took off on her scooter, rushing off towards Sweet Apple Acres and the safety of the Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse. She wiped her brow once she was clear.

“Hey, what’s the big rush? If you wanted to race, you just had to ask.”

Scootaloo looked to her right. Rainbow Dash wasn’t even breaking a sweat keeping up with her, just going at a casual high speed strut. The filly hit the brakes, nearly veering off with a loud screech before Rainbow extended a hoof to the steering rod to stabilise her.

Rainbow Dash frowned. “What’s wrong, Scootaloo? Didn’t you ask your parents for permission?”

Scootaloo gulped. “Yes, I did! And they said it was all right, honest!”

Rainbow nodded calmly. “Good. Then it won’t be any problem if I go over to your place and make sure. Where do you live?”

The filly groaned nervously. “No, you can’t. They’re really busy getting ready for the weekend, they have a ton of work to do, they don’t even want me to go in.”

Rainbow Dash folded her arms in front of her chest, hovering to look down at the girl. “Look, kiddo, if your parents know about it, fine, but I still need to hear they’re okay with you spending two nights at my place, from them. I’m not about to get us both in trouble just because you don’t want me to know who your parents are. What’s so bad about them that you can’t tell me?”

Scootaloo turned away and got her scooter pointing towards the apple orchard again. “Um, never mind, then. It’s not that important, I can sleep over at Sweetie Belle’s place.”

That got the gears in Rainbow Dash’s mind turning. Let’s see, she said her parents would be out for the weekend, but that doesn’t mean anything. The only place I know that’s closed then is… oooh.

Rainbow Dash scratched her head as Scootaloo revved up to leave. “Say, squirt? Before you go, can I ask you something?”

The filly froze with nerves, wings buzzing in anticipation. “Sure?”

“Scootaloo, is that your real name?”

The filly tensed up more, her ears drooped nervously, and her wings revved up like an engine, a tell-tale sign she was ready to bolt. “Err… yes?”

Bingo. “Uhuh. You know, if you’re not gonna come clean to me, I’m just gonna have to ask Pinkie Pie. And if you never made her Pinkie promise to keep things a secret, she’s gonna tell me. I never really thought about it, but you can’t have been named after your scooter. Your real name just sounds like it, huh?” Rainbow tried her best to keep a gentle smile up. All things considered, she wasn’t sure what would work.

Scootaloo sighed. “It’s a stupid name.”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “No, it’s not. It’s tradition, especially for Earth ponies. A lot of them are named after plants, so sometimes they name their kids after a fruit of a plant, or a seed, or a shoot. Which, I’m just guessing, would make you...”

Scootaloo groaned, defeated. Her wings stopped buzzing, seeing as escape wasn’t an option anymore. “Shoot of Aloe. You already kinda know my mom, she’s a spa pony.”

Rainbow Dash nodded calmly. “Okay, I’ll fly over there and get it all clear.”

The filly grimaced. “You’re not gonna laugh at my mom being so… frou-frou?”

Rainbow took off a slight distance and shrugged. “Laugh at your parents? Kid, I never laugh at anypony’s family; it’s not fair. I’m kinda jealous, actually: your mom can give you a massage after a long workout. That’s a pretty sweet deal for ponies like us, especially if you ever overdo it.” She winked.

Scootaloo nervously rubbed her head. “Well, it does help sometimes, kinda.”

Rainbow Dash flew up further, leaving the girl to her own devices. “I’m gonna go talk to your mom at the spa, then, make sure everything’s clear. See you around!”

“See you around, Rainbow Dash!”

The mare took off at her usual speed, still pondering. Wow. Even after what happened on that camping trip, she’s still scared of embarrassing herself in front of me. Guess I can’t blame her. It must be pretty scary trying to impress an awesome pony like me. I’d feel pretty embarrassed, too, if my friends ever met my parents. Well, except Twilight. I wouldn’t feel embarrassed in front of her.

She stopped in mid-air.

I don’t ever feel embarrassed around Twilight. Surprised, sure, but not embarrassed.

Maybe that’s why I like her more?

Twilight Sparkle fidgeted the whole train ride, her mind reeling with what had happened. When she finally arrived at her destination, she was no closer to an answer. Nevertheless, walking down the pristine boulevards of the Crystal Empire and taking in all the sights, she let her mind wander to the big questions at hoof in yet another attempt to find what she was looking for.

Am I an awful pony for trying to make Rainbow Dash my slave? Yes, that was horrible and I shouldn’t have done it. But Rainbow Dash can forgive me, just like she forgives everything anypony ever does to her. That’s just how loyal she is, I hope. That’s no excuse to treat her badly, though.

Am I an awful pony for stimulating her sexually right after she broke trance? Maybe. She asked for it, literally asked for it, and she needed it to get it out of her system. She didn’t object, she didn’t hold anything against me, she actually enjoyed that. The climax helped clear her head, or at least it should have, no reason to think it didn’t. And she did get even as much as she could.

Twilight idly rubbed her neck before continuing down the main road, the flesh tender just from thinking about what had transpired. And I liked what she did, too, at least when she was trying to be gentle. She didn’t know what she was doing, I barely knew what she was doing, and we both got some enjoyment out of it. It was a little too short and tense, but given the circumstances it could have been a lot worse. There’s potential there, at least. If we read up on it a little, we could… we could really have fun together.

Except I’m not into mares, never have been. I’ve seen plenty of stallions I like, I stroke myself just as much as the Equestrian Surgeon General says is average, and I’ve never thought about mares while I was doing it. Well, except when I started reading those books for Rainbow, maybe, but that was just to get the feeling of it right.

It doesn’t make any sense. Why would I be attracted to Rainbow Dash? She’s a straight mare, and so am I. I don’t even know what came over me, trying to make her my pet for real.

She looked around and found she had ascended the last step of a long staircase, leading her onto a balcony high above the streets. Her answers, or rather the mare who had them, walked over and gave her a warm, friendly, and most importantly, familiar hug.

Cadence smiled as she broke away. “Hello, Twilight. How’ve you been?” She led the way to a pair of cushions and a low table, where some of the local sweet treats had been prepared. Tea was already poured, and Twilight’s nose picked up on that rare aroma only her favourite blend had. Cadence took a bite out of a cinnamon bun, clearly a cue for Twilight to start talking. The lack of song and dance in their greeting only made it more clear to Twilight that she must have looked extremely worried, or that her old friend just didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable.

Cadence always did know when I didn’t feel like talking. Well, no use in delaying the inevitable. “I had a bit of an accident, actually.”

Cadence swallowed and let the bun float gently down on her dish. “Really? What happened?”

Twilight shrugged, making sure to keep her wings steady for once. “I snapped. I did a terrible thing to somepony very close to me, we had kind of a fight, and now I’m just so confused I don’t know what to think anymore.”

Cadence reached out with a hoof to keep Twilight from looking away. “Twily, did you hurt one of your friends? Are they still hurting now?”

Twilight shook her head. “No, nothing that bad. They’re okay now, I think, but… I don’t know why, but I’ve started feeling possessive about them and it won’t go away.”

Cadence narrowed her eyes. “So, wait. There’s a pony you feel should be yours, like property?”

Twilight winced and nodded. “That’s horrible, isn’t it?”

The pink alicorn held up a hoof. “And you wanted to be with them so badly you just snapped?”

Twilight nodded, keeping her eyes on the teacup. “Yes. I think I may have finally gone crazy. Everything just fell apart, and I didn’t even realise I was doing anything wrong until it was too late.”

To her surprise, Cadence squeed and made a face most mares reserved for when they saw a cute baby. “Oooh, Twily’s got a special somepony!”

Twilight recoiled. “Wait, what?”

“You’re in love, Twilight. I could practically smell it when you walked up the stairs, and you’re not exactly hiding it, either. You’re distracted, your wings have this cute little shake in them, I’ll bet you have butterflies in your stomach and everything.”

Twilight groaned, then formulated and immediately abandoned her plan to go suck on a can of insecticide just to check if that helped her feel better. “But I’ve started thinking of ponies like property! That’s awful!”

“Yeah, it is. And it’s perfectly normal for an alicorn who’s just ascended.” Cadence took a casual sip of her tea.

Twilight stared for a moment, then picked up her jaw. “Excuse me?”

Cadence shrugged. “When you ascend, or transform in any way, your consciousness changes, your wiring changes. The way some emotions affect you, it becomes more intense. All the different parts of you start talking more loudly. You’re still you, but you’re even more you than usual. And you, Twilight, have some… different ways of caring about somepony. It sounds like you just overdid it for somepony you love.”

She thinks I’m exaggerating. She thinks it was just a harmless little argument. This is the Smartypants incident all over again! Well, no point in breaking the illusion, I suppose. “But I’m not in love with this pony, that’s what’s confusing me.” I wouldn’t call physical attraction ‘love’, anyway.

Cadence chuckled. “Oh, really, Twily? So this pony you snapped at, it’s not somepony you’d want to be with, no matter what? You can honestly say you wouldn’t do anything to make them happy?”

Twilight looked away bashfully. Well, I do want Rainbow Dash to be happy. The whole reason we got in this mess was because I accidentally found out she was in pain. “Okay, maybe.”

Cadence stealthily rubbed her wings against her sides, a minor tic she used to have when things were going her way. “And do you get all giddy inside about being around them, maybe even nervous? Do you constantly want them to be impressed, more than you do any other pony?”

All right, I was pretty happy that one time I beat Rainbow Dash at the Falling of the Leaves race. And I can’t say I cared as much for what Applejack had to say about that. The first thing I did when I met Rainbow Dash was try and look as confident as she did. I didn’t want her to ever think I was a pushover, that’s for sure.

Cadence didn’t even wait for a reply; the look on Twilight’s face said enough. “And with the way you like things under control, do you try to keep that pony in line more than any other pony you know?”

Oh, no. Pulling her away when I thought she was mad at Applejack, all the times I tried to correct her when she misspoke, the Mare Do Well thing, I really do crack down harder on her. I’m even harder on her than I am on Spike.

Cadence kept up her smirk. “Are you absolutely sure you don’t have a crush on anypony?”

Twilight shook her head vehemently. “That’s ridiculous. None of those things mean anything. None of those things say anything about being in love.”

The pink alicorn chuckled. “Maybe not for other ponies. But I know you, Twilight, and everything you’ve told me so far sounds like you’re in love and you’re just scared to admit it. Think about it for a minute. You love dear Shiny, how do you act around him?”

Twilight bit her lip as she considered it. “I don’t do anything out of the ordinary with him.”

Cadence didn’t let up one bit. “You and I both know that’s not true, Twily. Every time he’s around, you’re checking if his mane is in order, if his fur is nice and groomed, if his armour is all shiny and hooked up just right. You always check him, you always meddle.”

Twilight looked away, embarrassed. “No, I don’t, I never do that.”

“Oh, not when other ponies are around, no, not when you might embarrass him. But you still did it at the wedding, even while I was walking down the aisle and nopony was watching him but you. And the rest of the time? Face it: you show you love somepony by getting finnicky over details around them. You get attached and you meddle, more than you do with just friends. You never did that kind of thing with me, and I’ll bet you don’t do that with your friends, either, but you do that for Shiny, because you are a lot closer to him. It’s part of who you are. Maybe becoming an alicorn made that part stronger for a little while, strong enough to go out of control for a pony you have a real crush on.”

Twilight groaned. “You don’t understand, Cadence. I have nothing in common with this pony, nothing. We’re friends, sure, but half the time I’m not even sure how we manage to stay friends. I don’t even know how I’m supposed to make up for it.”

Cadence gave Twilight a stern glance. “But is that because you don’t know or because you’re scared to look at it that way? And if they’re really that angry at you for whatever you did, why even ask for advice if it’s hopeless? It can’t be that bad if you still think I can help you.”

Twilight bit her lip. What am I talking about? I do have a lot in common with Rainbow Dash, I've known that for a long time, now. We both try to improve all the time, but we both like fun. She has the same drive for her tricks and flying as I do for reading and magic. “Umm… maybe you’ve got a point. But what am I supposed to do about it? All the things I’ve thinking about doing, it just feels wrong. You don’t even know what I did.”

Cadence chuckled before finishing her bun. “Really, Twilight, how bad could it be? How bad can you possibly be?”

Twilight flashed a nervous smile. Umm… worse than you might think?

Cadence sat back, thinking aloud. “And I suppose you never were the dating type, but whatever you’re thinking of doing, at least a part of you wants to just do it. Romantic dinner by candlelight, reading together, I’m sure you’d like that sort of thing if you tried. As for getting somepony to forgive you? Give it time, and make sure you understand each other. Accidents happen for ponies like us.”

Well, that’s just peachy. So me fantasising about pushing Rainbow’s muzzle into my marehood is normal, huh? Turning her into a doll, making her learn how to stimulate all my erogenous zones properly, using her as an experimental subject… oh, who am I kidding? I really would enjoy all that. And so would she, if I just respected her limits, which I would. “So just trust my instincts, then?” Twilight took a careful sip of her tea, trying to take all this information in.

Cadence nodded. “Trust your instincts. You’d be surprised how much you can clear up with just talking. And besides, if it turns out it was just a one-time thing, that doesn’t mean you can’t still be friends, right? If you both really want to, you patch things up and go your own separate ways without any hard feelings.”

Yeah, that’s true. Rainbow Dash has already had one relationship that had to end, and she’s still friends with him. She would be able to see the bigger picture.

Cadence leaned in and motioned for Twilight to continue. Twilight blinked, oblivious. “What?”

Cadence rolled her eyes. “How much longer are you going to keep me in suspense, Twilight?”

Twilight looked left, then right. “About what?”

Cadence chuckled. “Who’s the lucky guy?”

She couldn’t quite feel it happening, but the sudden ‘woosh’ sound of her wings snapping to erection made Twilight acutely aware of where the term ‘wingboner’ had originated, as well as why so many erotica authors had a marked fascination for the phenomenon. Uh oh, I didn’t think this through. Cadence knows me too well, she’ll guess what’s going on. And on top of that, I can’t think of any lies she might fall for. I can’t tell her I’m a lesbian, I can’t tell her Rainbow Dash is the pony I’m infatuated… aroused… attracted… horseapples, why is it so hard to tell what I’m feeling? And how am I supposed to hide this?

Celestia said I had the honesty of a princess now. Does that mean I’m as bad at lying as Applejack is? Think, Twilight, think! “Oh, it’s not a stallion you know.” Brilliant, Twilight, brilliant. Daring Do couldn’t have come up with a better line herself.

“Not gonna tell me, then?” Cadence smiled mischievously. “That’s okay; I can guess. I’ll bet it’s kind of a jock, huh? Really buff, or maybe really lean? It’s gotta be somepony who looks strong and fit, at least.”

Twilight went wide-eyed. “How exactly did you guess that? You’re not reading my mind, are you?”

Cadence took another casual sip of her tea, before digging into a slice of cake. “I don’t need to. I remember when we used to play, and what colts got your eye. There wasn’t much that could distract you, but it was there. You haven’t changed all that much, Twilight, not where it counts.”

Twilight blushed and let out a nervous sigh. “Okay, you got me.”

Cadence put a hoof to her chin, thinking and staring intently into Twilight’s eyes. “So it’s an athlete, or a workhorse, at least. Oh, you’re not dating that Apple stallion, are you? What was his name? The big red one, not much of a talker?”

“Big Macintosh? No, not him.” I don’t think he’d look quite as cute in trance, anyway. Besides, if Applejack didn’t kill me, the Cutie Mark Crusaders would try to get in on the act. She suppressed a shudder at that thought, albeit barely.

Cadence waved the remark away. “No, of course not. Your Prince Charming would have a blue mane.”

Twilight felt her ears flatten. Cadence just kept her smirk up. “I’m right, aren’t I? You’ve got a crush on somepony with a deep blue mane.”

Twilight clenched her teeth, then forced out a nod. “Yes, there is blue in that pony’s mane.” And red, and green, and yellow…

Cadence smiled petulantly, smirking to herself. “So… athletic, blue mane, anything else you feel like sharing?”

Twilight fidgeted in place. “Not really, no, and I’d rather not talk about it at all at this point, if that’s okay. I, um, I’ve suddenly got a lot more to think about. Promise you won’t tell Shiny about this?”

Cadence held up a hoof in front of her chest to swear. “I promise he won’t hear it from me, nor will anypony else. But if you can patch things up and it does turn out to be serious, you’re gonna have to bring that stallion along sometime eventually. If he can get under your skin like that, he must be something special.”

Yeah… that stallion, sure. Well, at least now I’ve got confirmation. Cadence didn’t even know I might be in love, and she could tell I was.

Maybe I should just face it: everything I’ve been doing, I’ve done because I want to be with Rainbow Dash. And doing all that, controlling her, I can’t remember ever feeling better.

Maybe it’s not the control I like so much. Maybe it’s just cutting loose and doing what I want. Maybe I just needed somepony I could share that with.

“You okay, Twilight? I’m sorry if I got a little too excited there. But hey, this is great, isn’t it? You’re finally getting a taste of real love. Don’t you think so?”

Good point. Apparently it tastes like a mare’s exertion sweat. And when you get right down to it, I don’t really have a good reason to think it’s wrong. We’re both adults, we can agree on some rules, and we both enjoy it.

We can be closer together than any so-called ‘normal’ ponies ever could, all I have to do is fix my mistake and own up to it. Rainbow Dash will understand, and even if she doesn’t, at least now I know what I’m in for.

For better or worse, I am a sexual dominant. Took me long enough to figure it out, but at least now I know.

Cadence is right. This could be the best thing I’ve ever discovered.

“I guess you’re right. Thank you, Cadence, I needed to get my head together after… well, the less said about it, the better.”

Cadence winced in sympathy. “Knowing you, I can imagine it's a little embarrassing. But it can’t be worse than the broom incident, at least.”

Twilight blushed furiously. “Nothing could be worse than the broom incident, no, so that’s something. Speaking of embarrassing incidents, how’s my big brother doing, training the Crystal Empire athletes?”

Cadence nearly choked on her tea, trying her best to look as royal as she could whilst simultaneously fighting back the tea determined to make its way out through her nostrils. “Oh, Twilight, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

Twilight smiled and shrugged. “Tell me anyway. You never know how long it’ll take before we get a chance to catch up without some threat to Equestria interrupting us.”

Author's Notes:

Oh, the foreshadowing in this chapter. The idea for Scootaloo's name came from arcum42, and no, Scootaloo will not be hypnotised next chapter. I had intended to do a scene where Scootaloo flies because Rainbow Dash puts her in trance and that forces the girl to tap into all her magic, but I cut it. I didn't cut it because it was too close to foalcon, 'coz I'm weird like that, but rather... I cut it because I'd done it already.

No, I'm not referring to that one chapter in that other story that was kinda popular (seriously, why?), I'm referring to my former magnum opus: the Flight Camp fic. I've already done Rainbow Dash using hypnotherapy, this story didn't need it again. In hindsight, I wouldn't have even included Scootaloo if it wasn't a necessary inclusion for Rainbow's daily life. It's getting stale and formulaic (not to mention some accusations), but at least here's it's for a reason. The point is to show that despite everything, Rainbow Dash still keeps her job, and she's still expected to perform normally. So obviously, the conflict's going to be between those two lives.

Honestly, I'm writing this the same way I wrote Flight Camp, and I'm running into the same problem: I know the final scene, but right now I've run out of key scenes in between. All the significant, carrying scenes and ideas have been jotted down, but there's a lot that still needs to happen to get to the end. So it may peter out slightly. At the very least, it needs more sex scenes. I still haven't written enough of those to keep this under 'clopfics'. At least three angles come to mind, here's hoping they work.

I also want to point out the question of lesbianism isn't due to prejudice, but identity. There's not going to be any overt gay-bashing in this fic, at most it'll be some apprehension. The tension isn't coming from persecution, it's just the insecurity of being something you didn't know you were and in fact know nothing of. Twilight's reason for the crush just seemed like the normal thing to go for, I don't know what the fandom dictates on that. Basically, this chapter is where Twilight gets her head around how she's feeling. Next chapter is RD doing the same and the confrontation. Then it's the epic three-parter of hilarity, and I do hope I can keep writing, because this story's getting harder and harder to do right.