"Well hello there, young lady," a brown Earth pony was looking down at the rainbow-maned mare, whose expression was, as it stood, completely dumbfounded. Sizing up the pegasus, the stallion swiftly stepped to the side, sensing Rainbow's need to have him strictly out of her way. "My apologies, Ms. Dash," he said. Rainbow blinked, slowly registering that the unknown stallion probably recognized her as Ponyville's premier weather pony.
Regardless, Rainbow Dash mustered her courage and stood tall, her hair bouncing as she moved. Her eyes unfocused as some of it fell gracefully along her vision. Dash made a mental note that she was really unused to her mane even moving without gale force winds. "Uh, thank you?" She tried, before violently shaking her head as she cleared her words in her mind. "I mean! Uh, n-no problem," she stammered out. Thank you? He didn't do anything worth thanking! Except he did get out of her way quickly enough, so that was nice of him.
Still though, she was so not being cool right now. Giving him a sidelong glace, Rainbow Dash pushed past him swiftly and into the Library, her mind blank for anything else to say towards the unexpected interruption. Closing the door behind her, she exhaled long and hard, leaving the brown pony with a blank look and an awkward silence. Staring at the closed door, Rainbow tried to understand what was with all the ponies at the library today. Just what was up with Twilight's library all of a sudden? Ponies were coming in now more than ever to converse with the violet mare, and Dash was about to go into a mental tirade before the realization hit her. This was a library after all. Ponies were allowed to read books. Although, she relented, it was rather late.
"Phew, I thought he'd never leave!" The voice of her friend, Twilight Sparkle, reverberated behind her. Turning about, Dash couldn't see hide nor hair of her date. Stepping out from behind a pile of books, Rainbow Dash mentally and physically gaped as the form of her friend came into view. And what a form it was. "Oh! Rainbow Dash! You're here!" She smiled. She smiled brilliantly.
Rarity had spent no expense on highlighting every intimate detail of Twilight Sparkle. Her eyes popped, but only subtly. They would catch your eye in a crowd, her deep purple eyes being so easy to get lost in. Twilight's entire body had been brushed to perfection, and her mane was pristine. Even her telltale natural pink highlight fell free from her darker mane, accenting her coloration perfectly.
But what caught Rainbow's tongue was the simple, yet elegant dress which adorned the unicorn. Rarity had simply hit gold with this one. It didn't so much as cover her date as it was more akin to a shawl than a dress, freeing Twilight's body to move about without restriction. For a time, Rainbow was speechless, just taking in every intimate detail she could of her friend. It wasn't very long before Twilight's blush started to redden madly and she averted her gaze. "Rainbow...!" She breathed, almost too embarrassed to speak up.
Rainbow snapped out of her stupor and she shook her mane violently, unconsciously causing it to flow beautifully between it's colors. Twilight's eyes caught it and turned back, her own purple orbs being drawn in. Framed by the golden lightning bolt earrings, Twilight had a difficult time tearing her vision from Rainbow's rose-colored eyes. Her own cyan features starting to change into a cherry red, Dash coughed nervously. "Gee, Twilight, you look awesome," she complimented, trotting over to her friend.
"You look great too, Dash. You really cleaned up your mane - it's beautiful!" At her own admission, the red in their faces that had been disappearing halted it's retreat from Twilight's cheeks, causing Rainbow Dash to submit a matching rose-colored pair.
"I-iiiit was Rarity's doing. I don't know anything about that kind of stuff," the pegasus confessed, waving her hoof like it wasn't a big deal, her face and demeanor completely contradicting the motion. "I just wanted to look good for ou-" Rainbow's voice cracked, causing Twilight to smile and steal a giggle. Undeterred, Rainbow finished her statement. "Your first date," she smiled, giving off an air of confidence. Twilight walked up to her friend and nudged her playfully.
"Thank you, Rainbow Dash. It means a lot coming from you." Twilight moved toward the door, pushing it open. To the pegasus' relief, there was no surprise pony awaiting the pair on the other side for the first time today. Racing after her date, Rainbow felt a twang of awkwardness every time she tried to refer to Twilight as such. Date felt so... artificial. Twilight was her friend. Her good friend. Twilight Sparkle wasn't a date. She would be more than just a date. "So what did you have in mind, Dash?" Twilight asked expectantly, tearing Rainbow from her thoughts.
The question utterly confused the cyan mare. A plan? A plan for the date? Mentally cursing herself for using that term again, the pegasus felt an icy crawl along her skin as she realized that she had completely spaced on just what they were going to do. Dash had been so focused on just how she was going to ask the mare out, never even entertaining the idea of what they'd do if they did! Twilight noticed the silenced and soon looked back to Dash, who had the most quizzical expression littered on her face. "You... didn't have anything organized?" She asked, her eyes faltering backward slowly.
Sensing the danger in her silence, Rainbow Dash puffed her chest out. "Of course I do!" She lied. "I asked you, didn't I? I totally have a plan," the pegasus boasted, her mind moving a mile a minute. The feeling was a lot like back when she preformed a Sonic Rainboom. That unknowing rush as she came across that barrier, the thrill of not knowing what the next moment would hold for her... and she started to feel nervous - would she rebound off of it? She may have pulled it off... but her track record of fails verses successes were so low that Rainbow Dash quickly stopped the comparison completely.
However, Twilight seemed pleased enough in the answer, continuing along the streets of Ponyville. As the sun was casting it's late afternoon rays, Rainbow Dash silently tried so very hard to come up with something for the ponies to do together, her eyes stuck on the grass as she trotted along. What was it that she heard Applejack say at the party? Something about the hills? And candy? No, that wasn't right, that was Pinkie Pie. That mare was always about the candy, like she had some bottomless stomach for sweets. Rainbow's eyes lit up as it hit her - her stomach! Food!
Looking up, she saw her first boon - the simple restaurant that Twilight had visited shortly after visiting Ponyville. It was here Rainbow protected her from being rained on. Sure, she only did so because she was trying to butter up the unicorn to cough up that golden ticket she held unto, but even back then she really didn't want her friend to be rained on. As they were about to pass, Rainbow stopped and held a hoof out. "Ah, wait! We're here! First stop, some dinner!" She exclaimed, a bit loudly. Pushing open a small gate that led towards the restaurant. Rainbow considered eating outside, but the tables were facing the sunset, and the glare from Celestia's final rays would be too obtrusive for the date.
As Rainbow cursed herself again, Twilight halted and turned back around, her eyes tracking the cyan hoof toward the establishment. "Oh," Twilight mentioned, obviously mulling over some detail in her head. "Oh that's right, my books mentioned that dinner was a custom for dates..." She continued, causing Rainbow to playfully roll her eyes.
"Come on Twilight, I thought you didn't read into that kind of friendship!" Rainbow teased, the purple mare blushing slightly.
"Well, after Applejack and Fluttershy... I wanted to look into it more. It was so nice seeing them together," Twilight admitted, nosing the door open as she continued. "I wanted an idea of what it would feel like, to be with some special pony, that... well I guess I went overboard with the research."
"Overboard?" Dash echoed, before cracking into a smile. When it came to books on romance, she could only guess the amount of detail they all went into, but the idea of Twilight cracking open a book labeled Mares Romancing Mares: A Filly's Guide to Same Sex Relationships was too funny for her to contain, and she started laughing, her locks of multicolored hair waving gently at every giggle.
Twilight, on the other hoof, looked on in slight wonder as Rainbow continued, unsure of what to make of it. Looking at the maître d', she gave an awkward smile as Dash started to compose herself. "I'm sorry, Twilight," she choked out, rubbing a hoof across her eyes, smiling all the way. "I got the funniest thought and I couldn't contain myself."
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What was it?" She asked, genuinely interested.
Rainbow froze, before her face cracked into an awkward smile. "Oh, um, nothing too much, you know," she explained away, but the purple mare didn't buy it.
"Come on, Dash, that sure didn't sound like nothing," she pressed, putting a hoof up against Dash's shoulder. Dash's eyes immediately glued themselves to the end of the purple hoof, slowly trailing up and into the eyes of the lavender mare.
"Oh, well," she muttered under her breath, her mind slowly drawing a blank as she stared into those brilliant orbs. Dash started to feel a bit weak in the knees, and Twilight averted her eyes, Dash instead focusing on to that beautiful mane against her will and better judgment. From there she quieted off, so much that the unicorn had to look back at Rainbow, locking eyes again. She didn't hold the gaze very long, trying hard not to betray her own feelings. "I was... just imagining you - c-covered in books, you know," she trailed, smiling at the real image of what she imagined. It was a keeper.
"I'm surprised it took you that long to imagine me in an avalanche of books," Twilight said simply, before looking towards the increasingly impatient pony who waited on their command.
"Not exactly what a meant..." Rainbow whispered under her breath as she ordered the table for them. "Oh, um, two please," she smiled sheepishly, receiving a sigh and a 'right this way' from the colt.
"I guess what's more surprising is the comedy of me being crushed," Twilight chided, continuing her thought. Despite obviously unintending to, Rainbow felt bad about the lie even more that it painted her in a bad light. She just didn't want to embarrass her friend. Not to mention the pegasus didn't exactly want to admit she had spent the last week going over every single chapter of that same book she pictured Twilight engrossed with.
Taking their seats, Twilight ordered daisy juice cut with spring water, while Rainbow ordered something that sounded delightfully fruity. The two mares slowly got over any initial awkwardness as they simultaneously scanned and hid behind their menus. However, it didn't stop Twilight from quickly choosing something and placing the menu down.
The action surprised Dash. "Oh, what're you getting, Twi?" Rainbow asked, looking over the menu. Some of the names she simply didn't understand. A lot of these names mentioned something about sea creatures, but she found her way to normal food before long.
"Just a daisy sandwich..." Twilight said, looking about the restaurant, her eyes finally coming to rest on Rainbow Dash, who had a positively incredulous expression on her face. "Uh, is that bad?"
"A daisy sandwich? I've never seen you eat anything else," the cyan pegasus concluded, shaking her mane a bit. "Come on, Twi, it's on me. Please get something special," she pleaded, wanting her da-friend to get something to remember. Twilight sighed, slightly exasperated at the thought of looking through the menu again, but did as she was bidden.
As it turned out, Twilight didn't exactly order anything else, really ever. She had developed a rather menial taste selection, and Dash had expected differently of her. After they placed their order, they got into the discussion of food. "So wait, outside of hay fries, you don't eat anything else?" Rainbow gasped. "Don't you read, like, cook books? Live in Canterlot with all those fancy chefs and stuff?"
Chuckling, Twilight shook her mane. "No, I really don't read anything that doesn't immediately pertain to my studies. And I only ate fancy things with the Princess." Twilight put a hoof up to her chin as she recalled the foods that were often displayed in front of her. "There were so many things to choose from, I felt really overwhelmed by it all, all the time. I guess Princess Celestia saw uncomfortable I was with it all and soon we just ate daisy sandwiches all the time." Rainbow got lost in the image of the Princess merely deigning to eat such a fillyhood snack all the time were her prized pupil. Adorable.
Twilight, however, continued. "Besides, I tried cooking once and... well, my mom had to order a new set of pans." Rainbow let out a snerk, but Twilight pressed on, putting her head in her hooves. "And new flooring. The ceiling had to be completely repainted." Exploding with laughter really wasn't possible, that much ponykind was sure of. In their time with Pinkie Pie, the mane six knew it simply wasn't possible. And yet Rainbow Dash just couldn't contain her merriment and certainly made her attempt to do so as she fell to the floor in a fit of laughter.
Twilight, as well as just about every patron in the restaurant stared in a confused manner as the cyan mare burst out laughing. Giggling slightly, Twilight made no attempt to match the pegasus' guffaws, but she was thankful Dash was such a good friend, as such laughter from anypony else might of made her feel horrid about it.
Climbing back up to her hooves and sitting back at the table, Rainbow wiped off visible tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry Twilight, but you always keep... saying things that are just funny. You're a riot!" The pegasus's wings stretched out a bit, stabilizing the pony. The look on Twilight's face was a mixture of amusement and another emotion Dash couldn't put her hoof on. Knowing she should drop it, the cyan mare took a sip of her drink, flinching a bit as the hard flavor hit. "Whoo...!" She snapped back, her wings shooting out again in reaction. "That was stronger than I thought it was gonna be!" She chuckled, causing Twilight to look at her drink a moment.
"I guess I could have gotten something a little stronger, myself," she breathed, realizing her lightly flavored water was simply not up to snuff for a date. Rainbow shook her mane, once again batting her face with her now freely flowing hair. The normally snappy and crude pony was now finding out why Rarity was always so graceful when it came to her movements - the brash Rainbow mane was continually blocking her view. Blowing away softly wafting strands from her vision, Rainbow threatened the strands with promise of scissors and a second trip to Rarity's should they dare conflict with her unfiltered awesomeness again. Twilight looked up, smiling softly as Rainbow 'played' with her hair. "How often do you really care for your mane, Dash?"
"Oh, not too often - it's an awesome mane, I know, but I normally don't have much time between weather patrol, practice, and napping!" Dash said, somehow taking pride in all three. This elicited another giggle from Twilight, which fed into her ego well. "Oh, I got some totally awesome new tricks in mind, too. And some of them are actually developed to take clouds out with them! Two jobs in one!" Hitting a hoof to her chest, the cyan pegasus looked a sight - a beautiful mane, striking earrings... and a personality that didn't seem to flow with it at all. Still, Twilight clapped her hooves together, and soon they were served their food.
-----
The last rays of sunlight danced over the mountains in the west, falling over two ponies near Sweet Apple Acres who were walking under the apple orchards. This idea belonged to Twilight, who had quietly gathered that Dash wasn't one for planning, and suggested a walk through Applejack's farm - something Fluttershy had gone on for hours during one of Twilight's visits. As they trotted along, Twilight couldn't help but keep an eye out for the other two mares, wondering if she even wanted to run into her friends. Part of her wished to see them by the sheer magic of coincidence... but she rather liked being here, spending time with Dash, and only Dash.
"Hey Twi, wanna Apple?" Rainbow asked, looking above them at all the glorious red fruit. Twilight was plenty satisfied with her dinner, and politely declined. Dash nodded, unsure of what else to do. The pony was starting to get nervous again. Walking through the orchard was beautiful, but it was lost on the cyan mare as she berated herself for not coming up with anything interesting after the restaurant. For the past hour, the two ponies had toured some of the outskirts of Ponyville together, side by side, just simply seeing what there was to see that couldn't be seen from the sky.
Still though, she was still with her date... so that had to count for something. As the two walked on, they started heading up a hill where single young tree stood. It was too young to properly hang any apples, but that was just fine - it had filled out a large number of leaves even in it's young age, as if it knew that it was filling in some important roots.
Twilight approached the tree, smiling up at it. "Hello, there, junior," she called to the tree, her eyes sparkling in the sunset. Rainbow looked upon Bloomburg Jr., recalling the trip to Appleoosa quite well. The memories of her friend Little Strongheart caused her to smile, realizing that she just might be Strongheart soon, the way buffalo grew. "Hey Dash, look," Twilight's soft voice broke her out of her trance, and Dash looked from Twilight, following her hoof out towards the sun. The large sphere of orange and red finally descended the final meters across the horizon, bringing an end to Celestia's day. Dash suddenly felt a weight hit her side, as Twilight Sparkle leaned her head against Dash's neck.
Emotions welled up inside Rainbow, those of anxiety, fear, surprise... but the sheer elation of it blocked all that out. Carefully leaning her head on top of Twilight's, and being careful not to poke herself on the purple horn, Rainbow's head came to rest over the purple mare's.
The two stayed like that for awhile. It was a surprise for Rainbow when the unicorn that leaned against her shuffled her hooves a bit, as she had grown quite comfortable in their current position. Raising her head off of Dash, Twilight smelled the air. The time of day was twilight, her own namesake, and the pony in question seemed content. Opening her eyes, she turned to Dash, her eyes twinkling. "Thank you, Rainbow."
Dash raised an eyebrow, shaking her mane incredulously. "For what? I didn't do anything spectacular. I paid for dinner and we... walked. I made a mess out of something special for you!" The words came so quickly out of her mouth that as she soon put a hoof against her mouth. She hadn't meant to say that out loud. She hadn't even meant to think it. "I mean...." She trailed. No, there was no saving it. Her non-load bearing hoof dug at the ground sheepishly, but she felt a small sensation along her neck as Twilight nuzzled her gently.
"No, Rainbow. It was perfect," she said, turning her body as the moon came more into view across the Swayback Mountains to the east. Rainbow turned her head slightly, confused at how such a normal night could be anything close to perfect. Twilight caught her glance and smiled, lowering her head. "I'm not a very... romantic pony, Dash. Big gestures like you read in books or fantasize in filly school just don't... appeal to me, like they would a pony like Pinkie Pie, or Rarity."
"But... just walking Twi?" Rainbow asked, a small, soft smile breaking her visage.
The mare nodded slowly. "Walking and talking, simply... simply being together with somepony special." A blush rose into Twilight's cheeks again, prompting the pegasus to finally turn her body around and lean closer to her friend. Twilight again moved to look her friend in the eyes, her beautiful, rose colored eyes. "And right now, Rainbow Dash, you're the most special pony to me." Shifting slightly, Twilight's leaned against her friend, feeling the body warmth of her pegasus friend as Dash quietly lifted her wing up and around Twilight. "So... for me, this was a perfect first date." She smiled as she closed her eyes. "For both of us."
Dash gave a sheepish smile as Twilight made mention of Dash's own dating history, or more distinctly, her lack of one. She had generally kept her romantic life a secret, but it didn't surprise her that even with Twilight's lack of social norms, she could see that Dash was just as new at this as she was. "Twilight," she breathed, relishing in the moment. Her eyes drifted to Luna's night, a shimmering example of even though a thousand years could have left her out of practice, the princess could still deliver on her special talent.
Her special talent. Looking over at her cutie mark, she gave it a brief look before turning her head back. She loved flying. She loved racing. She loved the sensations of going fast, the idea of winning, the feeling of winning... Twilight was so different from her. She was well-read, smart, at times cunning and, as Fluttershy mentioned once regarding Philamina, fairly ruthless when it came fixing a problem. They were so different.
Sighing wistfully, she wondered what that meant. Opposites attract? There really couldn't be that many things the two ponies shared in common, but their different lifestyles could lead to long and varied discussions... but Rainbow wasn't much of a talker. She found that she had taken a deep breath somewhere along the line, and exhaled deeply and slowly, causing Twilight to move her attention off from the night. "Rainbow? Is something wrong?"
Rainbow tilted her head slightly, gazing at her friend. "I... think there is," she sighed.
"Well, spit it out," Twilight said bluntly, a laugh playing out. It was one of the few times Rainbow had heard her laugh blatantly throughout the night. It calmed her.
"Well, Twilight. I had a lot of fun tonight, but... I'm actually a little worried. I mean, awesomely worried. As awesome a worry can be, anyway," Rainbow rambled, trying to put off the subject as the purple pony elicited an eyeroll. "I was just... thinking. This is our first date," she cringed. She hated that term. "And I was wondering..."
"If we'd do another?" Twilight asked, putting a hoof to her chin. "Or... if this is our only one?" She let slide. Rainbow looked pained to hear her say it, but it was the worry on her mind. Was there enough there? "Rainbow..." She trailed, sighing. She made no effort to remove herself from the pegasus' side, and closed her eyes contentedly. "I think... no matter what. No matter what, I don't regret tonight," she said softly.
Rainbow smiled, her wing pulling Twilight closer to her. "I... Yeah. Yeah Twilight. I don't think I'll regret it either. Our first time out."
Twilight smiled. Somehow, as the next words fell out of the mare's mouth, it didn't feel wrong. It didn't feel artificial, either. Out of the unicorn's mouth, it almost felt affirming. "Our first date."
-----
Rainbow Dash landed in the Library, a saddlebag across her back, each side filled with different odds and ends. "Twilight!" She called, stamping her hoof down. "Everypony is waiting for you! What's the hold up?" The rainbow-maned mare shook her head, her mane longer than it used to be in the back, but the wild bangs that used to adorn her forehead were cut back slightly, no longer covering her eyes now that they were actually cared for. Rainbow scoffed slightly as she waited - everypony always thought she was the one who was always late. Sighing, she tapped a hoof against the ground as the sounds of stumbling emanated from above.
Twilight Sparkle popped her head out the study, looking slightly confused before her expression changed to that of dawning. "It's noon already!?" She cried, her head disappearing back into her room, where sounds of shuffling and general chaos trickled out from.
Sighing, the pegasus closed her eyes and shook her head. "It's only eleven, but you gotta be there early so we don't mess up! We're walking down the aisle together and I don't want to hold everything up by you not knowing which hoof to lead with!" She said, the other pony bounding our of her study. Across her own back was a pair of saddlebags, but unlike Rainbow's they were a bit less thrown together.
"Sorry! Sorry, I lost track of time and I forgot about the light rehearsal completely!" Twilight confessed, walking down the set of stairs below and pushing the door out into Ponyville. Rainbow Dash shook her head and bolted off the balcony and rejoined the unicorn below. "Oh, I hope Fluttershy will forgive me...!"
Rainbow Dash laughed to herself as she shook her mane. "Well, I don't think you'll be that late seeing that it's me who came and got you. I had a feeling you'd be off looking up something in your magic books. Besides, nopony will care once you're side-by-side with this awesome pony!"
Twilight sighed and shook her head, rolling her eyes at Rainbow Dash. "Really, can we stow the pride a little for now? This isn't your day. We're just there to offer our support," she chided playfully.
"I can't believe neither of us got chosen to be Mare of Honor. Not like the Dash would be caught dead with that kind of title," she muttered stubbornly, before getting a slight noogie from Twilight. "Hey, come on, I just washed that!" Rainbow cried mockingly, whipping her newly washed mane away from Twilight.
Laughing at the pegasus, Twilight's eyes sparkled slightly. "And here I thought you only washed your hair for dates."
"This is a date! Just not my date," Rainbow defended, before Twilight's horn glowed, unsnapping Rainbow's saddlebags and revealing Rarity's wrinkled work. "Not yet, anyway."
"While your hair is nice, I don't think the Mare of Honor will be thrilled that one of the Bridesmaids will be walking down the aisle with one of her dresses wrinkled like this," she teased, before magically pulling the dress taunt and working on ironing out the wrinkles. "Really, Rainbow Dash, don't you know how to fold a dress at all?"
"No," Rainbow answered bluntly, earning her a hard look from the unicorn. "Don't give me that, I'm sure you only know because you read it in some book!" The pegasus stuck her tongue out at the mare, the two reaching Sweet Apple Acres.
The apple blossoms rained down everywhere today, the various pink and white petals flowing around the air. It was simply perfect for the day it was going to be. However, one such petal landed on Rainbow's tongue as it hung out and stuck to it. Rainbow's expression changed to one of curiosity as she decided now was as good of time as any to test it how the petal tasted. Chewing and swallowing, she shrugged at the flavor, causing Twilight to merely laugh at Rainbow's antics as they approached a congregation of ponies, white tents pitched everywhere to provide the wedding parties with some privacy before the big moment.
Twilight and Rainbow Dash met with Rarity, the flustered dressmaker having taken the reigns of wedding planer along with the sacred duty of Mare of Honor, and she was positively running herself ragged. At this point the two knew they had to go their separate ways - Rainbow had to attend to the bride, while Twilight, entertainingly enough, was chosen as a groomspony. Pausing slightly, Twilight laid the dress gently along Rainbow's backside, smiling gently. "You know, Rainbow, I don't think it will be too long before we're both up there one day."
Blushing, Rainbow nodded. "I know. I know I love to race sometimes, but I don't mind not being the first one up there. I'm busy with the Wonderbolts some time out of the year, but ever since our first date, I knew I'd want to be up there someday."
Twilight nodded slowly. She smiled warmly at the memory of more than a year ago. "No regrets?"
Rainbow Dash laughed. "You sound as if you want a second date with the Dash! Not that I blame you," she boasted, before shaking her mane. "Nah, Twilight. Regretting isn't my thing. Besides, I think tall, dark, and handsome wouldn't be very happy with you if you went out with me again!" Dash poked Twilight's side with a hoof, forcing a maddeningly red blush to radiate from the purple mare's face. "Still though, Twi. No regrets here," she said, giving the clear answer Twilight fished for. The unicorn's face softened, breaking out into a smile.
"No regrets. Alright, Dash. See you at the ceremony!" Twilight said, heading towards Applejack's house.
Rainbow Dash smiled, nodding her head. As she trotted to Fluttershy's room, she stuck out a hoof. "See ya!" As she went, the cyan pegasus blinked away a single tear, glancing back as Twilight turned a corner around a white tent. Looking down at the blossom covered ground below, the Wonderbolt ignored the crowds of ponies around her as she forced her hooves forward toward her friend's tent. No regrets at all.