“Are we dating?”
Rainbow Dash has always been known to take things in stride. If you asked those who knew her best, generally it'd be touted as one of the brash show-offs more endearing traits. While there certainly were times when the pegasus was prone to jumping the gun, and she was known to let her pride and insecurities guide her in some situations, leading to awkward encounters and conflicts that could have been easily avoided if she had kept a rational mind about her, more often than not the aspiring Wonderbolt let things flow over her like water off a duck's back. She totally knew how to keep her cool, and always made it a point to come off aloof and unperturbed in most things. She had a reputation to think about after all, and not to mention that most things didn't really bother her much in the first place. So she could usually be relied upon to keep her composure and school all the ponies around her in the art of cool. Which Rainbow Dash was. Man, was she cool! Nothing bothered her or caught her off guard!
...Well, or so she thought.
The cyan mare with the multi-colored mane choked on her soda, having been taking a relaxed swig of the caramel colored beverage when her companion had chosen that most uncool of times to speak up and cause the liquid to go down the wrong pipe. Propping herself up with her free hand, Rainbow Dash quickly set the aluminum can to one side of the checkered blanket she laid upon and thumped her chest with the other, hoping the pounding could help her not die. That'd be really awesome, living. Yeah, she could go for at least another sixty years of that.
Her cotton candy maned companion had sat up when Rainbow Dash had, seeing as she had been resting her pink head on the cyan mare's chest before all this started. She smiled patiently, as was her default expression with Rainbow in the past three or four months. The bubbly pony with a penchant for parties gently rubbed her friend's back, between the shoulder blades and the wings, in the way that she knew Dashie liked, to help calm her. Pinkie Pie waited until the gasps and sputters died down, before wrapping her arms around the other mare's shoulders and embraced her, hanging from her as she was so fond of doing, looking into the rose irises of the fast flier with her own big blue eyes.
“Geez, Dashie, I was kidding when I said you inhale that stuff!' she giggled teasingly, her high-pitched voice a soothing noise in Rainbow Dash's ears. “Are you okay?”
Rainbow coughed lightly, and nodded her head, instinctively leaning into the pink one's embrace. Over the past several months, Rainbow had grown to crave Pinkie's hugs, whereas before she only enjoyed them. She felt her face flush a bit at the thought, and feel, of the large marshmallow-like feel squishing into her lean back, and she inwardly shuddered at how good it felt.
“Y-yeah, I'm fine, Pinks,' she shrugged, sounding like it wasn't a big deal that she almost died. “Nothing I can't handle, you know? A-anyway, what were you saying?”
Pinkie Pie smiled big. That's her Dashie! She cuddled further into the pegasus trapped in her arms, and nuzzled her neck in the process. Her smile widened a bit at the feel of Rainbow Dash shiver at her touch, freezing up, before quickly melting into the show of affection. She looked about them and took notice of the large, grassy knoll they were sitting on. The two of them had spent the day together, having a nice little picnic as they lounged under the shade of a large oak tree. Pinkie had made a special lunch just for Rainbow Dash, consisting of her favorite baked goods and several cans of her favorite soft drink, all for Dashie. The athletic mare had done her part and picked out a relaxing spot on the outskirts of town that they could just lay there and enjoy each other's company. Normally, Rainbow Dash would try and come up with something exciting or fast-paced for them to do, and Pinkie Pie simply enjoyed indulging her. She didn't mind, after all she was one of the few ponies around who could keep up with the flier, but she had requested a lazy day that they could just maybe nap and relax together. Rainbow Dash was never one to knock a good day of napping, especially after a long morning of weather duty, so she was cool with the plan.
Finding a good spot for the two of them to rest was easy peasy for the Dash, and soon enough they enjoyed a yummy lunch and quickly engaged in some snuggling. She wouldn't ever admit it, but Rainbow Dash had been anxiously awaiting the next chance she'd have to cuddle with Ponyville's premier party pony. They hadn't done it too much, but every time Dash found herself growing more and more fond of the experience. She didn't know why, it seemed pretty mushy and sappy to be too enjoyable, yet with Pinkie Pie it had slowly become one of her favorite things.
She turned her rainbow head to better view her best friend, and found herself lost in the deep baby blues that observed her with unashamed affection and admiration that made the Element of Loyalty blush slightly more.
“I was asking if we were a couple or not,' Pinkie chirped, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I mean, I think we're a couple, but I didn't wanna just assume because I thought we were and because we spend so much time together and stuff and the other day Rarity said we made a perfect couple and then Applejack asked when the wedding was and so I was confused because obviously we wouldn't be getting married if we weren't a couple already, right? But then I thought that was pretty silly sounding, because I don't remember proposing to you and I totally would've remembered something as super-duper awesome as you proposing to me, so I figured at the very lest we didn't become fiancee's, but that got me thinking about what exactly we are to each other? So, Dashie, are we dating? Because I think we're dating, but I wanted to consult with you first, because I would hate to ignore your feelings on the matter. Well? Whaddya think? Huh huh huh?"
Pinkie smiled big and wide, her baby blue eyes sparkling with anticipation and excitement as she leaned in close to Rainbow Dash, making the sleek pegasus stammer and blush as she tried to process all that was just dumped into her lap. Her jaw worked soundlessly, steam rising from her head. 'Wha-wha-wha-what is going on????' she thought in a profuse state of confusion and flabbergasted-ness. 'Damn Rarity and Applejack....Rarity I can let slide, she's been like that for like ever, after all and she didn't do too much damage or anything, but AJ I'm gonna have to get back at when I find a way out of this....ohhhhhhh she's gonna get pranked so hard!!!'
Swallowing hard, Rainbow Dash returned her attention to the beautiful pink pony clinging to her, staring up with that same innocent expression of affection. Shaking her hesitance from her mind and clearing her throat, the way past cool pony with the wings gently grasping Pinkie Pie by the shoulders and creating some distance between them so she could think up a good response.
"E-ehem, er, Pinks...what makes you think we're a couple?' she asked, cautiously. She figured it'd be better to start of slow and see what Pinkie was thinking about them, try to get something to work with.
Pinkie tilted her head, still smiling as her fluffy cotton candy mane bobbed about her shoulders. "Well, what make you think we aren't a couple?" she countered innocently.
Rainbow Dash cringed, sweating a bit. 'Curse you, Pinkie, and your alien logic!!' she cursed inwardly, and sighed to relieve some tension from her muscles.
"W-well....We can't be a couple, becaaaaaause....' the cromatic maned mare looked about her as she trailed off, trying to think. "W-we - we don't do the things couples do! Yeah, that's it!" She smiled, satisfied with her answer.
Pinkie Pie simply kept calm and smiled on. " Like what?" she asked.
Rainbow Dash was caught off guard. She blinked twice and stared back at Pinkie's unwavering gaze of love. "Uhhhhh.....' she retorted, a smart and clever argument to be sure.
"Hm?' the pink one hummed, patiently waiting for the cool pegasus to gather herself and give her some examples.
"Well.....like, couple's go out on dates and stuff.....they like, go to a movie..."
"We go to movies all the time together, Dashie..."
"...and they go out to dinner afterwards..."
"I really like it when you get reservations at that snooty place ,but I also like going to the pizza place too!"
"T-there's usually only one pony who pays for everything!"
"Hm...I can't remember a single time you've ever let me pay for anything...."
Rainbow Dash was starting to panic at this point. She didn't even really know why she was panicking at all, and at some point deep inside her, she knew she shouldn't even be fighting it so much. She liked Pinkie Pie. She liked her a lot! But, whenever she tried to admit it, she couldn't. She was never really good at expressing herself like that, it always seemed so mushy and unnecessary for so many years, that it's been such a big struggle to open up to Pinkie Pie as much as she had.
'What's the matter with me? It's not like I haven't ever thought about that before....like, the two of us and stuff....I really like hanging out with Pinkie Pie, and she really likes hanging out with me. I have a lot of fun with her and she makes me....happy. She makes me happy....Why shouldn't I tell her? C'mon you big idiot! You're Rainbow Freaking Dash! You're the coolest, most awesome and brave pony in the entire world! You can handle anything! You can totally handle admitting how your feel and giving being Pinkie's marefriend a shot! Just say those three little words. Three. Little. Words! You can do it!!' she thought to herself, psyching herself up and getting ready to own up. She was gonna do it. She was gonna ask Pinkie out!
"W-we haven't kissed! Couples kiss, so we aren't one. Because we haven't.' she stammered, mentally kicking her cowardly tail for copping out like that.
Pinkie Pie frowned for a second.
"Pfft!' she rolled her eyes. "Is that all?????"
"Hey!' Rainbow Dash couldn't help but feel a little offended for a second. "What do you mea-MMM!"
Her sentence was viciously interrupted by a tender, passionate touching of lips. One pair was soft, plump and sweetly pink, the other being slightly chapped and light blue. The earth pony wrapped her arms around the rainbow-haired mare's neck and pressed up tight to her love, working her mouth against the pegasus' as if trying to subdue her through smooches. Rainbow Dash saw bursts of pleasurable light flash through the back of her eyes as she melted against the ample bosom and delicious kisses of her friend. Time seemed to slip by at a snail's pace, almost losing all sense of meaning and existence, and Rainbow Dash was beyond okay with this. She had never felt so good before in her life. She had never felt so right!
Panting for breath was the athletic mare's first hint that the kiss had broken, the second being a strange sense of loneliness and loss. Pinkie Pie some how seemed miraculously unaffected by the lack of breath, and idly Rainbow Dash made a note to make her catch her breath next time.
"Huff...puff...' she panted.
Pinkie snuggled up to her Dashie, and smiled up at her with an expression that if Rainbow didn't know any better, she'd describe it as 'seductive'.
"So! Does that get all those silly excuses out of the way now, Dashie?" she chirped.
Rainbow Dash responded by breathing heavy, nodding a bit, and then staring at Pinkie Pie hungrily.
"Yeah...' she responded, before pouncing on her new marefriend.
"Oh! Dashie!~'