//------------------------------//
// Only For Tonight 
// Story: Twilight's List 
// by kits 
//------------------------------//

“Hey! Hold the door!” Twilight called towards the pimple-faced colt in the red cap. Reversing directions, the colt nearly tripped over his too-long legs as he stopped the double doors from closing. His muzzle curled up into a dopey smile as he watched the pair of mares trot up to theatre’s steps.
 
The youth tried to hold open both doors, but with the stops removed, there was no way he could manage it. A back leg kicked out as his neck shot forward. Both mares winced in sympathy at the loud crack as the door impacted his head.
 
“Are you okay?” Twilight asked. Dash’s flank tingled, the hairs of her coat standing on end as she let Twilight slip ahead of her.. The uneven and narrow steps made it hard to run in tandem and they’d have to separate to go through the single pony wide doors in a second or two anyway. She’d wanted those seconds.
 
Dash pulled up short behind Twilight as her friend, her date, helped the usher back to his hooves. She was short of breath, which was a bit worrying. Keeping just ahead of Twilight had been more about going slow enough for the egghead to keep up with her. Trotting to the theatre hadn’t even been a mild workout. Still, it was an effort to steady her breathing and slow her heart.
 
Grabbing the flower, that had been genius, one hundred percent pure awesome. The ensuing chase had let her vent some of the nervous energy she had been building up. It must have been because she hadn’t gotten in a practice flight today, nothing to do with Twilight. No pony would blame her for being a little nervous about going on a date with the smartest pony in Ponyville. Ms. Magicpants herself. A Date. Okay, maybe Twilight had something to do with it.
 
She was still wrapping her head around the fact that this was a date. It had almost happened too fast. “Almost” because there was no way anypony, let alone Twilight, was faster then her. The edges of her mouth curled as she remembered her line, “A different kind of show.” That had given her the upper hoof again, stealing the lead back from Twilight. That mare had almost as much daring and dash as she did.
 
Twilight had finished helping the colt to his legs. She said something that Dash had missed, but she didn’t miss the look of surprise and adoration on the colt’s face. She had seen similar looks directed at her many times in the past by ponies awed by her tricks. Evidently, he knew Twilight from somewhere.
 
It shouldn’t have surprised her. After all, Twi had lived in this city for years before moving to Ponyville and asking the Rainbow Dash out on a date. There were any number of reasons he could have known Twilight. Simple, innocent reasons. Dash knew this, yet here she was, stalking towards the youth, ready to knock his muzzle right off of his face. Fighting back the urge to do something she’d regret, she cut between the two of them, blocking his line of sight. “Come on, Twi,” she said, giving her date a quick nuzzle. “We’ve got to get our seats before they kick us out.”
 
The theatre had seen better days. Loose fabric, moth-eaten and gauzy, hung hastily tacked over the rough stone. A scant two-dozen ponies sat on benches designed to seat a hundred or more. Small dots of light along the eastern wall drew her attention. What was that?
 
She followed Twilight to a single large cushion and took a seat beside her. The little dots of light continued to hold her attention, and she tried to trace them back to a point of origin. It was then she noticed the ceiling. The circles of sunlight were being let in by numerous small holes along the edge. In Ponyville, such a roof would leave the home it protected vulnerable in the first good rainstorm. Maybe here, in the heart of Canterlot, with no farms to irrigate, the weather teams simply never let it rain. Maybe she could find one and ask? Or maybe...
 
“Hey Twilight,” she nodded towards the roof, “don’t they have rain around here?”
 
Twilight opened her mouth to answer when the lights went out.
 
What had gone wrong? Suddenly her heart was racing, almost as fast as it had been back by the alley. She jumped to her hooves in one fluid motion, her wings snapping open in a rush of displaced air to cup protectively over the still seated unicorn. As her eyes scanned the sudden darkness, she wished the holes in the roof were bigger. Every muscle in her body was taut as she prepared to throw herself at whatever creature dared intrude and try to ruin her date.
 
The floodlights snapped on, their harsh glare blinding her momentarily. She felt a hoof on her back and heard a soft giggle. “Oh, Dash. I appreciate the sentiment, but I think I can handle a stage curtain and some floodlights.”
 
Rainbow relaxed, allowing Twilight to lead her back down to the cushion. “Heh, sorry about that, Twilight. Guess I was surprised.” She was sorry, sorry that her awesome display had been for nothing. Had it been a dragon or a griffon army or a pack of apes invading the theatre, it would have been awesome.
 
“Well, it’s the thought that counts,” Twilight said, nuzzling the side of her neck. “The worst danger we’ll face tonight is probably going to be a bit of bad acting.” Twilight looked a bit worried at that.
 
The play began with no real surprises. They both remembered this book, Dash because she had torn through the entire series less than a week previous and Twilight because she rarely forgot something she had read. The fact that this was the first public play these students had put on was immediately apparent. Lines occasionally were forgotten and cues missed.
 
Still, she was enjoying herself, gasping when the jungle guide turned out to be an employee of the evil Dr. Risotto, cheering when Daring escaped from the sand trap, and laughing when the filly playing her favorite fictional hero remembered her sarcastic quips. She could forgive the occasional missed cue; the colts and fillies putting this on didn’t stop and stammer over their mistakes—they pressed on through.
 
“Bad acting definitely,” mumbled Twilight. She pulled her legs in closer and gave a small shudder. “And it’s cold.”
 
Pegasi didn’t get cold like other ponies. Maybe it was the thicker coat, or faster meta-ism or whatever, but it was true. At least she didn’t get cold like other ponies. She tuned the play out and looked over to her date. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness around them, she noticed that Twilight didn’t seem to be having much fun. Twi’s mouth was set in a frown and that spot on her forehead between her eyes was creased. Dash vaguely noted a repeated line but paid it no attention. Twilight’s eye twitched.
 
She nosed Twilight. “Hey, Twi. You okay?”
 
Twilight lifted her head to smile at Dash. It was far too big and Twilight’s neck muscles stood out with the tension of holding the fake smile in place. “Oh yes! Yes! Everything is fine.”
 
Dash just stared into her eyes. Twilight’s smile began to falter. She glanced to the left and right, but nothing could be seen apart from the illuminated stage. Finally she dropped her rictus and rested her head on her hooves. “No,” she let out with a pout, ears drooping. “I wanted tonight to be special and fun and wonderful, but instead I took you to a half-baked amateur production filled with kids who only get their lines right half the time.” Twilight hid her face in her hooves. “I promised you a great time and I’ve completely let you down. You probably hate me now.”
 
Dash rolled her eyes, even if Twilight couldn’t see. “Don’t be silly, Twilight. I’m having a great time. So what if they’re not perfect, you just got to enjoy the good parts...” She nosed Twi again, making the silly unicorn look at her. She smiled into those quivering eyes. “...and forget the bad. Besides, even if this were the worst thing I’d ever sat through, I don’t think I could hate you.” She waved a hoof. “You’d have to ground me for a week before I’d even want to try.”
 
A hesitant grin spread across Twilight’s face.
 
“Now, do you have anything that’s really wrong?”
 
Twilight sniffed once and brushed a tear away with her fetlock. She nodded slowly. When she spoke, her voice was very soft. “I’m cold. I guess I should have let Rarity give me that blanket.” Twilight gave a half-hearted chuckle.
 
Dash smirked. “Pfft! A blanket!” Her eyes glinted, reflecting a special effect of some kind from the forgotten play. She could see her own face mirrored in Twilight’s eyes. “I can do way better than that.” She lifted her wings and began scooting closer to Twilight until her flank pressed against the other mare’s.
 
“Rainbow Dash, what are you-?” She didn’t need to complete the question. Rainbow laid her wing across Twilight’s back. She tensed her flying muscles, fluffing the soft down that lined the underside of her wing all while keeping eye contact with her date. A few final squirms to get comfortable and a squeeze of her extended limb to press Twilight’s rump closer to her and she had supplied her purple companion with a blanket that not even Rarity could hope to compete with.
 
“Better?”
 
Twilight nodded. Of course she was better.
 
“So now that you’re watching a show that’s at least seventy-five percent awesome and have a blanket that’s one hundred percent awesome, you have no choice.” She closed her eyes and nodded once. “You totally can’t not have an awesome time.” She cracked open one eye to look at Twilight, but a flash of light from the stage drew her attention. “Oh I love this part!”
 



 
Rainbow smiled as Twilight burst out laughing. The villain’s evil ploy had been turned against him at the last second by the plucky little colt with the accent. Dash let out an excited whoop as Daring swooped in and saved the captured stallion from certain doom at the hooves of the crazed cult. The fact that one of “Daring’s” papier-mâché wings had fallen off or that the captured stallion had had to catch her was immaterial. Awesome had triumphed over evil.
 
Twilight jostled her, trying to stomp her hooves from her prone position. She wasn’t going to complain; it was great to see Twilight laughing and enjoying the play instead of dwelling on the small screw-ups. The kids on stage had spirit, and they had spunk, and now Twi could see it too. It had only taken a few words and reassurances from the most awesome date ever to help Twilight have fun.
 
The bad guy was captured and the village of donkeys was saved. As the curtains came down on the final act of the scene she stood part way and stretched. Her front legs reached forward, and her feathers trembled as she strained against herself. She groaned a little as her wing joints popped, relieving tension she hadn’t even known was there until it was gone.
 
The play had been pretty fun and awesome in its own right. So what if a bunch of older ponies could’ve put on a better show? Something about seeing Twilight enjoy it too had taken the night beyond fun and into the realm of amazing.
 
Twilight stood. Dash watched her girlfriend—she could use that term, right?—step forward, stretching her rear legs in the most distracting way. The motion did interesting things to her cutie mark, really interesting things. Dash shook her head; she was not going to get caught staring no matter how interesting it was. She continued to watch out of the corner of her eye as Twilight finished working the kinks out.
 
Springing up to her hooves in one motion, Dash exclaimed, “That was pretty awesome, Twilight!” She bumped her shoulder into Twilight’s, enjoying the feeling of her coat brushing against her date’s.
 
Twilight’s ears perked up, and she smiled at Dash. “Oh! I’m glad you thought so, Rainbow. I was a little worried for a bit.”           
 
The curtains parted again, drawing Twilight’s attention away from her. The cast had come back out for a bow. Both of them were able to applaud much louder now that they were standing. The other ponies in the audience stomped just as loud as the two of them, creating a rolling thunder that filled the little theatre. The cast bowed one last time before disappearing. The floodlights turned off, and the house lights turned back on.
 
Dash blinked and took an involuntary half step back at the sudden increase in illumination. Had it really been this bright when they came in? Ponies began filing out. Had the room been full, Dash would have sprinted to be one of the first ponies out of the door. She almost did anyway, on the mere principle that being first was best, but Twilight couldn’t follow as quickly. Not only would it be uncool to leave her, she really didn’t want to be apart from her for the minute it would take the unicorn to catch up. No reason to let that stop her from getting some air. With a quick stroke of her wings, she shot into a small loop. Being off the ground felt good. She hovered a few hoof-lengths off of the floor instead of landing and she relaxed, letting her entire body hang from her wings and let out a happy sigh.
 
Twilight giggled. “Too long sitting, Rainbow?”
 
She laughed. “Yeah, something like that.” She wanted to say more, that she would totally do it again, that it had been one of the most awesome two hours she had spent on the ground. She didn’t get a chance to before her stomach let out a loud growl. She ignored it, making that an awesome growl and not embarrassing at all. Being cool without seeming to care, that was awesome. Too bad Twilight didn’t notice.
 
Twilight giggled again, louder this time. “Yeah, I guess it was a bit longer than I thought it would be.” Twilight raised her muzzle and the corners of her mouth turned up into a satisfied smile. “Good thing I already planned on dinner.”
 
At the mention of dinner, Dash’s stomach growled again. She ignored it. “Awesome, Twilight. I guess I could do with a bite or two.” Or ten.
 
She had to land to make it through the doorway and then she was outside. Outside, under the open night sky. She looked skyward and felt drawn towards the stars and full moon. Night flying was always relaxing, but she seldom got to do it. Early to bed and late to rise and all that. She had to fight to keep her suddenly trembling wings from snapping outward and rocketing her off into the darkness. She didn’t want to leave Twilight behind. That, and she really was pretty hungry.
 
She should have been paying more attention to where she was walking. One minute she was trying very hard to think about hunger and not at all about how nice it would be to take off and do a few tricks around the city, the next she could only think about how Twilight’s hip was a lot harder than it looked. “Oof! Sorry.” When the mare didn’t respond, Dash reached out and tentatively poked her flank. “Twilight?”
 
Something was wrong. Twilight’s ears drooped down the side of her head, her front legs were locked straight and her pupils were small as she stared out across the street. Dash quickly looked over towards whatever horrible, unspeakable evil had rendered Twilight speechless. She didn’t get it. There were only a few ponies lingering after the show, several tables, and a few closed shops. Her eyes narrowed. Maybe it was ninjas, or ghosts, or even ghostly ninjas. “Where are they Twilight? Point me at ‘em.”
 
Twilight jumped at the sound of her voice. “What?” Twilight shot a confused glance at her. Then she did the weirdest thing, even for Twilight. She hung her head and muttered, “I’m so sorry, Rainbow, I–”
 
She crept closer to Twilight. “What is it?” she asked.
 
“My dinner plans. I–” Twilight took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. As she exhaled her head lowered towards the ground until she was nearly resting her muzzle against it. Her voice was low as she spoke. “I was going to take you to a little cafe an old friend told me was the perfect place for a first date.” She lifted a hoof to point at the store with all the tables out front. “But it seems they’re closed. I’m sorry I ruined the date.”
 
She bent down to try to catch Twilight’s eyes. “Hey now, you didn’t ruin anything. Like the play, remember? Focus on the good stuff, ignore the bad.” Twilight sniffed and allowed her eyes to meet hers. She smiled at Twilight. “Come on, anywhere will be fine. As long as we’re together it’s still the best first date ever.” Twilight’s mouth curled up a bit at the edges. “Now, we can stand here until one of us falls over from hunger–” her stomach growled again, voicing its opinion on just who would collapse first “–or you can name a place and we’ll go.”
 
“The only place that I know is open is Joe’s, but–”
 
“Perfect!” She cut Twilight off before the unicorn could say anything else silly. So her plans didn’t go exactly as planned. Improvise! Experiment! Her mouth curved up into a smile as an awesome idea formed. She spun in place, facing away from Twilight and crouched low to the ground, wings flared wide. “Hop on. I think I know the way.”
 
Twilight’s eyes widened and she snickered as the unicorn’s entire face flushed rose. “Come on, Twilight.” Her tummy rumbled additional encouragement. She flicked her tail, snapping the tip lightly against Twilight’s nose.
 
“But... I... you...”
 
“Come on! It’s not like I haven’t carried ponies before.” Dash rolled her eyes. That pony could be so strange sometimes.
 
Twilight nodded, her cheeks burning bright as she climbed on her back. She closed her eyes, reveling in how soft Twilight’s coat felt, like one of Rarity’s dresses. Twilight’s front legs wrapped gently around her neck. This would only be better if she could see the look on Twilight’s face.
 
“Okay, Rainbow.”
 
She could feel Twilight’s breath against the back of her ears. Suddenly she was glad Twilight couldn’t see her face; from the burning in her cheeks and muzzle, she was blushing as much as Twilight had been. She coughed. “Okay, hold on and mind the wings.”
 
She pushed off from the ground and pumped her wings hard. Take off was always the hardest part when carrying somepony else. Twilight’s legs tightened around her neck and she heard, and felt, a soft gasp. Dash’s eyes narrowed. She had just had the best idea ever. Instead of the leisurely glide she originally envisioned, she’d give Twilight that show—that air show—she had promised back by the alley.
 
Her wings burned as she sped higher into the night sky. The legs around her neck tightened as they ascended. Up she went, until the air began to taste dry. She halted her ascent once she was level with the peaks of the mountains. Small puffs of white came from her mouth as she panted. The cool air only served to make Twilight’s warmth so much more enjoyable.
 
She smiled as she fixed her gaze on the white speck that was Canterlot Castle.
 
“Rainbow Dash, what do you think you’re doing?” Twilight’s voice shook with more than the cold.
 
“You might want to hold on, Twilight,” she called over her shoulder. “You’re in for one wild ride.” She began tipping forward. This was gonna be so awesome.
 
“Wait, Rainbow!” Twilight pleaded with her, halting her. “I don’t know if I can. I’m scared.”
 
Rainbow Dash froze. Twilight was afraid. What was she doing? Of course Twilight was afraid. How would she feel if she were dragged up here without wings? She felt tremors from her passenger. She had done that, it was her fault. “Nice going, Dash,” she muttered to herself.
 
She tilted her head back and to the side until she could just make out the top Twilight’s head in the corner of her eye. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I guess I didn’t think again.” At the sound of her voice Twilight’s head lifted. “I mean, you’ve shared so much with me these past few weeks.” She felt the trembling subside a little and the legs clamped around her neck slacken a tiny bit. “I can’t even imagine not reading now. I guess I just wanted to share something with you. Something that matters.”
 
For seconds the only sound she heard was the beating of her own wings and the thumping of her own heartbeat. With no response, she admitted defeat. Her ears drooped as she said, “I’ll just– I’ll just take you down now.”
 
She began to descend slowly, letting gravity pull her hooves first towards the waiting ground.
 
“Okay,” Twilight whispered. Her voice seemed strained. “S-show me.”
 
Dash’s ear perked up and her eyes went wide. “What?” she asked.
 
“Show me your sky.” Twilight’s voice was stronger now.
 
“Twilight, are you sure you want to do this?” She felt a muzzle rub up and down on the back of her neck. “Then you should really hold on tight.” The legs around her neck tightened. “Twilight. You’ve got four legs.”
 
Twilight giggled nervously. “Oh, sorry.” Twilight’s voice had regained most of its usual cheer and bubbliness, but she didn’t miss the small tremor that ran through it. She’d have to keep it simple. Her muzzle split open into a large grin as she felt Twilight’s rear legs wrap around her hips. This was perfect. “Here we go!” she shouted as she tipped forward.
 
Straight towards the ground the two plummeted. She helped gravity speed their fall with several pumps of her powerful wings. The wind pulled her mane and tail back and pressed her cheeks out wide. The legs around her tightened and she felt Twilight’s head press against her neck and her warm breath under her mane. “It’s no fun if you don’t look,” she shouted. Her words were probably snatched about by the wind, but she could hope Twilight could hear them.
 
She felt the muzzle pressed into the back of her neck move, pulling away ever so slightly. Up it slid, sending chills down her back as it traveled along. She could feel Twilight’s breath against the top of her head.
 
“Oh Celestia!” Twilight cried, her legs gripping Dash harder.
 
Dash couldn’t hear Twilight well enough over the roar of the passing wind to know if the mare was scared or excited. Her passenger’s breath continued to warm the top of her head. Either Twilight was enjoying it or the closing ground had frozen her solid with fear. She started into the first, and what could be the last, trick of the ride.
 
She began pitching up in a smooth curve, the force of the turn pressing Twilight hard against her. Rather than leveling out, she continued the maneuver, pulling the turn into a simple loop. She kept the loop tight, using its force to keep Twilight in place. It cost her a lot of speed, more than she would normally be happy with, but with the roaring of the wind lessened, maybe she’d be able to hear Twilight. As the loop came to an end, she dove once more, but slower this time.
 
Twilight was shaking or convulsing or something, but if her passenger was saying anything, she couldn’t hear. Straining to pick up some sound, some proof that she hadn’t ruined the joy that was flying for Twilight, she began a series of S-shaped turns, rolling so that Twilight stayed pressed against her. She could almost make something out, if she could only hear a little more.
 
Laughter. Twilight was laughing. A weight lifted itself from her heart. Twilight liked this. She liked flying! She too began to laugh as she started a second loop, this one much smaller and faster.
 
Twilight began to cheer. It was the best sound Dash could imagine. Through turns, corkscrews, and tight switchbacks she flew, always mindful to keep Twilight firmly pressed against her, but no longer worrying about scaring the unicorn. Trick after trick after trick she performed, a dizzying array of them. This was flying. Despite how simple the routine was, despite the fact that she was traveling at such boring speeds, this was what it was all about. Twilight’s cheering and joy mirrored the way she felt every time she took to the skies.
 
Her heart was hammering in her chest as her hooves touched down on the cobbles of Canterlot. She hadn’t done any of her tougher routines and this session was hardly more than a warm up, but there was a warm feeling in her chest. It was the same feeling she got after pulling off a new trick, or when she beat Applejack in a race, or like the one time she’d beaten Pinkie Pie at tic-tac-toe. She hadn’t done anything especially praiseworthy, but she had that giddy, trembling feeling throughout her body that told her that she was awesomeness incarnate. Her cheeks were beginning to hurt from smiling for so long. When had she started? Whatever, her cheeks hurt but she couldn’t stop smiling.
 
She felt Twilight slide off her back and heard hooves clack against the cobbles. Weight lifted from her and the night air raised goosebumps against her back. Her coat retained much of Twilight’s warmth, but already was beginning to become disappointingly cool.
 
“Whoa!” Dash heard a clatter of hooves as Twilight stumbled, followed by the dull thump of a pony falling over. Dash looked back to see Twilight sitting on her haunches. Twilight met her eyes and then giggled. “I don’t think I can walk yet, my legs are a bit numb,” she said.
 
Dash laughed and walked over to Twilight’s side to give her a leg up. “So,” she began after Twilight finally made it to her hooves. “What’d you think? Pretty awesome, right?”
 
“Oh Dash! It was amazing!” Twilight flung a foreleg around her. The unicorn overbalanced and ended up leaning on her. “I mean, it was scary, but it was a good scary. Like a ghost story or a surprise party. And those flips...” Twilight shook her head. “I can’t even begin to describe it. Thank you Rainbow.” Twilight nuzzled her neck. She felt hot breath against her and something firm press against her coat for a split second. “Thank you.”
 
“No problem, Twilight.” She wondered if that had just happened or if she had imagined Twilight’s soft kiss on her neck. Well, there was no way she could blame Twilight for it. Night flying with the most awesome pegasus ever? Yeah, a kiss totally wasn’t out of the question. Not that she’d have pegged Twilight for a pony who moved this fast. She could handle fast, she liked fast. Never mind that her heart was suddenly racing and her breath was shallow. She was just tired from carrying Twilight on top of a long day.
 
Still, there was fast and then there was fast. Two days ago she’d have laughed in anypony’s face who said Twilight, or anypony really, would be nuzzling her under a full moon. It felt right though, like when she had first started reading. Something she had never even considered doing had proven to be more than fun.
 
Twilight pulled away and smiled at her before trotting past. Dash jerked, jumping several inches as she felt something brush against her shoulder. Looking down in alarm she was just in time to catch Twilight’s tail right on the nose. Blinking in shock, she looked back up at Twilight. The yellow light of the donut store blazed behind Twilight, giving the mare a shining halo. Her pupils narrowed as she stared, the back-lighting hiding Twilight’s features from her, except for a white crescent which split her muzzle in two and the reflection of the moon in her half-lidded eyes.
 
The silhouetted form seemed to slink forward, every curve in sharp, hard-edged contrast against the store’s light. Twilight wasn’t the athlete that she was, lacking the toning of a pony who lived for sports, but she ate healthy and probably did exactly the required amount of exercise. It must have been in a book somewhere, The Egghead’s Guide to a Shapely Flank or something. Rainbow made a note to thank the author.
 
“You coming, Rainbow?” Twilight’s cheerful voice floated from the dark shadow.
 
Dash blinked again. Her stomach growled. Right, she was here for donuts, not to watch Twilight walk. “Yeah Twilight. I was just, um, thinking. About flying and stuff.” She twitched her wings in demonstration.
 
“Well, come on in.” Twilight laughed and pushed the door open. The smell of sugar and yeast and icing welled out of the shop. Dash’s mouth began watering and she was drawn towards the door and Twilight.
 
In the wake of her hospital stay, she’d devoured every scrap of adventure and excitement Twilight had in stock in her library. She’d been prohibited from flying more than was needed to get to and from her home. After churning through the action novels, still wrapped up in her own marvel and willingness to try new things, she’d turned to her other friends for things to read.
 
Applejack’s fables had been interesting, but the lessons learned were things she thought were blindingly obvious. Fluttershy’s fantasies had been alright, but they had been a little too underwhelming and tame in the excitement department. She’d snuck a peek and was not surprised to discover the book was for fillies, ages five to ten. The books—well book as she’d only stomached one of them—her mind turned towards now was the romance Rarity had given her. According to that book, she and Twilight should still be nervously blushing at each other, maybe hazarding a few stammered compliments. She should definitely not be ogling Twilight’s swaying hips or wondering what those lips would feel like pressed against hers instead of lightly brushing her neck. According to Rarity’s novel, they were moving way too fast.
 
Things were moving fast, but fast was what she did, fast was the way she liked it. She was good with fast. It wasn’t like they hadn’t been friends for over a year now. She didn’t need that stupid, awkward getting-to-know-her deal. That part of the book had dragged on and on and on. This story was much more awesome.
 
Rainbow Dash smiled; some might have called it a smirk. That book had been awful and if she could go on a date and hang out with Twilight while rubbing the author’s face in his own un-coolness, then so much the better.
 
“Right behind you, Twilight,” she replied. Lifting her legs high, she pranced through the door into the well-lit bakery. The warmer air of the interior played through her coat, matching the feelings that had been stirring under the surface of her mind for most of the night. So they hadn’t been there last week, that didn’t mean anything. She wasn’t gonna try to take this apart and analyze it, that was more Twilight’s thing. She wasn’t Rarity to demand a grand romance nor was she Applejack to try to demand everything make perfect sense. She liked Twilight and that was more than enough.