//------------------------------//
// First Time 
// Story: Learning How To Date 
// by Fircoal 
//------------------------------//

     Rainbow Dash knocked hesitantly at the door of Fluttershy's house.   It was the middle of evening and she had finished her weather shift and her daily practice. Sweat coated her body. 

Fluttershy opened up the door and smiled as she saw Rainbow Dash standing there. She leaned in towards her and gave her a small peck on the cheek. "It's nice to see you again Dashie." 

Dash blushed and turned her head the other way. A giddy smile creaked on her face. "Eh, it's nice to see you too," Rainbow Dash replied. Her legs wobbled as she stood in front of Fluttershy. Her eyes darted around the empty living room. A solitary lamp lit in the corner. Her animals including the devious Angel Bunny were not present. "Can I uh… come in?"

Fluttershy nodded and stepped to the side to allow Rainbow to come in. She inched a hoof into the room, carefully looking around as she did so. Once she was inside Fluttershy closed the door behind her. Rainbow jumped in place.

Fluttershy's eyebrow raised as she noticed Rainbow's jumpiness. She curled up into her and rested one of her hooves on top of Rainbow Dash's head. She coasted it down her head, patting at it.

Rainbow Dash gazed at her friend. Her heart raced. Her hooves fidgeted. She pulled her body back away from Fluttershy. She tried to conceal the large blush that took over her face. The two of them exchanged glances. Rainbow took a couple of steps back. “Is something wrong?" Fluttershy asked. 

Rainbow cast her gaze to the ground herself. She lifted herself up with her wings and glided towards the couch. She sat down on it, easing her body into the soft plush. "No there's nothing wrong," she said. Her hooves pressed into her lap and she stared down at them.

Fluttershy eyed the quiet room. It was just the two of them. Her limbs started to shiver and her breathing rate increased. She creeped to the couch as well. Soft hoofsteps creaked against the ground.

She sat down on the other end of the couch leaving air to fill the void between the two ponies. It was almost as if they tried to take as little room as possible. Rainbow turned her head to Fluttershy. She grabbed one of her own wings and rubbed it with her hooves.

Fluttershy responded by playing with one of the pillows. Her body leaned forward into it and she embraced it tightly with her hooves.

Three minutes passed. Rainbow sighed and mumbled to herself, "Is the whole night going to be like this?" Her hoof fidgeted against the couch edge.

Fluttershy’s hid her head by curling it into the couch. "What do you mean?" she whimpered.

Rainbow's whole body shivered. She hesitantly dragged herself across the couch until she was right next to Fluttershy. She put her hoof on Fluttershy's head like Fluttershy had done earlier. She softly patted her head. Messy pets cascaded down Fluttershy's head. Often they accidentally dug into Fluttershy's head rather than dragging down it. This was enough to get Fluttershy to look up.

Rainbow's other hoof gripped the edge of the couch. Her wings curled up around herself. "Nothing," she said. Slowly she scooted away to the other side of the couch. But this time Fluttershy grabbed her with one of her wings and pulled her back.

Rainbow squeaked but did not fight it. "Please tell me," Fluttershy whimpered.

Rainbow sighed and stared at the ground. "I'm a bit nervous," Rainbow Dash admitted. Her hooves kicked out in front of her. She pushed her body back into the couch.

"I guess that's natural," Fluttershy said. "I'm nervous too." She smiled and curled her head into Rainbow.

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah." Silence filled the room. An eerie haunting surrounded the two of them. The dim light offered only enough light to showcase them. Yet Rainbow made sure to look anywhere but at Fluttershy.

Minutes passed. Finally she blurted out, "Let's just do it already!"

Fluttershy popped up her head up. She stared at Rainbow Dash with her mouth agape. Slowly she mustered a response. "Do it?"

"You know, that thing that ponies always do on first dates! The thing my friends back in flight school would brag about that they got to do every night. You know that thing!"

Fluttershy broke into laughter and thumped a hoof against an armrest. She patted Rainbow on her leg. "Is that why you're worried?"

Rainbow shivered and nodded.

Fluttershy pat her hooves on Dash's back. "I thought that happened in the third or fourth date at the earliest," she explained. 

"No way!" Rainbow Dash replied. "My friends said it always happened on the first date!"

Fluttershy blinked and tilted her head. "Really? It's hard to imagine those ponies doing it that much." She turned to Rainbow. "Did you do it on the first date too?"

Rainbow sunk into the space between the cushions couch. "I... never went on a date before."

Fluttershy blinked. "You hadn't? I thought you had. Weren’t you and Gilda together back at flight school?"

"Gilda was my friend," Rainbow answered. "It's just like the rumors of us back in flight school. I never had anything with anypony! The stupid rumor mill likes to make things up."

Fluttershy grabbed Rainbow with her wing. She pulled her even closer and wrapped her body around hers. "Don't worry. We're in this together."

"Right!" Rainbow answered back. She rested her head into Fluttershy's. "I guess we should wait then."

Fluttershy nodded. “Probably…”

The two of them kept their embrace for the rest of the night. However, both of their minds were filled with questions. Questions of what they should be doing.