//------------------------------// // Chapter 16 // Story: Just Dropping In // by Gunsmith //------------------------------// I feel a light breeze pass over me, making my hair stand on end in a response similar to getting goosebumps. The breeze only lasts a second before going away. Then, another breeze hits my fur. A pause, then another, then another pause, then another breeze. The light wind seems to be coming at a steady rate, blowing over me every other second. My semi-conscious mind is starting to feel confused. Out of curiosity, I open my eyes halfway. I am met with a pair of large, bright, magenta-colored eyes, only a few inches away from my own blue eyes, which widen in surprise. I feel my wings strain to expand, but they are pressed underneath my weight as I lay on my back against the cloud furniture. After a split-second of recognition, I relax; Rainbow Dash's face hovers...above mine? She wears a giddy look, a toothy smile that reaches her eyes and ears covering her cyan blue face. Colorful unkempt bangs stream down a side of her forehead, partially covering one eye. In my peripheral, I see her wings beating steadily, keeping her aloft and above where I lie, sending a breeze through my fur every so often. I smile up at the pony hovering above me. "Good morning," I say to her. "Yeah it is! Ready to go see the Wonderbolts?" she half-asks, half-exclaims. Rainbow's breath reflects lightly off my face as she speaks; I smell a familiar spicy aroma. I think about her question, momentarily remembering Hearts and Hooves Day, getting the tickets for the show following the Winter Wrap-Up, which was two days ago. My day off yesterday (given to the ponies of Ponyville as a sort of thanks for the Wrap-Up) had been nice, creating a three-day weekend. I had spent the day sleeping in and flying around with Dash; I now recall her near-endless discussion of the Wonderbolts and of today's airshow. "Oh, yeah." I glance over to a window, seeing that it's early in the morning, the reddish sun just beginning to peek over the distant horizon. "Why are we up so early? Doesn't the show start at, like, midday?" I ask, feeling tired. "Well, I figured we should probably get an early start! Come on, get up!" she exclaims, far too energetic for the time of day. She hovers over a few feet, allowing me to roll off the couch and onto my feet. I stretch my wings and legs out, holding my breath, then sighing it out as I relax. The light blue mare darts like a hummingbird to the stairs, waiting impatiently as I casually trot over to the stairwell, starting to head down. When we reach the kitchen, she rushes past me to the icebox, pulling out two apples in rapid succession. Rainbow Dash throws an apple onto the table, and it rolls over towards me. I sit down at the small table, stopping the apple with a hoof and preventing it from going off the edge of the cloud surface. I eat my apple at a normal pace, watching as Rainbow eats hers as fast as Applejack would. She drums her hooves on the table until I finish the fruit; I wonder if ponies have energy drinks, and if so, how many she has drank this morning. As I drop my core in the trash can, I hear rapid movement behind me. "I'll be right back!" Dash calls, already shooting up the stairs. I wait for a few seconds, listening to the rustling coming from the floors above, then as she speeds down the stairs again. The rainbow-maned pegasus reappears in the stairwell, now wearing her saddlebags and grinning immensely. "Okay, I've got the tickets!" "Hold on," I say, trotting over to her and smiling at her energy. Upon approaching her, I lift the flap on one of the cloth bags, peering inside. I reach my head into the saddlebag, grabbing one of the tickets that rests at the bottom of it in my teeth. I pull the ticket out and bring it over to the table in the center of the room, setting it down face-up. I begin to read the small yellow print of the blue ticket. Ticket to Spring Wonderbolts Show. Royal Stadium, Canterlot. Begins midday, Equestria Standard Time. Wonderbolts is written in larger writing beneath the information on the ticket, in the lightning-like font that seems to be on anything Wonderbolts-related. I pick the ticket up and flip it over, finding the exact same information and logo on the other side of the ticket. I pick the ticket up again, returning to Rainbow Dash, who watches me with some curiosity, placing the ticket back into the saddlebag beside its companion and closing the flap of the bag. "Okay, the ticket says the show's at the Royal Stadium in Canterlot, and starts at midday. Know where that is?" I ask, unfamiliar with the town in question or any of its landmarks (save for the royal castle, which I had seen plenty on My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.). Her face brightens some in recognition, look of curiosity returning to a look of giddiness again. "Yeah, I know exactly where that is! Are you ready now?" I chuckle a little, nodding. "Let's go," I say, moving to the door leading outside and pushing it open, holding it for her. We take a few steps outside before Dash lifts off into the air, already heading towards the large capitol of Equestria in the distance. I struggle to keep up with her fast pace at first, but after a few minutes she slows down some, and I reach her side. We fly over Ponyville, past Sweet Apple Acres, and across the rolling hills and small forests of this area of Equestria; the land appears fresh and pure in its spring state, and the air feels the same, now warmer and less dry as it passes around me. Our trip takes us over a fairly large distance, and ends up taking around two hours in total, including a pause in a forest, where she and I eat some fruit from the trees growing there before continuing. Rainbow keeps the flight from getting silent by constantly talking about the Wonderbolts. So much, in fact, that by the time we approach Canterlot, I know the names of every member of the Wonderbolts and their described appearance, along with every trick the flight team has ever done.; the words "cool", "awesome", "radical", and all their variants, are used often. After the first twenty minutes I stop trying to remember everything, and instead just admire her excitement and the sound of her voice. "...so then Soarin' and Spitfire dove through the middle, which was totally awesome, and then...oh, hey, we're here!" Rainbow Dash says as we land outside the gates of Canterlot. I look through the open gates, guarded by two white pegasi wearing gold armor. The city looks massive, and I know I am only looking at a small portion of it. It is obviously very high-class, the housing elegant and decorated, the streets made of well-paved stone, and the appearance of the ponies trotting about. The ponies hold my gaze for a moment; they strike me as odd. Most of them are as tall as I am or taller, and none are as small as Rainbow Dash (save for the tourists in the city, who I assume have come from places like Ponyville for the airshow). They wear their manes in various hairstyles, all expertly sculpted, and some of the ponies even have mustaches. I silently question how that is even possible. The most prominent feature of the residents of Canterlot, save for their seemingly abnormal height, is the way they carry themselves; all of their chests are puffed out in pride and they hold their chins high, some appearing to walk about with their eyes closed. Living in "fly-over country", the area where the American media didn't really give two damns about that contained everywhere in the U.S. except New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington D.C., I know the feeling I am currently having quite well. On trips to said cities, I would look amongst the high-class citizens and feel a mixture of unworthiness along with disgust. The upperclassmen, media figures, politicians, and the like, held themselves with pride; but, most of the time, it was pride they did not deserve to carry. I see the same here, and can instantly tell that many of these ponies hold that haughty attitude, looking down upon those not as wealthy, mannered, or in the same level of the caste system as they. I look away from the ponies, back at the architecture I see through the gates. I can see the royal palace in the distance, home of princesses Celestia and Luna. It sits high above the city, not looming over it, but more looking as if it is watching over Canterlot, along with the rest of the kingdom. White spires covered with gold decorate the main castle, their shapes almost giving an Indian or Turkish appearance to the castle. The white paint with gold decor covers the castle and some of the larger buildings in town, adding to the well-refined and wealthy appearance of the city. I can't see much more outside the gates, though, and turn my head to face Rainbow Dash. She turns back and nods towards the gates, grinning in excitement. We trot forward, entering the town. A glance to the sky tells me that it is approaching midday, but there is still some time to burn. "What do you want to do while we wait for the show to start? We've got some time," I tell the cyan pegasus trotting to my left. She looks up at the sun as well, then contorts her face in thought. "Uhh...I dunno. I don't come to Canterlot very much." Rainbow leans in towards me, then whispers, "It's not a very cool town, y'know? I mean, it's cool because Princess Celestia and Princess Luna live her and all, but all the ponies are real..." She trails off, searching her vocabulary for the right words. "Fancy, proper, stuck-up?" I finish for her, my voice also low to avoid insulting the fancy, proper, stuck-up ponies all around us. "Yeah," says Dash, nodding. I smile in agreement. "Um...let's find the Royal Stadium first, maybe we can just hang there until the show starts." "Alright," I reply, nodding at the suggestion. We continue trotting through the streets of Canterlot. Ponies tower all around us, their chatter filling the late morning air. I am starting to feel a little intimidated; I'm not used to people (or ponies) being taller than me. Wonder how Dash feels...Glancing at her, I see she is straining to see over the ponies around us, attempting to guide our way to the stadium where the Wonderbolts will be performing. She must see me out of the corner of her eye, for she turns and looks up at me. I can see her mind working for a moment. "Can you look around and tell me what you see, name the streets and stuff? You're way taller than me," Rainbow Dash says, smiling sheepishly. I chuckle, nodding to her before craning my neck to see over the sea of high-society ponies. I scan around for a few seconds, taking in the environment. "Okay...looks like we're on Starlight Street, and there's an intersection up ahead, with...Crescent Avenue. I think there's a bakery on the corner..." I inform her, squinting to focus on the street signs and landmarks. I return my focus to where she trots beside me, seeing her thinking again. After a moment, Rainbow frowns, looking over to me. "I have no idea where we are," she tells me, laughing. I snort in laughter as well. "Um, okay..." she looks around before spotting an alley in between two buildings, devoid of tall, well-groomed ponies. "Follow me." I do, maneuvering through the crowded street to get to the empty pathway. Upon reaching the alley, Dash motions skyward with a foreleg before jumping into the air and hovering, pushing against gravity to rise above the buildings creating the alley. I do the same, meeting her a few seconds later in the air. Now, I can see almost all of Canterlot. The city is huge, stretching miles in all directions. Hundreds of thousands of buildings, many of them houses, fill the landscape. A few landmarks stick out, looking as regal as the castle does. The mass of the city is awe-inspiring, to think how long it must have taken the city to reach its current size, and with fewer advanced building tools and techniques. "There it is!" Rainbow Dash exclaims beside me. I turn to her, noticing her right foreleg pointing to something in the distance. I follow her leg's aim, and see a large and wide structure in the distance. It bears the white-and-gold coloring that the other major buildings in Canterlot do, and is reminiscent of an American football stadium in appearance and size rather than of the arena I had seen in Cloudsdale. "Come on, we'll just fly there," says Rainbow, beginning to fly towards the stadium. I propel myself towards it as well, hoping the ponies of Canterlot won't think we're too rude for landing amongst them. As we near the Royal Stadium, I see a cluster of color outside it. Hundreds of ponies are situated outside the entrances into the large, oval-shaped structure, gathered in groups of those they know and talking amongst themselves. We land outside the group; I see that there are many more normal-sized ponies here, and breath a small sigh of relief. There are some groups of Canterlot natives, but they are much fewer in number here than on the streets. I even see a few ponies I have seen before in Ponyville, a couple of which I recall seeing at the ticket vendor on Hearts and Hooves Day. I look over at Dash, who is peering at the group of ponies, a mild look of question on her face. "I have a feeling they're waiting to get in," I tell her, and she turns to me, raising her chin in understanding. I sidestep around her, looking around one side of the group. At one of the entrances to the stadium, standing in front of the double doors, is a pair of pegasus ponies. They wear blue vests, the sides of the vests imprinted with yellow lightning bolts; I assume they are guards of some sort. I turn back to Rainbow Dash, jerking my head towards the guards. I begin trotting towards them, attempting to look friendly. As I near them, one says, "Stadium's closed for now. The Wonderbolts are setting things up." That was convenient. "Thanks," I reply, nodding to the one who spoke and receiving a nod in return. I turn around, trotting back to the group of ponies, Rainbow trotting beside me. "Well, that answers that," I tell her. "Just want to chill here until we can grab our seats?" "Sure," she says. We make our way over to a spot a short distance from the group, one of the entrances still in sight. She sits down on the stone ground, so I do the same next to her. "This is gonna be so awesome. I've never been able to catch one of the Spring Wonderbolts Shows. I've heard they're really cool, and that the Wonderbolts always do a bunch of new tricks to start off the flying season." Dash checks her saddlebags again, confirming the tickets are there, which they are. I smile at her excitement. "Ever show them some of your tricks?" I inquire. "Yeah, a few. A bunch only I can do, 'cause I can make rainbows if I do certain stuff, but other ponies can't. Like, my Sonic Rainboom." "Hmm," I hum in understanding. We continue to sit for sometime, mainly making small talk or listening to the other ponies talking in the large group composed of smaller groups. After what seems like ages of waiting, I finally see the pegasi guarding the doors I can see beginning to move around. Another pegasus brings a small table out of the stadium, setting it up beside the entrance. The three pegasi set up some things on the table, including a sign that reads "ticket collection". I look over at the rainbow-maned pegasus on the ground beside me, watching the excitement starting to spread on her face. After five minutes or so, one of the ponies with a blue vest loudly alerts the crowd of something I can't fully make out, but the various Ponies begin moving towards the two entrances on the face of the large stadium. Rainbow and I stand up, following the group. Approaching the newly set-up table, manned by one of the vested pegasi, I open Rainbow Dash's saddlebag, extracting the tickets carefully. I place them on the table in front of the pony, and he smiles before carefully looking at the tickets. Apparently deciding they are not fake, he places them into a box below the table, filled with other tickets. At the same time, he grabs something else from under the table, setting it before us on its surface. They appear to be necklaces, bearing a pass of some sort on the ends of each. Rainbow grabs the necklaces in her teeth, grinning at the pegasus. I smile cheerfully to him, then follow Dash into the stadium. My impression of the stadium being similar to an American football stadium seems to be more accurate than I thought. We trot out into an area holding grandstands which line the entire outside of the large oval center of the building. The seating is likely enough to hold at least fifty thousand ponies. I look around in awe at the massive size of the structure, nearly bumping into Rainbow Dash as I do. "Where do you wanna sit?" she asks excitedly. I smile and reply, "That's up to you, I'm fine sitting wherever." She nods happily and trots along the bottom walkway of the grandstands, looking up into the seats and searching for a good spot. I continue looking around. I see the colorful specks of ponies here for the show wandering about the seats or already sitting down. I notice the seats aren't really seats at all, but benches; I realize human seats would probably be uncomfortable or unnecessary for a pony, being the way ponies' backs angle forward when they sit and all. More and more ponies continue to stream in through the entrances, filling the grandstands with more and more color. Looking towards the center of the stadium, which is a natural field, expertly maintained by some unseen pony groundskeepers, I see more ponies moving about. These ponies are all blue, which I find a little odd, until I realize they are wearing the suits of the Wonderbolts. They move about the field, talking with others dressed as they are, along with more blue-vested ponies. Looking upwards, I see a few more blue-suited ponies flying about, moving clouds out of the arena or destroying them and practicing various stunts. "Let's sit up there," Dash says, causing me to turn to her, then to where she points a hoof at. She has chosen a spot aligned close to the center of the field, where the fifty-yard-line would be, near the low center of the stands, giving us an open view of the field but still remaining close to it. I nod and smile in agreement and begin following her up some stairs until we reach our row, then follow her across the long bench until she sits down. I sit down beside her, positioning myself on the bench. I glance over to her and smile, receiving a wide grin in return, before turning back to the stadium. More and more ponies continue filling the stands. The Wonderbolts begin to practice and warm up, stretching their wings and flying around, conversing with each other in the air. We wait for around half an hour; by the time we have, the stands are nearly completely filled with ponies from all over Equestria, chattering with excitement and anticipation. A look at the sun shows it to appear directly overhead. I feel a rapid tapping on my left foreleg, which props me up as I sit on the bench. I look over to see Rainbow Dash smacking me repeatedly, a look of excitement on her face. "Oh my gosh, I think they're starting!" *** The airshow is spectacular. I remain in awe at the perfect coordination of the Wonderbolts, who flew with flawless precision, speed, and agility. The mass of stunts is breathtaking, all of them daring in nature; there are dives that recover only inches off the ground, mid-air passes only hairs away from resulting in collision, intertwining loops and spirals that make my head spin, and numerous indescribable others. One of the tricks even involves two of the Wonderbolts, pressed together belly-to-belly, flying through numerous rings just big enough for the couple...while the rings are burning. "Cool", "awesome", and "radical" can't even describe many of the tricks, as both Rainbow Dash and I soon find. By the time we are trotting out of the stadium, somewhere around three hours later, Rainbow is sounding a little hoarse (pun possibly intended) and my throat is feeling somewhat sore from cheering. We pass through one of the exits, two more ponies among the flood of others leaving the stadium. Dash seems to be overflowing with giddiness, and I'm tempted to ask her to stop smiling for a moment so she doesn't get lockjaw. My own cheeks are hurting from smiling, but I can't seem to stop, either. "Remember when Spitfire and Soarin' did that thing where they hit their wings together mid-air, then like, threw each other in another direction? That was awesome! And then, when Fleetfoot dove down so close to the ground, I was like, 'oh my gosh, he's going to crash!' But he didn't, and it was awesome! Oh, and when--" she coughs a few times, voice failing. I smile at her, quietly shaking with laughter. We continue trotting away from the stadium, towards a less crowded area. I watch the light blue mare as she remains silent for a while, trying to give her voice a break. She notices me looking at her, an shows a bashful smile in return. I break the silence, asking, "Ready to head home?" My own voice cracks and pops, much as how Dash's normally does. She nods in reply, still quiet and looking a little pink with embarrassment. We take off, leaving the ponies trotting away from the stadium. She and I fly over the stretches of fancy buildings; looking down, I see a few ponies native to Canterlot looking up at us with surprised, almost offended looks. I smile, hoping their jimmies are rustled, and continue to soar through the air beside my cyan blue, rainbow-maned companion. My wings are enjoying the flight, being that the only action they have seen in the past few hours is spreading unintentionally when I would get excited at the Wonderbolts' awe-inspiring stunts. Rainbow Dash remains silent for some time, and it's getting to be a bit uncanny. She'll occasionally clear her throat or hum, but doesn't attempt to talk, likely still trying to avoid overworking her vocal cords. Every few minutes of flying, I'll turn my gaze away from the hues of the snow-less ground below, checking to make sure she still flies next to me. The sound of her wings beating is nearly inaudible, and the fact isn't helped by the noise created by the wind blowing into my ears. After around an hour of flying, we are near the forest we first paused at again, and decide to drop down near it. I land a second behind Rainbow, who sits in a meadow speckled with various flowers starting to bloom, just outside the forest. I trot over to one of the fruit-bearing trees on the edge of the small forest, knocking down a few of its fruits with a swift kick. The fruits look like pears, but aren't green or yellow, instead an odd hue of blue; they are edible and tasty, though, as discovered on our first visit here, so I return to Dash with two of them, sitting down to her left on the grass-covered ground. She nods and smiles as a thank-you, hungrily biting into the food. Also hungry, I begin eating my blue-pear-thing quickly. Flying seems to take its toll on energy, especially when done over long periods of time. Maybe that's how Rainbow Dash can eat so much. After satisfying our hunger, we remain sitting in the field, resting for a while. I see that the sun is approaching a late-afternoon state, and will be setting only an hour or two from now. I continue to look around in the sky; a few clouds lazily drift by, and a flock of birds in a "V" formation pass overhead. I'm distracted from watching the birds as they grow more and more distant when I hear Rainbow clearing her throat beside me again. I turn, watching as she coughs lightly, humming a little to test her voice. "I--" she begins, interrupted by another cough. "I think my voice is okay now." She can speak, but her voice sounds noticeably scratchier than normal, cracking more often. I smile at her, glad to hear her talking again. "I, uhh...I wanted to say...thanks, Ferrum. For the Wonderbolts show. It was really awesome, and cool, and fun. Thanks," Dash repeats, looking at me and smiling warmly. "You're welcome," I reply, smiling back and not knowing how else to respond. I hope that she understands what I want to say but can't find the words to, that I enjoyed the experience just as much, if only because I got to see her so happy and excited. Silence falls between us for a few minutes; I eventually think of a question I had been meaning to ask. "Do you still want to join the Wonderbolts someday?" She looks at me until I finish my question, then turns to look at the ground. Her brow furrows a little, and she frowns in thought. She stares at the grass for a full minute, obviously thinking deeply; I wonder what my question has triggered within her mind. "Well..." she begins, pausing for a few more seconds, still thinking. "I...I don't know." I'm somewhat surprised by the answer. It had seemed to me, up until this point, that joining the Wonderbolts had been her lifelong dream. Why did that change? I frown in question; she sees my reaction and continues. "I just..." she sighs. "I don't know. I always have, ever since I was a filly and I first saw them, how totally awesome they were. I wanted to be just like them. But..." Rainbow Dash pauses again, trying to find the right words. "I feel like...like I can't. I know I'm good enough to join them, and they know it, too. I can't because..." I see her struggling, and want to help, but something tells me that I should let her think this through on her own. She lets out a distressed sigh, seemingly frustrated at being unable to say what she wants to say. "My friends," she states flatly. "I feel like if I join the Wonderbolts, then it's like I'm...abandoning them. If I join the Wonderbolts, I won't be able to see them as much, or live in Ponyville anymore. And...I can't do that to them." Rainbow turns away from the grass, looking back into my eyes. "I want to join the Wonderbolts, but I feel like I can't leave my friends, leave Ponyville." I hold her gaze after she finishes; her eyes silently search for understanding or guidance in mine. I carefully choose what I am about to say, inhaling slowly. "I can't help you make that choice, because you are in control of your own future," I begin cautiously, pausing for a moment. Her magenta eyes do not falter, continuing to watch me intently. "I think you should do what you feel is right, what will truly make you happiest." I pause again, letting my statement sink in. "And know that with whatever you decide to do, you will always have people that love and care about you." I wonder for a moment where I had come up with that; I think my mother told me it at some point. It seems like the right thing to say. She blinks, looking downwards; I see her mind churning again. Another minute passes before Dash goes to speak again. "Thanks." Her voice is soft and solemn, but sounds reassured. I wonder if I have helped her at all, and hope she can make the choice that is right for her. A few more minutes of silence follows, disturbed only by the songs of birds in the forest behind us and of various insects in the large meadow. I look outward, seeing some trees and hills in the distance. A few birds fly above the meadow, chirping happily. The sun feels warm and comfortable on my dark fur, which takes in more of the heat. A light impact on my right shoulder makes me jump a little, waking me from my relaxed state. Blinking a few times in surprise, I look over to where I feel something soft against my shoulder, pressing against it. I see the top of Rainbow Dash's head, resting against my shoulder. Her colorful mane feels soft against me, like silk. Her light blue left ear is distorted, pressed into my shoulder; it feels like felt. The side of her head is warm, warmer than even the sunlight that shines brightly upon us. I can feel wisps of hair brushing against my forelegs, straying from her tilted head. She looks ahead, out across the bright meadow. The scent of purified air and hot spices mottle the air I take in. After a few seconds of looking at the top of her head, I turn my head forward as well. "You know, they've offered to let me join three different times," Dash says, her voice still holding its soft tone. "I refused their offer every time." My eyebrows raise a little at the revelation, and I blink. I look down at her mane again, colorful hair still meshing with my matte black fur and even a little of my own mane, two-toned gray laying against the right side of my neck. After a moment, I rest my head against the top of hers on a sudden impulse. My cheek rests against her silky mane, and I feel the hair on my head and neck pressed up against me, grays now mixing with the many colors of her hair. She doesn't react or pull away, instead nudging her head deeper into the space between my right cheek and shoulder. The right side of the upper part of my body is filled with her warmth, and I take it in, relaxing and looking out into the bright spring afternoon. *** We land in front of her cloud home by the time the sun is a red half-circle on the horizon. I had sat with her for half an hour before we decided to get home upon seeing the sun's position in the sky. The remaining hour of the flight had gone by in silence, one not created out of a lack of things to say, but a lack of a need for things to say. Upon entering her house, we are greeted by a cheerful hovering tortoise, who also seems hungry. The three of us have a dinner of muffins of varying flavor; Tank only seems to like the bananas in his, not the actual muffin. After cleaning up, we decide to go to sleep, having had a fairly exciting day. Upon reaching the second floor of Rainbow's house, I trot forward into the living room, placing my sights on my regular couch. I'm about to say my "good night" to Rainbow Dash, turning back and looking towards the stairs, when I notice she is still standing in the entrance to the living room, looking at me. Feeling confused, as I have never seen her do this before, I remain silent, looking back at the cyan pegasus. She wears a look that tells me she is debating whether or not to do something, or that she needs to say something to me. "Um...Ferrum?" she asks me. I can see her cheeks starting to gain some color, and my confusion only increases. "Yes?" "Would you like to...sleep with me?" I feel my eyes widen in surprise, and my brain goes numb. "...what?" I ask, suddenly feeling distant. She blushes furiously now, cheeks a bright red color. Her eyes widen as well, but in some panic. "No, I mean...like, sleep, in my bed. Do you want to sleep in my bed, with me?" I sigh in some relief, sure that my brain nearly imploded a second ago. The question still catches me off guard, though; I feel my own face starting to grow hot. "I...I, uhh..." My train of thought momentarily derails; I shake my head in an attempt to regain my focus. "Are, um...a-are you sure? I'm...uhh...I'm comfortable...here...I don't want to...um...steal your bed or anything..." God, I sound like Fluttershy. Dash seems just as disoriented as I am. "I don't have any...um...guest beds...and you've been sleeping on the couch...and I thought...uhh...maybe you would want to sleep in, like...an actual bed," she finishes. Her face is almost entirely red now, and she looks straight down at the fluffy white floor. "I, um...if...if that's alright with...with you..." I manage to get out, throat feeling dry, tight, and still sore. I'm absolutely sure I am blushing uncontrollably as well; this is the most awkward and embarrassed I have ever felt. "Yeah...I'm...yeah." she says. Rainbow motions with a foreleg towards the stairs, eyes darting between me and the floor. I force my legs to start trotting forwards, albeit somewhat clumsily. She quickly turns and heads up the stairs, me following behind her. As I come out into the third floor, I see the rainbow-maned mare hastily making her bed, fumbling with the covers. I trot over and help her arrange the bed before stepping back. "You okay with taking that side?" she asks, indicating the left side of the bed, beside the bedside table holding the stack of unread novels. I nod a few times in reply, smiling diffidently to her, only maintaining a second of eye contact. I move around to the left side of the bed, watching Rainbow Dash and waiting for her to get into the bed. After a moment, she does, placing herself near the edge of the bed despite the fairly large width of the bed. I do the same, though, lifting the covers and inching to my edge of the bed, back turned to Rainbow's back. I immediately notice the bed is, somehow, even more comfortable than the couch. The covers are warm and soft, adding to the comfort of the bed. I can even feel heat radiating off of Dash beneath the blankets; in a moment of discomfort, I attempt to move farther away, but find myself about to fall off the bed, so I remain where I am. I can't say I don't enjoy her body heat, quite the opposite in fact, but I continue to feel embarrassed and awkward. "You're sure?" I ask Rainbow Dash, turning my head to look at her. "Yeah," she replies, also turning to look back at me. "Um...good night, Ferrum." She smiles quickly, eyes meeting mine for a moment before darting away in embarrassment. I return the small smile, also pulling my eyes away quickly, feeling my face starting to heat up again. "Good night, Rainbow Dash." The remaining light from the sunset soon disappears, and the soft, warm bed brings sleep quickly.