//------------------------------// // Chapter Four - Close Understanding // Story: Two Eyes, One Heart // by Tropical Applejack //------------------------------// Where the flight to Sweet Apple Acres made Rainbow feel paranoid, the trot to Ponyville made her feel almost terrified. She was so nervous Pinkie was going to jump out at any moment and greet her with a question about the previous night. Rainbow wouldn’t be able to handle that kind of pressure… yet the pink mare hopped right in front of her just before she caught a straight shot to the Golden Oak Library - Twilight’s tree home. “Oh, Celestia, kill me now,” Rainbow thought. Pinkie smiled, unaware of her friend’s still raging embarrassment from the night before. “Hi, Dashie! How’s it shaking?” “Um… it’s shaking,” Dash replied. Why did Pinkie have to talk to her now as opposed to, like, five minutes later? “Crazy time last night, huh?” Rainbow Dash cringed. This was what she was afraid of, and she was afraid of very few things. “I- I don’t wanna talk about it….” she stuttered, “Maybe later, Pinks.” The party planner lost her smile. “Oh… okay.” But she quickly perked back up with; “Where ya headed?” “Twilight’s place,” she answered. “Can I come?” “Sure thing. I just need to talk to her on my own for a bit about something. Is that alright?” Pinkie zipped her mouth shut and nodded. She moved out of Rainbow Dash’s way and followed her straight ahead to the door. Rainbow knocked instead of entering as she normally would. “I just need a few minutes. I’ll come get you when we’re done. Sound good?” “Oh,” Pinkie said, surprised, “yeah, I can wait.” “Thanks, pal.” Twilight answered the door within seconds. “Hello, Rainbow Dash. Hey, Pinkie.” “Hi!” the pink pony greeted the purple unicorn familiarly. “What do you two want?” Twilight asked curiously. “I… need to talk to you,” Rainbow Dash replied. She was sweating already from the pressure she felt she was under. She knew Applejack was trustworthy… but could she tell the Element of Magic as easily? “Of course! What is it?” “In private, please.” Twilight gave Pinkie Pie a worried look. “Is she alright?” “Dashie? Yeah, she’s fine!” Pinkie assured, “...I think,” she added. “Come in, then…” the unicorn directed to Dash cautiously. She slowly entered - being careful not to knock over the pile of books near the door. Rainbow closed it behind herself, sparing the mare outside the tree one more glance. The Pinkie Pie outside still looked as alive as ever. “So what did you need to talk to me about, Rainbow Dash?” Dash lowered her voice to a whisper. “Last night, after Pinkie and I chilled at the meadow where I told you we were going to spend the day..?” “Yes?” “Well…” * * * “Anyways, I think I might be starting to take a real liking to her, y’know?” Pinkie Pie put her ear to the door and listened intently to the quiet conversation. “Are you sure, Dash?” Twilight asked for confirmation. “I’m not sure about anything,” Rainbow replied, “That’s why I came here.” “If you like her, you should tell her.” Pinkie’s ears perked. “But I don’t know if I do.” “Pinkie is your friend, isn’t she?” Pinkie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Did Dash really..? “Yeah, but I can’t just tell her outright. I mean… what if one of us just came up to you and said we liked you?” “I’d probably ask if they meant as a friend.” “And if they said it was as something more?” Twilight closed her mouth tight and bit her lip in thought. How WOULD she have answered that? “I’d give them a chance,” she finally decided. Rainbow looked at her, not believing what she said. “Yeah right.” “I would!” Twilight insisted. Rainbow Dash smirked. “Wow, Twilight, I didn’t think you swung that way.” “I don’t,” she said honestly, “and I didn’t think you did either.” “Touché, but I really doubt Pinkie would be that way.” Twilight groaned loudly. “Rainbow… she is your BEST friend. All six of us are, so don’t act like you couldn’t be friends just because of a feeling that you didn’t share with each other. If there’s anypony who doesn’t leave their friends behind, it’s you, so you need to trust others to do the same.” Dash hung her head down, realizing that the unicorn was right. “Okay, so let’s say Pinkie DOES give me a chance. What then?” “Then you play it by eye and play it by ear.” “I think I got it now,” Rainbow said, glad she got this out of the way early on and looked for advice to something she had no clue about. She turned to leave, but Twilight stopped her quickly by tapping her shoulder. “I’m going to have to tell the princess about this.” Dash spun around. “What? Why?” Twilight took a deep breath and tried to calm her friend down. “I just need to know if this could influence the Elements of Harmony in any way. Plus… she’s a PRINCESS, Dash. I think she can keep things confidential.” “Confi-what?” The unicorn groaned again. “Confidential: secret or hidden from the public eye.” “Okay, okay, don’t bust a spell. As long as it doesn’t get out there to everypony, I don’t care.” “As long as what doesn’t get out there..?” The two turned to see Spike coming closer. Twilight hurried Dash along. “Time to leave, Rainbow Dash. Remember what I told you.” Pinkie Pie wanted to explode with excitement and anger at the same time. She didn’t know how she felt about Dashie, but what she did know was that the pegasus liked her and hadn’t told her about it first. The pink pony bounced giddily as the door slowly opened again. “Thanks a bunch, Twilight,” Rainbow said casually whilst walking out. She closed the door behind her before Spike could ask again what they were talking about. Pinkie wanted to ask Rainbow about the whole conversation and what she had heard, so she decided to do just that. She kept her voice low. “Dashie? Do you like me?” Rainbow Dash wanted nothing more than to run away in that moment. She wanted to zip from the scene. She didn’t wish to talk about it so soon. “Pinkie Pie…” she responded quietly, “can we talk about this later?” “Why not now..?” Pinkie asked, concerned about Rainbow’s hesitancy to answer her question. “Look, just meet me at Sugarcube Corner before nightfall. I promise we can talk then.” That made Pinkie feel a little better, but a promise wasn’t enough. “Pinkie promise?” Rainbow Dash chuckled and did the special vow. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Pinkie smiled. “Alright, see ya at Sugarcube Corner!” she said happily and began bouncing away. Rainbow looked up at the sky. The sun was all the way on the distant west of the sky. She wouldn’t have long to get her bearings. For the second time in twenty-four hours, Dash heard the jingling of that small bell above her head. From behind the open door to the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner came the sounds of pots and pans seemingly being put away. Pinkie’s voice followed Dashie’s arrival. “Just give me a minute, Dash; I’m making cupcakes for us!” Rainbow nodded silently at the doorway as if Pinkie Pie was there. She then took a seat at the first table she saw. It had a cyan top that reminded Rainbow of her coat and a red rim similar to the first stripe in her mane. Across from her was a standard, wooden chair the same as the one she sat in now. A wonderful smell came from the kitchen within the next few seconds, but they weren’t cupcakes. They would only be very cake-like muffins until Pinkie put the frosting on them. Rainbow Dash took a second to entertain the idea of how fast they’d be gone now if Derpy was with them. Then another smell filled Dash’s nostrils; it was the frosting she’d waited not ten seconds for. Pinkie emerged from the kitchen with a chef’s hat, cooking apron, full pan of a dozen cupcakes, and a smile. She set the tray down on Dash’s table and removed her hat. Rainbow watched as the pink pony proceeded to wipe her forehead, take off her apron, and hang both it and the hat on a hook protruding from the wall. She temporarily forgot the whole reason she was there and just sat there smiling while Pinkie took her seat. “So,” Pinkie started, grabbing a cupcake, “can we talk about it?” Rainbow almost asked her what she meant, but she remembered in no time at all and grabbed a cupcake of her own with a sigh. She didn’t eat it; she only turned it in her two hooves as Pinkie began eating hers and waiting for a response. “Yeah…” the pegasus said with a pause, “we can.” “How long?” “Until we pass out, I guess?” “No, I meant how long have you..?” Pinkie trailed off knowing that Dash would get the meaning of her question. “I don’t know. You’ve always been a great friend, Pinkie. I’ve always liked you and the other girls.” They both sat in silence for a few minutes. Pinkie wanted more of an answer, and Rainbow wanted a different question. The pegasus took a bite out of her cupcake after fiddling with the frosting-covered top for the thousandth time. Pinkie finished hers and grabbed another. The light blue frosting on the new one she chose caused Rainbow Dash to give a small smile. “You pick that one for any reason?” “Maybe,” Pinkie replied with a grin, “What about you?” Dash raised an eyebrow before looking at the cupcake she had picked up several minutes ago. The frosting was a hot pink. She shifted her gaze to the metal tray that was still holding an assortment of the delectable treats. She was upset to see each cupcake had a different colored frosting. Rainbow never intended to grab the pink one; it was only chance… but she began to feel as if maybe, just maybe, she did grab the pink one on purpose. “N- no,” she answered quietly with the internal conviction that she was lying. For another minute, neither Pinkie nor Rainbow said a thing. It was Pinkie Pie that finally broke the silence a second time. “Dashie..?” “Yeah, Pinkie?” Rainbow acknowledged without looking at her. “Do you really like me?” That caught Rainbow’s attention. She looked up into Pinkie’s blue eyes again. Dash felt a tingling sensation in her wings, but she held them in place with all the willpower she could muster. “I…” It was then that Rainbow Dash saw something reflect off her friend’s eyes. They shined something more than the admiration she occasionally saw in Fluttershy, but they shined less than the obsession often expressed by Scootaloo. Was that shine the thing that Rainbow had mocked for her entire life? “I do,” she finished. The mare she liked stared back into her magenta eyes and saw the same thing - something balanced, beautiful, and perfect. She took in a breath of air and exhaled slowly. “I like you too,” Pinkie confessed. They both, once again, sat in silence. All they did was take in the feelings of each other and put their cupcakes down. There was nothing to be said now: no more secrets to hide because they already knew everything about one another and no arguments to be had about hiding said secrets. Before either of them knew it, they were slowly leaning forward over the edge of the table and towards each other. Both of them stopped with less than half of a foot between them. “Is it really this easy?” Rainbow asked. “You tell me,” Pinkie said back with a smile. Rainbow Dash made her decision. As Pinkie knelt forward another inch, Dash reached the last five. She let her wings extend out now, no longer feeling a need to hold them back. After a few wonderful seconds had gone by, they retracted from one another. They smiled at what they’d done and the beautiful mare they saw in front of them. “I think this happened in a dream once,” Rainbow chuckled absentmindedly. “Do you want a do-over of last night?” Pinkie asked hopefully. “My sleepover was cut off a little short... so why not?” Pinkie Pie smiled happily at the majestic pegasus that sat inches from her face now. She leaned forward again and planted a kiss on Rainbow Dash’s cheek. “Great!” she cheered after pulling back and getting out of her chair. Rainbow followed the earth pony up the stairs of the building again with more confidence this time around. She glanced at the pile of cushions in the corner of the room with a slight smirk. It was a love-hate relationship between Dash and those pillows. Because of them, she got pressured into telling Pinkie how she felt; but without them, she may never have even known her feelings toward the pink mare. “What do you usually do in here?” “Not much,” Pinkie replied, “It’s almost always nighttime when I come up here, so I just get in bed, think about everything I’ll do tomorrow, and go to sleep.” “No video games?” “Nope!” “No television?” “Nope!” “Doesn’t it get boring?” “Super nope!” Rainbow looked around the room for anything productive to do, but she could find nothing. Time and time again, Pinkie’s bed took up the bulk of her peripheral vision. “Well, as long as there’s nothing else to do…” she said, “I guess I AM a bit tired.” Pinkie flipped the light switch down as Rainbow pulled the covers back and got half in. She trotted right on over to the other side of the large bed and got in beside Dash, who was just now bringing the blankets up to her neck. They laid there together for a long time, but neither one of them could get to sleep. “I can’t fall asleep, Pinkie.” “Me either!” she said back, suspended in thought. They simultaneously turned to each other. Pinkie had a lightbulb go off in her head. “Do you wanna have another hoof wrestle?” Rainbow shook her head. “It’s late, Pinks….” Pinkie inched closer with an extra shine in her eyes. This shine was bright and heartwarming in the otherwise dark room. Rainbow Dash grinned at her. “Oh,” she said, realizing, “cuddling. I’m not really much of a cuddler, but we can if you want.” Pinkie Pie smiled at that, and Dash allowed her to come closer. They embraced each other with open arms. Their warmth transferred between the two of them, the bed started to feel hot, yet they only pressed their bodies against each other. At the first feeling of physical pleasure from down below, Rainbow Dash pulled back quickly and flopped over. She fell onto the floor with a small thud. “Dashie! Are you okay?” Pinkie asked, leaning over the side of the mattress. “Uh… yeah, I’m as fine as can be, thanks,” was Dash’s only able response. “I’m sorry; it was an accident!” the pink pony called from above. “I know… but wow. I was NOT ready for that….” Rainbow Dash got back into the bed. Pinkie scooted backwards to her side and sighed half regrettably and half upset. “Is this how you felt last night when you..?” “Mm-hm.” “Now I know why you wanted to leave….” “Relax, Pinkie. It was my fault too, so don’t get too upset,” Dash reassured. Pinkie Pie, now embarrassed by what she wanted to ask, whispered quietly, “Can… can we do it again?” Rainbow rolled onto her side to face the mare again. “Why?” she calmly asked. Pinkie Pie laid there dumbfounded. “I don’t know…. I love you, and I just want to feel you beside me as more than just a friend.” Dash gave a little grin. Things were moving fast, but Pinkie was right when she said they’d known each other for a long enough to time to really, REALLY know each other. “Well, in that case… if you’re up for it, I am too,” she accepted. After hearing this, Pinkie again snuggled up to the blue pony’s long, slender body and instantly made themselves both feel at home. When they inevitably kissed and felt their nether regions touch again, they looked into the eyes of one another. The rest felt like a daze, and Rainbow Dash began to believe it was a dream as she gently closed her eyes and pushed against Pinkie’s soft, exhilarating - yet also soothing - body. * * * When Rainbow opened her eyes again, she assumed that it HAD just been a dream. Pinkie was in nearly the same spot she was lying before, and Rainbow was lying the same way she was when she first got into the bed. Then she felt the wetness of the sheets under her. Dash turned on her side to face Pinkie, who was facing away from Dash, almost asleep. “Pinkie?” she whispered. “Dashie?” Pinkie answered from the dark. “Did we really just..?” “Uh-huh,” she replied lovingly - and then added with a giggle, “You fell asleep, silly.” Rainbow felt blood rising to her cheeks. “S- sorry. It wasn’t boring; it was just-” “Warm?” Pinkie asked mid-sentence. Dash nodded although Pinkie couldn’t see. “Yeah… warm.” Rainbow scooted her way closer to Pinkie. “Sorry about your sheets,” she apologized awkwardly. “It’s alright; I can clean them tomorrow!” Pinkie assured. Rainbow Dash got all the way over until she was next to the one she loved most. For the first time in her life, she felt no disgust thinking about that four-letter word. She really did love Pinkie with all her heart, and she showed it as best she could by giving Pinkie a strong hug from behind. The earth pony turned her head up so that one eye could see Rainbow, but she kept her body facing away. If there was ever something that felt so perfect, it was this moment without a doubt. “I l-” Dash stopped only a moment, “I love you, Pinkie.” “I love you too, Dashie.”