I could hear the thumping bass from a block away, and I swear the concrete was vibrating under my feet. I couldn’t wait to hit the scene. Maybe I’d dance a little, chat up a few people, make some noise. My cerulean wings tensed from the excitement.
‘Come on, just a little farther,’ I thought to myself. Filled to the brim with energy, even Pinkie would be hard-pressed to beat me now. I’m definitely a party kind of girl.
I reached the door of the warehouse, and wait just a second to savor the moment, like I do every time. Suddenly, the door opens, and I’m pulled inside. Strangely, there’s nobody there, or at least that’s what I thought.
“S’up Dash! I saw you out there on your lonesome, so I decided to give you a little company!” The blue-haired girl stared at me expectantly. I smiled at her, dropping my arms back to my sides and hoping my wings would fold back after I got over my fright. She had been about three seconds away from being toast. I didn't take self defense classes for nothing.
“Heya, Vi! I was just coming in to see you! Only, shouldn’t you be DJ’ing?” I had a point, it was her club, after all.
“Nah, I got Eight Track up there for me. He not as good as me, but he’s got good rhythm!” She swayed a little to the beat, bumping her hip into mine.
“Great! Now we can hang,” I said eagerly. I was ready to do some dancing!
“Yep! Now what say we hang on the dance floor?” She seemed to read my mind, jabbing her thumb back at the mob of sweaty people.
“Bring it on! You know I’m the better dancer!” I had to shout the last bit, because Eight was going crazy. Even better to dance, fast was my style.
“Yeah, right! Well, get out there, and we’ll see who’s better!” Admittedly, I would probably lose, but I would give it my best shot.
I led the way onto the the packed floor, and what followed next was hours filled with thumping, bumping, grinding and thrashing. Vinyl actually was better, but no way I’d let her know that.
Finally, we took a break. I slipped through the crowd, with Vinyl close behind. We made our way to the drink table, pushing aside crazed ravers. I snagged a couple of sodas, and handed one to a thirsty Vinyl.
“Hey Dash, want to go outside for a minute?” Her eyes sparkled with adrenaline behind her purple goggles, still on a dancing high.
“Sure, Vi, lead the way!” I needed a break from the heat, anyway. You would not believe how hot it gets in a room with a hundred other people pressed up against each other.
We fought our way to the hallway, and entered the stairwell. It was dark, so Vinyl took my hand and guided me up the stairs, swearing slightly every time she slipped on the slick stone steps.
As I walked out, I noticed how beautiful the stars were. No wonder Twi always stared at them. Tonight was really clear, and, as this was the tallest building for miles, we could see the entire Manehatten skyline. It was really magical, and I thought it was definitely the best night I'd had in a while.
“Hey, Dash, get your head out of the clouds, and come sit over here!” Vinyl was waving at me, pointing to a spot facing the forest, which had the best view of the sky.
I walked over to her, and collapsed rather ungracefully into a sitting position, appreciating that Vinyl kept the roof of the building so clean. We were both sitting with our legs dangling over the side, kicking them gently back and forth. I cracked open my drink, and took a sip, looking around now and then. It was fairly clear up here, not too many vents or anything, and the roof access hatch. It would be a good takeoff spot, I might have to practice some maneuvers from here.
“Mmm, orange! Thanks Dash, you always know just what I need!” She smiled so wide, I thought her face would crack. It made me happy that I made her happy; after all, we were best friends.
“Anytime. You know, it’s real nice out here. I still want to know how you keep it so clean.” I was admiring the grime-free roof in slight wonder. I assume it took extensive maintenance. She probably had a full-time staff member to clean. Or she just cheated with her magic. That sounds more like the Vinyl I know.
“Yeah, but you're not going to find out.” She turned around to look at me, using that brilliant smile again. My heart fluttered. Weird.
A sudden thought struck me. “You know, I’ve never really seen your eyes. They’re always under those goggles. You should take ‘em off for a second.” I just realized she still had them on, and I was really curious as to what her real eye color was. Some people rumored that it was red, but I didn't bother with rumors.
“Nah, I never take these babies off.” She shrugged, like, 'What can ya do?'
“Please, for me,” I wheedled. For some reason, it seemed really important all of a sudden.
“Oh, fine, if you’ll stop whining.” She pulled them down to hang from her neck, and she faced me. “Better?”
I found myself caught in her eyes. They were twin pools of burning fire, crimson windows to her soul, like...Okay! I’ve been spending too much time with the egghead...
“Um, yeah, much better,” I finally choked out, wondering where my sudden eloquence had come from. I don't talk like that at all. Ever. Almost flunked English my freshman year of high school.
She beamed at me, and my heart did a little flip. ‘What the... what’s wrong with me? It’s just Vi for Pete’s sake! You’ve known her for years. I mean, she is very pretty, beautiful even, with her blue, ragged punk hair framing her smiling face, and those eyes, so dreamy, with...SNAP OUT OF IT!’ I shook my head, trying to clear it. It helped, a little.
We sat for awhile in silence, staring at the night sky, sipping our drinks, and enjoying each other's company. I was admiring the beautiful stars, free of pollution, when Vinyl spoke, breaking my reverie.
“Hey, guess what? It’s 11:11, time to make a wish!” There it was again, that flip-inducing smile. I really had to get a hold on myself.
“Okay, here goes... I wish that there could be more nights like this, spent with a close friend. It's really nice, just what I need.” I looked over at her for acknowledgment.
“And I wish, that some girl I knew could catch a hint." Girl? Huh. "That rainbow hair of hers must mess with her brain!” She looked over at me, a devilish grin on her face.
Wait, rainbow hair... “What? Hints? What do you mean?” I was confused. Thoroughly, utterly, unbelievably boggled.
“I mean this.” Vinyl leaned over, and before I could react, kissed me full on my lips. I threw out my arms, and my wings exploded into sight, caught completely by surprise. She tasted like over-sweet oranges and mint gum. Peppermint? I didn’t have time to find out, though, because she pulled away, blushing furiously.
“I-I-I-I gotta go!” She stumbled to her feet and started to run. Oh, crap.
“Wait,” I called after her. “Slow down, I’m not mad!” I really didn't want her to run off like that, seeing as my confession to Twi hadn't gone so well. I still remember the sting, and that all I wanted was to still be friends with her after that. It's hard, you know, attraction to the same gender. One of the biggest challenges I've ever had to deal with...
She turned around. “Really, I thought you would be, seeing as you’re so straight and all.” Oh, how adorable she was! That was about as on point as claiming I was an Earthie. Not so much, considering the wings on my back, which were slowly starting to loosen and return to their folded position between my shoulder blades.
Judging from my recent thoughts, and the state of the pulse beating through my body, she wasn’t entirely correct, but she didn’t need to know that yet, not until I sorted out my feelings. “Yeah, well, I don’t mind. You just had to get it out, and I’m just glad I could help. Now, as for taking this any further, well, I’ll have to think about that.” And a lot of thinking it would be. Not necessarily about my attraction to her, but about the repercussions it could bring...
“R-really? You don’t mind?" She was still nervous, and then the rest caught up with her. "Wait, take it further? Are you serious?” She practically started floating. Again, the similarities with Pinkie...
“Well, that’s kinda what I just said. ‘Maybe’ is the best I can do for now.” I shrugged and gave her a smile. I wonder if mine was "flip-inducing" like hers was to me. Probably, given her recent statement. I would be able to tell if she had a more expressive face, but she didn't, so I could only guess.
“Maybe! Woo-hoo!” She had turned the most adorable red earlier. Now the blood rush was receding, and it was down to the cutest pink I had ever seen in someone's face.
I could swear she had turned into Pinkie, the way she was bouncing. That girl had more energy than I ever would. Always had, and that's saying something. I was a demon when we were small.
“ Oh yeah, and before I forget...” I got up and ran forward, almost falling on my face in the process, just barely managing to maneuver my wings to redirect my crash course into the pavement to a crash course into Vinyl. Then, I kissed her back, half-throwing myself at her while recovering my balance. “That’s payback! Nobody surprises me and gets away with it!” Well, except for Pinkie, but she's always done that. “Now you can tell everyone that the Great Rainbow Dash kissed you!”
She blinked rapidly, her scarlet eyes excited and somewhat distressed. And there was that red face again. “Oh, I wouldn’t ever tell anybody!” She crossed her arms over her chest, embarrassment driving her to be shy. You think she'd be used to me by now, and all of that occasionally annoying confidence. We've known each other for years.
“Well, then how’s about we sit back down and finish our drinks, so we can go party some more?” I really wanted her to know I wasn't mad, and I wasn't going to shun her. I could still recall the pain of uncertainty, even after Twi had told me it was all right. It was never alright to me. I still remember feeling so guilty, so ashamed of what I was, and what I had foolishly let myself do, instead of keeping quiet.
“If it isn’t too awkward...” She eased down next to me, but farther away than earlier. She still seemed really awkward and nervous. Maybe I could do something about that. I'm generally fairly good at getting her to relax, but I don;t know if my presence would aggravate her tension right now, or not.
“Not at all, in fact...” I scooted a little closer, wings flared to help with balance. “You’re going to freeze that far away. I don’t bite, so there’s no reason for that." I pulled my jacket tight around me, insulating myself against the cold night air. "Now, I don’t mean we’re gonna cuddle, but hey, we’re best friends, and it’s cold, so I’m gonna find heat wherever I can, before my important bits fall off.”
She blushed, and then giggled, which was what I was aiming for. There was no reason to make this awkward. Even if I decided not to take her up later, I still wanted to be friends, and what better way to accomplish that than to make her laugh? I, for one, didn't want to lose one of my best friends to something so silly as a misunderstanding. Not when I had almost done the same not a year before.
I hugged her and then gazed at the stars, and she did too, as we finished off the last of our drinks. This was definitely one of the strangest nights I've ever had, and yet, I didn't want it to end. How could I?