/x/x/x/
Slamming the door open, Rainbow Dash found herself in a fairly well-kept girls’ bathroom.
White tiles with dark grout, thankfully dry for the most part, lined the floors. A similar pattern lay on the walls, but glossier. A tampon dispenser and a changing table sat hooked to the wall on her left, sinks and mirrors lined the right, and the rest of the room was taken up by a handful of green stalls.
Quiet sobbing could be heard from one of them.
“Twilight?” Rainbow asked, voice laced with worry. She took a few quick steps to the door, closed and locked in front of her. She placed a hand on it and sighed, placing her forehead down with a thunk. “I'm sorry.”
No response came, but the sounds of upset slowly morphed to sniffling.
“Jet comes from a really strict family...” Rainbow began to explain. “Super religious but not the kind who aren't a bunch of assholes, not like Fluttershy. And super rich. He's good at tennis and golf but that's where his good qualities end. Rare knows him and how much of a dickhead he is too, since she went to that chartered private middle school before she came here, you know?”
She turned and sat on the floor in front of the door, continuing her story. “He really doesn't like people like us. Gay or bi or whatever. You know that one guy, Toasty, who used to be a girl? Jet was a major league cunt to him when he came out too. So Rare and I both know firsthand what kind of person he is, but... I never thought he would eat at a place like Shakey Steak. I'm real sorry this had to happen to you.”
“...it’s okay...” Twilight croaked, before setting her feet down on the ground with two clacks of her shoes. “I don't mind what he did, I just mind that my dress is ruined... especially because you said that you liked it.”
Rainbow quickly stood up and turned around, taking a step back as Twilight pulled the door open. Thick off-white sludge coated the girl’s head, glasses, shoulders, and dripped down most of the dress. She was hunched over, vulnerable.
“Oh, Twi...”
“That bad, huh?”
The athlete grimaced. “Let's see what we can get off...” she muttered, stepping over to a paper towel dispenser. She cranked the lever several times before snatching a wad of nearly a dozen, and soaking them under a faucet. With a stack of wet paper in hand, she turned to her date and began to try to get the cream and sugar out of her hair.
Twilight removed her glasses and closed her eyes, wincing as her head was pulled back and forth to no avail.
“Okay, this isn't working...” Rainbow shoved the useless towels into the garbage as Twilight ran the lenses under the water. Luckily it washed right off with a little bit of rubbing. “Here, lemme hold your glasses.”
“Thank you.” The milkshake-laden teen began to splash water on her face, cleaning at least that. When she returned her sight to the mirror, her lip quivered and she let out a sob. “I can't even see anything and I know I look terrible...”
“Here,” Rainbow said, handing the glasses back and taking Twilight’s hand in her own. “Let's go to Fluttershy’s parents’ apartment. It's just a block away, and I've got keys to it. Her folks are out of town right now so you can get cleaned up ASAP.”
“Will they mind?”
She shook her head. “Nah, I'm like a second daughter to ‘em. Plus we’ll clean up any drips.”
“Okay... thank you, Rainbow...”
“No problem.” She flashed a supportive smile. “Let's get going before that dries anymore, okay?”
Twilight nodded and let Rainbow take her by the hand. She didn't giggle like a schoolgirl at the contact as she would normally have done if the circumstances were any different. Instead, she simply trudged along and refused to look up from the floor.
After they stepped out into the main room, Rainbow turned to Twilight. “I'm gonna go pay and then we can go, alright?”
“Hey, Dash,” came another voice. “If, uh... I can call you that?”
She turned to face him, a boy she’d never met before. He had dark skin, faintly tinted purple, and muted navy hair styled to swoop over half of his face. She raised an eyebrow and subconsciously took a protective half step in front of Twilight. “I know you?”
He nodded his head. “Not in person. But I know you. You're, like, one of the coolest sports stars I know... I'm just a fan. I'm Stormy. And uh... what that dude did isn't cool. So don't worry about your food, my friends and I got you covered.”
The two other boys at the table, having already been pulling bills out of their wallets, nodded in agreement.
“I appreciate that,” Rainbow said, relaxing her posture and glancing over at Jet’s still-slumped body. His goons were taking pictures of him on their phones. She turned back to face Stormy. “But you really don't have to just because I can play soccer.”
“Actually, I’m more of a basketball fan. But still, that shake’s gonna need some cleaning sooner rather than later, and I figure you two wanna go and take care of that quickly. And it’s totally cool, because my brother’s gay too...” He trailed off and glanced at nothing for a moment. “Or he, uh... he was...”
“Oh...” Rainbow grimaced briefly. “Thank you.”
He nodded, with a small melancholic smile. “Any time.”
Rainbow Dash took Twilight’s hand in her own again and headed for the front door. It was at this moment that Pinkie decided to skate out of the kitchen with a tray full of burgers and fries and actually looked at her surroundings.
“Uh... Dashie...” She asked, cautiously. “...Why is Twi Twi covered in milkshake and why is Jet covered in blood?”
Rainbow grabbed a single french fry off of the tray, bent down over Jet’s form, and swept it along the red coating his head. “It's ketchup,” she said, tossing it in her mouth. “I'll explain later, but right now we’ve got a sweet milky emergency on our hands. See ya later, Pinks!” She cried as she went out the door, Twilight offering a wave before being dragged out as well.
Pinkie merely blinked as she glanced down to the unconscious teenager, up to the uneaten food on the table, and back to the food in her hands. She shrugged and skated on over to deliver her tray. “Stormy, hi! I haven't seen you in forever...”
/x/x/x/
“Okay so lemon juice, baking soda, that chemical stuff, and a whole lotta patience?”
“Yes, darling, if we’re to save the fabric then you simply must follow these instructions exactly to the letter. And do tell Twilight that I'm dreadfully sorry that this had to happen to her on her first date.”
“Don't worry Rare,” Rainbow said as she fumbled with the keys to her best friend’s ‘house’ of sorts. “I can remember that. And I think she knows. I’ll call you later and let you know how the dress holds up.”
“Wonderful! I'll be sending my thoughts and prayers to the poor dear, and to Twilight as well. Now be gentle with both of them.”
“Yeah, sure. Later.”
“So long.”
And with that, Rainbow tapped the red icon to signal the end of the call before finally unlocking the door. Opening it, the two girls stepped in and wiped their shoes on the black mat just inside. Rainbow slipped out of her converse and stepped through the entryway into the kitchen. Twilight removed her flats and glanced around the apartment.
Shades of blue and tan seemed to be the primary motif, as the two cobalt three-seat couches against the walls of the living room could attest to. They sat on the right, on either side of an end table in the corner. A simple round coffee table occupied the dead space, a screen door headed out to a small balcony, and a handful of dark oak bookshelves lined the wall. There was no television in sight.
To the immediate left was an adequately-furnished dining room; table, chairs, and a hanging lamp overhead illuminating the room. Adjacent to it was a cramped kitchen, which was all but being ransacked by the cyan-skinned teenager. Straight ahead was a darkened hallway with three doors at the end facing the other directions.
“Where the hell...” Rainbow muttered, rifling through the refrigerator. “Ah! Here that is.” She pulled the yellow bottle out of the side door before turning and tossing it onto the table. “Hey Twi, go ahead and take that off, Rare says we gotta take care of the mess soon as possible.”
Twilight froze.
“Where's the baking soda... baking powder? Is there a difference? If that's there and that's there and- is that- no, of course not, why would this be easy? It should be with the flour and sugar, right? Wait, is- found it! Okay, we got that, just need a few little... uh, Twi? You okay?”
Behind the glasses her eyes were glazed over, her arms were crossed protectively over her chest, and her knees were locked together.
“What's up?”
Twilight shook her head back and forth. “I don't wanna do this now.”
Rainbow glanced out the window at nothing in particular before slowly bringing her gaze back to her friend. “...clean your dress?” She asked, not understanding the meaning of this vague, cryptic omission. “That's not really something you can really put off. You said it yourself when you were tutoring me, procrastination is-”
“I don't wanna strip in front of you!” She shouted, a bit more force than necessary. “Sorry...”
Gears turned, hamsters ran through wheels, tape reel computers spit out long lines of numbers, and something clicked in Rainbow’s head.
“Ah,” she stated, simply. “Well, I think Fluttershy has some bathing suits or something here that might fit you, I’m sure that she won't mind if you borrow one. Go on and pick one out, and grab a towel too since you’ll need one, I still gotta find one more thing before I can get to cleaning the dress.”
Rainbow turned and started rifling through the cabinets now, under the impression that she understood exactly what Twilight was upset about and that conversely she understood exactly what the plan was going to be.
Twilight opened her mouth as if to say something but closed it. She lightly sighed out her nose but walked down the hallway regardless, careful not to scrape against the walls. The rooms ahead and to the left were unmarked but the one on the right had pink butterfly decals; she assumed (correctly) that this was Fluttershy’s room, and opened the door.
It was sparsely decorated, and fairly un-lived-in. Nothing was particularly out of place, or present for that matter. There was a bed and dresser, with an empty cage befitting a rabbit and a framed photograph sitting on top. but that was about it. There was Fluttershy herself next to a younger boy with yellow hair, in front of what Twilight assumed were their parents. The little girl’s smile rivaled Pinkie Pie’s.
Hesitating for just a moment, Twilight pulled open one drawer. She immediately closed it, a blush coloring her cheeks. That definitely wasn't the drawer to be caught looking in. The next one down held tops, the next held shorts and skirts, and the bottom contained what she was looking for. Socks on one side, bathing suits on the right. Careful to touch the fabric as little as possible, Twilight took a red one out before standing back up and nudging it closed with her foot.
She turned around to take in the rest of the room. It was just as undecorated as it was upon first glance. There was a single poster comprised of vertical green, yellow, and red bars sitting on the beige wall, and a few scattered splotches in the paint that seemed to indicate hasty tape removal. The closet in the corner was neatly closed, and there wasn't too much curiosity on Twilight’s part to investigate, as her mind was currently being overwhelmed with something else... as well as the congealed milk coating her body.
“Bottom drawer!” Rainbow called from the kitchen. Her voice continued, growing in both volume and closeness. “I know it's kind of a mess ever since- what the...” She entered the room, taken aback, and glanced at the poster. “So she cleaned. And... well, you found that. So what's up?”
Twilight bit her lip and turned to face her friend. “I...”
Rainbow stepped past her and sat down on the bed, crossing her legs and placing her hands on her knees. “Alright Twi, something’s wrong other than what that asshole did to you. And I'm gonna sit here for as long as it takes you to come up with the right words to talk about it, because we’re gonna talk about this. Sooner rather than later, because that sludge isn't looking too good.”
Twilight wiped her eyes, carefully and with her knuckles so as not to cause any harm to the intricate nail work from the day before. She set the bikini top on the dresser and made a gentle fist, lightly tapping the wood. She took a deep breath, resolving to finally speak her mind, and turned to Rainbow.
“I'm sorry I ruined the date,” she began, looking at the floor. “I was scared of him, and angry that he was bothering you, and I didn't figure out what you were talking about in time, and when he started yelling I just... I taunted him, and then he did this,” pulling the fabric of the dress out before letting gravity take it back. “And I'm gonna ruin it more because I don't wanna have sex with you right now because I want a normal not-terrible date before I take part in intercourse before-”
She was cut off by Rainbow, who suddenly burst out laughing.
“...are you done?”
“Oh my god Twilight, you... you think... you want- that's...” the pauses were interlaid with breaths, as the laughter would not abate. After a moment of pressing her fingers to her temples and regaining her composure, she continued. “Did you think that I was gonna try to have sex with you after we cleaned the dress?”
Twilight blinked a few times. Was her expert level analytical interpretation of the situation... wrong?
“...are you not?”
Rainbow fell backwards on the bed, spread-eagle. “No! Not today!”
“Then why-” Twilight tried to interject before being steamrolled.
“Everyone knows you either fuck once and then don't talk about it again or you don't fuck at all until the third date!” Rainbow leaned back forward, and planted her feet on the ground. “I mean, if you wanted to then sure, I’d totally do that since you're really cute and stuff, but right now isn't the time! You're upset and emotionally compromised and shit, I'm not gonna take advantage of one of my best friends like that, Twilight. I care about you, you know. That's why we’re doing this right now, having this date, it's why I took you here, it's why I'm gonna help clean you up.”
Twilight sighed. “Then... why are you asking me to take my clothes off?”
Rainbow stood up and took a step, before touching the milkshake coating the dress. “To clean it up. I've seen enough naked girls in the locker room to not care about things like this. I didn't think about how it could bother you until you said earlier about stripping, and that's why I told you about Fluttershy’s bathing suits. If I was gonna have sex with you that'd be a completely different thing. Being naked is different when you're gonna fuck than it is when you're just gonna, like, wash your hair or something. I've showered with Applejack before.”
Twilight gaped at this. Applejack? Really? But she was the girl who got dressed for PE in the locking staff bathroom halfway across the school!
“So...” she tentatively prodded, bringing herself to look at least near Rainbow’s eyes. “You just want to clean the dress?”
She shrugged. “Yeah. It's a nice dress. You like it, I like it, Rarity likes it. If I wanted to get in your pants or- well, you know what I mean- I'd say that I did, just ask anyone I've been with. Which is probably half the gay girls on the teams in all the schools in the district.”
Twilight bit her lip again.
“Don't worry, I stay safe and make sure that anyone who wants to taste the rainbow stays clean.”
“No!” Twilight snorted. “That was a bad pun!”
Rainbow shrugged. “Maybe. But are you okay? Is there anything else bothering you? I really hope there isn't because that's looking a bit crusty by now.”
“I... I don't think so...” she turned to finally make eye contact. “I don't even mind if you see me topless, really. I just... I don't want to have sex right now, and I was just feeling guilty about messing this up for you. I know that I'm not the most confident date...”
“That doesn't matter to me,” she placated. “I just want you to be happy.”
Twilight smiled at this. “I think I can be.”
“Cool. Now let's get that off of you and get it taken care of, if it's not permanently ruined already. I'll give you some privacy, I'll be in the kitchen.”
She patted Twilight on the milkshakeless shoulder before sliding past her and making good on her word, shutting the door behind her.
Twilight glanced to the shuttered window, to the discarded bikini top, and to her dress. Her fingers hesitated for only a second before they pulled the fabric off of her shoulders, letting it fall to her hips. Luckily the fabric had some small amount of give, and she pushed it down. Unfortunately it pulled her underwear down as well.
“Dammit,” she whispered, stepping out of it. She shook the dress until the smaller more delicate piece of lace fell out. Luckily it evaded the dairy mess. She turned to face the door, which had a conveniently placed hook, and looped the shoulder straps over it before turning back to the floor.
Well, it didn't really make sense to wear red on top and powder blue on the bottom, Rarity would have a meltdown if she ever found out. Not, Twilight thought in mortified shock, that she or anybody else ever would. Twilight pulled the bottom drawer back out again, hoping to find the accompanying piece of scarlet. Luckily she found it after not too much trouble, but hesitated before slipping it on.
She liked this pair and vowed to buy a replacement for Fluttershy. Hopefully the girl wouldn't care too much.
After another moment of fiddling with knots, Twilight managed to put on both pieces, and examined herself to make sure it covered everything it needed to. That wasn't very much, all things considered, but it was enough to conceal her secret.
Satisfied, she took the dress down, picked up the underwear, and stepped out of the bedroom. She strode over to the kitchen, and then upon seeing Rainbow she blushed furiously, refusing to make eye contact even more pointedly than usual.
“Took you long enough,” she muttered, reaching out to the dress. “Was wondering if you forgot how to change your clothes, heh. Good choice with the red, by the way, it suits you. I'm gonna clean this, you just go draw the bath and I'll be there in a second.”
Twilight glanced up from placing the underwear in one of her shoes. “What.”
“Don't think I didn't notice that manicure, Twi,” she answered, turning the sink on and grabbing a damp washcloth, beginning to gently wash the drying cream and sugar out. “You're gonna tear your nails up trying to get that shake out of your hair, so I'm gonna do it for you since I don't give a shit about my own nails. But you do care so I'll help you out.”
“...thanks.”
“That... wasn’t exactly a thankful tone... is that not cool?”
Twilight sighed in exasperation again. “It’s fine, I just...” She glanced down at her exposed body. “This whole situation makes me feel like I’m in a voyeur’s wet dream, or some seedy lesbian pulp. Are you sure you’re okay with taking care of me like this, and that you don’t have any ulterior motives?”
Rainbow turned the sink off and draped the wet fabric onto the kitchen table. “It’s totally fine, Twi. I just wanna make this experience a little less shitty for you, you know? And don’t worry, I’m not gonna do anything weird. It’s not like I’m secretly a guy or something. You’re really cute but I respect boundaries.” She turned and winked at Twilight. “In another situation I’d say my feelings were hurt that you even asked that.”
“Right...” She grimaced, presumably from shame over the accusation. “Sorry, I just-”
“Relax, you’re fine!” Rainbow waved her off before taking the lemon juice in hand, and damping a paper towel with it. “I just gotta do a couple more things here, you go on ahead and get the water to what you want.”
Twilight bit her lip, evaluating her options, before silently conceding with a nod of her head. She made her way back through the hallway to the remaining two doors. Her first choice was incorrect, revealing another sparsely-decorated bedroom that smelled, oddly enough, like leather. The other door held the bathroom.
After hitting the light switch, Twilight noticed that there really wasn't that much to it. White marble countertop with an inlaid sink over an oak cabinet. Metal faucet, faux glass handles. The toilet was nothing to write home about. The shower was obscured by a tacky curtain depicting the ocean floor, seaweed, and creepy smiling dead-eyed fish. Twilight briefly shuddered before casting it to the side, desperate to make their piercing gazes go away.
A cream tub with four small foot-shaped bathmats in just such a position that... well... good to know that Fluttershy’s parents had a healthy libido for people their age, at least. The ledges and suction-cupped baskets were covered in dozens of soap bottles and bath accessories, but there was enough room for two to maneuver. For lack of a much better term.
The water controls were easily understandable. One for hot, one for cold, and a stopper in the faucet. She left it well enough alone before turning the cold water on slightly. The drain cap was easy to find, nudged lightly behind a clear shampoo bottle. Unfortunately, grabbing it caused a bit of a cascading chain reaction that sent every bottle loudly crashing into the ground.
“Okay in there!?” Shouted a voice in the kitchen that seemed to be stifling a giggle.
Twilight sighed and put all of the bottles back up at least somewhere in the vicinity of where they were before putting the cap in place, and putting the hot water on max. She slowly adjusted the cold up little by little until she liked the temperature, and let it fill for a few minutes. Before she had time to begin contemplating anything else, movement at the bathroom door drew her eye.
“I knew you were a klutz but I didn't know it was that bad,” Rainbow teased before removing her jacket and hanging it up on a hook on the back of the door. “So yeah, let's get this shit out of your hair. Heh, literally.” Chuckling at her own joke, she pulled her shirt off over her head.
Twilight’s brain stopped working.
/x/x/x/