“Don’t look,” Twilight mentally reminded herself as she bit her lip. She fought to focus solely on the tiny weights she had on her hand, looking at it, then to her other companion Rarity, then to Fluttershy, before finding her gaze unwittingly back to the grunts coming from two members of their group by the weight benches.
One, came from the apple farmer who was staring at the heavy weights with a determined glint reminiscent of when she did her chores as lines of sweat poured down her forehead and faint muscles convulsing with strain. The other grunt came from beside the hardworking blonde, a similar sweaty and muscle strained Sunset let out another grunt as she decided doing her last five reps and oblivious to the amethyst orbs looking her way.
“Darn it, you looked,” Twilight thought but she couldn’t maintain the disappointment in her tone as she blushed at the sight before her, ignorant of the whispered giggles that went unheard.
“There she goes again,” Fluttershy commented with a giggle, wiping her face with a towel as she sat beside the fashion designer.
“Agreed,” Rarity stated after taking a drink of her bottle of water, before thoughtfully adding, “though it does make me sound like a hypocrite.” Half-lidded azure eyes stared appreciatively at the duo, more zeroed-in at the blonde than the redhead, before Rarity continued, “All things considered, she’s not wrong. The view is something to behold.”
Fluttershy giggled once again. “Um, I guess but I don’t think it warrants drooling, don’t you think?” She paired this statement off with a pointed finger.
Rarity followed and giggled once again. Taking a moment to finish her drink, she stood up and briefly bopped the gaping girl’s head with her magazine.
“Simply close your mouth, dear. You aren’t a codfish, last I checked.”
Twilight froze, eyes wide as she gaped at her friend. She stammered for a reply or an explanation for a behavior, getting incoherent strings of ‘anti-objectification’, but Rarity interjected.
“I mean not to hinder you, darling, but do keep in mind that we are still in a public place,” she stared at the spazzing girl with a mischievous glint in her eyes, “so do try to keep your urges under control.”
When the bespectacled blushed redder, Rarity tittered as she placed a comforting hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Jesting, dear. I’m merely joking.” Her half-lidded azure eyes returned.
“Mostly.”
Adjusting her frames, Twilight shook her head to focus and replied with an even. “T-That was mean.” Yet she smiled tiredly at the fashion designer.
Fluttershy came over, sitting on Twilight’s side, and patted a soothing hand. “For what it’s worth Twilight, I don’t think you’re the only one who’s been…admiring the view.” She casted a playful glance at an offended Rarity, before offering another smile, “and we all know you wouldn’t do something bad.”
“Right, right,” Rarity said with a wavy hand, “that’s what I was trying to say. Thank you.”
“Right,” Twilight echoed, still with a heavy blush at being found ogling her friend.
A loud exasperated cry of “Oh come on!” broke through the gym, making the three girls sitting on the bench look around and spotted the source.
Rainbow Dash still laid down on the matted ground, glaring angrily at the ceiling while Pinkie Pie continued to laugh as she backwards ran on the treadmill, smiling victoriously.
Rarity smirked as they sauntered over the distraught girl. “Should have known not to try and race Pinkie Pie.” Fluttershy smiled comfortingly, offering a hand to pull up the athlete.
“Whatever, she’s just lucky I didn’t use my geode,” RD muttered, blowing a raspberry back at the pink girl when she shot her tongue out. The prismatic girl sighed, shook her head, before pointing a finger at Twilight. “I blame you though.”
“What, me?” Twilight asked, eyebrows raised in disbelief.
“Yeah you, and the bacon horse’s weird sexual tension going on,” Rainbow aptly explained with a scrunch of her nose. “Seriously, it got so strong that it threw me off!”
Blushing and at loss of words, Rarity defended Twilight. “Really, Rainbow Dash. It’s one thing to be a sore loser and another to go blaming others for your shortcomings.”
“Hah, you said it,” Rainbow snorted, “’Shortcomings.’ At this rate, I doubt she’ll be coming at all.” She said this with a snicker, relishing in the other’s eyeroll and scoff, before turning back to egghead 1. “But seriously, can’t you just do her already?”
“Dashie!”
“Rainbow Dash!”
“What?” Rainbow raised her hands in defense, “someone’s gotta say it.”
Twilight sputtered, words still remaining lost over the mental images her friend’s words induced. At this point, Pinkie Pie joined in. She jumped on the speechless Twilight’s back, giggling.
“Guess you broke her, Rainbow Dash.” The party planner lightly knocked on the purple girl’s noggin. “Hel~lo, anyone in there?”
Rarity lightly tugged Pinkie away. “Dear, don’t do that.” She then turned to the unimpressed athlete. Rarity pointed a finger. “You, fix this.”
Rolling her eyes, Rainbow acquiesced and then snapped a finger in front of the dumbstruck girl’s face. When that didn’t work, she rolled her eyes again and leaned forward to whisper, “Hey, Sunset’s shirtless and she’s asking if you’ll give her yours.”
All present raised amused brows when Twilight jolted awake, scrambling and turning around with her hands shakily holding at the hem of her shirt. When there was an apparent lack of a redhead lacking a shirt, Twilight turned and finally glared at the athlete.
Rainbow Dash didn’t give her time to nag as she cut in, “Alright I think I have an idea to fix your virgin problem.” She continued, not giving Twilight time to defend herself in her ‘choice of remaining chaste’ and held up a finger, “we can do this using the age-old teenagers’ method.” She grinned, mischief dancing in her eyes.
“A bet.”
“What?” Twilight said, but to her horror the remaining girls plus the newly arrived Applejack seemed to nod in agreement. “How is a bet going to solve this?”
“Well, bets are known for being the driving force of almost all potential relationships,” Rarity answered with a tap of her chin.
Pinkie nodded as she shook the sweat off her skin with a vigorous vibration, and then taking out a juice box out from her hair, “it’s what starts multiple angst stories too!” She then distributed a tray of juice boxes to her friends.
Applejack accepted the offered drink before turning to the gaping girl. “I can’t help but agree with them, granted I just jumped in but assuming that Sunset’s still over there doing her push ups and we’re here talking over in hushed tones, I can get that we’re talking about her.”
“And Twilight,” Fluttershy cheekily added, sipping on her own juice box.
“Basically, we’re trying to get those two to finally hook up through a bet,” Rainbow summarized for her friend and then turning back to Twilight who was staring at them all with a look of disbelief. “Look, we’re only doing this because we love you both.”
“Also, because it could be hilarious,” Pinkie popped in from behind the athlete.
Rainbow Dash nodded before hastily assuring, “but mostly because we love you both.”
Twilight eyed all her friends, taking in their serious expression, before she sighed. “Alright, I’m listening.”
Rainbow Dash grinned, before slinging a sticky arm around the egghead, ignoring the grimace, and grinned. “Don’t worry, it’s simple really. Look, I’ve been saving up and decided this could be worth it so hear me out.” She raised a finger. “You win this bet, and I’m buying all of us tickets to that boring movie you wanted us to desperately watch.”
“The Documentary of the Historical Origins of Documentaries?!” Twilight stated with a squeal.
Everyone, sans Twilight and the oblivious Sunset, shuddered before Rainbow Dash nodded for them. “Yeah, that.” She waited for the girl to nod before she continued, “so on to the bet. It’s simple. Like, you couldn’t possibly mess this up even.”
“You gotta fluster the girl of your wet dreams-
“Rainbow Dash!” four girls scolded in unison.
-using pick-up lines or one-liners.”
Twilight blinked until her brain finally deduced the words and formed a loud beep signaling ‘nope!’ back.
“You want me, to use cheesy pick-up lines on Sunset, who’s the most confident person I know even, and make her flustered.”
“Or use one-liners, also known as compliments in cased that escaped you.”
Twilight huffed. “Really, just why?”
Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I’m been reading this fanfiction and that’s the last thing I read. I haven’t seen how it ends though, but this is more entertaining.” She waved a hand. “You’ll be fine.”
“Are you all seriously agreeing with this?” Twilight asked the rest of them.
They all nodded, causing the egghead to sigh before turning to the grinning athlete. “Okay, but if I lose?”
At this, Rainbow shrugged. “Then we’ll suffocate through this tension and die slowly as failed shippers.” Again, the others seemed to nod in agreement.
Twilight turned to the unsuspecting member of their group who was still doing an impressive set of pushups before turning back with a glint of determination. She always wanted to have her friends watch that documentary and she just knew they’re going to enjoy it if they gave it a chance. Besides, she tried to assure herself as she shook hands with the athlete, she might just have a chance too with the girl she’s crushing on if Rainbow’s plan succeeded.
“Alright, so when do I start?”
She didn’t like how simultaneously they all glanced among themselves. She didn’t get a chance to ask as she was unceremoniously shoved towards the redhead. She luckily bit back a disgruntled cry. She didn’t alert the other of her presence yet. She looked over her shoulder to glare at her friends, but they were all giving her assuring looks and confident thumbs-ups. The support did ebb the hint of annoyance in her before she turned back to the grunting redhead.
What to say exactly? She didn’t know what to do! She wrung her hands until she started standing there awkwardly. Harsh whispers behind her urged her to look back and saw that her friends were making shooing motions, and in Rainbow’s case, mouthing ‘do something’ as quietly as she could shout.
So, she decided to say the first thing that came to mind.
“Nice ass,” Twilight tried to say as smoothly as she good with her knees buckled in and finger gun pointing finger shaking like a disaster bisexual that was also the owner of said disaster bisexual of a finger gun’s finger.
Sunset removed her ear pods, turning to the girl with a raised brow. “What?”
“I said, NICE LASS!” Twilight shouted with a blush. “B-Because y-you are so nice a-and you’re a lass. Girl. Female. X chromosome!”
Sunset blinked before she smiled. “Aww, thanks Twi.” She then placed the ear pods back in, continuing her push-ups.
Twilight still fought to calm her racing heart before shooting a fierce glare at the laughing athlete and party planner.
Yup, this was a bad idea.