//------------------------------// // A Walk With Rainbow Dash // Story: A Date With Rainbow Dash // by AwkwardInfo //------------------------------// Was this too much? You give yourself a quick once-over: a nice collared shirt based off of the high class undershirts that the higher-ups in Canterlot wear, according to Rarity, a pair of blue jeans that were a bit rarer to come by, but were still somewhat in the realm of reality, and some raggedy old tennis shoes from when you got teleported here. Honestly, for a guy who literally got teleported without warning into this parallel universe/alternate dimension, you cleaned up pretty nicely. But was it too much? You knew you didn’t need to go all out with roses and a suit and booking a restaurant that was way over your pay rate. Dash would probably see that as over dramatic and really cringy. She wasn’t the type that liked huge displays of affection. You knew that. But at the same time, this was Rainbow Dash: fastest flyer in Equestria, future Wonderbolt, and some pony who expects the best out of everyone and everything…when she felt like it, at least. And from her reaction to your teasing, you could see that she was very determined to make this date work. If she wanted you to go all out, then you should’ve already had everything planned a week in advance. That’s just how she worked. Unfortunately, you hadn’t really planned on her actually saying yes, thinking it was all some big misunderstanding… And now here you are, in the only nice outfit you owned, about to go on a date with one of your best friends. You sigh. Welp, let’s hope this goes well, or else you’ll be writing a friendship letter on how not to improve a relationship with another species. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! You jump at the sudden pounding on your front door, startling you out of your thoughts. You wipe some of the sweat off of your face, dust yourself off, and make your way to the front door. Time to get this date started. You open the door— “Sup, Dash? You ready for the most awesome date ev—” —and your brain shuts down at the sight you see before you. Your friend—one of your very best friends—stood right before you. And she looked gorgeous. She had done up her mane and tail, ditching that whole wind-swept speedster style with a more…feminine look. Each strand seemed like it was meticulously combed to make it seem like an actual rainbow after a storm, from the lightest red to the darkest purple, individually placed to perfection. Her tail had been curled as well, the colors swirling down from the start to the end. She even had makeup on, her eyelashes glistening in the slowly setting sun, her eyeshadow that was just the tiniest bit lighter than her beautiful eyes, which refused to look at you, and swear you could smell perfume. But what really caught you was her dress. At first, it didn’t look anything too special: it was nearly completely white, almost like a cloud. But on closer inspection, you realized it was much more complicated than that. It took a little bit to notice, but if you looked at it just right, when the sun bounced off the fabric, you could see an astounding amount of color dancing around in such intricate patterns that you could sit there for a lifetime and never see the same design twice. The way it wove through the light in all different directions…it reminded you of the Northern Lights back home. The sight nearly brought a tear to your eye. “S-so…w-what do ya think?” You shake yourself out of your trance, realizing that you’d been staring. You clear your throat, turning away from her as you blush. “You look…very nice tonight, Rainbow.” Wow. That was probably the cringiest compliment that you could’ve come up with. You’re surprised Dash can even stand it, both figuratively and literally. “Th-thanks…” She mutters quietly. An awkward silence fills the air, the wind and sounds of nature being the only thing that let you know that this was not some weird fantasy dreamt up in your psyche; this was reality. And in reality, you gotta nut up or shut up. And you never did learn how to shut up. “Soooooo…” You run the back of your neck, trying your best to play it cool despite how uncomfortable you feel. “You ready to go, then?” “Y-yeah, let’s go!” She cries, trying to hype herself up. You grin at the sight. Even when on a date with the guy she has a crush on, she would still be Rainbow Dash: the rough-and-tumble tomboy that always stayed with you no matter what. She really was a good friend. You make your way down the path towards the village proper. It was a bit of a bother to walk such a long distance to get there, but you had your reasons. For one, it was much closer to Fluttershy’s cottage than the hospital, which seemed odd at first until you realized that the hospital probably only dealt with ponies and pony anatomy, and being near a vet who took care of animals would be better in case you were ever mortally wounded or something (which happens quite a bit in this town, now that you think about it). Also, being close with someone like Dash meant a lot more physical fitness than you were used to, with her always challenging you to races and hoof wrestling and stuff, so getting a bit of workout in helped you slowly build your strength so you could one day beat her. Also also, being a big human in a town of small horses kinda made it hard to not be very intimidating, so staying on the outside was probably for the best. As you walk, Dash stays by your side, trotting silently next to you, since flying in a dress wasn’t exactly the smartest idea in the world. Then again, flying in something that you could easily see into when you’re on a date would be kind of…uncomfortable. But like, that would be for a society like yours that actually cared about nudity and made it taboo, which I guess is why she’s not flying…or it may be because it may rip the dress…or maybe you’re thinking way too much into the idea of your friend wearing clothes since she doesn’t wear them normally… Whatever. Now’s not the time to think about that. Maybe you should try and break the silence before you both suddenly turn into mimes. “You nervous, Dash?” You try to joke, looking down at the blue pegasus. She seemed very deep in thought, and was looking more at the ground than in front of her. “Dash?” You try again, a bit of worry creeping into your voice. “Hmm?” Dash starts a little, realizing you were talking to her. “Yeah, what’s up?” You slow to a stop and get down on one knee (you’ll deal with Rarity complaining about messing up her handiwork later) and look Dash in the eye. “You okay?” You ask sincerely. Her cheeks flush a bit from your stare, but she tries her best smile, even though you could tell that she was kind of faking it. “Yeah, I’m fine! What’s it to ya?” She asks annoyedly. “Hey, don’t get mad at me!” You scold her slightly, making her ears droop a bit. “I’m just wondering if my date is feeling alright.” Her cheeks blush a bit redder as she turns away, her mouth in a grimace. “Like I said, I’m fine…” She barely gets out through grit teeth. You sigh in frustration. She’s been doing that for quite a bit as of late, and while you mostly chalked it up to her slow crush on you, she still hadn’t admitted that she had yet, and if she couldn’t tell you yet, then you’d just have to wait until she wanted to. So, while you hated to do it, you dusted your pant leg off and kept going into town, with Dash not far behind. The streets weren’t all that busy, being near the end of the day and all, but there were still a few wandering around the marketplace getting some last minute items before the stalls closed. And lucky you, you just so happened to run into a pony who just might be able to solve your problem. “Well, howdy, y’all!” Applejack called, putting the last of her unsold apple products onto her cart as you approached. “What’re you two doin’ all dressed up ‘n’ all? Did Dash finally ask ya out?” “Shh! Quiet down, would ya?!” Said pony practically squeals, checking to see if anyone heard. “I’m trying to keep an image here!” “Yeah, and you walking ‘round in a dress with the human totally won’t be mistaken for somethin’ else.” AJ deadpans, rolling her eyes. “I asked her out, thank you very much.” You proclaim proudly. “I’m not as naïve as I look.” “And did she admit to likin’ ya?” “…” “That’s what I thought.” Ouch, your pride. “Ugh, can we get going already?!” Dash pleaded, trying her best to avoid the curious looks of the ponies nearby. “We’re gonna be late, and I didn’t pay Pinkie to just sit around waiting for us to get there.” “Alright, alright! Hold yourself, we’ll be there soon enough.” You turn back to Applejack, leaning down and whispering in her ear, “No, she hasn’t, and I think it’s really getting to her.” Applejack glanced over to see if Dash was paying any attention, then whispered back, “Yeah, I getcha. Girl wouldn’t admit nothin’ ‘less we forced her to. Ain’t no way yer gonna get anythin’ out in the open.” “Well, she could…with a little bit of help…” You give a glance at the apple cart. “Now what in tarnation are ya…oh…” Her eyes follow yours as a gives you a little smirk. “Oh, you cheeky little—” “Hello?! Can we get going already?! I’m ready for some cake, and if we don’t leave soon, then Pinkie’s gonna eat all the leftovers!” Dash whines, hopping in place, ready to take off and a moment’s notice. You sigh as you relay your plan to Applejack silently, who nods and gets herself latched up to her cart. “Well, it was nice seein’ you two! Hope y’all have a nice night now! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Aww, she’s so swee-wait, what? “GreatthanksbyeAJ!” You couldn’t even respond to the country mare before you were taken by the hand and practically dragged across the market by a rainbow blur. You really hoped you had misheard her.