Some strange happenings were occurring in Ponyville, Rainbow Dash observed. Alongside the sudden influx of unique couples that had revealed themselves, Twilight Sparkle, star student of Princess Celestia, had apparently begun a joint study between Fluttershy and herself into a very different kind of magic.
The unicorn, when asked, would hastily explain it as a series of very serious scientific experiments that required Fluttershy's assistance. However, for the ponies that lived close to the library that was not the case. Reports of strange sounds and loud groaning would often flood the police station late at night and they were repeatedly the subject of hushed conversations and giggling.
Dash didn't know the truth. She was just happy that two of her friends had found a little joy together. The details didn't matter in the end, she supposed. Her own journey had twists and turns splattered with tears and hurt, and while those experiences tested her harshly she realised that she wouldn't change a thing. After all, what better result could there have been? Applejack was her marefriend going on seven months now and each moment with her was ecstasy... even when they weren't in the bedroom.
Every morning waking up beside her was another memory Dash tried to save forever. Adding to this was how Applejack seemed to feel the same way. Dash had listened to her speak in her sleep, or whisper in the morning when she thought the pegasus had yet to awaken.
"Ah love you so much Rainbow..."
The raw emotion in the farm pony's voice made her eyes sting with tears every time, until one morning when she couldn't take it anymore and pulled Applejack into an emotional hug. "I love you too Applejack... you have no idea how much," she whispered hoarsely. For a moment they simply embraced on the bed, but as the rainbow pony woke up completely her personality reasserted itself. She jammed a hoof into the other mare's chest. "If you tell anypony that I just cried and did that I will... I will... do unspeakable things to you!"
Dash felt Applejack vibrate with silent laughter. "But y'all are gonna do that anyway."
She had a point. "Yeah... well... If you tell anypony then I won't do unspeakable things to you!"
The earth pony gasped in mock horror. "Ya wouldn't dare!"
Dash pressed her forehead against Applejack's and eyed her with a dangerous smirk. "Try me."
In one swift movement, the orange pony flipped Dash over and pinned her against the bed. "Sounds like a plan!" she laughed as she leaned down, and the pegasus rose to meet her lips.
It was one of many such memories, filled with blushes and laughter followed by soft gasps and barely-contained moans. And yet, after them, the magic always took a different form, a strange warm feeling that flooded every inch of her being. When she lay panting on the bed and stared at the sweat-streaked face of her marefriend, it was no longer the fire in her loins that fuelled her attraction but rather a fire in her heart. There was a word for it that they had both taken to using. It was a simple and meaningful way to make it clear how much they meant to each other.
Love.
How strange that all those months ago it was a foreign concept, a mysterious and intangible idea that could never be understood. And now it had manifested, just as the concept of sex had on that fateful night, in the form of Applejack.
From the little she knew about it beforehand, it seemed more of a burden than a gift, making ponies act in stupid ways for reasons that didn't quite make sense. Only now that she was head over hooves in it did everything finally make sense.
Love didn't weaken her, it empowered her. When she was tired and tempted to simply fall asleep in a tree, the image of Applejack spending the night alone would bring forth a reserve of strength to push her across the distance.
When she practiced tricks in front of her marefriend, something similar happened. It was more than a simple desire to impress her, though that definitely played a part, it was like a burst of inspiration and power that gave her the ability to perform amazing feats.
She had performed the Sonic Rainboom three more times simply because she could. With Applejack in the audience, there was no possibility of failure. Sports news ponies were already debating how long it would take for the Wonderbolts to offer her membership. Spitfire had been quoted, upon witnessing one of the Sonic Rainbooms (the first time she had ever done so while conscious) to say "What the hay was that and why isn't she with us already?!" Dash had that newspaper cut-out framed on her wall.
From the smallest cloud-bucks to the biggest aerial demonstrations, love drove her. It was a bottomless well of energy, a perpetual cycle that was renewed every time she laid eyes on Applejack.
As Rainbow Dash flew high above Ponyville, it became apparent that hers was not the only love enriching the town. Couples laughed and nuzzled in the corners, not from shame but from a simple desire for public privacy.
A particular couple caught her eye, two stallions kissing softly on a park bench, shadowed beneath a big tree. One of the stallions looked familiar and a name rose to mind. Bone, the reluctant bully, had apparently made his own discovery. The unicorn he was locking lips with she had never seen before, but she felt an odd rush of affection for the two.
Despite how he and his friend Rusty had treated her, she didn't feel bitter. There was no urge to drop down and call him out on it. If he was feeling what she felt when he was with his stallion, then nopony should be allowed to ruin that.
So she flew onwards over the young lovers, using the light cloud cover as camouflage to keep her observations hidden. A magazine page fluttered in the wind before her and she snatched it with lightning fast hooves. Slowing down slightly, she drifted across the sky as she read. It was a page from Mare's Monthly, one of those lifestyle guides that Rarity fawned over. Dash was about to toss it back into the wind when a word caught her eye.
'...sudden appearance of these fabulous couples can be attributed to the one and only Rainbow Dash, an up-and-coming young pegasus from Ponyville. Sources reveal that the fearless flier kissed and danced publicly with her earth pony marefriend in a gesture of solidarity with the repressed masses, unintentionally sparking some sort of sexuality revolution that quickly spread to neighbouring towns. Reports of similar behaviour from Fillydelphia to Canterlot are coming thick and fast, and an early press conference declared Princess Celestia to be "delighted" at the news. Experts are currently [continued on page 7]'
The memory of Rarity excitedly sharing inconsequential (or so Dash had thought) news at a dinner party floated to the front of her mind.
"Some of Manehattan's elite class are referring to Ponyville as the City of Love!" the white unicorn had squealed. "Finally, I can be a lady without worrying about the slightly-less than couth town I live in!" She paused and chuckled nervously. "Er, no offense." Her friends had just laughed.
Dash almost stopped flying, shocked as she was after reading the article. She knew that her actions at the party had rung in a new era for Ponyville, but she didn't know it was having such a large effect! Over the last few months, the echoes of her dance had radiated outwards as a beacon, showing the other ponies in Equestria what happens when love is accepted no matter what gender.
It seemed that one pony could really make a difference in the world, against all expectations. All it took was a few good friends and a spoonful of awesome.
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This bonus chapter was requested by a Deviant when I offered to do requests on New Years Day. I truly consider this a fitting epilogue or what-happens-after chapter for my story. The response to the story as a whole has been overwhelming and I can't thank you all enough for the amazing comments and feedback. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Love, DawnFade