//------------------------------// // Chapter 01 // Story: Just A Couple of Ponies // by Tchernobog //------------------------------// To ponies, lunch existed in many forms. In Manehattan, it ranged from the usual fare found in diners lining the streets to the posh servings found at the five star restaurants. In Canterlot, it ranged from the grandiose spread at the Royal Castle to the simple offerings in a donut shop. Some considered it the first meal of the day. Others thought of it as the biggest meal of the day. And yet others considered it a second breakfast, but those were a strange sort. For three mares in Ponyville, however, lunch was a picnic, and a chance to hang out. “And then, then he had the nerve to ask me out again! After standing me up like that!” Rainbow Dash huffed, crossing her forelegs together. “Seriously?” Applejack asked, her eyebrows almost reaching her hat. “So what’d ya tell ‘im?” The pegasus rolled her eyes as she grabbed another sandwich. “I told him I’d go on a date with him… when pigeons sing opera!” The third pony’s smile turned into a playful smirk. “Actually, I know a spell that could–” “If you finish that thought, egghead, I’m throwing a sandwich at you.” Twilight held Rainbow’s gaze for a few seconds, before the pair burst into giggles. Applejack soon joined them, shaking her head at her friends’ antics. As their laughter subsided, the earth pony eyed the blue mare as she devoured her sixth sandwich. “I thought I had a big appetite, Sugarcube, but yer puttin’ me to shame here.” An orange hoof prodded Rainbow’s side. “Where’d you put all of that anyway?” “Hey! I can’t help it if I always look good.” Twilight shook her head in amusement. “Actually, Rainbow, I’d say you’ve just got a really fast metabolism.” “Metawhatnow?” “Metabolism, it’s the chemical reactions involved in maintaining the living state of the cells and the organism.” “She means ya jus’ turn food into energy real fast, Dash,” Applejack offered, Twilight’s explanation having earned only a blank look from the pegasus. “Oh. Why didn’t you just say that?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow at the alicorn, before focusing back on Applejack. “And how’d you know that anyway?” Applejack shrugged, grinning. “What can I say? She’s rubbed off on me.” She chortled as Twilight’s muzzle lifted skywards, pointedly ignoring the earth pony’s teasing. Rainbow’s smirk grew wider by the second. “Yeah, I’ll bet she has…" “Wha–” Applejack’s eyes widened as she caught the pegasus's smirk, and she pulled down her hat to hide her burning cheeks. “Get yer mind outta the gutter, you dirty filly!” “C’mon, you walked right into that one!” Twilight could hardly contain her giggles. “To be fair, you really did, Applejack.” It was now Applejack’s turn to ignore the teasing as she fixed Rainbow with a mild glower. “Whatever.” She snorted as she watched the pegasus wolf down yet another sandwich. “I’m jealous of ya Dash, I’ve gotta work off any extra weight.” “I don’t mind it!” Twilight smirked at Applejack, before leaning in and planting a kiss on the orange pony’s cheek. Applejack returned it, before locking a mock glare on Twilight. “You’re one to talk, y’know!” “Hey! This was a magical growth spurt and you know it!” Twilight draped a wing across Applejack’s back. “But I can do this now!” Twilight’s wing pulled Applejack closer, dragging the orange pony into kissing distance. As Twilight’s lips met Applejack’s, Rainbow’s grin began to fade. She knew she wasn’t one for mushy stuff. Usually, it just made her roll her eyes. But, for some reason, when it was these two it was much worse – an uncomfortable twisting in her gut that she couldn't quite place. She tried to ignore it, focusing on the itch in her wings – that feeling, though embarrassing, was perfectly understandable; her friends were an attractive pair by anypony's standards. She decided she ought to get out of there before her feelings became painfully obvious. “H-hey guys, this is fun and all, but I gotta jet…" Twilight broke the kiss and frowned at the pegasus. “Already?” “So ya eat our food an’ then beat a hasty retreat.” Applejack chuckled. “What a nice dinner companion.” “Er, it’s still lunchtime.” “Y’know what I mean!” the earth pony shot back. “Hey, it’s not my fault you packed a dozen sandwiches! Somepony had to eat them!” Twilight giggled. “We knew you’d be around, so I asked Spike to pack a few more.” Rainbow blinked as she processed the alicorn’s words. “Wait, you made these extra ones just for me?” “D’you see anyone else who’d pig out on them like you do?” Applejack quipped. “I…" Rainbow swallowed, the words catching in her throat. “H-hey, like Twilight said, I’ve got a fast metabotulism thingy.” She stood up, staring at the skies. “Anyway, I should go. Gotta feed Tank!” Twilight levitated the last sandwich over to herself. “Careful,” she said, “he’ll get as fat as his owner.” “Oh, ha ha.” Rainbow snorted as she flapped into the air. She couldn’t resist the parting smirk. “I’ll let you two get a room. See you guys later?” “You betcha!” Applejack nodded. With a wave, Rainbow dashed into the skies. She still felt bad, but it was a different sort of pain now. Before, she’d been burning to leave, as quickly as possible. But now, the twist in her gut was gone, dispelled by her friend’s parting words. Still, Tank did need to be fed, and the little guy missed her when she was gone for too long. She grinned as she sped towards her home. There would be other times to hang, and she was going to do just that in the near future. The twist was replaced by a warmer feeling: she was expected, she was welcomed. She had two of the best friends a girl could ask for. It truly was a wonderful day. The sun shone brightly, with not a cloud in the sky. Ponies of all ages wandered the streets, eager to soak in the fantastic weather. It was much too nice a day to be staying inside. Yet that was exactly what Rarity was doing. She stared at her sewing machine, lying dormant and unused. She eyed her sketchpad, pages ripped out of it with rejected designs. She glared at the ponyquin, as it bore the fruit of the last half dozen hours of work, give or take a few. Not that she could dignify the dress with such a term. It was horrible, and she couldn’t fix it. Rarity wistfully glanced out of the window and sighed. Dear Celestia, why am I wasting my life working on these frivolous designs that nopony truly appreciates? she thought, flinging herself on her couch. Am I cursed to be forever misunderstood, only to be appreciated after I have passed from this mortal coil? Look at those happy foals out there, so joyful. I should just– She paused, narrowing her eyes at one of the passing children. “Wait… yes! Powder blue would do wonderfully! Oh, and some nice pink frills. Wahaha! This will be my Pièce de Résistance!” She leapt off the couch, humming cheerfully to herself as her magic grabbed the appropriate materials. In mere minutes the dress was finished, and it stood under Rarity’s critical gaze. “Yes… yes! Très magnifique! This will surely be a hit!”The celebration, however, would have to wait, as the front door’s jingle rang out. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, uni– Oh, Twilight, perfect timing!” she said as she caught sight of her friend. “What do you think, the powder blue on the flank, accented here with pink frills? Oh, and sapphires! Where are my sapphires?" “Right behind you,” Twilight replied as she set the basket down. “Ah, yes. Thank you dear, I wouldn’t know what to do without you.” The gems floated up to the garment, and the unicorn stepped back to admire her work. “There! What do you think?” “I like it! It looks great.” “You think so? It could still use some finishing touches… But never mind that!” Rarity shook her head, grinning at her friend as she noticed the blanket in the basket. “Out on a date, were we?” “Yep! We had a picnic in the park.” “Oh, that sounds lovely. So, to what do I owe the visit?” “Well…" The alicorn sat down on her haunches, looking down at her front hooves as she tapped them together. “I was rearranging my clothes closet, and I kind of got one of my dresses caught on something.” Twilight glanced up at Rarity, as if scared to even meet her gaze. “I, uh… might have ripped it a bit?” Rarity waved Twilight’s concerns away with a hoof. “And you’d like me to repair it. But of course! Which dress is it?” She turned away, seeking out the tools she’d be needing for such a job. “Oh, thank you!” Twilight said, sagging with relief. “It’s my coronation dress.” “Your coro–” The words sputtered into silence as the unicorn whirled to face her friend. “How bad is the damage? Tell me!” “I-it’s not that bad! Just a little tear!” Twilight backed up as she wilted under the fashionista’s gaze. “Please, Rarity? You’re the only one I trust with this!” Rarity held Twilight’s, then sighed and turned back to her craft. “I’ll see what I can do, darling. Bring it to me whenever you can.” “I’ll go get it right now!” Twilight said, grabbing the basket in her magic as she opened the door. “Oh! Wait one moment, dear!” Rarity said, turning around to face her friend once again. “Have you seen Rainbow Dash? I finished the Shadowbolt costume she ordered for Nightmare Night. Thank you for sending that letter for me, by the way; Luna was able to give me all the details I needed." “Rainbow?” Twilight repeated. “She was with us in the park. She went home to feed Tank – don’t know if she’s still there though.” “She was?” Rarity asked, raising an eyebrow. “Yeah, why wouldn’t she be?” “I thought you said it was a date?” “It was! She left when the kissing started.” Twilight giggled. “It’s funny, normally if ponies start making out in front of her, she just heckles or cheers them on. But every time A.J. and I get physical, she gets embarrassed and runs off. It’s kinda cute, you know? I think A.J. does it on purpose.” She giggled again, but stopped as she realized her friend was staring at her. “Er, Rarity? Is something wrong?” The fashionista gave a slight jump. “What? Oh, ah, it’s nothing. In any case, I best be off. If I don’t catch her before she leaves home, I might never find her.” She shooed Twilight away with a hoof. “Just put the dress anywhere if I’m not back by then.” Twilight nodded. “Will do. Later, Rarity!” Rarity’s gaze strayed back to her work as the door closed behind Twilight. Her magic gently picked at it, but her attention just wasn’t there. She casually joins them on dates, so often they find it routine? And she gets embarrassed by their intimacy? “No.” She shook her head, chuckling. “It can't be. Rarity dear, you must stop seeing things that are not there.” But the thought wouldn’t leave her alone. It gnawed at the back of her mind, teasing her with ideas and assumptions. She glanced at the clock. If she hurried, she could maybe drop off the costume at Rainbow Dash’s home, fix Twilight’s dress, and still be on time for her spa appointment with Fluttershy. They’d have so much to discuss today. “Fluttershy, darling… I have news. But I'm not certain if it's good news." Fluttershy turned her head as she let Lotus dig her hooves into her back. She knew that tone of voice very well, and the sudden quiet from the spa sisters told her that they too knew what was coming. Whatever this was, it was going to be interesting.  “Oh?” the pegasus answered quietly, knowing that the unicorn was waiting for a prompt. “I believe our dear Rainbow Dash has a crush.” Fluttershy’s eyes widened, and she gasped. “Oh my – are you sure? I mean, I thought I saw something, but – wait.” She looked puzzled as she remembered Rarity’s words mere moments ago. “Why wouldn't that be good news?” “Well, it's about who…" It was now Rarity’s turn to pause. “I’m sorry, you saw? You mean you knew?” she asked. Fluttershy flinched from Rarity’s gaze, hiding under her mane as Lotus tsk’d at her movement. “I guessed. I saw some… signs.” “Signs?” “Oh, well… She seemed a little more… daydreamy than usual.” “Daydreamy?” “Well, not really daydreamy.” Fluttershy hesitated. “Staring off into space. Sighing. Not lazy, or bored, or anything like that. Just–” “Melancholy, perhaps?” Rarity offered. “No. No… Um. Maybe. Not really sad.” “Lacking?” Fluttershy shook her head. “I'm not sure.” “Something on her mind?” “Kinda? Um…" “Distracted?” “Yes!” Fluttershy blushed at her own outburst. “Sorry… Oh! And she preens a lot, and brushes her tail without even realizing it.” Rarity’s lips twitched upwards at the mental image. “As adorable as that would be to see, the problem still remains.” She sighed, staring forward as she leaned back onto the massage mat. “I have reason to believe that Rainbow has a crush on either Twilight or Applejack.” “Oh!” Fluttershy breathed. “Oh no. Are you sure?” “Well…" Rarity hesitated, stepping off of the mat. “I haven’t seen it myself, but Twilight and I were discussing her most recent date with Applejack.” She considered her next words. “It wasn't so much what she said as how she said it.” Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion as the pair entered the sauna. “What do you mean?” “Rainbow Dash was at that date. And Twilight expected her to be. It was normal to her.” Rarity shook her head, relaxing on the bench. “Don’t get me wrong, I love you all but… if one of you were to invite yourselves to one of my dates? I would be most cross.” Fluttershy remained silent for a moment, processing all the new information. Memories came to mind, of moments she had glimpsed, scenes she had seen. “They have been together a lot lately.” She said quietly. “I guess I just thought it was… like you and me, they were just close, I mean. But now… I'm not sure how I missed it.” Rarity reached over and put her hoof on the pegasus’s withers. “Don’t blame yourself, dear. If those three haven’t seen it for themselves, it’s no wonder none of us have either!” “Wh-what?” Rarity frowned at Fluttershy’s reaction. But as she realized the cause, her eyes widened. “Did I not mention that? None of them seem to be aware of it. Well, Twilight and Applejack certainly haven’t – Twilight obviously had no idea when we spoke today, and there is no way Applejack of all ponies would have kept it to herself if she knew. Dash, I’m not sure about, but I suspect the same. If she did know, who would she have asked for advice?” Fluttershy nodded. "Um. Probably me. And I would have told you. It sounds like you might be right. " She pursed her lips, deep in thought. "But how could they be doing that without any of them noticing? I mean, I would notice if that was happening… I think?” “Never underestimate the ability of a pony in love to ignore the obvious,” chimed in Aloe. Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” Aloe grinned. “Let me tell you a little story. Once, there were two ponies. Now, these two didn’t like each other very much. In fact, they were rivals, for they both ran bedding stores, and their shops were just across the street from one another! They got in many loud fights about who had the finer sheets or the fluffier pillows. Despite this, they ended up splitting an apartment – ‘Rent is expensive’, they said, ‘and we both need to live closer to our shops’. It was a ‘cohabitation of convenience’, and everypony knew it. But three years and two apartments later, they were not only still living with each other but looking at buying a house together! And then, one fateful day, somepony pointed out to them that their ‘cohabitation of convenience’ had ceased to actually be convenient a long time ago. And that, children, is the day those two ponies finally realised they were in love.” Aloe paused dramatically. “Good thing, too – about a year later, that couple had twins – my sister and me.” Rarity and Fluttershy applauded jokingly. “Bravo!” “Encore, encore!” Aloe stuck her tongue out at them and went back to work. Fluttershy’s expression grew serious again. “Goodness, they really might not know.” She looked at Rarity almost pleadingly. “What do we do?” Rarity sighed, silently thankful that she was in the spa. The whole situation would undoubtedly be stressful, but at least she’d be able to relax before tackling the problem head on. “We must tell Twilight and Applejack, of course. But first, we must talk to Rainbow; it could be we are misjudging the situation, and that would be horribly awkward. If it's true, we need to find out which of them is the object of her affection, and whether she is aware of it.” Her tone grew apprehensive. “From there… Well, that will be up to Twilight and Applejack, I’m afraid.” Rarity had feared that they would spend the entire rest of the afternoon searching high and low for Rainbow Dash, but thankfully, she was due at Fluttershy’s cottage some time after they were done at the spa. Rarity wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth, as it were, and took the time to enjoy a brief meal with Fluttershy, as they attempted to think of ways to confirm their suspicions. All too soon, however, they found themselves at the cottage at the edge of the forest. Everything looked as it normally did – the various creatures flitting through the air, scampering on the ground, or swimming in the stream. The low-hanging cloud with a rainbow-streaked tail dangling off the side was only slightly out of place. Fluttershy called up as the pair approached. “Rainbow?” She waited a moment, her brow furrowing as she was met by silence. “Rainbow?” she repeated, slightly louder. Rarity shared a look with Fluttershy. They knew the other pegasus was awake – her tail was flicking about as she lay on her back, her legs tapping to a rhythm only she could hear. The unicorn cleared her throat. “Rainbow Dash!” she shouted, startling the pegasus. “Gah! Hey, no need to– Oh, hey guys.” Rainbow grinned as she recognized her friends. “Got your cloud, Fluttershy!” The yellow pegasus smiled in return and trotted into the cottage to fetch her animal friends, leaving Rarity alone with Rainbow Dash. Perfect. Rarity allowed herself a small smirk. “I didn’t know you made home deliveries, Rainbow Dash.” The pegasus shrugged. "Eh, Fluttershy needs a lot of water for all these animals, so I usually save her the trouble and deliver a cloud." “How thoughtful! Do you make such deliveries for other ponies?” “Sometimes?” Rainbow shrugged again. “I mean, sometimes somepony needs help watering their garden or something.” The opening was too tempting for Rarity to resist. “Like Applejack?” “Yeah!” Rainbow grinned, her ears perking up at the name. “If she asks. Doesn’t always happen. You know how stubborn she is.” The pegasus waved a hoof, rolling her eyes. “I do indeed.” Her smile stayed the same, but inside, she felt a growing sense of discomfort. It was entirely too early to judge whether her suspicions were correct, but she hadn’t missed Rainbow’s reaction. She needed more proof. Rarity waited until Rainbow had given the cloud a gentle tap, showering Fluttershy’s smallest friends with a light drizzle – enough to get them clean and not drown them. “So, how is work these days?” Rainbow grunted as she sat back down on the cloud. “Meh. Same old, same old.” Rarity’s eyes narrowed slightly. That hadn’t quite delivered the results she’d been hoping for. Another topic, then. “I see. And have you had any contact from the Academy?” “Uh? Not really. Why?” She hadn’t expected the pegasus to question her in return. “Merely curious,” she answered, thinking quickly. “I thought it was an ongoing thing?” “Well yeah, if you’re a normal pegasus.” Rainbow smirked as she puffed out her chest. “I was breaking records left and right, so I’ve got a special set of drills.” She gave a flap of her wings and stopped the drizzle with a hoof. “As long as I keep practicing, I just have to show up for the group training.” “Next, please!” Fluttershy watched as the next set of animals moved under the cloud. Hares, some of the larger birds, and even a cat sat themselves under Rainbow Dash, who gave the cloud a harder shove. “Why all the questions, Rarity?” Rainbow asked, eyeing the unicorn. The white mare lifted a hoof to her chest, putting on an affronted air. “Why, can’t I inquire as to how one of my best friends is doing?” Rainbow inched back slightly at the outburst. “Uh, sure?” she answered, frowning. “But why didn’t you ask when you saw me yesterday?” “I had other things on my mind, darling. So, do you have any plans for this weekend?” She gave Dash an innocent smile as the pegasus eyed her warily. “Simply curious, my dear. I was thinking that if some of us weren't busy, a picnic or something of that sort might be worth considering. Though I may be watching my sister and her friends…" "Oh.” Rainbow blinked. “Dunno. I would, but I think I might already have plans." “Oh?” “Uh, yeah, Twi and A.J. are having lunch and seeing a movie, and they invited me along.” “To the movie?” “And lunch!” Rarity couldn’t stop her brow from furrowing. “The lunch as well?” “Yeah, they do it all the time!” She grinned happily. “They even made extra sandwiches just for me today.” “That’s so nice of them!” Fluttershy commented, ushering another set of animals forwards. “I know! I totally didn’t expect them to do something like that for me.” The yellow pegasus looked up, aiming a small frown at her friend. “Rainbow! They’re your friends. They’re very nice ponies, why wouldn’t they do something like that?” Rainbow’s eyes widened, slightly taken aback at Fluttershy’s vehemence. “I-I guess they’re pretty awesome.” She shook herself, her air of confidence reappearing. “I mean, they don’t have anything on me, but they’re still pretty awesome!” She grinned, staring off in the distance as a hoof started playing with her mane. The other two mares shared a look. Fluttershy nodded – this was what she’d been talking about. “Sorry, darling,” Rarity said, snapping Rainbow out of her reverie. “You said you did this often?” “Do what often?” “Join them for… events?” Rainbow beamed. “Oh, yeah! All the time. And it’s great!” She started giggling, earning confused looks from the other ponies. “I mean, have you ever seen a drunken Twilight?” “Twilight… drunk?” Rarity repeated. “I can’t say I have, but what does that have to do with–” “Alicorns have a pretty high tolerance, apparently. But once it hits…" Rainbow said, grinning as she leaned forwards. “It’s hilarious.” “Wh-what happened?” Fluttershy asked, her eyes wide. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know, but she couldn’t help but ask. And neither could Rarity. She’d smelled gossip, and had completely forgotten the reason she was there. “I agree, do tell!” Rainbow’s grin could have matched one of Pinkie’s. “Well, I was hanging out with A.J., and we were heading to the library to see how Twilight was doing, right?” she asked, and continued as her eager listeners nodded. “Turns out, she found a book about mixing drinks.” Fluttershy gasped. “Oh my goodness…" Rainbow couldn’t hold back a giggle. “Yeah. Remember when I had a plaid coat for a week? And that green fog for a few hours?” Rarity’s lips twitched upwards in the beginnings of a smile. “You don’t mean…" “Yep!” Rainbow cackled. “She’s like some crazy scientist when drunk. And a great explainer!” “I beg your pardon?” Rarity blinked. Rainbow gave her a look. “Explainer! You know, explaining things?” “Well yes, but a little context, please?” “I was getting there!” Rainbow huffed. “You know how she always talks about a subject forever and nopony listens?” Both ponies nodded, having been on the receiving end of such more than once. “Apparently, she can’t use hard words when drunk, so she explained how weather works to me without them. And I understood everything! I learned so much.” “Meteorology?” Fluttershy frowned. “But didn’t you need that for your weatherpony certificate?” Rainbow had the decency to look embarrassed. “Would you believe me if I said I bluffed my way through the tests?" She rubbed the back of her head with a hoof as the two stared slack jawed at her. “I mean, I know what to do. I feel it in my hooves. But after Twilight was done? I actually understand a lot more of why I’m doing what I do.” She grinned once more, shaking her head as she laughed. “I know she’s smart, but explaining my job to me, while drunk? That’s really awesome.” A thought struck Rarity. There was a pony missing in this story. “And what did Applejack do?” Rainbow lifted her face away from a wing she’d started to preen. “Eheh. She was the smart one. Dumped the drinks into the bushes before anypony else could try them.” Rainbow leaned forward again, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “That’s where the green fog came from,” she said, bursting into giggles once again. “It sounds like Applejack is rather pragmatic," Rarity mused. Rainbow paused in the preening efforts she’d resumed. "Pragmatic?" "She has no time for nonsense," Fluttershy explained, ushering the final set of animals under the cloud. Or rather, a single towering bear, fully equipped with rubber ducky and a scrub. "Oh.” Rainbow blinked. “Psh, yeah. You should have seen her when she tried to make Twi go for a jog." Rarity tilted her head. "A jog?" "Yeah, to work off that extra little pudge. It's all that Royal Canterlot Cooking, I swear." "I take it the jog turned out more amusing than the typical trot?" Rainbow was clearly holding back her laughter. "Y-you could say that!" Rarity cursed her insatiable appetite for gossip. "Go on." “Okay, so, we’re all running through Whitetail Woods, right? We’re setting a good pace, and then Twilight starts complaining. But A.J. doesn’t stop, and starts threatening to not invite Twi to family dinners if she tries to stop.” Rainbow was already shaking with laughter as she continued. “Twilight’s reaction was already pretty funny, but then she just gave up and started flying. And that pissed Applejack off to no end.” “I can imagine…" Rarity breathed, picturing the scene. But Rainbow was shaking her head. “It gets better! A.J. is chasing Twilight around, yelling at her to come back down and ‘do it properly’, but Twilight isn’t listening.” Rainbow fought to control her giggles. “So A.J. gets her rope from under her hat, and lassos Twilight in mid-air!” “Oh my…" Fluttershy whispered. “Twilight was too focused to remember she could fly up as well as forwards, so Applejack managed to hold on.” Rainbow waved her hooves, attempting to recreate the scene with motion. “She managed to drag Twilight back, run around a tree, tie it off, then tackle Twilight out of the air.” Rainbow stared into the distance, her face a picture of awe. “Heh. I don’t think I’d wanna go for another Iron Pony round against her. That was just awesome.” Fluttershy shared another look with Rarity as the other pegasus started preening herself once more. She leaned closer to the unicorn. “That’s the third time she’s preened there,” she whispered. Rarity stared at Rainbow. “That wing, you mean?” she replied in a hushed tone. “No – that feather. She has it bad.” Rainbow finally seemed satisfied with her wing care, and took a look at the empty cloud. “All done, Fluttershy?” “Oh! Um, yes. Thank you.” Rainbow waved a hoof. “Anytime. Anyway, gotta get back to practice. See ya later!” And then she was gone. Silence stretched on as the two remaining ponies looked at each other. Something needed to be said. Words needed to be spoken. But they both knew what they’d seen. Despite all the words coming out of her mouth, what Rainbow Dash hadn’t said told them so much more. For lack of a better word, Rainbow had been positively radiant. She’d constantly smiled, even beamed as she spoke. Her entire body had seemed alive with energy, more so than it already tended to be for the athletic pegasus. But it had been her eyes that sealed the deal. There was a certain way that they lit up when she described something she was passionate about. All of them had seen it when she talked about say, the Wonderbolts. They had been lit the same way just now. But what that implied was quite mind-boggling to both Rarity and Fluttershy. Fluttershy blinked. “Both?” she said, finally breaking the silence. Rarity nodded, still overwhelmed. “Both.” “Oh dear.”