Rainbow turned another loop in the air as she soared through the late evening sky towards Fluttershy's cottage. The emotional high – exhilaration, Twilight called it – that came with being crowned Best Young Flyer still pumped through her veins, as it had for much of the day. Now, the whole of Cloudsdale knew just how awesome she was. And that she really could perform a Sonic Rainboom. Take that, jerks from flight school!
She alighted in front of Fluttershy's place and trotted up to the door. It was pretty dark out, and it looked like there weren't any lights on downstairs. But Fluttershy had told her to come over tonight, so she didn't hesitate to knock on the door.
“It's open,” came a quiet voice from inside.
With a smirk, Rainbow flicked back her mane and pushed open the door, striding inside. Sure enough, the hall was dark and unlit. Fluttershy wasn't there to greet her.
“Uh, Fluttershy?” Rainbow called. “You upstairs?”
“Yes,” came her reply. “Come on up.”
After closing the door behind her, Rainbow started up the stairs. She leaned against one wall, so as not to trip in the darkness. The only light to be seen was a dim one coming from upstairs. When she reached the top, Rainbow saw that this was candlelight, coming from within Fluttershy's bedroom.
Stepping inside, Rainbow cast her eyes over the place. There were two firefly lamps, but they were both covered, and candles had been lit on the surfaces beside them. There were about a dozen candles in all, most of which were resting on Fluttershy's bedside table. Fluttershy was standing next to it, just lighting the last of them. She shook the flame from the match in her teeth, dropped it on the table and turned to smile at Rainbow as she entered.
“Wow,” said Rainbow. “What's all this? Fireflies escaped?”
Fluttershy shook her head and slowly crossed the room to Rainbow Dash. “Not exactly,” she said. She leant in and laid a gentle kiss on Rainbow's lips.
Rainbow blinked her eyes open after Fluttershy pulled back, and couldn't keep from raising an eyebrow even as she smiled. Since when had Fluttershy gotten so bold? Not that she was complaining.
Without a word, Fluttershy turned and made her way over to the bed. She sat down on the edge and turned her head so that her mane fell down over her one eye, and candlelight cast little shadows over her features. She patted the spot beside her with a hoof. “Would you like to sit down?” she asked.
In her head, Rainbow began adding together a couple of things that, considering present company, probably weren't supposed to be added together. She dismissed her thoughts as silly, smiled at Fluttershy and crossed the room to join her in sitting on the bed. On instinct, Rainbow unfolded a wing and put it around her marefriend's back, gently pressing their sides together. Fluttershy gratefully accepted the touch.
“I've been thinking about what you said,” Fluttershy whispered, resting her head against Rainbow's chest.
Rainbow scrunched up her eyes and bit her tongue, trying to think. She hated it when ponies said stuff like that. Mainly because Rainbow said stuff all the time, and trying to pick out which of that actually meant anything to the pony in question was next to impossible.
“About being more assertive,” Fluttershy clarified. Rainbow let out a grateful breath and smiled.
“Oh yeah,” she said. “Hey, you know it was just a suggestion, right? You're fine just the way you are.”
“No, I know,” said Fluttershy. “And I think you're right.”
“You do?”
“Mhm.” Fluttershy gulped. “There's something I... want.”
Rainbow grinned and tried to turn to meet her eyes, but their position made it impossible. “Hey, good for you! What is it?”
“...You.”
Rainbow blinked. “Uh, you already have me, 'Shy. I'm right here.”
Fluttershy let out a shuddering breath against Rainbow's chest and lifted her head. One of her eyes was still covered by her mane, but the other met Rainbow's gaze. “All of you,” she breathed.
'All of Rainbow' was hit by a sudden wave of heat. Her breath caught in her throat. Maybe it was the closeness of their bodies, or maybe it was the fire in Fluttershy's eyes... something about the atmosphere made her sound downright seductive. Rainbow mentally shook herself.
“I-I'm not sure we're on the same page,” she muttered, though she had a pretty good feeling that they were.
Fluttershy licked her lips nervously, and Rainbow desperately tried to ignore the way her eyes flicked downwards before she spoke. “I want... sex.”
The three words that couldn't possibly have come from Fluttershy's lips hit Rainbow about five seconds after they were spoken. She drew a sharp breath. The candles, the demeanour... it all made sense.
But it was Fluttershy. This was Fluttershy!
Her breath shook a little as she replied. “I-I did not mishear that, did I?” It was more of a statement than a question, but Fluttershy shook her head all the same. “Fluttershy, that's... huge.”
Fluttershy nodded.
“B-but you've never done it before,” Rainbow whispered. “You're asking me to-- I mean, we've only been together a few weeks!”
“I know,” said Fluttershy. She held Rainbow's gaze. “But I care about you very much. I've been wanting to show you how I feel. I want my first time--” She paused, blinked and smiled. “--to be with you.”
Rainbow mouthed hopelessly. What the hay was she supposed to say? “I can't just--”
“It's okay,” Fluttershy whispered. She leaned forwards, until their muzzles were a breath apart. “I want this. Don't you?”
Rainbow's mind was foggy as anything, and her eyes were already half-lidded, just breathing in Fluttershy's scent. She knew the answer she wanted to give. If it were any other mare sitting next to her right now, she wouldn't have waited a heartbeat to take her then and there. But this was Fluttershy. This mare trusted her. This mare was her friend. This mare had never had sex before, and was asking Rainbow to be her first, after only the few weeks they'd been dating.
It gave her pause. She tried to resist...
“I... really want this,” Rainbow shuddered.
She failed. But she tried. That had to count for something...
Fluttershy let out a shuddering breath of her own and closed the remaining distance between them. Their lips met. A second later, their tongues met. Rainbow drew a heavy breath through her nose and squeezed her wing tight around Fluttershy, as she had done too few times before, and conceded herself to the sensation. Their breaths and tastes intermingled. Their bodies pressed together. The angle was awkward, but Fluttershy turned her body to correct that. Rainbow turned too.
It would've taken a pony of far greater willpower to resist the squeak that Fluttershy gave as Rainbow pushed her down onto her back. Greater still to ignore the excited eyes that stared up at her from the bed. Rainbow didn't have that kind of willpower. So she did the only thing that she could do.
She scrunched her eyes closed and threw herself from the bed. She hit the floor at a bad angle, winded herself and hit her head. The carpet did something to reduce the impact, but the shock of it alone was enough to snap Rainbow back to her senses.
She jumped to her hooves and shook herself like a wild animal. Fluttershy watched her from the bed, looking utterly stunned.
“I can't,” said Rainbow. The moisture making her vision all hazy was probably due to a concussion, but she forced herself not to think about it. “Fluttershy, this is not what I meant! When I said that you should be more assertive about what you want, I never meant that you should rush into things. Especially not something as big a deal as this!”
“I-I'm not rushing!” said Fluttershy. She had a fierce blush on her face as she pushed herself up into a sitting position again. “I mean... I suppose I've only been thinking about it for a few days, but--”
“A few days?” Rainbow shook her head. “Fluttershy, this is something that will change your life. You will never forget it. It's not something you can jump into just because I said something--” She hesitated. “--Something dumb.”
“But... I want it to be with you,” Fluttershy said, very quietly. Her voice was shaking. Hesitant? Yup. Upset? Definitely. Way to go, Dash.
Rainbow gulped down the painful lump in her throat and kept shaking her head, as if it would keep her thoughts from settling on Fluttershy. “This is too fast. I can't. I can't do this.”
“Rainbow--”
“I've gotta go. I'm sorry,” said Rainbow. She didn't wait for a reply. She unfurled her wings, flew down the stairs and... just away.
Fluttershy sat upright on the bed, utter shock and confusion on her face, as she heard the front door slam shut. She felt cold, confused and, suddenly, very alone.
* * *