//------------------------------// // Sitting in a Tree // Story: Sitting in a Tree // by Nordryd //------------------------------// The game is tied.  It’s the last period.  Three seconds left on the clock.  The fate of the entire game rests on this one free kick.  And the chosen player is you. Your heart is pounding as you ready yourself.  Your brain performs rudimentary calculations to determine the correct force, velocity, and angle of trajectory to ensure the winning goal.  The crowd is completely silent, on the edge of their seats. Counting down in your head… 3… 2… 1… 0! With a quick move, you give the ball a swift kick.  You watch as the ball flies perfectly into the lower left-hand corner of the goal. “And the crowd goes wild!” you shout to yourself.  You wouldn’t normally shout something in public, but there’s nobody else here, so why not? When you needed to get outside, you like to go to the CHS fields and play soccer with yourself.  It was fun picturing yourself as the star player of the team; being the hero and winning the game in the nick of time. You spend a lot of your time just kicking the ball into the goal, picturing the crowd going wild when you step out on the field, cheering your name when you make the winning goal. But perhaps the best part of each fantasy was picturing one specific person in the bleachers cheering for you.  The real star of every sports team in school.  The real hero of each game.  The one and only Rainbow Dash. Every time you play soccer with yourself, you picture Rainbow Dash sitting in the bleachers cheering you on.  Either that, or her giving you encouragement to do better.  Then when you make the final winning goal, you picture her running up to you and giving you a big hug.  Sometimes, you even imagine her giving you a kiss on the cheek. But she’d never do that.  It wouldn’t be like her to do something like that, especially to a nobody like you.  She doesn’t even know you exist.  You’ve never even tried out for the soccer team because you know you’d be a detriment, and she’d hate you for it.  As much as you practice on your own, you know you’re terrible.  An athlete as talented as Rainbow Dash wouldn’t want any business with a couch potato like you. A girl like her could find someone way stronger and more talented than you. You’ve pretty much accepted that Rainbow will only ever notice you in your fantasies.  But that was okay with you.  An imaginary kiss on the cheek was better than nothing, right? All you can do is go to every one of her games and watch in awe as she plays like the expert athlete she is.  It hurts to be unable to cheer her on directly, but you don’t want to come off as a stalker.  All you can do is watch silently from the sidelines. It’s as close as you would ever get to being with the pretty, talented, and awesome Rainbow Dash, so you’re willing to take it. You’ve had enough practice for one day, so you decide to head home.  It’s getting a little late anyways. Every walk back from practicing soccer with yourself is a mix of joy from fantasizing about Rainbow Dash hugging you after winning your imaginary game, and sorrow from realizing it will never happen. You can’t help yourself.  She’s always on your mind.  You can’t stop thinking about her.  Was there any way you could get her to notice you?  You definitely couldn’t do it with your poor athletic skills.  As much as you want to talk to her, she’s just too tough and intimidating.  Every time you get close to her, you forget how to speak.  Not only is she tough, she’s really pretty too.  She’s superior to you in every way.  Are you even worthy to talk to her? At least you’re her hero in your imagination, right? You start walking home, and your mind is filled with the colors of the rainbow.  The sunset kindles the sky with vibrancy, but it just reminds you of Rainbow Dash’s beautiful hair. At least your walk home was silent.  The only sound you could hear is the rustling of the trees above you. “Why?  How?  Stupid…” Your mind perks up at the sound of a voice… above you?  Not only that, are your ears deceiving you?  That voice… that tomboyish voice… it couldn’t be… You look up at the tree above you, and your heart skips a beat.  Are your eyes deceiving you? No… they aren’t… what you’re seeing is real. There, sitting on a big branch in the tree, sat up against the trunk, was Rainbow Dash in the flesh. She lets out a long sigh, and buries her face in her palms.  You can hear her mumbling to herself, though you can’t make out what she’s saying. You realize you’ve been just standing here staring at Rainbow Dash, and you bite your lip.  Has she even noticed you yet?  Oh yeah… how could you forget?  You’re invisible to her.  Either way, it’s impolite to creep on her like this.  And yet… you can’t help but be amazed by how her rainbow hair— You blink, snapping yourself out of your trance.  This is creepy and wrong.  You need to just walk away and leave her alone.  She looks like she doesn’t want to talk. Then again… why does she look so frustrated?  Did something happen?  Did someone upset her?  For a strong girl like Rainbow Dash, something major must’ve happened in order to make her look this upset. Your eyes go wide at the realization of your current situation.  There was nobody else around.  It was just you and Rainbow Dash.  Nobody else to embarrass yourself around.  Rainbow Dash is right there… all by herself. This is your chance.  Your chance to make yourself known to her.  To finally put yourself on her radar.  This is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for. “Um… can I help you?” Rainbow says. You look up at her, and your heart drops as you realize something.  You’ve been staring at her… again.  And worse… she caught you.  She looks rather creeped out, as she should be.  After all, you’ve been staring at her for the past few minutes. You can’t just walk away now, can you?  Surely she’d think of you as a stalker if you just bolted. There was no turning back now.  This was your chance whether you liked it or not. “Hello?” Rainbow coaxes.  “I know I’m awesome, but you’re starting to creep me out, dude.” “Huh?” you say dumbly.  “Oh… um… well… I was just… um…” “You were just… what?” Rainbow asks. You bite your lip.  As intimidating as she looks right now, she looks so pretty against the fiery sunset sky.  But she clearly wants an explanation. “Well… I-I was just playing soccer by myself and I couldn’t help but notice you sitting in the tree,” you say, your heart pounding. “So… you decided to just stand there and stare?” Rainbow asks.  “I mean, I know I have a lot of admirers, but can you at least be a creep from a distance?” “No!” you say.  “Wait… I didn’t mean no to that, I meant… um… I-I wasn’t trying to be a creep.” Rainbow raises her eyebrow.  “Really?  Well, what were you trying to do?” You rub the back of your neck.  “Uh… uh… well… heh heh… um…” “You can answer me at any time,” Rainbow remarks. “I… I wanted to talk to you,” you say, almost reflexively. Rainbow looks at you quizzically.  “And why exactly?  I’m not really in the mood to talk right now.” You purse your lips.  You’ve been bothering her.  Great job… “It’s just… you looked upset and… I wanted to see if I could help,” you say. “By being a creep?” Rainbow says. “I mean… I was going to say something…” you stammer. “Were you now?” Rainbow says. “I was!  Honest!” you plead.  “I didn’t mean to creep on you… it’s just—” “That I’m too awesome?  Well, I guess I should be the one apologizing then, right?” Rainbow remarks, leaning back on the tree trunk. You feel your face heating up as you rub the back of your neck. “Um… well…” You can hear Rainbow chuckling. “Do you always stammer this much?” Rainbow asks. In your efforts to contradict her, all you can produce is more stammering, solidifying her statement. Giving up, you just sigh.  “Maybe it would be best if I just left.” “Um… okay then,” Rainbow says, leaning back against the trunk.  “Weirdo…” “B-Bye,” you say, quickly getting the hell out of there. As you walk away, you can hear Rainbow laughing.  Laughing at you. You’ve never felt so embarrassed.  Why did Rainbow have to be so sassy?  Actually, that’s one of the reasons you like her.  Her sassy attitude has always been attractive to you. Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that you were a total idiot back there.  You were on her radar now, but in the worst way possible:  as a stammering weirdo. As you walk home, your emotions are a mix of self-ire and despair.  Not only were you the biggest possible idiot in front of your crush, you’ve pretty much sealed the deal of ever making her yours.  Like it was ever going to happen in the first place… Oh well… at least you talked to her, right?  Even if it was in the worst way possible… THE NEXT DAY Normally, you’d be spending your evening practicing soccer by yourself, but you can’t bring yourself to do so today.  Not after making a complete fool of yourself in front of Rainbow Dash yesterday. All you can do now is sit in the bleachers and stare at the field.  All you see is Rainbow running around, expertly dribbling the ball while looking cute.  She makes the winning goal, and the crowd goes wild.  Rainbow gives the audience that adorable smirk and flips her magnificent hair.  Gosh she was pretty… You used to love play soccer on your own, but now you have no interest whatsoever.  Rainbow Dash is dominating your mind more than ever. With a heavy sigh, you decide it’s time to head home.  If you’re going to be sad, you could at least do it in the comfort and privacy of your own home. As you walk, your mind decides to replay everything that happened yesterday with Rainbow Dash.  You never stammer that much.  You’re much more confident than that.  At least… when Rainbow wasn’t around… A mighty sigh from above makes you stop in your tracks.  You look up and see Rainbow Dash once again, sitting in the same branch as yesterday. But you can’t help but notice something… off-kilter.  Rainbow is doing the exact same thing she was doing yesterday:  sitting with her face buried in her palms. Again?  She looked just fine when you left yesterday, even if she was laughing at you.  At least she was happy and laughing at you. Something was clearly wrong, and it was significant enough to upset her two days in a row. “Um… Rainbow Dash?” you call out. “What?  Huh?” she stammers, looking in your direction.  “Oh… it’s just you.  Here to creep on me again?” “No,” you say.  “Well… I guess by your definition… maybe?  Argh!  No, I’m not here to creep on you.  I just couldn’t help but notice you looking a little… upset.  Is something wrong?” “Um… I-I’m not upset,” Rainbow says.  “I’m just… tired.” “Yeah, right,” you say.  You place your soccer ball next to the base of the tree, and proceed to climb up to reach the branch directly next to the one she’s sitting on. “What are you doing?” she asks. “Coming up,” you say. “Where’s the stammering creep I met yesterday?” Rainbow remarks. “You’re looking at him,” you say, situating yourself on the branch next to her.  “All I want to do is help.” “Help with what?” Rainbow says.  “I said I’m fine.” “You didn’t look fine a second ago,” you say. Rainbow looks rather irritated and ready to say something back to you, but her expression quickly softens into one more somber. “Alright, you got me,” she says. “Look, I know you don’t know me—” “Oh, I know you,” Rainbow says. “Wait… what?” you say. “I’ve seen you at all my games,” she says.  “Front row… cheering every time I score… I know who you are, trust me.” You’re shocked and a little embarrassed that she actually noticed you.  Does she know that you only go to her games?  Man, you really are a bit of a stalker, aren’t you? “Oh… okay then,” you say.  “Let me rephrase that.  I know you don’t know me that well, but I do want to help you.  I don’t like seeing you upset.” Rainbow gives you another quizzical look and looks down at the ground. “You’re weird,” she says.  “But… you did cheer me up yesterday…” “I did?” you ask. “Your stammering gave me a good laugh,” she says, giving you a smirk that makes your heart flutter.  “So thanks for that.” “N-No problem,” you say, rubbing your neck.  “So what’s wrong?” Rainbow lets out a long sigh.  “Our soccer team lost the last game we played.  I hate losing anyway, but this time around was even more major because we’re out of the season now.  Soccer’s already over, and the semester’s barely started.  I’m just really bummed because now I can’t do what I love for the school I love.  I’ve got other sports, but soccer’s always been my favorite.  There aren’t even any local leagues I can participate in.  Soccer’s over for me this semester, and I’m just so bored.  Wait… why am I telling you about losing the last game?  Didn’t you go?” “I would’ve if I wasn’t sick that day,” you say. “Oh, okay,” Rainbow says.  “Anyways, I’m just kind of upset that I can’t do what I love anymore.” “Well, what about playing by yourself?” you suggest. “It’s not the same,” she says.  “The rush from playing against other people… the crowd cheering your name… you just can’t get it from playing alone.” “I guess that’s true,” you say.  “I wouldn’t know.  I’ve never played legitimately.” “What do you mean?” Rainbow asks. “I mean… I pretty much only play on my own,” you say.  “I just dribble the ball around the field and practice free kicks.  And I’m terrible at it.  I never thought I’d be good enough to get on the CHS team.” Right then, a big smile grows on Rainbow’s face. “What?” you question. “Well, how do you know if you’re terrible if no one’s seen you play?” Rainbow asks. “Trust me, I suck,” you say.  “I just know I do.” “No you don’t,” Rainbow says. “Huh?” you grunt. With a smile, she jumps down from the branch and reaches for your hand. “Come down,” she says. “Um… why?” you say, giving her a quizzical look. “You’ve got a soccer ball, and there’s a field right next to us,” Rainbow says.  “Let’s put your skills to the test.” Your heart starts beating faster.  Is she insinuating…? “What are you saying?” you ask. She rolls her eyes.  “You against me.  Let’s get going, we don’t have all night.” You raise your eyebrows.  You’re about to play against Rainbow Dash? “You?” you say.  “How am I supposed to compete with a star athlete like you?” Rainbow chuckles and flips her hair.  “It’s just one game.  Don’t make me pull you down here.” You rub the back of your neck.  “Um… I-I don’t know…” “Oh, come on,” she says, pulling on your leg and forcing you down from the tree branch. “Hey!” you shout as you tumble down.  You land on your feet but lose your balance, causing you to topple over onto your knees.  You shake your head to refocus yourself, and look up to see Rainbow kicking the soccer ball by herself like a hacky sack, displaying an impressive level of mastery. “I warned you,” she says, smirking as she catches the ball in her arms.  “Now c’mon.  Let’s hustle.” Before you know it, she’s dragging you by the arm to the soccer field.  You take note of how strong her arm feels.  Not surprising consider how athletic she is.  Being on so many sports teams has no doubt helped her to become more muscular.  You also become entranced by her magnificent rainbow hair, which smells vaguely like… rain?  You’re not entirely sure what her hair smells like, but it’s definitely a pleasant scent.  And of course, your male brain drifts down to her… bottom.  You only take one glance though.  Okay, maybe two.  Three.  More than you’d like to admit. She leads you to the center of the field and places the ball below her foot. “First to five wins?” she says. “Rainbow, I don’t know about this…” you say. “Look, I just want to see how good you are,” Rainbow says.  “Besides, at least there’s nobody around to watch when I totally kick your butt, right?” You just raise your eyebrow at her.  There’s no way you could beat her.  Not in a million years.  She’s already ten times the athlete you’ll ever be. On the other hand, she doesn’t look sad anymore.  She’s looking at you with that cute smirk of hers, and her pretty magenta eyes look determined. If a little game of soccer would make her happy, then so be it.  Anything to make her smile. “Alright, first to five,” you say. Rainbow’s smile grows bigger.  “And to show you how nice I am, I’ll give you the ball first.” She nudges the ball over to you and backs up a little. She rolls her neck, making cracking noises.  “I hope you’re ready.” You take a deep breath as you watch her ready herself.  She stands with her feet apart, seemingly ready for anything you might try.  You contemplate everything you could possibly do, and consider what she could do to counter it. “You better do something before I take the ball from you,” Rainbow says, hopping on her feet, ready to counter whatever you might attempt. After about thirty seconds of contemplating plays, you decide to just wing it.  With a quick move, you dribble the ball off to the side.  Just as you suspected, Rainbow was ready and sidestepped to block you.  But you were ready as well, and faked her out by darting in the other direction.  Surprisingly, it worked, and you dribble the ball as best you can to her goal. “Not so fast!” she cries out.  She races over to the goal to guard it, and hops on her feet to ready herself. With a swift move, you kick the ball towards the goal.  Rainbow dives to block it… and misses.  The ball sails right by her into the net. You’re in awe at yourself.  Did you really score the first goal of the game?  Against Rainbow Dash? She gets up, brushing the grass off her clothes.  She gets the ball from the back of the goal. “Alright, superstar, you got lucky,” she says, smirking.  “Let’s see how you do on defense.” Rainbow tosses the ball down, and before it can even register in your mind, she kicks the ball up with the top of her foot and headbutts it over your head.  She bolts to the ball, and you do your best to keep up.  You chase after her as she expertly dribbles the ball.  She’s not even three-quarters of the way across the field before she kicks it hard and it flies into your goal, bringing the score to a tie. She glances back at you with a smirk, and her hands on her hips.  It’s a rather… alluring pose, but you try to refocus your mind back on the game.  It’s your ball now. You jog to your goal and get the ball.  You don’t know any tricks like Rainbow does, but you do know how to fake someone out.  You move your foot as if about to kick it, and it works exactly as planned.  Rainbow strafed to the side, and you seize the opportunity by kicking it in the opposite direction.  Unfortunately, she’s too fast and your kick was too weak.  She stops the ball with her knee, and in an expert move, kicks it up with her foot and headbutts it right back into your goal. You glance back at the ball, and back at her.  Your eyes are wide at her expertly executed play, and in such a pinch as well.  She stands rather heroically with her hands on her hips and that signature smirk on her face. “Nice try,” she says. You grit your teeth as you go back to get the ball.  Now you’re fired up.  You scored one goal, you could score another one.  At least one more. You place the ball down, and decide to just kick it.  With all your might, you give the ball a good punt, which Rainbow Dash of course blocks and kicks right back into your goal, earning her a third point. With a heavy sigh, you go back and get the ball again.  Now, you’re not wasting any time with thinking.  You’re just going to wing it again.  Without a second thought, you throw the ball down and begin dribbling over to Rainbow’s side of the field. By some miracle, it catches Rainbow off guard, and you get past her!  Your eyes are locked onto the goal, dribbling as fast as you can.  You’re almost there. Unfortunately, you lose your balance, and you trip, falling flat on your face.  Rainbow was just about to get it before you quickly get up, swiftly used your knee to push it out of her reach, and buying you just enough time to regain control of the ball.  You chuckle in your own head at the sound of Rainbow growling behind you. In one abrupt move, you kick the ball into her goal, bringing you to two points. Now it’s your turn to look smugly at your opponent. Rainbow gives you a look of annoyance as she gets the ball.  You keep yourself on your toes, waiting to see what she’ll try next.  She turns around and quickly knees the ball over your head.  At least, she tries to, but you use your head to block it, and miraculously hit it back into her goal, bringing the score back to a tie. Rainbow’s eyes look more determined than ever.  She gets the ball, and stares you dead in the eye. She drops the ball, maintaining eye contact with you.  She smirks and kicks the ball under your legs before you have time to think. As soon as you realize what happened, your face heats up.  You hear her laughing as you chase her.  Inevitably, with the goal totally vulnerable, she scores again. You’re not waiting to see her smirk at you.  You head straight for the ball and waste no time in dribbling it over to the other side of the field.  Rainbow tries to stop you, but you manage to thwart each of her attempts.  You get past her, and kick the ball at the halfway line, somehow managing to score another point. You turn to glance at Rainbow, but she’s already heading for the ball. Your heart is pounding.  This was it.  Four to four.  Next point wins.  Rainbow’s stare is filled with ice-cold determination and zeal.  It was like looking in a mirror.  She begins dribbling the ball expertly, blocking every one of your attempts to steal the ball.  Nevertheless, you keep trying. When it became clear that you’d never be able to steal the ball from her, you decide to go on the defensive.  You sprint to the goal to guard it, hopping from side to side to prepare yourself for anything she may do.  Furling her eyebrows, she kicks the ball and you dive in its direction. But you miss, and it goes flying over your head into the goal. “Whoo!” she cries, jumping up and down as you lay there pathetically in the grass.  The ball lands right in front of your face, almost like it’s mocking you.  You look to your side to see Rainbow standing over you with a smirk.  She holds her hand out to you.  “C’mon, let’s get you up.” You sigh and take her hand, using her to help you stand up. “Whew!  You really should give yourself more credit,” Rainbow said.  “That’s one of the most intense games I’ve ever played.” “Really?” you say. “Totally!” she says. “You should absolutely try out for the soccer team.  At least… when the season starts up again.” “I mean… it was only one-on-one,” you say. “Stop being so modest,” Rainbow says.  “It was one-on-one with me, and you almost won.” You feel yourself blushing as you rub your neck.  “I guess…” Rainbow laughs.  “Thanks for playing with me.  I really needed that.” “Yeah… no problem,” you say.  “It was fun.” “See?” Rainbow says, giving you a playful punch.  “It wasn’t as bad as you thought, right?” “Right,” you say with a small chuckle. It’s in that moment you realize something.  You haven’t let go of Rainbow’s hand.  She hasn’t let go of yours either.  You’ve been holding hands this whole time.  You look up, and see that Rainbow had been looking down as well.  Her head is coming up along with yours.  You make eye contact, and time seems to stand still.  The setting sun reflects so wonderfully in her beautiful magenta eyes, which were wide as they gazed back into yours.  Her brilliant hair flutters so elegantly in the light breeze.  And is she… blushing? “A-Alright, I-I gotta get going,” Rainbow says, quickly letting go of your hand.  She shakes her head a little and rubs her eyes.  She looks at you, and her smile returns. “I’ll… I’ll see you around?” “Yeah, of course,” you say.  “See you later.” “See you,” Rainbow says. With that, she starts walking away.  She stops when she reaches the field bounds, and looks back at you again.  It only lasts for a second, but in that second you noticed a faint but genuine twinkle in her eye.  She stands still for a moment, and you couldn’t tell for sure, but did she giggle? She continues to walk away, but you can’t take your eyes off her.  The sunset contours her athletic figure so perfectly, and is she sashaying her hips on purpose? You sigh as you watch her walk away.  Wow, was she pretty… It’s about that time for you as well. You walk back to the goal and grab your soccer ball before proceeding home.  As you walk, your mind is clouded by the rainbow.  What an amazing day.  Rainbow said you were good at soccer!  You were actually really close to winning! But in a sense, you did win.  She looked so upset when you first saw her today, but you got to make her happy. If that’s not a win, then what is? THE NEXT DAY Right back at the soccer field, you continue practicing by yourself.  After yesterday, you’re determined.  It wasn’t just for fun anymore.  It was to impress Rainbow Dash. Now you’ve started practicing tricks as well.  Particularly you’ve tried to get competent at playing hacky sack with the soccer ball.  Needless to say it was incredibly difficult, but if it’s to impress Rainbow Dash, you’re willing to try.  You were on her radar in a positive way now, and you couldn’t risk ruining it.  For her, you had to be the best athlete you could be. All last night you couldn’t stop thinking about that moment you had with her.  That moment when you were holding hands.  You didn’t bother to let go… and she didn’t either.  It just… happened.  Her eyes had never looked so bright. And the way she looked at you as she walked away… You stop yourself.  What are you thinking?  Rainbow Dash liking you?  That thought alone was enough to make you laugh.  As amazing as that would be, the notion was just too absurd. But then again… the way she smiled at you… No, never in a million years.  At least you could say you were friends with her now.  That alone was a miracle. It was about that time once again.  You pick up your soccer ball and start your walk home.  As you walk, your eyes are glued to the trees that surround you, hoping you can find a certain girl sitting in the branches. But… she’s not there.  You’d be able to spot her rainbow hair from a mile away, but she’s nowhere to be seen. Damn… Well, maybe tomorrow she’d be back.  Maybe she got tired of sitting in a tree every day. “What?  You’re not going to creep on me today?” a voice behind you says.  A very familiar, and tomboyish voice. You look behind, and there she is.  Rainbow Dash. “Oh…” you say dumbly, “I didn’t see you.” “How?” Rainbow asks, flipping her hair. “That’s a good question,” you say. Rainbow just laughs.  “Well, I’ve been waiting for you.” “Y-You have?” you say. “Yeah,” she says.  “Come on up.” “Um… okay,” you say.  You’re not sure what Rainbow’s up to, but you’re not going to complain if she wants you to be here.  You climb up the tree and sit on the branch next to her.  She leans against the trunk, getting as close to you as possible.  You lean against your side of the trunk as well.  Your feet dangle right next to hers, even touching at times.  But she doesn’t seem to pull away, and you definitely don’t want to pull away. “So… still sore about me beating you?” she asks. You raise your eyebrow.  “What?  I’m not sore.  That’s actually the most fun I’ve had in a while.” “Same here,” Rainbow says.  “And… I wanted to thank you for that.” “For playing soccer with you?” you ask. “Yeah,” she says.  “It really cheered me up after feeling cruddy all day.  So… thanks.” You smile. “No problem.” “But I want to ask you something,” Rainbow says. “Ask me what?” “Why’d you want to help me in the first place?” she asks. “What do you mean?” you ask. “I mean… we didn’t know each other at all a couple days ago.  Why’d you want to help?” Rainbow asks. Your heart begins beating faster.  Should you tell her?  Should you tell her the real reason why you helped her? “Look, I just want to know why,” Rainbow says.  “I won’t judge you for anything you say, I promise.  I’m just curious.” You bite your lips and look down.  You could tell her.  But would that be too much?  Would that be too much to tell her at once?  At the same time, she’s looking at you with the most compassionate eyes you’ve ever seen.  She’s just curious… right? “Well, I just thought you might want some help,” you say.  “I just wanted to make you feel better.  I know sports mean a lot to you, I don’t like seeing you so upset, and I’ve always thought you were really pretty, and—” “Wait…” Rainbow said.  “What did you just say?” Your heart stops.  Did you say that out loud?  You did.  She knows now.  But she doesn’t look creeped out.  She looks… flattered. “You think I’m… pretty?” she asks as she begins playing with her hair. You rub the back of your neck as you feel your face flush bright red. “Um… yeah, I do,” you say.  A big smile graces Rainbow’s face as she twirls her hair.  It’s perhaps the most adorable thing you’ve ever seen. “Gosh… I-I've... I've never heard... oh wow… nobody's ever said that to me before...” she says. “Well, I’m saying it.  I think you’re gorgeous, Rainbow Dash,” you say. You watch as Rainbow’s face goes bright red.  She begins playing with her skirt as she looks away from you.  Is she trying to hide behind her hair?  This is the shyest you’ve ever seen her, and it’s nothing short of adorable. “Nobody's said that to you?” you ask. “No,” Rainbow says.  “To be honest… I don’t get a lot of compliments from guys.” “Really?” you ask. Rainbow shakes her head.  “I mean, I’m pretty awesome, and I play a lot of sports, but… sometimes I get mistaken for a guy.” “Are you kidding?” you ask. “I wish I was,” Rainbow says.  “I was walking with one of my best friends one day, and someone asked her if I was her boyfriend.”  She sighs heavily.  “I mean… I’m still a girl.  I don’t mind getting compliments.  I don’t mind being called pretty every now and then.” Wow… is this Rainbow Dash?  Does she really harbor these insecurities beneath that tough exterior?  And she looks sad again. You smile and try something bold.  You reach your hand out and brush her hair out of her face.  Upon touching her, she looks up at you.  To your amazement, she doesn’t try to stop you.  In fact, she leans into your hand with a small moan.  You begin stroking her cheek as she gives you the most affectionate eyes you’ve ever seen. “Mmm… that feels nice…” she says, nuzzling your hand.  “Keep doing that.” “Don’t mind if I do,” you say.  “Y’know… you have beautiful eyes.” Rainbow moans as you caress her cheek.  “Wow… thanks.” Her eyes twinkle at you as you continue to give her affection.  The hardy Rainbow Dash was putty in your hands right now.  Are you dreaming?  Was this really happening? “Y’know…” Rainbow says, “You’re pretty awesome yourself.” “Am I?” you ask. “After being so nice to me?  You’re totally awesome,” Rainbow says.  She brings her hand up to yours and brings it away from her cheek.  She interlaces fingers with yours, forming a bridge over the gap between the branches.  For a moment, you just stare into her magenta eyes.  They’re not determined and intense like you’re used to seeing… they’re soft and affectionate.  It fills your heart with such warmth.  Her elegant hair flows down her shoulders like a rainbow waterfall, dancing delicately in the breeze.  Her smile is bright enough to illuminate a city at night. Rainbow Dash has never been more beautiful.  In that moment, she’s the prettiest thing in the world. “Well?  Don’t just sit there staring like an idiot,” Rainbow says.  “Are you gonna kiss me or what?” “What?” you say stupidly, snapping out of your trance.  Her eyes are still soft, but filled with that familiar zeal. “Don’t leave me hanging, dude,” Rainbow says with a smirk. “Wait…” you say.  “Y-You actually want me to—” “You sure love stammering, don’t you?” she says. “And you sure love being sassy, don’t you?” you retort. “Will you just quit stammering and make a move already?” Rainbow says, raising an eyebrow. “No… wait…” you stutter, “I just… you want me to—” “Oh, for crying out loud, just get over here!” Rainbow says before tugging on your arm, pulling you towards her as she leans forward.  Before you can think, your lips touch.  In mere moments, your nerves are replaced immediately by total bliss. Never before have you felt such ecstasy.  You’ve always imagined how Rainbow’s lips would feel, and reality has exceeded even your wildest fantasies.  So warm… so sweet… so delicious… it’s unlike anything you’ve ever felt before. And it was over too soon.  Just a simple peck seemed to last an eternity to you.  Even so, it left you totally shocked at what just happened.  Rainbow just smirks at you, though you can make out a faint shade of red on her cheeks. Without saying another word, you jump down from the tree, still holding Rainbow’s hand.  She jumps down to meet you, and you waste no time in pulling her into another kiss.  You wrap your arms around her toned body as she wraps her arms around your neck.  Holding her in your arms felt amazing.  You’re amazed at the amount of muscle she has.  In a slick move, you lay her down in the grass with no struggle from her whatsoever.  You straddle her as you continue to kiss.  This kiss somehow felt even better than the first.  Making you jump a little, you feel one of her hands move down to your behind.  She must really like this.  You return the favor by slipping a hand up her skirt, evoking a sexy moan and making her squirm.  You feel one of her legs wrap around you as you start brushing her soft, silky rainbow hair.  It was like swimming in a sea of euphoria.  Rainbow’s lips felt so amazing.  You can feel your passion reflected perfectly in her lips, exciting your heart with every passing second. When your need to breathe becomes too great for you to ignore, you pull away, leaving both you and Rainbow panting. “Wow…” she says, smirking.  “You’re an awesome kisser too.” It’s such an amazing feeling to have the strong and awesome Rainbow Dash underneath you, completely at your mercy. You lift your hand to start brushing her hair. “Mmm…” Rainbow moans.  “I love it when you do that…” You chuckle as you run your fingers through her hair.  At this moment, you don’t want to do anything else.  You just want to take this time to give Rainbow Dash the affection she deserves. Minutes go by as you continue brushing her hair.  She looks like she’s in total bliss.  And she looks happy.  Nothing was prettier than that smile of hers. “Could I maybe… I-I don’t know… walk you home?” you ask. Rainbow smiles.  “Sure.  But… maybe not right now…” “Huh?” you grunt. Rainbow flashes a devious smile and suddenly flips you over.  Now she’s the one straddling you. “I wouldn’t mind making out just a little bit more,” she says, giving you her signature smirk. You reflect her sly smile, and immediately cup her face to bring her down for another intoxicating kiss.  Rainbow melts as your lips meet, but quickly regains herself as she fights for control over the kiss.  You fight back for a little while before eventually letting her win.  You melt underneath her as you reflect every movement of her lips perfectly.  You’ve never felt so good in your life. You never knew Rainbow Dash harbored insecurities about herself.  You always assumed she had nothing to hide, and held no shame.  But you were wrong.  Everyone has their insecurities, even a strong girl like her. Rainbow Dash was beautiful, and now that she was yours, you could tell her that every day.  A girl like her deserves to feel pretty.