Chapter 1
The Perfect Plan
Rainbow Dash drifted lazily through the air on a soft bit of fluffy white cloud, her eyes shut and her forelegs crossed behind her head. From an outsider's perspective, she looked to be taking one of her famous mid-morning naps, but nothing could be further from the truth. Despite her calm visage, in her mind thoughts and feeling whizzed around in circles, as though in an endless race for some amazing prize.
“Augh!” She let loose a frustrated groan, reaching up and grabbing a bit of cloud to pull over her face in a make-shift pillow. “This is so stupid!” Rainbow shouted into the muffling fluff covering her head. Sighing, she flipped over onto her stomach and buried her head into the cloud she lay on, hoping to block out the thoughts demanding her attention. When that didn't work, she heaved another heavy breath and lifted her face out of the white mass to stare out across the horizon.
Beneath her was Ponyville, but what drew her eyes was the town's newest addition; the Castle of Friendship. In truth, she'd never been overly fond of the crystal-tree-castle-thingy, but she'd learned to live with it. The pony who owned it, however, was an entirely different nuisance to her waking and - more often than she cared to admit - dreaming mind. Not that she had any problems with the purple pony princess of friendship; her friendship with Twilight was great, almost as awesome as she was herself.
But that was exactly her problem; they were friends.
Just friends.
Not like she needed more than that, of course.
“I'm too awesome for all this stupid touchy-feely junk,” she muttered, her voice lacking any trace of the self-assurance she had hoped it would have. Most of what she wanted to believe about herself had been challenged by her recent... desires. Romance had never exactly played a big part – or any part, for that matter – of her fantasies and goals. Her life had always been straightforward; train until she was good enough and join the Wonderbolts. That was it; finding a special somepony had hardly ever even crossed her mind.
“I shouldn't need a marefriend,” Rainbow mumbled, sounding less and less sure of herself the longer she thought about it. “A relationship would just slow me down.”
Hoping to find something to take her mind off her current conundrum, she craned her neck and looked over the edge of her cloud into the town bustling silently below her. Ponies mulled about the streets, and the market was particularly busy this time of day, but what caught her eye the most was the park, situated directly beneath her fluffy perch. The sight made her stomach churn... and her heart pang.
In the park at least a dozen different picnic blankets has been set up on the grass. On more than half of those blankets couples sat, sharing a meal, some cuddling and nuzzling, and unless Rainbow's eyesight was going, some were even kissing. She quickly pulled her eyes away from the scene, flipping over onto her back again.
“What is this, some kind of couple's eat free day?” She asked herself aloud, making a fake gagging noise. Again Rainbow's thoughts drifted to a lavender alicorn. “I don't need anything like that... and I don't want it either.”
“You know that's a lie,” her mind argued. The small, rebellious part that refused to stop bringing forth imagined scenarios of her and Twilight doing everything those couples below were doing, and sometimes more.
Rainbow scoffed. “Yeah right. Even if I did want it, which I don't, Twi would probably say no anyway. She's not my type, and I'm definitely not hers.”
“Prove it.”
She could practically see the challenging smirk her own mind was giving her. The traitor. Shrugging, Rainbow rolled her eyes, “What? Ask her out just to get turned down? Yeah right; so not cool.”
“It'd help put this to an end, wouldn't it? Ask, get turned down, move on. Right?”
Rainbow paused mid-rebuttal. Perhaps there was some point to be had there. Obviously these thoughts and feelings weren't going away on their own, and whatever she did only seemed to strengthen them. Twilight's unrelenting adorable dorkiness whenever the two were together certainly didn't help. Still, there was one other possibility to consider.
“What if she says yes?”
“Then you go on a date?”
She frowned; this plan was supposed to get rid of these feelings, not get her a date. Still... it might end up being better than doing nothing. Even if, by some miracle, Twilight said yes, she could always play it off as a prank.
“Or actually go on a date with her.”
Rainbow snorted. As if that would ever happen. Either way, odds were Twilight was going to say no – probably in the geekiest, most adorable way possible. But still say no. Heck, she probably wasn't even into mares!
Feeling more sure of herself than she had since her feelings towards Twilight first cropped up, Rainbow stood up, stretched out her wings, and jumped from her cloud. A few seconds of free-fall brought her close to the ground before she snapped her wings open and caught herself, grazing over a few rooftops as she flew towards the crystalline tree overlooking Ponyville.
“Rainbow?”
Rainbow jolted at the familiar voice, slowing down on instinct alone as a butter-yellow pegasus glided in beside her. “Hey 'Shy,” she greeted casually. “What's up?”
“Oh, I'm just out grabbing a few things for my animal friends. Berry got into the garbage again and is pretty sick.”
“Raccoon?” Rainbow asked with a knowing smirk.
Fluttershy shook her head. “Berry's a duck.”
Rainbow raised a disbelieving eyebrow.
“Anyway, why are you out here? You're usually napping or training this time of day.”
Rainbow shrugged after a moment of confused hesitation. “Actually I'm going to Twilight's.”
“Oh?” Fluttershy asked, surprised. “It's not one of your usually schedules reading days.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “No need to be so shocked, Fluttershy; Twi and I do hang out even when Daring Do's not involved.”
“Oh goodness no; I never meant to imply that you didn't. It's just... well... you don't usually... never mind. If you don't mind my asking, what are you doing with her today? Did she get you to try a different book series?”
“Actually I was gonna ask her out.”
Fluttershy dropped out of the sky, and Rainbow smacked a hoof to her forehead. “Great... always gotta open my big mouth before I think.”
“It's not what you think!” Rainbow defended quickly as Fluttershy pulled herself back up to Rainbow's level, her shock written quite clearly across her face. Along with something else that Rainbow wasn't happy to see.
“Oh I'm so happy for you!” Fluttershy cheered, seeming to make a rather quick recovering from her surprise. “Having a special somepony is a wonderful thing.”
Rainbow scoffed. “How would you know? It's not like you've ever dated anypony.”
A moment of silence passed, and Rainbow glanced over to see a scarlet blush on Fluttershy's face. Dash's smile melted. “You... you didn't...”
Fluttershy hid behind her mane. “Um... about that...”
“You're kidding! Who?”
“U-um...” Fluttershy trailed off, squeaking out the rest of her sentence so high pitched it sounded more like a squeal than actual words.
Rainbow frowned. “C'mon 'Shy, you're pulling my leg, right? Pinkie put you up to it?”
Fluttershy just shook her head. After a few moments of silence, she took a breath and looked to her idly fiddling hooves. “Um... B-big Mac asked me out a few weeks ago... we're going to the Gala together...”
“Big Mac!?” Rainbow all but shouted, her eyes widening. “You mean AJ's brother Big Mac? I thought he had a thing for Cheerilee?”
“Oh, no, they're just good friends. B-but you can't tell anypony! We were going to tell our friends at the Gala...”
Rolling her eyes, Rainbow nodded. “Yeah yeah, I got it, keep it hush hush and all that. But still... I can't believe it.”
Fluttershy nodded in agreement, smiling dreamily as she seemed to get lost in her own mind for a few moments. Suddenly she shook her head and forced herself to come back to the present as a grin spread across her muzzle. “So you're going to ask Twilight to the Grand Galloping Gala, right?”
“Actually... I hadn't really thought that far ahead. Honestly, I'm figuring she'll say no.” Rainbow frowned at the way her heart gave a painful throb at the words, but quickly pushed it aside. “It's not like she'd actually be into me. I figured I'd ask just to get it off my chest, y'know?”
Fluttershy gasped. “You're not taking this seriously!? Rainbow Dash!” Her voice suddenly took on a scolding ton. “You shouldn't do that to anypony, let alone one of your best friends. If you're going to ask somepony out, you do it sincerely, and you do it right. I won't let you lead Twilight on like that.”
“I'm not leading her on!” Rainbow huffed. “I'm just expecting her to say no. There's a difference.”
“And if she says yes?”
“Then I'll... I don't know! But it doesn't matter because she won't. I'll get past this stupid crush thing and everything can go back to normal. I don't need any of this romance junk and I do not want a special somepony.”
Fluttershy lifted her eyebrow as she crossed her fore hooves sternly across her chest. “Then why do you have a crush on Twilight so big you feel you have to ask her out to get rid of it?”
“Because of some science mumbo-jumbo that Twi could probably explain? I ain't a neuro-whatever here, 'Shy. I just know I want to get rid of whatever's wrong with me.”
“Wrong with you!?” Fluttershy stared agape at her friend. “There's nothing wrong with you! Why won't you even considering having a marefriend?”
“Because romance is stupid,” Rainbow answered flatly.
Fluttershy glared daggers at the cyan pegasus. “Rainbow Dash, if you're going to ask Twilight out, she's going to at least give you a chance. I'll tell you that right now. So if you do it, you're going to do it right or so help me Dash I will make sure you regret it.”
For a moment their eyes locked in a fiery, silent battle of wills. Eventually, Dash looked away, throwing her hooves up in defeat. “Augh, fine, I'll do it 'right'. But she'll say no.”
“Good, wait right here.” With that Fluttershy dashed off, forcing Rainbow to fan her wings and stop herself. By time she turned to look for her friend the pink-maned pegasus was already back by her side, a bouquet of various flowers held in her fore hooves.
“Fluttershy...”
Fluttershy shoved the flowers into Rainbow's chest. “You agreed to do this properly, so give her these when you ask her to the Gala. Do I need to go with you and make sure you do it?”
“I'll be fine, mom,” Rainbow grumbled, begrudgingly accepting the flowers. “I still don't get why this is such a big deal to you.”
“Because when you ask a mare out you should at least have enough respect for her to take her seriously.”
Rainbow frowned. “Hey, I respect Twi plenty; she's awesome. Almost as awesome as I am. I mean have you seen her use magic?”
Fluttershy nodded approvingly. “Then go get a date. Unless... you're not scared, are you?”
It was, by far, the most blatant attempt to get Rainbow's egotistical pride to force her to do something she'd ever seen. Unfortunately for Rainbow, her prideful nature took it and ran like a dog with a bone. “Hah, The Rainbow Dash scared? Of a date? Not a chance. You just watch me; I'll have her head-over-hooves in ten second flat.” Without another word Rainbow sped off towards the crystal castle, not even realizing what she'd just said until she'd landed in front of the large shining doors and had already knocked.
“Wait... I didn't-”
“Rainbow Dash? What are you doing here?”
Rainbow froze as Twilight Sparkle opened the door and gave her a confused look. Mustering all the articulation she could on such short notice, she said; “Uhh... well... yeah... hi.”
“Hi?” Twilight offered skeptically, arching an eyebrow. “Are you alright?”
Already she could feel her heart beating fast and her cheeks warming. Just like every other time she'd talked to Twilight since those pesky feelings had surface. But that was why she was here, wasn't it? To get rid of them once and for all? Swallowing down the lump in her throat, which certainly wasn't caused by nerves, she shifted her weight from hoof to hoof awkwardly. “Y-yeah, fine. I just.. uh... flowers?”
The lavender alicorn looked down at the bouquet her friend was brandishing at her. “Well... they are nice. Are they for me?”
Rainbow didn't trust herself to say much more without babbling, so instead she opted to give a few rapid nods.
“Oh, well thank you then!” Twilight chirped happily as she wrapped the flowers in the gentle embrace of her magic. “I know just where to put these. They'll really had a lot of colour to the room. Now, what can I do for you?” She asked, floating the flowers into the open door behind her.
“O-oh... yeah... you... uh... you going to the Gala next weekend?”
Twilight blinked. “Uhh... I have to?” She fluffed her wings for emphasis.
“Right! Of course, how stupid of me. I just thought... I dunno. Oh, gosh, look at the time! I really should be-”
“Rainbow?” Twilight spoke suddenly, with enough force to root Rainbow to the ground on which she stood. “Are... are you asking me on a date?”
Rainbow blanched. “Uhhh... yes? No? Maybe? I don't know!”
Twilight blinked. “You... don't know?”
“No! I don't! I just... don't know...” Rainbow trailed off as her tongue floundered for the words her mind refused to give it. When in doubt, remain silent. Needless to say, it was a tactic she rarely used.
Again, Twilight blinked. “Okay?”
“Okay!” she agreed quickly.
“For the record,” Twilight started, teleporting the flowers back in front of her and examining them. “I might have said yes. If you were asking.”
“Might have?” Rainbow echoed warily.
“Only one way to find out.”
Rainbow frowned. Was Twilight playing with her? Who did that egghead think she was!? “Well I am asking!”
“Then the answer's yes,” Twilight said with a giggle.
“Well that's too bad Twi but hey can't blame a mare for trying right? I'll just be- wait what?”
Twilight laughed. “Yes, Rainbow; I'll go with you to the Gala. As date. I mean, how could I say no to one of my best friends without at least giving them a chance?”
“I uh... what?”
“Were you expecting me to be a little more surprised?” Twilight asked with a grin. “Sorry to say, you're hardly the first to ask me out. But who knows; you may be the first to get a second date. Besides, you're kind of... really adorable when you're flustered.”
When Rainbow continued to stare dumbly, Twilight's smile twisted into a frown of concern. “Rainbow? Are you okay?”
Rainbow shook her head firmly, dragging her mind kicking and screaming back to reality. “Y-yeah... fine. So around 5PM next Saturday sound good?”
“Considering the train we've all got tickets to leaves at 5:30, that sounds perfect.”
“Great! Well Twi I gotta go now... date prepping to do and... uh... stuff. So yeah. Bye!” Rainbow didn't wait for a response as she jumped into the air and took off in the opposite direction of Twilight's castle as fast as she could manage.
“Rainbow!” Fluttershy cheered, struggling to catch up the much faster pegasus. “I'm so proud of you!”
Rainbow groaned as she slowed down just enough for her friend to catch up. “I'm not! I don't how I let you talk me into that but this is not what I had in mind when I left for her place.”
“No, it's not what you planned,” Fluttershy agreed. “But it's so much better! Now you can go on a date with Twilight and you'll have a wonderful evening at the Gala and-”
Shoving a hoof against Fluttershy's lips, Rainbow gave a stern glare. “Leave the fantasizing to Rarity, 'Shy. It doesn't suit you.”
“Oh!” She gasped suddenly, pulling her head back and freezing her mouth. “Speaking of Rarity, you have to go see her; you'll be needing a dress.”
Rainbow's glare hardened further. “A dress? Who do you think I am, some kinda fru-fru-”
“Mare taking a Princess on a date to the biggest, most elite social gathering in all of Equestria?”
“Uhh...” Rainbow's indignant speech ground to a halt at Fluttershy's words. “Horseapples... you might have a point. Ugh... this is so stupid; why couldn't she have just said no!?”
Fluttershy cocked her head to the side. “Because she's one of your closest friends?”
“Yeah but-”
“And giving you a chance is the right thing to do even if things don't go well?”
“Okay maybe-”
“And maybe she thinks you're taking this more seriously than you are and that you actually want to try a relationship with her?”
“Hey!” Rainbow shouted, “I am too taking this seriously! I gave her the dumb flowers, didn't I?”
Fluttershy nodded. “Then why aren't you going to get a dress?”
“You're not helping, 'Shy...” Rainbow growled under her breath, her head hanging in defeat. “Fine, I'll get a stupid dress for this stupid date at the stupid Gala. Happy?”
“Yes, and I'm sure Twilight will be too. Which should make you happy, right?”
Rainbow blushed self-consciously as she fought to not automatically answer 'yes'. Her entire plan had gone down the drain, but maybe in the long run that wouldn't be so bad. Who knows, maybe this could actually go somewhere, or so thought the part of her that had thought asking Twilight out in the first place was a good idea.
Maybe she should look into having that part of her brain removed.
Rainbow Dash ground a hoof into the dirt impatiently. “Stupid Fluttershy,” she muttered, taking a moment to brush the dirt off her hoof. It's not like she was stalling for time, or anything; if Rarity knew she'd touched the door with such a dirty hoof the fashionista might faint. Or flip out.
Oops, it got covered in dirt again.
“Stupid dress.” The pegasus took a moment to run a hoof through her mane: She was there for a dress, not a makeover, and if it was too ratty Rarity would force one upon her.
Oh, and her hoof was in the dirt. Again. She should really stop putting it down before knocking. “Stupid date.”
The door swung open suddenly and Rainbow yelped in surprise, stumbling back a few steps until she fell to her flank.
“Rainbow Dash?” Rarity asked, taking a step back of her own. “What are you doing here? And... how long have you been there?”
Rainbow groaned, standing with a roll of her eyes and dusting herself off. “I, uh, just got here, actually. I was hoping to talk to you?”
“Hmm... well, I was about to run in to the market, but I still have a few hours before the shops I need close, so come on in dear and tell me what you need.” With a flourish the unicorn turned and walked back into her boutique, opening the door a little wider as Rainbow followed her inside, fidgeting awkwardly.
“A-actually, Rarity, I... uh... I kinda-sorta need a dress.”
Rarity stopped dead in her tracks, her head whipping around to face Rainbow with a shocked expression. “Y-you... you actually want a dress?”
Sighing, Rainbow brought a hoof up and rubbed the back of her neck nervously. “Well... uh... not exactly?”
The unicorn's eyes narrowed, instantly suspicious. “Then why do you 'need' one?” she asked, making air-quotes with her hooves.
“I...” Rainbow trailed off, glancing at the floor as though she were asking out her crush all over again. Her cheeks even gained a healthy rosy hue. “I have a date to the Gala,” she admitted with a small, unwanted hint of pride slipping into her voice. She wasn't supposed to be proud!
“You what!?” Rarity all but shouted, staring in shock at the blushing pegasus before her. “Details. Now.”
Rainbow shifted uncomfortably under Rarity's intense stare. “Well I uh...” she paused. Why was she telling Rarity this? Last time she'd told somepony about any of this she ended up going on an actual date! Besides, what business did Rarity have snooping in her personal life?
“It's none of your business,” Rainbow said, crossing her fore hooves as she forced herself to look her friend in the eye, willing the blush out of her cheeks. “I just need a dress. Are you a tailor or not?”
Rarity frowned. “Well the least you could do is tell me who you're going with; I could make the dress to compliment their colours as well as your own. Besides, I'm sure I could give you plenty of tips on the date itself. Celestia knows you could use them.”
“Hey!” Rainbow cried indignantly, “Who says I need help? It's just a date.”
“Really, Rainbow Dash, the least you could do is offer whomever asked you out the respect they deserve.”
Rainbow growled, her wings ruffling at her sides as she struggled to keep them down. “I'll have you know I'm the one who asked Twilight out! And she said yes!”
“Twilight?” Rarity asked, raising a surprised eyebrow. “Well, not my first guess, but you know what they say about opposites attracting. Oh, and I know just how to make your dress to compliment her perfectly. Do you know what Twilight will be wearing?”
Silently cursing her mouth, which had once again moved faster than she could think about what she was going to say, Rainbow struggled to to backtrack. “T-twilight? Wh-who said anything about Twilight?
Rarity gave the mare a flat look. “You did, dear,” she deadpanned before quickly continuing in a much brighter tone; “Well, no matter; a good dress can work no matter what your partner is wearing. Now, I know you're not one for frills and such, but I think under the circumstances you can let that go?”
“None of that frilly junk,” Rainbow said firmly, shaking her head. “Just because this is a date doesn't mean I'm going to be... girly,” she spat the word as though it tasted of poison.
“Rainbow Dash,” Rarity started, just as firmly as Rainbow had, “I'm not going to let you ruin this date simply because you refuse to damage your over-inflated ego, and I should hope you'd take Twilight seriously enough to not do anything that may cause her undue stress. Need I remind you that not only are you taking her to the singular biggest social event in all of Equestria, but she's also a princess now.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Yeah yeah, I get it; Fluttershy already gave me a lecture, I don't need one from you too.”
“Maybe that's exactly what you need.” In a glow of magic various measuring tapes flew from draws around the room as well as a set of red-framed glasses which perched themselves perfect on Rarity's nose. “Because you're apparently not seeing the point.”
“What point is there to see? I asked Twilight out, she said yes. Doesn't that mean she wants to go out with me or something? I don't see how me being, well, me, could screw that up.”
Rarity tsk'd, shaking her head as her tapes started doing their job and measuring every square inch of Rainbow's body while a quill scribbled down the numbers almost automatically. “Need I remind you that you being 'you' is a reckless, brash, rude, and immature pegasus that wouldn't know a five star restaurant from a fast-food burger dive.”
“Hey! I'm not immature!”
“Of course you aren't. That's why you decided to destroy the Cloudsdale Weather Factory instead of letting your pet turtle hibernate for a few months.”
Rainbow's ears laid flat against her head. “Th-that was...” she trailed off. What was that? Stupid? Reckless? Irresponsible?
Immature?
She shook her head firmly. “I came here for a dress, not date advice. Can you make me one or not?”
“Of course I can make you one,” Rarity said tersely. “The question is whether or not I should. You can have the best dress in the world, but if worn in... less than stellar circumstances...” she let her silence speak for her as she took the final measurements and sent the tape measures back to where they came from.
“What's that supposed to mean!?” Rainbow snapped.
Rarity rolled her eyes. “All I'm saying is that a dress won't help you if the date itself doesn't go well. I trust you have a plan?”
“Uh...”
“A gift?”
“Well I already-”
“At the very least tell me you made sure the menu included Twilight's favourite dish and if it didn't then you sent a letter requesting it to be added?”
“That seems a bit-”
Rarity's eye twitched. “Don't take this the wrong way, dear, but you are simply dreadful at dating. You have at least been on one before, right? You have some idea of what you're doing?”
“Of course I have!” Rainbow insisted, offended at the very implication. “There was this one mare in Flight Camp. We went on at least a dozen dates!”
“What was her name?”
Rainbow faltered. “Her name was.... uh... Cloudy Skies!”
“Cloudy Skies?” Rarity echoed doubtfully. When Rainbow nodded, a sly smirk spread on her lips. “The same Cloudy Skies on the whether team?
“Uh... m-maybe? Yeah, probably.” She smiled to herself; if she still knew the mare she dated, then she was plenty mature enough to handle a relationship with Twilight.
“The same Cloudy Skies that I happen to see at the spa every week, who's lived in Ponyville her entire life?”
Rainbow's self-assured smile shattered, as did her small-but-growing confidence in her ruse. “A... different one...”
Rarity's eyes hardened into a glare that made Rainbow's wings twitch and spread slowly on instinct alone. “Really?”
“Augh! Fine! I've never dated anypony before. Happy?”
“Goodness no!” Rarity exclaimed, though her voice was noticeably too happy for it to be believable. “However, it does open you up to all the advice I have to give. Surely you could use it, no?”
The pegasus flicked her tail irritably. “No, it does not. I'm perfectly capable of setting up this date on my own without anypony's help, least of all yours. Now will you make me the dress or not?”
Rarity frowned and hesitated a moment, but eventually nodded. “Very well, if that's how you're going to be. I'll make you your dress as requested. But remember this conversation should you get... cold hooves, as the expression goes. I'm here to help my friends..”
“Great,” Rainbow growled through gritted teeth. “How much?”
“Free for my friends, of course,” Rarity announced with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “Now run along; if you've taken absolutely anything I said seriously then you should at the very least feel the need to actually plan your date.”
Rainbow opened her mouth, preparing some scathing retort. When nothing came to mind she clenched her jaw and growled, stomping angrily out of the store and taking flight as soon as she could. She bit her lip as she flew up into the sky, quickly locating and dashing to the closest cloud before burying her head and screaming as loudly as her lungs could manage.
“Stupid Rarity!” She shouted, slamming a hoof into the fluffy mass of white, not even caring to take note of the small portion evaporating where she hit.
“Stupid dress!” Another hit and another small puff of white. “Stupid date!”
Instead of dissipating like the cloud with every hit, Rainbow's anger only seemed to continue to boil beneath her skin, a pressure building beneath the surface like steam in a pressure cooker.
“Stupid Fluttershy! Stupid Twilight! Stupid! Stupid stupid stupid stupid!” With each shout her hoof came down on the ground, each hit harder than the last, until at least her hoof came down and instead of hitting cloud passed straight through nothing but air.
Rainbow opened her eyes. “Horesapples.” She flared her wings and caught herself mid-fall, looking up at the tiny specs of floating white mist that had once been the cloud she was laying on. Taking a moment to catch her breath from her... outburst, she levelled herself off and hovered momentarily in the sky.
“I'm going home,” she announced to nopony in particular.
Rainbow Dash sighed, watching as her breath pushed the sprinkles around her plate. Surrounded by her closest friends in her favourite pastry shop with the most delicious looking double-chocolate-triple-sprinkle-caramel-surprise scoughnut (half-doughnut half-scone) in front of her, she should have been happy and smiling like her friends. Instead she felt... nervous?
The Rainbow Dash, nervous? Never! Except that one time at the Best Young Flyer competition, but that was different. Come on; the Wonderbolts themselves were there. What kind of robot-pony wouldn't be the teeniest tiniest bit nervous? But she certainly shouldn't have been nervous just having lunch with her friends.
Of course, a certain lavender alicorn sitting across from her may have had something to do with it. The Grand Galloping Gala was only a week away now. In less than seven days they'd all be on a Canterlot-bound train in their frilly dresses with high hopes for the night ahead.
Which meant she had one more week until her date with Twilight. For which she still had no plan. After a week of either pushing it off or getting stumped, she'd eventually had to come to the only conclusion available to her. Even if it meant that Rarity was right.
She had no clue what she was doing.
“Y'all right there, RD?” Applejack asked, forcing Rainbow's eyes away from the sugary concoction in front of her. Her cheeks gained a self-conscious hue as she realized all of her friends were looking at her expectantly. “You've hardly touched your sco....nut....thing,”
“Oh goodness, are you not feeling well?” Fluttershy asked worriedly. “You're not coming down with something so close to the Gala, are you?”
Rainbow shook her head, partially to answer Fluttershy's motherly questioning but mostly to knock loose whatever had jammed in her head. “I-I'm fine, girls. Just... need some air.” With a hasty pardoning she all but leaped from her seat and trotted quickly to the door.
“Wonder what got her feathers ruffled,” Applejack thought aloud, oblivious to the knowing look Fluttershy and Rarity shared. They both turned to look meaningfully at Twilight who was simply frowning in the direction the pegasus had gone.
“Well, dear,” Rarity began. “It may very well be a case of stage fright.”
Applejack snorted. “That mare? Nervous? Of what?” She turned to give her alabaster friend a doubtful look. Rarity simply nodded towards Twilight.
“Of... Twilight?”
The alicorn started at her name and she turned back to see Rarity with her hoof in her face. Applejack seemed all the more confused. She sighed. “I'll go talk to her.”
Twilight hurried away from the table, much to Applejack's continued confusion.
“What the heck is goin' on with these ponies?”
Sighing dreamily, Pinkie slid herself into Twilight's abandoned seat from seemingly thin air. “Isn't it great, AJ? It's like they're made for each other!”
Applejack blinked. “What?”
Outside, away from her friend's conversation, Rainbow paced furiously in front of the store, breathing deeply of the air she claimed to need. It helped her clear her head, if only slightly. She'd been in an uncontrolled nosedive ever since she'd asked Twilight out, and the ground was rushing towards her faster and faster. No plan, no pulling up, no cloud to break her fall.
She was doomed. She was going to ruin their date which would ruin their friendship and-
Wait. Wasn't stress and over-thinking supposed to be Twilight's thing?
“Rainbow?”
The pegasus nearly jumped out of her skin at the unexpected and oh so dreadfully familiar voice.
“H-hey Twi,” she greeted through gritted teeth for fear of her voice shaking, continuing her methodical pacing. “What, uh.... what are you doing out here?”
Twilight rolled her eyes, reaching out and grabbing Rainbow by the shoulders from behind. “You think I can't see when one of my best friends is stressing out over something? You look exactly like I do the day before a big test.”
“I'm fine,” she grunted, though her attempts to pull away from her friend's hooves were feeble at best.
“Rainbow, what's going on? Is it about... us? Our date?”
Her silence answered in her voice's stead.
Twilight sighed. “It's going to be fine - I wouldn't have said yes if I didn't think so. Come on, you're Rainbow Dash; is there anything you can't do?”
“There's a lot I can't do,” Rainbow muttered under her breath, forcing out a humourless chuckle.
“There's two things I know for sure,” Twilight said slowly, making sure her every word was heard. “One is that I'm actually... looking forward to spending the Gala with you as more than friends. And second, well, whatever happens, it can't be worse than last year's Gala, right?” She joked, chuckling quietly.
She's... looking forward to it?
“Okay?”
Rainbow took a breath, letting it out slowly. When she turned around, her lips were once again set in a proud, cocky smile. “It'll be fun,” she said.
Twilight nodded. “Right. Now can we have a nice outing with our friends? You don't need to worry about this.”
“Alright... I'll be in in a second. I actually do need some air.” She ruffled her feathers for emphasis.
“Of course.”
With that Twilight gave a final, reassuring smile, and went back into the bakery, leaving Rainbow alone with her thoughts.
Her smile stayed on her lips as she watched the alicorn step inside the doors.
She's looking forward to it... I can't screw it up...
I'm so gonna screw it up...
I...
I need Rarity's help.