Double Rainbow

by MyLittleGeneration


The Ball

After what felt like an eternity just waiting in a line of cars, we managed to reach the doors. My brother rested his head on the steering wheel. "Well, go on, guys." he said with dread in his voice. "Wish you two the best!"

"Wish you the best getting out of this." I joked. Daze slightly chuckled.

"Tell me about it..." We closed the doors and he drove off into the street... very slowly. Dash giggled in a cute tone.

"I feel kinda bad for him." she said, before turning to face the doors. She took a deep breath in and out, before turning to me and saying, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's hit the dance floor!" She bolted in, I followed. Once we entered the building, there were crowds of people waiting for the doors to the gymnasium to open up.

“Oh great, looks like we’ll have to wait some more before we can get this party started.” Dash groaned, before looking around, “Oh well, I guess as long as we’re waiting, we may as well see if any of the others made it yet.”

We quickly looked around through the crowd of people in front of the doors, but quickly realized how fruitless it was, as the crowd was so large and tightly packed that pointing out anyone but the tallest students was all but impossible. We backed off from the crowd, and looked around the less crowded areas instead. It didn’t take long before we finally found someone.

"Hey, it's Sunset!" Dash exclaimed, as she pointed her out to me. I looked where she was pointing, and saw Sunset standing in a corner, wearing a simple purple dress with sun emblems adorning the lower half. She was completely alone, leaning backwards onto the wall as she looked towards the crowd. Not even any of our friends were there with her.

"She looks pretty lonely..." I pointed out.

"Sure does. Let's go talk to her." Dash suggested. "I mean, it’s not like we'll be going anywhere anytime soon." I nodded, and we walked towards Sunset. As we got closer, I got a better look at her facial expression, and noticed that she looked... sad.

"Hey, Sunset!" I said, waving. Sunset jumped in surprise and looked up at us. "Oh! Eh, s-sorry for scaring you."

"It's alright, Blitz. Don’t worry about it." she said in a low tone as she tried to force a smile. Dash tilted her head.

"Hey, is everything... alright?" she asked. Sunset’s forced smile immediately left her face. She crossed her arms, put her head down, and didn't respond. "Sunset?" Dash tried to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but Sunset moved her shoulder away. "Hey, c'mon, what's up?"
Sunset dreadfully sighed. "I..." She shook her head. "…It’s nothing. I just got cramps, that's all."

"Pfft." Dash uttered as she rolled her eyes, "You're a terrible liar, you know that? Even I can tell something’s up!" Sunset went silent once again as she looked away from us. Dash put an arm around Sunset. "C'mon Sunset, I don't wanna see a friend so down on any occasion, especially not one as big as this! Please, just tell us what's wrong."

Sunset looked up towards me. "We're with you, Sunny." I told her in a serious tone.

Sunset sighed, "It's just... Today's a dance-"

"Ball." I corrected, which earned me a glare from Dash, "Er, go on."

"Today's a ball, then. It’s a special night where people dance and have some fun."

Dash was confused. "And… what’s the problem with that? It’s just harmless fun.”

"But... was it?" she questioned. "Was it? When that dance came? When... the Fall Formal happened?"

"Sunset, that's in the past-"

"So what?! Do you think it just goes away that easily?!” Sunset suddenly yelled, her voice starting to crack in the process. Dash jumped backwards in shock, surprised by the sudden yell.

“Woah there, Sunset!” Dash replied. Sunset looked up at her, swallowed a lump in her throat, and continued.

"Sorry for yelling at you, Rainbow. I know you’re just trying to help, but… that memory has always been a really hard one for me to live down, and even nowadays, I can't help but think back to it. And now that I’m here, it’s like I’m reliving that memory all over again. Another ball, dance, whatever the hell you call it, and I can't help but recall that awful memory flash back to then…" I heard her let out a sniffle as she fought back tears. "I ruined that day for everyone..."

I decided to step in. "Hey." I said. Sunset looked up at me, her eyes watery and ready to let the tears loose. "Sunset, I might've been away when this thing happened during the last dance. When you attempted to… y’know… conquer everyone and everything. But really, you have to listen to Dash." Dash looked at me, but I trained my eyes on Sunset. "I don't know how it feels and I probably never will know how it feels, but don’t forget that you’re not alone on this, Sunset. You have us. Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Dash, and even me, who just joined the gang not too long ago!" Sunset sniffled, as Dash spoke up.

"You're not the girl you used to be, Sunset. The others and I have seen that. Ever since that incident happened, we watched as you’ve been trying your damn hardest to be a new, better, friendlier person, and you know what? The effort shows. And as for the Fall Formal memory, I know it’s something that can be hard to forget, but you can’t let that affect you now. Don’t try to erase it, but don’t let it stop you from enjoying yourself now. Think about having fun, dancing with your friends, be chill, have a good time. Don't let the past paralyze you.”

Sunset rubbed her arm as she looked to the side. I spoke up, "I'm not an expert, but I promise you Sunset... this isn't the Fall Formal. This is a new event, Sunset, a new beginning. It’ll be way different than the last time, I promise." I gently smiled, and Rainbow joined me. Sunset looked up at us and stared for a moment, as if she was taking in everything we’d told us.

“…Thanks guys.” She said, as her lips slowly curved up into a smile. A weak smile, to be sure, but a smile all the same.

"So... wanna hang out with us for the night?" Dash asked.

"Isn't it supposed to be a special night for you two?" Sunset asked with a light laugh. Just what I wanted to hear.

"It may," Dash said, "But it wouldn't hurt to have a sidekick on our side."

With a small sniff, Sunset reached her hand out. "Alright, I'll join you guys."

"Awesome!" Dash said, then soon a teacher showed up in front of the doorway leading to the gymnasium.

"Attention, students!" she shouted. "We officially declare this ball... open!" Other teachers opened the doors wide open, and the crowds of kids stuffed their ways inside, everyone literally touching each other cause they were that close. I looked at Dash and Sunset.

"Well, I guess it's party time." I said.

"Guess so." Sunset said in a happier tone than before. We headed out towards the dance floor, where people were already smiling and starting to dance. It was time to get this party started.
________________________________________

Time passed as we drank some punch laid out on the table, had a chat with some people, did a bit of solo dancing, and occasionally watched as the other students made fools of themselves on the dance floor. It turns out Dash was right; most of the students at this school really were terrible dancers. Sunset got better as she hung out with us more, and Dash... she just kept smiling the whole time. I enjoyed myself enough, but at the same time… I wished that Dash and I could perhaps get some private time. Sunset had stuck with us for the entire first hour, and there wasn’t really anything wrong with that, but I kinda wanted to be with Dash for at least little bit...

It was around 1:30 when I finally got that chance. I was standing with Sunset near the back wall as we watched some of the people on the dance floor attempt to dance. Dash had taken a break from us, and was drinking some punch in the corner while talking with Applejack about something. I took a look over at Sunset, and saw her lightly bobbing her head up and down in time with the beat, a content smile on her face. I took a deep breath. If I wanted some alone time with Dash, I’d have to make my move now. "Um, Sunset?" I asked.

"Yeah?" she said as she turned her head towards me, still bobbing her head up and down gleefully.

"Is it alright if... me and Dash have some private time? You can still be with us, but would you please give us some time alone?"

She kept her smile and gave a thumbs-up. "No problem." Sunset walked away into the dancing crowd, but she turned to me. "Have fun with her." she said with a playful wink.

"Wha-" I cut myself off as she disappeared into the crowd. I shot a glance over at Dash and saw that Applejack had already walked away, leaving Dash alone with her drink. I braced myself, and proceeded.

"Hey." I said to Dash.

"Sup?" The tomboy took a long sip of her drink.

"So, uh... Nice ball, dont'cha think?" She nodded as she took another sip of her punch. Her expression looked calm and confident, so I decided to spit it out, "Say, you wanna hit the dance floor?"

Dash's eyes widened and she spat out punch. Her cheeks flushed the rosy color of red, her pupils were shrunk, she was thrown off. "U-Uh... D-Dance? Like… r-right now?" It seemed like she didn't expect this question. Or didn't expect to dance with me, at all. "Um, I don't think you wanna..."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "You were just dancing a while ago."

"Yeah, but that was a different kind of music."

"What do-" I stopped myself as I suddenly heard the music. Loud and... slow? It seemed like actual ball music now. I stared into the crowd of people... now holding hands... Uh-oh. "Oh. I thought-"

"The little party music was playing? Nope." Dash's cheeks were still deep red. "Now we’re into this slow-dancing thing or whatever. And... I'm not good at these things. At all."

"Really?"

She gave me a glare. "Do I look like the kind of person to slow-dance? I wouldn’t know the first thing about it!" she answered. "Honestly, this sort of dancing would be more Rarity’s thing than anyone else’s.”

"Gotcha." We stood there, unable to think what else to do. Everyone seemed to be having a good time doing the dance. Some looked great, some looked like crap, but they still kept a smile on either way. I couldn’t help but wonder… Could it be worth a shot? What will Dash think of this?

"Hey, Dash." I said, lightly nudging her.

"’Yeah?" she asked, turning towards me.

"Heh, would you mind if..." I glanced at Dash, her cheeks bearing the color of her eyes, in which her pupils were getting larger by the second. I continued on, "I share this dance with you?" I tried to do a little bow, but it felt really nerdy and geeky. I heard Dash giggle.

"Uh, hehe." Dash rubbed the back of her neck, thinking her decision. I lent a hand out, making her blush more.

"Just this once? I mean, it's my first time, too, so it couldn't hurt to do it together, right?" I nervously chuckled.

Her mouth curved upwards into a smile. A very happy smile. "Why, of course we could do this dance together." she said, in her over the top fancy accent, which got a chuckle out of me. She took my hand, and we walked to the dance floor, trying to find some room to ensure we don't interrupt anyone.

With her soft hand onto mine, it felt like the world around me got brighter. Like a scene from an eighties teen romance, the music filled my mind and Dash shimmered in the light. Her adorable smile made me smile, and my heart beat so loudly, I swear I was worried other people would hear it right then and there. The rhythm was much faster than the slow tempo as the blood rushed through me, my mind gathering everything that was happening. I was about to dance with Rainbow Dash.

I nearly squeed as we drew closer to the crowd, our hands still touching and gripped tightly. Finally, we stopped, and looked at where we stood. Her chest nearly touched mine, our toes barely touched, and our faces were so close, I could feel her minty breath on my neck. It felt funny, really. A ball is something you'd see in a cheesy romance movie, or read in a fable about a princess meeting her prince. Y’know, romance and stuff. It was just something that happened in a movie or book, though, not in real life. But apparently now, I guess it is. The situation was about to get as real as it could get.

I decided to make the first move. As I slowly took a step back, Dash took a step forward. Both our hands were held, one hand on each side. We continued doing small steps, until a little part of the song came on that I twirled her abruptly.

"Wah!" Dash yelped as she twirled, bent back, and got caught by my hands. I hoisted her back up, giving her a playful smirk. "Oh, I see..." Dash said. She snickered, and I lightly blushed. "Got any moves, dork?"

"Not with an injured ankle." I joked.

She lightly giggled. "You wanna bet?"

"Once it heals, I'll prove it." She nodded.

"Gotcha." she said. "We'll see..."

"We'll see, indeed." I did the twirl again, the same thing happening, where she bent back and I caught her. "Just to let you know, I'll win." I tossed her in the air, grabbed her, and spun around, slowly though because of my ankle. She laughed out loud, which almost threw me out-of-balance.

"Easy there, kid." she added with a chuckle. I felt heat and pressure pull right into me. Her beautiful eyes took me away. Dash made a cute squeak as I hoisted her up again. My heart paced quickly as I felt like the time was right. "What? Got more to show-"

"Dash?" I spoke. She quieted down as I took a deep breath. "Uh, is it alright if I ask you something? A little... personal?"

"Go on." I heard her breathing become faster and slightly heavier.

I just hoped I wasn't getting her worked up too much. "Have you ever... gotten a boyfriend before?"

"You mean aside from Rush? No." Right as she said that, I felt her skin growing warmer. "Why?" I saw her blush get brighter.

"F-Funny thing, Dash... Uh, well, erm..." I was losing control fast. I felt way too nervous, I was forgetting my words, even though I knew what I was going to do, my blood ran cold. I was paused in the moment.

"What?" she said very softly. A concerned expression was on her face as she got herself up. "I'm listening, Blitz. Whatever you gotta say, know that I won't think anything different."

"If you're sure..." Very swiftly, I asked, "Would you like to... be with me?"

The scene immediately went from very good to very bad. Her smile suddenly dropped, being replaced by a shocked expression. Something I feared. My heart and mind felt broken in seconds, for I knew what was heading my way...

"Blitz?" she questioned. My head went down. Full of shame.

'Stupi-'

"Could you say that again?" I noticed her voice wasn't something like upset or angry. She asked it casually, not in a negative tone, or at least any tone I didn't want to hear.

"Well, I..." Barely, I got myself back together to ask the question again. "Would you like to... bewithme?" The final three words came out jammed together, making it hard to understand.

"Would I like to?" A pause filled our conversation. I didn't want to say anything, especially not the same question again. "Heh, Blitz we're already hanging out." she joked.

"No!" I accidentally said very loudly. I covered my mouth, giving myself a second to think, "What I mean is: I like you, Dash." She still kept her expression. "Like, like-like you. As in crush like." I could feel the hairs on my arms and legs stand up, as my legs twitched in anxiety. "I... I wanna be your boyfriend."

Dash took a step backwards in shock, both of her hands gripped together over her chest, "Me..." she said quietly. "Me?" she asked louder. I nodded. She stared for a moment, before letting off a smile, "Blitz, don't be ridiculous."

"Honest." I said in a natural tone. "If I were lying, I wouldn't be this flustered." And she noticed it, all my blush and stood-up hair, me anxiously moving around in place. "Serious."

"Really..." she said in a nearly silent tone. Her usual up-beat tone had all but vanished, and she looked like she had no idea what to say as she faced downwards to the floor. "You actually... like me. You like me."

I couldn’t help but tilt my head. I was so confused on whether she was happy or sad, whether she liked the sound of it or not. "Is that a bad thing?" I said very carefully. Dash looked up to me.

"No." Her lips curved. "Not at all." Raising herself up by her toes, she reached up to my head and pressed on my lips. She kissed me. I was taken aback in awe. As I was just about to make a move, she did it instead. Easy-to-say, I was blown away. Her warm lips pressed onto mine, the texture so soft and gentle, like an angel from the heavens. My arms wrapped around her, feeling the smooth skin of her back. Her arms were around my neck, the warmth from her skin getting rid of the slight chill. I felt like I had gotten transferred into a fantasy: everything about it was angelic, dreamy, amazing.

And it was from her.

Slowly, we separated lips. My eyes didn't show shock, but rather enjoyment. It was miraculous how I could simply just stand there, not fainting a bit. I took a look at Dash, and saw a dreamy little twinkle glitter in her eyes. It was clear that she enjoyed it just as much as I had. Dash twirled a finger in her hair. "Not bad for a kiss, huh?" she spoke.

"First one." I said. "That was-"

"Awesome?" she said, raising a brow and keeping her smile.

“Yeah. Awesome.” I said back to her. She blushed a little, but only for a second.

"Thanks, Blitz. But… can I ask something?" I noticed her faintly dropping the smile as she spoke. The dreamy situation began to feel like it was slipping into a serious one.

"Sure, what?" I asked.

"Why?" She tilted her head. "Why do you want me? I mean, you don't really know me. It’s not like you have to be with me since first grade like Fluttershy or something, but still… we’ve known each other for such a short time, and I just have to know why you like me so much?" I took a moment to think the words right. "Don’t get me wrong, I'm not mad or anything. To be honest, I saw this coming. I mean, you're pretty easy to see through." I blushed embarrassingly. "But I legit need to know. I may not know much about love, but I do know it doesn't come instantly like a fairy tale."

"Dash," I reassured, "The reason I like you... it's because you look cool. You know, hot, beautiful, cute."

She puffed her cheeks out. "I'm not cute." she said.

"Aw, come on, doesn't hurt to admit." I said. Dash just rolled her eyes.

"Alright, I'll humor you. Let's just say that I am cute, even though I'm not. Even if that’s the case, that’s all just cosmetic stuff. Any girl can pull that off! C'mon, what else have you got for me?"

"Well, you're athletic, got a kick-ass attitude, unlike any of the girls I've seen, and you got some heart for others. Kind, passionate... You're just awesome." I brought up a smile, meaning every word. But...

"Heh, thanks." she said. She looked off to the side for a moment, as she rubbed her arm. After a moment, she finally spoke up, "Um, Blitz?"

"Yeah?" I listened very closely.

"I... I'm really thankful that you like me and all. Really, I am. And I know that I did just kiss you, but… I don't think... I want to." I felt my heart slowly slip down into my stomach as she continued to speak, "Blitz, you’re not a bad guy at all. You're awesome and cool and cute and all of that jazz, but I really don't think I want this."

"Oh..." I said, feeling a little down. But I had to ask. "Why?"

"Blitz," she said, "Believe me, it’s not you, it’s me. I mean, I really do like you, and I’m glad that I met you, but love? I don't want that... At least, not now." I sighed quietly, "I know it sucks." She placed a hand on my shoulder, "Please don't be down over it, though. I still see you as the same friend as you were when we got here. And, really, I'm happy I got myself someone to hang out with to a dance, for once, but I just don’t think I can handle another relationship so soon after the first one." I wanted to speak out, but decided not to. I didn't want to sound arrogant or rude, like if I don't want her to be this way. "We can..." Her hand gripped mine. "W-We could still be friends! Just like I said! And who knows, maybe I might be with you one day, but right now... It's a little early, don'tcha think?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Please don't be upse-"

"I'm not!" I reassured. "Dash, I'm alright with that! You don't wanna be with me, that's fine. Your choice is always acceptable. I’m just a bit... taken back, that's all."

"And I understand that.” Dash told me. "Maybe one of these days, we might be something. You're a great guy, Blitz, but I’m just not ready now." Quickly, she pecked me on the cheek. "Let's just stay friends." She lent out her pinkie. "Friends?"

I wrapped my pinkie around hers almost instantly. "Friends." Her mouth curved a smile. "For now."

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie came up to us. "Hey guys!" she said in joy. "You two doing alright?"

We both smiled. "Yeah." I answered. "We're cool."

"Awesome!" she said. "Well, I dunno about you, but I'm gonna hit up the beats again! You two still need some dance floor time?"

Dash looked at me, then back at Pinkie. "I think we're good, Pinkie." she said as a hint of blush grew on her face.

"Yeah." I agreed, blushing the same amount.

"Alright!" Pinkie then sped off towards the booth, ready to pick the beats back up. Meanwhile, I rubbed the back of my neck.

"So, if we were to get together… how long do you think it would be before we’d be a thing?" I asked. Dash tapped her chin.

"That, I wouldn't know." she said with a shrug. "Could be next month, maybe a couple, maybe a year, who knows. I'm just... kinda still recovering from my last relationship. I honestly need a break." She gave me a hopeful smile, though. "I seriously appreciate how you took that…" Her fist playfully punched my shoulder. "…Like a man."

I nervously chuckled. "Anytime." On the booth, as soon as the dancing music ended, Pinkie put on a record, playing some upbeat music. "Suppose it can't be bad to dance, right?"

"Of course not!" And from that point, everything was joyful. We danced, chat some more, talked to our other friends, and had the time of our lives. It wasn't quite the night I was looking forward to, but most of it was what I would call a dream come true. A kiss, dancing with Dash, but a relationship? No...

At least, not for now.