//------------------------------//
// An Afternoon Amidst The Clouds 
// Story: An Afternoon Amidst The Clouds 
// by PonyThunder 
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	Ambience, to enhance your reading and auditory experiences.







Fluffy clouds drifted lazily across the calm blue skies above Ponyville, each one shaped differently than each other. Some were small and puffy, others were large and voluminous, and others were higher in the sky, occasionally coming into view from time to time. The light from the afternoon sun radiated across the rolling grassy hills like a warm blanket spread out over everything it touched, and the sounds of meadowlarks and blue-jays could be heard chirping in the distance. A warm summer breeze meandered across the landscape, finding its way across Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, who were laying on the grass.

It was a perfectly peaceful day, and an even better one for cloud-watching.

"That one looks like a bunny," Pinkie giggled. She was laying on her back, her hooves kept close to her body and with her head resting closely to Dash's.

"That one looks kind of like...um...a pillow," said Dash.

Pinkie turned her head towards her and smiled. "That's the third time you've said that. You're not very good at this."

Dash turned her head to the side facing Pinkie. "Well...yeah I'm kind of bad. I still like it though. I spend all day flying up there, but it's too close to really see anything. I like looking at them down here with you."

Pinkie smiled again and went back to looking at the clouds. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but gaze at her as she continued to stare up into the sky. She looked so serene and peaceful -- a stark contrast from her usual quirky and bubbly personality. Of course, Rainbow Dash realized, the same could be said for her. 

Both of their personalities were quite energetic in nature, sometimes even to a fault. Pinkie Pie occasionally came across as annoying, and Rainbow Dash sometimes let her arrogance take over. She was always looking for the next big adventure, or for a new way to push herself to the limits, but sometimes she just needed an easy way to unwind and let herself be who she was. And it wasn't always easy, since she was known to be somewhat reclusive when it came to certain hobbies and interests. 

For some reason, being around Pinkie Pie made that easier. Perhaps it was that she knew Pinkie Pie was always so accepting. There weren't a lot of things a pony could say or do that would offend or disgust or do really anything to the mare, other than make her laugh in a light-hearted way. She'd hardly ever, if at all, laugh at the expense of somepony. Of course, Dash knew that none of her friends would think any less of her for being shy or affectionate, but nevertheless, she felt the need to hide it. It was an annoying mental block, but being around Pinkie Pie always seemed to help tenfold. She often wondered why.

Yet, here they were, peacefully laying down together on a warm, grassy field beneath a bright blue sky filled with vibrant white clouds. Pinkie's bouncy hair was sprawled out in every direction, some of it laying across Dash's wing. Her hooves also occasionally brushed against her legs. Under most other circumstances, she would have adjusted herself to make room, but she couldn't quite bring herself to do it. Pinkie didn't seem to mind at all, and that's when a certain question ran through her mind. The warm, comforting feeling of her friend kept pulling her in closer and closer, until she decided to speak her thoughts.

"Pinkie," said Rainbow Dash. She'd been staring at her for about a minute at this point. "You ever thought about being more than just friends?"

She averted her gaze from the skies and brought it directly back to Dash's. She'd been wondering how long it would take, if ever, for Dash to bring up such a topic. As quirky and bubbly as her personality was, she knew that for Dash, the subject would have to be brought up by her. She'd learned early on that not everypony is as okay with close physical contact and affection as she was, and Dash was definitely no exception. She'd suspected that one day her true feelings might come to light, but couldn't ever be sure. A "Pinkie Sense" wasn't any good for something as complex as the deep, inner thoughts of a shy but confident pegasus, but she couldn't have been more happy to be right.

Pinkie put a hoof on Dash's shoulder. "Plenty of times."

A surge of terror and excitement went through Dash's body, but it quickly subsided and turned into a soothing aura of complete happiness and comfort. She couldn't tell if it was just the sun beating down on her for so long, but she suddenly felt a little bit warmer. Just like that, she'd made miles of progress. Earlier that day, the thought of being anything more than friends with Pinkie hadn't ever really crossed her mind, but it was now that she realized those feelings had been there all along, buried beneath a maze of complex inner emotions.

"So," Dash continued, "what do you think about it?"

Pinkie laughed inside to herself. For somepony who was known to get straight to the point of things, Rainbow Dash sure knew how to beat around the bush. But Pinkie wasn't so much for words either. Expressing herself through words was more of Rarity's or Twilight's persona. So, she decided to answer the question in the way she best knew how. She moved her face towards Dash and gently booped it against hers, recoiling back only an inch or so.

Dash found herself feeling lighter, her heart beginning to race. She hadn't expected Pinkie to be so forward, but in hindsight, she realized that such a thought was preposterous. In fact, thinking about it even more, she realized that it obvious. Pinkie's eyes stared calmly into hers, and she could feel the warmth of her friend spread across her face. She thought about saying something in response, but suddenly had her thoughts interrupted by the heavenly feeling of fur nuzzling her neck. It was pure ecstasy. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess filled by a welcome, warm feeling of joy and content that made her relax and go soft.

She sighed in bliss, and returned the favor to Pinkie Pie by wrapping a fluffy, warm wing around her and pressing her forehead against hers.

Pinkie Pie sighed in relief. She'd waited patiently for this, knowing that it would ultimately need to be Dash who made the first move. Figuratively, at least. But the wait was completely worth it, and she found herself thoroughly enjoying the affectionate embrace of her very close friend.

And the thought that this was something that she was only willing to share with her made it all the more special and meaningful. Rainbow Dash wasn't known to be affectionate like she was. In fact, Pinkie realized, that was one thing that made her so attracted to Dash in the first place. She knew how much Dash needed somepony like her. Someone who understood what she kept secret to nopony but herself. All of her life, Pinkie's sole ambition had been to make everypony as happy as they possibly could be, but that goal could only go so far. She couldn't love everypony the same amount. That meant there would have to be one she loved most, and that one was Rainbow Dash.

They'd been together through so much. They knew everything about each other. Their interests were so much in line with each other, it felt like some sort of cosmological fluke. And yet, here they were together, cuddling affectionately beneath the calm blue skies and enjoying each other's company.

The birds chirped peacefully in the distance as the cool afternoon breeze rolled over the grassy plains, rustling the nearby trees. The two ponies lay next to each other, their hooves crossed and heads together as they peacefully watched the clouds roll by high above them. It was such a simple scene, brought upon by a single simple question, but the result was so much more. Dash felt a great relief from Pinkie's warm reception, and Pinkie felt relief from the fact that her friend had finally become ready to have something more together.

The vibrant white clouds slowly drifted by and became orange as the sun began to set behind the horizon, casting its rays across the plains and causing shadows to stretch across the landscape. When the sun completely disappeared, they got up from laying together and Rainbow Dash walked Pinkie home before returning to her own. A fluffy white home amidst the clouds.