Of Females and Feathers

by HinataHyuga

3. Dreams & Reality

Being home again had turned out to be exactly what Rainbow Dash needed. It'd been just over a few weeks since she'd gotten back home, and while she couldn't say she was completely over her experience with Gilda, she had come quite a long way. She could go out again, like she loved to do, be around the other ponies she knew without worrying they'd randomly know that she'd had sex with a girl, and best of all, she was happy. So happy she'd even begun practicing her flying tricks again on a daily basis.

Today was one of the days she'd decided to spend alone, and taken to the skies above Cloudsdale, in one of her favorite clearings. There were clearings all around the city, as it did reside in the air, but this particular one was one she visited a lot in her spare time.

Rainbow gave a happy sigh as she soared through the Cloudsdale air she knew so well, feeling the wind in her mane and feathers; her eyes were closed, as there was nothing around here that she could possibly run into. It was only clear skies, and the clouds nearby didn't get in her way at all. She loved being up so high, feeling the chilly winds from the altitude. As she sped around, doing her flips and curves in the air, she was lost. The world around her barely even existed anymore.

The only downside to this, though, being lost in her own world of contentment, was that when such a state was met, other outside disturbances could not even be noticed. Like birds that might be flying by. A slight change in weather patterns. Or the sound of another calling out, for her to be wary of these surroundings.

"INCOMING!"

It'd been instantaneous as far as Rainbow was concerned; she hadn't even seen it coming. Her flight felt perfect, and now, as quick and unexpected as a strike of lightning, the impact hit her. Eyes wide now, she watched ahead as she sped downward with whatever it was that had hit her. She felt the weight pressed against her, and tried to turn and look, but the fall prevented her from doing so. For a moment more it continued, until finally, she and the other crashed into a huge cumulus cloud.

Rainbow Dash was in complete shock, stunned at what had just happened, which even she didn't know the cause of yet. Nothing like that had ever happened to her before. It took her a few seconds to get over the sudden crash, but before she could stand, the one that was now with her spoke again.

She said, obviously worried, "Oh gosh, I am so sorry! I tried to warn you, but…I dunno, I guess you were in the zone. That was still totally my fault though… Are you alright!"

Finally, at the voice, Rainbow got to her hooves, slightly annoyed now that she knew what had happened. Couldn't other fliers watch where they were going? She turned to face the other, about to drop a sassy remark in return, but at the sight she saw, she only froze, eyes wide and breath lost. That blue uniform…orange mane flipped back in that fiery texture she knew so well. Right before her very eyes, though she scarcely believed it, was her favorite member of the Wonderbolts – Spitfire.

The yellow Pegasus looked a little confused at Rainbow's reaction, but quickly, she gave an affectionate eye roll, and sighed with a smile.

"Oh! I see… You're a fan," she stifled a giggle. "Well, again, I'm really sorry about that. I don't even know how that happened. I guess I wasn't expecting that draft."

Rainbow remained at a complete loss for words. She'd always dreamt of this moment, but never thought it would happen like this. Quickly, as she felt her cheeks growing warmer, she looked away, frantically scraping her mind for something – anything – to say that didn't sound ridiculous. Inside, she was about to explode with a mixture of shock and bliss, but she really didn't want Spitfire to know that. And she especially didn't want Spitfire to know about her stupid crush. She had to keep it as cool as possible.

She finally forced her words out, unfortunately sounding a little more choked than she'd hoped for. "Y-You fly here, too?"

God, what a stupid question.

Spitfire didn't seem to mind, though. She blinked, before giving another smile. "Well, sometimes. You see, we have our own place to practice whenever we need to, but doing it in the same place all the time can get a little boring. So sometimes I go off on my own without the others knowing, just to have a little free time. Get away from celebrity life for a while. You know."

"Y-Yeah…that's cool," the younger breathed, still unable to say much of anything else.

She knew she was probably blushing horribly now, and she desperately hoped Spitfire would just assume it was because she was another crazy fan, rather than a crazy fan who also had a huge celebrity crush. In both cases, Rainbow Dash was now having one of the most exciting moments of her life. She couldn't ruin it by acting stupid! But just as she was about to try speaking again, the older mare beat her to it.

She said, "Anyway…I was kinda hoping to stay on the loose for at least another day or so, but…I don't really have anywhere to go."

Pausing from the words for a short moment, Spitfire cautiously continued.

"Sayyy…you wouldn't mind letting me crash with you for tonight, would you? I mean, if it's okay and all. I wouldn't want to impose."

It didn't even cross Rainbow Dash's mind that the Wonderbolt leader could've very well just been taking advantage of her celebrity status now that she was in the presence of a fan; and even if it had, the pony wouldn't have cared. She froze again at the question, unable to believe that Spitfire was asking to come to her home, or that Spitfire was asking if it was okay. Of course it was okay!

That was it. She couldn't act stupidly mesmerized anymore. She had to make sure her favorite pony in the world felt welcome! And not like she was in the presence of some silly teenage fan who couldn't keep a straight face around other ponies she admired! Taking a breath, Rainbow relaxed herself, standing up a little straighter as she smiled back, fighting the crushy feelings.

"Crash at my place?" she began, making sure to sound at ease. "Sure, if you need to. I don't mind at all!"

Very fortunately, Rainbow's parents were away on a vacation she hadn't felt like joining them on. Even if they were at home, though, they probably wouldn't have declined Spitfire a place to stay; still, the young Pegasus definitely didn't want them embarrassing her in front of Spitfire, so them being away only made everything perfect!

Rainbow Dash immediately led Spitfire on the short journey back to her home, not wanting to keep her waiting. If she wanted to get back to flying, Rainbow would gladly join her on the chance that she'd like a flying buddy, but if not, she could have just as much fun watching. Being in the presence of a Wonderbolt was more than enough to give her absolute bliss. She was still finding it hard to believe that she'd run into the leader like this. Once they'd made it back to Rainbow's house, Spitfire took hold of the conversation again.

She said, looking around, "This is a pretty nice place, Rainbow Dash. Thanks so much for letting me stay, again. You wanna show me around?"

"Sure, if you want!"

Over the trip home, Rainbow had introduced herself; the conversation hadn't been too exciting, just a typical one of acquaintanceship. She hadn't been able to tell if she was annoying Spitfire or not with her talking, but the older pony hadn't seemed anything less than glad. If she truly was glad, this little incident could turn into a dream come true for Rainbow! Perhaps Spitfire would never forget her; perhaps they'd stay friends even after she left; perhaps their friendship would lead to her finally getting noticed by them!

It didn't take long for her to show Spitfire around, as their house wasn't all that big – only she and her parents lived in it, after all. It seemed like no time at all when they finally got to Rainbow's room, which she was a little nervous to show, but Spitfire wanted to see it, so she took a breath and allowed her in to look around. Only then did the younger Pegasus begin to feel a lot more overtaken by her silly crush. And much to her dismay, Spitfire noticed.

The Wonderbolt gazed around the room, finally stopping once she got to Rainbow's poster of only her. After a moment, she turned back around to face her, with a slightly mischievous smile. Rainbow averted her eyes a moment at the look, feeling the blush from before returning as she froze up, trying to gather more words to say, but unable to get any together. Before she realized it, though, the yellow pony was inches from her, tilting her head a bit to bring her gaze back up.

"You really like me, Rainbow Dash…don't you?"

At the tone, Rainbow suddenly felt her heart jump, as well as another spark inside of her that she hadn't felt since…

Spitfire's voice had changed. It was a small change in tone, but a change nonetheless. With it, Rainbow had no choice but to raise her head again, to meet the older mare's knowing smile. She knew she was still blushing, furiously now, and her heart had sped up immensely. She wondered what Spitfire was thinking: the playful glint in her brown eyes only ignited the feelings further. It was just like what had happened with Gilda. She didn't want it to stay and ruin everything with Spitfire! Her inner panic was interrupted though, as the Wonderbolt spoke again.

She said, very softly, with a stifled giggle, "You need to relax. I understand."

Rainbow hadn't even noticed that their muzzles were a mere inch apart now, but now that she did, she gave a sharp gasp, only to be quieted as Spitfire kissed her. It was so sudden that the younger was in complete shock for a moment, but slowly, her eyes closed, and she couldn't stop herself from kissing back. The kiss went on for a short while, and in another sudden movement, Spitfire was pushing her back against her bed.

Finally breaking the kiss, the yellow one took a step back, and began to remove her Wonderbolts uniform. It took Rainbow a moment to focus herself again, as the kissing had completely thrown her off into a daze, but as soon as she realized what was happening, her eyes widened. She wanted to scream, tell Spitfire to keep her clothes on, but at the same time, she was excited. Her mind was telling her to put an end to what had now begun, but her heart, and her body, were winning this battle. Just as they had with Gilda.

A second time she gasped as Spitfire finished removing her attire, and came close again, giving another of her smiles. She stepped over her, making Rainbow fall back against the bed as she gazed down at her reddened face.

"What's wrong, Rainbow? Don't you find me attractive?"

Rainbow couldn't help but lower her head a bit to look over the Wonderbolt's now stripped form. Her body was lovelier than the younger could've ever imagined it to be, and looking at it now, she felt herself growing even more desiring for what she knew was about to happen. Before she could utter an answer, Spitfire lowered her own face down closer, their lips again an inch from contact.

She whispered, "Well? Do you want this, Rainbow?"

Instantly, with a hitch of breath, Rainbow Dash latched her forelegs around Spitfire's neck, pulling her into an embrace which only intensified the feeling of their proximity. She couldn't resist it anymore – she wanted this.

"Yes!" She breathed out the word quietly, desperately. And no sooner had the word escaped her had the sensation of their bodies pressed so closely together brought upon a shock through her that she'd only felt one other time in her life, and that she knew would forever be the one thing that could drag her down to such rapturous submission.

"NO!"

Rainbow Dash jumped up with a start from her bed, a pounding in her chest unlike any she'd ever felt before, along with an intense throbbing in her lower body that she could never forget even if she tried.

She felt as if she'd just woken up from a horrifying nightmare, but the dream itself hadn't been anything all that frightening. Not to the dream version of her, anyway. But to the part of her that'd been present, yet not in the dream, there was no other word to describe it. Slowly, Rainbow's heart calmed itself again. She still couldn't get the dream's happenings out of her mind, though: she'd come so very close to having sex again…with another female. Not just any female, either. Spitfire.

Instantly, the pony shut her eyes tight, her already blushing face only growing darker. She hated when her hormones did this to her, and even if she'd rather just pretend they didn't, she knew this feeling well. Not only was she horrified now by all that had occurred in her dreams, she was also massively turned on. She hadn't even been home an entire day yet!

Rainbow gave a devastated whimper before falling back onto her bed and rolling onto her side. Once she realized she had a perfect view of the new Spitfire poster, though, she gasped, and swiftly rolled over to face the other side of the room, covering her face with her hooves as a second whimper escaped her. She'd never be able to look at the Wonderbolt again! At least, at the current moment, that's what she told herself.

It was true, then. Her crush was real. Everything she'd felt since she'd hit puberty was real. At the thought, she internally panicked even more, and was almost ready to jump out of bed and tear the poster of Spitfire down; but she knew she could never do such a thing, not when her parents had been so amazing in getting it for her. She didn't want to imagine what they'd say if they ever came in to see the poster had been removed.

Softening her closed eyes, Rainbow took a breath. She had to calm herself. Of course, it wasn't an easy feat when her hormones remained excited, much to her dismay. When she noticed she wasn't sleepy at all anymore thanks to the dream, she gave an annoyed groan. Another sleepless night was all she needed. She wondered what time it was, but didn't get up to check; she'd rather not even know. It didn't feel very much later, though.

She still couldn't believe she'd come home to get away from all this, and in doing so, she'd only gotten into more of it. It was nearly enough to make her want to cry. Rolling onto her back and staring helplessly up out the window that was rested on the wall behind her, she sighed, gazing up at the crescent moon. There truly was no point in fighting it anymore.

It'd been nearly three weeks since Rainbow Dash's sleep had been plagued by her first almost-sex dream. She'd barely left her house any at all. And unfortunately for her, her parents were starting to notice.

Rainbow felt as though anyone who saw her would be able to tell just by looking that she was a lesbian. She also felt as though the mere sight of a pretty girl would send her on yet another crush, as silly as such a thing sounded. But all in all, she didn't want to leave the house, and risk either of those situations happening. It'd be fine. She could just stay inside for the rest of her life, and no one would ever know. At the time she'd created such a foolproof plan, however, she hadn't thought about her parents. They'd certainly been bound to notice her newfound asocial behavior sooner or later – especially since the young Pegasus had always preferred being out of the house in the past.

It'd only been a matter of time before her mother confronted her with the observation she so dreaded being noticed.

"Rainbow dear, you aren't sick, are you? You've been cooped up in here every day for the past few weeks."

Breezie sounded terribly worried, and when her daughter looked up to meet her gaze, her eyes reflected the same emotion. Rainbow had been lying down, but at the confrontation, she sighed, pushing herself up to a sitting position. She couldn't let her mother find out the truth, but at the same time, she didn't want her worried over her either.

She forced a smile, "I'm fine, Mom, I'm just…bored, I guess. And there's nothing I've really wanted to do lately. That's all."

"Hm," her mother still didn't seem satisfied with the answer. She continued. "Well, there must be something you can do."

Averting her eyes at the words, Rainbow Dash didn't answer her again. She waited for her mother to finish and leave her alone again, but Breezie only stayed put with a thoughtful gaze upward, obviously trying to think up a few suggestions. She gave a longer "hmmmm" as she pondered, but before she could say anything else, Rainbow's father walked by with his typical suggestion.

"You could practice your flying some more. Your mother's right, though, you need some fresh air. Summer will be over before you know it," he told her.

Great. Now both her parents were ganging up on her. It was a little annoying, but Rainbow couldn't really be angry, considering neither of them knew the truth.

She said, "I know."

Rainbow got to her hooves, about to assure her parents she'd do something later, before leaving the room, but she didn't have a chance to say anything else as her mother suddenly gave a loud gasp, jumping just a little in excitement. The suggestion she'd been searching for had finally hit her, much to Rainbow's dismay. The younger lowered her head a little, trying not to appear as worried as she was.

"Oh, what a wonderful idea!" Breezie smiled brightly. "Rainbow, why don't you go to work with your father tomorrow!"

"Huh?"

Rainbow and Rigel nearly had the reaction in unison as they immediately turned to look toward her, both with the same expression of confusion, though Rainbow's was slightly more worried.

Her mother continued, "It'd be a great experience for you now that you're older, darling! And I'm sure the factory could use some help! Couldn't it, Rigel?"

Rigel still held the same confusion, but there was really no reason why Rainbow shouldn't go. Or couldn't go, for that matter. She was indeed growing up fast. Nevertheless, it still seemed a little odd; but all he could do was agree, as there could never be too many ponies helping out at the weather factory.

"Uh…I suppose."

"Great! Then it's settled – Rainbow, you have something to do tomorrow! You better get a good night's rest!"

The younger pony only stood where she was, eyes wide and worried, jaw open. Neither of them had even asked her if she wanted to go to the factory tomorrow! She almost argued against the idea, but there wasn't even a point in it now; besides, if she continued to refuse to get out of the house, her parents would definitely begin to see through her boredom excuse. The excuses she held onto weren't ones she could reuse continuously. Still, she certainly hadn't expected this. She was going to work with her dad tomorrow.

Finally, and much too late, her mother asked, "That's okay, right, honey?"

"…Yeah…sure."