The sound of Rainbow's hooves beat the hardwood floor of the first story of Twilight's library. The lowlight poured in through the windows as the atmospheric nightlife of the building caught up to Dash's senses. The small dragon walked ahead of her, calling up the stairs, “Twilight, Rainbow Dash is here!”
The reality of the situation simmers in Dash for a little bit, accented by the lack of any artificial lighting, bringing in a hint of loneliness that keeps reminding her that she may not be all she pegs herself up to be. Her ears pinned down onto her scalp, her mane still disheveled from the whipping wind of flying, she let out a sigh of anticipation. The moments between then and when Twilight and Rarity descended the staircase from the lit room above felt like ages as Dash began to dwell in her thoughts as if they were a world of their own, calling and trampling her with their cheap insults.
The voice of her friends reached into the dim world and pulled her back into Ponyville, welcomed by gracefully unaware faces, smiling, some curling accessories plastered into their manes. They beckoned her with cheerful greetings and then briefly thereafter welcoming her to Twilight's lit bedroom.
She smiled and accepted the happiness for the moment it was delivered to her and clung to it, following suit up the stairs, followed quickly by Spike.
“So what brings you here, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked, using her magic to close her sleepover instruction booklet and push it aside, and then calmly sitting next to where make-up, although still organized somewhat, was scattered along the ground. Rarity took a seat next to it, and then hurriedly lifted some mascara and continued applying it gingerly.
“Well, you see...” Rainbow fidgeted in her spot. Unsure of how to word it, she took a seat and paused to gather her thoughts. “I'm not... ugly, am I?”
There was an awkward silence. The movement of the mascara as it hovered near Rarity's face paused, and her deep blue eyes were firmly focused on Dash. Their stare was piercing, but also thoughtful. It was clear to see there were delicate thoughts tossing around in Rarity's mind.
Twilight, on the other hand, wasn't half as composed. The pressure of the self-esteem reliant question appeared to weigh on her, and her ears were folded backwards in response. The only sound in the air was the sound of a hoof nervously hitting the ground as Twilight's foreleg limped and placed itself down.
The silence was louder than anything Rainbow had ever experienced.
“Well, you're no supermodel.”
Spike was the first to speak, his nonchalant mannerisms drove him to not care for reactions. His little claws on his hind legs made a pitter-patter sound as he got closer to Dash, one eyebrow graciously raised high. The blunt and brutally honest response gave Dash's heart a painful lunge. She winced slightly and backed from the approaching purple dragon with hesitant instinct.
“Spike!” Rarity interjected in her slight accent, sounding ever so subtly insulted. “You need to watch your manners!”
The sound of the pony he loved scolding him smashed him like a brick and he backed from Dash, regathering his thoughts.
“Now Darling, who told you that you were ugly?” Rarity stood, setting her make-up down. Her lips bent into a concerned frown.
“You are most certainly not ugly.” Twilight said, now not afraid of being the first pony to respond. “Look at yourself.”
“Rainbow Dash,” Rarity started, “where did that question come from?”
A kick of Dash's front hoof against the ground signaled a massive discomfort as it brushed through her. The eyes of everypony burned and itched, causing her flank to shiver from nerve. There was more silence.
“...oypro...” Dash muttered quietly.
“Huh?” Both unicorns leaned in closer eagerly.
“I'm... ving...oypro...”
“Just come out with it!” Spike exclaimed impatiently.
“I'M HAVING BOY PROBLEMS, OKAY?!”
A flustered pegasus burst from the ground, slightly lifted above into the air. Her cheeked flushed red, she crossed her front legs and looked away. “Never mind, I'll just leave.”
As she began to fly down the stairs, a powerful force of magic held her still and pulled her back to where Twilight and Rarity was.
“Now hold on.” Twilight said bluntly. “You're not leaving yet.”
As Dash struggled, the situation seemed overbearingly in their favor, eventually causing her to give in. As her body limply flopped, Twilight gently set her on the ground.
“Who is the boy you're having problems with, Rainbow Dash?” Rarity asked delicately.
“Well it's like, I mean, ugh!” She yelped in defeat. Throwing her front hooves in front of her frustratingly, she let out a loud grunt. “Nopony seems interested in me! I've asked, like, I don't know, a bajillion stallions out and they all seemed so disgusted!”
Rarity's head cocked slightly. “And you were close to them?”
“Well, no.” Dash said. “But, does that even matter?”
“Of course it matters!” Rarity responded, aghast with this news. She got really close to her pegasus friend and put a hoof on her shoulder. “The whole basis of a boyfriend is to feel that intimate feeling of closeness. That moment when you and he come together and you feel like you've been together for a year each second you're with each other!”
For a moment there was a spark in Rarity's eyes that intrigued Dash. A sense of familiarity brushed through her for a moment, feeling as if maybe, at some point, the sensation Rarity explained had indeed brushed cheeks with Dash before. But when?
“Maybe that's your problem, Dash.” Twilight said as she came closer to the two of them. “You're just jumping ahead instead of building a friendship with them first! I have this fabulous book you can borrow! It's a classic!”
“I believe Rainbow Dash, here, may need more than a book Twilight Darling.” Rarity said, pausing in thought. “I have an idea. Come stay with me in Canterlot! We can split the bill, and there's a Wonderbolts show this weekend. I'm sure a little vacation can be all you need!”
Twilight laughed quietly. “I'm starting to think travel is your answer to everything, Rarity.”
“Absolutely not! Now a makeover, that would do you wonders, Rainbow Dash. But it is safe to assume you do not welcome the idea.”
Judging by the rainbow pony's face, Rarity assumption proved correct.
“So, what do you say?”
Instead of answering, Rainbow spent a moment to weigh her options. As if responding to her uneasy mind, a gust of wind picked up and rattled the leaves outside the window. She glanced out to the open skies, as if wishing she could fly far away and spend an eternity in the sky to gather herself. However, life wasn't that easy and the choice had to be made now.
Dash breathed out in sync with the heavy wind. On one hoof, she could see the Wonderbolts and only worry about that for a while, but on the other, she wouldn't change anything. As much as it would make her feel better, it won't make her more appealing, and it most definitely won't get her a boyfriend.
The pleading look in Rarity's eyes pierced into Dash. Unable to joint their gazes together, she glanced at the ground.
Then it dawned on her.
Canterlot is a whole new palette. A whole new set of stallions. Although it is true that she'd been there before, they'd only recognize her as the daring pony who saved them not once but twice. As the pony who did the sonic rainboom at the wedding. Maybe her reputation there may be enough to dislodge her from this terrifying rut.
“Yeah, you know what, heck yeah. I'll go with you.”
“Fabulous! This will be so fun!” Rarity said excitedly. “Now, darling, we are leaving tomorrow! You should probably pack!”
“Yeah, I'll go do that.”
As she turned and prepared to leave, Dash caught a glimmer in the corner of her eye. It was Spike, his eyes inexplicably glossy. Noticing Dash's attention, he blushed and pulled his face away. Smiling, Dash nudged him. “Come on kid, walk me to the door.”
“Uh, yeah, okay, sure.”
The two walked down the stairs into the now darker living space of the lower floor. Spike was quiet and quick to arrive at the front door.
“Hey, Spike, what's wrong?” Dash asked, leaning in closer to him. Spike was quiet for another second longer, contemplating being honest with his response.
“Actually, I tried asking Rarity to be my date to the gala earlier and it... it just...”
She should have know. Rainbow felt stupid.
“Right, sorry I asked, Spike.”
When there was no response, Dash widened her eyes to catch a better look at Spike's face.
“What exactly happened?”
“She just... ignored me, that's all. I want to try asking again tomorrow before she leaves.”
“Hey, if you need my help let me know! I'll be there too you know.”
If Dash weren't focusing so hard on his solemn face, she wouldn't have caught the small flash of his brief smile.
“I might have to take you up on that.”
“Alright, I'm going to go pack now. I'll see you tomorrow, Spike!”
“Bye, Dash!”
-----
The morning sunrise poured over the landscape like a prancing deer. In Fluttershy's airy cottage, the light of the morning was welcoming; by gently tapping her shoulder and waking her up, it was showing her compassion and love. It was her brisk wake up call. It was her friend.
Angel Bunny stirred by her back legs, clearly not as affectionate towards Celestia's handy-work as Fluttershy. With a yawn, he sat upright and pounded one of his legs in frustration. The waking pegasus giggled at his antics and nuzzled against his face. The soft feel of his fur was also a lovely feeling, giving her no reason to find any distaste for the morning air.
“Come on, now, Angel. We need to feed the early birds and then I will make you your breakfast.”
He wordlessly argued his point, but clearly accepted his defeat when Fluttershy simply stood and prepared for her morning ritual. He slammed his foot down again to get her attention but afterwords he simply let the subject rest.
The morning ritual was simple, brush and manage her mane and tail, prepare food, and then awake the slumbering animals and tuck in all the nocturnal sleepers. It was fun, to say the least, even if Angel would playfully protest.
The morning rays did not bring much warmth with them, so the tight fur that wrapped around her body failed to provide her with heat after the sanctity of her blanket was breached, but she still opened her front door, taking a breath of the brisk air.
She blindly stepped forward and paused as her hoof tapped against something hard. She paused and looked down – another neatly wrapped gift box.
Woohoo! Another chapter! Score!
(Whai are most 'First Posts' so stupid? I wish I had something better to say, but at 1:07 AM, mah brain is mush. ;n; )
wooo
[11pm]
Are all the characters in the story currently being represented by tags?
Also yay update!
771503
Not all of them, no, I was only allowed to tag a certain amount of ponies to the story, so I couldn't fit all of the main characters. The other romantic interests will start coming into play soon, I promise
It good
771515 Yeees, I can hold on to my probably futile hopes for a litter longer!
Hmmm... I do believe I'll stick around for this one. I can't imagine who you'll ship Twilight with, since she doesn't have much in the way of similar personalitied colts.
On that topic, you seem to use "boyfriend" when to my knowledge Equestrian language weirdness makes it "coltfriend." Just something I thought might be worth mentioning.
Poor Spike...
77164
Not entirely true. The term girlfriend was used in the gshow, so why not boyfriend?
For a second I thought there would be RBxSpike, bet then I realized no one does that. I'm sad now.
D'aww! This is great! Update soon!
646868 What the hell is wrong with you and that ship? Jeez, calm the fuck down.
If you don't like something, then quietly walk away. No need to fuss, don't get your panties in a knot, just shut up, unfav, downvote if it calms you down some, and walk the fuck away.
771692
My reaction to the idea of RD x Spike: No. You cannot do that. No no no, no, no no no no no no no. Just no.
...
Yes.
D'awwwwww Rainbow Dash, supportive friend extraordinare.
Havent read this yet, bu the dislike bar is what caught mine eye; 2. that sir I do beleive is a job well done
Is very nice to see a hetero shipping fanfic these are very rare, but please give Spike a chance with Rarity, please he deserves it. static.fjcdn.com/pictures/Spike+and+Rarity.+True+story+i+love+MLP_95f24d_3675021.jpg They are just so cute toghether.
Huh, a fic entirely devoted to straight shippings. Don't see many of those. I LIKE IT.
I can guess where some of these are probably going. Never been a fan of Fluttermac, as I prefer TwiMac, but I do love SoarinDash and Fancy Pants/Rarity. Far as I'm concerned, two out of four is pretty good as these fics go. So I'll definitely be following this one.
Not bad so far. If you don't have any plans for Spike, may I pitch a suggestion? Trixie. (Using one of the extra tickets a Mane Six didn't want.) But only if this is one of those stories where Spike is more mature than his age suggests. It's an unheard-of ship that I would love to see. Otherwise, I imagine he'll either go with Sweetie Belle or alone.
Favoriting to read later, and thumbin down to bug ya. l:D
I'm intrigue by this fic. And that's weird coming from a straight ship.
..... I'll aded to my "Read Later" list for now. Even if it has a few ships I don't like *cough* SoarinDash *cough* FlutterMac *cough*
"She got really close to her pegasus friend and put a hoof on her shoulder"
Please, never use "really" as a descriptor, it conveys the barest amount of information, and is just plain amateurish. There are so many better ways to write the action that Rarity took.
Also, "The reality of the situation simmers in Dash for a little bit, accented by the lack of any artificial lighting, bringing in a hint of loneliness that keeps reminding her that she may not be all she pegs herself up to be." don't slip tenses. The rest of the story is past tense.
Aside from these minor criticisms, I'm enjoying the fic.
w00t
771466
Dude. First posts are always stupid because first posts are always done at the dead of night, like you are.
Heh heh heh... nopony likes Rainbow for once. Actually, a good change. I mean, usually the other pony is doing the chasing for Rainbow.
I SEE WUT U DID THER.
Soarin' x Dash, mhm, I approve.
772153
How can you DISAPPROVE OF SOARINDASH. Well, if you're into lesbian relationships, Applejack's always a popular choice
Fan1: Yay! Appledash!
Fan2: You know, Rainbow is SO much better off with Soarin'.
Fan1: She can't date Soarin', she's lesbian!
Fan2: You don't even know that! I bet she's either straight or bisexual.
Fan1: Shut up. If she doesn't go with Applejack, I can deal with Twidash too.
Fan2: Twilight belongs with Doctor Whooves.
Fan1: Just because you're straight doesn't mean that everypony is!
Fan2: Are you calling me intolerant?
Fan1: Shut up!
Fan2: Shut up!
...
Fan1: You know what, I'll love and tolerate...
Fan2: ...the shit out of you, I know.
> The morning sunrise poured over the landscape like a prancing deer
Today I learned deers can pour
772111Have you ever noticed FlutterMac sounds like a burger.I'll have the FlutterMac burger ,with a side of TwiMac twisted fries,with a ChreeieMac cola please.Oh , and a RainbowMac Iced Cream please.
775409
Couldn't agree more
Aside from that, I'll have to disagree with the author on something. This chapter shouldn't be named Spike. I mean, the biggest issue here is RD and her boy problem. Spike's situation is mentioned briefly in the end of the scene. Maybe you should reconsider the title.
And you missed a golden opportunity by not showing us Rarity's and Spike's conversation. I would love to know what actually happened. Here you just... told me. Show, don't tell, as my proofreader always tells me
I seem to be the only one here who actually enjoys FlutterMac.
:ForeverAlone:
Flutters has a seret admirer.
Me gustaaaa
776090Nah,I like it too.It's just my favorite Big Mac X anypony is TwiMac.
776215
Still, so much hate for both FlutterMac and SoarinDash.
Ah well, who am I to talk? I hate both LyraBon and OctaScratch.
776507
"Ah well, who am I to talk? I hate both LyraBon and OctaScratch."
ME TOO! We should start a club!
Okay now for actually commenting on this story.
CadanceButterfly, I've been lurking on this story for a little while now. And I have to say, you have me hooked. First off, the original few chapters seemed a little rushed (or that was just me reading at 1:00 in the morning) but these last few have been very well paced and your dialogue is pretty good (though I see room for more banter).
Thanks for writing this. Glad to know someone is doing an all-straight ship story for once.
775996
The title was a toss-up, so yes, it is being reconsidered.
And the scene WITH Spike was also a toss up to be honest. I wasn't sure if I should have kept it, or if I should have had Spike ask while Dash was there. Although the choice between which two I should have used seems obvious, it cause a bit of a problem for me. But since I decided to only relay the conversation, there will be a revisit that takes it into more depth later, and for now it's just as it is.
I agree, the whole showing and not telling thing is a challenge for me as well as many others and I will work on it.
773492 Fan 3: No, the Doctor belongs to Derpy alone.
775409
Mac could open his own fast food place and name all the items after the mares he's slept with.
778026
Daaaaaaaamn, he a playa!
...
Forgive me for that. I just woke up. I am never saying that ever again
This story so far is really good! Can't wait for more.
This story is, quite simply, brilliant. It's like the Holy Grail of straight shipfics, and I am so very, very pleased that I managed to find it. Hell it's seven got SoarinDash in it, my favourite ship ever!
And RariPants (that sounds wierd)? I like where this is going...
778026I do believe it will be very successful ,considering the large amount of shippers out there.Oh ,thanks I got the idea like at
3:00a.m
778247 Let me guess you said something you have never said before,realized what you said and facespalmed?Just a guess ,due to personal expirience.
776507 I don't enjoy those very much either.
781386
So I'm not the only one?
781374
I'm never saying anything like that ever again. I'll just stick to my fake british accent and be glad I have it
781401Course not.
781683I do say good man ,would you be ever so kind as to demonstrate you accent?
781963
I have no idea how to make an english accent over letters
782112My point exactly!How the hay do you do that?!?!?!
COME AND STEP RIGHT UP TO PURCHASE A MCMAC MEAL !!WE HAVE CHEERIEMAC COLA ,TWIMAC TWISTED FRIES ,FLUTTERMAC BURGER ,AND LETS NOT FORGET THE RAINBOWMAC ICED CREAM !!!ONLY 4 BITS!!!!(this message is founded by the flim and flam brothers,the great and powerful trixie,discord,iron will,queen chrysalys ,and trollestia!!!!)
777112
Yes, you totally should.
You know, I'm not usually a fan of shipping, but I really like this story. So often nowadays, you see stories marked as Romance, when really they're either:
A) Quick, unexplained, loveless hookups
or
B) Senseless fucking
To actually see a fic that truly shows the natural process of a relationship in a positive light is a breath of fresh air. Good job.