Chapter 10: Hot Chocolate
The sleepover was Twilight Sparkle's idea, even though Rarity was the one who ended up hosting it, the logic being that there was nothing that couldn't be solved with the magic of friendship. Twilight seemed convinced that all it would take to lift her friend's spirits would be a night of girly bonding, something that she'd most likely read in that slumber party handbook of hers, and since everypony she knew seemed a little off lately, the unicorn naturally wanted to try and do her part to help things.
They'd gathered at Carousel Boutique. Twilight's library had naturally been the first choice for a location, since Spike was still in Canterlot on some sort of ambiguous royal business that the unicorn refused to elaborate on, leaving it empty for their use, but Twilight was insistent that they go somewhere other than the library for once to make things fair. Rainbow Dash's cloud house was out of the question for obvious reasons, since Twilight couldn't really be expected to spend an hour performing the cloud-walking charm on each and every one of them for something as mundane as a sleepover. The Cakes were adamant that Pinkie Pie was not to have free reign over the bakery and its stock anymore after what had happened last time, but refused to go into detail. Pinkie, however, acquiesced that they were probably right. Rarity firmly refused to sleep in a barn or among Fluttershy's pets, since many of the animals had to be taken in for the winter and she wouldn't be able to relax among so many critters, at last graciously offering the use of her store.
Twilight hadn't quite gotten the hang of slumber parties yet and still needed her old manual on how to have fun before she felt comfortable with them doing anything, but with the guidance provided by said instructions and the patience of her friends, they managed to get through s'mores, ghost stories, and makeovers without any major disasters.
Like the Pony Pet Playdate the day before, Rainbow Dash wasn't really focused on what she was doing. Her mind was elsewhere, and even though she faked enthusiasm and participated as eagerly as she could in all the activities the purple unicorn goaded them into, Dash still fumed quietly.
It was like she needed to do everything possible to keep busy. If she didn't, if she stopped moving for even a moment, her mind would wander to less pleasant thoughts. And then Rainbow would find herself remembering the thrill in her stomach that had come, unbidden, when a certain somepony had straddled her waist. Or the shiver that had crawled up her spine at the oddly intimate-feeling caress on her wings. Or the unexpected rush of sympathy Rainbow Dash had felt when Mare Do Well's voice broke, thick with tears shed for her sake alone. All feelings that Rainbow Dash didn't want to feel and memories that she didn't want to have, if only because of the way the anger she'd later felt wanted to overshadow them; so the pegasus did her best to ignore them, hoping they'd go away.
Rainbow Dash submitted to the makeovers Rarity forced on them all, even succumbing to having her mane combed for once, but flinched at every touch. As the brush rain through her hair, all she could think of was the way it had felt to have those gentle hooves stroking it, more lovingly than she'd ever been touched before in her entire life.
If Dash was being uncharacteristically still, nopony mentioned it. They were all being unusually understanding, most likely because they were chalking up any changes in her attitude to the fact that Rainbow was still recovering. Rainbow Dash had managed to avoid all questions about her wings by attributing the injury to some vague accident, and although Dash had never actually broken them before, she'd been hurt in some way or another often enough for her story to seem plausible, and Fluttershy had dutifully tended to them the way Rainbow Dash had known she would.
Immediately after leaving Mare Do Well, she'd gone to Fluttershy's, just as promised. Fluttershy had been all business, immediately removing the sloppy bandages from before and setting her wings properly, giving them fresh dressings. Rainbow Dash had almost been sick when she'd first seen her poor, twisted, mangled blue wings without the protective cover of the white strips, but Fluttershy didn't even flinch.
After that, the weekend came and went, and Dash was grounded the whole time. It was horrible.
The first snow had arrived, blanketing the ground in a carpet of white, and Rainbow Dash had had no part in it. She couldn't fly among the swirling flakes the way she so longed to. But that wasn't the worst part.
Despite what she'd said to Mare Do Well, Rainbow had actually gone back. She didn't know why, but the very next night, right on schedule, Dash had made her way back to the empty alley and waited. But not even that, the utter destruction of what little self-respect Rainbow Dash had left, was the worst part.
The worst part was that even though Rainbow had waited, pacing impatiently all night long, Mare Do Well never came. The next day, when the mail arrived, there was nothing unexpected in it. No explanatory notes or cryptic messages like Rainbow Dash had expected to receive by way of apology. No red carnations. And that night, yet again, Mare Do Well still didn't come.
It was funny, the things your mind could do to you. Rainbow Dash had been convinced that all she'd wanted was to be left alone, but now that Mare Do Well had actually disappeared, she felt unexpectedly lost. Maybe because she'd gotten so used to the nightly meetings that any interruption to routine was seen as unwanted. Maybe because there was no explanation offered – the mare had just up and gone, leaving a very confused pegasus in her wake. It was inconsiderate, really, to play with somepony and lead them along for so long, and then to just take off without even a farewell. Who did Mare Do Well think she was?
After the third night Rainbow stopped waiting, and that was when Twilight had the idea for the sleepover.
Dash had told Mare Do Well not to follow her and not to try and help her, but she'd never told her to go away. She might have said it before, in one of their other meetings, but she hadn't really meant it. And since when had Mare Do Well ever done what Rainbow Dash wanted, anyway? Rainbow had told her dozens of times to leave her alone and not to creep, and the mare still groped her every chance she got. Well, she had, back when she'd bothered to show her face. Or... mask. Whatever.
Because I love you, Mare Do Well had said. Well, fine. That was just fine and dandy, and totally logical, considering her behavior. Because you always ran away and hid from the pony you claimed to love. You always ditched them for no reason at all, leaving them waiting in some random back street where they'd probably get murdered any second because criminals were always wandering around there apparently and they couldn't even fly away from any potential threats.
But Rainbow Dash had no reason to miss or sympathize with Mare Do Well, she had to remind herself again and again. Mare Do Well was obviously obsessive and unstable, and her absence was a blessing. Rainbow didn't want to see her, and she wasn't going to go back, ever. Life could finally get back to normal, the way she'd wanted it to for so long.
"Are you sure?" somepony asked.
"No," Rainbow Dash blurted.
"Huh?" Applejack asked, and suddenly Rainbow Dash snapped back to the present, to the slumber party where the six of them were seated in a makeshift circle. The room was dark except for the flickering candlelight offered to them. Everypony was giving her odd looks.
"Oh, sorry. I zoned out," Rainbow Dash said quickly. "What's going on?"
"We're doing Truth or Dare, and Fluttershy chose Dare," Twilight explained helpfully. "So I was just asking if she was sure."
"Honestly, RD, how d'you miss that much? Have you been napping this whole time?" Applejack asked, sounding amused.
"Kinda. Heh."
"I told you. I'm trying to learn how to be more bold," Fluttershy said firmly, voice betraying none of the anxiety apparent on her face. "I want to be braver."
"Oh, do go easy on her, Twilight," Rarity stage-whispered with an urgent hiss.
"I have an idea!" Pinkie Pie screamed, jumping up and down. "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Choose me! Me! I've got a good one!"
"Um, I guess Pinkie can have my turn. I can't think of anything," Twilight offered. Fluttershy, though, looked visibly more panicked.
"Okay! I dare you –" And here, Pinkie Pie leapt onto her hind legs and waved a hoof, pointing at Fluttershy as she paused for dramatic effect. "To eat a whole cupcake!"
There was a beat.
"That's it?" Rainbow Dash couldn't help but ask. Fluttershy now looked relieved.
"At once!" Pinkie clarified. "In one big gulp."
"I, I, I don't know if I can..." the butter-yellow pegasus began to stammer.
"It's easy! You just gotta do this!"
Pinkie Pie then proceeded to give an extremely graphic and disturbingly improbable demonstration, earning cries of disgust from everypony present.
After Fluttershy almost choked in her valiant effort to follow suit, it was her turn, but she shook her head. "I pass," she said softly, face crimson.
Twilight Sparkle began to flip through the pages of her slumber party guide. "Can you do that?" she cried, alarmed. "Can you pass on turns? I know that I gave Pinkie mine, but, but I don't think you can just skip, can you?" She lifted her head and looked at each of her friends in turn as if to discern the answer from one of their faces.
"I reckon you can," Applejack offered.
"I GO NEXT!" Pinkie Pie shrieked. "Dare me! Truth me!"
"Pinkie can go," Fluttershy volunteered.
"It needs to be worded as a dare," Twilight said with a decisive nod. "That should be okay."
"I d-dare Pinkie Pie to take my turn."
"I must say, I don't believe this is how the game is played," Rarity interrupted. "Aren't you supposed to –"
"MY TURN!" Pinkie announced, still screeching. "And, hm, hm, hm... I choose... Dashie!"
Abruptly all eyes were on Rainbow Dash, who shrank a little beneath their gaze. "Dare," she said immediately. Rainbow always chose Dare in games like this. Truth was never a safe option, especially not for a pony with as many uncomfortable secrets as she seemed to have. Besides, she never backed away from a challenge, or a chance to show off. But Pinkie frowned, as if she didn't like that answer.
"Okay..." the pink pony said slowly, brow furrowing slightly. Then she grinned. "Okie dokie lokie, I dare you to truthfully answer one question!"
"No fair!" Rainbow Dash protested. "You can't do that!"
"You have to. The rules don't specifically cite dares like that as violations," Twilight said pointedly.
"Okay, fine, whatever," Rainbow sulked, crossing her forelegs over her chest as she pouted. "But you just missed a chance to watch the Dash in action as I performed awesome stunts for you. Your loss."
Bluster and blunder, that's all it was, just an act to hide how uncomfortable she suddenly felt. Pinkie's eyes always managed to take Rainbow Dash by surprise with how huge and blue and sparkling they seemed, even though logically the pegasus knew that there was nothing distinctive about them from anypony else's eyes. But now, with them turned on her, Rainbow Dash felt incredibly tiny. Pinkie Pie had a way of knowing things. If she wanted to, it would be very, very easy for her to ask something Rainbow Dash didn't want to share, but would be pressured to reveal.
Pinkie leaned forward from her place in the circle where she was seated on the floor on her haunches, pulling herself closer by her front legs as she leered at the pegasus. "Who do you have a cruuuuush on?" she singsonged, batting her eyelashes.
Applejack snorted a laugh, which she failed to hide by covering her mouth with a hoof. Fluttershy looked even more embarrassed than before. Rarity looked intrigued, and Twilight a little confused, but they were all looking right at her, waiting for an answer.
"Nopony," Rainbow Dash said automatically. For the first time, she actually felt grateful that her wings were currently useless. If they hadn't been wrapped at her sides, she knew, just knew, that they would've betrayed her embarrassment by flaring open.
"Aww, that's not true!" Pinkie Pie teased, prodding Rainbow Dash's side meaningfully. "C'mon, Dashie, you gotta tell the Truth, remember?"
"Nopony!" Rainbow Dash repeated, a little louder this time, ignoring the heat she felt in her cheeks. "What kind of question is that, anyway?"
"If she won't answer truthfully, you have to give her a Dare as an alternative, or else she loses," Twilight reported, ignoring Rainbow Dash's feeble protests. Apparently the fact that this had all started with Rainbow Dash choosing Dare in the first place had been forgotten.
Pinkie sighed in an exaggeratedly put-upon way, before giggling and rolling her eyes. "Okay, fine. Um, um, um..." Her hooves flew to her chin, cupping her face. She swayed from side to side in rhythmic thought before declaring, "I dare you to kiss somepony in the room right now!"
"Oooh!" Twilight chimed in. Applejack was openly snickering now, making no attempt to hide it. Fluttershy was hiding behind Rarity, who looked simultaneously scandalized and delighted by the shocking turn of events.
Rainbow Dash never turned down a challenge. For any reason. And she wasn't going to throw away a potential victory, no matter how small, over something as inconsequential as her pride.
Who would this be the least weird for? she thought, sweating, gaze sweeping over her friends.
Fluttershy. Fluttershy was physically closest, and they'd been friends the longest. So Dash ducked forward, eyes screwed shut, and gave the yellow pegasus a quick peck on the cheek. Fluttershy gasped.
"Thanks for fixing up my wings," Rainbow Dash mumbled. Just to make it clear that there was nothing deep behind it. The kiss was completely platonic.
"It's fine," Fluttershy squeaked in response, but her hooves were over her face, hiding the expression she wore. "Friends, um, do that. For friends."
Rainbow Dash could hear giggling from the others, but she kept her gaze fixed on the floor. She didn't want to look at anypony, least of all Pinkie. She could feel their stares and that was enough.
"Okay, Applesmack!" Rainbow said loudly. "You think that's so funny? Well, you're next! Truth or Dare?"
After they'd finished their game, which had climaxed in a series of Dares with escalating levels of ridiculousness, the Truth option all but forgotten, Rarity finally insisted that they blow out the lights so that she could get her much-needed beauty sleep.
They ended up scattered across the boutique. Rarity had generously offered the use of her bed, but since nopony wanted to take it while the others were on the floor, they all ended up sleeping somewhere in her work room. It felt odd to sleep so close to the ground. Rainbow Dash was used to the feel of the pleasant vertigo that came with looking down and realizing how far up she was when she drifted off to sleep.
Although the others seemed to fall asleep easily, Rainbow Dash stayed wide awake, growing more and more alert as time went by. Her body was used to this disrupted cycle by now and was expecting her to get up and head across town any moment now. But she wouldn't. Not tonight. Tonight, Dash would stay put. Because even if she wanted to, there wouldn't be anypony there.
• • •
The storm came quickly, taking everypony by surprise. The initial Ponyville snowfall had been late for this exact reason; a wild storm had been spotted in the Everfree Forest, where natural magic ran rampant, and the weather pegasi had wanted to dispose of the stray clouds before they could drift over to Ponyville and cause any trouble. But although the weather team managed to hold off most of the clouds, there were always exceptions, always a possibility for error, and this was one of those times.
The remaining clouds went unnoticed at first, and later on, most of the blame had fallen on the grey, cross-eyed mare who'd first spotted them. She wasn't a member of the weather team – she delivered mail, or something like that – but all the same, she'd dutifully reported the clouds upon first seeing them, just like she was supposed to. Yet her loopy flight pattern, unintelligible directions, and just plain bizarre way of speaking had confused them all, delaying the crew by quite some time.
It began like any other snow. A sudden chill to the air, a crisp wind sending the swirling flakes dancing, the gradual coating of the ground in an even thicker carpet of white. Most of the villagers had just assumed that the weather pegasi had gotten the schedule mixed up somehow and quietly began to make preparations, digging out their boots and scarves and stocking their fireplaces. It wasn't a big deal; many of the ponies had suspected that the weather team was going to throw together a big storm sometime soon to make up for how late the first fall had been, and came to the understandable conclusion that this was it.
But this wasn't just another storm – something nopony realized at first. It was a wild storm, out of control and unpredictable. As hard as the weather team tried to hold it back, the stray clouds were too heavy with snow, the winds too strong, and in the end, they came to an agreement – it was too late, and the storm couldn't be pushed away. All they could do was warn the village to prepare for the upcoming blizzard as they themselves began to prepare for the cleanup that would come afterwards.
The cold became more and more bitter, the wind grew sharper than a knife, and the snow continued to fall, so thick that the streets were soon laid with deep, cumbersome drifts that were almost impossible to walk through without sinking to your haunches. Most of the pegasi took to the skies, returning to Cloudsdale where they would be safe from the coming storm. Those without wings merely retreated to their individual homes, blocking the doors and choosing to forget the weather as they settled in by the warm glows of their fireplaces. Most of the weather patrol returned to Cloudsdale as well so that they could begin to organize the massive cleanup job that would be needed once the skies were cleared, but there were a few that stayed behind, descending to the village to make sure nopony ended up trapped in the steadily worsening blizzard.
One of the pegasi who stayed behind happened to be Equestria's best young flier, a sky-blue pegasus with a technicolor mane who would never leave Ponyville hanging, no matter what. Who would never have let a storm like this grow on her watch, but for whom a recent injury meant that she had no say in the matter and no choice as to where she would be when the storm broke. Which may have had something to do with how Rainbow Dash ended up stranded alone in a snow bank while the winds howled all around her.
Rainbow Dash was not one to abandon a pony in need, and returning to Cloudsdale with the others had only seemed like cowardice. If that had been an option for her, she would have refused it. But since she couldn't fly at the moment and hadn't been able to help with the storm itself, she went for the next best thing, heading into the fray with the others who'd stayed behind.
Ignoring the shrieking winds and flurries had been easy as long as Dash had known that there might have been somepony else out there who still needed help finding shelter to wait out the freezing weather in. But once the streets were finally empty, save for her, the reality of the situation hit Rainbow Dash like a sharp slap in the face.
It was cold. Very, very cold.
She'd been so focused on making sure that nopony was trapped or injured that she hadn't once given thought to where she would go once she was through. And now, here Rainbow was in a snowdrift, trying to ignore the painful chill as the wind buffeted her face and the snow blew across the ground like fast-moving clouds. Sharp, stinging bits of ice hurled by the gusts slapped at her sides.
It was almost impossible to see through the blinding whiteness of it all. All Rainbow Dash could hear was the howling of the frigid wind and the muffled crunch of her hooves that sent little clods flying with every step as she trudged through the snow, fighting that damned frigid wind every step of the way.
This probably wasn't the best idea I've ever had, Rainbow thought grudgingly. She'd had this idea of being hailed as some sort of hero, courageously facing the blizzard head on and coming to everypony's salvation, but although she'd managed to guide a handful of lost ponies to shelter, Dash had been stupid enough to completely forget about finding somewhere to go herself, and now, here she was.
The possibility of frostbite crossed her mind, but Rainbow Dash immediately shrugged it off. There was no point in worrying about it. What she needed to do was get inside before she became some kind of Rainbow Popsicle. And besides, even if she'd been able to use her wings, she doubted that she'd have been able to see well enough to make much use of them.
Weather pegasi were typically sturdier than most ponies, with the possible exception of workhorses, since they needed to be able to withstand all kinds of weather, but the truth was, Rainbow Dash didn't exactly fit into that mold. She was tough, sure – but in a sleek, agile kind of way. She was built for flying, not for braving a storm like this, and although Dash hated thinking of herself as somepony who would back down just because the odds were seemingly against her, she was finding herself doubting whether or not she'd be able to make it through this.
Rainbow Dash remembered the way she'd fallen asleep in the chilly alley before, only to wake up with Mare Do Well's cloak wrapped around her, but shook her head to clear her mind of such thoughts. If Mare Do Well was trying so hard to be a hero, then where was she now? If she was so determined to protect Rainbow Dash against her will, shouldn't she have been mysteriously appearing out of nowhere right about now to get the pegasus to safety? Not that Rainbow Dash needed help.
I'm gonna die, I'm totally gonna die, I'm gonna freeze to death in the snow somewhere and it will be the least awesome death ever...
She saw a light. Then, just as quickly, it was gone.
Rainbow's ears prickled slightly. For a moment, she'd thought she'd heard a voice, but it had fallen silent when the light vanished.
"–shie!"
There it was again.
Then she saw it. By stretching her neck and peering forward, Rainbow Dash managed to find the light again, even with the snow blustering all around. Just a bit further ahead, she was able to make out what appeared to be the looming grey silhouette of a house, and suddenly realized what the light must have been. A window.
Without stopping to think, Rainbow Dash broke into a run, ignoring the sharp stabbing pain that shot through her legs as she did so.
"Get your butt over here, Dashie!"
Although the sound was muffled by the wind, Rainbow Dash could now distinctly recognize the familiar high-pitched shriek for what it was, but that didn't make a difference, and Dash barreled forward, running as fast as her legs could carry her.
Rainbow Dash had misjudged her distance from the building that she could now positively identify as Sugarcube Corner, and would have charged smack into the door if somepony from inside hadn't anticipated this and thrown it open seconds before Dash made contact. Instead, the pegasus shot straight into the bakery itself like a lightning bolt, headfirst into a table with an enormous crash.
Normally, Rainbow would've immediately risen from embarrassment before trying to find a way to save face, but Rainbow Dash couldn't bring herself to care at the moment. Her entire body ached, chilled to the very bone as she was, and she'd suddenly been seized with uncontrollable shuddering, her teeth clattering like mad. Her frosted mane gleamed white at the tips, and her wings actually made sharp cracking noises when she tried to move them despite the bandages just to break the layer of frost that had settled on the feathers.
Still lying on the floor, Rainbow Dash curled as tightly as she could into herself amidst various cutlery, pots, and pieces of table, trying to regain some semblance of warmth.
"Oh, poor Dashie!" Pinkie Pie squealed, and suddenly Rainbow Dash was caught up in a fierce hug. She gasped in pain. "Poor, poor, poor Dashie, you're so cold, and you were stuck outside for so long, and now you're even bluer than you normally are! You're like a Rainbow Popsicle!"
Rainbow Dash's teeth were chattering too hard for her to mention that she'd thought that exact same thing, and the next thing she knew, Pinkie Pie had wrapped her in a thick quilt that she'd pulled out of nowhere and was herding her into a room somewhere in the back of the bakery.
"There!" Pinkie said happily, forcing Rainbow Dash onto the floor by the stove in the kitchen. "You stay here and get all roasty-toasty, and your Auntie Pinkie Pie will get you something hot and tasty to put in your belly!"
"J-j-j-just bec-c-c-ause y-y-you're older than me," Rainbow Dash stammered, teeth still chattering, even as the warmth of the stove began to envelop her. "D-d-d-doesn't m-mean y-y-y-y-you get t-t-t-o c-call yourself my Auntie."
But Pinkie Pie ignored her. She was busy fussing with something in another part of the kitchen where Rainbow Dash couldn't see, and Dash had no desire to move her head and look. The heat on her face felt way too good to turn away for even a second, and Rainbow found herself wrapping the quilt even tighter, snuggling deep into the folds.
Gradually, the chill began to seep away and the shuddering began to subside. Soon Rainbow Dash was nothing but a bundle of warmth. She sighed, deeply and contentedly.
This is exactly what I needed.
"Wow, I can't believe it's snowing this much," Dash muttered, glancing outside. The window in the kitchen had been sealed shut before the storm, preventing any of the chill from bleeding into the bakery, but she could still see way the snow and ice was coming down in sheets. She'd never seen a storm so crazy before; normally, the snow cooked up by the weather team was a delicate thing, each flake painstakingly hoofmade and crafted to utter perfection before being sprinkled across the land like diamond dust. What was happening outside the window was just a... mess.
"I know, isn't it great? We can make snow angels and snowponies and have snowball fights and catch snowflakes on our tongues and go sledding and skating and everything, and we don't even have to wait! Everything's so much cooler in winter..."
Pinkie sighed contentedly, and when the cyan pegasus turned to glance at her, she caught a glimpse of something rare: Pinkie Pie looking peaceful. Somehow the pink pony had sidled up beside Rainbow Dash without the pegasus even noticing. She wore an oddly serene smile on her lips as they watched the snow fall together, lapsing into silence.
Pinkie was so close. How had she gotten so close?
This moment of quiet, the two of them huddled together and basking in the glow of the stove, only lasted a few seconds before Pinkie Pie sprung to her hooves again.
"OhmygoshIforgot!" she gasped, jumping into the air like she'd just had one of her heart-stopping party ideas. "Oh, I'm such a silly filly Pinkie, how could I forget the most important part?!"
She was gone in a flash, and then, just as suddenly as she'd disappeared, Pinkie was back at Rainbow Dash's side, but this time with a steaming, sweet-smelling mug of hot chocolate balanced on her snout. She somehow managed to set it on the ground without spilling a drop before she slid it across the floor with a hoof.
"Thanks, Pinkie," Rainbow Dash said gratefully, eyeing the drink greedily before taking a deep, deep sip. It was delicious, and she could feel the warmth of the drink instantly begin to spread throughout her body, all the way to the bottom of her hooves and the very tips of her feathers.
While she drank, Pinkie sat beside her, uncharacteristically silent and staring up at her with an expectant look in her eyes, but once the mug of chocolate was empty, the pink pony leapt upright and clapped her hooves together in excitement.
"Oh, yay, I was so worried, Dashie! Because you were so cold and looked all sad and lonely out in the snow, but you'll be okay now, because what you just drank was the Pie Family's Super-Secret Best-Hot-Chocolate-In-The-World recipe that's guaranteed to bring a smile to your tummy!" Pinkie Pie sang, happily doing a funny little dance in circles around Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash grinned. Pinkie always managed to surprise her with how absolutely full of life she was. She was like a rocket of pure, unbridled pink energy, and was probably the only pony in all of Equestria that could keep up with the pegasus on any level, physical or otherwise.
Choosing to ignore the sudden sharp pain she felt in her chest, Rainbow Dash instead opted to focus on the mug that had once held hot chocolate sitting so tantalizingly before her.
"It'll bring a smile to my tummy?" Rainbow Dash repeated, smiling and trying to ignore the twist in her gut. "How does that work?"
"Why, you just gotta use the Super-Secret Best-Hot-Chocolate-In-The-World ingredients, of course! My Granny Pie taught me everything I know about making deliciously yummy hot chocolate, so I'm like the world expert, except for maybe my Granny Pie, who'd probably be the first world expert since she taught me after all, but I'm like expert number two, and two is more than one, so that means that I'm the very, very best at making hot chocolate and you're super-duper lucky to get to taste it!"
Pinkie Pie's words shot out at such a rapid, energetic pace that it almost made Rainbow Dash dizzy to listen. Normally Dash would've thought of something funny to say in response, or at least have made a joke about how random the pink pony could be, or something, but at the moment she was too drained to even try and fake it. So instead, Rainbow Dash snuggled deeper into the folds of the quilt, wondering why she suddenly felt so tired.
"Are you sleepy? Do you wanna go get all comfy on a nice big soft bed instead of on the bad hard floor?" Pinkie suddenly asked, popping into Rainbow Dash's sight from out of nowhere, her every curl bouncing about wildly as she hopped in place.
Rainbow couldn't be bothered to answer. The warmth of the stove felt so absolutely delicious that she could feel her eyelids growing heavier and heavier by the second. It didn't even matter anymore that she was sitting on the flour-covered floor of the Sugarcube Corner kitchen.
She couldn't say she minded very much. It was much, much better than dying of hypothermia, after all. And so, Dash found herself falling asleep.
• • •
When Rainbow Dash woke up, she was lying in bed. The bed was warm and soft – incredibly so, fluffy and squishy and almost as comfortable as a cloud. She was practically sinking into it, and groaned in pleasure, eyes still shut, as she burrowed deeper into the comforter draped over her.
She could feel somepony's warm breath as they leaned over her.
"Dashie? You awake yet?"
"Pinkie!" Rainbow Dash shrieked, her voice cracking into a shamefully high pitch. Suddenly she was fully conscious, quilt dropping unceremoniously onto the floor as she bolted upright. "What are you doing?!"
"I took you upstairs, duh, so you could sleep somewhere nice like in a bed all roasty-toasty until you felt better. Don't worry your pretty little rainbow head about it, Dashie, I'll take good care of you! And Gummy will, too, except that he's an alligator and alligators aren't very good doctors, but don't tell him I said that," the pink pony answered, the last bit added in a conspiratorial stage-whisper, even going so far as to cup her mouth with a hoof.
Rainbow Dash flushed and glanced away, choosing to sweep her gaze over the room instead of answering. It was exactly the same as always – candy patterned bedspread, party supplies scattered everywhere, an enormous stuffed teddy bear propped in a corner. She'd been in Pinkie's room countless times before, usually to plan pranks or to watch movies or just talk, but she'd never before been dragged up there while asleep after practically freezing to death.
"Um, yeah, thanks, but I don't need a doctor," Rainbow said quickly, feeling nervous. "I just needed to get warmed up somewhere, and I'm totally doing awesome now, so I'll just be going, okay?"
"But the doors are all snowed in," Pinkie said pointedly. "We can't open them."
Rainbow Dash hated it when Pinkie Pie was lucid. It was much easier to handle her when she wasn't being logical.
"I have a pegasus door, but it's all snowy and windy and shivery outside. And you can't even fly, right?" Pinkie continued pressingly. "But it's okay, you can stay here with me! The Cakes went home before the storm, and me and Gummy had the place all to ourselves and we were sooo totally lonely and sad, and Gummy was all what are we gonna do? and I was all I don't even know! But it'll be okay if you're here, because we can have a Yay-It's-Finally-Winter-And-Santa-Hooves-Is-Coming-Soon party, just for the two of us!"
"Um..." Why does Pinkie even need a pegasus door in the first place?! Rainbow Dash found herself wondering, unsure as to why it bothered her so much.
"Oh, please say yes!"
And then Pinkie Pie was looking up at Rainbow Dash with those enormous bright blue eyes of hers, the ones that Dash could never say no to and could probably have rivalled Fluttershy's infamous Stare. Before she knew it, Rainbow Dash was unwillingly sitting down, folding her legs beneath her so that she could sit on the covers.
"Heh... I, I guess I don't really have much of a choice. I mean, it's not like I have anywhere else to go, right?" Dash asked, trying to sound light-hearted about it, but the tightness in her chest remained, even as Pinkie's eyes shone at her, huge and happy.
"That makes me really, really happy, Dashie," Pinkie Pie said softly. She was still sitting on the bed with Rainbow Dash.
"That's... cool."
"Because... Dashie, I wanted to tell you something."
Oh, no. Not now. Please don't do this. Not now.
Pinkie Pie looked up at her through heavily-lidded eyes, grinning in a sultry way.
Is she trying to look... sexy?
The instant the thought entered her head, Rainbow Dash felt that familiar tingling warmth surge through her, and for a second time, she was grateful that her wings were bound.
Rainbow Dash was a growing pony, and like any healthy young mare, she had needs. So it wasn't completely unexpected that she would occasionally... think about her friends. She couldn't help it. It was only natural, when a pony had friends like those. But it was something Dash preferred to keep to herself, since things would almost certainly become awkward between them if any of them knew the way the pegasus checked them out when they weren't paying attention.
Twilight had the whole hot librarian thing going on, but although she made for nice eye candy, she was kind of boring. Serious and studious and never up for any fun. As for Rarity, Spike was right about her – she was gorgeous – but her haughty personality and obsessive need for control was a major turn-off. When Rainbow Dash had first met Applejack, she'd felt the slightest spark of interest, but upon actually getting to know the workhorse, any potential romantic feelings she might have felt quickly gave way to the heated rivalry the two of them now share – and Rainbow doubted that she really wanted to change that.
Fluttershy just plain terrified her. She was like some kind of living manifestation of purity and the very thought of sullying her with such lewd thoughts was unspeakable.
Pinkie Pie was something else entirely. She was like the embodiment of naive innocence, and like Fluttershy, it seemed dirty and wrong to think of her in that way – but she differed from Fluttershy in her love of fun and zany personality. Still, she was undeniably childish, like a filly in a grown mare's body.
"You're my best friend, Dashie," Pinkie Pie said. Her voice was all gentleness and sweetness, and Rainbow Dash couldn't move, even as Pinkie leaned in closer and closer. "And I really, really like you."
"Hey, I like you too, Pinks. I mean, you're my best friend too, right?" Dash answered, trying to laugh it off.
Don't do this, Rainbow Dash prayed. Please don't. Just stop.
"Not that kind of like, silly filly," Pinkie answered with a giggle.
Oh, no.
"You mean K-I-S-S-I-N-G?" Rainbow Dash squeaked. "The kissy face smoochies kind of like?"
And Pinkie Pie kissed her.
It was surprisingly chaste. She just leaned forward, eyes shut, and brushed her mouth against Rainbow's. When Dash didn't immediately push her away, Pinkie lingered, leaning forward a tiny bit more, pressing her lips a little firmer, with a little more intensity.
Rainbow Dash had sometimes wondered what Pinkie Pie would taste like. She'd always figured that after spending so much of her life eating sugar and baked goods, she'd probably taste sweet – and she did, in a way, but not the way Dash had expected. Rainbow had been picturing a solid, specific taste, like bubblegum or cotton candy, but there was no such discernible flavor when it actually happened.
Every instinct in Rainbow's body was screaming for her to get away now now now, but she couldn't. She was immobile. It had been unfair of Pinkie to do this to her now, when Dash was weak, unable to fly away and disoriented from having only just woken up. It was only when Rainbow Dash could feel Pinkie's forelegs sliding around her neck, to pull her closer, that the pegasus could move.
"Pinkie, please," Rainbow gasped, wrenching her mouth away. "Don't do this."
"Do what?" Pinkie Pie asked, still in that teasing way.
"Pinkie, I mean it. Stop."
Pinkie let go. She looked surprised. "What's wrong?" she asked, all innocence.
"I don't want it to be like this between us," Rainbow Dash answered. She spoke in a rush, to get the words out as fast as possible before she started to second guess them. She couldn't let herself hesitate. She needed to make it as clear as possible as soon as possible.
"Like..." Pinkie Pie began, then trailed off. "What do you mean?"
"Pinkie, I'm not an idiot. I knew, okay? I figured it out. I just thought that if I didn't say anything, you'd get over it."
Saying these words were causing Dash physical pain. Her heart felt like somepony had stuck a knife through it when she saw Pinkie's mouth open in a little O of shock.
"I don't want things to be like that for us. You're my best friend and I really do like you, but I don't want things to change like that for us. You don't know what it's like. No matter what happens, you lose your friend forever. If things don't work out between you, then you can never go back to the way things were, and even if they do work out, then you lose your best friend anyway and get a marefriend or whatever instead. And that's not the same."
"It doesn't have to be that way," Pinkie Pie said weakly, but her voice faltered.
"It does because that's how it works!" Rainbow Dash practically shouted, before catching herself and lowering her voice. "Did... did I ever tell you what happened with Gilda?"
"I was there, silly. You don't have to tell me anything."
Pinkie Pie was trying to smile, trying to make it a joke, but the hurt in her eyes was palpable.
"No," Rainbow Dash said. "I meant what happened after. I didn't tell you?"
Pinkie slowly shook her head.
"I wouldn't totally ditch a friend just because of one fight. She was mean to you, but she was always prickly; it wasn't a new thing, and it didn't surprise me. So I was mad at her, but it wasn't like that was the final straw or anything. We could've stayed friends. It was just that..."
Rainbow paused. Her words were caught in her throat, blocked by the sudden lump she felt there, and she wasn't sure if she would be able to continue or not. But she had to, because Pinkie Pie was looking at her so expectantly with those horrible blue eyes of hers.
"It was just that, after we had the fight at the party, she stopped by my place. And she apologized. And she told me that the reason she was being such a pill was because she liked me, and she was jealous that you seemed so close to me. And... and I told her that I didn't feel the same way. So she asked if I would ever change my mind, and I told her that I didn't think I could. So she left. And she never came to see me and or write to me again, even though we used to write letters all the time. You don't know what it's like to have that happen to you, Pinkie, to lose a friend because you couldn't bring yourself to like them enough."
"That's not what happened," Pinkie Pie said softly. "You liked her, it was just in a different way. It's not the same as not liking her enough."
"Well, then, I lost her because I couldn't like her the right way. What difference does it make?" Rainbow Dash snapped. She was going to cry, she just knew it. She could feel the sting of tears in her eyes. "You're my best friend and I don't want to mess everything up between us if things don't work out. I don't want that to happen again."
"You wouldn't lose me, Dashie. No matter what."
"You're missing the point! I said no, okay? I don't want to do this with you!"
It was incredibly difficult to imagine anything that could've hurt Rainbow Dash more than the look of shock and betrayal in Pinkie's eyes that greeted her outburst, but there was. It was the hollow, obviously fake-sounding laugh that immediately followed it as Pinkie Pie tried to smile.
"Okay, Dashie. I understand. Don't worry."
She slid off the bed.
"I guess that wasn't very smart of me, huh? I mean, you're not a dummy, after all. I guess... I guess I thought that I was being sneaky, and that maybe you just didn't know how I felt, but I'm not a very clever pony, so I guess I wasn't as good at hiding it as I thought I was. Of course you always knew. And how dumb was it for me to tell you now?"
Another short, hysterical laugh. Pinkie turned her back on Rainbow, so that the pegasus couldn't see her face.
"Now you're stuck here, and things are going to be weird. And... and if I just hadn't said anything, then we could've had a fun time, just laughing and playing, but, well, I messed that up. Um, can you do me a favor, Dashie?"
"Okay," Rainbow Dash said after a moment. "What?"
Pinkie Pie turned back to smile at her, but it was another one of those bleak, empty smiles. "Don't tell anypony about this, okay? Let's just pretend this didn't happen. We'll go back to being best friends, and it'll be like I never said anything."
That was what Rainbow Dash wanted.
Right?
"...Okay..."
"Okay!" Pinkie immediately agreed with an emphatic nod of her head. "So, so, um, you... you just stay here. You can sleep in here, because you were really cold and need a nice bed. And... and I'll just... go," she finished lamely, before practically running from the room.
Rainbow Dash lay in the bed – Pinkie's bed – and stared up at the ceiling.
She had managed not to cry. That was good.
She could still taste the sweetness from Pinkie's kiss.
Stats
Page generated in 0.037 seconds
Total duration
1,043 users online
2,206,417 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
SO BUCKING SAD ;_; poor Pinkie
Dash, you idiot. Stupid, stubborn foolish mare... Mare Do Well is Pinkie, Pinkie loves you and she would've agreed with every answer you've said her.... Why?
So Much DRAMA! Like reading a good romantic novel (or at least how I'd imagine one, since I've never actually read one).
Anyways looking forward to the next chapter
Oh and also wanted to say you should update your Blog about that whole TVtropes thing :)
Lovley chapter. Had me on the edge of my seat (couch?) the whole time.
Twilight had that whole hot librarian thing going on, but although she made for nice eye candy, she was kind of boring. Serious and studious and never up for any fun. As for Rarity, Spike was right about her, she was gorgeous - but her haughty personality and obsessive need for control was a major turn-off. When she'd first met Applejack she'd felt a spark of interest, but upon actually getting to know her any potential romantic feelings she had quickly gave way to the heated rivalry they now shared, and Rainbow doubted she really wanted to change that. Fluttershy just plain terrified her. She was like some living manifestation of purity and the very thought of sullying her with such lewd thoughts was unspeakable. Pinkie Pie was something else entirely. She was like the embodiment of naive innocence, and like Fluttershy, it somehow seemed dirty and wrong to think of her in that way - but she differed from Fluttershy in her love of fun and zany personality. Still, she was undeniably childish, like a filly in a grown mare's body.
I don't know if it's just me, but it seems like this paragraph is a bit improper. Yeah, it's missing a topic sentence, but the paragraph before this one could work... I don't know if paragraph rules change from place to place, but I'm no expert, don't take me too seriously, haha.
"She needed to make it as clear as possible as soon as possible."
About time. Don't get me wrong, this is a really engaging and well written story; as can by attested by the fact that I sometimes feel so worked up that I wish I could take over Dash's body for a minute just tell Mare Do Well or Pinkie off in the clearest terms possible. Not to be mean or to be cruel, just to be definitive and clear. Reading this *I* feel upset and confused and disturbed on Rainbow's behalf and wish I could be her little cricket to tell her *GET OUT OF THERE!*
But this is a really great story. If it wasn't I wouldn't be getting worked up on Dash's behalf. It's well written, the pacing is great and reading this you really share Dash's confusion and frustration.
Well done! I look forward to more.
88954
It's a stylistic thing. I'm aware the paragraph as a whole is grammatically improper, but it's supposed to reflect Rainbow Dash's train of thought, running from sentence to sentence.
That recommendation would have been me. Trust me, you've earned it.
You may rest assured that should I recommend any more of your stuff on TV Tropes, I will let you know immediately. Sorry 'bout that.
And just when you think things couldn't get more fucked-up.
s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/entries/icons/original/000/002/796/447px-Manlytears3.jpg?1275218057
Do Leth need to slap a filly ?
RAaaaaiiiiibooooowww !
I have the faint impression she managed to make wrong choices each time ....
Best story ever.
By Celestia and Luna PLEASE update soon. I have been going crazy without an update and this chapter just makes me want more! MOAR! .. Please
I'm so loving this story more and more as it continues! It's easily one of the best stories out there right now!
The what I find most telling is how forward Pinkie was in this chapter, it can easily be seen as a last attempt to win Rainbow back because it is becoming apparent that Rainbow is leaning more towards Mare Do Well. So my thing is that if Pinkie was Mare Do Well and with how their last encounter went I'd figure that she would know not to act that forward right now of all times. The fact that she did just pushes her further and further away from being able to be Mare Do Well in my eyes. Other than that though nothing else was too much of a hint other than a few smallish things here and there so nothing much else to say.
Though I must add that if Rarity doesn't end up Mare Do Well, (which would sadden me greatly) all the small hints that she is are fun, amusing, and more than likely just there for those like me who firmly believe that she is!
I saw this pic and immediately thought of this story.
images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111203081911/mlp/images/1/15/Rainbow_Dash_holds_down_Mare_Do_Well_S2E8.png
This is how mature I am, guys. I don't think I can be trusted to write romance.
<3 new chapter
Wow...that was...uh...interesting. Really, that was one of my first...if possibly THE first...time that I've read something Rainbow x Pinkie related. And, my consensus...I don't really like it. It just feels...weird. Don't be annoyed; that's just my opinion. The entire chapter was engaging and cute...well, mostly the beginning and the end. To be perfectly honest, the entire middle with the storm kinda bored me, so much that I didn't read much of it. I didn't really see the point of dedicating two whole pages of nonstop detailed, non-dialogue paragraphs on the storm. So...basically...the girls had another sleepover, there was a monstrous storm, Dash stupidly went out into the storm to try and help or something, Pinkie "rescued" her, Pinkie made Dash warm, Pinkie flirted and made a move on her, and Dash shut her down. That's...basically what happened in this episode, right? Yeah, pretty much I'd say. No Mare Do Well...suspicious. Well...it's not really possible to make any accusations of who Mare Do Well is this time around (since we didn't SEE her), but since you've probably become accustomed to seeing my expert analysis, I'll give you some thoughts anyway:
1. Twilight - Something doesn't sit well with me. Where the hell is Spike this whole time? He's STILL gone? After ALL this time? Yeah...no, not buying it. Twilight knew what she was gonna do, so SHE sent Spike away for a long time while she formulated her plan to get Dash to like her. That way, Spike wouldn't catch on to what she was doing, since he's pretty smart a lot of the time. That could possibly be another red herring, but...it just fits. Twilight uses her intelligence to send Spike away...she uses her magic to fool Dash this whole time when she gets into a pickle (like at the party where she shows up while Mare Do Well seemingly is still there)...Twilight is still my #1 suspect.
2. Rarity - She seemed very interested in Dash's answers during the sleepover (of course, she's a romantic at heart, so that's probably justified), but did she MAYBE want the sleepover at her place so that Dash would be closer to her? Well...probably not, but...hey, I have to say SOMETHING to justify me keeping her here in the #2 position! Okay, let's just admit it; there was nothing in this chapter to point the finger at her this time.
3. Pinkie - Ugh...REALLY didn't want to move her back up, since I'm STILL betting my life that Mare Do Well is not her. I'm still hedging on that bet. Mare Do Well CANNOT be Pinkie. Why the HELL would the author waste an entire story showing Pinkie's romantic interests in Dash...and then just show another side of Pinkie as Mare Do Well? That's a HUGE waste and it makes no logical sense. Wow, so we get to see a "braver" side of Pinkie behind a mask...seriously? This chapter finally had Pinkie confess to Dash, and even kiss her! Why would she do that if she was Mare Do Well? What would be the point? It's CLEAR that she's "brave enough" to show Dash that she loves her, so she has no REASON to be Mare Do Well. It's clear that Mare Do Well is one of Dash's other friends, and Pinkie was simply jealous and finally confessed to Dash to try and tell her that she would love her no matter what. I only moved Pinkie up to #3 this episode because a part of me really fears that the author loves Dash x Pinkie and MIGHT end it with the pink pony being Mare Do Well...I hope that my fears are wrong.
4. Applejack - Nothing for her or against her this time. Really, she was just...there. I strongly believe that she's not Mare Do Well and that it's one of the two unicorns, or if the author just loves Pinkie to death, THAT silly earth pony. By this point, Applejack really just doesn't mix in with the story. It's my belief that the author just doesn't like her that much or just doesn't feel like using her; the ONLY "plot device" she has is that she can change her voice if she wanted. Wow.
5. Fluttershy - Down the list the yellow Pegasus drops. Why? Because Rainbow Dash went to her immediately after leaving Mare Do Well, she was THERE, she fixed her injuries in a jiffy, and she didn't seem that fazed at all. Unless Fluttershy is VERY fast and somehow got back to her house before Dash got there...not to mention being a GREAT actress...Mare Do Well isn't her. Plus, we saw how she cowered when Dash gave her a little kiss. You would think that she'd show a LITTLE hint of liking it IF she was Mare Do Well.
Other Possible Suspects: Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Trixie, Gilda, All Mane Six (Minus Dash)
Hey, Dash's mental illness isn't affecting her that much, so that's why she's not seeing herself as Mare Do Well! Well, yeah, I know none of you buy it...but, you know how my mind works by this point. Scootaloo...maybe she was off playing with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom and just couldn't come around? Trixie...perhaps she was spending too much time in the mirror to play Mare Do Well. Gilda makes no sense, since she's very big, but...the story that Dash shared REALLY made me think a bit. That's an interesting way of turning that whole Gilda episode around, don't you think? And, yes, I still think it's a strong possibility that all five girls are Mare Do Well. Why NONE of them would appear to Dash baffles me and slightly makes this guess irrelevant, but...my position still stands and I still believe that all five could be doing this to Dash (or four of them, minus Pinkie). Hell, maybe it's only Applejack, Twilight, Fluttershy and Rarity. Maybe Pinkie refused to "play their game" because she wanted to try and win Dash's love the "right way" without hiding behind masks. MAYBE, in the end, Dash will tell off her other four friends and reject their love, and accept Pinkie's...which I would personally hate, since I don't like Dash x Pinkie, but it's a thought! Who knows? It's anyone's guess at this point! Damn you, you CAD (Canadian Author Dude).
I hope you had a good Christmas/Hearth's Warming, though. Keep up the great writing. Oh, and since it seems you got on TV-Tropes like I did with two of my own stories, you have my congrats.
89132
That's the first time I've ever felt complimented by being called a CAD.
Don't worry, Mare Do Well will show up in the next chapter, which I'm actually working on RIGHT NOW and may even get out either today or very, very early tomorrow. It's just that this chapter was ending up really freaking long, so I sort of divided the stuff I wanted to include into two separate segments. Chapter 11 will basically be a continuation - more of a Chapter 10.5. That's why this one might have felt a little incomplete.
You really just found out? I found this story on Tvtropes around chapter 7.
Great as always. I was hoping to see Pinkie kiss Rainbow already. Hope everything ends up okay between them, though... they're so perfect for each other!
Oh, right, Mare-Do-Well's a thing, too. I bet she's Zecora!
*is shot*
24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lscarnPMQH1r3k1m8o1_500.png
It isn't Pinkie. Pinkie was brave enough to confront Dash directly about her feelings, which is exactly what Mare-Do-Well wanted to avoid in the first place.
89312 Exactly my point, so by this point, if Mare Do Well was Pinkie, it would make a lot of already what's been said completely mute and pointless. Our dear author wouldn't go that route; he's too smart for that.
89311 No reason to be rude; it's just a THOUGHT.
This development has my brain stuck in an infinite loop, now.
I'll just be sitting here wearing out my f5 key.
Well, even if Pinkie WAS Mare Do Well, it still adds a layer of characterization to her. Who would have thought that crazy, outgoing Pinkie Pie was actually desperately insecure?
As for a TVTropes page -- I'm very tempted to do so, just to watch your freakout (because I'm evil like that
), but there's already a fanfiction by this title on there (for Magic:The Gathering), and I'm not 100% sure how to make disambiguation pages over there. If I figure that out...
89429
If you seriously do that I will freak out SO HARD that you will feel it over the Internet itself, and then I'll probably explode and die and then this fic will never have a conclusion. But if you're willing to risk that, then, well, I can't stop you.
All of them.
oh wow, that was kinda....sad, in a good way
89438 There is an actual page for this. Though instead of "The Games We Play" it's titled "MLP The Games We Play" due to the other fanfic already titled The Games We Play. I only found it by deliberately searching for this fic on it.
89438
89601
I found it too, and have already been lavishing it with as much attention as physically possible. I hereby invite everyone out there who loves this story to follow suit.
You can find it here.
89601
cyberchalky.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/nuclear-explosion.jpg
Ah, my poor Rainbow Pie shipping heart is broken! As Thatoneguy said, every chapter, I'm all, "Well, surely this is as bad as things can get, and surely things will get better next chapter." And then the next chapter comes, and my heart gets broken even more.
That's not a complaint, though. Still loving the story.
Very interesting that there's no MDW this chapter. It feels ... odd. Perhaps mirroring the way that RD feels with MDW's sudden absence.
For those who believe this chapter establishes that MDW either can't or shouldn't be Pinkie, I respectfully disagree. I think it could work, both logically and emotionally. RD did tell MDW at the end of last chapter that she might like MDW's "real" self and that she liked MDW best when she was being authentic, not smug. If MDW is Pinkie, that might have been what nudged Pinkie over the edge into confessing her feelings.
I also won't be disappointed if MDW is Pinkie. (Disclaimer: I've thought MDW is likely Pinkie for several chapters, and I still mostly do.) I think it would be very interesting to see a romance developing from two different perspectives, two different parts of an incomplete whole, and the entire story has been about the various masks that we all wear and the inadequacies of our perceptions of others. Given all that, I think Pinkie being MDW would fit in very nicely with the established themes of the story. Doesn't mean that MDW is Pinkie, of course, but it does mean I won't be disappointed if she is.
I said last chapter that MDW is a complex character, and she is, but this chapter I was busy thinking on how complex Rainbow Dash is in this story. Even though the bulk of the story is told from her viewpoint, I feel like I'm still getting to know who she is. I was taken quite by surprise when she admitted that she knew about Pinkie's crush--I hadn't known that. I'm also intrigued by RD's reaction. She didn't say that she doesn't like Pinkie "that" way. Maybe she was just letting Pinkie down easy, I'm not sure, but I did find it interesting that RD gave as a reason that things would change.
She seems terrified of change. And I feel for her, especially given what transpired between her and Gilda, but at the same time ... things have ALREADY changed. (To be fair, I'm not sure how much either RD or Pinkie believe that they can really go back to being just best friends without the weirdness, and how much they're trying to convince themselves of that.)
There's no going back, Rainbow--there's only going forward. Choose your path well.
I've linked the actual page for this story in the Fanfic recommendations over there, and added my own Troper handle to the "Recommended by" line.
Can you explode twice? Is that possible?
89601
I was not aware of that.
Will definitely entry pimp when I next have a chance.
Oh dear, I can feel my Flutterdash hopes slipping. ^^;
One thing I'm sure of - MDW is not Pinkie Pie. For goodness' sake, what author in their right mind would freaking write an entire story about MDW liking Dash, and Pinkie liking Dash, and then writing that it turns out that MDW is Pinkie?! That, my friend, would be a terrible, terrible way of getting readers to continue reading.
Rarity, I think, has moved up a place on my list. Twilight stays where she is. Applejack as well. Fluttershy has, unfortunately, moved down a slot; with Pinkie being at the bottom. Fluttershy, after all, was there, in her house, ready. All business, as you described her.
Wait, but wouldn't she be remotely curious as to how Dash got it?
If she was truly unfazed ... then .. maybe she was expecting it?
Oh gosh, I hope it's not my mind twisting minor things into hints.
Strangely enough, this chapter makes me think Pinkie COULDN'T be mare do well. For one big reason;
Mare Do Well: thinks rainbow would reject the real her, hates the aspect of losing her as a friend, so she tries to woo her as someone else, so if she fails, it won't effect whatever relationship they do have.
Pinkie: Admits feelings, dives in head first, and has to listen to Rainbow's words of caution about it ruining friendships.
So... then Mare Do Well is Derpy?
Fluttershy had seemed the most likely suspect behind Pinkie, but now she's practically at the bottom for one simple reason. I can't see Fluttershy leaving anybody, let alone somepony she loves (intentional use of 'anybody' there - she is primarily a vet after all) with sub-standard treatment purely for the sake of maintaining a ruse. The poor bandage job takes Fluttershy out of the running unless she's really freaked out about the possibility of being caught by Dash, in which case I think she'd be too paralyzed to do even that much. The mental breakdown that MDW was having when Rainbow was hurt is in character, but not the sub-standard treatment and being able to recover rapidly.
I've had to downgrade Pinkie too, though that's more general logical processing than anything in any particular chapter. Pinkie could have been MDW before, but trying to do what it seemed like Rainbow would respond better to after finding her in trouble, half-dead, and being talked down from the MDW approach - being straightforward about things and being honest, only to find out that it wasn't going to work either. The problem is, while I have no problems seeing Pinkie being massively insecure (three words: Party of One), I can't see her hiding behind the mask to try coming to Rainbow as somepony else. She's got too many other angles to work; she could try passing it off as a joke, she could try anonymous notes, whatever.
Most importantly though, Pinkie is somebody who already knows All Too Well the pain of being loved for being somebody other than who she really is; witness her transformation into Pinkamina and Dash's freaking out (which Dash really needs to apologize for yet, I might add). I don't think Pinkie would try this simply because she'd be the first to see that wooing Rainbow as Mare-Do-Well won't improve her odds, it'll give her another mask to live behind, because Pinkie won't have won Dash's heart - Mare-Do-Well would have.
*hums Billy Joel's The Stranger*
It's still possible, probable even at this point, but it's weakening the more I think about it.
Twilight seemed unlikely to me from page one; on the one hoof, this is the sort of things you might see in a book, but on the other hoof, Twi was at the party while Dash was talking to MDW, and her casual refusal to acknowledge MDW's existence until seeing her seems like the sort of thing you wouldn't do just because you'd be afraid of losing Rainbow by dismissing her.
On the other other hoof, Twi seems much more likely to have the insecurity that would let her think this was a good idea, she wouldn't have a particularly good medical background and, more importantly, the "oh scheist, everything's gone wrong, I've screwed it up, and it's all ruined forEVer!" breakdown that MDW was having last chapter is classic Twi, along with dropping the whole thing because she's afraid of getting Rainbow hurt, but not knowing how to 'fess up to everything. A spell could change her voice (or practice), and as for appearing in two places - who needs a cloning spell when you can either teleport or, more likely, use a "Come to Life" spell.
On the other, other, other hoof, I'm standing! *slowly twirls about on one hoof as a passing breeze pushes me in a circle like a weathervane*
All joking aside, it opens up an idea that I've been playing with, though I seriously doubt the author's going this way (and if he doesn't, DIBS ON THE IDEA!!!) It's possible that this actually isn't any of the Mane 6, or a secondary pony at all - somehow (possibly as a result of magical experimentation gone awry), one or more of the costumes has acquired the capacity for independent motion and thought, and is acting on its wearer's imprinted emotions.
Remote possibility, but I'm not going to toss it out entirely (and like I said - if he doesn't use it, IT'S MINE! My precioussssss....)
Back to the Mane 6, Applejack was never in the running in my opinion. Despite her ability to switch over to the Manehattan accent, despite the fact that everypony's got a face that they hide away forever, that they take them out and show themselves, when everyone is gone, Applejack is the ELEMENT OF FRICKIN' HONESTY. We've seen how bad she is at lying. Not gonna happen.
Rarity is slowly moving into the realm of the possible; she doesn't have any problem with little white lies (even when they're not so little), her obsession with her own image would make it possible that she'd want to adopt the MDW persona in order to escape it, and she's the sort who'd have found this working in a romance novel and glommed onto the idea. Further, given that she does know about Pinkie's crush, she might try this in the interests of not upsetting Pinkie (if Rainbow falls in love with her, she knows it's at least worth trying to let Pinkie down easily - if not, she doesn't hurt their friendship by starting a rivalry over RD). On the other hoof - woah!
*flops to the floor after taking the fourth one up* Oops.
As I was saying, the problem with that is that I don't know she's got enough of a friendship with Rainbow at this point that it'd be a serious problem. But, then, she might have a different take on things, if she's this desperately in love with Rainbow and afraid of losing what friendship they do have. It also means that it might actually work once she finds out; Rarity isn't Rainbow's best friend, so there's less there to risk losing.
As for the idea that Rainbow's imagining it - no, just no. A: Twi saw MDW. B: Rainbow already knows that she's in love with herself, and wouldn't have to worry about ruining it by falling in love with herself.
Finally, the thought of it being one of the secondary cast? I really hope not. It'd be a direct failure to follow one of the critical rules of a mystery; you have to give the audience a fair chance to solve the mystery, and we haven't gotten any clues as to which of the secondary cast it might be, given the majority of them haven't even been mentioned.
Phew! I'm going to go work on writing something a little shorter than this now. Like maybe a sequel to War and Peace.
*finally starts tracking*
89080
*patpats* It's okay. We all know there was a big, nervous grin under that mask anyway!
89080
WINGBONER
[img]C:\Users\Evan\Desktop[/img]
91462
I don't know who MDW is, but I hope its Pinkie. It could still really be anyone, but I think that has too include Pinkie.
89132
Personally, I like Rainbow and Pinkie together when it's well-written; though I agree it doesn't seem as if Pinkie would be MDW here. It's not her style, even considering the more vulnerable core of her personality that probably is oversensitive to rejection. It's a shame, though, 'cuz that ship is cute more often than not; and at least their personalities are different, yet complementary. But then I also find Dash and Twilight cute, or Pinkie and Twilight; so there are no real "OTPs" in my eyes.
The only ones that tend to completely grate on my nerves are the ones where people stick characters together because of a few superficially similar personality traits in common. Of all the people I know in real life who are in relationships, not a one of them has a partner who's very much like themselves.
92284 Well, that's cool; you're free to like whatever you desire. That's just my own personal opinion. I don't like Fluttershy x Macintosh, I don't like Rainbow x Pinkie, and I don't really care for Rainbow x Fluttershy that much, either. If you love them, then more power to ya! I'm glad you do; this wonderful franchise has enough silly and adorable pairings to go around. But, for me personally, I just don't like them. To me, Rainbow and Pinkie are TOO similar, and thus it just ruins it for me; it's more fun when both characters are different. It's one reason why I love Twilight x Dash, Twilight x Trixie, Twilight x Rarity, Twilight x Pinkie, and basically all the mane six with Twilight. Twilight is so socially awkward and a non-romantic that she's freaking adorable when paired with anypony, including Spike. Twilight and Dash don't have a thing in common, which is why I love them being paired together! Rainbow and Pinkie...they seriously remind me of each other too much, and as such it just bores me.
I strongly think our dear CAD (Canadian Author Dude) isn't gonna make Mare Do Well Pinkie. I think he personally wanted to try something new, despite Rainbow x Pinkie apparently being his favorite ship. It's in my eyes that he wanted to include the pairing ANYWAY, but made it a side-romance and incorporated it into the plot as Pinkie vs. Mare Do Well in competing for Dash's love. I don't think he'd be stupid enough to ruin that by making Pinkie love Dash, and then having Pinkie be Mare Do Well as well. Despite what some people say, that would NOT work. Mare Do Well said that she's a coward and could never confess if she didn't wear the mask. Well, Pinkie DID confess, so...yeah, it's not her. We're gonna get to see two shippings in this story, and I'm excited to see which one is Mare Do Well at the end. My bet is still on a unicorn, either Twilight or Rarity. Applejack and Fluttershy are both very unlikely. At this point, I'm trying to find clues to point the finger at either unicorn; personally, I hope it's Twilight.
MDW is Rarity in my personal opinion; there are a lot of hints in the way MDW acts (she seems to be quite social and tries to be proper when possible). Also Rarity herself has been shown to have a physical side that would make the Mare-Do-Well's stunts possible (see Sisterhooves Social). Besides, Rarity, as a socialite, would know how to flawlessly wear a mask to hide her insecurities, and also recognize the need to do so. At first, I thought it was Pinkie, but just how desperate Pinkie has been acting to win RD's affections is causing me to think otherwise. Pinkie would have to be way more unstable than I believe she is in order to keep up this act. Poor Pinkie, though...I really hope that she doesn't walk away empty-hooved from all of this, given what she's going through right now.
Has it not occurred to anyone that I might not be that great a writer? That maybe I don't have any master plan, and maybe the ending won't be fully satisfying? MAYBE I'M JUST NOT VERY GOOD. DID YOU EVER THINK OF THAT?! HUH?!?!
Seriously, all these comments are making me nervous. You're all so...analytical and logical and way more brilliant than I could ever hope to be. You see all these subtleties in my writing that I don't remember putting there, and you keep finding examples of foreshadowing and clues that were completely unintentional. There's no way I can live up to your expectations, I'm sorry, but...*hangs self*
[/workingonnextchapterasyoureadthis]
92989 "Has it not occurred to anyone that I might not be that great a writer?"
Could have fooled us. Seriously, though, I know it's much easier for us to read all of this and pick up clues (real or imaginary) than it is for you to write this and try to cover all bases. Don't try to live up to high expectations and fall short because of it -- just keep doing what you have been doing and at least I, for one, will be happy if you are. Good job so far and I can't wait to read more!
And thus, there is no denying it. MDW is Pinkie. And if not, you will get the biggest "WHAT THE FUCK" from me when it is revealed.
92989
Psst! Dude!
Three quarters of being a great author is nodding and smiling when people bring up themes and elements that you hadn't been thinking about when you wrote them!
Just remember, when you don't *quite* live up to the ending that everybody wanted, that you'll never manage it. And besides - Stephen King always blows the frickin' ending, and look how much everybody loves his work!