Feathers Are in Style

by Void Chicken

A Casual Dress

The cloud exploded from the impact with Rainbow Dash's hooves. The pegasus shot through the fluffy mass, obliterating what little remained. The cloud banks nearby shuddered from the shockwave. Any ponies that might look up would see Rainbow ripping through the overcast sky, leaving the afternoon sun to shine through.

She climbed out of the clouds before diving back in, carving another swath through her sky. With a flick of her wings, Rainbow Dash circled around a mountain. Rocks and dirt zipped past the tips of her outstretched feathers. Finishing her turn, she delivered oblivion to a few more clouds before climbing high in the sky to admire her work.

Below her, the last remaining clouds of autumn swirled and churned in the air currents she left behind. Rainbow took a deep breath of the cool air. It was the simple things that made life good sometimes.

She turned and made a slow glide down towards the edge of town. Her home, the multilevel cloud house, loomed up to greet her. Rainbow's hooves touched down on her front porch, scattering a few flecks of loose cloud. Stretching her body back and forth, she shook out her wings, feeling her blood flow subside. She took a few steps towards the door before she noticed a few letters protruding from her mailbox.

She reached into the box and fished around within until she was confident she had extracted its contents. She raised the pile to her face, not bothering to close the little door.

"Junk." Rainbow tossed an envelope into the recycling bin she left next to the box for just this purpose. "Junk. Bills. Junk. Ju-huh?" The last envelope in her hooves looked like boring social stuff she never bothered with, except for the note written on the back, signed with Spitfire's cutie mark.

Sorry, Crash, but this is newbie duty. Enjoy the start at least, will you?

She turned it over. Newbie duty? she thought. What's that supposed to mean?

The envelope had a return address of the Central Weather Bureau in Cloudsdale and had a sticker and extra postage over the address to forward it to Rainbow.

She took the letter inside, dropped it on her living room table, and opened it up. A note fell out.

Dear Captain Spitfire,

Please send one of the Wonderbolts for our winter workshop as per usual.

Yours truly,
Golden Goose

Rainbow pulled out the actual letter.

Hey, new weather ponies! It's the end of fall, and you know what that means. That's right: winter's starting. But with cold weather and cold snow comes cold winds and harsh conditions. That's why you're required to come to this year's Winter Weather Wariness Workshop. Here, you'll be taught all about safe flying in snowy conditions, handling the colder clouds, and staying warm when you're out in the field.

The class starts at 6 PM this Saturday, but you can come half an hour early for the meet and greet with a member of the Wonderbolts.

Casual suit or dress is mandatory.

Rainbow's mind flashed back to a memory she wished she'd forgotten. A corny name, wasting a Saturday night, spending over an hour listening to the lecturer droning, and remembering nothing of the lesson afterwards. The only highlight had been meeting a Wonderbolt, High Winds, before the lecture.

Oh. Ah crud. Actually...

Rainbow pictured herself surrounded by a throng of young fans, fawning over her just as she worshipped High Winds. Oh man, that is going to be so sweet! she thought. In her mind she posed dramatically, did flips in the air, and signed autographs for all and sundry. In reality her wings fluttered at the idea.

She picked up the letter again and read it over. The last line caught her eye. Casual dress?

Rainbow set the letter down and scratched her head.

What in the world is a casual dress?

Rainbow had an idea of who would know. She left her house and hopped off the edge of the cloud.

---

Rainbow Dash tossed open the window of Carousel Boutique and let herself in. The room was as clean as Rarity ever kept it. Some half-formed dresses awaited finishing on other cloth ponies around the room. Rows of thread sat on a little shelf above her sewing machine, which itself had a bolt of cloth awaiting its turn under the needle. Rainbow's target was inside, levitating some scissors, needles, and thread around some cloth draped on a mannequin.

"Would it kill you to use the door, Rainbow?" Rarity said without looking up.

Rainbow landed and made her way towards Rarity, being careful not to step on any important-looking scraps of fabric. Then again, she hadn't the faintest idea what was important and what wasn't.

"I dunno,” Rainbow replied. She paused, formulating her next question: “Hey, Rarity, what's a casual dress?"

Rarity's eyes didn't leave her work. "It’s an outfit that one wears at a particularly minor social function, when she is meeting a pony for whom social status is not particularly relevant, or when she is relaxing in her home."

Rainbow tilted her head. "I thought that was called your birthday suit."

Rarity looked up and turned to her. "If you weren't going to be serious, why did you ask me?"

"Sorry, I just got this thing in Cloudsdale on Saturday. They want me to wear a casual dress, but my closet only has those fancy dresses you made for me."

Rarity shuddered, though Rainbow couldn't imagine why. She took a breath, then replied, "I can certainly squeeze one into my schedule. I already have your measurements on file, so you can come back on Saturday to pick it up."

Rainbow hovered up to give Rarity a quick hug around her neck. "Thanks, Rarity. You're the best!"

"It's what I do, Rainbow." Rarity nodded.

Rainbow hopped up onto the windowsill. "But make sure it's cool," she added before she flew out.

---

Right on time, Rainbow Dash arrived outside Cloudsdale's Weather Bureau, a large white structure dotted with windows. A pair of thin colorful waterfalls streamed down the front, and if Rainbow's memory served her, there was one big one in the back.

She checked her dress, turning her head around to see the translucent purple fabric draped across her back. She twitched her back a few times. The dress looked like it was on straight, so Rainbow walked in the door. A small sign posted indicated the way to the Winter Whatever.

After walking down a few hallways she found the auditorium. Rainbow slipped past a hooffull of young adults milling around in the hall. Within the auditorium, she found a yellow pegasus stallion with a white mane waiting for her.

The stallion looked up and tossed his mane. "You must be Rainbow Dash, the Wonderbolt Spitfire sent for today."

"That's right. Wonderbolt Rainbow Dash, at your service." Rainbow stood up straight, opened her wings and struck a pose with her hoof raised.

"Golden Goose, charmed." He looked her over. "But I must inquire. Why have you come wearing a dress?"

Rainbow relaxed again. "Uh, the letter said to wear a casual dress."

"Oh my, that missive is meant for the attendees. The Wonderbolt representative appears in uniform."

Rainbow's hoof met her face. Of course.

He added, "However, I must add that you do look stunning in your dress."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, thanks."

Golden Goose looked past Rainbow and towards the door, where several faces poked through, each jostling for position. "Come in, come in," Golden called, waving to the crowd.

"Yeah, hey," Rainbow said. "Come on in and meet the newest Wonderbolt."

The younger ponies crowded around her. Rainbow set to signing autographs, talking about how awesome the Wonderbolts were, and by extension how awesome she was. She swam in the attention. It was the most enjoyable part of her week.

Suddenly, Golden Goose announced, "Please get to your seats; the presentation is about to begin."

Rainbow set an adoring young fan down. "Already?"

"It has been half an hour, Miss Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow glared at the clock on the wall. She knew it had only been five minutes. The clock was lying; Golden Goose had set it ahead while she wasn't looking. Rainbow grumbled and hovered her way to a back corner.

She leaned into the corner. Behind the desk in the front of the room, Golden Goose set into a droning lecture about safety.

"Good afternoon, young ponies. I am Golden Goose, and I would like to welcome you to the Winter Weather Wariness Workshop. We have a lot to discuss, so I would like to start with the dangers of icing. Icing is a hazard for any pegasus, and learning to control your body heat is key to blah blah nopony cares..."

Everypony knows this, she thought, stifling a groan. Scootaloo knows this. Fluttershy knows this. She paused. Pound Cake knows this. Rainbow had no idea how anypony could talk about nothing for that long, but Golden Goose gave a thorough demonstration.

"You should do your best to angle your feathers et cetera et cetera..."

She glanced over the crowd. A quarter of the present were dressed much fancier than she'd consider casual. A third of them weren't dressed at all. All of them looked like they were as bored as Rainbow. Several heads had already made contact with the desks. Half-covered eyes drifted off of sloppy notes.

Rainbow turned her attention to her dress. The thin purple fabric started between her wings and extended back to cover her rump and her tail. An opaque yellow band near her knees separated the top of the dress from the bottom, a translucent blue filtering her view of her hind legs. Another yellow band hooked in front of her wings to keep the outfit secure. A final strip of yellow ran around her neck, with a gold clasp holding the two halves together on her throat.

"And even the staunchest weatherpony needs to ensure that they wear blah blah I love to talk."

The hem was very even, each stitch exactly the same length and in a perfect line. Rainbow supposed that Rarity's sewing machine had created this particular section, but her craftsmareship was still exquisite.

Princesses ascended, empires rose and fell, ponykind was destroyed and remade. Further eons passed before Golden finished his lecture and the room emptied like a dam breaking.

Rainbow's bid for freedom was interrupted by Golden Goose. "If I could have a moment, Miss Rainbow Dash."

"What's up?" You already took an hour of my life I'll never get back.

Golden straightened himself up. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but I help organize the Winter's Dawn Festival in Canterlot every year. It's not a very popular event, I must admit, but we would be honored to have you attend nevertheless." He pulled a small card off of the nearby desk and gave it to Rainbow.

Rainbow read it: 'Invitation to the Winter's Dawn Festival for Wonderbolt Rainbow Dash and date, at 4 PM on Winter Eve.'

She lowered the card. "Date? And uh, you had that printed before you knew I'd be the one showing up here?"

Golden smiled. "I know how Spitfire thinks. As for a date, if you do not have a coltfriend, I would be happy to fill the position."

Rainbow backed up a step, then pushed herself forward. "As a matter of fact, I do have a coltfriend and he is awesome and I will be there with him."

Golden pursed his lips and his cheek creased to the side. "I see. I look forwards to meeting him."

Rainbow snorted and walked out.

Creep.

---

"Ugh. Why did I tell him I had a coltfriend? I should have just said no." Rainbow clapped her wings against her sides in frustration.

Rarity lay on her couch, inspecting her hooves. "It would have been best to, but if you declined to show now, it would hurt your reputation as a Wonderbolt. What's done is done, I'm afraid."

Rainbow paced back and forth. "Where am I going to find a stallion willing to go to Canterlot with me in"—she stopped to do some mental math—"two days? Should I just wander the streets of Ponyville asking every stallion I see?" She groaned. "I'm not even into stallions!"

A file wrapped in a blue glow removed some loose fragments from Rarity's right forehoof. "If a stallion would not be to your liking, perhaps you should take a mare instead."

Rainbow turned to face Rarity. "That's the same problem with a different gender!"

Rarity bent her body to one side and extended her right hind leg forward, then got to work with the file. "I certainly can't imagine where you might find a mare skilled in social situations willing to visit Canterlot."

Rainbow paused. "Wait, you? You'd do that for me?"

"That was my implication, yes. You'd save face, I'd have an opportunity to make a few new connections"—Rarity looked up at Rainbow—"and somepony would be there to ensure that you don't act out of place and damage your image in proper society."

"And all I gotta do is tell them you're my marefriend." Rainbow looked down in thought for a moment. "I think I can swing that. You're good at that romance stuff, so we can get a good strategy going."

Rarity smirked. "You make it sound like this is a contest."

"Oh, that's even better." Rainbow stamped the floor. "You and me versus a bunch of snooty Canterlot ponies."

That got a chuckle. "I must admit, a spot of deception sounds exciting. If anypony asks afterward, we can simply say that our relationship did not work out."

Rainbow took to a hover. "I can't believe I was mad about this whole thing. Thanks a ton, Rarity." She pumped her hoof. "This is going to be awesome!"

---

In several days' time, the sun over Canterlot made its way towards its last setting of the season. Rainbow Dash and Rarity approached the cast iron archway, which had several silver flowers attached to it. Ahead lay a green clearing and a gathering of dressed-up ponies, primarily unicorns.

Rainbow had on a navy blue and gold item laced with clouds. She'd found it buried in her closet and it ironed out well enough. Rarity wore a dark purple dress that Rainbow was sure she'd never seen before. Rarity had her normal amount of social makeup on; Rainbow had never worn makeup before and wasn't about to start.

As the two walked under the arch, Rarity murmured, "Remember, Rainbow, we are marefriends, and you must act like we are a couple."

Rainbow nodded. "Got it."

"Ah, Miss Rainbow Dash, it is a pleasure to see you here." Golden Goose had spotted them and approached the couple with a grin. "I see you've brought your, uh..." His smile faded into a slight frown. "I believe that you said you were bringing a coltfriend?"

“What?” Rainbow shifted closer to Rarity. “My babe Rarity is my marefriend.” Out of the corner of her eye, Rainbow could see her stiffen up. “I don’t know what made you think I was bringing a colt.”

Golden's face scrunched up. He looked back and forth across the floor, and his mouth moved slightly. Rainbow rather enjoyed watching it. He breathed in, then out through his nose.

Rarity cleared her throat. “Indeed, Rainbow Dash here is my dear marefriend. I suppose you simply must have misheard her. My apologies for any confusion, Mister…?”

"Golden Goose."

"Of course." Rarity turned away, beckoning Rainbow to follow. They proceeded into a grassy area. A massive brown tent, edged with loops of red and orange fabric, stood over a significant section of the lawn. Similar, smaller tents dotted various corners outside it.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Rarity turned to Rainbow.

"BABE?" Rarity whispered with a volume that Rainbow didn't think was possible. "You had every term of endearment in the world and you chose babe?"

Rainbow grimaced. "Uh, sorry, it just kinda slipped out there."

"Too many ponies heard it to change it now." Rarity let a long breath out through her nose. "We will just have to make do. But do be more careful with your word choice in the future, Rainbow. For my part, I think I will refer to you as 'dearie' for the evening."

"Sure thing, babe." Rainbow pretended to ignore Rarity's eye twitch and looked towards the large canopy tent. "Oh sweet, there's a buffet. I'm gonna get some grub."

Rarity positioned herself between Rainbow and the tent. "We are marefriends, and marefriends do things together. This is a social gathering, and I fully intend to socialize." She flicked her head towards a pair of fancy-looking unicorns before setting off towards them. Rainbow rolled her eyes and followed.

"Sparkling River! Emerald Gleam!" Rarity called towards the two. "It has been far too long since we have talked. How are you two doing these days? We absolutely must catch up...."

After entirely too much socializing and pretending to be classy, dinner finally arrived. Rarity carefully selected an assortment of fruits and small flowers. Rainbow just loaded her plate with whatever looked good.

Rarity brushed some dirt off of a seat with a piece of cloth before shaking it off, then motioned Rainbow to sit. Rainbow plonked her plate on the small, round table and sat down. Rarity repeated her cleaning on the opposite side of the table and gently set herself down.

"So, dearie," Rarity started, "how has your evening been so far?"

"Boring." Rainbow stuffed a third of an apple in her mouth.

"I must admit, this has not been as productive of a gathering as I had hoped." She leaned in to speak quieter. "Many of these ponies are not terribly significant."

Rainbow swallowed. "Compared to us, you mean."

Rarity sat back. "Well, I don't mean to brag, but I have rubbed elbows with all four princesses, as well as sold dresses to much of Canterlot's high society. I daresay these ponies are benefiting from meeting me more than the other way around. But we are still marefriends, and we should eat appropriately."

"And how do marefriends eat?"

A chunk of pineapple gained a blue aura and hovered towards Rainbow's mouth. "Open up," Rarity commanded. Rainbow obliged and felt it sink into her tongue. The tart, sugary juices spread through her mouth. At least the food's all right, she thought.

Rainbow chewed her food and stabbed a grape with her fork, then swallowed. "I feel like a foal in a high chair." She offered the grape to Rarity, who ate it off the fork.

"It's romantic," Rarity said after she finished.

Rainbow glanced at Rarity's plate. "If you say so. Want the melon?"

They fed each other several more bites before returning to feeding themselves. Despite the difference in portions, Rarity finished only a short time before Rainbow did.

Rainbow Dash licked her lips. "Not bad."

"It was a very simple selection. Hardly any preparation, just ingredients tossed onto platters." Rarity harrumphed. "But we had fun feeding each other, didn't we? However, since we're still here, we might as well keep up being marefriends."

Rainbow suppressed a sigh. "And what are we doing this time?"

"Lovingly gazing into each other's eyes, of course. It's a typical activity among couples." Rarity leaned slightly in, setting her forehooves up on the table and nestling her chin on her knees. Rainbow copied the pose and looked into Rarity's eyes.

They gazed in silence for a few moments.

Rarity's brow lowered. "For goodness' sake, Rainbow, this isn't a staring contest. At least try to look like you're enjoying being in your marefriend's company."

Rainbow let her mind wander. The first day of winter was the next day, so the Ponyville weather team had its work cut out for it. She'd be back in town a little after noon to check up on progress. If all else failed, Rainbow could certainly arrange the snow clouds herself. She just didn't want to.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a voice. "Oh, I just have to say how cute you two look together!"

Rainbow and Rarity both turned their attention to the unicorn who had approached while they were busy with each other. She was pinkish-purple with a blue mane. Rainbow remembered her from earlier in the day. Half of her name was Ribbon. The other half escaped Rainbow.

"Why thank you," Rarity replied with a smile. "I'm very close to my dear Rainbow Dash, you see."

"How long have you been seeing each other, if I might ask?" Ribbon said.

"Two weeks," Rainbow said at the same time that Rarity said, "a month."

"Two months," Rainbow corrected. "But we're super affectionate and we kiss, like, all the time." She waved her hoof for emphasis.

Rarity's face dropped. What? Rainbow thought. Oh. Oh crud.

"Yes well," Rarity quickly added. "My marefriend and I do indulge in some affectionate gestures from time to time.” There was an awkward silence. "If you would be so kind as to give us a little privacy?"

"Of course!" The Ribbon pony turned and left.

Rainbow grimaced and swallowed the lump in her throat. She looked to Rarity, who was avoiding her gaze for the moment.

"There's nothing for it now," Rarity said, looking back towards her. "You told them that we're kissing and... we must... keep up appearances for anypony else who may be watching." She reluctantly leaned forward.

Rainbow moved to meet her across the table. Rainbow flashed an apologetic look. Rarity returned an annoyed one.

Their eyes closed and their lips met.

Ten seconds later, they parted.

Rarity quickly straightened herself up. "Well, that was that." She pulled out her cloth and wiped Rainbow's mouth clean of stray lipstick, before retrieving a small mirror and a tube from some other pocket in her dress and patching the gaps on her own lips.

Rainbow wiped her mouth off with her foreleg. "Yeah, how about we don't do that again."

Rarity stood up and cleared her throat. "I believe we've had enough socializing for today. Let's head to the hotel, shall we?"

---

Rainbow Dash and Rarity approached the front desk of the hotel, luggage in tow. It was a smaller hotel, only a few minutes' walk from the Festival's venue. It had a simple white decor, with sections of wood here and there. Rainbow was sure that Rarity would have no end of criticism if she asked.

"Welcome to the West Canterlot Inn," the concierge said. "How may I help you?"

"Give us two rooms, will ya?" Rainbow said.

Rarity interjected, "What my dear marefriend meant to say was that we would like a small room with a bed big enough for two." She retrieved a pile of coins from wherever she kept things in that dress of hers. "Keep the change, dear."

The concierge hesitated. "Of course. Your room is number three-oh-five, just up the stairs to your left." He took the coins and levitated a key to Rarity.

Rarity made her way up the stairs. Rainbow opted to fly, carrying their large suitcase. "Why do we need the same room?" she asked.

"Because there might be ponies who recognize us staying here as well, and I will not be spending tomorrow answering questions about the state of our relationship."

The two reached their room, clad in the same white and wooden decor as the rest of the hotel. A queen-sized bed dominated the center of the room. The window offered a clear view of the side of Canterlot Mountain, but little else.

"Honeymoon Suite this ain't." Rainbow turned her head to pull open her dress, flicking her legs to dislodge the fabric from her body. A hem tugged on her feathers as it passed her wing.

Rarity magically gathered the pieces that Rainbow left, as well as her own as she disrobed. "I had asked for a small room, but I must admit this is somewhat smaller than I expected."

Silence filled the room. "Okay," Rainbow said, "we gotta talk about it."

Rarity finished delicately placing the dresses into the suitcase. "Talk about what, Rainbow?"

"The kiss." Rainbow shook her head to restore her mane to its usual self.

"I don't know what there is to say. I wouldn't have had to put my mouth against yours if you hadn't shot it off."

Rainbow rubbed her tail to smooth it down again. "At least I know what your tongue tastes like now." She scraped her tongue against her teeth.

Rarity nodded in that manner-of-fact way. "You opened your mouth."

"You tried to push your tongue through it!" Rainbow tossed up her forehooves.

"It’s how marefriends kiss, Rainbow. Have you never been kissed before?"

"Not like that!" Rainbow Dash raised her voice, then lowered it again. "Actually, that was my first kiss ever."

Rarity covered her gasp with a hoof. "Oh, Rainbow. I had no idea. If I had known, I would have tried to come up with something. A reason for us to avoid it."

Rainbow walked through the bathroom doorway. "Well you didn't. So congratulations." She hit the door with her rump to close it behind her.

Rainbow's shower that night was much shorter than she normally preferred. Afterward, Rarity passed Rainbow without a word on her way into the bathroom. Some time later, Rarity left the bathroom again, her mane and tail wrapped in the hotel's towels. Rainbow had since curled up on the floor.

Rarity set to rubbing her mane dry. "What are you doing?"

Rainbow swiveled an ear in her direction, not bothering to look. "What's it look like? Getting some sleep."

"And what is wrong with the bed?"

Rainbow opened an eye to see Rarity without her makeup on, with white eyelids and no lashes. "There's one bed and two of us. And I know it'll be a sunny day in Tartarus before you let yourself sleep on the floor, so here I am." She closed her eye again.

"Don't be ridiculous. The bed is large enough for both of us." Rarity returned a towel to its rack. "We might not be marefriends, but I am perfectly willing to share a bed rather than leave you to sleep on a cold floor with no blanket."

"Whatever." Rainbow stood and climbed into the bed, pulling the sheets over herself. Rarity removed her last towel, patted her tail a few times, then joined Rainbow.

With a flick of magic, the room's lights went out.

"You're warm," she said in the dark, feeling Rarity’s back against hers, subtly shifting as they breathed.

"Most ponies are, Rainbow. Goodnight!"

Rainbow lay still for a minute. She wiggled back and forth in an attempt to get comfortable against the unfamiliar warmth, which solicited a grunt from its owner. Rainbow took a deep breath, let it out, and let herself fall asleep.

Comments

[Harmony Pie]

Aw, I love it

[Diamond Sparkle]

Me too.

[Dreams of Ponies]

Well, I'll stay tuned. I love a good Raridash fic

[Starlight Nova]

In the picture, why does Rarity have a lionlike tail?

[bjorn2345]

Man there has been a drought of decent ship fics on here, thanks for this

[Void Chicken]

7848713 It's how my cover artist prefers to draw unicorn tails. Unicorns were drawn in classical art with cloven hooves and lion tails, after all.

[fourths]

yesyesyesyesyesyes
cutecutecutecutecute
Have you come to cure the world of its drought of Raridash multichapters? With the lovely Space Jazz editing to boot? Eeeee!

[Sidotsy]

:good:

[Wahtiff]

Everypony knows this,she thought,

Everypony, Rainbow?

Scootaloo knows this. Fluttershy knows this.She paused.Pound Cake knows this.

Oh. I would've thought she was joking, but then she mentioned the Cake Twins....

[Wahtiff]

What?” Rainbow shifted closer to Rarity. “My babe Rarity is mymarefriend.” Out of the corner of her eye, Rainbow could see her stiffen up. “I don’t know what made you think I was bringing a colt.”

Okay, yep, I actually would've stupidly had Dash make a very UN-Rainbow Dash response here. Good thing you're writing this.

[The Drunken Sailor]

Good prose, good hook, good first chapter. I enjoy that they haven't fallen all over each other yet.

Also this

Princesses ascended, empires rose and fell, ponykind was destroyed and remade. Further eons passed before Golden finished his lecture and the room emptied like a dam breaking.

Gave me a chuckle.

[TheFanFicPony]

Rainbow's shower that night was much shorter than she normally preferred. Afterward, Rarity passed Rainbow without a word on her way into the bathroom. Some time later, Rarity left the bathroom again, her mane and tail wrapped in the hotel's towels. Rainbow had since curled up on the floor.

aww