Speak From the Heart

by Halp

Chapter 12 - Day 9

The smell of the forest air on the wind washed over you as you relaxed outside in the garden with Fluttershy. The rain from the night before continued to beat down on Ponyville and the Everfree forest, but you both remained safe and dry under an awning you helped her put up. The wind was gentle enough as to not push it over, but still enough to give you a slight chill. After a short debate, you helped Fluttershy bring out some light blankets so that you could sit in your chairs comfortably, without fear of getting sick. The conversations of the night before echoed in your mind, but you didn't feel any different sharing a moment like this with her. You wagered that your talk had actually solidified your friendship with her, as awkward and occasionally confusing as it had been up to this point. You both remained silent as you sat and listened to the rain, occasionally turning to the table between you to snatch up some of the fruit you had brought out.

In the distance, you noticed something moving against the direction of the clouds. After a moment's inspection, you realized it was Rainbow Dash, streaking towards the cottage at high speed. Strangely enough, just as you were able to start making out details of the speeding pegasus, she held out her wings and braked mid-air to an almost complete halt. Fluttershy perked up at the sound of wings beating the air, and craned her neck to the side to see Rainbow Dash descending to your spot in the garden.

"Good morning! How are you?" Fluttershy greeted cheerfully.

"Oh, I'm fine. Figured I'd come over and see what you guys were up to." Rainbow Dash stepped under your awning and shook the water off of her wings in one swift movement and sat down in front of the table. "What exactly are you doing?" You held up your hand as Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, and drew out a few cards from the pouch in your lap.

[We're relaxing.] Rainbow Dash gave you a funny look after reading the cards in your hand, and exchanged glances with Fluttershy.

"Relaxing? But it's, like, 8:00 A.M., how can you be relaxing already?" she exclaimed in amazement. "The day's barely started!"

"I always start my day calmly and slowly, if I'm not too busy," Fluttershy chimed in. "Since Anon's able to help with breakfast and occasional morning chores, I get a little more time for myself before I have to really get going."

[Why not join us?] Rainbow Dash snickered a bit at your offer, but remained seated.

"I don't really know if relaxing first thing in the morning is really my thing, but it's not like I have anything else to do." You were surprised at her standoffish tone, but Fluttershy didn't seem to notice it in the slightest, closing her eyes and laying her head back against the chair. You got up and pulled a third chair forward in between yours and Fluttershy's, certain that it would make a better seat than sitting in the wet grass. Rainbow Dash have you her thanks, and stretched out with a long yawn. A few quiet moments passed before she leaned over to Fluttershy.

"So what are you doing today?" Rainbow Dash inquired, gently startling Fluttershy.

"Me? I'm going to visit a doe that lives nearby, who recently gave birth to her first fawn. They've been doing well, but I wanted to check in on them again to make sure everything's still alright," Fluttershy explained cheerily.

"Oh, wow. Make sure to give her my congratulations." Rainbow Dash whipped back in her seat and turned to you with a grin. "How about you? Any plans for the day?" You grabbed your chin as you pretended to consider your normally empty schedule. You shook your head and shrugged, spurring Rainbow Dash's smile to grow.

"You could always come hang out at my place, if you're not doing anything," she remarked, looking back to Fluttershy. "You know, when you're done here."

[That sounds nice. In a little bit, then.] You arranged the cards carefully in your lap, making sure that she could read them easily.

"Awesome!" She pumped her hoof in the air to herself, and settled back into her chair. "So, uh, when will you be done?" You closed your eyes as you rested your head against the chair and shrugged. You heard Rainbow Dash sigh in exasperation, and let only a hint of an amused smile spread across your face.

"Maybe that's a good idea, Anon," Fluttershy piped up. "I wasn't planning on being out here much longer, anyway." Rainbow Dash practically launched herself onto the grass from her chair in excitement.

"Yeah, maybe that's a good idea! Actually DOING something!" she joked. Fluttershy rolled her eyes, and got up from her seat. You exchanged amused glances with her briefly before she bid both of you farewell and headed inside the cottage.

"So!" Rainbow Dash blurted out, unfurling her wings to stretch them out widely- or was that flexing? "I think we should have a race, first. How does that sound?" You fished through your pouch as you stood up, looking for the right answer.

[I guess. Where to?]

"To my house, where else? And the winner should get a prize." She turned her back to you as she thought, and you snapped your fingers to get her attention.

[That's hardly fair.] The corners of her mouth drew up into a cheeky grin, and you could see that familiar competitive look in her eyes.

"How is it not fair? Are you scared you're gonna lose?" she taunted.

[Yes. I don't know where it is.] You struggled to hold all of the cards in just your hands, and wished Twilight could have given you some kind of portable podium of sorts. You expected a response from Rainbow Dash, but was met with a huge gust of air and spray of water as she quickly took off into the air.

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to get there first- you can just follow me!"

You held your pouch firmly closed in one hand as you jogged off towards her, careful to make the jump over the creek before starting into a sprint. Seeing her start to pull away rapidly, you put real force behind your strides and quickened your already breakneck pace down the grassy slope leading away from Fluttershy's cottage. Luckily for you, Rainbow Dash was only twenty, maybe thirty feet above the ground, low enough for you to keep track of her against the dark gray clouds above her. The hill evened out into level ground and let into loosely arranged forest that blocked your view of Rainbow Dash. You kicked hard against the ground and leapt high into the air above the trees, considerably higher than you had anticipated; while you were still far behind her, you sailed well above her altitude in a long arc.

Much to your amusement, she actually turned her head behind her and slowed down to check for you behind her. You quickly realized that, at the rate she was now travelling, you were at serious risk of colliding with her. Unable to call out her name, you yelled loudly as you started your descent. She barely heard you in time, just a blur flying down out of nowhere like a screaming banshee. You twisted your body to try and land in a clearing ahead of her, and braced yourself for the impact. Even as waterlogged as the ground was, it had little give beneath your crushing landing, and let out a loud schlock sound as you took off once more.

"What the hay, Anon!?" Rainbow Dash cried out behind you. "You trying to kill me or something?"

You cackled excitedly as you rushed through the trees, narrowly avoiding rocks and overhead branches while you took off. In your adrenaline rush, you remembered that Rainbow Dash was the one that knew where you were headed, but you tossed that thought aside. It was likely that Rainbow Dash took a straight path from her home to the cottage, and so it stood to reason that if you continued on in a straight line, you would eventually find it. Just as you affirmed the thought, the forest before you cleared up to reveal a small valley dotted with pink trees. In the distance, you saw a stunning, mansion-like structure with a giant rainbow spilling out of it floated in the air. Instead of risking a jump down the incoming hill, you turned your heels to slide down its bank, spraying water and mud behind you. Rainbow Dash sailed into view, flying upside down and yawning as if she were ready to take a nap. After flashing you a toothy, smug grin, she flipped rightside-up and sped away from you towards the Cloudominium. Confident that your ride down was clear of any obstructions and that you would likely lose the race, you looked back up to observe Rainbow Dash's home a bit more. Like Fluttershy had said, it looked like it was built entirely out of clouds, and to call it grandiose was an understatement. If this was housing for one pegasus, you thought, what could an entire civilization possibly look like?

You felt the grass beneath your sneakers start to drag on your feet as the hill flattened out, and broke into a run once more. You were honestly surprised at how quickly you had travelled there; it couldn't have possibly been more than two or three minutes that you had been tailing Rainbow Dash. It was difficult to tell if it had just been a short distance, or if you were really just capable of maintaining such an inhuman speed for so long. You didn't know what was so special about Equestria that let you accomplish such feats, but you weren't complaining. Almost a minute later, you saw Rainbow Dash land on the ground beneath the Cloudominium, and forced one last breakneck sprint towards her.

"I'm impressed, Anon, you almost had me there," Rainbow Dash chuckled, playfully punching your shoulder. "For that, I'll forget about that whole prize thing. It was a joke, anyway." You huffed an unintelligible response as you felt yourself come down from your adrenaline-induced high, absolutely exhausted.

"What was that? You should probably stick to your cards, Anon," Rainbow Dash teased. You flattened out the pouch, which had been crumpled in your grip for the past few minutes, and pulled a few out.

[No, it was a deal.] You panted heavily as you displayed them to her, and tried your best to smile convincingly. You didn't explicitly agree to the bet, but what harm could it possibly do?

"Well, that's fine with me, I guess," she remarked, shrugging. "I don't have anything for you to do right now, but I'll keep it in mind." You acknowledged her statement with a nod. Suddenly, you were struck by realization as you looked up to the enormous house above you- you might have made it to Rainbow Dash's home, but you had no means of actually making your way up to enter. Even if Rainbow Dash had a cloud to carry you up with, Twilight wasn't around to cast her cloud-walking spell again. You started going through your pouch frantically to alert her, but she stopped you with a knowing smile.

"If you're worried about getting up there, I already had something in mind," she assured, bouncing her eyebrows at you. "Just wait here for a second." With that, she took to the air and flew up to the front entrance. The booming sound of the doors slamming open, similar to wood, caught you off-guard. You stood patiently beneath the cloud structure for a couple minutes, before the mare shot out of one of the windows and returned to you. She was carrying a bottle of purple fluid in her mouth by its long neck, and dragging behind her a familiar-looking cloud tied up with rope. She settled down in front of you and offered you the potion, gently spitting it out into your palm.

"That right there is a special cloud-walking potion that Zecora made for me," she explained. "You know, for guests?" she added, returning your confused look with a sardonic expression.

You apprehensively undid the cork on the potion, letting the sour smell of the fluid waft up to your nose. The last potion you had did a number on you, and you weren't in any rush to repeat that experience.

[Will it hurt?]

"I don't think so. Most ponies say it tastes terrible, but I don't know how it is myself," she replied. You downed the entire bottle in one go, forcing yourself to choke down what tasted like melted erasers mixed with grapes, with the consistency of maple syrup. At no point in your life had you wished for a drink of water than you did right then. While you recovered from the experience, Rainbow Dash put your cloud on the ground in front of you, taking back the bottle and jamming the cork back in. A tingling sensation spread throughout your skin, and you shuddered uneasily, hoping that it was only the potion taking effect. You tested your weight on the cloud and found that you weren't able to pass through, and promptly sat upon it. You both exchanged nods, and Rainbow Dash gently carried you up to the entrance above you.

Up close, you were amazed at how detailed the place was. Her home was distinctly Greek-inspired, with huge columns and archways that almost looked like they were made of marble. You placed your hand upon one and was shocked to find that it even felt like solid stone. Rainbow Dash chuckled as you examined her home in awe, and opened the front door for you to reveal an even more impressive interior, decorated with pegasus statues and various trophies. Oddly enough, you could have sworn that a few of those statues were actually of Rainbow Dash herself.

"Here, I'll take you to the kitchen for something to wash that down," she called out as she sailed past you through a doorway on your left. You had to jog to keep up with Rainbow Dash, and tried to take in every detail around you as you ran through the halls behind her.

You were stopped in your tracks as you ran face-first into something cold and hard that wasn't in the hallway a split-second before. You slammed backwards into the floor, and held your throbbing forehead as you searched for the obstacle. The object slid down the hall and collided with a door not too far from you with a dull thud. On closer inspection, it looked like a small, green tortoise with a propeller attached to its back. Unlike you, it looked relatively unfazed by the collision, and calmly strode towards you. You sat up and continued massaging the welt forming on your forehead while the tortoise stopped before you. Rainbow Dash quickly came round the corner ahead to uncover the source of the noise, and bolted towards you with visible concern. At least, you had assumed she was heading towards you, until she scooped up the tortoise in her forelegs and started fawning over it.

"Oh, are you okay, Tank? I'm sure it was just an accident!" she cooed, turning him over in her hooves and inspecting him for any sign of injury. Tank gave her a long lick, to which she giggled cutely before putting him back onto the ground. "Tough as always."

"Sorry about that, Anon. Are you alright?" You nodded and gave her a thumbs-up, hoping the bumps on your head wouldn't be too noticeable.

You chugged down the glass of water, grateful to wash away the bitter taste in your mouth that had been lingering. You wiped your mouth on your sleeve after downing the entire glass in one go, and offered it back to Rainbow Dash.

"Wow, thirsty, huh?" she commented, setting the glass onto the counter by the sink. "Of course, most ponies are after having one of those potions. I should talk to Zecora about that." As she considered the idea, you fetched a few cards out of your pouch.

[What are we doing today?] It was a simple question- Rainbow Dash had invited you to her home, but so far all you'd done was exhaust yourself and nearly give yourself a concussion twice-over. She read over the cards and suddenly perked up in surprise.

"That's... a good question, actually," she muttered to herself before pacing the kitchen. "What are we gonna do? I can't go outside to practice in the rain." You waved your hand to get her attention as you reached for your pouch again, opting to place your cards onto the island in the center of the room.

[Why not? It's not that bad out.]

"I might have fur, but even ponies can get sick out in the rain, Anon," Rainbow Dash chided. "Flying at high speeds while wet can get a pegasus sick in a heartbeat." You nodded your head, conceding her point. You thought about suggesting she explain some of her trophies and awards, but given her normal attitude and their sheer volume, it didn't sound like a great idea. The size of her home gave you a hint of inspiration.

[What if you flew under your house? It's pretty big, and would protect you from the rain.] It seemed as good an idea as any to you, and you waited patiently for her to finish reading your thought.

"Under the house? I mean, that could work," she replied, rubbing her chin. "There's not quite enough room to do all of my high-speed stunts, but it wouldn't be impossible to get some good practice in."

[Sounds good, then.] Satisfied, you scooped up your cards and started towards the doorway. Before you could leave the kitchen, though, you felt something latch onto the back of your shirt and hold you firmly in place. You turned to see Rainbow Dash's teeth gripped onto the fabric, with her magenta eyes looking up at you with concern.

"Hol' on, der," she mumbled over the fabric, before spitting it out. "What about you? Don't you want to do anything fun? You already watched my practice the other day!" You scratched the back of your head and chuckled. Sure, you had seen parts of her routine before, but at the time you had been more preoccupied with examining the landscape around Ponyville and playing with your tiny cloud sculptures to pay any serious attention to her.

[I don't mind. I like watching you.] Not a lie, no, but definitely a cover for your real thoughts. You didn't want to hurt her pride, after all. Her eyes gleamed at your response, and she nodded happily before taking to the air and slowly flying past you. You followed her back to the entrance and seated yourself on your cloud, ready for her to carry you down below.

You inhaled the crisp, cool air as you descended to the halfway point between the house and the ground, and drew out your whiteboard and marker as Rainbow Dash turned back around.

"What's that for? Were you gonna draw me, soaring majestically through the air?" she teased, raising an eyebrow. You nodded without hesitation- you didn't have much practice drawing moving figures, and there wasn't a better time for you to start than trying to focus on her. You watched her smirk drop, replaced by a surprised frown. "I... didn't actually think you would say yes. But I've got a better idea!" She flew out a couple feet from you, towards the center space beneath the Cloudominium.

"I'm gonna tell you what my tricks will be, and you can give me a score on how good they are!" You waved your hands frantically, gesturing for her to come back.

[I still can't write numbers.] You felt sorry for her as her ears drooped a little, but she instantly perked back up and patted you on the shoulder.

"You can count, right?" You nodded emphatically. "Maybe you can just draw tally marks, then? Just big vertical lines, and you do the sideways one like this-" Rainbow Dash took the marker out of your hand with her mouth and drew four tall lines, with a fifth crossing them diagonally, before dropping the marker back into your lap.

"I can still read that from a distance, and I'll probably already know how to improve anyway. The feedback would help, though." You gave her another thumbs-up, and readied yourself to score her.

"Alright! The first trick is a triple corkscrew, and then a jacknife into a dead drop, and after that..." You struggled to keep up with the pegasus as she continued listing off aerial stunts, several of which you clearly knew weren't actual words. After losing count of just how many she had planned, you held up your hand to stop her.

[I barely know half of those.]

"Wait, really?" she blurt out, rubbing her forehead in frustration. "Well, that's not a problem, I guess. I'll slow it down for you, then. One at a time, and I'll see what you think of each one before I do it again. Sound good?" You nodded again, and watched her carefully as she flew back to her starting position. After you exchanged nods with her, she soared up towards the foundation of her home, and spiraled over your head in three large corkscrews. Your head snapped back to try and follow her, and you nearly fell backwards onto the cloud from the gust of wind following her at high speed.

"How was that? I'm talking about how smooth the corkscrews were, and how straight the whole thing looked," she called out, flying back. You'd barely registered her whole flight in great detail, and quickly drew five tally marks on your board before holding it up to her to see.

"A five!?" Rainbow Dash's jaw practically fell off of her face as she flew over to double-check your feedback. "I didn't know you were so critical, Anon, or I would have never suggested this!" You knew she was joking, but her tone was still harsh enough to make you feel a little guilty. You gestured for her to try the trick again, pointing with both hands toward two spots out in front of you. "You want me to do it over here this time?" You grunted in approval, and erased the marks on your board with the back of your hand for her next attempt. Being able to see her flight from a farther distance helped, and you could tell that her first corkscrew went slightly higher than the others. The rate that she ascended and descended and sailed side-to-side was acceptable, but the first loop was definitely off. Or was it? You weren't an expert, but you put down another rating anyway, just in time for her to pull out of her flight and look in your direction.

"An eight? That's good, but not good enough. I think the start of it is what's tripping me up," she yelled, directed more at herself than you. Once more, she sped towards one side of the Cloudominium, this time arcing into her corkscrews much faster, evening out the kink that you had initially spotted.

You continued to score Rainbow Dash as she performed more tricks- her loop-the-loops were clearly well-practiced, but she seemed to struggle to get sharp, repeated turns properly when it came to exiting them and moving straight into another trick. It took several attempts for her to be able to maneuver into them consistently, especially jack-knifing towards the ground like she had mentioned earlier. Still, over the next hour, she showed serious improvement for such a short amount of time. You were also improving on keeping track of her movements, even those of her wings, which seemed to beat almost as fast as a regular bird's. Rainbow Dash really was stunning to watch, even if it was just the same set of tricks again and again from different angles. She stood out drastically from the underside of her cloud home and the dark, dreary sky above it, and watching her started to become absolutely mesmerizing. Eventually, Rainbow Dash felt satisfied with your scoring of her performance, and opted to 'let' you watch as she moved on to different, more complicated tricks.

"Don't worry about scoring me anymore, Anon," she had said with a wide grin. "I know I'm awesome, I just wanted to get your perspective, too." Without another word, she had taken off and started perfecting her own tricks, the names of which were even more ridiculous than the ones she had listed off earlier. You kept watching her, only looking away to make addition to your sketches of her mid-flight. She was particularly expressive when she was flying, assuming a driven, focused look in her eyes, full of determination and excitement. Her rainbow-colored mane whipped in the air behind her, and you became quickly aware of why she had it cut so short- anything longer, and it would have only gotten in the way. Drawing her toned body was probably the most captivating part of the entire experience, and you fought to focus on your drawing rather than taking her in with your own eyes.

“Whoa, Anon. That’s actually really good.” Rainbow Dash's quiet words of disbelief jerked you away from your drawing, making you painfully aware of how close she was looking over your shoulder. You nodded in agreement, holding the whiteboard out at a distance. You had done your best to capture Rainbow Dash’s figure mid-turn, focusing on the twisting of her barrel and her splayed out wings as she righted herself coming out of her previous stunt. In your mind, it wasn’t anything impressive. On the contrary, trying to properly keep her figure proportioned was immensely difficult, given that you had little experience drawing ponies, especially ones moving at incredible speeds.

“Hey, uh, can I ask you something dumb?” She turned to the side and avoided your gaze, smiling awkwardly. “Did you plan on, you know… putting that on paper?” It wasn’t a question you were expecting, but it was harmless enough. Redrawing it wouldn’t be as fluid as drawing it in the moment, but it wouldn't be difficult, either. You shook your head, and fished through your pouch for a moment.

[Why do you ask?]

"No reason! I just thought that if you wanted to keep that drawing, or something, I could give you paper to put it on." You folded your arms and shot Rainbow Dash an accusatory look. Somehow, she seemed even worse at lying than Fluttershy.

“I think I’ve got some in my room, come on!” she bubbled excitedly, leading you up the first set of stairs as you returned inside. Your lungs were heaving by the time you reached the sixth flight, and you had started breaking a sweat. You might have been plenty stronger than a normal human, but your stamina definitely needed some work. You wondered how any of Rainbow Dash's non-flying guests ever navigated the gigantic house, and whether or not they actually stayed long enough to need housing.

Rainbow Dash eventually turned to a large doorway, framed by large pillars and decor, presumably her room, judging by the number of Rainbow Dash-esque statues that lead up to it. She hurried inside and started digging through drawers near her bed, and pulled out a small, unlabeled wire-bound notebook. She quickly tore a sheet from it, and offered it to you.

"I don't really have a lot of spare paper, but you can have a blank page from my diary," she explained with a cheery grin.

[A diary?] You didn't expect Rainbow Dash to keep a diary, but then again, there wasn't much reason for her not to.

"Twilight suggested I keep a diary for whenever I run into personal stuff, you know? It's not really a big deal, and I don't use it often, but it helps. Sometimes." She took a standoffish tone as she gestured with the diary, but as it slipped from her grip she frantically flailed around to catch it mid-air. She froze the instant that she regained possession of it, and chuckled in embarrassment as she returned to her normal position.

"Anyway, you're welcome to do your thing wherever you want." You glanced around the room, and settled your gaze on the enormous bed in the center of Rainbow Dash's room. You sat down on the edge and slipped your shoes off before scooting towards the center of the mattress, and held out your hand to retrieve her notebook. She held it away from you in confusion, and you made a drawing motion with your free hand; you needed something hard to write on, some surface that could hold up the paper.

"You want something to write on? Sure, I can get that for you, but not my diary, okay?" You acquiesced, and waited patiently for her as she searched a nearby bookshelf for a suitable replacement. Of all the ponies you knew, you didn't anticipate seeing her have a bookshelf, especially not one full of comic books. She pulled out a fairly dense book--a dictionary, of all things--and tossed it onto the bed next to you. As you slid it underneath the paper, you paused in reaction to Rainbow Dash's sudden impact as she flopped onto the bed behind you. Once you were certain she was settled, you set your whiteboard to the side and started meticulously copying your drawing. Soon, every thick, aberrant line made by the marker was refined by the pencil tip, and you relished the ability to draw with greater detail than before. You felt Rainbow Dash stir, and paid no attention to her until you felt her peering around your arm, watching you work.

"Wait, do my hips really look like that when I'm flying?" she commented out loud, pointing under your drawing arm. You grunted at her neutrally, hoping she would back up and let you continue. "C'mon, you can't seriously tell me they look like that!" You held up your unfinished drawing in comparison to your doodle so that she could see both. You then pointed to her hips, back to the doodle, and back to the paper. As toned as Rainbow Dash was, you were certain that her form depicted on the page--albeit surprisingly shapely--was not inaccurate.

"You gotta change it," she demanded with a pout.

[It's just a drawing. You asked for it.]

"And I'm asking that you make me look awesome!" she half-argued, half-whined, nudging your arm with her hoof.

[You already look awesome.]

"More awesome, then!" You rolled your eyes, and set out to erase and 'improve' your drawing, if only to get her to quiet down and stop poking you. Not a minute later, Rainbow Dash started commenting on your details, to which you responded by putting a finger to your lips and promptly hushing her. She didn't take much offense to the gesture, but didn't seem to care about it, either; rather than talk, she started to huff, sigh, groan, or otherwise state her displeasure towards your depiction, despite the fact that it was nearly identical to the marker drawing you had already made. Frustrated, you reached around behind you and grabbed her by her sides, lifting her like an unusually large puppy to the open space in front of you the bed. She stiffened up and didn't resist you carrying her, and remained in the same position, face frozen in surprise, for several seconds while you returned to your work, tipping the page away from her so that you could focus.

You occasionally stopped drawing to look at Rainbow Dash for reference, and tried to avoid eye contact as much as possible. Her puzzled look eventually turned to that of boredom as she lay on the bed before you, waiting for the end product of your efforts. While your work started consuming all of your focus, Rainbow Dash eventually perked up with a devilish grin spread across her face. You hadn't noticed it at first, but at some point, you realized she had assumed a seductive pose, displaying her barrel towards you while playfully rubbing one hoof back and forth along her waist. The sight prompted you to hold the dictionary out in front of your embarrassed, confused face.

"Oh man, you should have seen the look on your face!" she cackled.. "How long did it take you to notice?" You put the book down gently before you, and held your head in one hand in wonder. Today had been full of surprises, and yet this should have been expected. You glanced down at the paper, which was practically finished, save for a few smudged areas where you had been erasing and redoing smaller details in her feathers. With a few more pencil strokes, the piece would be finished, but why stop there? You recalled her reaction to you drawing her in the first place, and was struck with a plan for revenge. You subtly picked up your whiteboard and pretended to doodle more of the mare holding her sides as she continued to laugh. Rainbow Dash quickly recognized your focused silence, and sat up when she saw you 'working' on the whiteboard.

"What, are you actually drawing that pose? Seriously?" You merely hummed to yourself, pretending to ignore her accusation. She watched you for a few moments with curious contempt, which morphed into mild frustration as you leaned the board away from her prying eyes. Unable to see your blank canvas by craning her neck around, she rose to her hooves and tried walking around you to get a glimpse of the board. You responded by bending towards the side--all while maintaining your sitting position--by twisting to and fro as she moved around you.

"Come on, Anon, stop, you don't need to draw that!" she complained, betraying the pleading tone in her voice with an amused expression. Her movements turned from simple walking and jumping across the bed to physically moving you around, which prompted you to rotate the board in your hands to face it away from you. You heard her growl playfully as she leapt over your shoulder into your lap and vainly tried to wrestle the board out of your grip. You struggled against her prying hooves, and fell over onto your back as she tried pulling your arms apart from each other, with the mare landing sitting up on your chest as you continued to keep the board in your vice-like fingers. After just a few seconds, however, you became painfully aware of the position you were in as Rainbow Dash's tail flitted back and forth and brushed over your face. You instantly released the board from your grip and rapidly patted Rainbow Dash's thigh to get her attention. At first, she wasn't entirely certain what it was you wanted, but her cheeks flushed vibrant red as she looked down and properly assessed the situation. She clambered off of you and helped you sit up, her wings shifting uneasily as she sat down beside you.

"Uh... sorry about that, Anon. Guess I got a little carried away," she mumbled. You waved your hand in front of your face, and reached for your pouch.

[Don't worry about it. All in good fun.] It was your turn to smile fiendishly as you picked up the face-down whiteboard and revealed its empty surface to her. She cocked her head to the side and looked at it for a few seconds before her eyes widened in understanding.

"Oh, you- you didn't actually draw anything there, did you?" she accused, pushing against you playfully. You laughed heartily and held your position as Rainbow Dash's shoving gradually eased up, although she didn't move from your side. Silence filled the room as the rain gently pattered on the walls of her room, and you sighed comfortably. Your heart had finally started to calm down, and you and Rainbow Dash yawned simultaneously. You glanced down at her to see her rubbing one eye and stretching her other foreleg out to her side, and gave her head a few gentle pats. The second you lifted your hand away, though, it was firmly pressed back down by a warm hoof. You closed your eyes and started rubbing your fingertips through the mare's mane, earning a sigh in return. Your arm eventually tired, and you flopped backwards onto the bed and stretched your limbs out to relax. Rainbow Dash seemed hesitant to do the same. You kept your eyes closed and folded your arms behind your head, wondering what her next move would be.

"Hey, Anon..." Rainbow Dash started, unmoving. "Can I ask you something dumb?" You nodded your head, and hoped that she would notice the subtle gesture.

"Is it okay if I lay down with you? I mean, it's MY bed, after all." Secretly, you had been hoping she would, and contained your excitement as you scooted away from the center of the bed to make room for her. She leaned backwards as you did and flopped down to your side, narrowly missing your arm with her head. She didn't immediately move towards you, but instead turned in your direction with her snout inches from your rib cage, her breath barely passing through the thin fabric of your shirt. You were tempted to put your arm down and pull her close, but Fluttershy's words echoed in your mind.

'Don't let what you think influence how you treat her as a friend.'

You held tight to those words, and promised yourself that you would only let things move as they turned out; you'd let Rainbow Dash make her own decisions. The two of you lay motionless in the bed, listening to each others' breathing and the sound of the rain, when she suddenly wrapped her foreleg over your torso and held onto you tightly. The quick movement made you flinch and lean up a bit, but the feeling of her face buried in your side was relaxing, and slowly set you at ease. You could tell by her faint shivering that something was off, and you put a gentle, warm hand on her back.

"Thank you."

She said nothing more, and instead burrowed her face deeper into your shirt. You couldn't quite tell what the reason for her sudden grip on you was, but honestly you didn't care in the slightest. Any opportunity for affection was just fine, unexpected or otherwise. You pulled a pillow down towards her and nudged it against her head, getting her to lift her head just enough for you to slide it under without her leaving contact. Your whole body felt warm as her heat seeped into you, and you relished the sensation. It wasn't an unwelcome feeling; if this was how things would be when you two had time together, perhaps it would be something you could get used to. Something you could come to expect. You laughed to yourself and rubbed your hand in circles on her back as you thought.

Perhaps.

Author's Note:

Thank you for your patience over the winter break! The comfiness returns, and I can sleep soundly again, knowing that a new update's been published.
Provided I didn't miss any typos again.

Comments

[Eclipse Flare]

You're doin' great, keep it up! 👍💞

[ShobieShy]

Yet another enjoyable chapter. Cute, funny, and a damn good read. Looking forward to more!

[SpilledMul3]

I jump for joy everytime a new chapter comes out.

[Halp]

8705923
Funny, I'm overcome with dread and anxiety when I put a new chapter out.

[EquineContender]

Soooo good!

[MoonLit_Assassin]

and just like that i've reached the (current as of 2/14/18) end of story, when the ending sneaks up on you, you know its something good, looking forward to how things progress from here.

[Chancegunnett]

This chapter gave me the warm and fuzzies

[troxcree]

Come back soon, really looking forward to the next chapter.

[Ausbrony]

I could give you paper to put it on." You folded your arms and shot Rainbow Dash an accusatory look. Somehow, she seemed even worse at lying than Fluttershy.

“I think I’ve got some in my room, come on!” she bubbled excitedly, leading you up the first set of stairs as you returned inside.

The gap between these is too wide. And it feels like you may have forgotten a line.

[LifeLight]

all i have to say about your book is
👌🏻 and AWWWWWW!!!!!