Chapter 2
Somehow, Pinkie Pie managed to extricate the petrified Rainbow Dash from her window and soon the pegasus was comfortably wrapped up in a snug pink blanket, lying down on the rug in Pinkie's room. The pink pony trotted over to the door.
“I'm just going to get us something to drink!” she told her friend while exiting into the hallway. “Stay right there; I'll be back in a jiffy!” Dash sighed and nodded resignedly. She had, by now, gotten over her fear, and was beginning to feel worry creeping into her mind. Lying to Scootaloo was one thing. Lying to Pinkie Pie? Dash gulped. This was not going to be easy.
A short while later Pinkie bounced back into the room, a large tray in her mouth. Dash considered it a miracle, as the pink pony set the tray down in front of her, that none of the two large mug's contents had spilled. “Here we go!” Pinkie grinned, “My extra special hot chocolate!” The blue pegasus stared at the steaming beverage before her. A mountain of whipped cream with marshmallow skiers floated on a warm, frothy chocolate sea. It looked... incredible.
“Thanks Pinks,” Dash replied before taking a sip. To say it was delicious would be an understatement.
The room was silent for a while, as both ponies enjoyed their drinks.
“Right then Dashie,” Pinkie suddenly said, her newly acquired whipped cream mustache twitching as she spoke. “Why did I find you all shivery and scared outside my window so early in the morning? You almost woke up Gummy!” She waved her hoof towards a basket where a small green lump snored quietly. Suddenly snapped back into reality, Dash nervously glanced up at her friend before staring into her mug.
“Me? Scared?” Dash chuckled nervously, “heh, you must have imagined it.” Her eyes darted around the room, never settling on one spot for more than a few seconds. “I... just came to visit!” she explained, forcing herself to lock gazes with Pinkie and hoping against hope that her poker face would hold. The pink party pony stared back with a deep, penetrating stare. The blue pegasus felt her already tenuous grin beginning to falter under her mustachioed friend's soul searching eyes.
“So, why did you decide to visit this early?” Pinkie slowly asked.
“Um... I just wanted to.”
“Okey dokey lokey,” The pink pony responded in the same slow, doubtful tone, “well, why were you crying?” Dash felt beads of perspiration forming on her forehead. Pinkie was hard to lie to.
“I was, um, happy!” Pinkie continued her unrelenting stare.
“Okey dokey lokey,” she replied, “Then why did you squeal?”
“I - wait, what?” Dash broke off mid sentence. Pinkie giggled, her serious expression a thing of the past.
“You don’t remember? You went like this,” She said, miming how her friend had squealed and whipped around in fright. The pegasus felt her face grow hot.
“I can't do it,” she sighed, finally giving in to the earth pony's unwavering stare. “I was scared, alright? Just... please don’t tell anypony about this.”
“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” Pinkie replied solemnly, “Now what was it that scared you Dashie? Its better to let it out than keep it all bottled up inside!”
“Well,” the pegasus began, feeling a small thrill at her nickname, “I was scared because... I... I had a nightmare, ok?” Dash said in a rush. She ruffled her wings and looked away from her friend. “This is so stupid,” she mumbled quietly. Pinkie looked confusedly at the pegasus.
“What's stupid Dashie?” she asked.
“What's stupid?” Dash chuckled sadly. “Me! I'm stupid. The self proclaimed bravest, toughest pony in Equestria is reduced to... this, over a stupid nightmare...”
“Don't be a silly filly!” Pinkie interjected, “Everyone gets frightened by nightmares!”
“Yeah, but I've done tonnes of scarier stuff,” Rainbow replied, “I went into a Diamond Dog lair, I kicked a dragon in the face, I -”
“Yes, but they're different!” Pinkie interrupted. “They might be scary, but were they your fears?” Dash stopped and thought.
“Well, no. I mean, I never had a fear of dragons or of going underground.”
“Exactly!” the pink pony exclaimed. “Nightmares are scary because they're what you're truly afraid of!” Rainbow thought carefully for a moment before nodding slowly; Pinkie was right. “Now then,” Pinkie Pie said, “Tell me what happened.”
Slowly, Dash recounted the experiences of the previous nights. She told of how Ponyville was empty, of how all her friends were gone. How she frantically searched through every building for some sign of life. Then she went on to tell of the next night's terrors, of how she was ignored by everyone, how they abandoned her to lie in the dirt, of how they were unreachable. Yet for some reason the cyan pegasus refrained from mentioning her encounters with Pinkie. Maybe it was because she didn't want to hurt the pink mare's feelings, maybe it was because it seemed oddly personal, but Dash made it seem as though Pinkie had never been a prominent figure in her nightmares. Either way, she didn't feel in the right frame of mind to question her emotions.
Once the final word of her tale left her tongue, a great weight seemed to lift from Dash's shoulders. For a while, Pinkie simply sat there. And then, suddenly, she leapt forward and held the pegasus close in a rib shattering hug. “Oh, you poor, poor filly,” she said softly, “That sounds horrible.” Rainbow Dash just sighed. She felt shattered, and the candyfloss scented fur her face was buried in was as inviting as any cloud bed.
“Pinkie,” Dash said, her voice muffled by the party pony's shoulder, “Can you... can you promise me one thing?”
“Sure, Dashie, what is it?”
“Promise me that you'll never leave me alone.”
“I promise, Dashie,” Pinkie whispered. Dash smiled and fell limp, her body finally succumbing to it's fatigue. Pinkie Pie giggled softly to herself and with surprising strength carried the snoring pegasus over to her bed. She yawned loudly; Helping friends was tiring work. Pinkie climbed into the other side of her bed and was soon fast asleep.
* * *
Dash awoke to the sound of birds twittering in the early morning air, and snuggled further into the comfy bed she found herself in. She knew she'd have to get up soon, but for now the cyan pegasus just enjoyed the relaxing haze of being half awake. It was then that she noticed something warm and fluffy curled up near her back. Dash rolled over lazily and hugged the cozy, comfortable object, causing it to grunt quietly before resuming it's steady rise and fall. I wonder what this thing is? the pegasus pondered sluggishly. Maybe it's Pinkie Pie... Smiling slightly at the idea, she leant over and nuzzled the neck of the strange creature. A soft, buoyant mane tickled her face and filled her nostrils with the scent of something sugary and strangely familiar. Dash stroked the soft, snug fur beneath her hooves. With a small twitch, a murmur escaped the mystery pony. “...I'm not food gummy...” Dreaming about gummy? Now this sounds almost exactly like Pinkie. But what would she be doing in my house?
Suddenly, and with an uncomfortable lurch, Dash's mind was forced awake as memories of the night before cascaded into her mind's eye. This was Pinkie's house. Her eyes snapped open to see a bright pink mane. That warm object had been Pinkie Pie. With her famous speed, the pegasus jerked her hooves back and tumbled hurriedly out of the bed, landing in a sprawled heap on the floor. Her mind rapidly kick started out of it's previous stupor.
“Oh sweet Celestia,” she mumbled. “I really hope Pinkie's still asleep.” Her ears pricked up as she listened intently for a few moments. A great sigh of relief escaped her as she heard the gentle snoring of her friend. Relief, however, was quickly overridden by another emotion. Dash felt her face begin to burn, and was sure she was blushing enough to illuminate half of Canterlot, her wings outstretched to their fullest extent. “Horseapples!” she grunted angrily, “snap out of it Dash!” A mumble escaped the pink pony before her. Hurriedly, the pegasus did an awkward dive out of the mercifully open window and into the crisp morning sky.
* * *
Later, as she battled the remnants of a particularly nasty storm front, Rainbow's mind drifted back to Pinkie Pie. For as long as she could remember, she'd had feelings for the pink party pony. Maybe it was her bubbly personality, her ingenious pranks, the way her hair smelled of candy floss - No! Dash shook her head in frustration to clear her thoughts. She'd learned the hard way that... no good could come of trying to date another filly. She tore through the last storm cloud, causing the ponderous weather pattern to explode in a vibrant shower of mist. The pegasus smiled as the droplets of water created rainbows that warped and swirled around her. She had to admit, the weather could be quite beautiful. Almost as beautiful as Pinkie - Dash stopped in mid air and rapped her hoof against her head. “For peat’s sake! Stop. Thinking. About. That. Mare!” she grunted to herself, each pause accompanied by a tap to the head. “Why cant I get rid of thoughts like I can get rid of clouds?!” she moaned, “wait - maybe Twilight can help! She probably has a spell somewhere in that library of hers that can get rid of... this.” So thinking, Dash snapped out her wings and glided slowly towards ponyville.
* * *
Twilight Sparkle carefully levitated the feather duster towards the upper shelves of the library's many bookcases. Every morning she made sure to dust the vast collection of tomes, and today was no exception. She meticulously dusted the spines of books she had read at least 17 times. Just as she reached 'Infamous Flight Accidents: A History', a tremendous crash shook through the library. She whipped around to see a rainbow blur shooting in through her window and bouncing furiously around the room, and watched in dismay as several of her perfectly arranged rows of books flew off their shelves like rectangular projectiles of knowledge.
Finally, the blur skidded across the floor to rest at the hooves of Twilight. Rainbow Dash looked up sheepishly. “Um, yeah,” she began, just starting to notice the destruction she'd caused, “I wondered if you could help me.” A nearby stack of books on Twilight's desk chose this moment to grandly cascade onto the rug. The purple unicorn surveyed the wasteland left behind after the cyan pegasus' one pony library apocalypse. Trying to ignore the tic in her left eye, she grinned dangerously at Dash. “Heh-heh...” the pegasus chuckled nervously, slowly getting to her feet. “Perhaps I’d better help you clean up first.”
“That,” Twilight said, “is a very wise decision.”
As the pegasus carried the books in haphazard stacks to the bookshelves, Twilight returned to her dusting, all the while humming a merry tune. Dash placed her stack of books in alphabetical order, before flying down to collect more. However, she now had to re-arrange the existing books to make them all alphabetically correct, but there wasn't enough room on that shelf so some had to come down a row but then that meant -
“Agh, This is so frustrating!” she groaned, “How do you do this all the time?!” Princess Celestia's student giggled and moved to help.
“How about you dust the books, then I’ll organize them. Deal?” she asked.
“Deal!” Dash replied, picking up the large feather duster and beginning to bludgeon the nearest thesaurus.
“Now then,” Twilight said, returning the thoroughly cleaned book to its rightful place. “You said you needed help with something?”
“Well, you see... I think I have a crush on somepony -” She was quickly interrupted by the purple unicorn, who gasped excitedly and levitated a large book towards herself.
“I've read all about crushes!” She giggled happily, clapping her hooves together and scouring through the book. “Do you have actual butterflies in your stomach, or is it a metaphor? How much would you say your heart rate increases by in the presence of the colt? Thirteen percent? Forty?” she asked, rattling off the questions like a machine gun. Dash began to regret asking Twilight for help.
“Uhm, it's not really like that at all,” she told her friend, finally getting a word in edgeways. “Books cant really describe it.” The purple unicorn looked crestfallen for a moment or two, but perked up immediately.
“So,” she asked excitedly, “who is is he?”
“It's a fil – erm, actually I'd rather not say,” Dash said, blushing slightly. Twilight gave a hastily muffled giggle at her friends shyness, causing the pegasus to blush even more.
“Sorry!” the unicorn apologized, “I shouldn't laugh. Have you... how do you say it... asked them out?”
“Well, about that,” Dash mumbled awkwardly, “It - well, it's a long story, but it wouldn't work out. So... I was wondering if you maybe, um, knew a spell to get rid of love?” Twilight shook her head slowly.
“I'm sorry Dash, truly I am,” she replied sadly, “but love is an unbelievably strong force. Many scholars tried in the past to affect love with magic, but it was like trying to stop a waterfall using a colander.” The pegasus groaned and tossed the duster aside in frustration.
“So I’m going to be stuck like this?” she asked angrily, “loving somepony I can never admit my feelings to?”
“Stop listening to your brain; listen to your heart!” Twilight replied. “Deep down, what do you want to do?”
“I want to hold them close, I want to take them on dates, I want to make them happy,” Dash blurted out. Twilight stamped her hoof.
“Then do it.” she told her friend firmly. “You're always loyal to us. Now be loyal to yourself.”
“It's not that easy!” Dash said exasperatedly. As if on cue, a large stack of parchment was suddenly thrown into the air by a gust of wind from the open window.
“Nothing ever is,” the unicorn sighed. For a long time, the two stood silently.
“Well... better get this bombsite cleared up...” Dash said lightheartedly, her words hollow and reserved. Slowly, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle returned to their arduous task. I hope Dash's alright, Twilight thought to herself. The only time I’ve seen her this nervous about something was when she performed in Cloudsdale, and then she had her friends to rely on. But this time... The unicorn shook her head slightly.
I'm sorry, Dash. This is a battle you'll have to fight on your own.
* * *
Rainbow Dash groaned and rolled over for what seemed like the hundredth time. It wasn't that her cloud bed was uncomfortable. Far from it. And the cleaning she had done with Twilight had left her weary. How could anypony have so many books? Once again, Dash rolled over onto her left side and tried to force her mind to shut down. Twilight's words buzzed around inside of her skull, while half formed imaginings flitted in and out of her vision.
In some of them, she confessed her feelings to Pinkie and the two quickly fell into a loving embrace, or went on a walk in the park, or just went for a pizza. Some of the things they did made her blush slightly, and caused her wings to tingle slightly under her fluffy blanket.
Yet in others, Pinkie rejected her, crushing her self esteem like an autumn leaf and harshly pointing out the pegasus' flaws. Annoyingly, those occurred far more often than the good outcomes.
Dash was just about to turn over once again when she finally fell into a deep sleep.
* * *
The pegasus trotted nervously past the happily mumbling ponies at the party, their monotonous tones occasionally broken by a loud guffaw or the tinkling of glasses. The ornate chandeliers that hung from the gilded ceiling bathed the room in a warm glow that put Dash in mind of firesides after a freezing winter day. As far as she could tell, the room went on forever in all directions. She hadn't even noticed when or where she had entered. Wherever she walked the crowds of ponies mysteriously opened up and left her in a small clearing amongst them. Seeing nothing else to do, Dash walked over to a nearby table laden with punch, food and snacks.
“Hey, move your flank!” she grunted at a green pegasus stood in front of the punch. He sidestepped casually out of Dash's path. As she reached for a cup, she noticed something strange. All the ponies in the room had their backs to her. Puzzled, she walked round to the front of the pegasus that had obstructed her path. Yet, without moving a muscle, he always faced away from her. She ran round and round, trying to outpace his bizarre turning, bet to no avail. Finally, slightly tired and not so slightly frustrated, she poked him with her hoof. “Are you shy or something?” she asked, “or are you just ignoring me?” In an instant, all talk in the room stopped.
“You want to see my face?” he whispered sadly, “sure thing, friend...” The green pegasus turned around slowly to lock eyes with Rainbow Dash. She hastily muffled a scream with her hoof, and took an involuntary step backwards. The pegasus' face was blank. The features were exactly the same. He still had a snout, ears, a mane. But where he should have had eyes or a mouth... there was nothing. Dash took a few more nervous steps backwards now, when she heard a rustling from behind. Spinning around, she caught sight of other ponies turning their heads to scrutinize her. “What's the matter?” the faceless pony asked in the same quiet, silky, melancholy voice. Dash ignored him, trying not to panic, or think about how he spoke without a mouth, or think about how she was going to escape a room she couldn't see the end of. She galloped through the nearest ponies, the faceless beings silently moving out of her way in the nick of time. She needed a familiar face somewhere in the nightmarish party. And wherever there's a party, Dash thought, there has to be -
“Pinkie!” Dash called out to the ball of pure energy in pony form. Pinkie Pie turned from where she was dancing upon a table and tackled the sky blue pegasus.
“Dashie!” she squealed, “I’m so glad you could come!” Dash wriggled out from under her friend and gave her a curious look.
“Come to what?”
“Duh,” Pinkie replied, rolling her eyes. “Your super special extra fantastic tremendously terrific party!” Dash looked around Pinkie's shoulder at the ring crowds of faceless, staring ponies and shivered slightly.
“What kind of a party is this?” she asked, trying to keep her rising fear out of her voice. “What are – who are they?” Her voice trailed off as she pointed a hoof at the silent 'party guests'.
“Those?” The pink pony giggled. “They're your friends, silly!” Pinkie got up off of Dash and helped the pegasus up.
“Why don’t I recognize any of them then? Why are their faces... blank?” Dash asked.
“Don't you see?” Pinkie asked, chuckling slightly. She bounced round and round the pegasus with her usual excitement. “It's because... you never had any friends in the first place!” At this she collapsed on the floor mid bounce in fits of laughter, tears of mirth forming in her eyes. Dash began to tremble. She shook her head.
“No,” she whispered. “No, that's not true. I have Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack,” she listed, gaining confidence with each name, “and you!” Pinkie laughed even harder, pounding her hooves on the wood paneled floor. Finally, the laughs subsided and she stood up shakily, still chuckling occasionally.
“Sure, they may claim to be your friends,” Pinkie said softly, “but remember your 'friends' in flight school?”
“Sh – Shut up!” Dash replied angrily, caught off guard.
“And as for me?” the pink pony continued, “I wouldn't want to be friends with a fillyfooler like you if you were the last pony in Equestria.” She glared at the pegasus, her exuberance now a distant memory. Pinkie spat on the floor in front of Dash before turning around and trotting away. Silently, as if on command, the party guests followed suit.
Rainbow Dash didn't even try to catch up to them. She had curled into a ball, tail and wings wrapped tightly around her body as though trying to fend off invisible blows. “Fillyfooler!” Pinkie's voice rang out, though from her head or the room Dash couldn't tell.
“Shut up!” Dash sniffed. “Just - go away... please...” But the pegasus' pleas fell on deaf ears. Again and again, like the tolling of a bell, the voice sang it's hurtful phrase, reverberating louder and louder in Rainbow Dash's ears.
“Fillyfooler... fillyfooler... fillyfooler...”
“I am not - ”
* * *
“ - A fillyfooler!” Dash yelled, waking up with a start. She glared around her moonlit bedroom as if daring her dresser or her posters to contradict her, her chest rising and falling heavily. She hadn't been called a fillyfooler for such a long time. She had hoped she would never be called it again. Gradually, the glare broke down with the pegasus as tears began to trickle down her cyan fur. “I'm – not – a – fillyfooler” she sobbed, pounding her pillow with her hooves. Burying her face in the fluffy cloud, Twilight's words echoed in her ears.
“Listen to your heart...”
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Alright! Update time :D
Well, it's finally here and I cannot apologise enough for making you all wait so long. Other things I guess I should add is that writer's block is a B-word, exams are a B-word and bunp is a B-word - It starts with a 'b' after-all. Chapter 3 is well underway and shouldn't take anywhere near as long as chapter 2.
Finally, please enjoy.
P.S. A huge shout out to:
-Kassgrein.deviantart.com
-Lostinthewriting.deviantart.com
For pre-reading once again. They sift through the eye-meltingly awful unedited text so you don't have to.
Wow, I had forgotten about this story, I am sooo glad you didn't though! Keep up the good work!
229009 Thank you!
229017 Have some wub
@Kommunist Kensei
Well worth the wait. Great job.
229237 Thank you very much, both for the compliment and your patience
And so Dash is having to deal with coming to terms with her orientation.
The faceless pony thing was kind of creepy though... 
229326 Sorry about that, hope they weren't too creepy.
Oh man Rainbow has some deep issues. Totally can understand her reluctance. Other children can be cruel and emotionally scar you.
A very nice chapter, can't wait for the next one
YAY UPDATE
Poor RD Dealing with mental issues
but she is still cute
NO!! I REQUEST MOAR!!!!!
But that ending... such a cliff hanger... I don't know whether I'm impressed or upset
Hey, it's the overly critical guy who commented last time!
I haven't read the chapter yet, but I'm about to. Need a break from Fitzgerald.
Quick question: How many 'chapters' do you plan on?
First just wanted to say i overall enjoy this story. But I do have some issues with a couple scenes:
The scene where Dash wakes up in Pinkie's bed and gets embarrassed I found a little silly considering that the ponies have no nudity taboo and how much time they spend together and how physical they get with each other. Even if Dash had feelings for Pinkie I do not see her reacting so strongly to hugging Pinkie in her sleep.
I understand the scene and logic from a standardized human perspective, I just don't feel it translates intuitively to these characters.
I would recommend altering the scene to give Dash more motivation to freak out and run off. Perhaps Dash could have unbidden thoughts while lying against Pinkie?
Also I can't say I like the direction the story is taking toward the end of the chapter. I don't understand the need to make sexuality and bigotry an issue in this story. To me it is apparent that Dash's fear of simple romantic rejection in the face of her obvious heartbreaking longing for loving companionship is more than enough to trigger her angst and nightmares without bringing up the specter of a bigotry riddled Equestria. There are plenty of substantial dynamics in her personality and characterization that can account for her difficulty in having a relationship in the past other than sexual orientation. Doesn't really need an extra layer of angst at all.
I wasn't sure this story was ever going to continue yet i kept it on my tracking list regardless glad i did now. i liked the effect the faceless ponies had, made a lot of sense and kinda made the nightmare more nightmarish
Hey, it's the overly critical guy who commented last time!
I haven't read the chapter yet, but I'm about to. Need a break from Fitzgerald.
Quick question: How many 'chapters' do you plan on?
-read- Much better than your previous chapter. A couple of sentences that I didn't feel important, such as ' As if on cue, a large stack of parchment was suddenly thrown into the air by a gust of wind from the open window.' After Dash said it's harder to be loyal to yourself than friends. I didn't see the point.
As usual, a quick run through for spelling and caps, I saw a few of those.
A bit of critique, I feel the sad seeping in, but I can't help but remain stoic while I read it. If you can, try adding more sad into the story.
As a bit of a compliment, I liked how Dash involuntarily ended up thinking about Pinkie while clearing the clouds.
Also, write faster xD I like it. 4.5! Happy writing.
230317 The bigotry makes her fear of rejection more deep. Because, be honest, no matter where you were, if you were gay, wouldn't you be scared to tell someone that you have the hots for them?
231155
Depends where you live.
If Ponyville was on Earth then yes, that would be a terrible place for it. But Cloudsdale would not. Most large cities have pretty well established lgbt communities so it's not hard to look in the right places.
No, I just don't see the sexuality angle being a really relevant fear for Dash in this situation. it feels forced.
The fear of rejection by not only the only one she has feelings for, but also the one who is her best friend; fear of ruining the friendship coupled with the anxiety of being alone. Is it better to keep things the way the are and be happy in the platonic relationships you have, or follow your heart and risk it all for a deeper connection you long for?
See? All the drama and risk you need right there. You don't need that heavy handed sexuality acceptance angle at all.
229410 I know, right? You're either popular in school or you aren't. And if you aren't...
230005 Thank you!
230014 Glad to see you're enjoying Dash's cuteness
230136 Moar is on its way! Don't be upset, have an imaginary complimentary cookie.
230317 Firstly thanks for taking the time to provide detailed feedback, it's much appreciated.
With the bed scene, I can understand where you're coming from. I'll change it soon with more 'motivation' for Dash to be freaked out.
With regards to her fear of attempting a relationship, I don't want to give too much away and spoil the 'fic. What I will say is that it is not necessarily the bigotry of Equestria, which would most likely be non-existent, rather the homophobia of children. An example of this would be when I went to London on an English trip we saw many homosexual couples openly going about their business. I had one very friendly gay couple approach me and asked me to take their picture outside the theatre, to which I naturally obliged. However, some of the other students that had come on the trip returned to the coach, after a brief excursion for food that we all made, laughing about how they heckled a gay couple who were eating in MacDonalds. Back to Equestria, Twilight wasn't immediately saying that gay/lesbian couples are wrong, rather she just assumed Dash was straight. Admittedly yes Dash's fears could stem from a past rejection, or the fear of losing a friend, and in a way they do. But what struck me was how in 'The masked mare do well' she is shown to have some kind of issue or fear of being alone, and I wanted to build on this and develop her character.
Sorry if some bits sound a little vague, but I don't want to give too many spoilers.
230399 Thank you very much!
The parchment thing was meant to be a little cheesy addition, wherein just as Dash complains about it being "not that easy", a stack of parchment falls over making the cleaning much harder and prompting Twilights reply.
I'll have another run through for spelling later, and more sadness will be added as the story progresses.
As for the chapters, I'm not 100% sure yet. I have a clear idea of the journey the story will take and how it will end, but as for how long each section is often varies when I write it. For example, I found much more to write about in the faceless pony nightmare than I originally thought I would.
230347 Thanks! I wanted to achieve that kind of surreal effect that nightmares often have.
Also, DPV111, would you possibly be interested in doing some pre-reading?
231557
Thanks for your reply and consideration. Author input into the issues I have with a fic often greatly clarifies and alleviates reservations I have with the story. And if I can help an author constructively to improve a fic I like, that's just icing on the cupcake.
The "bigotry angle" I was referring to really had little to do with Twilight's assumptions and more to do with Dash's memories of being called a "fillyfooler" and her cautionary reminiscence of how trying to date a filly in the past had gone badly. If you are attributing those to student age immaturity and childhood teasing alone I can stomach it better.
Of course I do prefer the version of Equestria that is universally bisexual. But if you are using this particular issue to try and develop the history behind her fears rather than as simply an added layer of angst then I guess you are doing it right and I will wait and see how it turns out.
And I would be privileged to be a pre-reader for this fic.
I'm not much into shipping but that fine. But I'm still into this and I can't wait to read more about it. Keep up the good work.
231188 Well, seeing as the author already shut me the fuck up, XD
I don't see the motivation behind all the backlash to the 'fear of homophobia' bit added in this chapter. I think it was established well and could be a great plot point in further chapters. This is already setting itself apart from your typical PinkiexDash fic, and, to that effect, it works wonders. Also, on a more personal level, I've always liked to read about the "way deep in the closet" dash over the "yeah i'm gay, everypony knows it, and haters gonna hate" dash.
still, great fic. can't wait to read more whether you decide to keep that in or not.
232093 Thank you very much, I'll get in touch with you over PM about the pre-reading soon. I also made the suggested changes to the morning scene.
234017 Thanks! Glad to see you like it even though shipping isn't your thing.
234703 Wait, when did I shut you up?
234988 Thank you very much. Don't want to give too much away, but let's just say that the motivation behind her fear of homophobia might just show up later on. I also have to agree with you on the 'closet Dash' preference.
235226 I was debating with a user about Equestria's bigotry, when you replied to him with a comment that made my statement invalid.
Great chapter! Keep them coming, I can't wait to see what happens next to RD!
236926 Oh! I see now. I thought i'd said something literally along the lines of "shut the buck up" to you at some point and forgotten about it
237121 Thank you! Chapter 3 is on the way.
I'm so happy to see this update. There isn't nearly enough pinkiexdash floating around. Heck, there isn;t enough good shipping around in general. But especially not this paring.
and given all of the other fantastic one-chapter fics that are floating around without updates (Remix and One Night In Manehattan, I'm looking at you) It makes me really happy to see that one at, at least, is.
Great!
Now im expecting more about whats going to happen next.
So much anticipation
238359 Thank you very much! You have no idea of how many times I stayed up at night, feeling guilty about keeping you guys waiting. If I chose not to update it at all I probably would never sleep again
239559 Spoiler: Everypony explodes. Seriously though, I'm glad my cliffhangers are having an effect
English lessons are finally paying off!
This is a great story one of the best!!! Up there with My Little Dashie but one thing bothers me [it always does] INSERT PONY NAME HERE X RAINBOW DASH
it only bothers me with the mares :/ Can't wait for chapter 3!!!!
264495
see, but Pinkie X Dash actually works
Finally got round to reading this. Keep up the good work.
next chapter please ^_^
Well, I might be rather late to this party but I really did enjoy the story quite a bit. The scene of Dash hugging Pinkie in her sleep was really cute. I'm interested to see how you're going to handle the homosexuality issue; while it will be difficult to write, there are very few stories which even mention it. It may be interesting to see you actually explore the fears and insecurities that come with not knowing whether or not the person you have a crush on could even be sexually attracted to you. I hope you're still working on it, for I am eagerly anticipating the next update!
Update soon please,i enjoy this story!
DAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! That morning after scene with Dashie hugging Pinkie.
"...rectangular projectiles of knowledge." Never again will I say book, when I can say this.
Twilight Sparkle: Expert on Love ("Follow your heart!"), nooblet at friendship. Picture is a little of imo. but still believable. (like I said, I'm overly critical right now, I still am really enjoying this though!)
The homosexual fear thing (of coming out and of rejection and of etc.) issue is a very real thing I've had experiences of with people I know. I'll be interested to see how you decide to play it out. I should probably apologize in advance; I get the feeling that I may not like how it happens and that I'll go into a violent tippity-tappity desecration of my keyboard. That issue has a close place in my heart. I'll try to refrain however.
Slight question for you, why does Rainbow Dash think things could never work out between her and Pinkie Pie? Is Ponyvillie against same gender relationships or something?
Irony, thou art truly a heartless bitch.
“Yeah, but I've done tonnes of scarier stuff,” tonnes should be tons.
Why cant I get rid of thoughts like I can get rid of clouds?!" cant should be can't
So thinking, Dash snapped out her wings and glided slowly towards ponyville. It might not be a problem, but I don't really get this sentence. Oh, and it should be Ponyville.
Books cant really describe it.” Can't.
For peat’s sake! Stop. Thinking. About. That. Mare!”
no good could come of trying to date another filly.
Um, a filly and a mare are different. Fillies are foals and mare's are grown ponies. Oh, and a colt is also a foal.