“Friends and Lovers”
by Donny’s Boy
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Synopsis: A series of mini-stories exploring various pony ships. Because shipping is magic.
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“Mutual Assured Destruction”
(RariDash)
It was Tuesday, and Tuesday invariably meant three things. Tuesday meant spa day. Tuesday meant library day. And Tuesday meant a long, slow burn that would eventually end in an explosion.
That particular Tuesday evening, the pegasus flew quickly and silently through the moonless sky, thankful for the cover of clouds and the resulting darkness. She reached her destination in record time and, after one last glance around, crept up to the front door. The door was unlocked, as she knew it would be. The door was always unlocked on Tuesdays. Without bothering to knock, she nudged the door open and stepped into the boutique.
It was as dark inside as it was outside, but she could hear soft hoofsteps approaching. A moment later, there was a pair of lips on hers, hard, insistent, urgent. Rainbow Dash met the kiss with every ounce as much urgency, and she shoved the unicorn backwards.
They landed on the little chaise longue that Rarity liked so much, with the pegasus on top, pinning Rarity with the full weight of her body even as their kiss continued unbroken. Desperate heat tore through Dash like the winds of a tornado as Rarity’s hooves began running through the feathers of her spread wings. When Rainbow responded by nipping the unicorn’s ear, Rarity moaned in a voice that was low and deep and nothing at all like the voice she allowed herself to use in public.
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For the briefest moment, she was confused when she awoke to a pair of bright blue eyes. Her first thought was of Pinkie Pie, because sometimes she slept over at Sugar Cube Corner after an evening of partying particularly hard, but she didn’t feel hung over as she usually would when waking up at the bakery. Then, she abruptly recognized just where she was.
It wasn’t Sugar Cube Corner.
“You fell asleep last night,” the unicorn murmured softly.
There had been wine. That much, she remembered. Good wine, too, imported directly from some fancy vineyard located in Canterlot. Not that Rainbow Dash knew much about wine--and, besides, after the first several glasses, she couldn’t really taste anything anyways. But she’d liked the wine. She remembered liking the wine.
Just one glass of wine, Rarity had suggested. Just one glass of wine, shared as a thank you gesture, for all the help Dash had given that afternoon on Rarity’s latest project. The dress had been created for a pegasus, Rarity had explained, and the designer had wanted to ensure it would fit perfectly. It had to fit perfectly, she’d explained, eyes serious and intense.
There had been something else in the unicorn’s eyes, too, something that Rainbow couldn’t quite remember now. Something sad, perhaps. That was how it had all started, probably. Rarity had probably looked sad, and Rainbow had probably stayed past the end of that first glass of wine in order to help cheer up her friend. But Rainbow couldn’t remember if there had been a particular reason why Rarity might have looked sad.
In the present moment, in the harsh light of morning, Rarity didn’t look sad. The unicorn’s face was perfectly blank and utterly devoid of any identifiable emotion whatsoever, in fact, as she stared hard at Rainbow Dash. The pegasus realized that she was still lying in the unicorn’s huge, plush bed, and she flushed in embarrassment.
“Sorry! Um, sorry. Didn’t mean to fall asleep.” She leapt out of the bed, stumbling, awkward, her wings already snapping out in preparation of imminent flight. “I’ll just, uh, just get out of your mane here. Thanks again for the wine--it was good stuff.”
Rarity just sat there and watched, silent and aloof. As there really wasn’t anything else to be said, Dash turned around and took to the air, rocketing through an open window in the boutique. She didn’t look back.
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Sometimes, you just wanted to stop having to be so perfectly loyal all the time.
I shouldn’t be doing this, thought Dash, even as she buried her face deeper in Rarity’s mane. I’m not in love with her. She rubbed her cheek lightly against the unicorn’s horn, and it was a gesture of tender affection more than anything else. In the dark, she couldn’t see the pony beneath her, and it was all too easy to play pretend. To pretend that this horn belonged to somepony else, somepony too brilliant and too intimidating and too unreachable to ever be touched like this.
She remembered. Despite trying not to, despite trying to lose herself in the roar of the blood pumping through her veins like a raging flood, she remembered.
====================================================================
She’d asked if they could meet for lunch, just the two of them, and like the fool she was, Rainbow Dash had thought it was a date. The pegasus didn’t dress up or anything like that, but she did shower that morning and she did take the time to actually run a brush through her mane and tail.
They’d ordered daffodil sandwiches. Dash didn’t know why she remembered that, but she did. The sandwiches were good, and so was the company. For a bit, they indulged in a bit of idle chit-chat about the continuing adventures of Daring-Do. Rainbow grinned as they tentatively stepped onto this newly-discovered common ground, as both their eyes lit up while they traded speculations as to who the adventurous hero’s next villain might be, as they argued cheerfully over which book was the best in the series. It was simple, and it was silly. And it was perfect.
Then, the mood suddenly shifted, and a hush fell over their little table.
“Rainbow, there’s something I have to tell you. It’s why I asked you to have lunch with me, actually.”
Rainbow Dash felt her pulse quicken.
“I kinda … I kinda have a crush on somepony. Oh, wow, this is harder than I thought. Um, I have a crush on ...”
She dared not move or speak.
“ … a crush on … on Fluttershy. Whew! You don’t know how good it feels to just finally say it.”
The pegasus blinked, very slowly, very deliberately, and tried to remember how to breathe.
“Do you, uh, do you think I have a chance, Rainbow?” Her violet eyes were painfully earnest, almost naive. So piercing, so scarily intelligent, so … so trusting. “You’re her oldest friend, I mean, so I figured if anypony would know …”
Dash could’ve lied. Should’ve lied, maybe. But that would have been selfish, more selfish than even Dash usually was. Besides, it wouldn’t have been something a good friend would do. And despite occasional appearances to the contrary, Rainbow Dash was a good friend.
“I dunno if she likes you likes you, but she thinks you’re pretty awesome,” the pegasus admitted. Her voice sounded like gravel to her own ears. “You should … you should totally ask her out. Totally.”
===================================================================
Sometimes, you just wanted to stop having to be so perfectly generous all the time.
I shouldn’t be doing this, thought Rarity, even as the pegasus’ teeth scraped roughly against her neck, drawing a gasp of pleasure from somewhere deep inside her. I’m not in love with her. But this felt too good, too necessary, for her to dwell on that thought for too terribly long. It was self-indulgent, perhaps, but she always had been a pony who believed in indulgences.
She lifted her chin, to allow her lover easier access, and continued running her hooves along Dash’s wings. As she concentrated on the feel of those strange, silky feathers under her hooves, she allowed her thoughts to drift to fond remembrances of other wings, wings as delicate and beautiful and majestic as the sun.
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“For me? This is … for me?”
“Well, of course!” Rarity laughed easily, a high, tinkling laugh. “You do want to look good for your big date tonight, don’t you, darling?”
The pegasus ran a gentle hoof along the hem of the elegant teal dress on the mannequin, seemingly in a daze. When she finally looked up, a tremulous smile was spreading across her face.
“Oh, thank you, Rarity! Thank you so, so much.” Her eyes shone with gratitude, wide and sincere, and the unicorn felt a bittersweet pang in her chest.
Rarity had never known anyone who was as thankful as was the pegasus who now stood before her. Who so deeply and consistently appreciated all that she was given. The unicorn didn’t give all that she did in order to receive any thanks, of course, but she had to admit that she cherished the thanks she did receive--especially the thanks she received from this, her dearest and most beloved friend.
At Rarity’s urging, the pegasus changed into her new garment so that the designer could exclaim over how it looked on her and, once dressed, she did a bashful twirl. The dress’ long skirt flared out in a most enchanting way, and the blue-tinged greens in the dress perfectly matched the eyes of the dress’ new owner, just as Rarity had intended. And the sunlight streaming from the boutique windows lent both the dress and the pegasus a lovely, almost ethereal glow.
“So, um, how do I look? Is it … do I look okay?” She sounded nervous, even more nervous than she did usually, and was lightly pawing at the ground with a hoof.
Rarity’s smile never faltered, never slipped. After all, a lady never held her mask so far away that she couldn’t quickly raise it to her face when the need arose. “You look absolutely beautiful,” the unicorn replied, very quietly.
Her voice shook only a little.
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It was a terrible idea, all of this, and it had been from the very start. But, sometimes, you just wanted to take something for yourself. Sometimes, you just wanted to lay down your burdens for a few precious minutes, and sometimes you just wanted to be selfish for a change. Even if you knew that you’d have to pay dearly for it later.
Because all those costs wouldn’t come until tomorrow. Tomorrow they would wake up sick and ashamed and with their chests as aching and empty as they had been the day before. Tomorrow they would part without a word and without a single glance back, with unspoken promises that they’d never repeat this again, promises they both knew they would never be able to keep.
But tonight? Tonight they had each other and, hidden from sight of the rest of the world, they abandoned all of the complications of their daytime lives and embraced the simple pleasures of the nighttime. Tonight, they self-destructed in ecstasy. Tonight, they self-destructed in agony.
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Author’s Notes: Very loosely inspired by, and written while listening to, “Tear You Apart” by She Wants Revenge. (The song is very NSFW, by the way, if you’re interested in looking it up.)
Rewrite 2/7: Hopefully this addresses some of the issues that this piece had.
...nah.
2/5. This doesn't even qualify for a short story.
2/5, the horn licking is just ewwww.
there's an interesting story of Rarity and Rainbow Dash being fed up with having to embody their respective elements, but i don't think that a ship fic is the best way to explore that idea.
Is in moments like this, when I wish have more confidence in my English. So, I'm going to espress my thoughts with four quotes.
A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal.
Oscar Wilde
A man can be happy with any woman, as long as he does not love her.
Oscar Wilde
I can resist everything except temptation.
Oscar Wilde
Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.
Oscar Wilde
I'll keep doing this with all the shipping here.
(I hope next pairing is ApplePie)
I apologize for not elaborating; I was having dinner.
You immediately rushed in a romantic scene; while not bad on its own, the experience felt forced, rather than flowing nicely. The scenes also didn't transition very well. The pairing was unexplained other than 'just a look in the eye', which is not only cheesy, but cliché and incredibly fucking unrealistic. It's also pretty damn out of character. Rainbow Dash, the embodiment of loyalty, ditching Applejack. Right. That also reminds me: You introduced OTHER relationships as well, not giving any reasoning. Would I normally care? No. I normally wouldn't give a damn; actually, I'd laud anybody doing that for giving the readers a sense of depth in the characters' relationships. Not in this case. You had the relationships set up specifically for the 'problem' of the two cheating on their loved ones with each other (and I hate to beat a dead...pony, but incredibly OOC).
Overall, your story is rushed and given no love.
Actually, lowering my rating. 1/5.
182735
I have to say, the latter of these points is a valid one. I recommend taking this reader's advice.
I'm just gonna say it: This isn't as usual for you, Donny. Don't know if it's because of something unrelated to writing, or something completely related to it, but this just didn't sit well with me. I do think it deserves more than 2/5: 3/5 for me. Even if it is really, really short.
It's not that bad... but it's not quite good.
I'd be able to like it, I think, if you led us to this point instead of dropping us into the heat of it. Had you brought me through their frustrations, their realization, before their descent, I might've been on board despite not wanting to think of the characters doing this. As it is, it's just nasty and bordering nonsensical.
Still, you do your usual good job of grammar and sentence structure, so I can't give you a completely bad rating, however tempted I may be.
I liked it.
Hey, ev'rybuddy. As always, thanks so much for taking the time to read, review, and leave feedback.
So, apparently, this one went way off the rails. Believe it or not, I was actually pretty happy with it when I posted it--I'd never intentionally throw up dreck. And there's still some stuff in it that I do like, in the cold light of dawn. (Well, not quite dawn. Sun's been up for a few hours where I am. But you get the drift.)
However, and BIG however. I think a lot of what's been said and suggested is right-on. In particular, I think the issues with length and backstory were probably the biggest problems here. I'd thought I'd implied enough of their backstory to make this little vignette work (and to be clear, it was actually meant to be a vignette more than a short story proper), and I was wrong. I think, even given more backstory and lead-up, there were probably a few characterizations issues anyways, but I think the bulk of the problem was probably backstory and length stuff.
On a side note, I'm sorry that my writing was so unclear that it gave the impression that either Rarity or Rainbow Dash were cheating on a loved one. Neither were doing so. Applejack had a secret crush on Rarity, which Dash knew about, but that was all. I'm sorry for that confusion.
But I digress. I'm sorry this one fell short of the mark. For those of y'all who stick around, I'll be putting all of this feedback and reconsideration into my future additions to this series, so hopefully I'll be able to avoid the pitfalls that I fell into here.
182644
Most likely. I can't promise that I'll never veer from the Mane Six, but certainly the bulk of the series will be Mane Six shipping.
This is actually nicely written, but I agree, there's so much detail left out of the backstory that it implies infidelity. I don't think that's a technical problem in and of itself, but if you meant different as comments indicate it is a problem. As it stands, it is still an effective portrait of raging lust between two individuals who just want to forget the world for awhile and the responsibilities that come with it.
I likedthe vagueness of it, I liked the length too.
Its not a full story but the implied situations were interesting.
Or, or you could edit this chapter first and make everybody totally super duper happy.
183747 Well, I'm glad you can see where we're coming from; otherwise things would be very awkward.
I will say that I think the main issue is in characterization: were these blank-slate characters, I think I'd have liked this piece as is, even without a lead-in, but because of who the characters are I need to be shown how they reached this point to take it seriously.
I hope I'm not repeating myself, sorry if I am.
184546
Rewrite is in progress. I make zero promises as to the super duper happiness of anyone who reads it once it's posted, but I think it should be stronger in terms of backstory, motivation, and characterization.
You wrote outside of your comfort zone Donny, it was interesting. I'll be watching for more.
I have to say I didn't really find anything wrong with this other than characterisation seeming a bit off. That said, the characterisation of the characters differs between every story and author as they all make their own version of the ponies in their story.
Other than that it was fine. I had no confusion over whether RD and Rarity were cheating on others - the only way I can think of getting confused after reading "Applejack will never forgive me, thought Dash, burying her face in her the mane of the pony her best friend so secretly and dearly loved." is by skimming through it. I'm also not worried about a backstory - although it could be interesting - due to the fact that, as stated in the description, this is a mini-story.
I wish I could favourite things twice.
This rewrite makes it so much better. I'm changing my star rating
Le drama
I'm glad I waited a bit before reading this one and thus caught it after the update. I quite enjoyed this, and your scene jumps worked quite well (something that I am noticing becoming much more frequent in your stories). Even if it was a little tragic. ( )
I look forward to the next one! Keep up the great work!
I am reminded of an episode of Frasier ... "Why should two people be happy when four people can be ecstatic" implying they should break a happy couple up to re-pair them with people who love them even more than they love each other. Rainbow and Rarity love Fluttershy and Twilight, but console themselves with each other instead of making their shy socially awkward friends unhappy. How generous and loyal of them.
Oh, this is just fantastic! Miles and miles above what it was before!
I could practically feel their heartbreak. It's beautiful.
"To pretend that this horn belonged to somepony else, somepony too brilliant and too intimidating and too unreachable to ever be touched like this."
Oh my freaking God, that segue!
Also, TwiDash? RariShy? New ground for you, if I'm not horribly mistaken. Congrats on branching out!
Rarishy is one of those underappreciated ships that there just isn't enough of. Even if RariJack is one of my "ideal" ships.
Anyway, I'll stop myself from further rambling now.
Very well done.
197048
That's very kind of you to say. Thank you.
197202
Oh, yay! And thanks--though really, everyone should feel free to keep their star ratings where they were. The first go 'round wasn't good, and it's more than fair that this be rated based on what was initially posted. But thank you.
197444
Thanks! I'm glad you thought the scene jumps worked okay--I kept tweaking them, trying to make the story flow better. I almost took them out and organized it more linearly, but I liked how this way you would get the backstory in small bites.
198185
Was it Niles who said that? It's been ages since I've watched "Frasier," which is a shame as it was a great show, and it sounds like something Niles might have said.
200250
Thank you! And you're correct--I've never attempted writing TwiDash or RariShy before, so hopefully I didn't steer those ships too far off course. Especially as neither is a ship I get as intuitively as some others, such as RariJack or my always beloved RainbowPie. But that kind of made it even more fun to write; it was like an experiment, to see how I could make it work best.
202209
Thanks!
202694 yep, Niles. I prefer this take, the first attempt you really made it seem like Dash was cheating and Rarity planned to deny everything if Dash was caught. This take seems in keeping with the elements, its not very loyal to try to horn in on your nerdy librarian crush's first romance, and its not very generous to be openly jealous of your spa buddy's new happiness, even if she is dating someone with no fashion sense.
203013
Yeah, the main overhaul was to provide backstory and change details so that Rarity and Rainbow were brought more in character. Glad to hear that it was at least somewhat successful.
Niles was such a great character. And I love David Hyde Pierce.
Okay, reading through the first comments for me was very confusing, until I realised that there had been a rewrite. What's up now is very good, love the theme.
219800
Me too. I thought it was very good. And so very sad
The more I think about this, the more appropriate the title is. When your options are mutual self-destruction, or the destruction of the happiness of the two ponies you love the most... Powerful stuff.
I was digging through old stories in the Shipping group folders, hunting for rare ships when I came across this one. Wow, this first story really took me off-guard. I don't know what it was like before you revised it, but as it is now, this thing is really powerful. It definitely hits a lot harder than I was expecting of a little 1800-word shipping vignette. I was just going to skim this collection for the ApplePie, but now I'm intrigued.
Oh my Celestia, I cried... I CRIED. OVER RARIDASH. You, my friend, made me do the impossible.
No! No! That is not okay!
I came here expecting happy!
I did not get happy!
Why would you do this?!
i still love it thoughVery strong and a good slice of life but sad at the same time my first Raridash fic (although not a true raridash)and I enjoyed it.
awesome job, great writing
I swear I read this somewhere else on the site before, or maybe a very similar story, but regardless, I'm... not quite sure if I like this sort of thing, but it is interesting to read.
Holy wow.
This first entry is so good, I don't even know what to say.
I love how it all comes together, piece by piece.
I also love how it is most definitely NOT a happy ending.
I'm truly excited to keep reading.