Hearth Warming's Heart's Warming
The blanket of white and the giant candy canes all across Ponyville spoke volumes about the upcoming holiday, a holiday that everypony loved. School was in recess, and the working ponies got time off to spend with their families and loved ones. Hearth Warming's was rapidly approaching, and it caught many ponies a little off guard as they hastily started to prepare for the holiday.
It was no different for Princess Twilight Sparkle. She was used to setting up and decorating a small tree in her library to commemorate the holiday, and even now, it was no exception. She frantically paced throughout the rooms of her castle. Every single one of them was much bigger than the interior of her previous, now sadly demolished, home. Even though she miscalculated a bit, after about twenty minutes of calculations and measurements, she managed to fit a large-sized tree in one of the free rooms.
However, its accommodation and decoration took far longer than she planned both thanks to and in spite of Rainbow Dash's "help".
Several times, Dash wrapped herself into the multicolored tinsel and growled like she was a character from a low-grade zombie movie. She also wanted to show off her "superior" juggling skills, which resulted in the breaking of a few ornaments. Luckily, Twilight was armed with a plethora of spells to mend them.
Eventually, the room and the tree got decorated with various ornaments, tinsel, and a hoofful of streamers and balloons dangling from the ceiling.
Twilight exhaled, took a step back, and proudly looked around the room, seeing everything in its place and the tree branches symmetrically equal. "Whew. I think everything is ready for tomorrow." She sat down and looked at Dash absent-mindedly. "I can't believe that a year has already passed. It seems that everything went by so fast. I can hardly forget when—"
"Your home blew up, Tirek almost won and all. Yeah, not really a year I'll forget anytime soon either," Dash finished the sentence.
Twilight nodded in response. "Not really something I'll forget anytime soon, either."
"Yeah, like you ever forget anything…" Dash took a glance towards the pile of colorful, neatly wrapped boxes, and scratched her nose. "Oh, and speaking of which, do you remember where is my present?"
Twilight cleared her throat. "Rainbow Dash…"
"Nope, not it," Dash muttered to herself, ignoring Twilight's voice. "No, not this one either…" After another quick scan, she jumped up into the air and flew closer, hoping for a better result.
Twilight snickered at her friend's persistence. "Rainbow, you'll get it tomorrow, just like everypony else. Just be a little bit more patient…"
"Yeah, yea— Found it!" Dash swooped down and grabbed a small present wrapped in a green foil with a purple bow glued on it and a sticker with "Rainbow Dash" written on it. It looked like Twilight spent quite a bit of time on the name tags alone, making sure the letters captured the cheerful spirit of the holiday. Rainbow dared not imagine how much time she spent on everything else. She smiled.
"Rainbow, put it down," Twilight said in a stern, but warm voice. "You'll get to open it tomorrow."
Dash playfully stuck out her tongue. "Nuh-uh! Finders keepers!"
She turned around in an attempt to fly away, but she was stopped by a tug on the package. She looked down, and the package was wrapped in a purple ethereal glow, pulling it back to Twilight, but Dash refused to give in. As she pulled back, Twilight did the same. As she pulled back even further, Twilight tugged even harder. Until—
The room was filled with a sound that Twilight had loathed ever since she was a filly. The sound of heavy paper, the kind used in older books, ripping emanated from the now torn package. Both ponies' heads jerked, their eyes set on the torn package and the content that had fallen out.
Rainbow managed to get a glimpse of the title as it fell to the ground. Daring Do.
Twilight quickly rushed to the now demolished book to assess the damage. "Are you happy now?!" her Royal Canterlot Voice boomed across the hallways of her castle as her stare pierced her friend. If looks could kill, Dash would have been a goner many times over. "Was it worth that you opened your present early?"
Dash landed and looked at the torn book still lying on the ground. "Twi, chill. It's just a book."
Twilight blinked. From far too many hours that they spent together in their reading sessions, she couldn't believe Dash just said that. Just a book. The one thing that kept her happy throughout her studies in Canterlot, the lone friend when she had none. She could feel the ember of anger quickly turn into a literal fire, setting her mane ablaze. "Just… a… And you… you're just a jerk!" Twilight screamed and stormed off, leaving Dash and the remnants of the book alone.
"I'm sorry, oka—" Dash yelled back, but the rest of the sentence was cut abruptly by a slam of Twilight’s chamber door.
She sighed and turned her attention towards the torn book. "Heh, no biggie," she said in a smug tone. "I'll just buy a new one, and—" she stopped herself as her eyes focused on one of the loose page, noticing a "earling" written on it with a thick marker. She recognized that writing immediately. It was an autograph from her favorite author, A. K. Yearling.
She carefully opened the book still encasing the other half of the page, revealing the entirety of the text:
"To a wonderful friend, Rainbow Dash. From Princess Twilight Sparkle.
"A. K. Yearling."
Dash felt her cheeks flare up like a bonfire, and even more so when she read the publishing date. "Heh. This was printed when I was still a… Wait…" She blinked. "No way! Does she knows how much this is worth?"
However, her enthusiasm quickly turned into a deep regret, seeing the consequence of her own actions. She was the pony that destroyed the book because of her impatience, and possibly something much more valuable - their friendship. She cringed at the very thought, and without any further hesitation, she began to pick up the pieces to try and fix the damage she caused.
The more scattered pieces she neatly put back into the torn covers of the book, the more she realized there was a chance the damage she caused was irreparable. After a few minutes, she managed to pick up all the small bits and pieces she could find and put it into a bag.
She sighed. She took another look toward Twilight's door, contemplating if she should try to apologize, but she was certain that her words would mean nothing until Twilight's present was repaired. She sighed again, spread her wings, and took flight.
However, Dash's departure didn't go unnoticed.
In her chambers, Twilight clung to her pillow and flinched as the unmistakable sound of a sonic rainboom rang across Ponyville, and she wondered if this time, Dash had managed to shatter a window. A bitter smile now adorned her muzzle as she watch the colorful trail cross the almost cloudless sky.
This was the first time she was really angry with Dash. It wasn't the very first time Dash tried to "steal" a gift early, and it wasn't the first time that the gesture ended up in disaster.
Twilight already lost count of how many times Dash tried to prank her, and even though it sometimes ended in a small explosion, there was no real damage or harm done. And needless to say, she gladly returned the gesture from time to time.
Regardless of the countless pranks and teases, their friendship had grown. They both liked to spend time with each other, Twilight happily cheering her friend at her practices, and Dash happily using Twilight's body as a pillow in their reading sessions. She often jokingly complained how Twilight's body doesn't feel like a pillow, which often left Twilight snickering.
But what just happened wasn't anything like before. It hadn't been a hoof-made card or a blank notebook for Dash to keep her scrawls. It hasn't been a wooden statue of one of the Wonderbolts that she could pick up cheap in the store. It was something much more personal.
She did not get Dash just a Daring Do book. She gave her a book that fueled her imagination as a filly, as well as keeping her company in the nights she felt lonely. And now… She sniffled. The book was gone forever. She clinged to her pillow even tighter, letting a tear slide down her cheek and land on the pillow.
A soft knock echoed across her room. "I'm back, and the dinner is served, Princess."
"I'm… I'm not hungry, Spike."
"Twilight? Something wrong?"
"No, Spike. It's just… It's fine."
Spike silently nodded. "Told you not to have those hayfries, but nooo. You know where you can find me when you feel hungry."
"Thank you, Spike."
With that, and a soft click of her chamber's door, Twilight was left alone once more.
~*~*~
Days turned into nights and those back into days, but Dash hadn't come around to celebrate the festive days with her friends, or rather, she wasn't around much at all. Worried, Twilight asked her friends of Dash's whereabouts many times over, but the answer was always the same: nopony knew for sure.
And yet, that didn't stop Twilight from attempting to visit Dash at her home at least a few times a day, but she always found it empty.
She had been Dash's guest too many times not to know that she'd at least leave the porch light on, even when she slept, however, now, there was nothing. Her friend's house was dimly lit by the light of the waning moon and nothing else. Regardless, she rang the doorbell in hopes that despite the seemingly abandoned outside, her friend would come answer the door, but it was to no avail. After a minute or two of waiting, she had no choice but to fly home with her head hung low.
A few days and disappointments later, Twilight found herself reading in the corner of her own library, finishing the last few pages of "History of Equestria Vol. 27". Her attention was taken by the thud of the castle door opening, and a good second later, an even louder thump of the library entrance revealed none other than Rainbow Dash, and the gust of strong wind that followed her managed to knock over a few candles.
"Twilight!" Dash shouted, making Twilight cringe and take a few steps back. "I made it!" She swooped down and landed inches from Twilight and hugged her. "And ponies told me it couldn't be done!"
Twilight blinked. She opened her mouth and closed it a second later, just to realize she had no idea what Dash was talking about. "What couldn’t be done?"
Dash tilted her head. "What do you mean what? Fixing your book!"
"My…" Twilight gazed blankly at Dash as her mind processed what she said. "Daring Do…"
"Yup! And, on top of it all, I made it about twenty percent more awesome! Watch!" In one swift move, she opened her saddlebags and retrieved a dark-green book resembling the original. She tugged on the covers, revealing the appalling mess inside.
Twilight winced as the feeling of dread started to rise inside of her.
Almost every page was crumpled and carved into some shape resembling Dash's heroine. Dash paused for a second, her muzzle adorned with a smug smile. "I know, I know. No need to thank me. Just thank my awesomeness!"
Twilight needed a few seconds and a few glares of disbelief between the precious book and her soon-to-be-ex friend. She wanted to say something, but all that managed to come from her throat was a high-pitch scream that Dash swore it could break the very foundations of the crystal castle.
Twilight shivered, her eyes shot open, and in confusion, she quickly scanned the room. The candles she sworn that had been knocked off only moments ago were intact. There was no trace of her blue-feathered friend, nor the "improved" book. In fact, the room looked exactly like it had been when she dozed off. The evidence for that was in the small puddle of saliva that now resided on her foreleg.
Her ears perked up. The feeling that something was out of the place still hadn't left her. Her horn flared up, and a cautious "Hello? Anypony there?" quietly echoed across the castle library. There was no response.
She stood up, and momentarily, she opened her mouth. Her gaze was locked on two books on the nearby table that were surely absent before, a familiar dark-green and a dark-blue on top of it.
"Predictions and Prophecies," she muttered to herself, slowly removing the book. "And…" She gasped. She could swear she could feel her heart doing the double backflip and then some. "Rainbow Dash!" she yelled in her Royal Canterlot Voice, but her tone held no malice or anger this time, but rather consisting of only joy and excitement.
She was now fully awake and energized, despite just having been awoken by a terrifying dream. She couldn't help herself; she felt as if her proverbial batteries had been fully charged. With a squeak of happiness, she jumped up, spread her wings, and teleported high above her crystal castle. She closed her eyes and let the wind ruffle her feathers before she allowed her wings to flap.
She disappeared in another explosion of purple ethereal light, and a moment later, appeared on the porch of Dash's house. She giggled like a foal. "Hey, Rainbow Dash!" she yelled towards the majestic cloud structure.
There was no answer, but that didn't stop Twilight from approaching the door and repeatedly mashing the doorbell like a foal who wanted to annoy the owner. At that moment, she felt like she was suffering from the impatience of Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash combined, waiting eagerly for the door to open. And when that happened, her hooves automatically threw themselves around Dash's chest, squeezing tightly.
Surprised and shocked, Dash gasped. "A-air!"
Twilight loosened her unintentional death grip she had on Dash and stepped backward a bit. "Sorry," she said, still grinning.
"It's fine…" Dash replied flatly.
"Rainbow, the book is amazing! I've thought you'd go out and buy a new book altogether, but no… I'd never thought you'd actually give it back completely fixed. And whoever did that, they did an excellent job!" Twilight smirked. "I might need to ask for their address. I have some books that I can't repair on my own. I tried, but…"
Dash scratched her mane and blushed lightly. "Heh, thanks…"
Twilight tilted her head in slight confusion. "Wait. Are you trying to tell me you did that by yourself?"
"Of course!"
"Rainbow Dash…"
Dash sighed. "Not. Of course not. I did, however, put a lot of work into it. I was in Manehattan for the past five days just for this, and I didn't want to tell you or anypony where I was going because you'd be mad at me."
"I wouldn't…" Twilight sighed. "Probably. I never told you, but this book is… special to me…
"When I was a filly, I kept returning to it. I don't know, but it felt kind of… safe. It was my sanctuary." She scratched her head. "Helped me through quite a few dark and lonely moments when I was in Canterlot."
"Really? What happened?"
Twilight smiled awkwardly. "Eh, nothing. Nothing worth mentioning."
"Nothing?"
"It was a long time ago, Rainbow. And I was just a filly back then. I was even scared of silly things like thunder," Twilight swiftly replied.
Dash smirked.
"What's so funny?"
"I can't imagine if I'd returned the book in the same shape or even worse…"
"I can," Twilight happily replied. "Just today, I had a dream about you bringing the book back… 'Enhanced' book, as you called it."
Dash tilted her head. "En… hanced?"
Twilight nodded. "You decided it's a good idea to carve the image of Daring Do in every single page."
Dash cringed. "Really? That's… really stupid… I just hope I ended up staying away from books…"
Twilight shrugged. "Don't know, but I was angry enough that you would’ve probably ended up being teleported to the moon."
Dash laughed softly. "That really sounds like a bad dream, but I don't think it's as bad as the one that I had where a zombie chased me. On a treadmill. For Celestia knows how long…"
"Oh, please. I dreamt I failed a really important exam once. And it was the easiest question I stumbled on. And because of it, I managed to land back in kindergarten. That was…"
Dash bursted into a fit of laughter. "The nightmare of every nerd. Nerdmare! Well, at least it wasn't as weird as mine, where I kissed a purple prin—" She cut herself off by shoving her hoof into her mouth and blushing fiercely. "Erm… I mean…"
"A purple princess?" Twilight paused for a moment. "You mean me?"
"Ummm… No, I meant to say a purple prince, not a princess. It's not like I like mares or something…" She shoved her hoof into her mouth again in an attempt to prevent herself to dig her grave even deeper. "Can we just switch the topic?"
Twilight raised her eyebrow. "You like mares? I was sure that you had a thing for Soarin… All the ponies I asked—"
Dash shook her head. "Spitfire." She sighed. "But when I found out she's with Soarin… It was even worse when I joined the Academy. She thoroughly killed every trace of the crush I had on her."
Twilight paused for a moment before replying. "Don't worry, Rainbow. I'm sure there's a mare out there waiting for you… Think about it. Who wouldn't like to go on date with the Rainbow Dash, a Wonderbolt and a savior of Equestria? I mean, have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately?
"You're famous, beautiful, successful, and I could go on and on until the end of the day."
Dash muttered something underneath her breath.
"Could you repeat that, please? I couldn't understand a thing."
"I said it doesn't matter," she muttered again, this time clear enough to be understood. "I gave up on that a long time ago. I might as well focus on my career and spend time with my friends. The last thing I want is to be with a mare that latches onto me just because I'm famous or something. Sorry, but I'd rather be with a pony that would like me for being… you know… me." She sighed. "And all the ponies that I know of are either not interested or taken… As I said before, it doesn't matter. And it's not like I have nothing better to do…"
Twilight smiled. "Cadance always told me that love happens when you least expect it."
"Pfft. Yeah, right. Let's just—"
Dash's sentence was cut off as Twilight pushed her muzzle against Dash's, their lips touching briefly. In a moment of panic, Dash's eyes became as small as a pin prick, and she jumped away like she kissed a hot stove.
"What the hay, Twilight!"
"Wh—"
"You kissed me!"
"I thought you wanted—"
"Not you!"
Twilight briefly opened her mouth. Her horn flared up, and she disappeared in a flash of purple light, leaving Dash surprised and confused. Dash took a moment to realize what just happened, but it was already too late to at least shout an apology after Twilight.
She sat down, devastated, even more so than Twilight, or at least she felt that way. She could feel a tear slide down her cheek and make contact with her hoof before dispersing into the cloudy surface. She knew what she had to do, but her wings and her body refused to cooperate. She was sure that her hollow but sturdy bones were replaced with iron pipes and her delicate feathers with blocks of lead.
She sighed heavily and spread her wings. "Rainbow Dash, you're still an idiot," she muttered to herself. With that, she hopped into the air and took flight towards the outskirts of Ponyville: The Friendship Castle.
~*~*~
Dash’s flight took much longer than usual, ensuring she had plenty of time to think about everything. However, at the end of ends, she was none the wiser, all her questions remained unanswered, and the feelings towards Twilight were still unresolved.
As Dash stepped closer to Twilight's chambers, her pace slowed down to a crawl, a few times stopping completely to stare at the wooden door with Twilight's cutie mark embedded in it. It was worse than she thought. It wasn't only the apology that she should give, but also the explanation of why she acted like she did.
Just as her hoof touched the wooden door, a familiar voice startled her.
"Rainbow Dash! Just the pony I was looking for," Spike said in a worried tone. "Maybe you can do something about Twilight. She's been in a bad mood since she got back. She didn't even talk to me… She said she didn't want to speak to anypony. But the last time I checked, I wasn't a pony, right?"
"Spike…"
"I mean, I could be considered as one, but I don't have hooves or—"
"Spike!"
"Oh, right, sorry. I lost my train of thought there. I mean… Twilight is feeling down… I hadn't seen her like that in years. I mean, ever since she moved here to Ponyville, she has been so happy. But now… At first, I thought she was coming down with something, but…"
"But?"
"Dunno… She is super happy when she hangs around you guys, and before she moved here, I saw her that happy only a few times. I think she was seeing somepony or something…"
"She was…"
Spike shrugged. "Probably. She never told me. She used to be very different, and she hardly told me anything. You guys are probably the best thing that happened to her, but now… Probably just a bad day."
Instead of answering Spike, Dash smiled awkwardly to an invisible somepony that was seemingly standing right behind Spike.
"Hey, Dash?"
"Yeah?"
"I was wondering… Um, what was I wondering again? Um, oh yeah, good luck."
"Y-yeah… I'm gonna need it…"
Spike blinked, but paid no attention to the spoken words themselves, as he had heard Dash say it often, mostly as a joke.
Dash watched the little dragon walk away, and as he disappeared behind the corner, she inhaled and exhaled deeply. She rapped softly on the wooden door, and with a weak voice, she called, "T-Twi?" She cleared her throat, allowing her voice to gain strength. "Twilight? You… forgot your book at my place."
A few seconds passed, however, there was no answer.
"Twilight?" Dash repeated herself. "Are you even in there?"
A quick and stern "no" was shot from the other side of the door. "Not today, not tomorrow, not for a while."
"Twilight?" Dash sighed. "I'm really sorry, okay? I wanted— I didn't— I—" She paused for a moment, and her voice started to crack. "I'm so so sorry." She sat down and hung her head. "I wanted… hoped… that somepony would like me for being me, but I never thought a friend, or a princess would be… interested. Let alone a combination of both."
Silence.
"I freaked out and shoved you away. It was the stupidest thing I ever did in my life. And—"
"Go on."
"And now…" Dash blinked as she saw her friend standing in the door. "Twilight?"
“Go on,” Twilight repeated herself.
Dash sighed. "I wanted to say I'm an idiot. I've… never had anypony, and… the few chances I got, I screwed up horribly. And it's even worse now that I'm not a filly anymore. And if you don't want… to be…" Dash hung her head again, her tone now even lower, barely audible to Twilight, "I-I'll understand…"
Twilight smiled softly and sat beside Dash. "When I first came to Ponyville, the very first pony that I was greeted by was a smug and arrogant pegasus who wasted no time to show off her stunts. I was sure that she would get in trouble with ponies sooner or later, but I never expected her to save my life. A life of a pony that she barely knew.
"Even more surprising, I began to grow feelings for her. Especially with bad experiences of my own. For a long time, I thought that it was only a crush, but the feeling just didn't disappear. The more time I spent with her, the happier I was, until—"
Dash leaned forward and pressed her muzzle against Twilight's, just like Twilight did against hers. However, instead of jerking away on contact like Dash, Twilight gently pushed back. Her hoof reached Dash's neck and brushed lightly against it. She wanted to embrace Dash, but—
Spike cleared his throat, startling the couple, who literally jumped from each other, both their cheeks burning from embarrassment. "Guys, I know you like each other, but could you maybe move somewhere else? Somepony couldn't help but barge in with muddy hooves. I mean, come on."
"Sorry, Spike. I didn't mean to," Dash said, her cheeks still burning. "I was in… um… kind of in a hurry…"
"Yeah, yeah," Spike replied and waved his claw. "At least I have something to do now, because I was totally bored before," he continued with a sarcasm-coated voice. "Thanks for that."
Twilight and Dash looked at each other and snickered as Spike walked away, grumbling something unintelligible, but both could understand a sparse mention of muddy hooves.
Dash's eyes moved back to Twilight, still amused. "Um, yes, so…"
"So… Um… Rainbow, would you like to continue this… somewhere else? Somewhere, you know, a little less public?"
Dash didn't nod right away, but smiled faintly at the idea of what would happen if she said yes; she'd spend a night with her best friend that wasn't just another innocent sleepover. Although, she had to admit to herself that even the innocent sleepovers weren't that innocent for herself, since she often gave in to the arousing scent of a mare. More than once, she waited for her friends to fall asleep, and she snuck out to the bathroom and let her hoof relieve her pressure without anypony knowing.
She was sure that was the case, even though she saw Twilight look at her funny a few times, but she just shrugged that off as her mind playing tricks on her.
Dash faintly nodded, and in a flash of a purple ethereal light, the two ponies teleported to Twilight's chambers.
Unlike her huge chamber in Canterlot, Twilight had settled for one of the smaller rooms. Aside from the small handy library, there wasn't much in the room but a huge, queen-sized bed with a nightstand on each side and a small dining place with the obligatory coffee machine. The crystal walls were adorned only by a few abstract pictures of which Dash was sure Twilight had drawn by herself during her alone time with a book in one hoof and a coffee mug in another. Or rather spilled the entire mug on a canvas and call it a day.
Dash chuckled. "Nice pictures," she said, a hint of obvious sarcasm in her tone.
"What did you expect?" Twilight shot back with a similar tone. "A calendar of pretty mares?"
In a split second, Dash could feel her muzzle and ears flare up. The last thing she expected from her nerdy friend was an answer like that delivered with such ease. "W-what? N-no! I meant… I expected pictures of authors, or old buildings, or something…"
Twilight snickered. "Well, no, but I think I have a poster of a mare showing off her flank somewhere. Want me to look for it?"
Dash's face became even redder, and she could swear it now resembled the color of Twilight's coat. "I know how it looks like! Geeze, Twilight! Gimme some credit!"
"Sorry. I couldn't help myself," Twilight replied with a smile. "You just look really cute when you're embarrassed."
"I. Am. Not. Cute!"
"Of course you aren't," Twilight answered innocently. "What in the world was I thinking?"
Dash smiled. A very small part of her wanted to argue that notion, but she realized that it was a battle she didn't want to engage in. A moment later, she realized she was staring at Twilight. She was convinced that she had Twilight all figured out, but everything that happened today made Dash look at Twilight in a whole different light.
"Yeah. Um, so…"
"So?"
Dash scratched her head. "Why, um, didn't you say anything about liking mares and all? I would— I mean, I might—" She sighed. "You know, ask you out or something."
"I never thought it mattered, to be honest. And it wouldn't make any difference whatsoever. You'd all still be my friends, and I'd still be me."
"Y-yeah," Dash breathed. "No difference whatsoever."
"Well, to be fair, Rainbow…" Twilight took a deep breath and smiled. "You told nopony either. So…"
"So what? You're like super smart and all… you of all ponies should know that—" Dash fell silent. "I really thought you knew."
Twilight shook her head. "Only suspected, since I sometimes saw you get nervous when you talked to other mares."
"Well, I—"
"And I heard… noises from the bathroom more than once when we had slumber parties," Twilight finished like she wasn't interrupted. "But regardless, I was still sure you had a thing for Soarin."
Dash's cheeks flared up, and her eyes widened. "B-bath… Oh, sweet Celestia. Please tell me nopony else heard that."
"I don't think so. I heard you the first time and put a spell on the bathroom before things got too loud. Well, and a second time. And I kept it on ever since. You know, just in case."
Dash exhaled happily. She paused for a moment and stared into those deep, purple eyes, searching for what to do next.
She didn't need to wait for long because Twilight was already a few steps ahead. She stretched out her hooves and pulled Dash closer, close enough to nudge her lower lip.
Dash knew where this was going. She took a step forward to ease up Twilight's efforts. And another one. And then another, the last step joining their muzzles together as they descended to the bed when Twilight curled under her.
Their muzzles parted for a moment, Twilight's now adorned by a mischievous smile. "Oops." She breathed into her friend's muzzle. Her nimble forelegs wrapped around Dash's neck again and successfully pulled the entire pony to herself.
"Twi, stop teasing," Dash said when she made a gap between them. "You'll just—" She gasped, and her eyes widened when she felt the tip of Twilight's hind hoof brush against her slit.
Twilight's hind hoof shot away from between Dash's thighs. "S-sorry, Rainbow, I just thought that—"
"N-no, it's fine, Twilight. It's just… I never thought that somepony else's hoof would ever reach that part." Dash smiled. "Do more!'
Twilight smiled back and brushed her hind hoof against Rainbow's crevice a few more times before stopping, making Dash groan in mild annoyance.
"I have a better idea," Twilight said, a smug smile adorning her muzzle.
"W-what?"
Just as Dash managed to finish her sentence, she found herself on her back, pinned down by Twilight, and locked in position by the purple muzzle pressing against hers.
"And now you'll…"
"I will what?" Twilight asked innocently.
"You know… Get off by yourself and leave me… w—" Dash bit her lower lip as Twilight's hind hoof passed her crevice again.
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"N-nothing. It's just something that I saw in a movie. It was… Never mind."
Twilight giggled. "I wouldn't do that to anypony. Unless, you'd want me to."
Twilight recieved a pleading look, convincing her to continue massaging Dash’s inner thighs, careful not to touch the dark-blue mound.
Rainbow closed her eyes and moaned softly, giving in to the slow and clearly teasing massage.
"Like it?"
"Mmmhmmm."
Twilight lifted her hoof up to make her touch even lighter, now barely making contact.
"Twi, stop teasing," Dash breathed.
"Maybe," Twilight breathed back and moved her muzzle lower, nipping Dash's neck fur, each nip going slightly lower. As she stumbled on the small mound, she gently kissed it and paused for a second.
Instead of continuing even lower, her muzzle reached up to Dash's for a deep kiss. Twilight's tongue danced with Dash's, and she eventually caught it and clamped it between her lips. She slowly suckled on it, and after a few sucks, she broke their kiss.
Dash opened her eyes and looked at Twilight with a tinge of hope that she'd continue their little game.
However, that wasn't what Twilight had planned. The moment she broke their kiss, she went back to Dash's mound, now fully focused on it. Or rather, a portion of it that caught her attention: two teats were waiting for attention, and Twilight was quite eager to provide it.
However, as she opened her mouth and clamped onto one of Dash's teats, she felt her friend's body stiffened and shifted a bit.
"Rainbow?"
"I'm-I'm fine, I just—"
Twilight smirked. "Rainbow, have you done this before?"
"Are you kidding? Of course I did! I mean, I'm Rainbow Dash and—"
"So that's a 'no'?"
"Don't tell that to anypony!" she replied, a hint of fear in her tone. "I even managed to convince Applejack to think I'm not a virgin anymore, and I'm sure she'd think less of me if she knew."
Twilight sighed. "Rainbow Dash, you know that's not true."
"I… I'd still rather have it that our friends don't know."
Twilight smiled and leaned forward, kissing Dash on her lips. "Your secret is safe with me. Hey, Rainbow?"
"Hm?"
"Want me to go on? I promise I'll be gentle."
Dash returned the kiss, laid back, and closed her eyes. She felt Twilight's muzzle gliding down her neck and chest, only stopping in the vicinity of her teats. She felt Twilight's breath, filling her with desire for them to continue with what they were doing before they got distracted.
Twilight gently nibbled on the tip of the dark-blue teat with her lips and started suckling on it, making Dash moan again. Fueled by Dash's sounds of delight, she opened her mouth wider and clamped a big portion of the accompanying mound into her mouth, only to slowly release it with a wet pop.
She repeated the gesture a few more times. Each time she suckled harder, as if she was getting more and more desperate to get something out of it.
Dash was unable to recall how many times she was teased this much, but she was certain she could count it on a single hoof. Her body yearned for more.
When Twilight moved to the other teat, Dash moaned and shifted again, but a sky-blue hoof rested on the back of her head. Twilight understood the gesture; Dash wanted to finish right there and then, in the middle of her friend's bed.
"Not yet," Twilight whispered, her muzzle nudging away the blue hoof. She nudged the tip of the teat, licking and suckling it briefly before releasing it.
As she moved lower, she deliberately avoided the dainty and damp rims of Dash's vulva. As irresistible as it seemed, Twilight decided to postpone that pleasure even further. Dash’s squirms and sounds were nothing short of delight to her.
"Come on, Twi," Dash breathed.
Twilight chose not to listen. Dash had often ignored her advice and her words, and she found no better opportunity to return the favor.
The tip of her nose glided across the athletic inner thigh, feeling the twitch of every single muscle in there, and glided back to the rims of Dash's damp lower lips to give them a little peck and move away.
"T-Twi?"
After all of this, Twilight decided she had teased Dash enough, or maybe just a little too much. She wanted to give Dash what she wanted and what she needed.
She moved up and smiled as Dash opened her eyes. Her muzzle nudged Dash's, and a set of little pecks turned into a deep, passion-fueled kiss.
Dash couldn't help herself, and her hoof started to reach between her hind legs, wanting to finish what Twilight started. However, even this time, her hoof was prevented access to the needy jewel. She gave a pleading gaze to her friend.
"Let me," Twilight said sweetly when she broke the kiss.
Just like the first time, she nipped her way lower and briefly suckled on Dash's teats again, and a few seconds later, she found herself looking at Dash's open, slippery vagina, clearly awaiting for something that a mare could not provide. At least not naturally. The thick, pink, needy clit was now fully erect as well, awaiting for some attention of its own.
Twilight froze for a brief moment, allowing herself to soak in her friend's arousing aroma. The dark-blue lips were taunting her, begging for her tongue to explore the juice-soaked crevice and drive its owner to climax.
The scene was too much for her. The fragrance of her friend's juices set off a familiar sensation in her groin. Her hoof sneaked between her own hind legs as well. The tip of her hoof was frantically looking for her sensitive area and started to massage it while she was still focused on Dash's pink, damp clit and its surroundings.
Dash stiffened slightly when Twilight's lower lip touched the bottom side of the crevice, carefully scraping across its length to collect the thick juice.
For some reason, Twilight imagined that Rainbow would have tasted like a rainbow, hot and spicy, but what she tasted wasn't anything like that. She was slightly disappointed, but she didn't mind it much. She was used to the slightly tangy, but otherwise enjoyable taste of a mare, even though it had been years since the last time she had tasted it.
She repeated the gesture, but this time, the bottom lip was replaced by her tongue. She pushed her muzzle against the spread lips and let her tongue explore Dash's slippery interior, ending her exploration by brushing against the pink organ.
Dash's wings shot open when she felt a surge shoot through the lower part of her body, and instead of cooling down, it stiffened up as Twilight's tongue continued to play with her clit. She closed her eyes as she felt the warm mouth clasping the upper part of her vulva and a tongue entering and exiting the gap below it, each time tapping against her increasingly sensitive clit.
Suddenly, Twilight stopped. She winced as her body tensed up and jerked up a little as her climax started to rampage across her body. She closed her eyes for a moment, giving herself a few seconds for the spasms to subside.
Before Dash could began to mind the lack of activity, Twilight resumed her ministrations with only light brushes. With each passing, her tongue dove deeper into the soaked crevice of her friend. With the other hoof now free, she spread Dash's legs even further, allowing her better access to Dash's folds.
As Twilight continued, she could feel the pressure in Dash rise as her breathing became more erratic and her hind legs started to shift.
Dash tried to form a warning of the impending climax, but all she managed was a moan and a mutter that somewhat resembled Twilight's name.
With one last tap against her clit, Dash's back shot up; she felt like she was hit by a lightning bolt as she reached her climax, releasing the pressure and a small stream into Twilight's muzzle.
Twilight jerked away, but still stayed close as she curiously watched Dash's body convulsed as the muscles released the built up pressure. She was amused when Dash's vulva winked at her several times.
Dash's hind leg twitched a few more times as the last ripples of the monstrous climax dispersed through every fiber of her body. She could hear her rapid, yet stiffened breathing as she tried to catch her breath.
Twilight smiled and kissed Dash's lower lips yet again, making her flinch.
"That was…" Dash chuckled.
"That was?"
"Cool, awesome, you name it. I honestly never expected it to be… you know… anything like this…"
"Like what?"
"Like you liking mares, me ending in your bed, and whatnot… you know. Anything like tonight."
"You're making it sound like it was a bad thing…"
"No! I mean, no, not at all… It's just… I never thought that I'd end up in bed with a nerd. Or with somepony else."
"I'm a nerd?"
"Face it, Twi. You spend so much time with books, I actually expected that you'd rather have sex with them than with a live pony."
Twilight's cheeks flared up.
"You didn't," Dash said in a deadpan voice.
"Hey, I was young, okay? I just needed to… you know… She caught me just as I came. That was the worst possible timing."
"She?" Dash's hoof started to caress the base of Twilight's wings.
Twilight nodded. "Her name was Sunny Beam. She was one of the ponies I met in Canterlot. We ended up being together for a few months, and then she just… disappeared. I heard that she moved to Manehattan or something similar. I never saw her after that.
"Hey, Rainbow?"
"Yeah?"
"Would you like to— Do you want to—" Twilight paused for a moment, her mind racing to form a proper question. "Stay for the night?"
Dash nodded. "Yeah. It's late, and I'm tired, mostly thanks to you. Also, how can I decline an invitation of a princess?"
Twilight smiled and leaned forward, kissing Dash again. She put her head onto Dash's chest and let the beat of her friend's heart lull her to sleep.
~*~*~
Twilight moaned and smiled. With closed eyes, she nuzzled a pile of sky-blue feathers and fur that she held in her forehooves, and carried a faint scent of arousal. "Mmmmm, morning, Rainbow," she called softly, embracing the pony slightly tighter.
There was no response.
Curious, she opened her eyes, but regretted that decision almost immediately. Instead of a bright, sunny morning, she awoke to a dull, grey day. Instead of clinging to the sky-blue pegasus, she realized she was hugging her own blanket.
"Just a dream," she muttered to herself. She grabbed her blanket that she had been cuddling not even a minute ago and curled into it. The temptation to succumb to the warmth of her bed was overwhelming, and the weather didn't contribute to changing her mind. She groaned, closed her eyes, and muttered "five more minutes" to herself.
As accurate and punctual as she was, Twilight had nowhere to be and no real obligations to take care of, and maybe it was better that way. She had been hanging around Rainbow Dash for far too long to not be intrigued by sleeping in, and today was just the right day to do so. She let herself sink deeper into the cozy warmth of the blanket.
And deeper.
After a few minutes passed, Twilight groaned. The additional sleep she craved for, accompanied with the dream that she wanted to continue, didn't want to come. After another few minutes of tossing and turning, she finally got up, reluctantly ready to take on the day.
With a flick of her horn, she brought the kettle to life, the water inside slowly but surely starting to heat up to the boiling point. She yawned. With another flick of her horn, the mug nearby started to move, placing itself just by the kettle.
She heard a soft squeak outside her chamber door.
"Mail, right," she muttered to herself, her focus lost in the mug of dark liquid. "I'll be right there, Spike." She yawned again.
"Is it… safe?" Spike asked in a cautious voice.
Twilight tilted her head. "Safe? What do you mean?"
"I thought you had somepony with you?"
"Oh. Don't be silly, Spike. There's nopony else in here but me. I… I just had a dream." She bit her lower lip. Her horn flared up and opened the door. "Just a dream."
"Loud dream, if you ask me."
Twilight felt her muzzle heat up. "Heh, yes. Spike?"
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Can you please fetch me my to-do list? Let's see what's on today's schedule."
Without hesitation, Spike pulled out a thick parchment from behind his back, and started reading. "Get a tree, decorate it, fetch supplies, lunch, reading time with Rainbow Dash—"
Twilight's ear flinched when she heard her friend's name. Certainly, it wasn't the very first time she heard it, but it was the very first time the name caused her to feel butterflies in her stomach. She realized there was something she needed to do, something to say, and she couldn't wait any longer. "Scratch that, Spike!"
"Huh?"
"I have to do something, Spike. Something I really wanted to do for a very long time."
"Twilight, you don't delay things," Spike said in a deadpan voice. "You always grab the bull by his horns, jump the horse, tackle the mud while on the ground. Wait, that's not right. Was it muddied their hooves while on the ground? No, that's not it either. What I wanted to say is— Twilight?"
However, Spike's words echoed in an empty room. Twilight was gone, and so was a book-sized gift package from the table nearby. He scratched his head and turned to the to-do list. "Right. Tree. Decorations. Oh, I know, I'll get Rarity to help me with those! It's been forever since I last saw her. Well, technically it was days, but… tree, decorations, I should get the tree first, and then… I think I'll get the red ones, they're Rarity's favorite. Or maybe, hm."
He walked out Twilight's room muttering to himself, his focus still on the parchment.
~*~*~
"Twilight, it's four in the morning," Dash said in a groggy voice. Her hair and mane told a telltale story of her being woken up by her friend's persistent pushing of her doorbell.
"Rainbow, it's eight."
Dash scratched her mane and briefly looked around. "You're acting like there's a difference."
Twilight smiled. "Only four hours." She floated the wrapped present out of her saddlebags. "I know you like your sleep, but I couldn't wait to give you this."
Dash tilted her head. "A present? I might not be completely awake yet, but I thought we were supposed to get these tomorrow or something?"
"Yes. No. Maybe. I… had a bad dream about what happened to what's in there, and I don't want it to become reality."
"Pfft. Like I'm going to let anything happen to your present."
Twilight cleared her throat. "You mean like last year?"
"Hey, don't blame me! It wasn't my fault the figurine was so fragile! It could easily happen to anypony else, too!"
"Or the year before that."
Dash groaned. "I get it, I get it. I promise I'll be more careful this time." With a nod from Twilight, she carefully ripped open the paper packaging, but stopped half way. "Huh? Daring Do? Twi, I have all of these."
"Almost," Twilight replied with a smile.
"What do you—" Dash's eyes flew wide open. In a moment, she was wide awake, her body fully energized. "No way! This is the special edition of Daring Do and The Crusaders of the Lost Ark! There were only like a hundred of these! They were all gone in like ten seconds flat."
"Hundred and three, actually. And this one has something else in it."
"Yeah, yeah, they were all autographed and all that jazz. And—"
Dash looked at Twilight, and started to read out loud, "To a wonderful friend, Rainbow Dash. From Princess Twilight Sparkle.
"A. K. Yearling."
She clinged to the book. "This is… SO FREAKING AWESOME! Thanks, Twi!" She clung to it for a few more seconds before her grip loosened, and her grin faded. She sighed heavily.
"What's wrong, Rainbow? Don’t you like the book?"
"What? N-no! The book is freaking perfect, it's just… uh…"
"What is it, Rainbow?"
"I… I wanted… uh…"
"Rainbow?"
"I… Thanks for the book, Twi."
Twilight tilted her head. "You wanted to ask something else, didn't you?"
"Nope. It's cool. Anyways, thanks again for the book, Twi."
Twilight cleared her throat.
"F-fine. I… wanted… W-would you go out with me? Y-you know, uh once…" Dash wanted to say more, but the words dissolved into mutter that Twilight couldn't understand anymore.
"Rainbow, we're hanging out all the time. I don't see—"
"No, I meant…" Dash sighed again. She hung her head and drooped her ears. "Never mind. Forget I said anything."
Twilight tilted her head a little. "Wait. Rainbow, are you asking me out on a date?"
Dash nodded. "You'll say no anyways, so it really doesn't matter."
"Yes."
"I knew it. Why even bother with—"
"I meant 'yes', Rainbow," Twilight said in a soft tone, interrupting Dash. "As in 'yes, I would very much like to go with you on a date.' Truth of the matter is, I wanted to ask you out as well, but I heard the rumors that you started dating Soarin."
Dash tilted her head and chuckled. "Me and… You're kidding, right? Soarin and Spitfire are like glued to each other. I once tried to ask Spitfire out, and it ended with me having to do a hundred wing push ups. It wasn't that fun."
Twilight gently pressed her muzzle against Dash's and smiled.
"Uh, hey, Twilight, um… With that, would you like to… you know… stay here for lunch? I can make—"
"L-lunch?!?" Twilight gasped. "Oh, no!"
Dash tilted her head. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Spike!"
"Wuh? Twilight?"
"I gave him the list for the Hearth's Warming, and I've been here for longer than I thought. I dread—"
"Hey, don't worry. I'm sure Spike can handle himself, or he'd get Rarity to help him…"
Twilight shook her head. "She's with Applejack, preparing their own tree."
"Sweetie Belle?"
"Manehattan. I think she went to cheer Scootaloo at the contest."
"I'm sure he'll be fine."
"I'm not worried about Spike, Rainbow. I am, however, worried about something going wrong."
Twilight unfolded her wings and looked down in the direction of her castle. Tipping slightly over, she felt a rush of air across her wings as she took flight. One of far too many tricks she picked up from watching Dash practice.
"Hey, Twi! You need any help?" Dash shouted behind the now distancing Twilight.
"I have everything under control, Rainbow," Twilight shouted back. She paused for a moment and then adjusted her flight course back to Dash's cloud home. "Actually," she said when all her hooves touched the familiar cloud surface, "I might need all the help I can get."
In response, Dash spread her wings as well, joining her friend in a rapid descent.
~*~*~
Dash snickered. She was used to seeing a completely spotless castle, but what she saw was anything but. Broken branches were covering the ground, leading to an awkwardly posed pine tree partially wrapped with silver tinsel.
A familiar voice echoed from within the tree, "Um, help?"
"Spike?" Twilight replied. "How the hay—"
"Never mind that. Just get me out."
Twilight nodded. With a flick of her horn, and a bright flash of purple magic, Spike appeared in front of her, still wrapped in purple tinsel.
Spike groaned. "That's the last time I'll get anything from Flim. Or was it Flam? I swear I always mix those guys up."
"Figures," Twilight replied in a deadpan tone.
"Well, I did try to find Rarity to help me out, but…"
"She's helping out at Sweet Apple Acres, Spike. Remember?"
"Oh, right, heh heh." Spike sighed. "Sorry for the mess. I guess I wanted—"
"Spike, don't try to do everything on your own. I found out first hoof that really doesn't work that well."
"I know." Spike sighed again. "I just wanted to surprise you before you came back. You gotta be on schedule, you know."
"Explains why you had been… hanging around," Dash replied in sarcastic tone, barely stifling her laughter.
Spike shot a deadpan stare at Dash. "Hardy har har."
"Well, we have a lot of work to do," breathed Twilight, "so let's get started." With a flick of her horn Spike was freed from the clutches of the tinsel.
As the time passed, the castle was cleaned of broken branches, the tree was sized down to fit properly, and bright decorations were placed on it. And of course, Spike wouldn't be Spike, if he hadn't found a reflective ornament and spent time caressing his nonexistent mane when nopony was looking.
None of them needed to worry about food, either, as both Dash and Spike put a lot of effort towards its preparation, often making Twilight scratch her head. Or make her take a step back so as not to interfere in the arguments like who makes the better chili.
Eventually, their friends started to arrive. Pinkie Pie cartwheeled into the castle and shot streamers all over the floor and tree. Applejack and Rarity joined in not long afterwards, making Spike literally backflip as he saw his crush.
Fluttershy didn't lag much behind them, either. It didn't take more than a few minutes before she emerged at the front door with a visibly annoyed Discord, which Pinkie Pie cheered up in no time.
"Okay, you guys, let's get this par-tay STARTED!" Pinkie shouted and pulled everypony into her embrace.
~*~*~
Hours passed, and eventually, the room fell silent. Only the sound of the gramophone that had stopped playing a while ago could be heard, and nopony had the energy or will to reset it. All the meticulously prepared food and drink had been consumed. Fluttershy and Discord had departed not too long ago, and so had Rarity and Applejack, leaving Twilight, Pinkie, and Dash alone.
Twilight groaned as she saw Pinkie juggling a set of vinyl plates."It's three in the morning, Pinkie," she announced in a groggy voice.
"Aw, come on, one more song?"
Twilight shook her head. "No, Pinkie. It's really late, and I'd like to get some sleep. And likely Rainbow as well."
Dash yawned and nodded in confirmation.
Pinkie yawned as well. "Maybe you're right. I think I need some shut-eye as well as Gummy. Speaking of which, have you seen—" She looked back and saw the toothless alligator entangled in her tail, seemingly sleeping. "Oh, right. Yeah, it's definitely time for beddy-bye." She zipped to the gramophone, set the needle in the middle of the record, and grinned. "Night, guys," she added and waved towards the couple.
Twilight perked up her ears as the soft sound of music filled the room. She recognized the melody almost immediately and smirked. "Rainbow?"
"Hm?"
"Would you… like to dance? It's the song that played during my brother's wedding and—"
"Thought you're tired and stuff?"
"I am, Rainbow. But this won't kill me." She closed her eyes for a moment as she started to hum, and her legs seemingly started to move on their own.
Dash nodded. She stood in front of Twilight and smiled as she tried to match her friend's moves, but only with limited success. Her gaze locked to Twilight's eyes and Twilight's on hers. With each step, their muzzles grew slightly closer, and soon, they felt each other's breaths.
Twilight leaned her muzzle into Dash's, took a small nib on her lower lip, and smiled. She tasted sweet; she figured it had to be all the baked goods that Pinkie Pie and Applejack had brought. She nibbed the sweet lip yet again. And again.
The song changed, but neither paid any attention to it anymore. Their attempt at dancing properly ended a while ago as well. Their muzzles were now conjoined with the tip of Twilight's tongue exploring the inners of Dash's sugary-flavored mouth.
Their lips parted, and Dash giggled.
"Rainbow?" Twilight hummed in almost a whisper.
Even without any further hints, Dash understood perfectly. The seductive look she had seen in way too many movies and the faint scent of arousal that now permeated through the air told her that Twilight wanted something more intimate. She nodded subtly, and a moment later, her decision had been rewarded with a peck on her lips, and with a flick of Twilight's horn, they both ended up in Twilight's chambers, or more precisely, on her queen-sized bed.
Twilight smirked. The warmth of her friend's lemon-scented breath engulfed her muzzle, and she pushed lightly, hoping for Dash to cave in. Nothing. She pushed in a bit further. Still nothing. Curiously, she pulled her muzzle away from Dash. "Rainbow?"
Dash smiled awkwardly. "Ummm… not sure what to do…"
"Lie down," Twilight replied.
"Oh, right. I got it." Dash fell silent and flopped on the satin sheets, her wings and legs spread. Her forehoof slid between her hind legs and in a circular motion, started to massage her inner thighs, focusing on the tip of the needy slit.
Twilight tilted her head.
"What? Isn't this how it goes? I seen it in like every movie. A mare is—"
Twilight smiled. "Mhm." She placed herself over Dash, and drowned the rest of Dash's sentence in a kiss. Her front hoof traced down Dash's neck to the root of her wing, stopping briefly before moving even lower.
"That's not—" Dash bit her lower lip and elicited a soft moan as she felt the tip of the foreign hoof pass across the length of her still-closed crevice and stopped only inches before its wider end.
After a brief pause, Twilight repeated her actions, pushing the tip of her hoof just a little bit harder, making Rainbow's body stiffen, and a second later, relax.
She removed her hoof from Dash's nethers and brushed it against her nose. "Like it?"
With a faint nod, Dash kissed the hoof that carried her own scent, grabbed Twilight by her back, and pulled her into another deep kiss.
While the two muzzles were still joined, Twilight's hoof went back between Dash's nethers, again pressing against the now slightly damp crevice, making Dash squirm and elicit a moan.
Delighted by the reaction, Twilight's hoof started a subtle dance around her friend's slit. As she continued to do so, she felt Dash's muscles relax and her breathing deepen. With her muzzle now free, Twilight nudged her friend's neck and her chest, slowly nuzzling down for her muzzle to join her hoof.
Twilight paused for a moment. The glistening, dark-blue folds were a delight to look at. She had seen bits of it many times before, but usually, it was obscured by the rainbow-colored tail. This was the first time she had seen it up close. She admired the scratches and dents that adorned the dark lips, displaying the history of Dash's failed stunts. But for a change, Twilight paid only a little attention to it, giving in to the arousing, warm scent of her friend inviting her to do more.
The tip of Twilight's tongue dove between the folds and glided smoothly across the fleshy crevice. She could feel Dash's muscles contract, making her gasp.
Twilight looked up and smirked. "Enjoying yourself?"
"Y-yeah. I've seen this like a million times, but I ne—v—"
Dash bit her lower lip as she felt Twilight's tongue dive between her folds again to continue its exploration. Her muscles tightened when the tongue bumped against her clit, and she could feel it drag across its length, and a few seconds later, dive back into the now-opened and welcoming crevice.
The sight, taste, and mixed scents were a little bit too much for Twilight. She felt a droplet of thick liquid sliding across her clit and eventually fall onto the freshly-washed satin sheets.
Regardless of how she shifted the lower part of her body, she felt a certain tension inside of her, a tension she was very familiar with, and she only had her hoof and magic to relieve herself for far too long.
Like on autopilot, Twilight's hoof snaked between her hind legs and pressed against her damp clit, slightly relieving her tension. However, she was fully aware that the gesture was nothing but a momentary distraction. She imagined being in Dash's place, flicking the tip of her tongue against her clit, tasting her juices, and eventually bring her to a climax like she hadn't felt for a very long time.
Lost in her fantasy, Twilight's hoof automatically did what it had done countless times before as she started to massage her mound. She removed her muzzle from Dash's nethers and elicited a moan.
Without the heaven-sent stimulus, it didn't take long for Dash to look up. "Twi?"
"Oh, heh, sorry," Twilight replied sheepishly and quickly removed her hoof, depriving herself from relieving her own tension.
"You want me to… you know… help out?"
Twilight nodded. Without hesitation, she leaned forward and kissed her friend, making Dash get a taste of herself. Dash pulled Twilight closer, deepening their kiss.
After a few seconds, their muzzles parted, leaving Dash with a grin. "You taste like me," she said softly.
"You won't hear me complaining," Twilight replied in a soft, teasing voice. She leaned forward for another kiss before she turned and spread her hind legs, offering the plump, glistening organ to her friend.
Dash stuck out her tongue, licking off the droplet that formed on the tip of Twilight's clit. The taste of the liquid was familiar, but this was the very first time she tasted it off of somepony else. And, just like Twilight, she had no complaints either.
She felt Twilight return to her ministrations, and without waiting much longer, she pulled the dark-purple slit a little closer. Her hooves were placed on Twilight's back, slowly massaging the bases of her wings.
She did what she saw in far too many movies: She latched herself to Twilight's clit, her tongue tapping against it as awkwardly and quickly as possible, and licked away the liquid as it formed.
Twilight moaned. "R-Rainbow, sl-slow down," she managed to mutter between gasps.
However, Dash had no intention to do that. The race was on, or at least, she perceived it like that. She narrowed her focus in order to speed up, but her inexperience just made her ministrations clumsier so much that Twilight had to move away from the overwhelming stimulus.
"Slow down, Rainbow," she repeated herself. "Make me enjoy it as well," she added softly.
Dash nodded and pulled Twilight back, and the plump, glistening organ was in her reach again. She glided her tongue across Twilight's slit and focused on her clit again. However, this time around, her movements slowed drastically. Her taps changed into licks and were occasionally accompanied with sucks of the sensitive organ.
But Twilight was still taking care of her, and Dash was soon left with no choice but to stop with what she was doing. She closed her eyes, her breathing now shallower. She could feel the familiar feeling taking over. Every muscle in her stiffened, and her leg started to shift erratically.
Twilight knew. She clamped Dash's clit between her lips, the tip of her tongue rapidly tapping against it.
Suddenly, Dash's entire body shook like a surge of electricity passed through her. She could feel a small stream shoot from her, startling Twilight for a brief moment. After a few seconds, she could feel Twilight's muzzle returning and eagerly lap the remaining juices, carefully avoiding the overly sensitive clit.
As Dash's tired and exhausted body calmed, the desire to return the favor still burned in her. Her eyes locked on another forming droplet on the dark-purple rim. She kissed it away, and her actions awarded her a proverbial wink from Twilight's vulva.
Dash snickered. She closed her eyes and glided her tongue across the wanting crevice, and, just like Twilight, Dash latched onto Twilight's clit, teasing it a bit and then returned to the exploration of the slippery slit, Twilight's soft moans encouraging her to go faster. Shortly after, she focused only on Twilight's clit, and she didn't need to do so for long.
Shortly after, she could feel Twilight's body stiffen and her wings shoot open. With her mouth still firmly latched to Twilight's juicy organ, Dash could feel Twilight's muscles shiver, and the room brightly lit up in magenta color.
When it dimmed down, an exhausted Twilight could do not much more than collapse on her friend, breathing heavily.
After waiting for a minute, Dash snaked from under Twilight. "Twilight?" she asked in a worried tone. "You okay?"
Twilight nodded faintly. "This… never happened… before…"
"It's because I'm awesome!"
"Rainbow…"
"I knew it." Dash paused for a moment. "Sure you're okay? You want me to leave?"
"Please stay, Rainbow." Dash was sure Twilight wanted to say more, but the rest of it was lost in unintelligible mumble, followed by deep breathing. Twilight was asleep.
Almost as tired as Twilight, Dash took Twilight's words to heart. Due to their activity, she was barely able to move, let alone being able to fly back to her cloud home. Besides, she had nothing to go back to, other than a couple of posters of the Wonderbolts and a cold, empty bed.
With the last remnants of her energy, she stretched her wing, covering the sleeping Twilight. "Sweet dreams, Twi."
She was sure Twilight muttered something back, but the words were lost to soft snores. She closed her eyes and let herself drift to the land of dreams as well.
~*~*~
"Mmm, Rainbow," Twilight said in a groggy voice, squeezing her friend tighter.
However, there was no reaction. Dash didn't move at all, nor did she give any vocal acknowledgement, which elicited a groan from Twilight.
"Rainbow?" Twilight asked in a worried tone.
Yet again, there was no answer and opening her eyes quickly revealed why. Once again, she woke up alone in her bed, clinging to her favorite blanket. The content smile quickly faded away. "Stupid dream. Just another stupid dream. It's the second time that—" She sighed heavily and dug her head into the blanket.
Her feeling of solitude and misery, however, was only short lived. It didn't take long before her attempt at prolonging her slumber was disturbed. She felt a poke against her ear, prompting her to pry open her eyes.
"Spike, sorry, but I'm not really in the mood."
There was no reply, but the torture of her ear continued. Twilight's annoyance grew until she jerked towards her assailant, ready to yell. "Spi— Rainbow?"
"The one and only," Dash replied with a smug smile. "Happy Hearth's Warming, Twi."
"A rose?"
Dash hung her head. "I didn't know what to get you. You have like all the books, a castle, and whatnot." She paused for a moment. "Besides, aren't girls supposed to like this?" She sighed. "I… I should have picked something else, huh?"
"It's fine, Rainbow."
"Sorry, but I hadn't done this before…"
"It's really beautiful, Rainbow."
"Um, I mean, I read it in a book, and I asked Rarity to— Please don't tell me I screwed up. I screwed up, didn’t I? I shouldn't listen to—"
"Rainbow…"
"I should’ve just gotten you a book, huh? But—"
Twilight pressed her muzzle against Dash's, losing the rest of the sentence in a kiss. "Rainbow, you didn't need to get me anything. I'm just happy you're here with me now.
"I just wish that this could have happened earlier… I had so many chances, and I blew all of them."
"What do you mean?"
Twilight sighed. "I guess I was terrified you'd say no. Or even worse, that you'd stop being my friend."
"S-seriously?"
Twilight nodded. "I…" She sighed. "I dreamed about this and it was so very easy, but when I saw you, I just froze up. Didn't know what to say…"
"So I beat you to it. Ha! And to be honest, I don't regret it one bit… Princess."
Twilight leaned forward and affectionately pressed her muzzle against Dash's. "Neither do I."