《Love Can Be Enough》 Take Two and See Me In the Morning Sometimes I hated wearing a helmet. It cut down my visibility and muffled everything around me. But, greater than my love of riding a bike free and without anything to impede my enjoyment was the desire to not get another fine for riding without a helmet. Leaning into the corner, I brought the bike almost hard over as I turned into my street. It was finally over. The last week of college before our mid-semester break was done, and I had someone special waiting for me at home. Revving the bike to get the back wheel spinning, I pulled it into a turn and left another dark black arc on the blacktop outside my house. My hand left the clutch and I tapped the remote to open the garage¡ªriding my bike all the way in and beside her car. It wasn''t just that she liked cars that could go fast, she built cars that could go fast. Turning the bike off, I hit the garage door button again and climbed off the quiet machine. When I opened the door between the garage and the house¡ªslipping my helmet off¡ªI heard her voice. "Rainy! We have a guest." And that is how Rainbow Dash''s libido gets a bucket of water tossed on it. But, no, I can''t be like that. "Really? Who?" I asked as I walked through the kitchen and into the living room to see¡­ Me. No, not me, of course. I knew the real me was standing here, staring at her girlfriend sitting across from¡­ Me. Derpy jumped out of the recliner and vaulted the couch right beside the other Rainbow Dash''s head in one bound. It took her two of her lanky-long steps to reach me in what was practically a crash-tackle. Though I stumbled back at the ferocity of her assault, I still offered this energetic bundle of speed-demoness my lips. The ride home from college hadn''t been enough to pony me up, but in Derpy Hooves'' arms and with her body against mine, it was a sure bet I''d sprout wings¡ªand I did. "Oh!" Derpy leaned back, almost pulling me overbalanced in the opposite direction. "Our guest is¡ªuh¡ªRainbow Dash." It was hard to break my eyes from Derpy''s profile, but I made the supreme sacrifice and looked at Rainbow. She could have been my twin. Blue skin, rainbow hair, she even had clothes that were similar to mine. The biggest difference was the dark stains under her eyes. That''s when it hit me that something was wrong. "Hey. Uh, what''s up?" Rainbow looked between me and Derpy, and for a moment I thought she was about to cry into her makeup again. "I shouldn''t have come here. I didn''t think and¡ª" As Rainbow tried to stand up, Derpy rushed over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "I know this might make things harder right now, but we''re both here to listen." I remembered seeing her comforting a guy in a similar way¡ªon the same day I''d really started to take notice of Derpy. Was it significant that Rainbow was giving off a Flash Sentry vibe? "Yeah we are," I said as I walked around and dropped into a chair. I unzipped my leather jacket and pulled my gloves off. "So what''s up?" Rainbow looked like she might fight our insistence, but then she did something that looked like it physically hurt her¡ªshe gave up and slumped back into the couch. "You probably know where this is coming from, but a guy. "A friend, or so he called me. Friends that fuck. I can''t believe I deluded myself for two storm clouding years! I thought it was something¡ªsomething more than that. It finally got too much and I asked him to his face. "''Girlfriend?'' he''d said. ''Babe, were just friends that fuck. I didn''t realize you read that much into it.''" Nope. Nope. Nope. This wasn''t good enough. I knew what this would need was a grade-A hug, and since Pinkie wasn''t here, it''d have to be me and Derpy working together. I lunged up and out of my seat as Derpy closed in from Rainbow''s other side. We both dropped down onto the couch to flank Rainbow, and reached an arm each around her shoulders. It was surprising when she turned to me first and dug her face against my neck. "I was an idiot! I should have worked out what a piece of horse-apple he was." She was crying again now, but her makeup and my shirt were the least of my worries. With my arm around her shoulders, I looked over her head at Derpy and nodded toward the kitchen¡ªmouthing Ice Cream to her. "Sounds like he was the one with the problem. He didn''t see what kind of awesome girl¡ªerr, mare¡ªhe had. Your friend, Twilight Sparkle, she told us all amazing stuff about our other halves." "R-Really?" Rainbow sounded destroyed. She lifted her head up from my neck and I realized she looked it too. "Heck yes. How many times did you save the world?" I asked. She reached up to her face with her arm and wiped¡ªor tried to wipe¡ªall her tears away. All it did was smudge everything. "A few." Her voice sounded so small. Maybe I should take a trip to Equestria. Perhaps take a tire-iron with me. If this guy was so hard headed, he might not notice me just punching him. Huh, do ponies punch? They have hooves¡­ I was getting too distracted by having my clone right here. It was kinda weird, but I knew what we needed was something to distract us all¡ªbecause my night of making Derpy sing in the bedroom was completely gone now. "Want a distraction?" "Huh?" Rainbow asked. "You know, something to distract you from feeling really shitty so your brain can start working and steer your heart away from a dirtbag who didn''t know how good he had it." I gestured at the TV. "A movie, something sweet, some friends to keep you company?" She didn''t look impressed. So much for trying the girly stuff. "What about we go for a run?" I asked. "A run?" Rainbow''s mood seemed to break and I could swear I saw something bright and golden flicker in her eyes. "Where are we running to?" I had her. She was more interested in exercise than a movie. She really was like me. "I was thinking about going to the gym. There''s a trainer there who understands that some of us are a bit¡ª" "¡­ Freaky." Derpy was standing behind the couch without the ice cream. Instead she had her keys in her hand. "Screw running to the gym, you speed-freak, we''ll drive there so you can run yourself stupid on Short Track''s gear." "That''s my girl. Come on, Rainbow," I said, "let''s go."
I was acclimatized to Derpy''s driving. She regularly took me out for a drive somewhere, and no matter where it was she drove fast and wild. Right now she had her hand tight around the parking brake as we neared the perfect spot to pull up¡ªfrom the wrong side of the street. It took a careful pump of the gas and a quick tug on the parking brake¡ªor turning brake as she liked to call it¡ªand spun the back of the car around in a full three-sixty doughnut while steering the front wheels into the lines perfectly. When the car finally stopped moving, it was parked with a precision that boggles the mind. My heart was beating fast, but in the back seat Rainbow''s fingers were dug into the upholstery. For nearly four seconds she panted and stared at the back of Derpy''s head. Finally, looking more than a little crazy, she shouted, "That was totally awesome!" I couldn''t help but crack a smile. "We''ll have to head down the skid pans sometime. You get to see this babe right here waste a brand-new set of tires doing that. Now, come on, let''s get inside and get moving. I wanna see how fast you can run." As soon as we stepped inside, I heard his voice. "Well, if it isn''t my favorite superhero! This isn''t your normal nig¡ªWait, am I seeing double?" Short Track had a hint of a Scandinavian accent that added just enough exotic lilt to his voice that it took work to focus on what he was saying and not how he said it. "Welcome to Fitness Unlimited." "She''s my, uh, cousin. Do you still have a spare treadmill that''s up to my pace?" I smirked at Short, we''d worked together to improve treadmills and bikes until they could take me at my full speed. This meant that there was a small pile of incrementally upgraded machines that were almost good enough for me. "Sure do. Never know when we''ll get another speed-demon coming in." Short''s sense of humor ran to dry most of the time, and now wasn''t an exception. "Do you want a new membership, or will she be your plus one?" "Plus one," Derpy said as she held out her car keys with the little barcode fob on them. "We''ll only need one locker, thanks Short." Short Track always looked at Derpy and flirted with her in the manner of someone who looked at and flirted with everyone that fit his type. "I''m sure I have one to squeeze you all into. Here." He passed Derpy a key and tapped away on his keyboard behind the counter. We went to the change room and started slipping out of our street clothes. Derpy opened our gym bag and lifted out her own gear and two sets of my stuff. "You know how to get these on, Rainbow?" "I-I can figure it out. Why do you wear all this stuff, anyway?" She sounded serious enough about the question that I looked over to her. She was in the process of putting her sports bra on backwards and over the top of her normal bra. "Hold up." Derpy moved before I could. She carefully took the sports bra from Rainbow and then unhooked the normal bra too. "You need to wear this this way around. You want your chest to be supported. See how Rainy is doing it?" "We, uh, don''t have these bits back home." Rainbow got the top on and a shirt over it, then she worked out the shorts Derpy had given her. "I still don''t know why you need all this." Giggling, Derpy took her own top and bra off. "Support. Warmth. Protection. Cooling. We don''t have feathers and fluff to protect us." Even as I watched Derpy pull on her own sports bra and top, I noticed Rainbow was looking at her curiously. Was it the damn she''s hot curious or how do I human? curious? Wish I knew. "Okay, now your shoes are the last bit. You need them done up nice and tight." "I don''t like tight things on my hooves," Rainbow said. "They''re not hooves now. You don''t have a hard hoof protecting your foot, so you need something to help with that. Here." She was almost like a mother hen. Derpy pulled Rainbow''s socks on her and fitted one shoe then the other. "See? Clothes protect and support you." "C''mon," I said, "let''s get some warm-up done and get sweating." Leading the way into the main workout area, I headed straight for the treadmills. There was one at the back that was literally painted with my rainbow of hair. Tossing my hand-towel over the front and my bottle of water into the cup holder, I turned it on and stepped onto the slowly moving deck. "You probably want to start with something slow. It gets your muscles warmed up slowly. Then we can test each other out." A fire seemed to ignite in Rainbow''s eyes as she stepped onto the machine beside me. "How do I make it work?" I gave her a quick rundown, showing the power, the angle, and the speed controls. "Now, let''s get moving." I''d worried she might have trouble moving, given she was used to four legs, but I should have known that no matter what¡ªRainbow Dash would always move fast. We built up to a jog while Derpy climbed on one of the cross-trainers. A girl like Derpy on a cross-trainer was something to behold. It forced you to stand upright and, effectively, ski. Her butt waved side to side and her entire form shifted in very interesting ways. The best bit was, on the treadmill behind her, it felt like I was chasing her. Rainbow turned her treadmill up to a light running pace and I followed suit. It wasn''t the kind of crazy running I could do with my geode, but it let my muscles stretch into the repetitive motion. "So, what was his name?" I asked. "Wing Flare." Rainbow seemed to be handling the warm-up run well. She wasn''t panting hard, but that meant we could actually talk. "He was a newbie who joined the Wonderbolts from the Guard. Full of confidence, and fit like you¡ªYeah, he was kinda hot." Well, I guess we were doing the girl-thing after all. Hell, if she''s anything like me, she''s hating every second of it too. "I know that feeling. For a while, in high school, I was focused on checking out guys and thinking about my first time with one." I turned my treadmill up to a full run and stretched my legs out into a long stride. "Then I found Derpy." "Changed teams at first sight?" I snorted. "Hardly. I''d seen her around school before then and even chatted to her a few times, but it was on a school camp that I really got to spend some time with her. That changed my life. She changed my life. Took a while to work up to asking her out. Found out we had a lot in common." "The Derpy in Equestria is different. Older. She has a kid, but I don''t think anyone knows who her father is. I¡­" Rainbow seemed to lose track of her conversation. She made up for it by increasing the speed on her treadmill to match mine. "I guess I''ve known her since we were foals. I just never¡ªnever really approached her." "Maybe buy her a muffin sometime?" "Yeah. I might do that." She moved well, easily keeping up with my speed and stretching herself into the long gait I took with such speed. Rainbow also didn''t sound like she was about to break down into tears again, which I think means this is a success. "I guess I just never looked at mares that way before." Was I trying to convert her? Maybe, but why not if it means she can look for someone completely different from this Wing Flare. "What''s she like in Equestria? As much of a speed-freak as she is here?" Rainbow had to hit the stop button on her treadmill she was laughing so much. "N-No. She''s¡ªActually, I''ve seen her move pretty quick sometimes, but I don''t think she likes it as much as Derpy does here." Getting her laughter under control, Rainbow hit the start again. "I guess it makes sense. The Twilight from your world is really different from the one here. I mean, not in the really smart and liking books way too much sense, but¡ªYou know what I mean?" I asked. Back up to speed, Rainbow was taking the machine''s efforts in stride again. "Yeah. Like you and me. We both like pushing ourselves, but you''re a total bookworm too! What''s up with that?" I narrowed my eyes at her and snorted. "You''re enough like me that I think I can safely say you aren''t stupid. You¡ª" "Except when it comes to stallions." I nodded to that. "Well, yeah, but what I mean is you haven''t ever wanted to do more? I know you have books and stuff in Equestria. Surely you read?" "Oh yeah. I read Daring Do!" "Nothing else? What about your job?" "Well, yeah. We have weather reports to read and make, as well as our stunt plans. They''re not really books, though." Something about what she said reminded me of how crazy Equestria is. "You make your own weather there, right?" "Yeah." "So you plan all that? You work out where to put the clouds until you''ll need ''em and stuff?" As I spoke, I realized that Rainbow''s eyes kept returning to straight ahead before she''d look back at me. She was checking out Derpy! Was this a win? I mean, I was trying to give her the idea to check girls out instead of guys, but this is my Derpy. Okay, so we''d talked about sharing, but neither of us had really been that into it, and this was entirely too strange. Should I just accept it, like Short Track checking her out? Damn it, life should come with an instruction manual. "Of course we have to plan it. If you don''t plan the weather just right, you end up with all kinds of craziness happening. Snow in summer, bright and sunny days in winter, and trees dumping their leaves in spring." She was back to looking at Derpy the moment she''d stopped talking, though I realized it was a far away expression rather than actual ogling¡ªthis time. "I guess I do a lot of reading¡­" "And building. That''s what I''m studying¡ªengineering. That takes a lot of studying to work out how things go together and how to have them do what I want them to." It was about as simply as I could put it. "I know what an engineer is, uh¡ªWhat are we meant to call each other, anyway?" "I''ve just been thinking of you as Rainbow. Derpy calls me Rainy, but I figure you can go with that too if you want." I didn''t say but it will be a little freaky hearing it from you. The truth was I hadn''t thought about this enough. "That works. So how fast can these things go?" I barked a single laugh at that. "Come on, turn the speed up and try to keep pace with me." Pressing the speed-up button, I set it to double my current pace. The treadmill didn''t instantly react, of course, but the heavy-duty motor in it started to wind up higher and higher. 10mph passed, and when I got to 14, I had to start pushing with magic. Looking to my right, Rainbow was barely keeping up¡ªbut she was. She was leaning forward and pumping her legs like a champion runner. If I didn''t use the geode, I don''t think I''d be able to manage that. She looked determined, though. And then Rainbow looked at me and smirked. Her hand reached to the controls and she added another 5mph to the speed. The motor in her treadmill gave a soft electrical thrum as it spun up faster, and I had to wonder what her maximum was. I turned my own treadmill up five, then five more. As I stepped past the 22mph mark, my geode pushed me beyond what it could normally give and I watched as time slowed down around me. Now I was at the point of showing off. I wasn''t getting any more exercise out of this than if I was running slower at normal speed. Dull, deep bleeps sounded as Rainbow turned her treadmill up. She tried for the five I was faster than her, but had to hit the down arrow quickly again. I followed suit, bringing us both back down to 20mph. "This is¡ªas fast¡ªas I can¡ªdo without¡ªcheating." "What?!" "Slowing¡ªtime¡ªjust for¡ªme." Rainbow punched her treadmill''s buttons to slow it back down to 10mph, leaving me to follow suit. "What do you¡ªmean," she asked, "''cheating''?" Without using my geode at all now I kept pace beside her. I held up my watch to show her the blue stone set into the back of it. "Magic thing. Like¡ªlike your elements." I was getting my own breathing under control now. "It lets me run way faster than normal and lets me slow down time." That''s when a thought hit me. "Wanna try something crazy-stupid?" "If it involves running really fast, I''m totally in." I reached out to Rainbow and took her hand. "Hold on and don''t let go. Turn your treadmill up to 40 and let''s rock this." Mine could do 60, but Rainbow''s treadmill was the previous version. 50 was the max we''d tested it with, so 40 would be fine. We hit the speed-up buttons together, and as we hit 20mph, I pushed us both into that slow-time place. It was like reaching 5mph again, but as the treadmills sped up, we had to start running faster and faster. "Holycrap!" Rainbow''s shout fired me up more. We were now running on an equal footing. Both of us were ripping time apart at the seams to keep up with the crazy machines. "This is¡ªamazing!" "Right?" Actually, she was pretty amazing. I hadn''t exactly tried this with anyone before, but the way Rainbow just ran with it¡ªliterally¡ªreminded me how perfectly my talents matched me. Sure I''d had to work to gain the control of them I had now, but the running part? That was all Rainbow Danger Dash. With time slowed to a crawl around us, I had a front-row seat to watching Derpy jiggle and bounce as she moved with the elliptical machine. Damn but I had it bad for that curvy, sexy girl. A glance to the side revealed Rainbow doing the same thing I was. Should I ask her? Should I poke at that? In a way it was just another thing that was amazing about Derpy¡ªhow many people looked at her like that? This was the biggest issue I had with running fast like this, it always gave me way too much time to think. Okay, for studying it couldn''t be beaten, but right now, nope. "Let''s slow back down and finish this set." "Set?" Rainbow asked, though she was dialing down her treadmill as I was. When we dipped under 20mph, I let time move normally again and we both were back to sprinting as fast as we could. Five minutes of that and I started slowing down more until we were barely above a jog. "A set is¡ªwhere you use a¡ªmachine for¡ªan amount of¡ªtime." The extra effort of holding back time while running had left me wrung out, but then that was its own special kind of workout. Short Track had proved to me that more than just my physical muscles got stronger from doing this. While Derpy strained away on the elliptical, we moved over to the weights area. I showed Rainbow how to use the machines and demonstrated¡ªso she could see my muscles flex for herself¡ªas I targeted each region of my body with each set of machinery. We got halfway through a weights set when I heard Derpy''s footsteps approaching. I was on a flat bench with my feet pointing into the room. The weights I was lifting weren''t a lot, but the repetitions were enough that they had me straining by the time Derpy straddled my legs and sat down on my thighs. "Hey. We''re about halfway done here. You want to hit up something else?" I asked. "Mmm." Derpy didn''t move, but the sound of her humming transferred through where she was sitting. "I had another idea. How''s Rainbow doing?" Lifting the bar back up and onto its supports, I turned my head to see Rainbow working an inclined leg-press. "You know, I think she got the idea." I leaned upright and used Derpy''s weight to balance until I was sitting straight. Derpy was higher than me by the thickness of my legs, but I wouldn''t complain (the view was great). "She was checking you out." Derpy''s eyes widened. "Really?" "She''d have to be dead not to. The way you move on the cross-trainer is just¡­ Mmmm." More than what we were doing would probably get us kicked out of the gym, me being a "superhero" or not. "Hop off. I gotta think some things through. Maybe you should too?" But she didn''t get off me yet. "Now who''s talking? I thought we decided we weren''t looking?" "I mean¡ªWe''re not¡ªI mean neither of us¡ª" I sighed. "She''s the only person in two worlds that can actually keep up with me, she''s already your type, and we¡ªWe shouldn''t make a move because she''s getting over something bad and that sucks." Booping me on the nose, Derpy stood up. "But, Rainy, friendships lead to what you''re thinking. And, like you said, she needs time to get over whatever-his-name-was." "Wing Flare," I said. "Ah. Well, let''s just help her have fun for now. We need to get a message back to Equestria somehow to let her friends know where she is." As she stepped over me with her right leg, Derpy''s toe caught on the side of the bench and she started to fall sideways. Sitting made it hard to even start moving. I had to kick my geode into gear and was shoving myself upright as a rainbow blur touched my arm. Rainbow had dragged herself into my time-space and was already moving. I steadied and sped her up further so that she got under Derpy and caught her before she hit the ground. When I let go of time again, Derpy was left staring between the two of us. "I just don''t¡ªWhat happened? I tripped and then¡ª" "I couldn''t get up fast enough," I said. "You were still kinda on top of me, and if I''d jumped up it would have knocked you faster." Rainbow was still cradling Derpy, then blushed and stood up to straighten her. "I just saw you falling over. When I ran across I didn''t think I''d make it, so I tapped Rainy and picked up her time-thingy." She froze when Derpy kissed her cheek. "Well, thank you for saving me from such a terrible fate as carpet burn." Straightening up, Derpy looked from Rainbow to me, then back. "Rainy?" "Hmm?" I realized, however, that Derpy was focused on Rainbow for her answer. Rainbow looked like she''d been caught eating the last muffin. "Uh, well, we figured that it would be easier for me to call her Rainy. I¡ªI know it''s your thing, but¡ª" "It''s fine, Rainbow. Really. If Rainy is fine with it, I am too." Derpy leaned down and kissed my cheek too. "Why don''t we head home?" "But it''s only¡ª" I looked down at my watch and spotted the time. "Huh. Time flies, I guess." As I got up from the bench, I noticed Rainbow''s eyes were on me. This was different. Having seen her checking Derpy out, it was a surprise to spot the same look in her eyes as she looked up and down. When she noticed I was looking back, however, Rainbow quickly glanced away. Shouldn''t make a move because she''s getting over something bad. My own words came back to me. Okay, so we go slow and let her move at her own pace. Easy enough. I put my arm around Derpy and we made our way to the locker rooms. A quick shower to get all the sweat off us was in order, and it surprised me how much Rainbow didn''t ogle either of us in the open shower. She didn''t even try. We dried off, got changed back into our street clothes, and headed home. Her checking us both out, but then not when we were in the shower, seemed strange. It was literally the opposite of how most people would have acted. It was odd how similar to me she was in general ways, but the specifics showed her to be a completely different person. "What now?" Rainbow asked as we walked into the kitchen. "Now we grab something to eat and find a movie to watch until we can all pass out." Derpy carried the gym bag through to the bathroom, leaving Rainbow and myself to forage for food. Opening the fridge, I spotted the things we''d gotten midway through the week to make a stir-fry. That would be easy, and I could toss in more vegetables to stretch it to cover Rainbow. That''s when something hit me. "You''re vegetarian, right?" I asked. "Huh?" "Do you eat meat?" I lifted out the various vegetables and set them on the cutting board. Rainbow shrugged. "Haven''t really had anything but fish, if that''s what you''re asking. Applejack has a thing for it, and I let her talk me into trying it once." "Then let''s just take the easy road. I''ll save the meat for another time." I pulled out a tub of fried tofu I''d prepared before. "What''s it like in the Wonderbolts? That''s like an aerobatics thing, right?"This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "Yeah!" It was like all her fatigue was gone. "We do flying stunts and shows, as well as helping out with weather control when something bad is happening. You should totally come to Equestria to watch us!" "Well, I have to wait until the end of the year at the earliest. Today was my last day for two weeks, but I was planning to spend the first week chilling then the second chilling and studying." Cooking was skill plus ingredients plus time. I could really mess with the latter, had worked on my game with the former, and had plenty of the stuff needed on hand. "Whoa." Rainbow sounded impressed as my knife cut through the vegetables and prepared them at lightning speed. "Anyway, yeah, you should totally come and see us¡ª" I heard the moment when she remembered why she was here. Turning, I held out the knife to her handle first. "Why don''t you finish cutting these things up while I start cooking?" "I need to start confronting this, but thanks." Rainbow took the knife and got to work. "There''s just so many moments of my life¡ªtwo years¡ªthat I''m now double-thinking. Was he ever being sincere? Why didn''t I pick up on him earlier?" "Why not have a holiday?" I asked. "What?" "A short holiday. Look, we have two weeks of chilling, why don''t you chill here with us to get over this guy? Work things out at your own pace and, if you need me to, I''ll tell school to hold off for a day and come help you kick his ass." Timing things carefully, I judged how fast Rainbow was slicing up the bell peppers so that I wouldn''t need them until she was done. "Huh. You know what, I might take you up on that."
The movie was bad. I remember once Derpy and I had made up a drinking game to take a sip every time we saw a cut to someone shifting gear in their car, but I don''t remember the end of that night. I think the two things were related. Rainbow was fast asleep on the couch beside us, her head resting on the arm of the couch and her legs stretched across Derpy and me. "You talked to her about staying longer than the night." With her mouth practically by my ear, Derpy didn''t need to do more than whisper. "Yeah. She seemed into it." Having Derpy against me, from shoulder to knee, was exactly what I needed. Actually, I could have used a bunch more, but this was fine for now. Derpy nibbled at my ear, which only made me want to shove Rainbow''s legs off and drag Derpy to our bedroom. "I saw her checking you out, too. Slow steps, Rainy." Yeah. Slow steps. "Come on, let''s see if we can get her to the spare bedroom without waking her up."
I woke up tangled in limbs and warm covers. With two weeks off, I could sleep in until midday every day¡ªbut that wasn''t my game. Others might waste mornings away, but I had plans. The first plan required disengaging with Derpy and escaping the bed. "Where are you going? Wanna snuggle." Derpy hadn''t even opened her eyes, yet she managed to find my arm and pull me back against her. "Mmm. Snuggle." "Vile temptress." I didn''t put up too much resistance, but after a good ten minutes of snuggling I finally got ants in my shorts again and started to pull away. "Let go. I need to get up and make breakfast, then go for a run." "Breakfast?" Derpy''s golden eyes opened and she looked at me. "Breakfast means coffee?" I kissed her on the nose. "Yeah, babe. Breakfast means coffee and oats. Come on." A shower later¡ªan enjoyable shower¡ªand we were walking down the hallway to the kitchen when it dawned on us that we had a visitor in the house still. Thankfully we''d both at least pulled on shorts and shirts, but it was a surprise to see a disheveled Rainbow sitting in the kitchen with a glass of water in her hand. It also hit me that she was in the same clothes she''d been wearing yesterday. "If you want a change of clothes, head down to our bedroom¡ªend of the hall¡ªand pick out something. Feel free to use the shower in the hall, too." "Huh?" Rainbow looked down at what she was wearing. "Oh. Guess you guys have to change clothes regularly or they get nasty. Where do you want me to put these?" She stood up and slipped the t-shirt she''d been wearing over her head and started toward the hallway. It took a second for my brain to process and remind me that she was a pony. Clothes weren''t required for them. "Uh, just in our bedroom. There''s a basket by the door for dirty clothes." Stop checking out her butt, I told myself. It didn''t help. "Your clothes aren''t quite going to fit her, you know?" Derpy gravitated toward the coffee machine. "You''ve built yourself up a bit, my hunky Rainy. We''re going to have to go¡ª" "Don''t say it," I said. "¡­ shopping!" Breakfast was a bowl of porridge each, which Rainbow (when she arrived back in the kitchen) attacked with excitement. Derpy had been right, though, my clothes didn''t quite fit her. There was something new about Rainbow, though. She looked brighter and happier than she had last night. "I''m going for a run, but Derpy wants to get you some clothes, since mine don''t seem to fit you so well." "Huh? They''re not meant to be loose?" Rainbow reached a hand to her (my) shirt and pulled it away from her shoulder to show the relaxed fit. Derpy giggled at the question. "That''s supposed to be tight. I''ll go get changed and we can head to the mall. You coming, Rainy?" "I''ll have a run around the block and then get the laundry done. If you''re getting a bunch of new clothes, we''ll need to wash them too." Collecting the bowls and coffee mugs (now drained of their precious fluids), I started doing the washing up in the sink. "But you two have fun!" Baby steps. Let her pick her own path on her holiday. There was something else I needed to take care of with Rainbow out of the house. Pulling out my phone, I hit the sun-symbol and quick-dialed. A few minutes later Sunset was pulling up out front. "Hey, Rainbow. So what can I help with that involves my diary to Twilight?" She asked after I answered the door. "Well, come in. We had a visitor last night, and I need you to get a letter to their friends. You want a coffee?" I gestured to the kitchen. "Yes please. Who''s the visitor?" Sunset sat down at the table while I started making another pot of coffee. By the time I''d brewed it, served it, and started making the next cup, I explained the gist of what happened¡ªskipping the details of course. "Huh. So you want me to take a letter for Twilight to give to her friends?" "Basically. I don''t know if she told anyone over there that she was coming here, but I don''t want to stress her. We''re basically trying to give her a holiday and some time to just do normal stuff and forget this guy." I passed a coffee across to Sunset and took the second for myself. Lifting out the book in question, Sunset opened it and set it on the table. "You know, Twilight said your pony counterpart carried the element of loyalty, I guess there''s a lot the same between you."
Dear Princess Twilight, I hope this finds you in good health. Firstly, I wanted to reassure you that Rainbow Dash¡ªpony Rainbow Dash¡ªis here and she''s okay. She had a bit of a relationship fallout and we''re giving her a holiday. Could you please let all her friends and her family know? ¡ªSunset Shimmer
"Sooo¡­" I gestured at the book. "This is like texting, right? She can reply fast?" Sunset tried to hide her laugh, but it got out anyway. "I mean, if she''s carrying the book with her at the time, she might, but I don''t think even Twilight carries books around with her everywhere." "Hello? Engineering student here. Have you seen the small library I have to haul around with me?" I took a long sip of the coffee. "So how are you and Flash doing?" Sunset''s face lightened and her mouth pulled into a slightly wider smile. "I can''t believe that guy. After what I did to him in high school, he still manages to love me. Sometimes I don''t feel worthy of it, but when he holds me I just¡ªI just believe every word he says." I let the moment hang before replying, "You''ve got it bad." "I know! It''s amazing! I keep waiting for something to go wrong and it just doesn''t! I mean, we have disagreements now and again, usual stuff, but it''s like he just strips away everything I used to be and finds me." She closed both hands around her coffee mug but otherwise seemed to ignore it. "What about you and Derpy? You were the talk of school in final year. You''ve been together for what, three years now?" My face probably did the same thing Sunset''s had a moment earlier. "You know how you reach that point where waking up and not feeling them there, beside you, becomes strange?" When Sunset nodded, I continued. "Well, I haven''t had to feel that for a while, and it makes me tingle all over to know that she''s never going to leave." We both broke into laughter at our own descriptions so hard that we almost missed Sunset''s book begin to tremble. When it shook a second time, words started to appear on the page.
Thank you, Sunset, I let all our friends in Ponyville know Rainbow will be okay and is just taking a short holiday. There was a rumor circulating that she had been sleeping around and was running away because she was embarrassed. I think I''m going to need to go to Cloudsdale and talk to Commander Spitfire about this. Please take care of her, Sunset, she''s the bravest pony I know but there are times when she is also very fragile. ¡ªPrincess Twilight Sparkle
Pure fury hit me. Some part of me wanted to go to Equestria right now, find this Wing Flare, and kick his butt to¡ªto wherever was the farthest place from where we started. "That bastard! Can I borrow your pen?" "Uh¡­" Despite sounding uncertain, Sunset passed me the pen she''d used.
Twilight, it''s Rainbow Dash, not the pony one. I''m going to level with you, Rainbow came here last night in tears. She thought she''d been dating this guy, Wing Flare, for ages, but it turned out he was just using her. If there''s a rumor that she''s sleeping around, I can bet he''s behind it. You remember what it was like here, in high school¡­ Okay, so I know you didn''t spend much time here, but you heard the rumors about you and Flash. Once people start spreading this, it could ruin any hope she has of returning to normalcy. Kick his ass or I will.
"I, uh, wouldn''t have put it quite that way," Sunset said. "I know, and you didn''t, that''s why I had to write it. You''re too nice." Twirling the pen in my fingers, I passed it back to Sunset. "Twi really needs to know the whole deal or it''s just going to be a game of telephones. Now she does."
Rainbow, I didn''t realize it was that bad. I''m definitely going to see Spitfire now. Please take care of our Rainbow. ¡ªPrincess Twilight Sparkle
"See? Remember, Sunset, she''s not some perfect princess in a far-away land¡ªOkay, she is a princess in a far-away land, but she''s still Twilight. We helped her get used to this world and she helped us see who our real friends are." I drained my coffee and stood up. "Thanks for the help, but I really need to start getting the laundry done." Sunset stood up too and closed the book. "Hey, no problems. We should all catch up some time. I''ll drag Flash out and you can bring Derpy¡ªwe can go to a club or something." She packed up the book into a satchel bag and closed the top. "We should probably all do that, you know? Get all the girls back together." "Yeah. Yeah we should." The truth was my legs were shouting at me and my feet screamed that they wanted to run. When Sunset left, I put a load of washing in the machine and headed out for my run. Without the limits of a treadmill, I could run as fast as I wanted¡ªthough I still thought back to last night and how Rainbow could not just keep up, but move faster than me when I wasn''t using my geode. Checking my watch every few blocks, I started to turn for home when there was only a few minutes left on the washing machine. The run home was much faster because it was direct. From the edge of Canterlot''s suburbs to our home was about a ten-minute drive, but I could run it much faster. After a shower, I spent the rest of the morning washing up the kitchen, vacuuming, and doing laundry. I was just thinking about making something for lunch when I heard the distinctive sound of Derpy''s car pulling into our driveway and then the garage opening. I opened the door to the garage to see Derpy and Rainbow struggling to get bags out of the car. "Hey, need a hand?" No doubt I could have sped myself up and emptied the car before they got their first load inside, but then I wouldn''t get to chat. "How was the mall?" Rainbow let out a groan. "There was so many people there and they were all so noisy. Then Derpy dragged me in and out of all sorts of stores, made me put things on and take them off again. I am surprised Rarity hasn''t come over to visit." "If she''s anything like our Rarity, she''d spend half her time in the shops and the other half taking over them. Don''t get me wrong, it''s pretty awesome how much she''s managed in such a short time, but knowing one of my best friends is a business partner with my parents is pretty loony-tunes." I set down two of the heavier bags of groceries on the bench. "Your parents?" Rainbow asked. "Rainy''s parents own about a third of Canterlot, Rainbow. They were hoping their little tomboy of a girl would get into business and take after them. Turns out they should have adopted Rarity." Anyone but Derpy saying that would have gotten themselves a smack in the mouth. All I could do was groan. I hated being reminded about my parents. "The worst bit is how excited they were that I went into engineering. I bet I could have told them I was dropping out of high school and was going to live on the street¡ªand they would have cheered me on and bought me a shopping cart and old boots to get me started." Rainbow put down some bags that looked like they were full of clothes on the table and started laughing. "You too, huh? Literally everything I did, my parents supported. When I started to get into flying, they made me a trophy before I''d even gotten into a single race." I couldn''t stop myself from laughing too. "Yeah. Mom made me participation ribbons for everything I did, right up until my first day of college. I think that was more of a family tradition by then, I¡ª" My thoughts were sidetracked when Rainbow turned and walked for the door, and I found myself staring at her ass. A shiver ran through me. She was tight and fit, with just enough movement in her rear to tell me she needed some time at the gym. The moment she was out of sight, Derpy kissed my cheek. "She caught you looking." I blushed so much at that. "She¡ªI mean¡ªI was just¡ª" Another kiss silenced me. "I know. We spent all morning hiding our looks from each other¡ªbadly. She knows we''re both looking. Let''s give her time to figure things out for herself." When Derpy came in for another kiss, I turned my head and caught her on my lips.
Three days later and Rainbow seemed to be doing a lot better. We didn''t have to lead her into activities anymore¡ªshe began to ask us about doing things she wanted to do. Which, is how we came to be standing at a little airfield on the outskirts of town. "You''re sure about this?" I asked. "I mean, if I''m going to pony up like you guys, I''m gonna do it in the air. Why are you doing it?" Rainbow was buckling on her helmet. "Because I can. Because a friend wanted to. Because I''m kinda crazy like that." I shrugged and followed suit with my own helmet. "And because she said she''d do it." "Damn she''s hot." I could see the moment Rainbow realized she''d said out loud what she''d been thinking. I couldn''t blame her, either for the sentiment or the bad habit¡ªI had both after all. "I-I mean, she¡ª" "I know what you mean, and you''re damn right. When did you start noticing?" I checked over the straps on my harness, like we''d been told, and made sure each was firm against me. The instructor walked over to us and looked at my vest first. She was a tall, red-haired woman with her own ''chute already strapped on. "Nice work with the straps. Good to have people who actually listen for once. Don''t get too many twins wanting to do this together, normally at least one doesn''t have the guts." Rainbow looked at me and I returned it before we both cracked up laughing. "Don''t mind them," Derpy said as she walked over, "they''re both about as crazy as I am. How much time in free fall will we have?" She walked up to me and kissed my cheek. "What''d she say?" "Huh?" I asked while the instructor was looking over Rainbow. "She said something out loud when looking at me. If I know you, it would have been something inappropriate." "She said you were hot. I agreed with her and reassured her. I think, anyway. C''mon, let''s jump out of a plane." I tried to walk toward the aircraft that was waiting for us, but a gray arm grabbed me and pulled me close. "Wha¡ª?" "When we''re in free fall, let''s grab her and both kiss her." Her eyes were practically dancing. "This was her idea, let''s make it the best day ever. Come on." When she started bouncing in place, I knew I was undone¡ªI couldn''t say no to a bouncy Derpy. "Alright, alright. Ugh, I am so easy for you to manipulate." Now I was dragging her behind me, trying my hardest to pretend I was aloof to her giggling and bouncing. "Okay!" The instructor came over to the plane and pointed to the side door. "Hop in and find a seat. Thunder! Get the engines started!" "Got it, Terma!" The pilot was in the front of the small plane and started punching buttons and switches¡ªstarting the engines. Pulling the door closed behind us, she gestured at the two devices hanging from my vest. "Okay, you need your primary AAD on, and the backup. They''re both set up for safe altitudes to trigger your chutes." She''d already told us about the way her school handled things. The old way had been tandem jumping, but now with all the cool computerized stuff, it was safe to jump solo right from the get-go. I listened to her while looking at Rainbow. I''d actually flown on my own before¡ªand so had she¡ªbut this was going to be way different for both of us. Derpy too for that matter. When the trainer was done with her technical stuff, I asked, "Hey, it''s cool to, uh, make out in free fall?" "Figured you''d try, I didn''t expect you to ask. Go for it, but try not to go too long as your chutes will open and get tangled. Here"¡ªshe grabbed my arm and tapped at the clock-like altimeter I had on¡ª"when your arm starts vibrating, push apart. No ifs or buts." "Got it, ma''am." As I pulled my arm back toward me, the plane started moving faster and faster. I was looking at the altimeter as we jumped into the air and it started to count upward. I looked over at Rainbow and watched how she looked out the window. The excitement was palpable. We flew higher and higher, and she seemed absolutely spellbound by the sights outside¡ªwhereas I was trying to think of what would happen when we caught her. "Okay!" Terma reached for the handle of the big door beside us. "Get ready." As she pulled the door open, any chance of hearing each other was lost. My heart started going faster and faster until the light above the door turned green. "Go on! Get the hell off my plane!" Terma''s shout somehow got through to us. We all rose into a hunched-over pose and made our way to the door. Rainbow was first, and she just jumped out without hesitation. I ran after her and tumbled out into the air¡ªscreaming my lungs out in excitement. It was one of the most intense moments of my life. I was literally falling as fast as humanly possible toward the ground, and it was great. Pitching around a bit, I used my arms and legs to adjust the air flying past me and move. My target was ahead and down. Rushing past me, Derpy was already focused on Rainbow as well. She caught up with Rainbow a moment before I did. At first I grabbed for whatever I could, but when I got my right hand on her harness, I grabbed for Rainbow''s ass with my left hand. When her head jerked around toward me in shock, I struck. Her eyes, behind her goggles, widened as my lips found hers. For nearly a second (which I knew would be about two-hundred feet straight down) she stared into my eyes like a deer caught in headlights. One of her arms reached around my shoulders and held me closer. Rainbow''s lips were soft and she surprised me by kissing back with the same amount of excitement I felt at kissing her. She broke contact, however, when Derpy moved in on her other side. Realizing I had to make the best of the time we had, I pressed my lips down to her neck and nuzzled at the soft flesh there. It was almost everything I thought it''d be. I could feel her voice through her neck, and when she turned back¡ªaway from Derpy¡ªand tried to find my lips again¡ªthe stupid wrist alarm went off. Giving her a little peck on the cheek instead, I had to let go and push back from her. Rainbow looked at me in confusion, then turned the same look on Derpy as she too pushed away. Three seconds later our ''chutes all jumped out and opened wide. I grabbed for the handles and took control of the parachute. The ride to the ground was a slow one, but at the last second it seemed to come up really fast. Just like we''d been told, I bent my legs and let myself fall safely against the ground again. Rainbow landed not far away, though she practically hit the ground running. Also, jumping up and down in excitement. "That was awesome!" When Derpy landed, sporting a huge grin, I made my way over to her and helped her back to her feet. "Hey there." I pulled her into my arms and kissed her. Derpy giggled and hugged me back. She broke the kiss briefly enough to say, "Hey yourself." "Alright." Rainbow''s voice prickled in my ear as she walked over to us. "Was that just a prank? If so, ha, ha." "Look," I said as I broke the kiss again, "as much as I love pranks, that wasn''t one. You''ve been eyeing both of us since like the first night you were here, and as often as not we were enjoying the view too. That was testing the waters." "Testing the¡­" Rainbow looked confused. "But you''re both¡ª" "Happy." Derpy kissed my nose. "But also open." "Open? I don''t¡ªSo you''re¡ª?" Rainbow closed her eyes and shook herself all over. "Now I''m too damn horny to think. Can we talk about this more at home?" "For sure," I said as the instructor landed and walked over to us. "How''d it go? Are you all good? Want to go again some time?" If she''d seen or heard what had happened, Terma didn''t show it. "It was great!" Derpy''s natural bubbly personality cut through the tension like a knife. "And I''m pretty sure we need to do this more, right?" She looked from Rainbow to me. "Yeah," I said, looking at Rainbow. With everyone looking at her, Rainbow bit her bottom lip and nodded. "I think I would."
"Well," Derpy said as she got comfortable on the couch, "we''re home." She''d sat down beside me, giving me plenty of space to snuggle with her¡ªwhich I was trying to not get too distracted doing. "It was a surprise. I¡ªI know I''ve been looking at you both, it''s just you look so different and¡ªand nice." Rainbow pulled her legs up against her belly. "It''s just I''ve never looked at mares¡ªgirls¡ªthat way." "Neither did I until Derpy threw herself at me." I put my arm around Derpy''s shoulders and squeezed. "I fell on you¡ªit wasn''t a throw." I stuck my tongue out at her, then turned to Rainbow. "Look, just say the word and we''ll drop it, okay? You''ve been cool about us checking you out, and you haven''t caused any waves while here, so you''re welcome to stay as long as you want, regardless of anything more." "Is it wrong that in four days you''ve made me feel more welcome than he did in two years?" Rainbow was looking at the floor in front of her chair. "It was my comment just before taking off, wasn''t it? I''ve been running over everything in my head, trying to work out why you''d pick then, and that''s all I can think of." "When Rainy told me," Derpy said, huffing some air out, "yeah, it sounded like you''d said you were interested. So?" Rainbow looked up at both of us. "The physical attraction is there. At least from my side, but I don''t want to rush this. I just¡ªIt''s nice to know what he said wasn''t true." "What did he say?" My mood turned around at mention of Wing Flare (even if not by name), and my blood turned hot. Yeah, I was being defensive on her behalf, but I''d been told enough that it was one of my best qualities that I didn''t care. When her arms tightened around her legs a bit more, Rainbow shook her head. "He said I was¡ªI was a slut. That I''d chase anything with four legs, two wings, and a dick." My hands clenched to fists and my teeth felt like they''d break if I bit down any harder. "Not to me. I heard him telling Soarin and Thunderlane. He told them they shouldn''t do anything, because you shouldn''t¡ªshouldn''t screw crazy." Derpy was moving with me, but until I stretched my geode''s magic around her, she was too slow. I reached Rainbow first and suddenly had no idea what to do about her sobbing. Thankfully, Derpy did. "Come on. Over to the couch." Derpy, showing that she had more than perfect curves from her time at the gym, picked Rainbow up and carried her back to the two-seater couch. All I could do was follow them, rage burning inside. The couch didn''t have much room for three without a complete lack of personal space¡ªwhich is what Derpy had planned for. She pulled Rainbow against her and nodded to me to sit down. I pulled out my phone and tapped the chat app, then I brought up Sunset''s name.
Tell Twilight that Rainbow had heard those rumors before she left Equestria. That''s probably why she left. Tell her¡­ Tell her he called Rainbow a slut and crazy behind her back. Ugh, I hate even typing this shit.
Her reply came back quick.
Oh damn. Okay, I''ll send that. You need more friends tonight?
It would be easy to say yes. To fill the house with smiling and happy friends who would help distract me for the night¡ªbut Rainbow wasn''t me.
Nah. I think she just needs some comfort and stuff. Totes gonna organize something for the end of the week, though.
Got it. I''ll get it organized.
Thanks, Sunset. You''re the best.
As I slipped the phone away, I realized that both of them were watching me. "Alright, so I told Sunset to tell your Twilight that you were here and not to worry about you." "Oh." Rainbow sounded surprised. "That''s actually kinda¡ª" "But Sunset was all wishy-washy with her words, so I took the book and told her why you were here. Her being Twilight." I fumbled around a little for how to explain it. "Twilight sent back that W¡ªthat he was spreading rumors about you. Twilight was going to talk to Spitfire about it." It was still kinda strange how Rainbow''s world had duplicates of everyone I knew. Rainbow seemed to shrink. "When I go back, they''re going to think I''m a s¡ª" "¡­ someone who got attacked by an asshole." Derpy wasn''t one to swear a lot, which is why her language caused me to pay more attention to her. I mean, she swore at cars a lot, but only when she thought no one could hear. "Rainy, come over here and cuddle. We need to talk about stuff." What surprised me wasn''t Derpy inviting me to cuddle, but Rainbow''s hand held out to me. "Thanks." I leaned over and let her put her arm around my shoulders so I could cuddle up. "So, stuff?" Rainbow squeezed me against her. "I th-think, with everything that happened, I don''t want anything sexual right now. My hoof¡ªhand, I guess¡ªcan do the job of physical relief." "I think there''s a but in there bigger than Derpy''s," I said. "Derpy has a nice butt." Rainbow froze for a moment and then shook her head. "You both offered, so I''m gonna accept¡ªand here comes the but. But, can I just¡ªI don''t know¡ªnot have the sexual stuff? I kinda like cuddling though." Giggling, Derpy shifted a little, which let Rainbow scoot a little closer and pull me with her. "I noticed that," Derpy said. "It''s fine with me if you want to explore the just being together more. After all, Rainy and I have each other¡ªyou don''t have to do that stuff if you don''t want to, but you can if or when you do." I thought about it hard, because if we were going to take this step, I shouldn''t just coast through it. "I got no problems with that. Oh, are you two cool for a party over the weekend? Sunset''s planning to get the girls together." "Oh, your friends here? What''re they like?" Rainbow asked. Thinking about it, I tried to get my head around what she was asking. "They''re pretty cool. I don''t know what yours are like, but if their differences are the same as you and me, I guess¡ª" "Yeah, I know, right? Sometimes I feel like I''m looking in a mirror, but then something comes up that reminds me of how different we are. Like the muscles thing." The arm around my shoulders lowered a little and Rainbow ran her hand up and down my upper arm. "I don''t have that." "Didn''t stop you from out-running me. If you build up your muscles a bit, you''ll be leaving me for dead." Damn but it was good to be admired. Her hand didn''t stop it''s stroking, and in reaction I couldn''t help but flex the muscle there for her to feel. "You''re joking, right? You do that time thing and blow me away." "Without that, I mean. Just your speed against mine. You''re faster." Given I had the most room, and Rainbow seemed to be enjoying feeling my body, I decided to give her free rein. Turning my body until my back was down, I used my legs to push me up and my head and shoulders across Rainbow''s lap. I looked up at Rainbow, at her eyes that were the spitting image of my own, and grinned. What are you going to do with me now? was my unasked question. Expecting her hand to go exploring, I was surprised when she reached up to brush at my hair. I guess I''d felt like I was offering her to explore, but instead she just played with my hair. "When Rainy gets in a cuddly mood, you better watch out¡ªshe''s like a cat, and will cut off all the feeling in your legs so you can''t get away." I squirmed and slid, pushing further until the small of my back was over Rainbow''s lap and my head was in Derpy''s. "Yup, and now I''ve got both of you trapped. Mwahahaha!" When Rainbow''s palm pressed to my stomach, I felt a shiver run down my back. "This is something I can''t work out. You have six big muscles here, but when I feel my own there''s only two¡ªone on each side. Derpy does¡ª" Derpy cleared her throat. "If you say that I don''t have any, I''m going to smother you in my boobs." "You probably want to listen to her about that. I don''t know what it''s like where you are, but from here that looks like a pretty big threat." From Derpy''s lap I looked up and could barely see her head past her chest. When Rainbow didn''t say anything, I tilted my head enough to look at her. "Anything up?" Rainbow lifted her hand from my stomach to tap her chin with one finger. "Deciding if I should say it anyway, just for the experience."
The week had been a blur. Rainbow hadn''t mentioned Wing Flare at all, and every night we''d made a point of having a good cuddle on the couch. Even the party with our friends had been a solid plus as everyone got to know Rainbow for who she was and not just being a reflection of me. "Are you sure?" I asked. "Very sure. I need to do this." "Well," Derpy said, "you know exactly where we''ll be, right?" Rainbow looked each side of her¡ªto Derpy and me¡ªbefore her eyes locked back on the rebuilt horse statue right before her nose. "Yeah. With you two waiting for me, you better believe I''ll be coming back." I snorted and kissed her cheek. "No, silly," I said. "Rainy and I were talking. We''ve both got another week off, and it''s not like you need to jump straight back into work." Derpy put her arm around Rainbow. "So we figured we''d have a bit of a holiday." Her head focused on Derpy, Rainbow seemed unable to talk. "Cat got your tongue?" I asked. She seemed to get over her muteness. "You''re coming with me?" "Once we work out the walking thing, though from what I remember with that little detour we made in high school, that didn''t take nearly as much work as learning to use our wings. Right, Derpy?" I leaned forward a little to look past Rainbow and into Derpy''s excited, splayed eyes. "You talk too much¡ªboth of you." Derpy leaned forward too, only she went further and used her mass to yank us both into the portal after her. Landing on a hard-tiled floor in the dark, I struggled to get to my feet¡ªall four of them. "Hey, Rainbow, where''d you go?" I asked. "I kinda jumped into the air the moment I got through. Old habits, you¡ª" "Surprise!" The shout¡ªfrom dozens of voices¡ªstartled me as much as there being light all of a sudden. I managed to blink away the dazzling effect to see ponies, lots of ponies, all around us. "R-Rainbow?" Twilight''s voice stood out, but when I got my eyes under control and looked at her, she looked¡ªbig. "Why are there two of¡­" "Surprise!" Derpy threw up her forelegs and wings, then fell over laughing at her own joke. Moving (slowly, so I didn''t fall over too) to help Derpy back up, I was happy to see another pony getting to her at the same time I did. Rainbow looked at me with eyes brimming with love. Whoever this Wing Flare was, he''d missed out on one of the most amazing ponies in either of our worlds. The party was a complete reversal of the one we''d had back home, though one thing was obvious¡ªRainbow wasn''t comfortable with her friends. She''d been introducing Derpy and me to everyone, but when we''d been around the room once, I paused. "What''s up?" I asked. "What do you mean?" Rainbow asked back. The hardest part of being a pegasus was remembering to hold your wings right. Mine kept sagging unless I focused on them. The advantage was you never had to worry about standing¡ªwith four legs it just happened on its own. "It''s like you''re scared of your friends. Is something wrong?" "I don''t know if they''ve heard what Wing Flare was spreading about me. Rarity probably has, and Twilight must know if she''s gone to Cloudsdale, but how can I look the rest of my friends in the eyes if they think¡ª?" Okay, time to work out how these things work. Straining, I managed to life my right wing enough to get it over Rainbow''s back and then used it to pull her against me. It silenced her, which was only half the effect I hoped to convey. "If your friends are anything like my friends, they don''t think that at all. They know you, maybe better than you do. If they heard any rumors, I''m sure they got angry just knowing people¡ªerr, ponies were saying them." "Yeah, but¡ª" Nope, this wasn''t the time for buts. I kissed her, intending to just distract her from her mood''s downward trend, but almost got carried away. "No buts. Well, except Derpy''s. Come on, I bet you''re as good a friend with Fluttershy as I am with my world''s Fluttershy." "We¡ªWe grew up together in Cloudsdale. I kinda got my cutie mark when trying to help her." While she didn''t actively fight me, Rainbow didn''t seem to be completely relaxed. As we neared Fluttershy, she turned toward us with a smile before she realized there were two of us. I thought Fluttershy back home was withdrawn and quiet, but she was nothing like this. Fluttershy seemed to back away a step, then another, the third made her butt connect with the wall and she froze. "F-Fluttershy? You, uh¡ªI mean¡ª" Rainbow shook her head and adjusted her wings, pushing my wing off her back in the process. "This is the Rainbow from the other world, we''re calling her Rainy to keep things straight." "Oh¡ªUm¡ªI¡ª" Fluttershy reminded me of my friend when I''d first met her. She''d barely been able to speak at all until we got to know each other. "Just relax," I said. "I know a Fluttershy in my world and she doesn''t do well with first meetings. You don''t have to talk for the sake of talking." Fluttershy blinked her huge eyes at me before the most amazing smile broke onto her face. "I''ve been working on my shyness, but seeing two of my best friend gave me a kick right in the anxiety. It''s nice to meet you, Rainy." "About the rumors." Rainbow sighed and I felt her lean against me. "They''re all made up and¡ª" Slipping up beside us, Rarity snorted a little. "We know they''re not true, Rainbow-darling. What, you think I haven''t had my fair share of jilted lovers? Puh-lease." "Wait, really?" Rainbow looked around all her friends as they gathered around us. "But I hardly ever hear any rumors about you." "Firstly," Rarity said, "you don''t listen to rumors. Second, I have a reputation as a mare of elegance, and being a hero helps as well. Thirdly, every stallion I''ve dated knows not to speak about our private dalliances or I will ruin them." As she spoke, Rarity''s voice became harder and harder until I swore she was talking about actual murder. It was Applejack who spoke up next, "Rainbow, ain''t no rumor can take away from your accomplishments. Yer a literal hero¡ªnot that I like tooting yer horn for you¡ªbut you even have fan clubs fer gosh-darned sake." "Besides, we would have noticed first if you did act like that." Pinkie Pie booped Rainbow on the nose, then booped me for good measure. It was a unique experience, but I couldn''t fault her for doing it¡ªshe was Pinkie after all. "What I want to know is, why did you bring your new fillyfriends with you?" The words silenced the room. Everyone turned to look at me and Rainbow, though no one was able to breathe a word. Well, a girl''s gotta do what a girl''s gotta do. "She didn''t bring us with her, we sprung this on her at the last second and Derpy pulled us both through." "Uh, so¡­" Twilight dove on the break in silence, then let herself trail off to nothing again. Derpy fluffed her wings so much they caused a bunch of feathers to float into the air. "The look on all your faces!" She walked over to me and Rainbow¡ªand insinuated herself between us before her fluffy wings grabbed one each of us. "We''re both her girlfriends."