HorseFellow - You Heard Rainbow Dash Crying

>As you walk past the girls bathroom in Canterlot High, you hear quiet sobbing coming from inside.
>You seem to hear what sounds like....
>No, it couldn't be.
>It's Rainbow Dash, crying.
>The same Rainbow Dash who bullies you relentlessly with Gilda every day.
>The same Rainbow Dash who steals your money and beats you up.
>The same tough girl Rainbow Dash who picks on everyone.
>Rainbow Dash...

################ THAT WAS THE STARTING POINT, BEYOND THIS LINE IS WHAT I MADE OF IT ################

>You're not mistaken
>Between the sobs, you hear her faint voice
>Incomprehensible gibberish
>But it's definitely her
>What did she have to be upset about?
>If anyone had to be upset about anything, you had much more of a right to do so
>Half of the school had more of a right to be upset than Rainbow Dash
>Not that you would, of course
>You weren't that much of a faggot
>You pondered over the idea of going in
>But... Well, there were plenty of issues with that
>She probably wouldn't want to see you right now
>And then she probably wouldn't be too happy if she knew you'd heard her crying
>And then, of course, it's the girls bathroom
>You go in, and she had immediate rights to knock you the fuck out
>That was how it worked, right?
>But then what if someone else came in?
>Saw her crying like that
>She had a "tough girl" image to keep up
>Sod it
>Serves her right, yeah?
>It dawned on you that you had been stood outside the girls bathroom for... The past minute?
>That didn't look weird at all
>Just... Play it cool
>Go into the mens room
>Make it look like you were always going to the mens room
>No one will notice
>And you did
>It was empty
>You're here now, hanging around like an idiot
>You might as well make use of your time here
>But... You can still hear her
>She's still crying
>Quite loudly, actually on the other side of the wall
>You were curious
>You had to know
>You couldn't just stand here, pissing just a few inches in front of you feet
>Whilst Rainbow Dash was crying on the other side of the wall
>It was distracting, for fuck sake!
>You didn't want to get piss on your shoes
>But before you could finish, you heard her finishing off too
>She stopped crying
>A sniff, occasionally, but she stopped crying
>You heard a tap running
>A tap stopping
>Footsteps
>The door swinging open and shut
>The door swinging open and shut?
>Shit, you had to get to her
>You had to... Finish off here
>Wash your hands
>Dry your hands
>Both are important, you didn't want to confront someone with dirty or soaking hands
>And rush out of there as quickly as possible
>But, no sign of Rainbow
>Turned a corner or burred deep in a crowd
>Whichever it was, you couldn't see her
>Fuck
>She was just too fast for you
>God, you were shit at this weren't you?
>The bell rang
>Next lesson
>Biology
>Or chemistry
>One of the two
>Both in the same direction
>Your legs knew where to take you, your mind had other things to worry about
>You needed to know
>You had a craving
>But, in hindsight, what were you going to do?
>Ask her what was wrong?
>Try and be comforting?
>'Oh hey Rainbow Dash, I heard you crying in the girls room. What was that all about?'
>'Were you following me?' would probably be a response
>Or 'Were you spying on me?' followed by a slap
>Maybe a punch
>She was more a punch person
>At least, that was how you imagined she would be
>'Imagined her', what the fuck were you thinking?
>You can imagine her to be whatever you want, she never will
>She's not one of these 'hard, with a soft interior' type of people
>She's not one of these 'once you get to know her, she's not that bad' type of people
>And she's certainly not one to transform into a true lady or whatever nonsense Rarity might spout
>She was a bitch
>Ouch, harsh words
>Harsh, but true words
>But... She was crying
>Man, she was crying
>That doesn't sound like a hard through and through kind of girl
>If anything, that sounds like your... Soft interior kind of girl
>And without anyone to tell?
>That has to be difficult, yeah?
>That has to be an issue, keeping all sorts of shit held up like that
>Letting it out when no one is around
>Okay, maybe you're over thinking this
>Maybe she... Really hurt herself
>Physically
>Maybe she was just crying in the girls room so people didn't think she was a wimp
>Yeah, that could be it
>Chemistry
>What's that, legs?
>Oh, right, you found yourself in your chemistry room
>Always rely on your legs
>Familiar faces around the room
>The students that you had grown to tolerate over the past few years
>Not grown to love or hate
>Just... Tolerate
>What a ray of sunshine and happiness you were
>'I can only tolerate your existence, man'
>You needed to lighten up
>You needed to relax
>Maybe talk to people
>Maybe, if you were going to talk to anyone, it'd be Rainbow Dash
>Who... Didn't take chemistry
>Right
>Maybe later
############
>Lunch
>And the first sign of Rainbow since earlier this morning
>In the cafeteria
>Smiling, chatting away
>Like nothing had happened
>There you go
>It was nothing
>No big deal
>Just a blip on the radar, that was all
>There was no need to go over and talk to her
>No need to go and ask her about it
>No need to call her name as you followed her leaving the cafeteria
>There was-
>Wait, what were your legs and mouth doing?
>They had a mind of their own, you could have sworn
>"What do you want?"
>She said, turning to face you
>All in one, swift motion
>You wanted to continue, but... Well, now your brain had control over your mouth once again you didn't know what to say
>She was staring at you
>Annoyed
>It was only a matter of time before she said something
>Before she threw some insult in your direction
>Or made some accusation that wasn't true
>Truth be told, Rainbow was the reason that you had grown to... Tolerate everyone
>Everyone had this negative image of you
>Mostly because of Rainbow
>Because the kind of 'bullying' that Rainbow got up to wasn't punching
>Or name calling
>Or whatever else
>It was like she wanted to make your time at CHS... Not all that great
>She was... Smart
>Not book smart, or brain smart
>But deceptive
>She was influential, and god did she know how to use that to her advantage
>All it took was one... Accusation
>One "what the fuck do you think you're doing?"
>And you'd be seeing glaring eyes for the rest of the week
>Maybe you could... Try and do something about that
>Maybe 'being the better person, and trying to talk to Rainbow' would work
>Maybe not
>But, you were in this situation now
>You might as well try it out
"I- I heard you-"
>"Spit it out you stumbling fuck!"
>Your mouth was...
>Well, it was all over the place
>The fuck were you doing, man
>You didn't sign up for this shit
>You weren't up for it
"I heard you crying earlier."
>You finally got out
>You hope that wasn't too quick
>No, scratch that
>You hoped Rainbow didn't do anything in response
>What had you just said to yourself, man?
>You weren't going to do this because you KNEW what the response would be
>And now you've gotten yourself in this mess
>And made yourself look an idiot in the process
>"What?"
>She finally responded
>But her voice wasn't
>...Angry or annoyed
>It wasn't like you'd heard before
>Not like she was... Whispering to you angrily
>Which is... Kind of what you expected
>It was quiet
>Not soft
>But quiet
>Like her normal voice
>But quiet
>It was fucking quiet, okay
>You get it
"You were crying, in the girls bathroom."
>You responded
>She paused for a moment
>A smile, creeping on her face
>Not a... Happy smile
>A cocky smile
>A 'I'm about to pull the wool over your eyes' kind of smile
>"Really, Anon? I was crying?"
>She chuckled
>About to go into a full blown laugh
>You just stood there
>Come on Anon, you couldn't crumble
>You knew what you heard and you weren't going to give up
"Yes, you were crying in the girls toilets. It was you, I'm certain."
>So far, so persistent
>Her... Almost laugh slowly faded
>Now, she looked... Annoyed
>"You want to say that again, Anon?"
>If you weren't mistaken, a tear
>You could see the small, faint, beginnings of a tear in her eyes
>Her... Dazzling eyes
>Man, those eyes
>The colour in those eyes
>Not too dark
>Not too light
>Not too hot
>Not too dull
>But shimmering bright
>Her eyes... Like electricity
>Like lightning
>A flash, every time she blinked
>You'd stared into them a bit too long
"Don't hide it from me Rainbow."
>That was enough, that was all you needed to say
>She pushed a finger to your chest, backing you towards the lockers
>You would stand your ground
>But, you didn't want to aggravate her further
>Just... Comply, it'll be over soon
>"The fuck is this about Anon? Blackmailing me? Is that your game?"
>You shook your head
>She still had a finger to your chest
"No, Rainbow. I just want to talk."
>She pushed you harder against the locker
>That wasn't going down well either
>"Talk, huh?"
>She poked you in the chest
>Man, you were literally being pushed around by a girl
>If it weren't for the fact that you cared, you would be embarrassed right now
>Even previous encounters hadn't come to this
>"You want to talk, about what Anon?"
>Lightning in her eyes and... Fire in her voice
>Vicious
>Unpredictable
>Could turn around and bite you in the arse in any moment
>And yet, it put you in your place
>But not in a way that you were afraid
>But in a way that... You knew your place
>...You kinda liked it
"It's obvious you need someone to talk to. You were crying, you've basically admitted it, you were acting like nothing had happened around your friends-"
>You stopped mid sentence
>It was time for the big one
>This would make or break the moment
"You're on the verge of tears right now."
>She moved her finger away from your chest and took a step back
>You took this moment to breath, a sigh of relief
>She hadn't... Punched you or anything
>Quickly, in a split second, she wiped her eye clear of any tears
>She knew
>You knew
>And now she knew that you knew
>It was all a bit too much for her
>Her 'bad girl' image
>Ruined
>Her hard outer shell
>Crushed
>She turned to her left but... Stopped
>Before turning back and slapping you around the cheek
>Damn
>She was the slap kind of person after all
>Or maybe, just maybe, that was a sign of her outer shell crumbling
>A hard, outer shell Dash would have probably kicked you in the balls or something
>You hadn't seen Rainbow for the rest of the day
>Your face was slightly sore
>And you could have sworn that people kept looking at your red cheek
>But that didn't matter
>You'd done what you set out to do
>You confronted Rainbow and made progress
>...Progress towards what, you weren't really sure
>You were kind of winging it, so to speak
>Maybe persistence was the key
>Persistence wasn't creepy, was it?
>It didn't look odd that you were following Rainbow around
>Confronting her for... No apparent reason
>To 'just talk to her'
>Not even that, just listen to what she had to say
>That was... Maybe a little creepy
>But she seemed more open
>She was backing off
>She was cracking
>When she knew that you weren't trying to be hurtful or anything
>She was... Fine
>Then, of course, she slapped you round the face
>That needed a reminder
>You weren't in the all clear yet
>But it was a start
>The rest of the day passed
>It was mostly uneventful
>Which wasn't anything unusual at all
>Another dull day
>But as, along with a large crowd, headed towards the main entrance of the school, you found yourself being pulled by your arm
>Oh, what was it now?
>A terrible cliché with Dash?
>Pulling you in somewhere secret because she wanted to talk to you in private
>Somewhere no one else could see
>"Anon."
>Bingo
>She had pulled you aside to one of the practise rooms
>Musical instruments were tucked away neatly along the walls of the room
>There was a small 'stage' like structure
>Where a microphone in a stand stood
>It looked... All too perfectly set up
>Probably nothing
>But immediately, you laughed at the idea that she'd brought you here so she could sing or something
>That's... Uh, an internal laugh or sorts
>But an actual laugh
>She might be annoyed if you actually just laughed in her face suddenly
>And it might look a bit weird
>Especially since she'd only said your name
>Yes, Anon, your name was funny
>Laugh it up
>"You're right."
>Right? Yes, she'd dragged you here
>You'd almost lost of trail of thought there
>She sighed
>"I do need someone to talk to."
>You'd guessed that earlier
>You didn't really need her to repeat it, but... Whatever
>It didn't matter
>Let her continue
>...Well, maybe she was waiting for you to say something instead
"What about?"
>You asked
>Sure, that was a good enough question
>You could be there, you could be someone to listen, a shoulder to cry on, whatever
>But you needed to know... What first
>But she didn't say anything
>She paused, before taking a deep breath
>"I don't know why I'm talking to you."
>Well, that was unexpected
>"I hate you. You're just so annoying! You don't like anyone! You just hang around on your own! You don't even try!"
>'Hate' was a bit strong, you think
>"But, I thought you hated me too."
"I kind of do"
>No, wait
>Retract that statement
>She's not looking too pleased with that
>Not at all
>Save yourself, Anon
"Sometimes"
>That'd have to do
"Only because of the way you treat me."
>That was slightly better
>Only very slightly
"But, I realised that when you treat someone the way you've been treating me, there's got to be something else."
>She gave you an unsure look
>Okay, maybe not the best way to go about it
"This isn't just some petty little thing, right? You go out of you way to do what you do?"
>"No, not really."
>Oh, well
>So much for you
>Trying to be a smart arse
>"I didn't like you because I thought that you didn't like anyone."
>Well, you hadn't ever found people to like
>"But, you said you wanted to talk. You wanted to listen. That didn't sound like you hated me."
>"Maybe I should have just given you a chance."
>You nodded, in agreement
>'Damn straight you should have given me a chance'
>Was something along the lines of what you were thinking
>...Man, you really weren't all that great a person were you?
>But, you still had questions
"None of this explains why you were crying."
>"Do you want to rub it in? No, it doesn't, but I want to know I can count on you to not go and tell everyone else!"
>She was getting angry
>If only a bit
>But... She was confiding in you, and you were being a prick
>Maybe you should tone that down a bit
"Alright, okay. Fine. You can trust me."
>A sigh of relief
>And another deep breath
>She reached out her hand
>Not for... Anything
>Not to poke you in the chest again
>Just in front of you
>To which you responded by grasping it in your own and shaking it
>Right
>Yeah, that had you confused for a bit
>You expected her to say something
>Not do something
>"I'll tell you, but another time. I've got things I need to do."
>Well, looks like answers would have to wait
"Fine, yeah, we'll talk about it tomorrow."
>She nodded
>"Right. I'll go first, you follow after."
"What?"
>"Well, we can't be seen leaving this place together Anon."
>Oh really?
>She was going to pull this bullshit on you?
"No, that's not how I roll. If you're gonna do this, then you're dropping the
>She stood straight and proud
>"Anon, please, I have an image to keep up."
>Her chin held high, she brushed her hair behind her ear in an exaggerated motion
"An image that you gained because of the way you acted around me? Are people really going to treat you differently because you've had a change of heart?"
>She sulked
"What about that girl? The one who was here a while ago who was spouting off some bollocks about the magic of friendship."
>"Twilight?"
>She quickly responded
"Yeah, she cared all about that... Acceptance stuff. Did you just forget about it when she left?"
>She sighed, defeated
>Reluctantly so
>"No, I guess not."
"Then, we will leave together. Like normal students. Like any other day at school."
>You walked towards the door, holding it open
>"Fine, alright."
"And none of this pretending you don't know me shit. I'm not saying we have to hold hands just act like a normal human being."
>She walked through the door and you followed, making your way back into the crowds and leaving
>See, like normal human beings
>Later that very same evening
>At your home, specifically in your lounge
>Watching TV
>Some cop show
>Your dad in the room with you
>Oh how this entertained you
>Watching people make idiots of themselves on camera
>It's like they don't even know they're being recorded
>If you were in this situation, you'd at least... Not tell the guy to fuck off
>Then again, you probably wouldn't be on TV unless you did something 'outrageous'!
>But would you really want to be on a cop show, of all things?
>Your distracted by a vibration
>The buzz of your phone in your pocket
>An e-mail, perhaps
>The usual text message telling you about the GREAT DEALS that your network had to offer?
>You shift around, pulling the phone out of your pocket
>No, none of that
>A bookface message from Rainbow Dash
>What was this bollocks
>Was she going to communicate to you via texts, e-mails and bookface messages now?
>"Busy?"
>That's all it said
>How did she-
>Did she add you as a friend?
>Did you send her a friend request one night?
>Were you that desperate
"No"
>You tapped send
>Your dad looked over at you
>He was not pleased
>He didn't raise his son to be one of these stinking kids who would spend all their time with other people on their mobile phones
>He raised you to watch people getting blown the fuck out on television instead
>What a great dad he was
>Another buzz
>"Need someone to talk to"
>Well shit, couldn't even wait until the next day
"What's up?"
>What's up?
>Is that really what you sent?
>"I've been crying"
"What about?"
>"I'm worried, Anon"
>She was stalling
>Whatever it was, it was probably tough for her
>You expected her to continue, but nothing
"What are you worried about?"
>You wait, longer than the previous responses
>"Oi, Anon"
>You look over to your dad as he clicks his fingers
>"If you want to keep using that thing, piss of upstairs."
>He gestured to the doorway
>Fuck it, you could use some quiet to think about what you were going to say next
>You get up off the couch
>Your phone buzzes again
>Alright, alright
>She could at least be considerate enough to give you some time to get to your bedroom
>Alright, maybe now wasn't the time to be pseudo pissed off with her
>She was asking for you to listen
>That's all you had to do
>You didn't mind
>You wanted to know what the hard, outer shell of Rainbow Dash had issues with
>Maybe you should be concerned
>Maybe it was a bit selfish to say you were doing this just because you wanted to know what she was crying about
>You made it to your room, taking a look at your phone once more
>"I'm worried about my future."
>What?
>What did that even mean?
>This was unreal
>Rainbow Dash
>Ego incarnate
>The world revolved around her
>And she was worried about her future?
>You weren't really sure how to respond to that
>Was she... Expecting advice?
>You didn't think you were going to be giving advice
>Oh shit, what had you gotten yourself into?
>You weren't some... Suave, smooth talker
>You weren't any good at giving people advice
>Here she was, pouring her heart out to you and you didn't have the faintest idea how to respond
>Okay, you'd wormed your way out of worse situations Anon
>Just ask her to be specific
"What about your future?"
>"Worried about a job, money, boyfriend, home, being able to pay the bills"
>Shit, at her age
>The fuck is she worried about that for?
>"I don't want my life to go to shit and be all for nothing."
>That was some...
>Well, it wasn't really 'deep' at all
>But it was deeper than you'd expect to hear from Rainbow
>Okay, you had to get to the bottom of this
"What started all this?"
>You waited, longer than you had before
>"Yesterday. Teachers had been reminding me I was doing shit for months."
>So... Grades where an issue?
>They were an easy fix, right?
>Not easy, but not impossible
>"Then today, it hit me hard. I can't always rely on sports to carry me through the rest of my life. That's all I'm good at, what the fuck is it going to do for me?"
>Well, that'd explain earlier
>You... Supposed
>"Are you there?"
"Yeah, just let it all out RD."
>Your perception of Rainbow had changed over the past day, sure
>She went from hard through and through
>To a hard outer shell
>And now... This was worse
>This was like...
>In your series of metaphors, she was like glass
>For all intents and purposes, strong
>But it wasn't impossible to shatter
>This was Dash now
>She wasn't broken
>She was shattering before your eyes
>"I don't know what to do. I'm scared."
>Looked like it was advice time
>But what do you say?
>Do you just reassure her that it'll be fine?
>That everything will fix itself?
>Glass doesn't fix itself
>Maybe you should ditch the metaphors for now
>But this wasn't going to fix itself, this whole situation
"You're the only one who can sort this out"
>Nothing
"If you're worried about your future, grades? Doing bad? Getting a shit job? Then you can fix that now before it's too late."
>"But I don't know how Anon. It's too late to sort my grades."
"With that attitude, sure"
"Can't you get some help? Talk to your parents about it, a teacher?"
>"Will you help me?"
>You?
>She was asking for your help now?
>Sure, this had her upset
>But you were in no position to help her out
>You were only just squeezing your way through the system at a passable level yourself
>Once you were out, you were destined for meritocracy
>That didn't bother you
>But... You supposed it made sense to bother Dash
>For all her negatives, her pride was kind of... A double edged sword
>She couldn't fail
>She hated losing
>She couldn't let herself fail
>And yet, she must've realised it was happening around her
>She was slowly failing
>...You couldn't just let her do that to herself, right?
>If you said no, would she guilt trip you?
"Why me?"
>A long wait
>The longest
>"Because you were the first person who acted like they cared."
>Well shit
>What was this all of a sudden?
>She cared about you?
>After what she had done?
>Or was turning to someone she didn't like a sign of how bad it was
>That she had reached the bottom of the barrel
>Sod it
>She wanted your help
>You should give it
"Alright, I'll help you."
>"Thank you, Anon"
>And so, that was that
>The last you heard of her that night
>You settled for that
>You would have to, for now
>You'd talk to her properly tomorrow
>The image of a Rainbow Dash came to your mind
>Crying in her room
>Sobbing alone
>Tears in her eyes
>Those eyes
>Her beautiful eyes
>The eyes that you had lost yourself in earlier today
>And then, you come along
>Or, she came to you
>And you made it all better
>Well... Okay, not all better
>You gave her hope
>The idea that
>Yes, it could all be fixed
>There was a solution
>It dawned on you, you were going to be spending time with her
>Of course you were going to be spending time with Rainbow Dash
>That was the whole point of this, yeah?
>But the idea of it sounded
>...Strange
>Unreal
>Like this wasn't happening
>That this happened to other people
>That someone who you... Weren't too keen on
>Turned around within the space of 12 hours
>But that didn't matter now
>All of that felt like it was in the past
>You were fixated on her...
>Her shimmering eyes, the way that her hair swayed when she brushed it aside
>Her active, fit physique
>She wanted your help
>You wanted her
>Just... Her
>You couldn't quite put a finger on it
>But you wanted her
>Her smile
>You hadn't seen her smile
>Only when she was laughing with her friends
>And that was usually a cocky smile
>Not a genuine, warm smile
>Maybe you'd see more of that now
>You could hope
>Now, you just had to imagine
>For now
>The next day passed
>And then the next
>And the next
>And soon, a week had passed
>And each and every day, you met with Rainbow Dash
>She was reluctant at first
>Even after she had asked you
>She thought it was a stupid idea
>That she was just being stupid
>Going through a phase
>Just a one off thing
>But then that night, after your first day together
>'Together'
>You make it sound like you were fucking
>You got another message from her
>Progress, she claimed
>She was... A lot less anxious
>That was probably the way to put it
>A bit unsure whether this was the right thing to do
>But you convinced her
>And the next day, you had both met again
>She was like a completely different person when you had spoken to her outside of school
>At one point, you began to suspect that she was having someone else message you
>That this was all some kind of elaborate ruse and she had been playing you
>But it'd been just over a week since you'd agreed to help her
>And she wasn't showing any signs of turning around and coming out that it was all a ruse
>Maybe it was a bet
>A bet with some really high stakes
>And she really wanted what was on the line
>But, unless that day came, you were happy now
>She smiled when you saw her that day
>She smiled
>You hoped this became a regular thing
>You didn't have to imagine it any more, it was there
>She was happy to see you
>Happy you'd stuck around with her
>No matter how useless she claimed to be
>And you were proud that she persisted despite her doubt
>"So, it's just like sport?"
>She had asked that day, when you told her how proud you were
"Yeah, if you put as much effort into this as you do your training then you'll be fine."
>You joked
>She lightly punched you in the arm as you spread out some of the work she had brought along today onto the desk in front of you
>You didn't so much tell her directly what to do
>Just coaxed her into it
>Really, your job could probably be done better by a teacher
>But, for whatever reason, she wanted you to do it
>Maybe she found it better than talking to a teacher
>You were, after all, someone who spoke her language
>A member of her generation
>Not washed up in old schooling traditions or
>'Back in my day, we didn't have the luxury of the internet!'
>Or the typical nonsense that the older teachers had said to you before
>And after around three quarters of an hour, the two of you had gone through
>One of the shorter sessions
>You would be lying if you didn't admit that was disappointing
>Only slightly
>As you were both clearing away your things, Rainbow stood directly in front of you
>She just stood there, looking at you, not saying anything for a few seconds
>"Thank you"
>Did... She just say that?
>She hadn't actually thanked you in person
>She would send you a text or something in the evening
>And you'd kind of grown to expect that and nothing else
>She placed her hand onto your shoulder
>"I'm sorry about everything. You're doing all this for nothing, especially after everything I did to you."
"Oh, I don't know, having you off my back is good enough pay for me."
>"Very funny."
>She said sarcastically
>The two of you shared a laugh as you both reached for your bags
>She looked you directly in the eyes
>And you looked back at her
>The two of you stopped
>Time froze
>You wished you could capture this moment for the rest of your life
>And then, the silence ended
>"You're a good friend Anon."
>A good friend
>Your heart sank
>A good friend
>You tried not to show it though
>A good friend
>You kept the same facial expression
>A good friend
>The same locked look in her eyes
>A good friend
>Until, of course, she said goodbye
>A good friend
>And you complied, wishing her goodbye
>A good friend
>Now, you were just left in that room on your own
>A good friend
>Stood there, stunned for a few seconds
>A good friend
>Okay, maybe you were being a bit... Rash
>A good friend
>That wasn't so bad?
>A good friend
>Right?
>A good friend
>You'd been friends for a week
>A good friend
>If you wanted to be... Say more than just-
>A good friend
>You couldn't get those words out of your head
>A good friend
>If you wanted to be more than-
>A good friend
>Yeah, that
>A good friend
>Then you would have to do something
>A good friend
>Do something to show that you could be something other than-
>A good friend
>Be forward
>A good friend
>That wasn't creepy, right?
>A good friend
>Maybe you'd have to wait a bit
>A good friend
>But you could manage it
>A good friend
>Just, don't be too late
>A good friend
>Don't be a massive faggot
>A good friend
>You don't want her to turn around one day and say 'good news, Anon!'
>A good friend
>'your encouragement made me confident enough to ask x out!'
>A good friend
>No, you were going to play it safe but... Not too safe
>A good friend
>As you headed out the door, to the empty corridors, leaving for home there was just one thing in your mind
>Just a good friend?
>So that's what the infamous 'friend zone' felt like
>You'd heard stories
>But man
>That hurt
>You're entire journey home you still felt it
>A good friend, Anon
>That's all you were
>It was like a weight on your shoulders
>A weight that you would never be able to drop
>It would be on your epitaph
>'Anon, he was a good friend'
>You could, and probably would, always find someone else
>But you would never be able to shake off the friend zone
>It's a representation of what could have been
>Of what won't happen
>Of the fact that you'll just have to settle for second best
>That's what everyone else is going to feel like now
>And if it were for the fact that you had a chance with Dash, it wouldn't be so bad
>But now, you'll always have this lingering idea
>What could have been?
>Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all
>But... People normally said that when they had loved and lost
>You were in the worse half of that saying
>A good friend
>There it is again
>Less frequent, but right there
>Her voice
>Over and over again, almost taunting you
>You could hear it
>On loop
>Was she following you?
>No, Anon
>That was mad
>She wasn't following you?
>Why should she?
>You were, after all
>A good friend
>She went home and probably thought nothing of it
>You went home and it almost crushed you
>You couldn't really sleep that evening
>You were a wreck
>The tables had been turned
>So much so, that you felt like you were part of a terrible highschool crush cliché
>Restless nights
>Sorrow
>Worry
>All over a boy
>No
>No wait, a girl
>Not completely like the typical cliché
>Did that make it worse?
>That you, as a male human being
>Were acting like this because a female human being had rejected you-
>She hadn't even rejected you!
>Man up, Anon
>You'd just given up like that on your way home?
>What happened to just outright telling her?
>Fuck it!
>Why don't you just tell her right now?
>Right this very moment
>Get your phone out
>Send her a message
>And fucking tell her how you feel
>Right, there you go
>Send!
>...What did you send?
>Your fingers did all the work
>Your brain was too pumped about the idea of telling her
>You kind of hoped your fingers knew what they were doing
>Not just sending a string of gibberish
"Just a good friend?"
>...Well, that could have been better
>Man, you really are a 'glass half empty' kind of guy
>That could have been worse too
>You could have just been blunt and said 'i want to fuck you'
>Well, arguably that could have been better
>But... Better to play it safe
>You checked the time quickly
>Shit, half past midnight
>How long had you been led there?
>You kind of hoped she was still awake
>Not an early sleeper
>She was the active type
>More active than you were, at least
>Perhaps the early nights after a good day's rest type too
>You waited
>Phone in hand
>Staring at the screen
>No, don't do that
>Put the phone down, think about something else
>Then, when it buzzes, don't immediately pick it up again
>Take it slow
>Alright, so far so good
>Your mind goes blank
>Your heart is beating at a million beats per minute
>But your mind goes blank
>Man, when you weren't thinking about her there was not a whole lot else
>You needed to fix that
>The phone!
>A buzz!
>It only took her... Five bloody minutes
>"What do you mean?"
>Oh god, that was so vague
>That could have been interpreted so many different ways
>That could have been a stern talking to
>Almost like coming from her father
>'What do you mean you want to fuck my daughter?'
>Or, that could have been a seductive, tempting kind of tone
>'What do you mean Anon, do you want to be more than a good friend'
>Biting her lip
>Fluttering her eyelids
>A winking face on the end would do that justice
>Or maybe it was just a genuine question
>Genuine confusion
>It did come out of nowhere after all
>A reference to a conversation you had with her over eight hours ago
>Just reply, man
>Your fingers danced across the keyboard
>Well
>Maybe the description of 'danced' would be more suited to describing poetry
>Or expert writing
>This message was more like...
>Well, you were rather slowly and clumsily typing away
>Crafting a message that...
>Well, if we were going to use a 'crafting' analogy
>It'd be a wooden shelf with splinters and nails sticking out in every possible direction
>Sure, you made it
>But you wouldn't be proud to show it to anyone else
>Unless you were an idiot of course
>Luckily, you weren't
"Just a good friend, nothing else?"
>Send
>That'd have to do, Anon
>You didn't really know what the best thing to say was
>But at least you hadn't gone-
>Wait
>Maybe you should have said 'nothing more' instead of 'nothing else'
>Shit!
>Okay, so you did know something else you should have said
>Was that one word really going to make a difference?
>Uhh... Yeah
>Because 'nothing else' sounds like you're saying 'oh, is that it?' and expecting her to make a move
>'Nothing more' sounds like you want it
>Sounds like you were making the next move
>Which you were
>...Kind of
>You were going about it very slowly
>But it was progress, of sorts
>Maybe she'd get that you wanted to be more than just a good friend
>Another buzz
>You hadn't put the phone down this time
>You assumed that Rainbow was there, so the wait was shorter
>"What are you trying to say, Anon?"
>Ah shit, man
>You hated this
>You hated this conversation being so... Emotionless
>Not that you needed to spout some nonsense down the line
>'You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, Dash'
>No, not emotion like that
>But damnit, if you could see her face to face then maybe
>Just maybe
>You'd be able to read body language, facial expressions, tone of voice
>Fuck mobile phones
>And fuck the internet
>Sorry Mr Berners-Lee
>But you'd ruined social interaction
>Inadvertently, of course
>Fuck it
>She knew what you meant
>She had to
>Maybe she was avoiding mentioning it because
>...Maybe she was just avoiding mentioning it in case she made an idiot of herself
>Hey, if she was avoiding mentioning it so she didn't make an idiot of herself
>Did that mean that she-
>Sod it, you had to say it now
>There was no other way around it
>No hiding from it, Anon
>You told her now or never
"More than just friends, Dash."
>'Dash'
>No, not 'Dash'
>That was the nickname her friends gave her
>You want this to be real, you call her by her name
"More than just friends, Rainbow."
>Send
>Rainbow
>Huh, fitting name really
>You hadn't really ever considered it but
>Yeah, okay, there was the obvious
>Her hair colour
>...But wouldn't she have been born without hair?
>That was a lucky guess
>How did her parents know she wouldn't have... A darker-shade-of-blue hair?
>But... Rainbow
>Where the sun meets the rain
>Where the sun is happiness
>And the rain is sorrow
>Then it's kind of fitting
>You found happiness where there was sorrow
>You found the rainbow
>And you know what else they said about rainbows
>About a pot of gold at the end
>Of the treasure that lay to those who were patient
>Those who could make it all the way to the end were rewarded
>What kind of reward did this Rainbow have waiting for you?
>...You just hoped that, like a rainbow, she didn't slip away the closer you got to her
>Another buzz
>You weren't looking at your phone
>But you felt it in your hand
>Slowly, but surely, you brought it to your vision
>You weren't reading it
>Just... Looking at it
>Not reading the actual words
>"Friend"
>You saw the word friend
>Multiple times over
>Aw fuck man
>That only made it worse
>Why did you focus on it there and then
>Why not...
>Fuck it
>All at once
>Man up, Anon
>Deep breath
>And read it out
>Not, out loud
>Just in your head
>"What? Like boyfriend and girlfriend?"
>Holy shit!
>Maybe it wasn't as bad as you thought
>Okay
>No, this was a question
>You weren't in the clear
>But...
>This was Rainbow testing the waters
>This meant, did it not, that she was confident she knew what you were talking about
>She wasn't hiding it any more
>She wasn't trying to get around it
>She touched on the subject
>She dove head first into dangerous waters
>And she's risking it now
>Okay, maybe calm down a bit
>A tad too excitable
>Calm the fuck down
>You read the message again, just to be sure
>It was as you read it before
>It was asking if you meant 'more' as in a relationship
>Fuck man, was this happening?
>She'll still be expecting an answer, Anon
"Yeah"
>Good enough?
>It was an answer
>Something simple
>Was it too casual?
>You did just call her Rainbow rather than Dash
>Maybe...
>Maybe just
"Yes"
>Send
>Fuck, you were so nitpicky about this
>Maybe relax a little, she's... Basically on your side
>She's basically wants you
>Okay, don't think too highly of yourself
>You've coaxed her into it
>After being good friends for a week
>You waited
>This felt like the longest wait of all
>Was this... A good thing?
>Was Rainbow... Really happy on the other end of the phone?
>Was she taking time to cheer to herself
>Was she excited
>So...
>Yeah, maybe that was it
>Maybe she was excited
>Or speechless
>...For the wrong reasons
>Maybe she was insulted
>Angry, even
>With you
>You sure as hell hoped not
>Another buzz
>Just look at it this time, Anon
>"Are you serious?"
>Oh no
>That was mocking
>This was mocking, right?
>There was no way she could have thought you were joking
>Fuck sake
>She set out the bait
>And you bit
>Fuck
>That was it
>It was over
>Well, if that was the way it had to be, then you were going to cover your own behind
"Yeah, just pissing about. See you tomorrow."
>You read the words
>Just pissing about
>Man, were you really going to do this?
>Were you really going to blow it?
>...Well, this didn't really mean a dead end
>It just meant... A dead end for now
>It meant that you'd have to gauge her reaction and go from there
>Wait a month
>Maybe now she wouldn't be so surprised when you said it a month later
>Your thumb hovered over the button
>You were just about to press send
>But another buzz had distracted you
>...Another buzz?
>Another message from Rainbow?
>"I'd be cool with that"
>What
>You froze
>You had to read that again
>And again
>And reread it again
>Just to make sure
>Had you fallen asleep?
>Were you so tired that you'd just fallen asleep and had a dream that continued from reality
>That made sense, right?
>...No, that didn't make a lick of sense
>You were awake
>In fact, not only were you awake
>You were wide awake
>Your heart beating faster than it had ever beat before
>A smile
>A warm, smile
>Creeping across your face
>An almost uncontrollable urge to laugh with joy
>And there was only one thing you could think to do
>Delete that message!
>What you were typing
>No time for pretending
>This was code red
>DEFCON 1
>If you could scale the happening right now
>It'd be fucking happening
>But what do you say to that?
>She'd be cool with it
>So would you
>But how do you respond and act casual about it
>Like you hadn't just almost freaked the fuck out
"I'd be cool with that too."
>That was... As smooth as you could be right now
>Your hand was shaking
>Not trembling in fear or worry
>But shaking with sheer excitement
>But eventually, you managed to calm your thumb down
>Send
>Sealed the deal
>Oh fuck man
>You were giddy
>Calm down man
>You'd need to get some sleep soon
>Deep breaths
>Calm breaths
>And after only a few seconds, your phone buzzed
>And then again
>And again
>And a tone
>Hey, that sounded familiar
>Anon, pay attention
>That's not multiple messages you're getting, that's a fucking phone call
>From Rainbow
>Okay, that's ruined your calm and cool
>Maybe a couple more breaths
>In and out
>Slowly and-
>Sod it
>You answered, bringing the phone to your ear
>"Anon!"
>She said on the other end
>She was... Whispering
>But in that way where you whisper loudly, like you want to shout but you don't want to be loud
>But she sounded... Happy
"Yeah?"
>You responded
>Maintaining your cool
>If only just
>"What's up?"
>What's up?
>What is up?
>Could you even answer that with a serious face
>You chuckled
>And gave a huff
>Speechless
"I guess you could say I'm good, what's up with you?"
>She giggled
>God damn, that giggle
>Fuck sake man
>How did this happen?
>A week ago she hated you
>...At least, you think she hated you
>You never did address that
>"Oh, you know. Just talking to a guy."
>Oh, this was how she was going to play it
>Okay then, play along Anon
"Oh yeah, boyfriend?"
>She chuckled
>"You could say that. Although..."
>A pause
>"I don't know man."
>A tone of sarcasm
>"What kind of boyfriend is he? I mean..."
>Innocence
>"Between you and me, he's never even told me he loves me."
>She toned her volume down slightly, a regular kind of whisper now
>All this moment could do with was a pair of puppy dog eyes and it'd be perfect
>"What a jerk, right?"
>You laughed, briefly
"Oh, sounds like a terrible guy. Why don't you just dump him then?"
>You continued to play along, seeing where this was going
>"Oh, I don't know, kind of have a thing for him. I'm willing to give him a chance."
>Fuck
>That was good
>Well played Rainbow
>Alright, now it was your turn
"Rainbow?"
>Come on man, don't back out now
>"Yes, Anonymous?"
>Oh dear, you hated your full name
>You kind of hoped that wasn't going to be a big thing
>Alright, just say it
>Not too hard
"I love you, Rainbow."
>"Yeah?"
>That was all she had to say
>A pause
>Nothing
>"That's nice."
>Really?
>She was doing this now?
>Were you not going to get anything in return?
"And?"
>A pause
>Silence
>Stifling a chuckle
>"And I'll see you tomorrow, Anonymous"
>She said, a playful tone in her voice
>Oh come on, she was going to leave you like this?
>You wanted to say something, but before you could she hung up
>Unbelievable
>Oh, who were you kidding
>You couldn't be annoyed
>You couldn't even pretend to be annoyed
>Holy shit, that just happened
>Maybe she wanted to hear the words for herself
>Obviously she cared, right?
>She wouldn't have called and played along like that if she didn't care
>She was just messing with you now
>She had you around her finger, and by god it was working
>If only you could go and see her right now
>Rush to her house
>You just wanted to hold her in your arms
>You wanted to hear her say the words to you too
>But, you couldn't right now
>The tease
>You needed to go to sleep
>It was gone 1am and you had education to do tomorrow, man
>How the fuck were you going to manage that?
>Man, maybe you should have waited until tomorrow
>Maybe you should have been a man and told her face to face
>Still, at least you got to tell her you loved her
>Like, actually tell her
>Not 'message' her that shit
>That was something
>You'd just have to wait until tomorrow to hear it from her
>Presumably
>Gave you something to look forward to, at least
>Oh man
>Sleep
>Go the fuck to sleep
>Deal with this tomorrow
>...Yeah, tomorrow
>...Tomorrow was shaping up to be pretty good
#############################################
>School
>Ah, school
>The big moment
>The moment that you would get to see Rainbow Dash
>You couldn't wait
>School couldn't have ended any sooner
>You'd... Not seen her all day
>Which was odd, you thought, considering that she might want to see you first thing
>You know you did
>But you didn't want to rush
>Maybe she was teasing you some more
>It only made you want to see her even more
>You entered the practise room, where you normally met, but to your surprise it was empty
>At least, Rainbow wasn't there
>Maybe she was running late
>That wasn't so unusual, you just kind of expected her to be there as quickly as she could
>Maybe you were early
>A quick look at your watch
>Nope, just the right time
>Rainbow had to be running late
>No big deal, you'd sit around and wait for her
>You took a seat and placed your rucksack to the side of your chair and waited
>Just waited
>Anticipation filling you up as every second passed
>Another look at your watch
>Another minute had passed
>And again, as if on queue
>Those minutes seemed to go by extremely quickly
>Which... Was unusual
>You always kind of thought that when you were sat around, doing fuck all
>Time felt really slow...
>At this rate, you'd be heading home before you knew it
>If Rainbow didn't show up, that is
>What was taking her so long?
>She had... What lesson was it?
>What day was it again? You couldn't really remember
>Tuesday?
>No, it was Tuesday yesterday
>The door opened
>Rainbow!
>"Sorry I'm late, had to help out Ms. Spitfire"
>Okay, it was nothing
>Crisis averted
>She was just helping out
>Isn't that nice of her
>"So, should we get started?"
>Oh, was that it?
>Avoiding the elephant in the room?
>Just getting straight to the news
>Man, what about last night
>Were you two going to just go about your business like nothing happened
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
>Rainbow stopped, giving you a confused look
>She shrugged her shoulders as she dropped her bag onto the table beginning to pull out her equipment
"Come on Rainbow, don't mess around now."
>You stood up off your chair, walking up behind her
>You took your hands onto her waste and whispered into her ear
"Or, do you need a reminder?"
>She smiled, almost beginning to laugh
She turned to face you, looking into your eyes
>"Hmm... Maybe?"
>Rainbow raised her arms from her side and rested them on your shoulders and around your neck
>She stood on her toes to raise herself to your height
"But first, I haven't heard it from you."
>She lowered herself down again, standing flat on her feet
>"Doesn't work like that Anon. And besides..."
>She moved close to your ear and whispered
>"I'll make it worth your while."
>Oh really
>You wondered what she could be talking about
>Though your imagination jumped ahead
>"I don't really have much work to do tonight. Maybe we could do something else."
>She smiled, biting her lip and chuckling
>Whoa
>Maybe a bit forward
>Hey, fuck it
>It was her idea
>You weren't going to complain
>Well then, all it took was another 'I love you'
>You couldn't complain
>There was literally no way you could lose
>You laughed
>All right, here goes
>You reached your head close to her ear
>Taking a slow, calm breath
>You whispered into her ears
"I love you"
>She began to laugh
>A gentle, chuckle
>It warmed your heart
>A smile crept on your face
>And then the laugh turned into... Something different
>A fully blown laugh
>Almost uncontrollable
>...Something you said?
>"Oh god, I can't! I can't fucking do this!"
>The door to the room opened behind you
>Students, laughing and holding their mobile phones in hand, flooded the practise room
>Cramming their way through the door
>They were all looking at you
>Pointing
>Laughing
>"The look on your face, Anon!"
>Rainbow said, taking a small break from her laugh
>"You really think that a week-"
>She stifled a laugh
>"A week after we'd become 'friends', that I wanted to fuck you?"
>She was laughing, uncontrollably
>Everyone was laughing
>Classmates
>People you had to be around all day
>They all knew now
>They all knew that you'd been played
>Rainbow had made a fool out of you
>You wouldn't be able to escape it
>You turned to face her
>Speechless
>You couldn't say anything
>Just watch her
>Laughing at you
>The sound of which echoed all around the room
>There was only one thing you could say
>Only one thing you could say under your breath
"You bitch."
>But she didn't hear you
>She kept laughing
>Everyone kept laughing
>This was terrible
>It made you feel like shit
>Not just like shit
>But you were pissed
>Really fucking pissed
>You clenched your fist
>Gritted your teeth
>She just kept laughing
>And that pissed you off further
>Fuck
>That was it
>Years of Rainbow being a bitch, you could put up with
>But fucking around with your feelings like that?
>That was a whole new level
>Fuck it
>She deserved this
>You reached your arm up suddenly
>Time slowed down
>An open hand
>Your arm swung around, complete focus on Rainbow's face
>The closer your hand got to her face, the slower time became
>But as your hand came into contact with her face
>You jumped
>Your alarm
>You were in your bed
>It was morning
>Fuck, it was morning
>Fuck man, what was that?
>...Why the fuck would you slap someone?
>Wouldn't you punch someone instead?
>No, fuck, more importantly
>You just dreamt about Rainbow being a bitch
>...Again
>Maybe dreaming about beating someone 'cause they made a fool of you was a bit
>...Well, maybe that wasn't a good sign
>Okay
>Calm down for a moment
>Maybe that dream helped
>Maybe... If that did happen, you weren't going to actually punch Rainbow in the face
>You knew, in retrospect, that wasn't the best thing to do
>But it was a dream
>Thank god, it was a dream
>A dream that had you worried
>Okay, shit like that would shake you up a little until reality hit you again
>But that dream made you realise
>What if that happened?
>Rainbow had been... A bitch to you for years
>Suddenly she turns around
>This was all some massive ruse
>She was planning on making a fool out of you
>Tired of your bullshit?
>Tired of trying to be all friendly and act like nothing was wrong?
>No... That didn't make sense
>Why would she put up with you?
>She was so... Genuine
>Okay, so she might not feel about you the same way you feel about her
>That was always a possibility
>She might think you were joking or something
>But actually making a fool out of you?
>You couldn't see it
>... Right?
>You hoped you were right
>Shit
>You hated that dream
>It made you doubt Rainbow
>It made you doubt whether you'd made the right choice
>It made you want to get to school as soon as possible and prove it wrong
>Then again, it made you want to avoid school at any cost
>Avoid it and just... Avoid any problems
>You hadn't gotten out of bed yet
>Your parents would have already left for work
>You... You could stay here, right?
>No one would have to know
>...Just, back to sleep
>Tackle this another day when you're more confident
>...
>What are you saying to yourself, Anon?
>No, fuck that idea!
>You were going to go
>You were going to show Rainbow what she meant to you
>And just to finish it off, you were going to give the middle finger to your dreams
>Yeah!
>You shot out of bed, beaming with confidence
>Wash yourself
>Get dressed
>Breakfast
>Get your arse to school
>And go and see your girlfriend
>Canterlot High stood in front of you
>The tall, almost castle like, structure
>Was it once a castle, you wondered
>Don't be so fucking stupid, Anon
>Confidence in your step, you strolled to the main entrance
>Past the horse statue
>Taking a quick look in the mirrors on the side to make sure you didn't look a complete mess
>Passable
>Good enough
>You continued to the front of the school, stopping just before opening the door
>Did you wait around to see if she shows up?
>Do you try to find her?
>No
>Act casual
>You weren't in any rush to go see her
>Well, you were
>But you didn't want to act like you were
>Didn't want to act like something was wrong
>That didn't mean that if you saw her you'd ignore her
>Just that you weren't in any rush
>You'd see her at the end of the day anyway
>That was a certainty
>You didn't have to see her right now
>You could wait
>You walked into the school, greeted by the usual sounds of gossip and chatter from the students
>The clattering of possessions
>The slamming of locker doors
>All right
>You were ready
>What you weren't ready for however was what happened next
>You continued to stroll down the corridor until you were pulled aside
>Rainbow?
>Oh, well
>So much for not seeing her
>Had she been waiting in here for you?
>Your practise room?
>The very same room she dragged you in over a week ago when all this began
>Well, you had to give credit for consistenc-
>Your trail of thought was interrupted by Rainbow tugging on the collar of your t-shirt
>What was that all abou-
>Again, interrupted
>Man, she was making a habit of this
>Not that you complained
>You weren't really paying attention to what she was doing next though
>She closed her eyes and with a sudden motion brought your face closer to her own
>Planting a kiss directly on your lips
>Well, you couldn't complain
>Bliss
>For a small moment that felt like an eternity
>Bliss
>Not a proper, full on tongue action kiss
>But just a peck on the lips
>One that she tried to stretch out for as long as she could without it being awkward
>Until she separated the two of you again and opened her eyes
>She was breathing heavily
>You two stared at each other for a moment
>You were stunned
>She was smiling
>Her chest rose and fell as with each breath
"Morning."
>Were the words you finally got out
>However, she took a bit longer to respond
>"Sorry. I just..."
>She took another breath
>"I wanted to know what that was like."
>Wasn't shabby
>That was an understatement
>You felt... Brilliant
>That had made you relaxed after last night's dream
"You alright?"
>She nodded
>A smile still plastered on her face
>"Can I do that again?"
>She whispered, a tone of joy and enthusiasm in her voice
>You chuckled
"Maybe take it a bit slower, Rainbow."
>Slow was how you took it over the next few weeks
>You'd still met each other after school every day
>You'd began greeting each other with a hug and a kiss
>You also left each other... Also with a hug and a kiss
>You'd taken her out a few times
>Nothing overtly special
>But it was time that the two of you spent together
>You hadn't spent any time at her house, and she hadn't spent any time at yours
>Which you were grateful for, since you weren't the cleanest person in the world
>Hygiene? Sure
>Your bedroom? Littered with mess
>Not 'mess' as such, but junk
>Old school work
>Papers
>Stuff that you thought "wasn't that due in a month ago?" but were never really sure about
>But that was your room
>Not your relationship with Rainbow
>It hadn't really gone much further than that
>Slow
>Slow was how you liked it
>If this was going to be serious, then slow was fine
>You were a patient man, you could wait
>And today was a Thursday
>Like any other Thursday
>Thursday's were... Okay
>They were the reminder that you only had one day of the week left
>But, that you still had another day to go
>At least it wasn't Tuesday
>Tuesday always ended up being the worst day
>But Thursday was about to get...
>Not worse
>But take a turn for the odd
>"Hey, Anon."
>A voice called your name
>You immediatly recognised the voice
>No matter how much she tried to change it
>No matter how serious she was trying to sound
>The 'chilled' tone in her voice
>The tone that said she didn't give a shit
>It was still there
>Gilda
>You'd forgiven Rainbow
>You hadn't heard a peep out of Gilda yet
>Maybe that's what this was
>She was leant against one of the lockers, her arms crossed
>You hadn't even noticed she was there at first
>You kind of had better, more important things to be thinking about right now
>Okay, maybe not
>You'll give her the benefit of the doubt
>She was always usually right hand to Rainbow
>She was never one to go it solo
>So, this couldn't be terrible
>Unless this was some 'Rainbow's gone soft, I'm in charge of making your life a misery' bullshit
"What do you want Gilda?"
>You asked, a flat tone
>She pushed herself off the locker and began to walk towards you
>"Nothin' really, just want to know what's going on between you and Dash."
>She didn't know?
>Ouch, you though she and Rainbow were best friends or some shit
>You'd kind of thought, with Rainbow leading the charge, that Gilda would be the first to know
>Most importantly, Gilda would be the first to know and would know her place not to give a shit
>But, hey-ho, you hadn't really told anyone either
>Not that it really mattered
>It wasn't that you were keeping a secret, just that it didn't make sense to tell anyone
>Maybe it did now
"What kind of thing's going on between me and Rainbow?"
>Maybe not... Right now
>"I see the way she looks at you. Her smile's changed, man. She used to have this little evil grin when she saw you. Now it's like this..."
>She paused, taking a moment to adjust her facial expression to one of almost digust
>"Warm smile or some shit."
>You stifled a laugh
>The idea of Gilda being pissed off at Rainbow's smile was hilarious
>"And whenever I suggest we do something, she just changes the subject."
>She got closer to you, bringing out the dreaded finger and pointing it at your chest
>"So, I'll ask again, the fuck is going on between you and Dash?"
>She poked you with every other word, getting harder on the last
>Really, again with the finger stuff?
>Did Rainbow teach her this or something?
>But, ignoring the small jab you felt in your chest, you chuckled
>"Something funny?"
>She asked, poking at you again
>She wasn't particularly annoyed or angry with you
>It was almost a serious question
"No, it's just. If she hasn't already told you then I won't either."
>You kind of did want to tell her
>But she was getting worked up about this
>You'd actually found something that rubbed Gilda the wrong way
>And even if she beat the answer out of you, you wanted to savour this moment
>And you did, chuckling to yourself
>A gentle, slow chuckle
>She took her finger from your chest
>And backed away slightly
>"You know what, I don't even fucking care."
>Oh what?
>Spoil sport
>Ruining your precious moment
>This led you to wonder though, why was she talking to you if she didn't care?
>"I don't give a shit what you'd been doing with Dash, but you should."
>What?
>Why?
>You stopped laughing
>What the fuck was she talking about?
"Okay, why should I care?"
>She sighed, stroking her hand down her face
>"Listen man, like I say, I couldn't care less."
>She was quieter now
>Possibly trying to avoid anyone else listening
>"You two have got some deal going on? Don't care. Bribing her? None of my business Fucking her? Not my problem."
>Then why was she here?
>Why was she giving you the tough attitude if she didn't care?
>It all seemed a bit too much effort for something that could have been 'I don't care what you two do when you're alone'
"Then what are you doing in my face 'man'?"
>You mocked
>She was beginning to get on your nerves
>Wasting your time
>Dealing with some bollocks she didn't care about
>Talking to someone she didn't like
>Eventually, after a short pause, she let it out
>"Dash doesn't like guys, man."
>You paused for a moment
>A confused, gaumless look plastered on your face
>You tried to gauge her reaction
>Tried to read her expression
>...Nope, nothing
>Nothing that suggested she was lying
>Nothing immediately noticeable
>But that couldn't be true
>There was no way
>Why the fuck would she be interested in you?
>This couldn't be all some long, elaborate ruse
>A ruse that Gilda wasn't a part of or was and just ruined it?
>There was no way that any of this made sense
"Bull. Shit."
>She rolled her eyes and shrugged you off
>"Whatever."
>She turned around beginning to walk the other way
>Was that it?
>Was that all she was going to say
>She stopped
>Anything more to add?
>She took a long sigh and turned her head slightly
>"Like I say, I don't give a shit. I couldn't care less, just thought you should know."
>What the fuck?
>Was she being serious?
>Well, yeah, she was being serious
>But... You can be 'serious' and lie too
>Most importantly, was she actually telling the truth
>What the fuck
>"You don't believe me? Ask her yourself."
>Oh, of course
>That old chestnut
"Yeah, as if I'm going to go and ask my girlfriend if she-"
>Fuck!
>What happened to not giving it away?
>She stopped in her tracks again
>You swore you saw the beginnings of a smirk on her face as she turned to face you once more
>"Girlfriend? From the sounds of it, you're already in too deep Anon."
>That was the last she said
>Leaving you there in the hallway
>Confused, with so many questions that needed answering
>Only one that was important
>What the fuck just happened?
>The rest of the day passed, the afternoon couldn't come any sooner
>You wanted it to come as soon as it could
>You wanted to talk to Rainbow during the day, but you couldn't
>You didn't know what to do
>Did you just ask her?
>Did you hint at the idea, gauge her reaction and go from there?
>Did that seem a bit too forced?
>Maybe... Insulting, if she did just come out and say 'I'm not interested in guys'
>Then again, was asking it insulting too?
>'Hey Rainbow, are you a lesbian?'
>Was that a bit too much?
>Would she think that you were a jerk for thinking that she didn't love you?
>You didn't know what to do, and it made you worry
>This was no time for worrying, Anon
>You'd worried enough
>You'd done more worrying over these last few weeks than you had in... Your whole life
>Okay, that's what it was like to have someone you cared about you supposed
>You cared about them, you worried about them
>Whether it was worrying about them when you couldn't be with them
>Or, worrying about situations like this
>That little nagging doubt
>The little nagging doubt that your girlfriend wasn't exactly being honest with you
>TV and film had had that influence
>Who ever said they weren't harmful, right?
>But as you waited for Rainbow to arrive, this worry couldn't help but grow larger
>...But you didn't really know why you were worried
>You were worried that she'd lied to you?
>No, not really
>Worried that she wasn't interested in guys?
>Again, not really
>Her attitude and willingness over the past few weeks had made that seem an almost impossibility
>So why were you worried?
>Worried that Gilda was right?
>That once Dash knew that you knew, she'd see no reason to keep up the charade?
>'Oh thank god, Anon! I've just been looking for the right moment to tell you, but you did it for me.'
>No
>You shook your head
>Don't worry about it Anon
>Just sit, stay calm and wait
>The waiting didn't last long however, as she walked through the door
>Apologising for being late, as usual when she was
>Rushing towards you and giving you a hug
>Before breaking it momentarily to give you a quick kiss
>Nothing unusual there
>If she wasn't interested in guys, she was hiding it pretty fucking well
>She was smiling
>A big, beaming, warm smile as you two held each other in your arms
>You, however, weren't smiling
>At least, not as much
>If anyone was acting unusual, it was you
>And Rainbow noticed this
>"Everything all right?"
>She asked
>Her smile turning into a concerned frown
>Her eyes, they were welcoming
>Her whole expression was one of comfort
>That it was okay, and that you could trust her and confide in her if something was wrong
>You had to
>Not only trust and confide in her, but you had to tell her
>No, ask her
>No... Tell her!
>Ask her if she wasn't interested in guys
>Tell her that Gilda told you
>Of course, you could have been lying
>You had reason to lie
>But Rainbow trusted you, right?
>If she did, then she might not jump straight at you and accuse you of lying to accuse Gilda
>Alright, here goes
"There's just something I've been meaning to ask you."
>You felt the speed of your heartbeat increase
>And... Her heartbeat too
>As you still held each other close, you felt her heartbeat as well as your own
>Maybe slightly slower than your own right now
>But... Well, the sign that you could feel it now must've meant it was stronger than it had been
>Or, that you were paying more attention
>You were stalling
>And Rainbow still looked concerned
>How were you going to go around this?
>You weren't keen on being blunt
>You didn't want to drop Gilda straight into this if you didn't have to
>And you had no idea how to delicatly touch on the subject
>This wasn't a question you ever thought you'd be asking your girlfriend
>Someone you loved
>It's not like asking 'Do you love me too'?
>It felt worse than that
>'Do you love me?'
>Huh
>You hadn't asked her that
>You hadn't felt the need to ask her that
>But... She'd never actually told you she loved you
>Well, yes she had
>But she'd never said the words
>It would always be in response to you saying you loved her
>'You too' or 'same'
>The way she said it, you didn't really mind
>She was always joking around
>You'd never really thought about it in detail
>But wasn't that a bit odd?
>You took a moment to collect yourself
>A moment to gather your thought's and not make a fool of yourself
>One final deep breath
"Are you interested in... Me?"
>She laughed
>A soft laugh
>"Well, of course I am."
>You weren't laughing though, that still didn't really answer your question
>But it was a starting point
"But, not just me. Are you interested in guys?"
>The persistent questions must've had her confused
>She wasn't laughing this time
>"Well, if I'm interested in you then why wouldn't I be?"
>She said, as if it was obvious
"Okay, that's fine. It doesn't matter."
>She pushed away for a moment
>More than concern in her eyes
>Kind of... Suspicion
>Maybe 'it doesn't matter' weren't the best choice of words
>That's usually a dead give away that 'yes, something is up'
>"Anon, where's this come from?"
>Okay
>Moment to shine
>Tell her where it came from
"Gilda told me that you weren't interested in guys."
>Rainbow pasued
>She looked stunned
>"She did what?"
>She almost yelled
>You were only a foot or so away from each other
>The fuck was that all about
"It's fine, I'm sorry, I just had to make sure that she was lying."
>You were quick to defend yourself
>She took a moment to calm herself
>"It's okay, I understand. Just-"
>She paused, tilting her head slightly to look at the ground, letting out another deep breath
>"Don't worry about Gilda."
>Well, there was your answer
>Not a brilliant answer mind you
>But it was good enough
>For now, at least
>She was a bit... Nervous
>A bit unsure how to respond to you
>Dammit
>You couldn't shake off your doubt
>That little nagging feeling was there still
>Maybe it'd go away
>It was there now
>But come a weeks time?
>Two weeks, maybe
>When nothing had changed and Rainbow was acting normal
>When she hadn't shown any doubt about your relationship
>Maybe Rainbow would talk to Gilda
>Maybe Gilda had got it wrong
>She seemed confident she was right
>There was nothing to suggest that she was wrong
>At least, nothing to suggest that she thought she was lying
>For all she knew, she could have been telling the truth
>Maybe it was just a genuine mistake
>You hoped it was a genuine mistake
>Then again, if she thought she was telling the truth...
>Why?
>Why would she think she was telling the truth
>Rainbow and Gilda had been friends for a very long time
>Maybe something happened
>When they were younger, maybe Rainbow had told Gilda something
>Maybe Rainbow had changed since then and Gilda didn't really bother to ask further
>Why would she have a reason to of course?
>None of this mattered right now
>You shouldn't have had any reason to doubt her
>She shouldn't have any reason to lie to you
>So you trusted her
###################
>The corridors were empty
>As usual during lunch
>Whilst everyone was in the cafeteria
>You... Usually weren't
>Ever since that spontaneous song and dance
>Maybe a bit too much for you
>Come to think of it, Rainbow was there
>Happiest you'd seen here
>You'd never really taken time to reflect over that
>...Something about that jumper
>But those ears
>And the tail
>...You wondered if she still had that
>Tucked away somewhere
>Maybe bring them out one night
>...Yeah
>Speaking of whom
>Rainbow?
>You heard her, quite loudly actually
>Well, loud considering that she was on the other side of a wall
>You looked through the small window in the door
>And you saw her, talking with Gilda?
>Heated discussion, by the looks of things
>Oh shit
>She was giving Gilda a right bollocking from the sounds of things
>Raised voices
>The trademark poking finger
>You creaked the door open slightly, trying to hear the conversation properly
>"What?"
>The first thing you heard
>Gilda, sounding confused
>"Just stay away from him, G. You're not ruining this for me."
>She poked her finger at Gilda
>But Gilda didn't respond
>Rainbow didn't give her enough time, before sighing
>"Why did you tell him?"
>What?
>"I'm gonna watch by as you make him look like an idiot, Dash. You've done some shit to him, but this is fucked."
>Gilda was actually almost angry with Rainbow
>You'd not seen that
>They'd yelled at each other
>But... Not seriously
>They were pissing about
>But not any more
>"Fuck you, G. It's not like that."
>Rainbow said defeated
>"Then why didn't you tell him, Dash?"
>Oh what the fuck
>This wasn't...
>She wasn't...
>Gilda was telling the truth?
>Oh fuck this
>Privacy?
>Eavesdropping?
>You didn't care
>You had to deal with this now
>You trusted Rainbow
>And she lied to you?
>You opened the door all the way
>It didn't make a sound like you expected...
>The two of them just continued, not noticing that you were stood there
>"Because it didn't need to be sai-"
"Want to involve me in this?"
>You interrupted Rainbow
>"Oh shit."
>Gilda said slowly as she peeked over Rainbow's shoulder to look at you
>"Yeah, right, you two have things to talk about."
>Gilda back away from Rainbow
>She made her way slowly around the two of you
>Awkwardly heading out the door that she closed behind her as she did
>The two of you were alone
>There was no hug
>No kiss
>No nothing
>You were quite a distance from each other
>And the longer you stood in silence, the further and further you felt apart
"You lied to me, Rainbow."
>Was all you could say
>She tried to get closer to you
>"No, Anon."
>She reached out her arm, resting it on your shoulder
>She looked you in the eyes
>Her sad, disappointed eyes
>Not disappointed with you, but with herself
"What was that then? Or am I just missing something? Did I just walk in at the wrong momen-"
>"Anon, it's not like that I..."
>She stopped
>Perhaps releasing how cliché that sounded
>"I owe you an explanation"
>You suddenly realised
>It made sense
"You wanted to know what it was like. When you kissed me, you said you wanted to know what it felt liked."
>"And it was brilliant, Anon."
>She reached her hand onto your cheek
>Her soft, smooth skin
>You... Wanted to forgive her
>But could you?
>She'd lied to you
>And you were... Really confused
>This whole situation
"So what? Was I just an experiment or something?"
>She stopped for a moment
>She
>"Maybe at first-"
>That wasn't exactly the best answer you wanted to hear
>You went to brush her hand off your cheek
>"Well you didn't want me to lie!"
>She was right
>At least she was being honest
>Blunt, but honest
"All right, if you're going to be honest with me then I'll listen."
>Rainbow held your hand and pulled you over to some of the seats in the room
>The two of you sat down, facing each other
>She held your hands in her own as you both leant towards one another
>"I was young and, I dunno. I mean I really didn't know."
>"Gilda asked me one day why I'd never shown interest in... Anyone."
>"It wasn't something that usually came up, so I just said I didn't care. But she kept pressuring me"
>"I completely forgot I'd even had that conversation until you told me she told you."
>That would make sense
>Man, this was a weird situation
>You supposed that... Gilda wasn't lying
>Rainbow wasn't lying
>No one was in the wrong
>It was just a big misunderstanding
>You couldn't stay mad at her for that, could you?
>"But you turned that around. When I realised that someone could feel that way about me, I thought I'd have to give it a shot."
>"I don't regret that I did."
>She reached for your face
>Placing her hand on your cheek and bringing herself closer to you
>She closed her eyes, guiding herself with her hand
>You helped her along the way, leaning into her
>Your mouths came into contact
>Bliss
>She forced her tongue into your mouth, and you attempted to emulate the motion
>For what felt like an eternity, the two of you were locked together
>Your tongues dancing with one another
>You didn't want this moment to end
>But eventually, Rainbow pulled away
>"I love you, Anon."
>She said it
>It took long enough, but it happened
>Not a backhand comment
>Not riding off you saying it
>She said it
>She loved you, Anon
>Fuck, even if she had lied to you
>This feeling you felt now
>This was real
>Her feelings had to be real
>No doubts, Anon
"I love you too."
>You said, reaching your hand to her face too
>You sat, exactly mirroring
>And the bell rang
>Shit, how long had you been here?
>You'd completely lost track of time
>You and Rainbow stood up onto the ground and headed towards the doorway
>You still had one nagging question though
"So, did anything happen? Between you and Gilda?"
>She looked at you stunned
>"What? No! God no! She was my friend but nothing went that far."
>Wow
>She was really defensive
>You didn't really care if anything happened
>But if she insisted
"Okay, sorry. When you tell me that you told another girl you were a lesbian I assumed something must've happened."
>She frowned for a moment, before turning it into a smile
>"I want to see you tomorrow. I want you to come and see me tomorrow."
>Well, tomorrow was Saturday
>You usually met on Saturdays, no big deal
"Okay, where."
>"My place."
>Her house?
>Oh happy days
>And you'd get to meet her parents
>Oh great, the dreaded first meet
"Your dad's not one of these 'don't touch my daughter' kind of people, is he?"
>She placed her hand on her chin, tilting her head slightly with a quizzical expression on her face
>"You know, I never understood where that stereotype came from. I mean, all dad's were teenage boys at one point. They know what it's like."
"That doesn't answer my question."
>She giggled at your slightly nervous response
>"He'll be fine, don't worry about it Anon."
>That wasn't exactly filling you with confidence
>But you could worry about that later
>You weren't going to let her dad push you around!
>Yeah, because that attitude wasn't going to mean he'd try and stop you from seeing Rainbow
>What are you worried about?
>Just play it cool
>He can't dislike you if you're just a genuinely nice guy
>Well, you'd have to act like a genuinely nice guy
>For once
>"Meet at 6pm, I'll tell you everything you need to know later."
>She called before heading off in an opposite direction down the hallway
########################################################################
>You had to admit, you were a bit nervous
>That was all that you could think about, stood in front of the mirror
>You were maybe a bit nervous
>Rainbow had insisted that her parents were fine
>That they wouldn't try to cause any trouble
>But, if she said otherwise that might put you off
>So... You would understand if she'd maybe not been completely honest with you there
>You tried to pick out something nice
>Nothing formal
>Nothing too casual
>Nothing dirty
>Just normal, clean clothes
>A washed face
>Freshly shaven
>Yeah, you'd be fine
>Your dad was waiting for you downstairs, preparing to take you to her house
>He insisted that you'd leave 10 minutes ago
>You... Weren't exactly ready 10 minutes ago
>Not that it mattered, it wasn't even 5:30 yet
>You guessed that he wanted to allow time for getting lost but...
>40 minutes? What if you got there early?
>Actually... What problem would there be if you got there early?
>You'd spent far too long worrying to yourself
>You should probably get going
>"Come on Anon, don't want to be late."
>Your dad called for you, just as you left the bathroom with one final check on everything and headed to see him
>You sighed as you made your way down the staircase and he stood at the door
"Dad, I'm not gonna be late. She lives in the city, it's not like that'll take us hours."
>He opened the front door for you
>"Better to be safe than sorry"
>The two of you left your house and headed towards your dad's car
>You couldn't drive
>To be honest, not many people at your school could
>Flash could
>The bastard
>Showing off with his fancy sports car
>And that shield and lightning thing on the bonnet
>Why did everyone have this... Pattern?
>Everyone, except you, seemed to care about having their 'mark'
>And having it custom made onto everything they own
>Come to think of it, Rainbow had that cloud and lightning bolt on everything
>Like... Everything
>About ten different t-shirts
>A number of jackets, hoodies and jumpers
>Some of her skirts
>Her bag
>Her bike and helmet
>Not necessarily exactly the same
>The same sort of pattern
>The cloud and the lightning bolt
>"You all right, son?"
>You'd been thinking about that for too long
>Walking to the car, getting in, a blank expression
>He looked at you waiting for a response
"Yeah, I'm fine."
>You finally said, snapping back to reality
>Well, you were still maybe a bit worried
>But you thought that was a given
>You didn't think you'd need to explain to your dad why you were nervous about meeting your girlfriends parents
>Isn't everyone, right?
>The worry that they're not going to like you
>He started the engine of the car and began to drive
"Do you know where you're going?"
>You asked, as he drove down the street and stopped at the junction
>"I've been to the area before, but you'll have to point out the place."
"I've not been there myself dad, I don't know the exact place."
>He looked over at you, giving a disappointed sigh as he shook his head
>"Then you'll have to hope you don't knock on the wrong house."
>You sat silently for the next minute or so
>Trying to calm your nerves a bit
>You went through how you were going to introduce yourself to her parents in your head
>Come to think of it, what did you call her parents?
>Mr and Mrs. Dash?
>...Uhh
>Well, fall at the first hurdle
>Why were people's names so... Awkward
>Why did some people share the same family name and yet others didn't
>Wouldn't it all just make a whole lot more sense if everyone shared a surname?
>Alright, okay, you'll cross that hurdle when you come to it
>Okay, more important
>You... Talk like a human being
>Don't act strange
>Don't try to sound smarter than you are
>Don't swear in front of her parents
>Unless... They swear in front of you
>No, that's not the best way to look at it
>You didn't want her dad to tell you to 'fuck off' and then think it was okay to do the same
>Take the moral high ground there
>Don't get angry with him if he gets angry with you
>"So, Anon. You haven't told me very much about Rainbow."
>Really?
>He was doing this now
>Okay, fine
>He was driving you to go and see her
>Taking time out of his Saturday afternoon so you coul see her
>You might as well answer any questions he has
"Well, what do you want to know?"
>"I don't know, what's she like? What's she into?"
>What's she like?
>Well, how could you answer that?
>Actually, you knew full well how you could answer
>But it'd probably end up sounding like... Mushy nonsense
"I dunno. She's nice."
>"Nice, Anon? Is that all?"
>Well... What else were you going to say?
"What do you want to know? She's kind, caring, considerate, enthusiastic. I don't know."
>"Well what's she into?"
>You began to think off the top of your head
>She was really interested in... Sports
"Soccer. Basketball. Baseball. Track. Cycling."
>"Athlete?"
>He asks, curiously
"No, she just feels like playing a bunch of sports."
>You respond sarcastically
>"No, I just wouldn't expect you to be into the athletic type."
"I'm not 'into her' because I can talk to her, because she listens to me, because of her dazzling eyes, her flowing hair, her-"
>You stopped
>You realised what you were saying
>And more importantly, who you were saying it to
>Your dad looked at you in the corner of his eye
>A small smirk on his face
>"I was like that with your mother-"
"No. Don't. Don't do the typical 'your mother was beautiful' speech, dad. I'm not your mate, your school buddy, I'm her son. I don't want you telling me why you loved her because I'm never going to see it."
>His smirk died down and he paid attention to the
>"I see your point."
>The rest of the journey was silent
>Luckily, it wasn't long
>You soon arrived
>At least, arrived where you thought was the right place
>You'd helped direct your dad along the last few streets
>And now, here you were
>Number 20
>Hopefully the right street
>"This the place?"
>You looked out the car window, trying to see if there was any tell-tale signs that this was the right house
>Nothing immediately obvious
>Someone at the window
>Not someone you recognised
>Pink skin, blue hair
>Though they... She?
>She seemed to be looking out at the car
>Before she turned around, talking to someone and pointed towards the window
"I... Think so."
>You were uncertain, but you opened the car door and climbed out of the vehicle
>You hadn't seen woman at the window again
>And didn't see who they were talking to before
>"I'll wait here if you need me."
"All right, cheers dad."
>You didn't think you would need him
>You hoped this was the right place anyway
>Didn't want to make a fool of yourself
>You walked up to the front door, ringing the bell
>There was no response
>A two silhouettes through the frosted glass on the front door
>One blue, another pink
>And if the multicoloured hair was a give-away...
>The door opened, Rainbow stood there in front of you
>"Hey Anon!"
>She reached out and hugged you, but only for a brief moment
>You turned your head and gave a thumbs up to your dad
>He nodded as he began to drive off
>Well, no turning back now
>You were going to meet her parents and you were going to make a good impression
>"Hello Anon, I'm Firefly, I'm Rainbow's mother."
>The woman Rainbow was with walked up to you with an outstretched hand
>Right!
>Okay
>No Rainbow hair
>Strange, where'd she get that from then?
>You shook her hand
>...What did you say next?
"Good to meet you"
>Okay, that'd have to do
>Rainbow was stood by you, smiling
>Her arms wrapped around your waste
>Her head rested on your shoulder
>"Do you want to come in?"
>Firefly asked, gesturing to the two of you
>You simply nodded and Rainbow pushed let go of you and lead you into the house
>Her house
>Man, you were here
>It was nice
>The walls were painted white
>The ceiling was blue
>Calm, relaxing
>As you took a seat in the lounge, a man walked out of the kitchen
>Steam pouring out from behind him
>Must've been what was for dinner
>Smelled nice
>"Ah, so it was him after all."
>It took you a moment to register his... Appearance
>He was purple
>He had rainbow hair
>Holy shit
>This is where she got it from
>This was hilarious!
>You'd kind of never expected that
>Genes are a weird thing, Rainbow's hair could have been from like... Her grandparents or something
>But no
>Her dad had Rainbow hair
>That looked ridiculous
>"Rainbow, honey, this is Anon."
>Wait... Rainbow?
>He was called Rainbow too?
>Oh man
>That was too perfect
>Rainbow was such a...
>Well, it sounded like such a feminine name
>Maybe that was because of Rainbo-
>Maybe you should call her 'Dash' to avoid confusion
>Anyway, maybe it sounded like a feminine name because the only person you'd ever heard called Rainbow was Dash
>Now, you knew she was named after her father
>How does that-
>When does that happen?
>Not often
>Although, you were kind of named after your dad too
>Incog
>What a terrible name
>Named after your grand father Unsung
>And his father Pseudonymous, Pseudo for short
>Though he hated people shortening his name
>...So you were told
>The next half an hour was spent talking to Rainbow and Firefly
>You sat with Rainbow, your arm around her shoulder, on their couch
>Firefly stood opposite the two of you
>She asked you about yourself, what you were interested in
>Almost as vague as the questions your dad had about Rainbow
>But you got to know a bit about Firefly too
>How she used to be an athlete
>Used to do track professionally
>Not... Olympics professionally
>But professionally
>Which would explain why Rainbow was so interested in it
>But after a short time, dinner had been prepared and served on the dining room table
>Ah, smelled nice
>It looked like a lot of work had gone into this
>Roast chicken
>Pigs in blankets
>Roast potatoes
>All manor of vegetables
>Yorkshire pudding-
>Hmm... That name didn't seem right
>And gravy to top it all
>Man, this looked nice
>Did they do this all the time
>Or a special meal because they had a guest?
>You didn't care
>It was food, good food from the smell
>You couldn't complain
>The four of you sat down at the table
>You sat next to Rainbow
>Her parents sat opposite her
>The other Rainbow sat opposite you
>Oh man, you couldn't get over his name
>It seemed so... Strange
>At least maybe it'd break the ice when he talked to you
>Weren't so nervous when you were talking to a purple guy called Rainbow with multicoloured hair
>And probably began to ask the same questions that Firefly had
>Just as you were going to start eating your food, he began to talk
>"So, Anon"
>He said before taking a fork of food in his mouth
>You waited for him to begin chewing and began to eat your own food
>Oh wow, it was really nice
>Oh thank god, you thought
>No matter what the outcome of today, at least you could honestly thank them for the food
>Give your compliments to the chef
>Who appeared to be Rainbow-
>Her dad
>So even if he hated you after this, you could at least leave on a high note
>It was all part of your plan
>All part of being the better person
>Well, you didn't want to be smug in that sense
>Just so you could come grovelling to Rainbow-
>Dash
>The next day or something about how you were in the right and he was in the wrong
>...Well, maybe you don't want to say 'your dad was wrong' to her
>Maybe you wait for her reaction to that kind of situation instead
>Why were you thinking about this anyway?
>You'd jumped to the conclusion that he would hate you
>He seemed nice
>Friendly
>He wasn't giving you 'evils' across the table
>Wasn't sitting back and letting everyone else engage in conversation with you instead
>He wanted to talk to you Anon
>That must've been a good sign
>"What is it you're interested in?"
>Ah, as you'd expect
>The usual question
>You went to answer, but as you were in the middle of eating Firefly just repeated what you'd told her earlier
>Yeah, pretty much word for word what you said
>"Oh, interesting."
>He very slightly nodded his head repeatedly whilst humming a tone of interest
>Good start
>"And what is it that you find interesting about my daughter?"
>Oh great, here goes
>You turned to look at Rainbow
>Who was looking a bit... Annoyed with her dad to be honest
>You put your cutlery down and reached your closest hand onto her shoulder
>You'd held it back with your dad
>Now, here came the mushy bollocks
>...Kind of
"What do I find interesting about Rainbow?"
>You began
"Where do I begin? She's kind, caring, willing to listen and is a joy to listen to"
>You were just looking at her
>But she was trying her best not to look back at you
>Occasionally, her eyes would dart between you and her parents
>But her gaze wasn't fixed on you for very long
>Keep trying Anon
"I could spend hours lost in her eyes or lifetimes with her in my arms."
>Her face was red and you caught what was the beginning of a smile forming on her face
>She was trying her best to hide it
>Let's see if you couldn't get something out of her
"In short, the time I spend with your daughter are the happiest moments, and I just want to make her happy throughout it all."
>You finished off as you turned to face her dad with a smile on your face, removing your hand from her shoulder
>"Sometimes, I hate you dad."
>What?
>Where did that come from-
>You look back and forth between Rainbow and Rainbow-
>Fuck!
>Man, was his name just Rainbow?
>Did he not have a 'second' name you could call him
>Maybe you'd ask Rainbow-
>Dash, later
>He was smiling
>So was Firefly
>But he was trying to... Hide his smile
>Suppressing a laugh
>Terribly
>"I'm sorry, Anon, let me explain. It's just that Rainbow here doesn't like-"
>"What do you call it Dash? All that 'mushy shit'?"
>Oh
>That kind of made sense now
>Tricked you into making Rainbow feeling uncomfortable for a laugh
>Heh, was kind of funny
>Luckily, you had the right kind of humour for this situation
>Dash didn't seem to keen on it, but you'd sway her over later
"So, what do you both do?"
>You asked Rainbow's parents, trying to change the subject
>Showing an interest wasn't a bad idea, yeah?
>The two of them looked at one another, exchanging glances
>Firefly began
>"I used to be a professional athlete. I didn't ever compete internationally."
"What were you best at?"
>"Track, 100 metres."
>Firefly gestured to her husband
>"And Rainbow was a trainer where I used to practise, he still is to this day."
>He nodded, pointing to Rainbow Dash
>"Used to take Dash out there on the weekend when she was younger. Stopped taking her as regularly, but she still trains and keeps herself fit everyday."
>Well, that would explain why she's so athletic
>A family of an athlete and a trainer
>One that used to train Rainbow in his spare time
"And why aren't you a professional athlete any more?"
>You quickly asked
>Realising that it may or may not be a delicate subject
"If you don't mind me asking."
>You quickly corrected yourself, trying to avoid causing any problems
>"Just age, catches up with you. You can't keep up with new blood forever."
>Rainbow Dash poked you on the shoulder and cupped her mouth over your hear with her hand
>"'New blood' was me."
>Rainbow whispered, a tone of pride in her voice
>Firefly smiled
>A proud but... Almost sad smile
>Like... Well
>It looked like the smile you'd see from a mother realising that her children were no longer... Children
>There wasn't really any other way to describe it other than what it was
"So what do you do now?"
>"I work with Rainbow, I'm a trainer of sorts too now."
>Huh
>A family with a history of athletics
>Now both of them trainers
>"We've worked with some of the top athletes in Canterlot."
>Rainbow continued
>"Some of them surpass what I used to be able to do."
>Firefly said, trying to retain some of the pride that may have been lost when Rainbow made note that she was better than Firefly
>The rest of the dinner consisted of the mundane and boring side of the conversation
>You'd gotten out all your romantic compliments, your questions and such already
>But the food was nice
>To which you complimented Rain-
>Rainbow's dad
>But when all was finished, you and Rainbow headed to her bedroom
>To be alone
>You weren't that lucky
>You just wanted to chat
>Be together
>Was there anything wrong with that?
>Of course not
>As you entered her room, you immediately noticed that it was larger than yours
>Well damn
>Maybe it was just because there was less clutter in her room
>And not a TV stand fit for a large TV
>Or as long desk with a computer and other sorts of electronics on it
>But there were posters
>Posters of athletes
>Kind of seemed like something that a kid would do
>But... Eh, who were you to complain
>She had an idol, big deal
>A small number of very similar looking books stacked in a pile next to a bedside table
>She sat down on her bed
"Before anything else, I need to ask you something. Your dad is called Rainbow, yeah?"
>She sighed
>"Yes, his name is Rainbow."
>That wasn't exactly the reaction you expected
"Does he have another name or just Rainbow? It's a bit confusing, having two Rainbow's in the house."
>She looked down at her feet, taking some time to respond
>"Oh, yeah. It's Blaze."
>She said quietly
>What was with her?
>She seemed... Distant
"Everything alright?"
>She nodded, looking up
>"Yeah, it's fine. I just thought you were going to make fun of him."
>Well, silently you were laughing at his name
>And the fact that he was purple
>But why would you make fun of her dad in front of her?
"No, why would I do that?"
>You sat down next to her
>"It's nothing, apparently he used to get shit for it when he was younger."
>Well
>That was... Understandable
>Though you didn't want to say that
>"Doesn't matter. But, I've got a question for you too."
>She reached her arm around your shoulder and looked you in the eyes
>You were curious now
>A question, for you
>Uhh
>Your mind jumped to conclusions
>You tried to control it
>But it kept on jumping
>Higher and higher
>"Did you mean what you said at the table?"
>Oh
>False alarm
>Well, maybe not
>Maybe a response will gauge the right reaction
>Or, at least one that your mind jumped to
>It almost looked as though she was...
>Her eyes were beginning to water ever so slightly
>What was going on?
"Every word of it"
>You said, in response
>Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around you, burring her head into your shoulder
>"I knew you loved me and everything but..."
>She began to silently cry
>"You know, part of me just thought it was like a little crush. But you're actually serious about this, aren't you?"
>Well, that wasn't what you expected at all
>You were sat there
>Rainbow holding you
>Crying into your shoulder
>And you were stunned
>Arms up in air
>Fuck it
>You return the favour, wrapping your own arms around her
>She was... Happy
>Tears of joy
>"When you started helping me out with school and everything, I said that I was worried about my future. Not just about grades and a job but about a boyfriend and stuff."
>You remembered
>It was that night that she'd told you she was crying
>When you'd got the message on your phone
>How things had changed since then
>"But you've been such a great help Anon. I'm not worried about school, about the future, about anything."
>That's what this was all about
>She was thankful for everything you'd done
>You supposed this was her way of saying it
>You didn't need to hear her
>You didn't mind
>You were just content
>Holding her tight
>Taking care of her
>You were glad that she wasn't hurt or afraid any more
>You hadn't actually seen her cry before
>But you're glad that the first time was when she was happy
###########################################################
>A few months later
>This time next year, you'd be out of school
>A few months of summer
>And then the "beginning of the end"
>But right now, at the very moment
>You found yourself waiting around in carousel boutique
>Waiting on the shop floor, trying to occupy yourself
>You'd been ready for...
>Looking at your watch, it had been about half an hour
>Summer prom began in 5 minutes
>Though you supposed it was tradition to be fashionably late to this kind of thing
>The girls had spent what felt like an eternity getting ready
>You kind of just wanted to see Rainbow
>Rarity had been working on an outfit for her
>She'd been working on outfits for the other 4 of them
>She'd even made your
>Free of charge, of course
>'She had to', she said something along those lines
>Something about how if she was making something for Rainbow she'd make something for you too
>What you didn't know what that it'd be something... Matching
>Rather than say... A green tie
>Something that matched you
>A Rainbow tie
>It just looked like a gay pride accessory
>Which Rarity understood, but you would be matching Rainbow
>Unless someone saw you wearing it without her, they wouldn't think anything of it
>That's what she said anyway
>You were pacing around, taking a look outside
>You saw cars go by, from the looks of things for the prom
>From the fancy to the obscure
>Like an ice cream truck
>Yeah, at this time of night there could only be one reason why it was out there
>And all these people were arriving before you!
>Well, they'd be arriving early
>Jokes on them
>Only just
>Another look at your watch
>2 minutes
>And the girls were showing no sign of moving
>Just... Hanging around
>Chatting, from the sounds of things
>You still all had to get into the limo
>And then be there
>Remember Anon, fashionably late
>Why did you even care about this?
>It was a prom
>Girls cared about proms
>Well... It was your first big, formal event with Rainbow
>You kind of wanted it to go well
>The door opened
>Rarity walked out
>The others followed
>Finally!
>They were ready to get-
>You stopped and stared for a moment as the 5 of them walked out
>They were all-
>No, Anon, focus on Rainbow
>Rainbow looked-
>They all looked pretty darn good
>But, you stick almost every girl in a fancy dress and they look good
>Rainbow looked beautiful
>You were biased
>Of course you were
>You weren't going to just turn around and say
>'Sorry Rainbow, but I think Fluttershy looks hotter than-'
>Come to think of it
>No, Rainbow
>You didn't just love Rainbow because she had nice eyes
>Or a cute smile
>But because you could listen to her
>And she could listen to you
>Whereas Fluttershy was...
>Well, when you were first introduced to her she was nervous around you
>Because you were a stranger!
>And god forbid that there aren't billions of people in the world you don't know
>They outweigh your friends, Fluttershy
>You're going to have to get used to it
>"Well, Anon?"
>Rarity asked
>You weren't sure how to answer that
>It'd be best if you stood there
>Not saying anything
>Yeah
>That wouldn't make the situation even more awkward
>They all looked at each other confused
>Well?
>What were you supposed to say?
>You half expected Rainbow to berate Rarity for asking how they look-
>"Are you ready?"
>Rarity continued
>Oh
>Oh!
>She was just-
>Right
>Okay, that made things more awkward
>You regained your composure and nodded
>"Okay then girls, let's go!"
>Rarity turned to face the rest of the group
>A slight hint of excitement in her voice
>You just stood in your place as four of them walked past you
>Except Rainbow, who turned you around on the spot and hooked her right arm under your left
>"Well?"
>Right
>Yeah
>You began to follow the other four as they left the door but Rainbow stood, nailed to the spot
>She had... Strong legs
>"Well?"
>She repeated again
>Well what?
>You thought to yourself for a moment before the realisation hit you
>You stood by her again, returning to your original position
"You look beautiful, Rainbow"
>You responded
>To which she smiled
>"Thank you, Anon. You don't look too bad yourself."
>You chuckled as you followed the rest out of the door
>The other four had began piling into the limo as you and Rainbow entered
>"Come on, come on!"
>Rarity called towards you, gesturing for the two of you to get a move on
>Oh, so when she does it it's fine
>But when you're waiting around for half an hour
>Sod it, no time creating a pseudo argument in your head
>You walk up to the limo remembering to-
>Right, let Rainbow go first
>She does
>And you follow
>The six of you sit in the limo
>And you're either feeling really awkward right now
>Or you're the luckiest man alive
>And this is actually a dream
>And it's going to turn into some strange fantasy where the limo pulls up somewhere remote and Rainbow admits that this was all a ruse for the 5 of them to have sex with you in the-
>Man, where did that come from all of a sudden?
>A way to calm your nerves?
>You shook your head
>Not that they noticed
>They were all talking away and laughing
>Even Rainbow
>Where as you, the only man in the limo, sat a bit awkwardly not knowing what to do
>Surrounded by the pink interior
>And the confetti laid all over the carpet
>That was going to take some cleaning-
>Why did you care?
>You were just trying to think of something to take your mind off it all
>But only a few minutes, and you arrived outside the school
>Looking out the window, you could see students arriving in packs
>Making their way out of their own... Vehicles of choice and towards the school entrance
>The girls were all looking at you
>...Why?
>Oh!
>You understood
>Get out the car, hold the door open for them all
>Don't look as they're coming out for-
>Reasons
>Didn't the driver normally do this shit?
>Fuck it
>You were going to be the gentleman, you were going to do it
>Even if you did feel like 'being the gentleman' was stupid
>Before you knew it, Rarity would be passing you a fedora
>Asking you to tip it as they walked by
>Insisting that you called Rainbow "m'lady"
>None of that happened
>Of course it didn't
>The five of them climbed out of the limo
>All but Rainbow heading towards the school entrance
>Whereas she stood back and waited for you
>Right, yeah, that was why the driver normally did that shit
>But you hadn't actually seen sight of the driver
>Lazy shit
>You and Rainbow followed the others into the school, making your way into the gym
>Round dotted at the back of the room
>A large area where people were already dancing
>And none other than Flash 'Fucking' Sentry at the guitar on stage
>With the rest of his band, of course
>It was... Tradition for their lot to start all the big 'formal' events
>Something about embracing the selection of musical talent in the school
>And then Vinyl would continue for the rest of the night
>The rest of the girls looked around, going to meet their other friends
>Didn't matter, we would all be sitting by each other later anyway
>Rainbow dragged you along with her
>Oh no, your friends didn't matter
>Just hang around... Gilda for the next 5 minutes
>Or more
>Not saying anything other than the occasional 'hi' to someone you spotted who walked past you
>This was going to be a long night
>And as predicted, the hours drew on
>What felt like three was only one
>You kind of thought you were meant to be happy
>And the time you spent with Rainbow you were pretty content
>But then you realised how little you could do bit sit around
>Talk about... Not much over the noise to the people you'd hardly gotten to know over your school life
>You really needed to work on that shit
>You had one year left of school, make some friends whilst your at it
>Come to next years prom with a bunch of people under your belt that you knew you could spark conversation with
>Well, right now that didn't matter
>Eventually, the standing around and the dancing was getting to you
>You took a seat at one of the tables
>Man, you were tired
>It was... Almost midnight
>But everyone else looked like they could manage maybe another hour
>You lightweight
>At least you thought so, until you saw Rainbow walk up to you
>Realising that she was seemingly being spurred on by her friends who looked on from behind her
>Rarity in particular stood in anticipation
>"Anon, could you walk me home?"
>She asked reaching her hand out
>Oh really?
>You were shattered
>You weren't sure you could manage it
>But...
>This was Rainbow
>Were you ever going to say no?
>You nodded, standing up and grabbing hold of her hand
"Sure"
>You were tired
>You almost felt your eyes begin to close
>But god dammit, you were going to walk Rainbow home
>It couldn't be far
>She wouldn't suggest it if it wasn't, right?
>You'd been to her house of course
>Many times
>But your sense of direction wasn't the greatest
>And you'd never gone directly from school
>So... You couldn't really tell which way it was
>The music slowly died down
>And the strange feeling of being in a school at night crept in
>Strange only because... Well, you weren't used to it
>Even if it did happen every year
>The two of you made your way out of the school and out into the pitch back night
>The stars covered by the clouds in the night sky
>The moon, hardly visible
>You were kind of hoping that Rainbow would just lead the way
>You had no idea where you were going
>And could barely see in front of your face
>But then you noticed
>Rainbow was shaking in the cold air
>Well, it was midnight
>And she was wearing a dress
>You took off your jacket and handed it to her
>To which, she hung it on her shoulders
>"Thanks, Anon"
>She said trying to warm herself up, as you two began to leave the school grounds
>The walk couldn't be that long, right?
>You could do without your jacket for now
>However... The walk was longer than you had anticipated
>And the two of you were quiet throughout most of it
>You did talk occasionally
>But there wasn't much to say
>You were tired
>And, judging by the way she was resting her head on your shoulder, she just seemed to be enjoying your company
>Or maybe she was tired too
>But eventually, you made it
>You became familiar to the road
>Familiar with the houses
>In particular, Rainbow's house
>Where you'd spent most of your weekends
>Strangely, without the usual cars parked on the driveway
>"Thank you Anon, I've had a great night."
>She had?
>Well, if she had then that's all that mattered
>She reached up to you and gave you a kiss
>Well, that was time to make your leave
>Until... It dawned on you
>How were you going to get home?
>Walk? All that distance?
"Do you mind if I just wait here? Call my dad, ask him to pick me up?"
>She giggled
>"My parents are out, Anon."
>Oh, they are
>Those are your first thoughts
>'What was she suggesting?' came next
>This peaked your interest
>"Maybe you'd like to... Come inside."
>Yep, this definitely peaked your interest
>You just nodded
>A smile crept on her face
>She unlocked the door and pulled you inside
>Well, you were certainly more awake now
########## AND THEN SEX HAPPENED ##########
####### I'M NOT GOOD AT WRITING SEX #######
>10 months later
>Only a month or so left of school
>Not just school - but education!
>Well, High School education at least
>College called
>Then you were free
>Free-er than you were now
>But you weren't free yet
>Still confined to the halls of the school
>Still had to sit through some final exams
>And then you were out of here
>But right now... You kind of needed to use your unlimited access to things in the school
>Like the toilets for example
>Man, you needed to piss
>And so you found yourself, shortly, in front of the mens room
>Making your way in, preparing to do your business and-
>You heard something
>Not coming from the room you were in but...
>But through the wall in front of you
>On the other side of the wall
>You heard Rainbow Dash
>Crying?
>An overwhealming sense of De Ja Vu
>At least you didn't notice it before hand and hang around outisde the girls bathroom
>That would have been awkward
>Again
>You finished off as quick as you could
>Don't forget to wash and dry your hands anon
>That was important, remember
>You wanted to catch her now
>No waiting around like last time only to lose her
>What was she so upset about?
>You walked out of the mens room expecting Rainbow to be outside but
>...No, she was still inside
>You didn't want to hang around outside the girls room
>No, that was awkward
>And you know what was better?
>Considering going in
>Yeah
>Not a problem at all
>Well, no one was in the hallway
>Why not?
>You knocked on the door
>Just to make sure
"Rainbow?"
>You called
>The crying stopped
>"Anon?"
>Yeah, that was Rainbow
>Thank god
>You were kind of worried for a moment then
>"You know, you shouldn't come in the girls room."
>Well, she was still going to do this to you
>You heard her snuffling
>Trying her best to stop crying
>Her footsteps were getting louder, as she was walking up to the door
>And they opened quickly in front of you, as she pulled you inside
>Well, you 'shouldn't' come in the girls room didn't mean 'you're not coming in the girls room'
>You and Rainbow were stood in the room
>She'd stopped crying but...
>Well, it was obvious that she had been
>From what you could tell, she was upset
>It wasn't... Tears of joy
>It wasn't... Well, you didn't really know what else it could be
>You were a man
>You defaulted to two basic emotions
>And then a few secondary emotions
>But if it was any more complicated than that, then fuck if you know
"Rainbow, what's the matter?"
>You asked, reaching your right hand onto her shoulder
>She didn't say anything at first
>She took a deep breath
>Her body was shaking
>She was really nervous
>Man, what the fuck was getting her like this
>She shook her head
"Rainbow, you can tell me anything. What's the matter?"
>She nodded
>Taking another deep breath and trying to regain her composure
>"Yeah, I'll have to eventually."
>Well... She hadn't been cheating on you or anything then, right?
>She wouldn't 'have' to tell you that at all
>So what was the matter?
>"Anon, I..."
>She paused
>Well, it was a start
>Even if it was a slow start
>You just hoped no one came in before she could tell you what she had to
>One final deep breath
>She looked you directly in the eyes
>Those big, magenta eyes
>Like electricity
>Like lightning, you'd concluded on
>A flash whenever she blinked
>Heh, that was such a long time ago it seemed
>You smiled
>Perhaps that'd give her some confidence
>"I'm pregnant."

END