Turning straight at a roundabout

 

Part one:

 

>you're Anon

>a pretty average guy, with an outstandingly average life

>except for your last nine months, those have been quite a ride, actually

>it doesn’t really matter how exactly it happened at this point but you ended up stuck in a land of colourful horses called Equestria

>...with no likely chance of returning back home

>at least not your original dimension

>the Purple smart said she can open portals to numerous human worlds, if only she had the proper coordinates to the one you need

>in the end though, nothing really bound you too much to your old world, so the thought of staying with the horses for the rest of your life wasn’t that hurtful

>it isn’t so bad here

>not at all, actually

>everything is colorful and nice, the rivers are clean, the forests are beautiful, the work is easy, the food is goddamn scrumptious,.. and the locals, who call themselves ponies, are amazingly hospitable to those who don't have anywhere to go

>over those few months, you already made more real friends than you had on Earth throughout your entire life there

>one of which, is your best friend Rainbow Dash

>the most colorful of all the horses, the fastest and also the most fun to hang out with

>you’ve been seeing each other as long as you can remember being in Horseland; she was the one who found you first after all

>from then on, a bond began forming between the two of you, one that you’ve never experienced before

>being real besties, or rather bros for life

>Dash still has her 5 best friends but you’re the only “guy friend” she spends time with

>it means you can provide more satisfying reactions to her tomboyish tendencies and activities

>at first you actually thought she was a dude, so that’s how it began

>very soon you were led out of the misconception though and it didn’t ruin the start of your friendship either

>rather, enhanced

>you two had a lot of laughs and giggles about it, you didn’t really care about your bro’s gender back then

>though, as the time went on and with it came your acceptance that you’ll be staying in Equestria for the rest of your days,.. let’s say you’ve also accepted that you might actually date one these horsey creatures

>it wouldn’t be such a big deal, they’re certainly cute and they don’t differ that much from humans in many aspects

>well,.. the four legs definitely are a difference but their faces bare the same kind of emotions as you do

>it’s not like you’re going to give up on ever having a GF either

>especially when there’s somepony you had on your mind for some time

>somepony who first awoke this kind of feelings inside of you

>the one and only, your best bro, Rainbow Dash

>you’ve never seen her going out with any colt and you could hardly ever think of a better partner for life

>even though she isn’t the most feminine of mares, she’s enchanting in her very own, specific way

>in times she actually shows her delicate side, this contrast makes her even more irresistible in your eyes

>it began with a silly thought

>the next time you’ll be watching the sunset together, what would it be like to have her resting in your embrace and holding her hoof instead of just leaning on each other?

>...just how would it feel to kiss her goodbye after an afternoon spent together, instead of your usual hoofbump?

>...what would waking up next to her in bed be like?

>these little thoughts have been growing in you mind past month or two and they just won’t go away

>sure, you hugged her many times, even cuddled her a bit because pony manes and tails are 100% floof but that was all different

>whether you like it or not, you began craving for more in this relationship

>it kinda feels wrong, because she already enriched your life so much with her presence, yet it suddenly stopped being enough

>if only you could kiss her like a real lover, knowing she feels the same about you…

>you didn’t tell her how you feel though, just kept it all huddled up inside the whole time

>until today

>today you’re going to tell her

>it’s surely fate that it’s short past the apple season and you managed to get some “spoiled” cider that would Applejack otherwise throw away, because this cider is now actually a fine alcoholic beverage

>you brought a few bottles with you to finally show Dash, because she didn’t believe you such thing still has uses and because she was curious about alcohol too

>little does she know that it’s also for you, to finally gain enough courage…

…

>"Hey Anon so this is how it feels to be drunk?" The tipsy blue pone slightly totters around you with a little goofy cute smile on her face.

"Pretty much like that." you chuckle, having another sip "It can get a loooot worse though."

>"Worse in a good way or a bad way?" She sits down in front of you, grinning.

“I think it would only go worse for you at this point. “ You scratch her head and take the half empty bottle away from her hooves, returning the grin. “On a serious note, there’s like a line when it stops being fun. ”

>”And where’s that? You better tell me.” Dash chuckles, playfully trying to take the bottle from you.

“You don’t need to get there. This isn’t a contest and I don’t wanna be a bad influence.”

“Come on, I’m a grown up.” The mare snatches the bottle from your hands with sudden dexterity and shortly laughs “Ha.”

>contrary to what you thought would happen next, she only has a sip and returns it to you

>maybe she wasn’t joking when she said that responsibility is her middle name

>you chuckle and finish the bottle to keep up with her, because ponies seem to get drunk really quickly

>feeling the good vibes, you lean on a tree behind you to watch the reddish sun, soon to be setting

>in silent understanding, Dash moves her rump next to you, comfortably leaning her head onto your shoulder to have the same view

>it was a fun afternoon you had together: You went swimming in the lake bellow the hill you’re resting at, likely the last time you’ll be doing that before the weather gets too cold

>then you went up here with all the snacks you brought to have a picnic and drink all that cider

>couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to share your feelings, if only your pockets weren’t suddenly full of spaghetti

>your eyes just keep sliding between the sun and Rainbow, until you break the silence

"...I was just thinking, right now the sun has the exact same colour as the one in your mane."

“It isn’t like I have all the colours of the rainbow, right?” Dash laughs in amusement.

"I meant the exact shade." you grin, trying to play it cool. "You know..."

>"Oh,. well how am I supposed to compare? I can't see my mane."

"You can see your tail though."

>after your obvious answer, Dash dons a thinking frown for a few seconds of silence, pondering what she just said.

>”I think I might be stupid. Is that what alcohol does? Does it give you the stupid?”

"Maybe,.. but that’s okay, can’t be more of an idiot that I’m being right now.” you regret missing your chance to tell her.

>"What do you mean? You have to do something stupid first before you earn that honorable title." she pokes you with a giggle.

"Like what?" you poke her right back.

>"I dunno,.. something like this!" she straight up pushes you, tipping you over.

>it was just what you needed to get rid of those self deprecating thoughts

"Oh yeah? You wanna go?" you laugh while getting up.

>"So what if I do?!" Dash laugh back, taking a playful stance.

“Oh it is on!”

>The next second, the mare pounces at you, trying to tackle you down but it’s not as if you’d let her win so easily

>pegasi are light and Rainbow Dash also is relatively small for her kind, so you have an upperhand

>on the other side, what she lacks in weight and strength, she has in agility and stamina

>after some time of playfighting, you eventually become so exhausted that you just let her win, laying on your back with the colorful pone sitting on top of you

>"I won!" Dash briefly raises her hoof in victory before collapsing back down onto your chest, comfortably burying her muzzle under your chin

“Sure did.” you chuckle, enjoying the warm feel of her body onto yours

>after a little while of regaining strength, Dash eventually raises her head and for that moment your eyes connect

>the red sun is shedding it’s last light on her face as her face sparkles with life

>never before she looked so beautiful to you

>....and you feel like you absolutely need to do this right now

>there won't be a better chance

>so you lean a little closer...

>and shortly kiss her lips, so close to yours

...

>"....What the hay Anon..?" the mare chuckles awkwardly.

"I uhh,.. just attempted to kiss you..? I guess...." you cringe in over yourself in sudden sobering up "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have, but it's just-… You aren't feeling the same, are you?"

>at this point, she softly slides down from you, sitting on her rump

>"Well,..I totally dig you as a friend, I wouldn’t even mind that you’re a human but,.. I'm not really into guys. I thought you knew that about me. Most ponies know."

"...Say what? You're gay?"

>"Pretty much..." Dash does her best to make her smile not look awkward.

"Jeez,.. this is embarrassing... Sorry for fucking everything up like this. I-I-..."

>unable to find any words, you turn around in shame. Looking into her eyes suddenly hurts

>as soon as she can’t see your face either, you feel a few tears running down your cheeks, ones that you’re unable to stop

>she was a good half of your reasons to stay in Equestria

>you thought this could work, you really did

>...

>"....We're still friends, right Anon?" Dash breaks the silence after a minute of you, trying to not sob loud enough for her to hear

"It's not your fault Dash,..” you snivel, so you could breathe through your nose “I was right, I really am an idiot. And this is the far most idiotic thing I've done to prove it."

>"Come on... you're not an idiot..." she lays her hoof on your shoulder, trying to cheer you up but it's actually doing quite the opposite

>you wish you could just disappear back home and fucking cry for hours like the pathetic loser you were on Earth

>of all the damn ponies, of all the damn mares, you HAVE to fall for the wrong one

>just how retarded you need to be to make the wrongest of choices, even in this new world?

>"...Look, if it would make you feel better, I can try to help you find somepony else at least. I'm sure there's a straight mare out there that would like to go out with someone like you. You're great, it's just..." Dash doesn’t finish, so that she doesn’t have to repeat it to you.

>for a while, there’s silence again, only you, trying to compose yourself enough to speak without breaking down

>eventually, you wipe your tears so that she won’t have to see them when you turn around and you do you best to force at least a very fake smile

"I'm really grateful for your effort, Dash, but I don't think that's a good idea..."

>the very thought of her, helping you in this, makes you feel even more pitiful

>"Why wouldn't it? A few weeks ago you said that you’re looking for marefriend, didn’t you? Now, what kind of friend would I be if I wouldn't help you out with that?" she punches your shoulder in a friendly manner.

>little does she know that you only told her in hope that she’d connect the dots

>you don’t really want anypony else just for the sake of it

>yet, you don’t want to continue on being a complete wreck in front of her

>the least you can do now, is to let her try to help you

>it’s not like you actually believe you could forget about your dead end feelings so quickly, but at least you can pretend to go along, so that she won’t feel bad about today

"Okay then...." you sigh "How do we start?"

>"First, give me your hand."

>with a little doubt, you reach out your palm, on which Dash lays her hoof

>"Hereby, I swear as an element of loyalty, that I will find you a mare that um-... that you'll happily spend the rest of your life with!"

"That's a little too far, isn't it Dash?"

>"I already swore it." she smirks.

>oh yeah, she's totally gonna regret it

>...but you're also willing to forget about her promise

>you may not ever have her but you wouldn’t want her to chase after something borderline impossible, just to make it up to you

"...Hey, so you have some strategy or something?" you let go of her hoof eventually.

>"I don't know, I don't think that far ahead."

"That's what I was worried about."

>"Relax! I don't know if you've noticed, but there’s like a ton of mares in Ponyville; there's even more of them than colts! I'm sure some of them must be into weird stuff!"

>you clear your throat

>"I mean-... Interspecies relationship! Heard Lyra was actually asking about you a few times!"

"Who's that?"

>"The minty/white mare with a literal lyre on her flank?"

"Yeah, riiiight. I think I saw her before."

>”Well she’s crazy about you!”

“Really?”

>”Um, not yet. But she will be! Or some other mare will. You just need to get acquainted with more mares around town. Not just colts. You've been living here almost a year and you only know me and other elements of harmony from up close.”

"...You know me, I don’t need to befriend everypony in area like Pinkie. I already have more friends than ever before. Plus, it’s easier to talk with guys about guys stuff."

>"Well,.. how about I try to hook you up with some of those you already know? Hey, what about Fluttershy? I'm sure she's open minded and she’d surely love to have somepony by her side, besides all of those animals."

"She's cute and all, but I don't think she's really my type..."

>"Then how about Twillight! She even had an affair in the human world before." Dash chuckles.

"You're kidding right? She's a princess AND-" you actually look around to make sure no pony is around to hear you "...and she's pretty boring to be honest. She’s nice but she’s an egghead."

>"Point taken... How about Rarity?"

"You're kidding right?"

>"At least you'd have a different dress for everyday! Aren't you humans obsessed with clothing? I’ve never seen you take those things off."

"No. It's just a human thing not to flash our-… thing."

>"Alright, who else you know?"

"Now when I think of it, Pinkie has a really nice personality. Sometimes we hang out too but I never considered it. She taught me a lot about baking though and I always have fun when I'm arou-"

>"She's taken." Dash cuts you off before you even finish.

"Wha- Are you kidding me? Are you trying to tell me that the only two mares I’d like to date are gay together?"

>"No.." Dash bursts into a laugh "But she's definitely taken. She's with some stallion out of Ponyville. They’ve been seeing each other for years."

"Goddammit.”

>"And what about AJ?” Dash grins “She's an athlete like me, hardworking, honest...."

"And spend the rest of my life worshiping apple trees? Nope, thank you."

>"Oh yeah,.. forgot about that. If you were to date AJ, it's also a commitment to the farm." a snort escapes her nostrils "These are all pretty fair points, but now you've ran out of options from mares you know."

"I know a few more."

>"Saying hello to nurse Redheart on your medical exam doesn't really count. Neither does buying strawberries from Strawberry Sunrise."

>you raise your finger in defense but then you sigh

>she’s right, you don't really know any more mares

>"Ha! I know you like my own wings, Anon." Dash punches your shoulder in amusement, seeing she successfully brought you different things to mind "But things can change! Or, maybe you could try one of your stallion friends."

"Fuck you Dash, seriously." you chuckle for the first time.

>"Watch the language Anon, this isn't Earth." the mare suddenly dons a serious face like Twillight always does when she lectures you but then she laughs "... you faggot."

"Like you're the one to talk!" you snicker out loud "Do you even know what that word means?"

>"Of course I do!"

"Then what does it mean?"

>"Well uhh,... that's like, somepony who's mean to you and stuff. Right?"

"Yeah, as if." you chuckle.

>"So why were you calling Flim and Flam like that, when they scammed you?"

>before responding, you pick up an invisible dictionary and adjust your invisible glasses, also pretending to be Twillight:

"Faggot is a word to describe an individual who "likes" other individuals of the same gender. Over time though, it devolved into a common insult.” you put the dictionary down. “…I think britbongs call cigarettes “a faggot” too."

>"Wow,. okay. Am I a faggot then?"

"Sorta. But the best kind." you grin, running your hand trough her mane.

>"Alright, thanks." Dash chuckles "But anyway, since you've ran out of options and you're not a faggot either, you'll have to try your luck with some mare you don't know yet. If I were you, I'd seriously consider asking Lyra out."

"Why you keep bringing her up, do you have a thing for her or what?"

>"No dummy, but she's been always into ANTHROPOLOGY. That means studying creatures like you!"

"You mean...?"

>"You’ll be extremely interesting to her! Don't you get it? You’ll have an advantage because she’ll naturally want to know you better!"

"That's sounds wayyy too good to be true though."

>"I'll ask her for you then: Make a small talk about how you've been mentioning that you're looking for a mare to date, since you're staying here after all... and then I’ll tell you how she'll react!"

"Okay... this might actually work."

>"See?! I told you! I never let a friend down." Dash slaps your thigh with a victorious grin.

"Don't celebrate just yet." you grin back "You underestimate my power level."

>"She’ll be yours even if she didn’t want to. You can count on me." the rainbow pegasus does her trademark grin and a little pose to go along with it.

"Oh yeah, the one and only Rainbow Dash..." you chuckle, watching her flex her ego. You have to admit though, she’s almost making you believe. "...What now though? The sun is almost gone at this point, should we go our ways?"

>"There's still some cider left and the sun isn’t gone completely either." Dash picks up the last big bottle "Stay a little while with your best friend, won't ya? We can still watch the sunset."

"I'd love to, Dash, I'd love to."

 

 

Part Two:

 

>it’s barely a noon of the following day when you get interrupted on your way to the market by Rainbow Dash, almost crashing into you

>she stops mere inches from your face, hovering at your head’s height

>"HEY ANON! GUESS WHAT!"

"I take it you spoke with Lyra...?"

>"DUN DUN DUN! Exactly! Now who deserves a hoofbump?"

"You I guess."

>"No it's you! Because you'll be going on a date!" the mare picks up your hand to bump it with her hoof "You only have to ask her out!"

"But I don't know her at all!"

>"That doesn't matter, it's granted already, no matter what you say. Just come up to her and be like: Hey cutie, I heard you might fancy my kind and I happen to fancy your kind as well, would you like to go out sometime?"

"....Is this how you're asking other mares out?"

>"Pfft, no I don't, but it's how I imagine you doing it."

"I don't talk like that!"

>"Sometimes you do." Dash grins "At least when you arrived here, you were this weird polite to every unicorn."

"Well I wouldn't if SOMEPONY didn't tell me that Princess Celestia would have me beheaded if I talk in slang in front “the master race”.”

>"It’s not my fault you fell for that.” the pegasus snickers. “On the other hoof, you made a great impression on Rarity.”

“Well I didn’t think that you’d attempt to prank me right off the bat. I was literally stranded in a foreign dimension and I put all my trust in you.”

>a fond sigh escapes Dash’s lips:

>"Oh yeah, friendship at first sight..."

>you can’t help but to snicker, looking back, it is kinda funny

>"…Anyway, look over there!” Dash turns around, pointing into the market at a cute unicorn mare, buying some carrots “Your date just arrived."

"That's her, eh?"

>"Yup, do you like her?"

"Well I don't know her so I can't tell."

>"I mean the look of her."

"She's cute. I mean, most of you ponies look cute. Only a few I've seen were noticeably less appealing than others."

>"Are you telling me we all look the same?"

"NO. You heard what I said. It’s just-"

>"I know I know, I’m just joking. Now go get her champ!"

>what you really wanted to say though, is that while Lyra looks as cute as any other mare, she isn't the one you really long for

>however, maybe it was for the best that you didn’t finish what you wanted to say

>the next thing you know is that you're being pushed towards the minty mare, whether you like it not

>only when you’re almost behind Lyra’s backside, the pressure on your back disappears, as well as all the traces about Rainbow Dash’s presence

>...guess it really is time to shine, you sigh to yourself

"H-hey, name's Anon.” you somewhat hesitantly walk up to Lyra, catching her attention just as she’s done stuffing the carrots into her saddlebags “It's just that I uh… I saw you smile my way a f-few times while passing by and it may be a little silly, but um,... I was wondering if maybe you’d like to go out sometime,..? Maybe...?"

>it did come out a little more pathetic than you expected and Lyra’s initial reaction doesn’t really help either

>for a moment, she stops as abruptly as if she was turned to stone by a medusa

>the next second though, a wide smile appears on her shocked face

>>"Of COURSE I would! My name's Lyra! What an incredible coincidence, by Celestia! I never thought that- I mean, where would you like to go??"

"I um, I didn't plan this so far." you chuckle awkwardly "What kind of things you do enjoy? Ever go for strolls or visit cafés?"

>>"Café’s are nice but a stroll is fine too!” Lyra blurts “When?"

“Depends, when you’re free?” you smile in relief that this is going somewhat smoothly.

>>”How about in an hour? I don’t have anything to do this afternoon.” the mare coyly smiles back.

“Hey, so do I!” you can’t help but to grin in anticipation “Where do we meet?”

>>”Doesn’t matter to me, might as well meet up here?”

“Sounds great! At 12:30 I’ll be standing by that corner over there.” you point towards one of the houses nearby.

>>”Perfect! Oh I’ll be looking forward to it!”

“Me too, I’ll just get ready and,.. I guess I’ll be seeing you later then?”

>>”Yup! See ya later!” Lyra trots in a circle around you and she’s off, giggling.

“See ya!” you yell her way before she disappears completely.

>it was easier than you could possibly imagine, all thanks to Dash.

>Lyra seems to be a really nice mare and she clearly likes you

>as for your, even though you don’t know this new, minty unicorn at all, you suddenly can’t wait to see her again

>even though you still can’t get Dash from the corner of your mind, maybe this really is the way to get over yesterday’s heartbreak if you give it more time

> it certainly brought you different thoughts already

…

>back home, you take a shower, change your clothes for something fresh, comb your hair, even use that one perfume Rarity gave you; one that’s been sitting on your desk for months

>never in your life did you manage to get a girl this easy, so you’re extra cautious to not fuck it up by something.

>at 12:20 you’re back at the place you promised.

>it’s 12:22 that you realize you could have brought some flowers, so you rush into the nearby market, straight to the Roseluck’s stand to buy a red rose

>by the time you return to your spot, you find Lyra already waiting there

"Hey Lyra! Sorry for being late, it didn't feel proper not to bring anything so I had to run off and- I mean, this is for you." you show her the flower “You look great by the way.”

>>"Oh my, Anon that's so sweet of you! And you're not being late, you’re right on time. I just arrived.”

"Oh, well, glad to hear that." you chuckle, offering her the rose

“Thanks Anon.” the unicorn blushes and smiles

>to your surprise though, she doesn’t levitate it from your hand to put it somewhere, but straight up munches the petals instead, leaving the stem in your hand

>>”…Is something wrong?” Lyra notices your shocked expression when she’s done chewing

“No it’s just,.. a culture shock I think.” you chuckle to yourself in amusement “I never realized you ponies eat these.”

>>”What else would we be doing with them?” Lyra softly giggles “…Don’t humans ever do that?”

“Not really. Human boys do gift flowers to girls but they only get used as decorations afterwards. But hey, this is far more practical. And kinda cute.” you grin “I think I like your customs more than human ones.”

>>”Oh but I’d like to hear about human customs nonetheless.” the mare smiles and steps a bit closer “I’m actually really interested in it and h-humans overall.” she stutters a little, as if she said something she shouldn't have said

>it not as if you didn’t already know that though

"I'm your man then!” you almost lay a hand on her withers like you’d usually do to Dash in similar situation “Ask whatever you want to know. In return, you can educate me a little more about ponies! There's still so much to know, even after all this time I'm here."

>>"Gladly! Oh this is so exciting! …Where do we go though? Still wanna go for that stroll?"

“I was actually thinking I might take you for lunch somewhere first. If you didn’t eat already…”

>>”To be honest, I wasn’t really counting on it so I already had something.” Lyra dons an awkward smile.

“Nevermind then, we can have a stroll and then a coffee or something, what do you say?”

>>”Sounds great!”

“Let’s go then. I know a really pretty path around Ponyville outskirts. This way…”

>it’s almost incredible how quickly you managed to relax enough around Lyra to have a nice conversation

>on the way, you even get so immersed in the dialogue, mostly about comparing human and pony culture, that you hardly care about your surroundings

>the time flies so quickly that the two hours of walking through the fields and forests that circle around Ponyville, feel like ten minutes at maximum

>nonetheless, eventually you find yourself close to the place you started at

>somewhat instinctively, you both stop and sit on one of the benches by the dusty road before actually entering the village

“...You might be the only pony I’ve ever seen sitting like that.” you chuckle, watching Lyra sit next to you the same way humans do.

>>”It’s kind of an old habit of mine…” she smiles in embarrassment “I don’t want to make it sound too weird but I was curious about humans since I was a filly. I read you sit like this and I often tried to imitate it, until I actually got used to the position.”

“I see.” you grin “I had no idea. I just heard somewhere that you used to study anthropology.”

>>”I do! To be honest, I didn’t really want to tell you, so that it wouldn’t feel like a science project to you…”

“Hey, that’s fine. It surely does not.” you assure her, slowly putting your hand around her shoulder “I think you’re great.”

>>”Thanks…” the unicorn smiles and equally cautiously leans her head on your chest.

>for a while there’s quiet, just both of you enjoying the atmosphere of the shiny day

>it feels good, to not think about anything else, just losing yourself in the present moment

>you close your eyes, feeling the mare’s fur softly brushing over your skin, the gentle heat too

>it’s almost perfect

>only…

>when you open your eyes again, as if they were hoping to see a windswept rainbow mane with blue ears poking out of it

>the thought as if stole your momentary peace, instantly filling your mind with unstoppable chain of different thoughts

>you’re literally sitting here with Lyra, yet you can’t get Rainbow Dash out of your head

>why

>you look up to the sky, as if hoping for some answers, yet what you spot actually makes you even more uncomfortable

>there’s a faint, rainbow trail above Ponyville, quickly disappearing

>only one pegagus leaves that behind her as she flies

>it isn’t that strange, since Dash is almost always flying somewhere but you don’t know why you had to see it now of all moments

>with your inner peace somewhat ruined, you slightly move, making Lyra pick up her head and glance at you

“Hey Lyra, how about we move it somewhere else?” you speak, seeing you have her attention

>the mare goes instantly red in her face

>>”Isn’t it a little bit too soon for things like that, Anon?” she bashfully looks down

“What?.. -No I meant the café! I just though you might be hungry for some cake and coffee, it’s been quite a walk…”

>>”Oops, I’m so sorry. Pardon me, I just,.. Sorry.” Lyra cringes, blushing even harder, piercing the ground with her eyes “…Yeah, a cake would be nice right now…”

>the situation somehow snaps you back, giving you a heartfelt chuckle:

“Alright then, ever tried the “chocolate deluxe” they have at Ponyville Café?”

>>”Nope,.. is it good?” the mare glances at you with visible appreciation that you ignored what she said

“It’s the best! We need to head there right now.” you grin

>>”Okay, let’s go then!” she smiles again

>the walk back to Ponyville is relatively short, so you’re at your destination in a blink of an eye

>on the way, you manage to get into a new conversation nonetheless, this time exchanging bits of private lives or even childhood

>by the time you’re sitting at one of the tables, you’re immersed in your date again

>there you spend the rest of your afternoon, sipping coffee, getting to know each other better, until the late afternoon comes

>however, as much the weather is nice, the days are getting shorter and the sunset comes a lot sooner than it would a month ago

>so, when the cups are empty and you’re both full of cake, it comes natural that it’s time to soon part your ways before it gets dark

>still though, you accompany Lyra throughout the village, stopping at a point where your paths divide

>there you crouch down because it feels like you should be at the same height level, while wishing each other goodbye

>also because it would make it easier in case you might get a goodbye kiss

>>"Thanks for today Anon, it was of the best afternoons I had in a long time." Lyra smiles, sneakily licking her lips in anticipation

“Hey, the pleasure is mine, seriously.” you smile back “It was real nice, spending time with you.”

>>"In that case, would you like doing it again s-sometime?" the mare’s eyes softly widen

“I'd absolutely love to." you grin, leaning just a little closer "Same time,.. some other day?"

>>"Sounds great! How about the day after tomorrow?" she leans a little closer as well

"The day after tomorrow it is…"

>before you realize it, you’re gently pressing your lips against her’s

>it’s just a little bit rushed though, because at the point where you should embrace her and use your tongue, you hesitate

>instead of a long, french kiss, it comes out as a somewhat rushed one, one that ended sooner than it should have had

>when you open your eyes though, judging by Lyra’s sparkling eyes, she doesn’t seem to be that disappointed about it

>you decide to forgive yourself about messing it up, surely there will be a time to make it up…

>>"...So, the day after tomorrow?"

"Yup, the day after tomorrow." you repeat, grinning like a little boy before Christmas Eve. "I'll be looking forward to it!"

>>"Me too!” the giggling mare makes a very slow first step towards her house “…I’ll be seeing you later then. Bye Anon!"

"Bye Lyra!" you do the same.

>this has been so far the most successful date in your whole life

>you surely deserve all of that serotonin in your brain right now

>you even whistle to yourself the whole way home

“Wonder what Dash is doing…” flies through your head by the time you open the door to your house

>the next second you discard that thought though, tomorrow you’ll tell her everything

>well, almost everything…

 

 

Part three:

 

>tomorrow morning you wake up early and full of energy

>everything suddenly seems bright

>can’t wait to tell Dash, although it feels a little weird

>just a day ago, you wanted her to be your partner for life and today you're going to be telling her about your date with somepony else

>it’s not like you completely forgot about your feelings, not by a long shot

>you’re just concentrating on the good things that came your way

>you make up your mind that after lunch, you’ll go look for Dash to discuss yesterday and to affirm yourself that this is how things will be

>before you even start cooking though, the skyblue pone is hanging in your opened window

>"Hey Anon!" she chirps "How did it go? All good?"

"Yo, Dash! I was just thinking about you. It was amazing! I didn't really think it could possibly go so smooth. Tomorrow at 12:30 I’ll be seeing Lyra again."

>"That's my man here!" she soars towards you to bump her hoof with you “See? And I didn’t even had to talk to her.”

“You what?!”

>”Well I thought that all you needed was some confidence. It doesn’t matter if she really was into you or not.”

“Goddammit Dash!”

>”Calm down, it worked didn’t it?”

“It did…” you sigh and slightly chuckle

>classic Dash

>”See? All part of my master plan.” Dash bashes your shoulder in a friendly manner “So did you kiss her?"

>such a straight forward question makes you blush

“Well, I-…”

>"HA! So you did! Great!.. Did you use your tongue?" the pegasus sits on your dining chair behind you

"No... I mean, I could have, but I've never done that before,..” you lay down the kitchen knife you had in your hand and turn around to face her “… I just somewhat stopped at that point."

>"You did what?" Dash slams her hoof down on the table in shock.

"I didn't take it any further...."

>"And why?!"

"Because I was scared I might do it wrong!"

>"What can you do wrong about it?"

"I dunno, anything!"

>"Come on Anon, you aren't usually so self conscious about yourself when it comes to sports. ...What's the problem? Do you need some practice or what?"

"Totally…" you mutter.

>"Then come here." Dash beckons you with her hoof.

"Are you like,.. being serious right now? Because I was being sarcastic."

>"Well I wasn't. Do you want to practice it or not? I can’t have my best bud fail the next time too."

"I dunno, it feels a little like cheating already."

>"You've been on a single date so far." Dash giggles "Plus, it ain’t cheating if there won’t be any feelings in it. Just a practise."

>right,.. no feelings at all, got it

"Oh well... This is awkward but I guess I can’t lose anything." you sit on a chair next to her, pulling yourself a little closer "So,.. any tips or something?"

>"I guess you should not put too much of your head into it." the mare scratches her chin "Just try to "feel" it and if you’ll be liking it, I'm sure she will too."

"Okay, I'll try." you chuckle in anticipation and lean your head closer to hers

>"Follow along but be creative too! Alright?"

>you only have time to give an embarrassed nod before your lips meet

>it feels so strange to kiss her now

>so many times before you wanted to do it but not like this

>it’s impossible to relax with all the thoughts racing through your mind

>a mixture of all the good times you had together, the hurt of your disappointment but also the memories of yesterday

>all mashed up in your head in a single, uncontrollable chaos

>it’s so confusing that you barely respond to what’s Dash doing until she stops

>"Come on, ease up, Anon." she laughs goodheartedly “You call that a kiss?”

>She doesn’t know how hard it is for you to both concentrate and leave out your feelings for her

>“I mean, if it was the same yesterday,” she continues, softly punching your shoulder, trying to motivate you “maybe it’s better that you have some practice first… Hey, are you even listening?”

>as you look into her magenta eyes, those beautiful eyes that you fell in love with a long time ago, something rooted deep inside of you makes it’s way to the surface:

“Alright, you want a real kiss?”

>”Sure, show me then big boy.” Dash grins “I-”

>you silence the pegasus in the middle of sentence with your lips against hers and your arms embracing her body

>suddenly it’s so easy to relax

>no more intervening thoughts, just a single one: “her”

>this is what you’d do two days ago if she didn’t stop you

>after the initial smooch to shut Dash up, you begin gently nibbling on those soft blue lips that you longed for all this time, relishing the feel while slowly progressing further with growing passion

>it almost feels as if she was too stunned to respond but then she indulges in it as well; with the same synergy you two always had in sports

>your left hand slowly moves towards her right wing to massage it and feel her fluffy feathers, as you bury the fingers of your right hand deep into the thick rainbow mane

>then you finally let your tongue find its way into Dash’s velvet mouth, meeting her own appendage and tasting her sweetish saliva

>it works like magic and for the moment, you’re in heaven

>you can’t and don’t even want to think about anything else except her soft moans and warmness of her body

>then there’s her hoof, slowly wrapping around you too, when it suddenly stops and Dash pulls away, as if she just woke up from a trance

>”A-anon…” she blushes so hard her face could compete with the red in her mane

>in that moment, you realize what you've just done and snap back to reality

“I’m so sorry Dash,” you stutter “t-this was-”

"I’m sorry Anon, I-… I think I need got to go.” she cuts you off, glancing in your eyes with a guilty and almost frightened expression on her face.

>the next moment, she’s gone through the same window she flew in before.

>your arms that were holding her just a few seconds ago, plop down like two dead fishes.

>it may be just now that you truly lost her as a friend too…

…

>you sit there in silence, unmoving as if you were just turned into a statue because you’re literally unable to acknowledge that this isn’t something you’ll wake up from the next minute

>slowly though, it’s all sinking in and there’s absolutely no chance of denying it

>it falls onto you like a flood that you’re about to drown in

>your eyes fill with tears that you can’t even see through, when it suddenly breaks and you punch the wooden table so hard it tears the skin on your knuckles

“Why do I have be such a goddamn idiot!!!??? Why??!! Why…”

>you suddenly lack strength for a second punch and instead you just cave down under the table

>there you fold yourself into a human egg, hidden from the outside world and you finally let it all out:

>the time you had to suppress your anguish when you realized she doesn’t love you the same way, combined with the dreadful feeling that you just might have lost her completely

>it’s all pouring out and the misery just won’t stop

>after a little over half an hour, you finally manage to pick yourself up, feeling completely drained

>you really wish you could take it back

>not just what you’ve done in past few days but completely everything that you’ve ever done in this new life

>maybe it would be better for both of you, if you never met each other

>powerless and defeated, you just lie down on your bed and try to sleep, even though it’s barely noon

>all this crying was so exhausting you actually manage to partly drift off

…

>after a few hours of half-sleep/half-delirium you get up, feeling somewhat numb

>numb to most of the things that happened, good ones as well as the bad ones

>not really knowing what to do, you wander into the kitchen and pick up the kitchen knife you were using before Rainbow stormed in

>after a while watching of your reflection in it, you turn around to the kitchen counter

>the potatoes you were about to peel for your lunch are still there as well

“...Not today, friend. The only thing you’ll be cutting today are these veggies.” you get to work

>from what you learned in life, every misery is two times worse on an empty stomach and you didn’t eat anything at all since yesterday

>while working on the food, you begin sorting your thoughts too:

>what happened was probably all your fault but Dash is a good friend, maybe she’ll forgive you if you won’t try to take advantage of her again

>you just have to set yourself on the right path; tell her you’re sorry and act accordingly

>you also have a date with Lyra tomorrow, you almost forgot about it

>even though it now feels like you’ve been just using her as a substitution for Rainbow Dash, Lyra is a winsome mare that deserves to be appreciated for who she is

>you cannot fail her too

>maybe things will be good again, if you keep it up

>...maybe you can still have a best friend and a girlfriend in your life, they just won’t be the same person

>it’s a whole lot better than losing Dash for good

…

>the next morning, before meeting up with Lyra, you search through the Ponyville for Rainbow Dash in order to apologize and make a pinkie promise not to ever try such things on her again

>the only problem is, that you can’t seem to find her anywhere

>she usually just pops up from somewhere, just when you’re thinking of her but not today

>nor is she chilling on any of her favourite spots

>not even once you notice a rainbow trail on the sky either

>...it’s not like she’s the stay at home type

>...could it be she is simply avoiding you?

>in the end, after two hours of searching, you give up because you need to get ready for the date with Lyra

>however, things could be a lot worse than you thought

>as unsettling it is, you try not to think about it for now

>you will surely find a way to fix this…

>now you need to focus on Lyra

>so, you rush back home to make yourself look a bit more dashing, pack some snacks for whatever adventure awaits, and at 12:25 you’re at the same spot as the last time

>the minty unicorn you’re expecting arrives mere seconds after you

>>"Hey Anoon! Even earlier this time I see.~" she waves when she spots you.

"Hey Lyra! Well I wouldn’t want to keep you waiting like the last time.” you laugh “…I forgot about a flower today though.”

>>”Come on, you don’t need to buy me with those.” she giggles, trotting up to you.

>you kneel down to hug her and get a short welcome kiss in return

“So good to see you Lyra, how’s it going?”

>>”Pretty good and even better now.” she smirks “What about you?”

"Oh well,.." you scratch your head, unable to lie "Yesterday was kind of a big bummer but I guess I’m okay now.”

>>”Did something happen?” Lyra frowns in a caring manner.

“No! I mean,.. I had a little fight with my best friend. A big one actually."

>>”Rainbow Dash?”

“Yeah, actually… How did you know?”

>>”I’ve seen you two together quite often. It almost looked like you are dating, if she wasn’t into mares…”

“We used to be really close I guess…” you sigh and then cringe over the fact that you’re actually speaking with Lyra about this “…I’m afraid I lost her trust though.”

>>”If she really is your best friend, surely she can forgive you Anon!” the unicorn encouragingly smiles “Believe me, I’ve had so many fights with Bon Bon too. Isn’t that what true friends do though? Forgive each other?”

>what that cute unicorn just said makes you smile back

>maybe you’ll be able to let it go for a while, at least while you’re with her

“Thanks Lyra, I really appreciate this…” you fondly lay your hand on her withers and then finally stand up “Now, where do we go today? I brought some snacks.”

>>”Hey that’s pretty convenient! …There’s one place in the forest I wanted to show you today, it’s a tad further away from Ponyville though, so the food will be “handy”.” she chuckles at her pun.

“Sounds great.” you grin “Which way is it?”

>>”This way!” the unicorn spawns a yellow hand with her horn, pointing the direction “I haven’t been there since I was a filly, hope I can still find it.”

“It’s not as if I’d regret the walk with you, even if you couldn’t.” you softly nudge her and smirk before taking a first step “Tell me, what’s the story behind your cutie mark? I forgot to ask the last time…”

>on the way through the fields with Lyra, you manage to forget about everything for while, discussing musical instruments and music overall

>she’s very interested in human music and you promised to play her some samples too

>at least, once you get your hands on a six strings guitar around here; the custom one you ordered two months ago didn’t arrive yet

>just before you walk into the forest though, you randomly glance behind you to see Ponyville from this distance

>...only to notice a rainbow trail on the sky, disappearing behind one of the clouds not far from you

>it could be just a coincidence, so you try not pay attention to it

>ironic though, that when you were actually searching for her, you couldn’t find her

…

>after a few more kilometres of walking through the forest paths and guessing which one is the right one, you eventually find yourselves on the place Lyra talked about

>it’s a small, grassy cliff standing above the trees, with a view on a river that’s falling down and slithering through the lowlands underneath

>apart from the water gently burbling as it travels it’s path and all the birds still chirping, there’s nothing to disrupt you

“Oh wow, it’s beautiful!” you exhale, standing on the highest point of the cliff. “Definitely worth every detour we had to take.” You add with a chuckle before sitting on the grass next to Lyra.

>>”I know right?” she smirks while you’re unloading the snacks you brought.

>to eat all the snacks, wasn’t really the point of coming all the way here though

>it’s nice to have a little picnic first, nonetheless

>after a while though, you’re both filled and the conversation turns into a quiet watching of the scenery; foreshadowing what’s about to happen next

>you’re already lazily leaning on each other, basking in the sun, when Lyra takes a bit of initiative to lean your head closer to yours

>in return, you gently nuzzle the softly giggling mare’s nose with yours and before you know it, you’re kissing

>at first it’s just lips on lips but after a minute or two, comes the moment when it stops being enough and both of you are getting eager for something more

>it’s actually Lyra who begins slowly invading the inside of your mouth with her tongue but you are quick to join in the moist adventure

>it isn’t the same as it was with Dash though; with Dash it felt like dancing or playing in a dream band

>with Lyra, it feels a little sloppy and sometimes uncoordinated

>however, you wouldn’t let it ruin the experience for you

>that is, until you open your eye in order to have glance at Lyra from this angle, only to notice a rainbow tail, sticking out from a cloud behind her head

>it makes you stop and shake your head in disbelief

>the next moment though, whatever you saw is gone

>>"...Is something wrong?.. Was it bad?" Lyra says, seeing your confused expression.

“No, no it wasn’t!” you snap back and lay your hands on her shoulders “You’re amazing Lyra, it’s just- as if I just saw a ghost something. Right over there.” you point behind her, then hang your head “It was probably just my imagination though… Sorry that I ruined the moment. I’m such a dumbass.”

>>”Hey that’s fine,..” she smiles, looking somewhat relieved “It’s not like we can’t have another moment in a few minutes, do we?”

“And what about now?” you smirk, softly kissing her again.

>as weird as it was, it could have been just a coincidence or you’re just straight up having hallucinations

>for the time being, you decide not to bother yourself with it and just for sure: keep your eyes closed while kissing Lyra

>eventually, after about half an hour of smooching and cuddling, both of you must have swallowed enough of each other’s saliva to be satisfied

>for the rest of your time there, you remain just leaning on one another and chatting

>...the whole kissing thing was really nice and even though you caught yourself having a boner most of the time, you don’t really have a need to take it even further

>second date is just too early for a decent girl anyway and you appreciate that you can do without anything lewd

>you stay there an hour longer, then finish the rest of your snacks and commonly decide it’s time to head back to Ponyville

>the whole afternoon was a huge mood lifter for you and your thing with Lyra is finally taking a shape of real dating, one that you’ve never experienced back on Earth when you were a teenager

>only, back in Ponyville you notice another one of these “off putting signs” that you occasionally saw throughout the day

>this time you're 100% sure, you've seen Rainbow Dash hiding behind a trash can nearby

>determined to find out what the hell is going on, after kissing Lyra goodbye, you wait for her to disappear around a corner

>then you slowly walk towards the place you saw the rainbow pegasus hiding

>a few steps from her though, you step on a stick that makes a noise loud enough to hear

>you rush behind the trash cans to catch Rainbow Dash anyway but all you get is another glimpse of the faint rainbow trail, disappearing behind a corner

>she must have fled a few seconds before you made your move

>however, it is now undeniable that Rainbow Dash indeed was stalking you today

"Dash, come on! Let's talk! Please, I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry, that’s all!" you yell after her but by that time she must have been miles away already.

>this behavior is really confusing to you but it fills you with even more determination to find out what’s going on and to return the things between the two of you to normal

>you even get an idea how to do it

>tomorrow, you'll bake some cupcakes because you know that Dash loves them and you’ll send them to her, along with an apology letter

>this way she’ll finally hear, or rather read, what you wanted to tell her

>...unless she’d throw it away

>but you doubt it

>she’s too curious to not read it

>with this satisfied feeling, you sleep that night as soundly as a baby

 

Part four:

 

>You have a last glance at the letter before folding it:

"Hey Dash, I'm very sorry for happened and I hope I can somehow fix this so we could remain friends like we used to be. I made these cupcaeks for you because I know you like them and I promise not to take advantage of you EVER again.

I think got a good thing going on with Lyra now and don't want to mess it up by doing something stupid again. Dude, you might have really kept your promise. You know which one ;)

Seriously, I don't want to lose you as a pal.

Why were you stalking me yesterday though?

Anon."

>man your hand writing is even worse than hers, even though she writes with her mouth

>it’s okay though, you can read each other’s scrawling as if it was yours to begin with

>after sealing the envelope and putting it into the box with the cupcakes, you finally enter the post office that you’ve been standing in front

>inside you approach a grey mare behind the counter and lay the package in front of her

"Hello miss, could this be delivered to Rainbow Dash home?” you give her a smile “The sooner the better.”

>>>"Oh sure thing mister! It'll be there before you even know it!"

"Sure will..." you grin while handing her the bits

>it might be just of her eyes, but she doesn't look all that competent

>but hey, you're just having prejudices about the poor mare because of the way she looks

"Anyway, thanks a lot. Bye bye!"

>>>"Bye mister!"

>after that, you go on about your life, with a good feeling that you've done your best to set things on the right track

>however, after three days, one more date with Lyra, and still absolutely no response from Rainbow Dash, you’re starting to get worried again

>as much as it hurt, you made peace with the fact you can’t have her but you just don’t want to lose a good friend

>it seems like she can’t forgive you though

>or…

….

"Hello miss uh, Derpy?” you return to the post office, glancing at the name tag on desk “I’ve been here like 3 days ago with a package. It’s really important, please can you confirm that it was delivered?"

>>>"A package?" the confused mare stares at you with her good eye

"Yes, a package.” you repeat the obvious to her “Do you remember? I mentioned back then: the sooner the better.”

>>>"Wait,.. yes I do! The package for uh…"

“Rainbow Dash…”

>>>”Yes, right. A package for Rainbow Dash.” she smiles victoriously

>it's a little hard to keep your patience, having a feeling she might have messed up your best efforts

"Yeah, that's the one... Did you deliver it then?"

>>>"Why yes I did! It's my job after all!"

"And you're 100% percent positive you've delivered it to the right Rainbow Dash, to the right house? In the clouds...?"

>>>"…I don’t have a very good memory. I’m sorry.” the lazy eyed mare smiles awkwardly "It probably was in the clouds though… Do you want a muffin?"

"No..."

>before she has anything more to say, you already slam the door out of her office

>despite what she's saying, you don’t believe she actually delivered your package to Dash

>some other pegasi probably got themselves a nice snack

"Fuck!" you punch the wall of the house you just walked out of “Why the hell is she even allowed to work here?!”

>now you're gonna have to do that all over again

>and those cupcakes you made before came out so good…

>you sigh

>...the worse thing is, Dash doesn't even know that you're sorry and that you finally moved on

>at this point, you aren’t angry anymore, just really disappointed

>as if everything worked against you

>it doesn’t matter though, you won’t stop trying

>maybe the next cupcakes you bake end up being even better than the last ones

>you’ll also include in your new letter that you’ve sent a package like this before but it probably didn’t reach its destination

>this time you better leave the delivery thing to some more competent pegasus

>...it’ll probably have to wait though because you have another date with Lyra today and you wouldn't want to miss it

>especially not when you’re expecting that this time, you turn this into a full fledged romantic relationship

>with all the lewd stuff that comes with it…

>the last time you were pretty close to it, today you might cross the line

…

>fast forward two hours, you’re with Lyra, laying on a blanket together in a nearby forest

>the place is purposely secluded to have enough privacy for all the sweet stuff that usually happens on dates

>you’re kissing her like the last time, softly fondling her body, except today Lyra seems a little more wild

>she even slides her hoof down your pants to have a feel of your raging erection, while gently rubbing herself over your thigh

>through the fabric you can feel her wet arousal and even smell it

>your hand that was slowly making its way towards the sweet, puffy place between her haunches finally reaches it’s destination too

>the first time you actually got to touch her mare parts and they’re warm and soft

>in the next couple of seconds, Lyra’s magic is gently unbuttoning your pants and pulling them down…

>when all of a sudden, you hear a rustle in the bushes around you

>it makes both of you stop and glance the way you heard the sound coming from

>>"Do you think there's somepony out there?" Lyra whispers.

>like an answer to her question, something rustles in one of the shrubs again, as if someone just escaped from it

“Probably…” you frown.

>>"They're still there somewhere,.. are they?" the unicorn leaves your pants be and slips down from you.

"They might have fled already.” you adjust your shirt that was partly off “Maybe it was just somepony randomly passing around and he ran away as soon as he realized what’s going on."

>>"I don't know. …It doesn’t make me feel too comfortable to continue though." she frowns.

“Seriously?”

>instead of an answer, Lyra just blushes, pulling her tail through her legs as if she wanted to hide herself whole behind it

>the realization that you were “this” close from finally losing your virginity and making Lyra yours is irritating

>can’t possibly hate her for it right now though, especially not when she’s being cute like this

>so, you just take a deep breath and close your eyes for a while

“Okay...” you sigh in defeat “It’s not like there won’t be some other time for this, right?”

>seeing the way you handled your emotions, Lyra very shortly smiles in relief that you won’t force her when she doesn’t feel like it anymore

>then she frowns in empathy towards you, gently touching your arm

>>”I’m sorry,.. Maybe we can move it somewhere inside though?”

“I guess my house is free… But you said you need to be at Bon Bon’s birthday party at 16:00. It’s at least half an hour walk back to Ponyville if we hurry. That would leave us with less then two hours for each other.”

>>”It’s something.”

“I don’t want to rush this though. I mean, I wanted the first time to be “special” you know?”

>>”Yeah, me too.” the mare hangs her head a bit

>for a while, there’s silence between the two of you, until you bring up what’s hard to say but probably the best option

“We could just leave it for tomorrow, what do you think? We could go straight to my place.”

>>”That sounds great.” Lyra smiles as if she had the same thought but she didn’t want to be the to bring it up

>sometimes, taking a step back is actually a step forward, surely there’s some chinese philosopher who said that

>so, instead of a sexy time, you pack yourselves up again and head back to Ponyville

>in the remaining time, you visit a diner to have a burger together and the date ends a little sooner than initially planned

>on the other hand, at least you’ll have something to look forward to again

…

>after you’ve parted your ways, you head back home, taking your usual shortcut through an alley behind some houses

>however, at the end of the alley, there’s somepony standing, as if waiting for you

>it isn’t dark yet but the sun doesn’t shine between the buildings where you walk, so you only see a silhouette

>you can tell it’s a mare though

>with each step, it’s getting clearer and clearer that it isn’t just any mare

>you speed up your pace to make sure she won’t just disappear again

>this time she isn’t trying to avoid you though

“Rainbow Dash? Is that really you...?"

>"Hey, Anon..." she greets you somewhat timidly when you approach her

>you never saw her this meek looking before, so unlike her usual self, but now you’re so glad to see her at all

"So you've got the box after all! I was so worried. I thought you hated me forever.”

>"Like I could ever hate you Anon.” Dash bitterly smiles “I’m here to say sorry…”

"What do you mean?"

>"Well first of all: for ruining your date today."

"It was you?... Well, no hard feelings I guess.” you scratch your ear “I mean, there will be more opportunities but what were you even doing there? Were you following us?"

>"Yes,.. I was following you. Today and four days ago too. It was stupid I know…" the mare hangs her head

"But why were you doing that even in the first place? I was looking for you, we could have just talked and-"

>"I just couldn't, alright?" she firmly cuts you off.

"Alright..." you shut up, giving her enough space to speak.

>Rainbow Dash has a deep breath and slowly exhales as if she was mentally preparing for what she has to say

>"Look,.. I didn't have the balls to confront you again after what happened last week. But I wanted to know you're doing okay, so the next day I followed you. At first I just wanted to check if your second date is going okay and stuff but-..."

"But..?"

>"Well, when I saw you two k-kissing and having a good time together,” she audibly stutters “I-..I realized I'm growing jealous..."

"Jealous? Jeez, are you telling me you actually wanted Lyra for yourself? Is that why you mentioned her in the first place back then-"

>“I WAS JEALOUS BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE IN HER PLACE, YOU STUPID IDIOT!!..” Dash yells all of a sudden, utterly red in her face. Then her expression softens “ Don’t you get it? I wanted to be there instead of her…”

"...Rainbow what are you talking about? Why..?"

>yet, instead of an answer, the mare only gives you a painful look, letting you see that her eyes are filling with tears

>as if she wanted to say something but instead she just whimpers

>before you could even comprehend what happened and find some meaningful words, she’s gone with a few hasty flaps of her wings

"RAINBOW WAIT!" you yell after the quickly disappearing trail on the sky

>it’s in vain though, she’s already too far away to even hear you while you’re left there alone again, completely speechless

>you need to sit down on the ground, attempting to comprehend what happened

>what a messed up situation you just found yourself in again…

 

Part five:

 

>because of what happened yesterday, you almost didn’t sleep

>your head was full of conflicting ideas and you couldn’t possibly decipher what to do next

>something deep inside of you never stopped longing for Dash and the very thought that there’s still a chance after all that happened, made you burst with joy

>the responsible part of you realized that it might be too late

>even though you don’t know Lyra as long as you know Dash, you really care about her

>you can’t just abandon the minty unicorn, not at this point, she loves you

>it would be especially cruel to do it on the day that you were meant make love for the first time, it would surely break her heart

>yet, there isn’t an option to play it safe anymore, or is there?

>as much as hate to admit it, you’ll eventually hurt one of these mares, both very close to your heart…

>the only thing that let you fall asleep that night was a foolish hope that maybe it would somehow magically sort itself out in the morning

>Twillight could give you some kind of a time machine to return to the past and fix it or there could be a monster attack in which you would die

>both of these options, unlikely, but just maybe…

>with that, you finally drifted off to sleep

…

>since you must have fell asleep at like 4:00 AM, you awake a lot later than usual

>it’s almost noon and at 12:30 you were supposed to meet up with Lyra

>you very much hoped that by this time you’d know what to do

>however, because of your oversleeping, you don’t have any more time for deciding

>maybe you’ll just roll with it for a while, pretending as if nothing happened

>...maybe you’ll even forget about Dash when you see Lyra and it will be decided

>or not

>anyway, you quickly brush your teeth, have a morning shower, get some clothing on yourself and head outside

>in the end, you arrive at your usual meeting spot with a little time reserve

>though, over those few minutes you don’t really come up with anything new

>when you spot Lyra walking towards you with a happy smile on her face, your heartbeat quickens to the point that it feels as if your chest should burst; it almost hurts

>suddenly she’s standing right in front of you

>>”Hey Anon! How are you doing?” the mare greets you

>except you don’t even kneel down for a kiss as always, you just stand there, looking as if you should have a heart attack any second.

“Hey Lyra…” you cringe over yourself, trying to calm yourself down “Not that good to be honest.”

>>”…Did something happen Anon? Are you sick?” the smile on Lyra face shifts into a worried frown as she realizes that there’s something very off about you

>it’s not as if you can say that you can pretend that you’re okay convincingly enough for her to buy it

“No I’m not sick but something did happen.” you admit, shamefully hiding your face behind your palm, touching your forehead with your fingers

>>”…Did somepony die?” Lyra asks cautiously.

“No, although I almost wish I would.” you chuckle bitterly in realization that you’re unable to lie to her at this point “…Can we sit somewhere, Lyra?”

>>”Sure… where?”

“Wherever, I guess right here is okay.” you sit down on the ground and lean your back on a wall behind you, taking a deep, calming breath “There’s something I need to tell you…”

>when Lyra sits next to you, you begin telling her everything from the very start of the story, until the terrible decision that you’re standing in front of right now

>you won’t leave out any important details, should they be in your favour or make you look like jackass

>how you found out that Dash wasn’t into guys

>how she promised to find you somepony else to fix your broken heart

>how you kissed her and how you thought you lost her forever because of it

>how it made you channel all that love inside of you towards Lyra, giving up on Dash

>and finally, how your whole world that you worked on the whole time, collapsed again because of what Dash told you just yesterday

>with each word that hurts you to say, as if something heavy fell down from your chest at the same time

>like ripping away shackles that have grown into your very flesh

>you can’t just stop though, you need to admit everything that happened because you feel that Lyra has the right to know

>she is heavily involved in it after all

>the unicorn listens quietly the whole time, without giving away too many emotions that are going through her head

>only after you’re done, she glances straight into your eyes:

>>”…Then what are you waiting for Anon?”

“What to do you mean?” such question staggers you.

>>”Isn’t it obvious?” Lyra smiles bitterly, trying to keep herself composed but her voice begins to shake as she speaks. “You need to find her you fool… Did you think that after what you’ve told me, I’d be so pathetic to try to hold you so I could keep you for myself?”

“I didn’t think about the outcome, I just couldn’t lie to you Lyra. I’m sorry…” you feel the tears forming in your eyes.

>>”I know you are…” she snivels, not being able to hold her own tears either as her face wrinkles into a painful expression “You’re not a bad person Anon but you’ll never love me as much as you love her. Even if we stayed together, I couldn’t take it.”

>there isn’t anything left to say at this point

>you reach towards the mare and hug her, quietly weeping with her

>...you knew this would hurt, it was hard to imagine how much though

>on the other hand, only now you realize that it had to be done

>Lyra was right, it was obvious from the start:

>you always loved somepony else; never stopped

>as much as you tried to deny it in your head, this story was never about Lyra

>it was always about Dash…

…

>you sit there and hold Lyra in your arms for almost twenty minutes

>only when she calms down enough to stop crying and she’s comfortable to be let go too, you soften your embrace

>then she raises her head from your chest and you look at her face again; it isn’t the face of a devastated mare that you’ve seen on her before

>although her eyes are still red, she seems strong again

>>”Go now Anon. I’ll be fine.” she smiles very faintly.

“Are you sure?”

>>”Yes… It may hurt for a while but I’ll get over it. Though, I don’t regret meeting you.”

“Neither do I… You’re an amazing mare Lyra. Just-”

>>”Just not the one for you.” she finishes the sentence for you, then smiles a lot more hopefully “…I believe there’s somepony out there for each of us. Guess I’ll just have to wait a little longer. And if that love will be as grand as your towards that pegasus, I know I’ll have something to look forward to.”

“...Can we stay friends, Lyra?”

>>”Do you really need to ask about that?” she slightly chuckles “We may not see each other that often anymore but there’s still a lot of questions unanswered in my study of anthropology. We’ll surely hang out sometime again.”

>you wish you could find any proper words to express your gratitude

>yet, there are no such words, so you just hug her again, whispering “Thank you…” into her ear

>>”That’s okay… Now go, Anon, quickly.” Lyra pats your back

>as you stand up from her though, the mare charges her horn with some kind of magic and before you ask, it springs towards you: a beam of yellow magic that absorbs into your body

“...What was that?” you ask, touching your chest as if you were trying to find where did it go

>>"You'll need to walk on clouds to find her, won't you?" she winks "It lasts 24 hours, make it count.”

“I will… Thanks again and I’ll see you around.” you smile and run to the closest hot air balloon station

>there you quickly rent one balloon and fly towards the city in the clouds

>you don’t have any real plan, you’re just doing what your gut is telling you

>soon you find yourself in Cloudsdale, so you tie the balloon to a pole and sprint to Dash’s house

>once there, you hastily knock on the door, eager to be let in

>except, nothing happens

>you’re about to knock again when you hear a crying, coming from the inside

"Rainbow it's me, Anon!” you yell and bang on the door “Open up, please!"

>"Go away!” she yells back between the sobs “Leave me!"

"No, Dash I need to talk to you!"

>"I said, LEAVE ME ALONE!" Dash shouts. Her voice sounds half desperate, half angry

>yet, you sure as hell won't just turn around now

>noticing there is a half opened window a little higher above you, you press your hands into the thick cloud of which the house is made out of and begin climbing towards your way inside

>once you’re up, you have a look down to scan the inside of the house for Dash

>it’s almost funny to think that it was always her, coming in to your house through the window; how the roles have switched

>you spot the mare in her bedroom, where she’s laying curled up on her bed, clutching Tank, her tortoise

>she has her head tucked underneath a blanket, so she can’t see you yet, probably thinking you gave up

>for a short moment, you wonder how to make your entree, when the gravity does it for you

>the glass you're leaning on suddenly twists around in it’s hinges and you fall right through the window, inside the house

>the thud makes Dash spring up, still clutching Tank:

>"A-Anon what are you doing here?! I told you to leave me alone!" she quickly wipes her tears, trying to look angry

>it doesn’t really work though

"I can't, okay?" you stand up from the ground and dust yourself off "Not after what you said yesterday. I need you to tell me the rest. What happened?"

>however, the mare just puckers up and looks away

“That’s okay, I have time.” you sit down on one of her pieces of furniture

>your stubbornness seems to upset Dash at first but after a few seconds of a stare contest, she sighs in defeat: “Fine… I guess you deserve to know.” Then she lays her tortoise down, gently patting his shell before letting him go, and she adjusts herself on her bed, sitting directly in front of you ”…”That day”, I really thought we’d just have a few practice kisses and each of us would be on our way. Something happened though. I-… I felt s-something that I never felt before. And I liked it. Anon, I liked it so much I that just… It was so- so confusing! And wrong, in a way…”

“...I thought you flew away because you hated it.”

>”No…I did not.” Dash hangs her head and sighs “As you know, I followed you the day after to check if you’re okay but I lowkey hoped that if I’ll see you two together, I would forget about that weird feeling inside of me. But instead it grew even worse. I even felt jealous and that-… that scared me Anon, it really did. I never thought-…” she gulps her saliva and almost whimpers “A-anyway, I didn't know what to do, I couldn't possibly confront you, a-and each day it was even worse, so I thought I'll just avoid you forever and-… that's when you sent this damn box..."

>on Rainbow’s nightstand, there's the package you’ve made for her, with all the cupcakes eaten and a crumpled up letter inside

>it reminds you to say sorry to Derpy, who really does her job responsibly

>"...You've written there that you want to stay with Lyra and it made me realize just how stupid I was to avoid you before. I realized I should have faced you and tell you everything, when I still had the the chance. Now it’s too late.” Dash clearly whimpers this time as her eyes fill with tears. “When I approached you yesterday, I thought I’d just apologize to keep you least as a friend but I said too much. I didn’t mean to tell you it just slipped…”

>the pegasus curls up again into a ball of shame and begins quietly sobbing, as if she wanted to hide herself from you

>it almost hurts to think that you’ve made two mares cry today but in this instance, you have the power to change it

"Hey Dash…” you sit next to her, embrace her as lovingly as you can and kiss her mane “It wasn’t too late yesterday. Even if you told me 40 years from now, it wouldn’t be.”

>”What do you mean?” she slowly raises her head to glance at you

>her pupils are pitch black and suddenly so wide that the magenta irises look like two suns in eclipse

>you could watch them for hours if there wasn’t something urgent you have to tell her

“Just I talked with Lyra and we,.. kinda broke up.”

>"…You what?!" Dash blurts, unsuccessfully trying to not make it sound full of excitement.

"We broke up.” you repeat with a chuckle and watch her body almost vibrate with emotion as you playfully walk two of your fingers up her hoof towards her shoulder. Then you boop her nose and continue “…It was because we both knew the obvious: If there was a slightest chance I could ever be with you, I'd drop everything else. Because I love you Dash. I never stopped, no matter how I tried. You’re the most important person in my life.”

>for a second, you glance into each other’s eyes and you can see everything stiff inside of your loved pegasus, melting into joy

>”I love you too Anon…” she smiles, this time with tears of happiness in her eyes.

>you smile back and gently touch her cheeks, staring deep into her pupils in a complete understanding and acceptance of each other

>there aren’t any more words needed to say

>both of you start slowly gravitating closer together and when your lips finally meet, you know that every pain that led up to this moment was absolutely worth it

>there isn't a slightest doubt anymore that this is where you belong

>you’re relishing each second of your gentle kiss, each tender touch you exchange, each hot breath travelling from her lungs to yours

>you could stay like this for hours and you aren't even using your tongue yet

>just the fact that you're able to enjoy this, and know that Dash feels the same as you, is more blissful than anything you've ever known before

>everything is making sense now

…

>at some point, you open your eyes and see that Dash shortly opened hers as well

>for that moment, both of you stop just to glance at each other and have a little giggle; like a reassurance for each of you that this is really happening

>then you kiss for a second time and without having to speak about it, you begin hungrily reaching into Dash’s mouth and Dash into yours

>it’s full of passion as well as deep sentiment

>like the matter and the soul in a complete balance, a life without fear

>now it’s so righteous to fondle, cuddle and love this cute pegasus because giving affection feels exactly the same as receiving it

>you would easily give yourself whole to her, just like she’s offering herself to you

>the time feels almost convoluted, at one point you’re kissing, other, you’re already making love

>you’re chasing each other naked around the house, then you’re play fighting, kissing and making love again

>...at the end of the day, when the sun begins to fade and disappear, you find yourselves sitting on the balcony, hidden under a single blanket together because it’s windy all the way up in Cloudsdale

>in a way, watching the sunset, just the two of you, feels the same as it felt always

>serene and warm

>except now it’s enriched by everything delightful that happened before it and what will happen after it

>in the red shine, with a content and soft expression on her face, Dash looks more beautiful than she ever did before

>you wrap your arm around her a little tighter and smile as her eyes look into yours, away from the burning globe

“Hey Dash, you know what? ...It looks like you've kept your promise after all." you grin and kiss her.

…

 

 

A short epilogue:

 

>it's been a few days since that fateful day when you and Dash finally “found” each other

>weeks

>months

>...not yet years though

>it was one of the best moment of your life

>even though, many more sweet moments followed right after

>you’ll never forget the one that started it all though

>while many things remained the same for the outside world, everything changed for the two of you

>well,.. not everything

>Dash is still the same mare she’s always been

>a chirpy tomboy pegasus with a raspy voice that loves speed and cider

>as every living being, she still has some flaws too but now she has someone to love her for them

>you remain the same guy that you’ve always been too, except you’re someone completely different at the same time

>you like to call it “improved”, thanks to overcoming some of your worst fears and learning to enjoy life, even if it sometimes hurts

>together, you’re happier than ever

>Lyra realized that as interesting humans can seem, they aren’t actually that different from ponies

>her love affair inspired her to make a musical record though

>while working on the songs and getting together more instruments, she met a stallion that became more than you could ever be to her

>you still remain friends and occasionally see each other

>it feels like once you have positive attitude towards living, as well as yourself, as if universe suddenly wanted to cooperate

>throwing things that you need your way, kinda like-

“What the-…”

>in the middle of your pondering how to sort your thoughts, you get almost buried under snow that’s suddenly falling from the tree you’re sitting under

>when you stick your head out of the cold white blanket, you see Dash sitting on a branch above

>”Ha! Got ya nerd!” she almost fall off in laughter.

“Goddamn Dash..!” you laugh, already climbing after her “Just you wait when I catch you!”

>guess you wrap up your mind with this:

>life can be sometimes tricky and that’s okay, might as well enjoy the ride

 

The End