”Dash, if I’d known you were participating in the Running of the Leaves I would’ve bet on you.” >”Well it’s not my fault they didn’t update the participant list til’ the last minute!” “But it is your fault for applying so late into the event, and you could’ve at least mentioned something about it.” >”Oh come on! That's perfectly within the rules and you know it!” >You knew something was fishy the moment she suggested writing your bets on pieces of paper and waiting until the race was over to find out who'd won. >You'd also thought Dash was above shenanigans like this. >You stare into the myriad of ice cream that lay before you. “Ok fine, but you better eat the whole damn thing.” >She nods and smiles up at you—blowing a lock of rainbow hair off her muzzle in the process. >You sigh in defeat. >She wasn’t going to take it easy on you now. “So which flavor do you want?” >”I want a quadruple scoop of cosmopolitan blast! And with the little uhh…little…” “Sprinkles?” >”Yeah those!” >You mentally check your wallet and come to the conclusion that you could in fact afford the Ferrari of ice creams. >You could always fake it and say you don’t have enough, she would never know the difference and Celestia knows your bank account would thank you. But a bet was a bet and you’d lost. You two had made a promise to buy the winner an ice cream of their choice and you’re a man of your word. >Besides, of all the mares to spend money on you knew it wasn't going to waste on Dash. >You motion to the stallion behind the counter. “I’ll take one quadruple scoop of cosmopolitan with sprinkles please.” >”And a chocolate dipped ice cream cone.” “And a chocolate dipped ice cream cone.” >He glances to Dash, then back to you, “Will that be all sir?” >Please don’t ask that. “Unfortunately yes.” You rush before Dash can tack anything else to the tab. >”That’s uhh, fourteen and a half bits.” >You pull out your wallet and retrieve 15 bits—leaving it empty. >You can almost feel its tears. >You hand over your bits to the clerk. >“You want your change back sir?” “No, keep it.” >The empty pouch in your hands contorts under your clutch as if to say “father why have you forsaken me?” “Shhh, it’s the circle of life.” You whisper before tucking the leather pouch back in your pocket. >”What?” “Oh nothing Dash.” >The clerk returns with the cosmopolitan monstrosity. >”Here’s your ice cream sir and thanks for your business.” >You reach for it but Dash swoops up and snatches it from his hoof. “Thank you,” You nod to him. >You follow Dash out the front door and you find a bench so you can watch her enjoy her ice cream. >”Finally! That line took forever!” “It took about three minutes Dash.” >”Point proven.” >You let out another sigh, sometimes you wonder if it was even possible to win against this mare. >The jaws theme starts playing somewhere off in the distance and her eyes widen. >You half expect her jaw to unhinge and swallow the dessert whole, but she pauses and notices you. >You hold awkward eye contact for a moment and you can see her mind working. “Something wrong with the ice cream?” >”N-no, just…uhh…this really cost you your last bit didn’t it?” “Like you said Dash you won fair and square.” >She looks down at the cone in her hooves and you see guilt cross her features. >Good job idiot, now she can’t enjoy it. >You’re about to say something else, but get cut off by her shoving the cone underneath your nose. >”You have some first.” >That was surprising. >It was the last thing you ever expected her to do. “Uh, what?” >She lets out a surprisingly girly giggle before regaining her composure and checking to make sure no one else heard her. >”I said have some dummy! You bought it after all.” >You half expected it to be a trick of some sort but the sincerity in her smile told you otherwise. >The last thing you wanted was to ruin her ice cream for her, but with your accidental guilt trip earlier, chances were she wouldn’t touch it until she thought the scales were balanced. >For all the turmoil she put you through, she truly was a good friend and you were lucky to have her. “Ok thanks.” >You reach out and pluck the cone from her hooves. >You bring it to eye level while trying to balance it from toppling under its own weight. >“Just stay on one side and don’t eat the cone any, I don’t want too much human slobber on it.” >Tactfully put Dash. “Roger that cap’n.” >You manage a salute with your off hand to complete the charade—earning a chuckle from her. >With the grace of a drinking swan you run your tongue up the side of the cone. >You’d never had cosmopolitan before, at least not in Equestria. >It was pretty good, not mind blowing, but pretty good. “Wow Rainbow this is pretty good.” >”Don’t push it bub.” “Right, sorry.” >To her credit she sat and watched you lick down about half the cone without saying anything other than to turn down your offers to hand it back. >But all good things must come to an end. >”Ok that’s enough, my turn!” >You hand it back without reservation and wipe your ice cream covered hand on the table. “All yours.” >She snatches it out of your hand and starts lapping at it like a deer on a salt lick. >You can’t help but smile at the scene. “Take it easy, you don’t want to get brain freeze.” >”Mmmph…mmmm.” “Use your words Dash.” >She swallows what she had before sputtering. >“This is great why didn’t you tell me!!” “I…yeah.” >”Heheh” “What’s so funny?” >”Heh HAHAHAHAHAHA!” “What?” >”You have a, heh, a-a little something there.” >She motions to your face. “Where? On my nose?” >She’s trying her best to contain her laughter by doing that thing where she bites her bottom lip and pins her ears back. >”Yes, well no, here just let me…” >She gets off her bench and trots over to your side of the table. >She stands on her hind legs and rests her fore hooves on your knees, bringing you to eye level. “Do you have a napkin or something…” >She leans forward to the point it’s starting to become uncomfortable for you. "Because I don't have a..." *lick >Her tongue flares out over the tip of your nose, cleaning up any cosmopolitan residue. “Uhh…” *lick >This time it darted across your brow. >How did you get ice cream on your brow? >She lets out another giggle before pulling back and giving you a toothy grin. >”All clean now, can’t have you walking around with ice cream war paint!” >You must admit, you’d never seen this side of her before…but you like it. “Uhh…yeah.” >You must look shocked because she answers one of your unspoken questions. >”What? You don’t want any of your fourteen and a half bits to go to waste do you?” >Gotcha there. “N-no.” >Think of something fast so she doesn’t think you’re being weird about this. >You reach out and poke the tip of her nose lightly. “Boop.” >It wasn’t wet like a dog’s. It was covered in a very fine, soft fur much like the rest of her body. >"What's that for, do I have some on my nose now?" “…No…” >She squints her eyes at you. >"Ookaay…” >You do it again. "Boop" >"Stop that!" >She scrunches her nose and turns away but you see a smile crack her facade. “Boop” >”HAHAHA stop!” >You relent and she reaches across the bench to grab her cone. >She finds a spot next to you on the bench and wastes no time digging in. >She finishes her half much faster than you and chomps down the chocolate cone in a flash. >She lets out a loud burp that turned some heads before leaning back and letting the sun warm her face. >The most content of smiles graced her features, and knowing you made her happy made you happy. >She actually looked rather cute, but there was no way you’d ever mention it to her. “You’d better not fall asleep right now, you might go into a glycogen induced catatonic state.” >”A what!” Her eyes shoot open. “A food coma.” >”Oh.” >Her fear subsides but not before she punches you on the shoulder. >She wasn’t trying to hurt you, but it got her point across nonetheless. >You sit silently next to her, savoring the quiet moment. >It was’t often she slowed down like this. >Heck, it wasn’t often she licked your nose, or let you eat half of her ice cream. >But today seemed like a day of firsts. >The sound of her breathing next to you was relaxing, and you couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t the last you’d see of her fuzzy side. >”Hey.” >You snap out of a trance you didn’t know you were in. >”Thanks…for the ice cream I mean.” “Sure Dash, I’m glad you enjoyed it.” >”But for the next bet I win, I want a chocolate volcano from Haymaker’s!” >Your smile betrays your feelings. “Remind me again why I hang out with you?” >”Because I’m awesome!” >She grins confidently at you and you grin back “Yes you are.” FIN