Rainbow Dash spread her wings and caught the wind, gliding along for a bit before resting on the spire of a rooftop contently. It was past midnight and the night sky sparkled with stars and a cool breeze ruffled Rainbow Dash's mane, which was unusually flat compared to what it usually looked like after she'd flown. She'd been taking it slow tonight, just taking in the night sky. She didn't want to injure her wings.
Initially she'd come to Canterlot to visit Twilight Sparkle, only to find she was in the Crystal Empire with Celestia. Now she had no place to stay and a two weeks' vacation that she was regretting now. She should have thought ahead, checked with Twilight whether she'd be in Canterlot- but then again, she wasn't well-known for her thinking. That was Twilight's job.
Now she was bored.
Applejack and Pinkie Pie were in Appleloosa, Fluttershy in Cloudsdale, and Rarity had rented a house in Canterlot due to her business calling her to the capitol more often than not nowadays. Their friendship had drifted apart recently, ever since Twilight had been crowned a princess. It wasn't the lavender unicorn's fault, obviously, but they'd all began different lives, started new arcs, and pursuing dreams.
A voice- a strangely familiar voice- startled her out of her train of thought.
"Rainbow Dash, what on earth are you doing on my roof?"
Only her wings kept her in the air as she slipped off the thin surface of the spire, and began to hover. She turned around to come face to face with a very sleep-deprived Rarity standing on the balcony below her.
"Oh, hey Rarity! Uh ... You know, just flying." Rainbow Dash said.
"Flying? You looked awfully still to be flying- one might have thought you were thinking, if one didn't already know you didn't have the capacity to think." Rarity smirked, walking closer to underneath where Rainbow Dash was flying.
Rainbow Dash grinned back and glided down to rest on the balcony railing next to where Rarity was standing. "Well, I'm glad to say that I exceed your expectations."
"Ponies don't tend to do that often." Rarity sighed, her mood drastically changing from teasing to troubled.
"Hey, what's up with you?"
Rarity sniffed. "I don't want to talk about it."
Rainbow Dash nudged her gently with her wing, surprised at her own tenderness. She wasn't known to be soft, but on the rare occasion she was, it was always with Fluttershy, or maybe Pinkie Pie- rarely with Rarity. In fact, never with Rarity. She'd always assumed the unicorn was strong enough to handle her own problems.
"I got stood up." confessed Rarity.
Rainbow Dash's brow furrowed. Standing someone up was a case of disloyalty. And she hated disloyalty.
"Who was he? I'll kick his lily flank." Dash growled.
"Actually ..." Rarity sighed again. "It was the most wonderful mare. A pegasus, an awful lot like you dear. She modelled one of my outfits at a show last night."
Rainbow Dash blinked. "I, uh, I didn't know you were into mares." she stated awkwardly.
"Do you have a problem with it?" the designer asked casually, but there was a hint of venom in her tone.
"No! No, no, it's cool. How many people know?"
"Just you, Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy. I haven't really had a chance to tell Applejack yet, and I'm not sure I want to. She's the whole reason I discovered my sexuality after all." Rarity said, staring up into the night sky.
"You were into Applejack?" Rainbow questioned. The night was full of revelations for her.
"Was. Past tense. Aside from that, who isn't smitten with Applejack?" Rarity said. Rainbow Dash blushed then stretched out her wings.
"I just wish I could be more open with my sexuality, but I never, ever, want to hear anyone calling me 'Rainbow Dyke' again. And I'm afraid people will." she confessed.
"Dear, everyone already knows. You make it quite obvious for someone who's afraid of people knowing. And just so you know, I've never heard anyone call you Rainbow D-d-y ... And if they did, I'd smother them in fabric and choke them in ribbons." Rarity said seriously.
"Thanks, Rare ... Wait everyone knows? How?" Rainbow Dash asked. The night was full of revelations.
"You act like a lesbian. You check out mares when they walk by. And, you're obviously into Applejack."
"Um, actua-" Rainbow tried to interrupt, but Rarity carried on, her voice rising.
"And that's okay. That you're into Applejack, I mean. And not just because I liked her, but because you two make a great couple." Rarity finished her mini rant finally, leaving a silence big enough for Dash to say what she wanted.
"Actually, I'm uh, not into Applejack like that."
"Then who do you like?" Rarity asked curiously.
Rainbow Dash flew closer to Rarity.
"I actually like somepony else. Somepony I'm close to. They're smart, kind, beautiful ..." Rainbow Dash smiled bashfully.
"Go on." Rarity blinked, staring into Rainbow Dash's mauve eyes.
"And above all, they're generous." Rainbow Dash whispered the last word practically on Rarity's mouth, then captured it in a sweet kiss.
The embrace could have gone on forever, but a small blunt object hit Rainbow Dash in the flank, causing her to tear away from Rarity. They both stared down onto the street, where a young-ish unicorn colt was standing.
"Get a room!" he yelled at them angrily. "Dykes!"
"Come up here and say that to my face!" Rainbow Dash yelled at him. He threw another rock, and Rainbow Dash kicked it out the sky. He stormed off and Rainbow Dash turned around to find Rarity smiling back at her.
"We just can't seem to catch a break, can we?" the unicorn murmured. "Maybe we should go inside? Where are you staying in Canterlot?"
"I'm not staying anywhere. I planned to stay at the castle with Twilight, but ... That didn't really go to plan." Rainbow Dash said, flying down to the balcony to stand next to Rarity.
"Well, if you want, you can stay here?" she offered nervously.
Rainbow Dash grinned back at her and pecked her on the lips.
"I suppose I can. Yeah. That'd be nice"
A/N: First published on Fimfiction on 27/07/2013 as part of a drabble collection. Published on AO3 on 21/10/2013. Now posting here.
Because RariDash is my OTP.