Author: Up2It (Tripcode: !!9PNaiwUY4BQ)

I call myself "Up2It" because I just do this whenever I'm feeling up to it. Check out the Rainbow Dash thread on /mlp/ to see the latest additions to the story if this isn't up to date yet, though chances are it's where you came from anyway.

Note to self: Don't forget to somehow implement http://4archive.org/mlp/thread/20816276#p20857386 (Don't follow this link if you don't want minor spoilers)

Threads:
(Parts 1-4) http://4archive.org/mlp/thread/20685452
(Parts 5-7) http://4archive.org/mlp/thread/20816276 (Wasn't fully archived, but all parts of the greentext I did in that thread are there)
(Parts 8+) http://4archive.org/mlp/thread/20994896 (Current)

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>It's been about three and a half months since you lost your job at the office you worked in. You still remember it vividly.
>Jerk boss fired you because you accidentally found the porn stash on his computer while you were helping him back up some files.
>You promised not to tell anyone about the weird stuff he was into, but you knew he probably wouldn't believe you.
>Whatever, that was pretty much a dead-end job anyway. It's not your fault that he obviously made no attempt to hide his secret files.
>Unfortunately this guy was so paranoid about you telling people that he must have started spreading fake rumors about you, because every time you went to apply for a new job they'd turn you down nervously without saying why.
>With your savings dropping like a rock, you could tell that you were going to have to sell your house which you could no longer afford.
>You heard that Equestria had a few houses available for cheap in Ponyville, so you figured "eh, why not" and made plans to move there.
>But of course you weren't the first guy to think of that, and the empty spots were already taken up by the time you got there.
>Sighing, you put your bags down and sat on a bench in the park, thinking about your life.
>A cyan pegasus with a colorful mane noticed that you seemed unhappy and flew down to sit next to you on the bench.
>She gently tapped you on the shoulder.
>"Hey big guy, is everything alright?"

Image: http://i.imgur.com/3srYRE7.png (Safe)

>You briefly glanced at the pegasus, then looked in the other direction nonchalantly.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
>The mare raised an eyebrow.
>"You sure?"
>You looked back at her, a little annoyed because you weren't in the mood for conversation at the time.
"Yeah. Like I said, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
>She smirked.
>"Nice try, but that doesn't work on me. I know I would say the same thing if I was down in the dumps."
>You shrugged.
"So what? It doesn't concern you."
>"It does now."
>She gave you a light jab in the side.
>"C'mon, spill it. What's gotten you so depressed?"
>You shook your head.
"No, there's no need for you to get involved. I'd rather deal with it myself."
>She shook her head as well, except a bit more dramatically, as if to mock you.
>"Nope, it's too late for that. Now you gotta tell me, whether you like it or not."
>You sighed, knowing that there was no way you could evade the conversation any longer.
"...Fine, I'll tell you."

>You told the pegasus about your problems with your old boss, and how you lost your job and your home.
>"Aw man, that's terrible... you came all this way for nothing, then?"
>You nodded sadly.
>The pegasus frowned.
>"Well, that's just not right! You didn't do anything wrong, and your stupid boss doesn't deserve to be a boss at all!"
>She put a foreleg around your shoulder.
>"I promise you that it's not going to get any worse from this point onward. I'm Rainbow Dash, and you're gonna be my new roommate."

>You have fond memories of those words Dash said when you met her for the first time.
>Since then, you've been living with her up in her cloud house.
>You don't quite understand how it's possible for the clouds to be packed tightly enough to keep you from falling through them, but then again this is a place where magic is actually real.
>Much of Cloudsdale's terrain isn't as safe as Rainbow Dash's house, so the only real drawback of living here is that you can't really go outside on your own because you'd fall through and leave a nasty red crater on the earth below.
>It's not too bad though because Dash shares her meals with you, and she's willing to carry you around when you want to go somewhere. She's considerably stronger than you expected.
>She can be a bit stubborn at times, but she's really considerate of you and has been helping you look for a better job while you get back on your feet.
>Really, she's easily the best friend you've ever had so far...
>"Hey Anon, get up!"
>You stir a little, then roll over and see your favorite multicolored mare looking back at you.
"Huh?"
>"You've been sleeping on the couch for, like, fifteen hours. I don't wanna waste time getting breakfast for both of us if you're not even gonna be awake enough to eat it."
>You look up at the clock. It's 11:36 AM.
>You weren't actually asleep for the last few hours, but you must have spent more time reminiscing than you thought.
"Oops, sorry Rainbow."
>You get up and walk to the table with her.

>"I made us some pancakes this morning. Yours is probably cold now cuz it's been sitting there for an hour already. It's your fault for sleepin' all morning, so don't expect me to warm it up for you."
"It's fine, I don't really care if it's cold. Sure, warm pancakes are usually better, but in the end, it's just a pancake. You already ate, right?"
>"Well duh, did you really think I'd want to eat a cold pancake?"
"Right, right."
>There is a brief moment of silence as you take your first mouthful of pancake. You notice that Dash isn't doing anything, just watching you. You decide to ask her about it between bites. Unlike her friend Rarity, she doesn't mind if you talk with food in your mouth.
"So, uh, anything going on with you today?"
>"Nah, Twilight's off to some egghead award ceremony up in Canterlot. Most of the interesting stuff seems to happen when she's around, so my schedule's pretty flexible right now. Figured I'd sit here with you and chat. What, is that a problem?"

"No, it's just that usually you're out doing something active."
>"Hey, you're my friend. I figured since you spend a lot of your time cooped up in this house with nopony to talk to, you could use some company."
>You consider mentioning Tank, but after thinking it over you realize that the turtle hasn't really interacted with you since he doesn't know your language.
>"Yeah, I'm not a fan of small talk either, but I bet it gets pretty boring here when you can't leave the house without my help."

"Well, thanks for sticking around. I really appreciate it."
>Rainbow Dash smiles back.
>"Of course, what are friends for?"
>There is another brief moment of silence as you both try to think of what to say.
>For a second you make eye contact with her. This doesn't happen very often because she doesn't like staying in one place. Well, unless she's reading Daring Do.
>Gosh, those eyes are so pretty...
>Wait, what?
>You hastily look away, blushing a little. What were those thoughts doing in your mind?
>Maybe... well, she just has really nice eyes. That's it. Nothing else.
>You shake it off and try to move on to another subject.
"So, what now?"
>Dash shrugs.
>"I dunno. I was hoping that you already had something in mind."
>You both chuckle a little, realizing how pointless this is.
>"Well, I just got the newest Daring Do book recently. Wanna read that together?"
>You shrug.
"Sure, I can't think of anything better right now."
>There are some much better things you can think of, but you're choosing to ignore them because it just doesn't seem right.
>You walk up to Rainbow Dash's bedroom with her, taking the book from its drawer and flipping to the first page.

>You and Rainbow Dash spend the day reading the first eight chapters of Daring Do together, taking turns reading it out loud to each other.
>Sometimes Dash would giggle or cheer a bit depending on what was happening in the book.
>You had to admit, she was pretty cute when she showed off her girly side.
>That smile she had on her face as she listened to you reading really seemed to brighten up the whole room.
>You ended up getting pretty invested in it, and continued to discuss the story with Dash over lunch and dinner.
>She was more cheerful than usual, and you really felt closer to her during that time.
>You look out the window and see the moon rising through a rainbow fall.
>Dash trots up to you and puts her forehooves up on the windowsill.
>"Y'know, that was pretty fun. We gotta do this again sometime. Like, maybe even tomorrow."
"Oh. Uh, I'd love to, really. But we agreed we're going to look for some job offers that day, remember?"
>Dash seems a little disappointed, but she's not upset.
>"That's fine. I guess we can let it wait one more day."
>You nod reassuringly, which causes her ears to perk up.
"Alright then, it's settled. We'll do plenty more reading after tomorrow. How's that sound, Dash?"
>Rainbow nods excitedly.
>"That sounds great! Thanks, Anon!"
>You smile, then look back over the horizon.
>The colorful fall Luna's moon is passing behind makes it seem like a big ball of rainbow sherbet ice cream.
"Beautiful view tonight, wouldn't you say?"
>Rainbow Dash nods silently as she takes in the scenery.
>Slowly, without giving it a second thought, you reach over and wrap your arm around her.

>As soon as your hand comes into contact with Rainbow, she inhales sharply and tenses up, flapping her wings.
>You realize what you're doing and quickly withdraw your hand.
>A brief moment later, she begins to relax again.
>It's not long until you find your arm wandering back over to her, wrapping around her and resting your hand on the hoof opposite to you.
>She tenses up again, but not as much as the first time.
>She looks over to you for a second, slightly confused, but eventually she relaxes and returns her attention to the moon, allowing your arm to remain where it is.
>Her fur feels soft.
>It feels nice.
>You feel something poking you on your shoulder, then a warmth settling on top of it.
>You look to see the pegasus has wrapped her other hoof around your shoulder.
>She's smiling again.
>Rainbow Dash is nice.

>You and Dash look out at the stars for another half of a minute.
>Rainbow Dash yawns, raising her wings a little.
>"Alright Anon, we better get some rest. Gonna be a pretty busy day tomorrow."
>You withdraw your hand and stretch.
"Alright, see you in the morning."
>You and Dash step away from the window and go to your respective rooms.
>Rainbow smiles at you before closing her door.
>You flop down on your bed and stare up at the ceiling.
>She really does deserve her title of "Element of Loyalty", huh.
>She's letting you live in her house, and she's even willing to spend the whole day with you.
>You like her.
>...As a really close friend, of course.
>You sigh nervously and clear your mind, allowing yourself to drift off to sleep.