A side story set in the "Who We Become" series.
When Rainbow agreed to go on a date with Pinkie, she had some mixed feelings about it. Pinkie was one of her best friends, and they always had fun together. On the other hoof, Rainbow didn't usually li...
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It wasn't like it was a big deal or anything; Rainbow Dash was way over the whole 'panicking before a date' thing. She'd been on plenty of dates, and she hadn't actually been nervous before one in years. Sometimes they went well, sometimes they didn't. Either way, Rainbow didn't stress it. Sometimes – not often, but it happened – the date would go well enough that he'd become her coltfriend for a little while. Even that was no big deal, really.
Usually she didn't date friends. Ponies always told her that being friends first led to more meaningful relationships, but since she wasn't exactly looking to settle down with anypony, for her it just meant complicating a friendship. Still, this wouldn't be the first time. All it meant was being a little extra careful with how things went. She'd agreed to go on dates with friends before, and usually remained friendly after the inevitable end.
However, there was one tiny detail. Just one small variable that set this date apart from every other one she'd been on – Pinkie Pie was a mare.
It was kind of funny to think about it. When she was a teenager, anypony who called Rainbow gay was asking for a hoof to the face. But that was a long time ago, and she had come a long way since then. She'd even been the best mare at Fluttershy's wedding, which had only been the single highest-profile same-sex wedding Equestria had ever seen.
But no matter how much changed, the fact remained that she had decided she wasn't gay before she even knew what being gay actually meant. She couldn't help but wonder if she really wasn't interested in mares, or if that was just something that she had predetermined for herself years ago, then stuck with out of stubborn habit.
And so Rainbow found herself walking to the station, where she'd be meeting Pinkie for their date. To any onlookers, she appeared just as confident as she ever was. She kept her head held high and wore a casual smile on her face as she strolled through town. But underneath it, all she could do was try and remind herself that there was really nothing to worry about. Pinkie was her friend first and foremost, and she'd understand if things didn't work out. Besides, they were going to Baltimare to watch the Spitfire 500. She was pretty much guaranteed to enjoy herself, no matter what happened. So why not lighten up and enjoy herself already?
"Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie called out as she approached the station, and Rainbow remembered exactly why not.
"Hey, Pinks," Rainbow greeted as she walked up. She was relieved to find they had both decided to keep things casual. Pinkie hadn't gotten all dressed up, she wasn't wearing any frou-frou perfume, and she wasn't holding some sort of stupid bouquet behind her back. She hadn't done anything out of the ordinary, she was just Pinkie Pie.
It was a good thing, too, since 'just Pinkie Pie' was about all Rainbow could handle. Pinkie was one of her best friends, even among her other best friends. She wasn't about to start ranking her friends, but Pinkie and Applejack were definitely the ponies she hung out with the most. But being face to face with her before their date together drove a point home: there was a big difference between Pinkie as her friend, and Pinkie as her marefr–
