Rainbow Dash:
There’s always a right time to say something, and infinitely many wrong ones. I think you’ve got an idea of what I’m talking about. Back there, right before launch, it definitely wasn’t the right time, but I guessed that you might notice this note on the flag and read it then. Out there, where there’s nothing but space and beauty all around, is definitely a good time, if not the best. Well, here goes then: I wondered if, now that all of this is over for now, if you would like to—
Rainbow Dash sighed as she got to the point where the note had been torn, apparently in Twilight’s rush to get the flag to her. So many things could lie on the other end of that sentence, and she felt that some of them would be much more enjoyable than the others. It could certainly make a pony think, even her. She looked out over the small hill as she approached it, the night twinkling above her and whispering its power into the air. Deep indigoes and ebonies swirled around and through the pinpricks of purity, casting a smooth canvas for a wonderfully starry night.
As she crested the hill from one direction, Twilight approached it from the other. The unicorn took a deep breath, lingering for a moment while the cool grass swept along her hooves, almost urging her forward and deeper into the night. When she reached the top of the hill, she noticed Rainbow Dash just beginning to lay down on the crisp ground, stretching her wings out before tucking them back into their folded state. Twilight took a place beside her, deciding to not break the silence quite yet as the pair instinctually let their eyes drift skyward.
After a long pause spent simply enjoying the peace after years of hectic work, Rainbow finally spoke up. “So, you know, that note got torn somehow. I only got part of it. Although I still think I have a pretty good idea of what you were headed to.” She hoofed the paper to Twilight, and the unicorn’s eyes glazed over a bit when she discovered the most vitally important section of the note completely missing.
“You’re right, part of it’s gone...” Twilight trailed off, lowering her head a bit as her dejected voice slid her mouth into a line. Now what do I do... The still air sat heavily around them, pressing in as the crickets let loose somewhat muted chirps.
Rainbow Dash caught the action in the corner of her vision and turned to face Twilight, a late night breeze stirring and wafting a nippy graze over them. For a moment, she thought she could see the world turning in lavender eyes. “Something up, Twilight?”
She looked up into those eyes, those rubied eyes, and realized that if Rainbow could go after her dreams, so could she. In a moment of inspiration that could only have come on that night, she spoke up. “There was, but I think I’m good now. How about I let you know what was on the rest of that note?” Twilight gave a tiny smile, and the pair locked eyes, two fates spun together by night’s loom. A full moon gave the landscape a mercurial glow as two ponies found warmth in each other.
Rainbow Dash and Twilight sat in a booth in the onboard meal hall, sipping sarsaparilla and snacking on scones slathered with strawberry sauce. They chuckled, thoroughly enjoying the week vacation they had before work came back in full force with the recent establishment of the Equestrian Space Committee. Twilight mentioned that she had respectfully declined the position of chairpony, instead opting for lead researcher and letting Princess Luna handle the main operation of the organization.
When the laughter from one of Pinkie Pie’s strange stories trailed off, Rainbow turned to Twilight. “Y’know, I used to think that you didn’t have the guts to do something like you did last night. I mean, it takes a lot to tell that to a friend. But hey, I guess I’m a bit of an inspiration.” She jokingly puffed her chest out a bit and made a show of tossing her mane back heroically.
Twilight blushed a little at the recent memory. “Well, I can’t lie and say that you getting to the moon didn’t inspire me just a little. It just felt right, you know? I knew that there wasn’t going to be another chance quite like that again, so I seized it. Carpe diem, as the ancient Pegasus empire liked to say.”
“You certainly did great on the timing, that’s for sure.” Rainbow Dash took another bite of the scone in her hoof and downed it with some sarsaparilla. “I know I would’ve never been able to do it. Sure, I can go to the moon, but I’m not one for too much reflection. You’re cut out for that.”
Twilight’s brow furrowed for a moment before relaxing back. “Sometimes, though, you have to break the mirror.”
In another area of the ship, Luna’s magic encased a large, vibrant quill in her indigo magic, slipping it into an inkwell. With careful motions and an ending flourish, her signature sealed itself in place alongside Celestia’s. The otherworldy ambassador that sat across from her gave an excited bounce as the treaty returned to his hooves, approved.
Meanwhile, Twilight and Rainbow Dash paced out onto the bridge of the large vessel they now lived in, looking out over the area beyond the viewport.
Twilight smiled as she leaned on Rainbow’s side. “And to think, this all started with dreams on a starry night...” She thought back to the torn section and to wherever it might be, drifting in space or decomposed in some plot of soil.
—maybe grab lunch and see where it goes from there. I mean, it’s a start, right? Anyway, I thought we’d do that and talk about the possible formation of a space committee as well. I couldn't imagine the last two decades spent any differently. It just goes to show that dedication pulls through.
With hope and sincerity,
Twilight Sparkle