//------------------------------// // The Flower // Story: Love's Bloom // by Noble_Dreams //------------------------------// Format wasn't kept. original in this location. “Ow! That hurts!” Said the Cyan Pegasus, as the Lavender Unicorn pulled some thorns out of her side. “Well, if you'd hold still, I'd be able to get them out easier!” Twilight grunted, grabbing a thorn in her teeth, before giving it a sharp tug. “Maybe if you'd been more careful, you would have been able to avoid that bush. Why were you even IN the Everfree Forest anyway?” Twilight Said around the thorn she had just pulled out. “I was practicing my weave trick, so that maybe I could impress somepony enough that I could get into the Wonderbolts! Why were YOU in Everfree forest?” Rainbow said, making the last bit sound ALMOST accusatory. “I was gathering some samples of a new plant I found, so I could run a few tests to see what it does. Who knows, maybe it could cure some sort of disease!” Twi said, only being half truthful. She HAD been gathering samples, but she knew all too well what the plant did. And she wasn't about to share what it did. Not yet, anyway. She would have to wait until she got more information on a different 'sample'. “I heard you yell out, and I dropped my samples and ran to help you. Later, I'll need to go out and collect more.” said Twilight, with just a hint of exasperation. “Do you want me to come with?” asked Rainbow, feeling a little guilty about having caused her friend trouble. “Oh, that's OK, you don't have to. I wouldn't want to impose.” said Twilight, secretly hoping that she would come anyway. “Are you sure? I could carry extra samples for you, this way you could run more tests before having to go back and collect more.” said Rainbow Dash, not wanting to let her friend down. “I never thought of it like that. It would be a pleasure to have you along, Rainbow Dash.” said Twilight, relieved that she wouldn't have to ask her after she had said no. “When do we go?” asked Rainbow Dash through gritted teeth, as Twilight pulled out the last thorn from her side, leaving tiny little pinprick wounds all over her body, quite a few peppering her face. “We’ll leave as soon as I patch you up” said Twilight as she rummaged through a few drawers, before eventually stumbling upon some Hello-Pony bandages. “Sorry, these are all I have.” said Twilight, blushing a little for still having those bandages “OOH! I LOVED Hello-pony when I was a filly!” squealed Rainbow Dash. “Uh... I mean... yeah that's cool Twi. It's alright.” She said, blushing while attempting to cover her outburst. “Well, that's good! I'd hate to give you bandages you don't like.” Said Twilight, teasing Rainbow Dash now. Twilight applied the Bandages one by one, taking them out of the box with her magic and applying them with her hoof. As she applied each one, she put some anti-bacterial cream on each one. “There, all done!” She said as she pressed the last one on with her hoof. “Alright, let’s go!” Exclaimed Rainbow Dash, already trying to stretch her wings to fly, but, she found she couldn't move them, when she looked back, they were wrapped up against her. “You can't move them, or you'll reopen that big gash on your back. That wouldn't be good, now would it? Last time you hurt something, we found out you're an egghead!” Twilight said, inflecting a teasing tone into the last sentence. Rainbow dash opened and closed her mouth several times in shock, but no words came out. She ends up glaring teasingly at Twilight as she got up to go get her saddlebags. Twilight started to trot towards the door before saying, “are you coming, Rainbow?” “Yeah, just let me get my saddlebags. Do you want me to grab yours for you?” Rainbow called over to Twi. “Huh? Oh, yes, please!” Twi said, just realizing she had forgotten her saddlebags. After the two mares had put their bags on, they turned to each other, and asked each other at the same time, “You ready?” they both laughed at that, and Rainbow opened the door, holding it for Twilight. Twilight turned around to lock the door, and Rainbow couldn't help but notice that she smelled nice. Not different at all, but, nice. She smelled almost like... “No, there's absolutely no way that could happen. They don't grow anywhere else...” Thought Rainbow Dash. They departed, and they chatted while they walked, they chatted about everything, what Rarity's newest dress was going to look like, when Pinkie's next party was, but Twilight couldn't stop thinking about Rainbow Dash, and how fit she was, and how she was always exercising, and how she looked great, and how she always had something to do, some new trick to perfect or a job she was helping somepony with. They reached the edge of the forest, and Rainbow asked Twi what they were looking for, even though she already had a good idea, but she needed to confirm her suspicions. “Well, it's a perfectly white flower that looks like a little tuft of cloud, they-” Twi was cut off “Float along, and they smell similar to what makes you happy?” Rainbow finished Twi's sentence. “Yes how did you know?” Twi asked astonished that Rainbow Dash knew what they were looking for. “Well, I saw them every now and then in Cloudsdale, but I was always told they only grew there... for me they always smelled like books, and ink, and-” Rainbow covered her mouth before she let out too much. “But I know what they do, Twi, and it can be a good thing or a bad thing.” “Oh, what do they do?” asked Twilight, knowing all too well the effects they could have on a pony “They... They make you reveal your true feelings for somepony. And if you eat one, even earth ponies could fly around for a day.” Rainbow Dash said, taking an almost imperceptible step closer to Twilight. “Twilight, you-” She is cut off by an earth-shattering roar, it echoes around the ponies, causing them to shake along with the ground. “W-w-was that a m-m-man-” “-ticore? Yes, that was indeed a Manticore.” Said Twilight masking her fear quite well. Suddenly, the bushes trembled not very far from them, and a Manticore burst through! “WATCH OUT!” Yelled Rainbow, shoving her friend out of the way as the manticore's tail came swinging down. “RAINBOW!” Twilight squealed after getting back up just in time to see the spine on the Manticore plunge into her friends back. The Manticore withdrew its tail, and raised it to strike again. Before it could, its entire body was surrounded by a cloud of purple haze, it lifted into the air, and shot of into the distance, its roars becoming quieter the farther away it got. “Rainbow! Are you okay? Rainbow! Talk to me!” “Yeah, Twi, I'm- AAAH!” Rainbow cried out as she tried to stand, but she collapsed to the ground again, her hind legs bent at awkward angles, “I can't feel my hind legs.... Twilight! Help! I can't feel my hind legs!” Rainbow cried, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Twilight ran over to her friend, and picked her up to carry her to the hospital. “You're gonna be okay, Rainbow! Just stay with me!” Twilight said, her voice cracking a little. Twilight set off at a gallop towards Ponyville, her horn starting to glow-and her eyes starting to water-as she attempted to use her magic to expel the toxin from her friend’s body.