> Cheated Dreams
>  by Kodeake
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 1. The Big Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter One
The Big Day

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Rainbow Dash once again leveled off high in the sky. The bright blue endlessness of the sea above her seemed motionless, but the ground whizzing by below and the wind blowing in her ears told her all she needed to know; she was going fast. She knew how fast she was truly going when she started to see the mach-cone form around her, signifying that she was approaching the sound barrier. This was it; the final stunt of her routine. So far her entire plan had gone off without a hitch, but she knew her entire performance – and possibly her entire career – hinged on this single stunt. 

Another breath later and the air was pressing against her, fighting to slow her down, to keep her from achieving mach speed.  She angled her head down as much as she could, just barely enough to see the silver lightning bolt necklace that hung around her neck, pressed firm against her chest by the biting wind. She smiled, feeling herself break through the air, not even having to look back to know she'd done it. But the Sonic Rainboom wasn't the only part. No, that would make her a one trick pony, and she was anything but. 

Screaming through the sky at nearly twice the speed of sound, she started banking back around to the arena she had originally started in, the same arena where her closest friends were waiting with bated breath. The very same arena where nine official representatives from the Wonderbolts sat, silently judging her every move. Once she was closer to the arena and easier to see, she launched into the high-speed portion of her routine, flying through some of her most difficult stunts at her top speed. The sound of her Rainboom had yet to catch up with her.

Coming out of an extremely high-speed Buccaneer Blaze, she finally heard the thunderous explosion of the sound barrier being shattered behind her, along with the visible light spectrum. Her idle smile shifted back into a determined glare as she pulled up, directly above the center of the arena. She few straight up, but did not slow down. Her wings burned and her entire being ached from the intense amount of force it had been put under, but still she pushed forward, flapping her wings harder and faster as she soared high into the sky. Once she was mile above the cloud city of Cloudsdale, she allowed herself to slow down, eventually coming to a stop. She gave herself only a second of rest, however, before she began rocketing back down to the ground, following the dimming Rainbow trail she had left on her way up.

The air was rough and the currents were still unpredictable from her previous pass, but she pushed through the turbulence, her expertly trained wings keeping her straight as an arrow as she plummeted back down. Once the arena below her was more defined than a blurry dot below her, she once again pushed herself forward, feeling the now-familiar feeling of air pushing against her. Another second later and she was once again free of the resistance. As soon as she was sure she had done it, she pulled up, flying to the edge of the expanding explosion. 

If the air on the way down was rough, then the air around the Rainboom a jagged cliff face. She was constantly making adjustments, trying desperately to keep herself stable and not be blown off course by a stray wind left in the wake of her light-shattering stunt. She leveled off on the outer edge of the ring of colour, beginning to fly around it in circles, like she would if she were forming a tornado. The ring of colour stopped expanding, slowing beginning to spin, trailing behind her as she continued to circle it. Eventually, it was spinning at a good speed and remaining at a constant diameter, the outward force having been redirected to a centrifugal motion. She flew away from it, slowing down and turning to watch her handiwork.

The spinning pinwheel of colour once again began rapidly expanding, though it continued spinning, arms of light reaching out and curling around like a spiral galaxy. In fact, that's exactly what it was meant to look like, the colourful light flashing on the ground as it continued to spin like a strobe light.

Rainbow looked down, seeing and hearing her friends cheer for her. She looked over to the judges table, where the Wonderbolts sat along with their managers, ready to scrutinize her every move, and grinned upon seeing their dumbstruck faces. One of them even had their jaw hanging open, before realizing it and promptly closing it, scribbling on the clipboard in his hooves. She flew down to the arena slowly, looking back every now and then as her Rainboom Galaxy faded in the wind.

The cheers of her friend became more defined as she came closer. 

“That was amazing!”

“I ain’t never seen anythin' like it.”

“Simply gorgeous.”

“The colours were so pretty!”

“I knew she could do it.”

“Thank you for your amazing performance, Miss Dash,” Spitfire's voice rang out, snapping Rainbow back to attention as she landed in front of the panel of judges. “As you know, all the graduates from the Academy were competing in this contest. We will announce the victor in one week. All the contestants will be sent a letter informing them of their loss, or of their success.” With those final words she stood, the other judges following, and made her way out of the arena, Dash having been the final contestant for the day.

Her friends all jumped out of their seats, running over to her and wrapping her in a surprising, but welcome, group hug. 

“Heh... thanks guys.” Rainbow blushed, returning the hug awkwardly for a couple seconds before the group pulled away. For a moment there was silence, before suddenly everypony started talking at once. Everypony had questions for her, everypony wanted to know something straight from her mouth. The noise was horrendous as she struggled to hear each request clearly. Rainbow folded her ears back over her head, trying to block out the loud shouts as her friends all tried to talk over one another. 

Finally, Twilight rolled her eyes and reached out with her magic, clamping everypony's muzzles shut before speaking. “I'm sure we all have questions, but it can wait until the balloon ride home. Our cloud walking spells are going to run out soon and I can't reapply the enchantment without removing it first.”

For a moment they were silent, realizing what exactly Twilight had said, before quickly scurrying out of the arena and towards the safety of the balloon, falling through the clouds suddenly becoming a very real possibility. Twilight covered her mouth, giggling into her hoof as she watched her friends all rush for the promise of something solid to stand on.

“Didn't you say those cloud walking spells lasted until you touch the ground again?” Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow as Twilight regained her composure and lowered her hoof.

“Yep,” she answered happily. 

Rainbow chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. “You never fail to impress me, Twi.”

“I aim to please,” Twilight laughed, starting to walk towards the exit doors of the arena and the balloon where all her friends would be hiding. Though she was a little surprised Fluttershy had gone with them without any form of further prompting. After all, it's not like she had to worry about falling through the clouds. She wasn't going to complain, though. Shaking off the thought, she turned and motioned for her friend to follow her. Rainbow caught up to her quickly before looking down and tapping her necklace with a hoof.

“Thanks for this, by the way,” she said quietly, keeping pace with Twilight as they exited the large cloud structure.

“It was no problem, Rainbow,” Twilight smiled back, “I'm just glad I could help.”

“I know, but... still; thanks,” Rainbow said, letting the necklace fall back against her chest as she looked forward, getting a faraway look in her eyes as she continued to follow Twilight towards her balloon.

“Hey Twi... can I tell you... something?” Rainbow started awkwardly, clutching a cup of tea between her hooves nervously as she sat at the kitchen table of Twilight's library home. Normally she wouldn't drink tea or anything so... uncool, but her current situation called for something calming. And it was the only thing Twilight had on-hoof at such short notice.

“Considering you came to the library at,” Twilight paused, looking up to the clock hanging above the table as she sat across from Rainbow, “one in the morning, I figured you were going to tell me something.”

“Right,” Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck, chuckling nervously as Twilight continued to give her a deadpan stare. “Well, you know how the Wonderbolts tryouts are in a week right?”

Twilight nodded slowly, “Yeah; you've been talking about nothing else for the past month. How could I forget?” Twilight laughed weakly, trying to ease the nervous tension clearly audible in Rainbow's voice. It did little to help as the pegasus continued hesitantly.

“Well... I'm...” Rainbow trailed off, unsure of how exactly to phrase what she wanted to say. In truth, normally she wouldn't say anything at all, and indeed part of her still wanted to keep this quiet. But over the past weeks it had been growing inside of her to the point that she couldn’t bare it on her own anymore. She needed help, and she knew there was one pony always willing to help a friend, no matter when or with what.

Of course, it helped that she and Twilight had been growing closer over the past couple weeks, to the point where it was not uncommon for Twilight to lend the occasional magical hoof with Rainbow's flight training. In fact, Rainbow was on the verge of calling Twilight the closest of all her friends, but there was still some debate within her mind. But of all her friends Twilight definitely had the tendency to be the most understanding - barring only Fluttershy - and Rainbow did not want to wake up Fluttershy at one in the morning. So it was left to Twilight to help her.

“I'm worried,” she admitted finally, eyes glued to the translucent drink in her mug, still relatively untouched as she sat quietly. Out of the top of her vision she could see Twilight's eyes widen slightly in surprise before going back to normally just as quickly.

“Worried?” Twilight asked uncertainly. “It's only natural; even for you. I mean, this is your dream; I can understand being worried about it. But you just need to remember that you can do it; we all know you can.” Twilight assured with a confident smile. Rainbow tried to return it, but found herself unable, knowing she had more to come clean about.

“It... it's more than that,” she started again, making Twilight raise an eyebrow at her as she continued to fiddle with her cup of tea.

“Well then what is it?” She questioned curiously, and some what worriedly, as Rainbow idly swirled the rapidly cooling liquid. She took a gentle sip, recoiling slightly at the bitter taste, before clearing her throat.

“Remember the Best Young Flier competition?” Rainbow asked, trying to make her point clear without actually saying it.

“Of course! You were amazing,” Twilight smiled enthusiastically, “but what does that have to do with anything?”

“Yeah, I was, but do you remember what I was like right before the competition?” She asked slowly, still trying to get Twilight to come to the conclusion she wanted without having to say anything more. Unfortunately, it didn't appear to be working. 

“I remember you being pretty nervous,” Twilight nodded, rubbing her chin in thought as she thought back to the competition nearly two years ago. “But it seemed to go away once we were all up there with you.”

“Go away?” Rainbow asked incredulously. “That was 'going away' to you!? Twilight, I... oh, right...” Rainbow trailed off, remembering that she had done her best to hide her nerves from her friends. Apparently it had worked better than she'd thought.

Twilight, meanwhile, was concerned; what had she said to make Rainbow lash out like that? “Yes?” She answered timidly, unsure what Rainbow was getting at.

“Twi I... Backstage before the performance I... I was terrified,” Rainbow finished quietly, voice barely above a whisper, looking down shamefully into her mug as she remembered one of her least favourable moments. Unfortunately, it wasn't far enough above a whisper.

“What was that?” Twilight asked curiously, leaning in closer over the table. 

Rainbow sighed in frustration as she tried to once again gather the courage she needed. “I... before I went out with Rarity I was... terrified. I was so sure I'd screw up that I very nearly flew out of the arena. I was last because I kept switching places with the other contestants. I was positive that I couldn't do it.” She spoke it all so quickly that she was done before she even realized it, and when she did she clenched her eyes shut. Unsure of the reaction she'd get.

What would Twilight think of her now? The cool, calm and collected pegasus that she was - and was supposed to be - admitting to being scared about one single performance? She'd probably be laughed out of the library. She'd have to go to the contest all alone because nopony would believe that she was actually scared to do it. She- was Twilight hugging her?

In the time that Rainbow had been worry about how Twilight would react with her eyes closed, the unicorn had stood from her seat, made her way around the table, and wrapped Rainbow in an embrace that was not unwanted by the pegasus. Rainbow allowed herself to relax into the arms of her friend, letting her fear drain out through the hug. What was she so worried about? Twilight laughing at her for being scared of something? She knew Twilight better than that. She even felt a slight twinge of guilt for even thinking her friend would be anything but understanding. 

“I had no idea! Rainbow, I'm so sorry! I should have seen it; I should have done more to help you,” Twilight whispered quietly, tightening her grip on her rainbow maned friend that she had, in her mind, neglected.

Rainbow was caught off guard by the sudden apology, never having considered the possibility that Twilight would have blamed herself for anything that had happened. “It's not you fault, I should have told somepony. But that's over, and I'm telling you now; I'm scared of the contest.” For some reason it was a lot easier to admit it in the warm embrace of a close friend. 

Twilight pulled back, smiling gently. “Wait here,” she said, before rushing out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her bedroom. Rainbow had only a moment to ponder what she was doing before Twilight came rushing back down the stairs, a small box held aloft in her magic.

“What's this?” Rainbow asked curiously as Twilight placed the box down on the tabletop in front of her. It was a small, square box, the kind jewelry normally came in.

After taking a second to steady her breathing after running up and down the stairs Twilight said “I was originally going to give this to you before the tryouts, but I think you could use it now,” Twilight smiled, moving the box a little closer to Rainbow. “For good luck.”

With a hesitant hoof Rainbow reached out and flipped the lid over, eyes widening as she saw a shimmering silver lightning bolt on a shining chain of a slightly darker grey.

“We all know you can do it, Dash. This is just a way for you to remember that,” Twilight smiled widely as Rainbow picked up the piece of jewelry. Normally she wasn't one for anything so girly, but this was... cool. After all; it had come from her best friend. How could she not like it? She carefully slid it over her head, watching as it came to rest against her chest, the silver shining brightly against her cyan coat.

“I can do it...”

Rainbow shook her head, banishing the memory back to the depths of her mind as she and Twilight walked up to the balloon where the rest of their friends waited, hiding in the basket and looking at the clouds below them mistrustfully. All except Fluttershy, who stood beside the basket anxiously, as if expecting to fall through the cloud at any moment.

“Alright girls, let's head home,” Twilight announced proudly, climbing into the basket and lighting her horn, creating a pocket of heat that rose and rapidly filled the balloon. Soon it lifted them off the cloud platform and into the open sky. Applejack sank below the edge of the basket, trying to ignore the dizzying height, while the rest of their friends eagerly pressed up to the edge, talking excitedly with Rainbow Dash as she flew next to the balloon, Fluttershy trailing just behind her.
> 2. The Answer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter Two
The Answer

Rainbow Dash paced nervously around her kitchen, a frown on her muzzle as her eyes flicked out her window. The sun was just starting to rise above the mountains outside Ponyville, its golden rays slowly waking the town far below her cloud home. By all rights it was a perfect day, the kind of day you woke up, threw open your curtains, and greeted the world with a bright smile. The kind of day where you just expected everything to go your way, the day when you would finally get everything you wanted to get done done, or the day you got the good news you'd been waiting for.

Rainbow Dash fell into the latter category, or at least she hoped she did. She had woken up just before dawn, right before the morning mail. Within the usual affairs of junk mail and bills had come the key to her future; a simple tan parchment, sealed with the Wonderbolts' wax logo. That letter had been sitting atop her kitchen counter ever since, waiting patiently to be opened by her hoof. Its contents had been calling to her ever since she had seen the seal, and she had been fighting with herself for just as long.

She wanted to open it; she should open it. But, at the same time, she was terrified of the very thing that held her dream in its papery clutches. Though it could hold her dream, gift wrapped just for her, it could very well contain a message that would crush her. This letter held her future hostage, and had yet to give a ransom demand. Every time she steeled herself to open it, she had walked up to her kitchen table, taken a deep breath, set her hoof against the seal, and then promptly chickened out and scurried away. 

No matter what she did or how much she mentally prepared herself, she couldn't open it. If it had given her a ransom demand, she didn't have enough. The amount was just out of reach for her. 

With a frustrated huff she collapsed into a chair, staring angrily and the letter that continued to mock her. Success or failure, Wonderbolt or pegasus, winner or loser. The answer was contained, kept safe from the prying eyes of those too weak to see their fate. 

Rainbow Dash was not weak. 

With a determined glare, she stood from her chair, circled the table to the letter, placed her hoof against the seal, and opened it.

Or she would have had she not chickened out, again. Instead, she picked the letter off the table, through it hastily into her saddlebags, slung them over her back, and shot out her door. She was too weak to see her fate. But only when she was alone.

With a speed unmatched by any pegasus in Equestria, Rainbow rocketed across the sky towards the town she called home. Within its short, small building and cobbled streets it held the ransom she needed. The only pony that truly knew what the contest meant to her. The only pony she had trusted enough to tell the truth to. The only pony who would understand the fact that she was scared.

Forgoing the door, Rainbow promptly landed on the upstairs balcony of Golden Oaks Library, the home of Twilight Sparkle, the only pony Rainbow trusted with the knowledge that she was afraid of something. 

Luckily, the glass door was unlocked and she let herself in to the loft that contained Twilight's empty bed. Rainbow looked around frantically, quickly deducing that Twilight was not in her room. But then again, why would she be? It was almost nine in the morning; well past the time Twilight normally got up. With Rainbow's luck the unicorn would already be out running her errands.

Today was not turning out as perfect as the sunrise would have had her believe. Taking her one last bit of hope, she called out. “Twilight?” She waited for a while. There was no answer, nothing aside from the gentle breeze blowing through the branches and leaves of the repurposed tree. She idly wondered how Twilight lived in the tree during a storm; the noise would have been awful.

“Hello?” Rainbow's ears snapped forward as a reply finally came. It sounded like it came from the base of the stairs to the lower floor. From the sound of it, Twilight had no idea who was in her bedroom. Silently thanking Celestia, and apologizing for mistrusting the sunrise, Rainbow raced out of the room and down the stairs, nearly colliding with the unicorn that was standing at the base of the steps. 

“Rainbow!” Twilight nearly shrieked, just barely jumping out of the way as her pegasus friend came charging down the stairs straight at her. Rainbow turned her head and watched Twilight go by, before realizing she should probably stop. Unfortunately, when she faced forward again, she came muzzle to wood with a wall. Too fast to stop and too close to turn, Rainbow turned her head away and clenched her eyes shut. 

The impact never came. Instead her body was enveloped in a warm, tingling feeling. Opening her eyes, she saw the characteristic light violet glow of Twilight magic wrapped around her body, holding her a hair's length from the wall.

“You need to watch where you're going,” she scolded gently, releasing Rainbow from her magical grasp and allowing her to turn around.

“Heh, sorry about that, Twi,” Rainbow chuckled, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof as Twilight rolled her eyes.

“It's fine, but is there a reason you're here? And, more importantly, why you didn't just use the front door?” Twilight asked, turning to resume doing whatever it was she was doing before being interrupted by her guest. Which appeared to Rainbow to be taking inventory.

“Right, well, I need you to gather the girls for me,” Rainbow started quickly, shifting her weight from hoof to hoof as Twilight looked up quizzically from her list.

“What? Why you need all the girls to be together? Why would I need to gather them?” Twilight asked curiously, temporarily setting her list down on the table. “And that still doesn't answer why you couldn't use the door,” she added with a slight tint of frustration.

Rainbow took a deep breath; she'd have to tell Twilight eventually. Glancing down at the lightning bolt still dangling around her neck to remind herself that Twilight would understand, she reached back into her saddlebags with her wing. After searching a second, she wrapped her feathers carefully around the letter and pulled it out, showing it to Twilight. “Because... I'm scared.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, at both the proffered letter and what her friend had said, before she saw the insignia imprinted on the wax holding the letter closed. “Oh...” Was all she said, eyes lighting up in understanding as she nodded quickly. “Of course; I'll get them all to come here as fast as possible. Do you want them to know why?” She asked gently, taking the letter and placing it delicately on the table next to her forgotten list. 

“No... it'd be better if I told them once they got here,” Rainbow said, allowing a small smile to tug at her lips as the letter was taken from her grasp, a weight going with it that she had been baring alone all morning.

Alone she was too weak. 

With friends she was more than strong enough. 

-_-_-_-

No more than half an hour later, Twilight had managed to gather all their friends at her library. While some had been hesitant to leave their jobs, she had insisted that it was important, and eventually they had caved and agreed to go with her. She wasn't sure how they would react to her dragging them away from their jobs for this, but Rainbow wanted them around when she finally opened the letter; she was merely an understanding messenger. 

Though if the conversations she could hear  coming from the living room were any indication, they were beginning to grow impatient.

“Alright, Rainbow,” she started, watching as the pegasus continued to eye the letter nervously, still sitting on her kitchen table “they're all here; it's time to open the letter and find out you've been accepted,” Twilight said with a smile, though she wilted when she saw the look on Rainbow's face.

“What if I lost? What would they all think of me? I don't know if it was such a good idea to bring them all here...” Rainbow trialed off nervously as she suddenly started second guessing herself, dreading their reaction to her failure.

“You won that competition; we all know you did. And even if you didn't, they would all understand, and they'll understand why you want them here,” Twilight explained with as much patience as she could, though Rainbow's constant lack of faith in her own abilities was beginning to bug her. It just didn't seem like Rainbow Dash; the pegasus that would normally be the first to show of any skill or achievement she had. But this? This nervous mare sitting at her table now was nothing like the pegasus she knew. 

“I'm not so sure, Twi... I just...”

“Rainbow Dash, I have had just about enough of this!” Twilight snapped, forcefully silencing Rainbow before she could berate herself any further, “you are the fastest pegasus in the world, the only one capable of doing a Sonic Rainboom, the only pony capable of of controlling yourself at the speeds you reach, and the Wonderbolts would be stupid if they didn't give you first place. Now go out there, open that letter, and announce to them all that you won!” Twilight finished her tirade with a smile that could only be called inspiring, and as Rainbow heard the confidence practically dripping from her voice, she too smiled a little. In one fluid motion she picked up the letter and strolled proudly out to face their friends, all of them ending their conversations as Rainbow walked out to them with Twilight following behind, still wearing a smile of her own.

“Alright guys, I got my letter telling me if I won or,” she paused, swallowing nervously, “lost. And I... I wanted all of you here for it.”

After a murmur went through the crowed as they all realized why they needed to be there, silence descended over the room. A few uncomfortable moments of awkward tension with Rainbow simply staring at the letter passed and, finally, Twilight spoke up from behind her.

“Go ahead,” she said encouragingly, smiling gently, “remember what I told you.”

Rainbow smiled and, with a final deep, calming breath, slid her hoof under the wax in one quick motion, breaking it across the middle and unsealing the letter. She flicked her hoof and the letter unfolded. Her voice shook as she read, from both excitement and nervousness.

“Dear Rainbow Dash,

We are pleased to inform you that you have scored top place in the competition, and are officially a member of the Wonderbolts. It was a unanimous decision by everypony on our board, and we are all excited to have you amongst our ranks. Report to our office in Cloudsdale on the first of August during business hours for the necessary paperwork and your official flight suit. 

Welcome to the team

-The Wonderbolts” 

Rainbow's hooves were shaking as she finished reading the letter, a huge grin split her muzzle as she lowered the paper to see the rest of her friends smiling along with her. A cheer of congratulations rippled through the crowed before they gathered around her, wrapping her in a gladly accepted group hug. 

Rainbow sighed slowly as she let her fear and tension melt out in the warm embrace of her friends. Why was so so afraid? Twilight knew she could do it and, deep down, she did too. Now, after the letter had been read and the group hug was just starting to break apart, she realized just how silly she was being. 

She felt her necklace bounce against her chest as the hug dispersed entirely. 

They all said their bit, congratulating her and saying a few words, before saying their goodbyes and leaving; they had been taken from their work, after all. Of course, they apologized for having to leave on such short notice, but Rainbow understood; she was just thankful none of them were mad at her for making them leave in the first place for this. Pinkie had even promised to throw a party that night in celebration, and they all agreed to meet up at it. 

Once her friends had dispersed back to the livelihood they had been taken from, she was left alone in the library with Twilight, who had once again returned to her librarian tasks. Rainbow continued to hang around the library quietly, reading over the letter a few more times just to make sure it was real. She felt silly doing it, realizing that she'd been more than capable of doing it all along, but seeing the words on the page, some hard evidence that she'd done it... it was comforting in a way. 

Almost as much as the silver lightning bolt around her neck. Almost. 

“No weather work today?” Twilight questioned suddenly, snapping Rainbow out of her thoughts. When the pegasus turned to look at her she was still intently focused on the list in her magical grasp, having spoken up more to break the silence than to start an actual conversation as she continue her task.

Taking advantage of the unicorn's distracted state, Rainbow carefully sneaked around, keeping just outside of Twilight's view, and came up behind her. Now she had a real opportunity for a prank, she just needed to know what exactly she was going to do. Lacking her supplies it couldn't be anything too complex, but simpler was almost always better. She could go for the classic 'BOO!' and make the unicorn jump a couple feet in the air, possibly even teleport a few feet away like she sometimes did when Rainbow really got her. That was always funny.

But she looked down, caching a glint of silver against her chest. She knew exactly what she was going to do.

“Hey Twi,” she called gently, attracting the mare's attention without scaring her. 

Twilight turned, lowering her list as she did, “yes?”

Rainbow wrapped her in a tight embrace, her wings joining in and closing around the unicorn. Twilight 'eep'd in surprise at the sudden hug, but didn't try to struggle out of it.

“Thank you,” Rainbow breathed quietly, holding Twilight close for a few more seconds before drawing back with and looking at her with a smile.

“For... what, exactly?” Twilight asked as she cocked her head to the side.

“For... well, for everything. The necklace, what you said to me, gathering the girls, and just... being generally awesome the past couple weeks. I was really worried about the Wonderbolts but... you really helped. So thanks,” Rainbow explained with a genuine smile. Not cocky, but still confident. A true smile that reached all the way to her eyes, shining brightly as the unicorn struggled to keep down a blush at the compliment. Being called 'awesome' by Rainbow Dash was a rare event to say the least.

“It was no problem, Rainbow, really,” Twilight said, smiling kindly as she put her list down on the table once again. “You needed help and you trusted me enough to tell me when you needed help, and you're the one that actually did it. I just helped push you in the right direction."

“Just take credit for once, will you?” Rainbow growled playfully, “if you hadn't said anything... I'd probably have never made it. I'd have been too scared to even compete, probably.” 

Twilight simply smiled, shaking her head. “I'm sure you'd have done fine without me, Rainbow,” she assured gently, to which Rainbow promptly sighed.

“Maybe, maybe not. I'm just really glad I didn't have to.”

> 3. Rumours
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter 3
Rumours

“Thirty pounds!” Twilight called excitedly, watching has Rainbow continued to do her wing-ups seemingly unstoppably. Her horn glowed with magic, matching the glowing around Rainbow's own body.

The wind blew gently over the grassy hill she and Rainbow occupied, the sun nearing it's zenith. The pegasus had been accepted into the Wonderbolts weeks ago, and since then she'd been training herself harder than ever for the day she went to officially become a member of the team. That day was less than a week away, now, and Rainbow continued to push herself, wanting to be the best she could be when the day came.

“Forty pounds!” Twilight called again, the magical glow around her horn increasing in brightness along with the aura surrounding Rainbow. 

Rainbow breathed out slowly as she felt the magic all around her press down harder, keeping careful track of her breathing as she continued to push herself off the ground with nothing more than her wings and a determined stare. Twilight's magic had become an integral part of her training; the magic being able to add the resistance she needed without putting too much strain on any one part of her body. Not to mention magic could do a lot more then simple weights could when she was actually up in the air. 

“Fifty pounds!” Twilight announced loudly, watching in awe as Rainbow's pace actually sped up the more weight was added. Every thirty seconds she added ten pounds of force to her magical hold, and still Rainbow was going strong. The weight didn't even seem to be affecting her at all. They had both agreed beforehand that Rainbow would stop as soon as it became too much, but it looked like that was going to be a while away.

“Sixty pounds!” Rainbow vaguely heard Twilight through her breathing. She was starting to grow tired, her muscles burning as she continued pushing herself. Last time they'd done this she'd made it all the way to ninety pounds. This time she planned on breaking one hundred. She kept her steely gaze aimed at the ground, watching as the grass swayed under her breath as she lowered herself and how it stood straight as she pushed herself back up. The smooth, fluid motion keeping her mind busy and away from the burning in her wings that was slowly intensifying. 

“Seventy pounds!” As Twilight called out the new weight, she herself began to feel sweat form along her brow. As much as this was for Rainbow's training, her magic got a good workout from it as well. She sat back on her haunches, the cool grass helping cool the her body as blood started pumping faster, counting off the seconds in her head and keeping her attention away from the dull throbbing in her horn, 

“Eighty pounds!” Rainbow was beginning to lose control of her breathing, on the verge of panting as she continued to push her self up then lower herself back down. The movements of the grass could no longer distract her from the burning in her wings. One upside of Twilight's magic was that her back wasn't under any extra strain like it would be if she were using normal weights. 

“Ninety pounds!” Twilight was breathing heavily as her horn continued to glow even brighter. She'd lifted heavier things, an Ursa Minor coming to mind, but never for such a sustained amount of time. She was beginning to wonder who would break first; her or Rainbow.

“One hundred p-pounds!” Rainbow could hear the strain in Twilight's voice as she reached her minimum goal. She could hear her blood pounding through her veins as she lost total control of her breathing, her lungs struggling to get the air they needed as the weight got stronger. She knew she'd have to stop soon or risk injuring herself, but she knew she could last a little longer.

“One... one hundred t-ten pounds!” Twilight could barely keep her eyelids open through the pounding in her head and the brightness of her horn. Through squinted eyes she watched as Rainbow continued to push herself, as shakily as that may have been. 

“Th-that's enough,” Rainbow panted finally, collapsing to the soft, cool grass. The glow around her body ceased instantly, and Twilight fell to the grass much the same way Rainbow had. They both lay silently for a while, struggling to catch their breath. Rainbow recovered first, standing on shaky legs and walking over to a nearby picnic basket, extracting two bottles of water before walking over to Twilight and placing one next to her head.

“Thanks,” Twilight panted, opening it with a hoof and greedily sucking down a few gulps of water, kept cold through the use of an enchantment that was proving more and more useful. 

“You look more tired than I am,” Rainbow chuckled, taking a large drink of her own water before continuing, “and here I thought I was supposed to be the one training.”

Twilight sat up, her breathing slowly beginning returning to normal as the burning in her horn started to recede. “Magic is just like any other muscle; it can be trained and it has its limits. This helps me just as much as it helps you,” she clarified, gently using her magic to hold the bottle to her lips this time. 

“You know, for a second there I thought I was gonna last longer than you,” Rainbow laughed, swallowing the rest of her water down in one big gulp before tossing the used bottle back into the basket. 

Twilight, taking a page from Rainbow's own book, laughed, saying “In your dreams maybe,” with a challenging smirk. Rainbow raised a surprised eyebrow as Twilight drank the last drops of her own water. 

“That a challenge Sparkle?” Rainbow asked, her tone leading to the conclusion that, if Twilight wasn't challenging, she was.

Twilight shrugged, continuing to smirk as she laid back on the grass. “Maybe.”

“You are so on. Next training session, we're gonna have a little contest,” Rainbow announced smugly, wearing a self-assured grin as she crossed her forelegs defiantly. “Your magic doesn't stand a chance,” she added after a second of silence.

Twilight couldn't help but chuckle into the calm, quiet hills. Rainbow looked at her indignantly, and Twilight only laughed harder. After a second of looking down at the laughing unicorn disapprovingly, Rainbow joined in, the joyous sound filling the peaceful air, travelling with the gentle wind all around them.  It wasn't long before Rainbow collapsed onto the grass herself, laying next to Twilight as they once again struggled to control their breathing. 

Eventually the sound of their uproarious laughter died away, leaving nothing to be heard on the quiet hill outside Ponyville. Together they sank into a comfortable silence, no words passing between them to ruin the serenity of the scene before them.

Suddenly, Twilight spoke up, her voice low and soft. “6 more days huh?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow breathed slowly, sitting back up on the grass, “it's all so...”

“Surreal?” Twilight offered, sitting up and smiling as Rainbow nodded in approval.

“Yeah, that. I've been working for this for so long, and dreaming about it for even longer. I just can't believe I finally made it,” she explained with a small, quiet sigh, looking out over the town some ways away.

“You worried about it?” Twilight asked slowly.

Rainbow looked over to her friend, sitting calmly on the flowing green grass, before looking away, back out towards Ponyville, and tapping her necklace with a hoof. “Nah, I got it in the bag.”

Twilight nodded with a smile, following Rainbow's gaze. Silence reigned over them once again for an unknown amount of time. Eventually, Rainbow tore her eyes away from the small yet bustling town, looking instead to the mountains in the distance. 

“I'll miss you girls while I'm on tour,” she admitted quietly. 

“How long are the tours?” Twilight asked softly. Had it not been for the complete and utter silence of the world around them, Rainbow would have had a hard time hearing what she said.

“I'll be out three months, back for two weeks – most of which will be spent on official training for our next tour – then we're back out again,” Rainbow explained, almost sadly.

“Well, we'll just have to make sure to make the time you're here extra awesome!” Twilight said enthusiastically after a second, a faint smile tugging on Rainbow's lips as her somber expression began to melt away. 

“Yeah. Knowing Pinkie she'll throw a party every time I come back. Hay, she'll probably throw multiple throughout the time I'm here to make up for the ones I missed,” Rainbow chuckled as Twilight gave her own quiet giggle. Though she fell silent a moment later, her eyes locking on something behind Rainbow's head.

“Twi?” She asked, watching as the unicorn's face twisted into an expression of worry. Rainbow turned around, seeing two pegasi in black suits flying down towards them. They stood from the ground, eyeing the stallions cautiously as they came in from the direction of Ponyville, landing with soft thuds on the grass in front of them.

“Miss Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash, I presume?” One questioned sternly. Rainbow briefly noted the Wonderbolts logo sewed to his uniform on the collar.

“That's us, why?” Twilight asked, taking half a step forward, putting herself between Rainbow and the stallions. 

“We're under strict orders to bring you both to Cloudsdale immediately,” the other said, his voice deep and rough much like the first one. They looked more like bouncers from some club in Canterlot than Wonderbolt employees.

“What's this about?” Rainbow barked, taking a step forward so she was on even standing with Twilight against the black suited ponies.

“Information has come to light and, while a full scale investigation is still underway, we have reason to believe you cheated in the contest to decide who would join the Wonderbolts.”

“WHAT!?” They both cried in unison, shocked that these stallions would even suggest such a thing.

“An investigation is underway, and your presence is required in Cloudsdale for official questioning. There's a chariot waiting in Ponyville,” one of them said, unfazed by their outburst, motioning for them to begin the walk back to town.

“Now hold on just a minute. Who the hay would accuse me of cheating?” Rainbow asked indignantly, even as the stallion started pushing her towards town gently, prompting her to start walking on her own.

“They wish to remain anonymous in case they're wrong to avoid a scandal, but so far they have compelling evidence they're right. Now please, come with us,” the stallion repeated. Rainbow opened her mouth to argue again, but Twilight spoke up.

“Just go with them; you didn't cheat and they'll prove it. Don't cause any trouble though. I'll see you when this is over,” Twilight assured. Rainbow sighed, hanging her head but nodding all the same.

“I'm afraid you'll have to come with us as well, Miss Sparkle, we believe you to be an accomplice and we need an official statement from you as well. Not even Celestia's Student is allowed to cheat,” one of the stallions informed her, much to her own shock and indignation.

“You can't possibly be suggesting I'd help her cheat on something as serious as a competition for the Wonderbolts,” Twilight asked. Her jaw fell open as the suited stallion nodded.

“Now please, come with us.” With that final insistence, Twilight exchanged one final look to Rainbow before walking beside her to town and the waiting chariot. 

“It'll be alright,” Twilight soothed calmly, leaning down to Rainbow's still hung head. “They'll see you did it without cheating.”

-_-_-_-

The walk through town was the longest walk of Rainbow's life. Her mind was blurred with conflicting thoughts and emotions. She'd never cheat, ever, and everypony knew that. Who could possibly have accused her and what evidence did they have? Had she not been allowed to do something that she'd done in her routine? Perhaps she hadn't been allowed to use the Sonic Rainboom? That didn't make sense; it was a trick just like any other, it wasn't her fault she was the only pegasus alive that could pull it off. But then why did they seem so convinced she'd cheated?

As she walked through the streets, she started to notice the disproving frowns on everypony's faces. All the ponies in the street stopped as she walked passed, staring at her and shaking their heads. Some were flat out glaring at her.

“What's going on?” She asked one of the angrier seeming unicorns they passed. She sneered at her. 

“Like you don't know,” she snarled, “everypony in town heard you cheated.”

Rainbow’s jaw fell open, her hooves stopping dead in their tracks as she stared at the unicorn before her. “I'd never cheat!” 

“Then why were these two looking for you?” Another pony spoke up, an earthpony stallion that looked just as angry with her as the unicorn.

“I didn't cheat!” Rainbow insisted loudly. Everypony in the street simply seemed to grow angrier with her.

“You ruined the good name of Ponyville!” One shouted.

“If you didn't cheat, why are you being hauled back to Cloudsdale?” Another asked. Soon the street was roaring with loud, angry questions. All of them had somehow got it in their heads that she'd cheated. She didn't even know how she could have cheated on a flight contest. A mob formed behind them, hurling insults at her as she hung her head even lower, hiding behind her mane. With no real defence and no solid arguments, all she could do for now was take it until this was all cleared up. It all still hurt, though, no matter how untrue it was.

Suddenly, it all went silent; the insults stopped, the hate stopped, it all just... stopped. Rainbow lifted her head cautiously, seeing Twilight glaring sternly back to the crowd behind them, her horn glowing as she kept both a force field and a sound dampening spell active around them. The stallions ignored the crowd and continued pushing them forward impatiently.

“Don't listen to them; we'll clear this up then they'll all see the truth,” Twilight assured quietly, gritting her teach as she maintained her spells and moved them with her. Her words did little to lift Rainbow's spirit.

Finally, after what felt like hours of walking, they reached the waiting chariot. Waiting next to them were four ponies Twilight and Rainbow recognized very well.

“Girls!” Twilight cried happily, allowing her force field and sound proofing spells to evaporate, the mob having given up a while back. She ran up to her friends, all of them wearing smiles at her approach.

“Twilight! What the hay is goin' on? These stallions came to town this morning and started looking for you and Rainbow, they said she cheated in that Wonderbolt contest,” Applejack exclaimed as soon as Twilight was within earshot, motioning with her hoof the the stallions that were now hooking themselves to the chariot destined to take them to Cloudsdale.

“We're not sure, but we're going to go and clear this up,” Twilight promised. She noticed Rainbow lift her head upon hearing that her friends hadn't lost faith in her. They still believed she was innocent, at least. Even if the rest of the town didn't. 

“Good. From the sounds of it the rest of Ponyville isn't taking it too well,” Rarity spoke up. A grimace of pain flashed across Rainbow's face as she remembered the town's reaction to her. 

“No, they certainly aren't,” Twilight growled, clenching her jaw in barely contained anger at the mob of ponies that had been intent on following them.

“Let's go,” one of the escorting stallions barked, signifying they'd hooked themselves up the the chariot and were ready to take the mares to Cloudsdale.

“We'll be back soon,” Twilight assured, climbing aboard. Rainbow followed a second later, waving weakly at their friends.

Even if they did sort this out, her reputation was already crushed; the whole town would forever have the lingering doubt in their minds that she had cheated, a rumour like this didn't ever disappear. Even if Twilight was right and they cleared this up and she kept her place as a Wonderbolt, she'd never hold the respect of anyone who'd heard the story of her cheating, no matter how false it was. 

The silver necklace bounced against her neck as the pegasi took off, carrying them high into the sky. Rainbow didn't even ask if she could fly along side them. Instead, she closed her eyes, placing a hoof over her silver lightning bolt and pressing it firmly against her chest.
> 4. Evidence
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter Four
Evidence

The chariot touched down nearly silently on the soft cloud ground of the pegasus city. The two stallions pulling the chariot had flown them right to the heart of the city, setting down directly in front on the Wonderbolt's main headquarters. The building looked more like the architecture of Manehattan than Cloudsdale; reaching high into the sky with clouds sculpted and smoothed to mimic the appearance of marble, a luxury material normally unavailable in the clouds.

“Cast your cloud walking spell,” one of the escorts commanded after unhooking himself from the chariot. He stood in front of the mares next to his partner as Twilight's horn flashed for a brief moment. When the lasts wisps of magic faded from her horn, she stepped out of the chariot and onto the clouds, now just as solid to her as any pegasus.  

“Come with us,” the other instructed, turning and leading the way into the large, ornate building. Twilight started following before realizing that she was the only one. Turning back, she saw Rainbow Dash, sitting stock still in her place, gazing out sadly at the building before them.

“Rainbow?” She called. Their escorts stopped and turned to look. The pegasus in question tore her eyes away from the building as she heard her name, looking towards the source. She quickly realized she had been left behind and stepped quickly down from the chariot, trotting to catch up before resuming her normal, subdued pace alongside Twilight behind the black suited stallions.

“What was that about?” Twilight asked quietly, tossing a glance towards the stallions to ensure they weren't listening. They appeared to be quite happy ignoring them as they continued down the path to the building.

“Nothing, it's just... this isn't exactly how I wanted my first time in this place to go...” Rainbow trailed off, watching as the doors came closer and closer.

“Don't worry; we'll clear this up quick, and the next time you come here it'll be as a Wonderbolt,” Twilight assured with a grin. Rainbow weakly tried to match it. Twilight couldn't hide her frown at the obviously forced attempt, but remained silent, confident the mare would perk up after this whole mess was sorted out. 

The stallions pushed through the large entryway, fashioned out of clouds made to look like grand, ornate doors. They opened inwards smoothy, and soon the mares found themselves being ushered impatiently into the building. It was becoming painfully clear to Twilight that these stallions did not think very highly of them.

The lobby of the building was something she'd expect to see out of Canterlot; a large, expansive room, at least two stories high. It was all made from the same, marble-copy-cat clouds, decorated with specially enchanted trimming. The potted cloud flower was scattered about the room, sitting on elegant furniture or even on shelves sticking out of the walls, adding a splash of colour to the mostly white interior. A large, decorative crystalline chandelier hung from from the ceiling, the light from the enchanted, glowing gems doing little to light the room. Most of the room's light came through the large, transparent windows from the sun beginning it's journey through the second half of the sky. 

They walked down a soft, carpeted isle in the center of the grand room, small sitting areas on either side of the path. The various cloud couches and chairs held the odd pony, though none of them paid any mind to the pair of mares walking through the building. At the end of the path stood a standard reception desk, behind which sat a very bored looking receptionist, slouched over the counter and resting her head on her hoof. On the table in front of her sat a book, though she looked up as they came closer.

“They're waiting for you,” she said simply, motioning to a hall extending from the lobby to their right. “last door on the left,” she added, before switching her eyes back to the book that was apparently more interesting. The stallions nodded in thanks and turned, walking quickly down the hall. With no other choice, Rainbow and Twilight followed.

The hall wasn't very long, the building itself getting most of its floor space from height rather than length or width. Doors were placed perfectly symmetrically along the hall, as were enchanted lighting gems fastened high on the walls, two gems between every door.

The walk, taking up less than a minute, was over before either of them really knew it. Twilight noticed that the whole time Rainbow had been looking more and more nervous, the observation bringing another frown to her lips.

“Hey, you know this is just a mistake, right? It's not like you actually cheated or anything,” Twilight said as comfortingly as she could, one of the stallions motioning for them to wait before slipping inside the left door at the very end of the hall. 

“I know,” Rainbow sighed heavily, sinking a little lower to the floor, “but rumours like this will never go away.”

“What are you talking about? Of course it will; once everypony realizes they were wrong everything will go back to normal and you'll be a Wonderbolt,” the unicorn assured. The other escorting stallion perked an ear up at their conversation, but kept an even face as he stood in front of the door waiting for his partner to give them the OK to enter. 

“No, it won't. You don't get it, Twi; I've gotten rumours like this started about me before. There will always be somepony who believes it, and there will always be somepony who will act on the belief. It was the same for Flight Camp, and it will be the same here,” Rainbow argued. Twilight opened her mouth to say something in return, but she was stopped as the door opened. The pegasus escort came out, nodded to his companion, then turned to them.

“Both of you are requested inside. Take a seat at the table,” one of them grunted, stepping aside from the door and allowing them to enter. They walked into the room cautiously, looking around curiously as they stepped free of the door that was closed behind them. Inside it was just like any other meeting room; a long table with numerous chairs sat in the middle, most of them taken up by official Wonderbolts representatives and promoters with the odd lawyer scattered about. At the head of the table sat Spitfire, flanked on either side by the rest of her flying squad. At the end closest to the door were two empty chairs, evidently waiting for Rainbow and Twilight.

Following the orders they were previously given, they sat in the chairs, waiting quietly for something to happen. For a time it was silent; nopony said anything, all of them just sat, looking at them and each other. Eventually, all eyes turned to Spitfire at the head of the table as she cleared her throat, flipping through a few pages of paper set on the table in front of her.

“Rainbow Dash,” she started slowly, speaking clearly and loudly with a voice that demanded rapt attention. “As you've been told, there has been some questions pertaining to your performance at The Next Wonderbolt contest. And, while an investigation is still underway, the evidence is not in your favour.”

“I didn't cheat,” Rainbow stated firmly when the silence that followed made it clear Spitfire was waiting for her to say something.

“We have a source who says you did,” Spitfire retorted, continuing before either Twilight or Rainbow could say anything, “and, while we are also investigating the source, so far they are credible.”

“And who is this source?” Twilight spoke up, her voice much more even and measured than Rainbow's had been. For once she was tapping into the vault of Canterlot Etiquette she had been raised on; proper speaking, performance in an important meeting, and, of course, how to properly defend one's self in a legal matter - she'd been bored one semester and had taken law studies on a whim. She'd never been happier with that particular decision than she was right now.  

“They requested to remain anonymous should they prove to be wrong,” Spitfire said simply, shrugging her shoulders.

“What? She has a right to face her accuser! You can't take that right away!” Twilight protested loudly, nearly standing from her chair. Spitfire matched her in both volume and tone.

“Miss Sparkle, this is not a court of law, and this is not a legal matter; we do not need to abide by those rules here. There are many understandable reasons our source wishes to remain anonymous, and as long as we find evidence to verify their claims there is no need for their identity to be revealed, is there?”

“Have you even considered the possibility that they could have an ulterior motive for accusing Rainbow of this?” Twilight asked, actually standing from her chair and leaning over the table. 

“Of course,” Spitfire said calmly, leaning back in her seat, “which is why we're having them investigated for any previous encounters with Rainbow Dash and any possibly grudges or vendettas.”

“Well?” Twilight asked impatiently, glancing around the room for her answer.

“So far no records of her even living in the same city as Rainbow Dash has been found. The first time, as far as we can tell, that she even saw Rainbow Dash was at the competition,” somepony answered, one of the advisers sitting at the middle of the table, ruffling his own stack of papers.

“And besides, Miss Sparkle, Rainbow Dash is not the only one being accused here; you are suspected of being an accomplice,” Spitfire added, “you may want to think about defending yourself as well. If this is proven, we can press fraud charges on both of you.”

“If I prove her innocent I won't have to worry about any of that. And how exactly did this supposed source see Rainbow at the competition? The other contestants and a select few of their friends and family were allowed to watch,” Twilight countered quickly, not noticing the awed look on Rainbow Dash's face.

Her downtrodden attitude had been completely blown away as soon as Twilight started talking. The passion, the fury that she spoke with was both something to admire, and to fear. Rainbow couldn't even take her eyes of the unicorn, leaning angrily over the table and challenging the captain of the Wonderbolts and her most trusted advisers, all without breaking a sweat! In her mind she knew she should be doing the same thing, defending herself along side Twilight, but she just couldn't; she was frozen in a state of shock at the unrivalled ability Twilight had to take control of a debate and steer it in her favour. 

“They were a relative of a contestant in the competition, yes, though the pony in the contest was in a different class from Rainbow Dash in the flight academy,” Spitfire admitted. Twilight grinned, easing back from her aggressive posture and sitting gingerly back in her seat, though she did not relax and remained on the edge of the cushion.

“They were related to a contestant?” Twilight asked, sounding almost smug. Spitfire nodded. “Then that's a motive right there! Rainbow came in first place in that competition; the source cannot possibly be unbiased!” She cried triumphantly. She hadn't made the case, but she'd made one point upon which to base the rest.

“True, but that point is only useful if no other evidence turns up supporting their claim. Which, so far, there is,” Spitfire said calmly.

Rainbow shook her head forcefully, snapping herself out of her mind and took the offensive before Twilight could. After all, she couldn't let her friend do all the work here. “And what evidence would that be?” 

Twilight smiled, finally seeing something from her pegasus friend other than moping. She'd created a spark; it was up to Rainbow to create the flame. She finally allowed herself to relax into her chair as Rainbow stood, taking her spot and waiting for somepony to present some form of evidence.

“According to our calculations, it should have been impossible for you to control yourself with such precision at the speed needed to create a Sonic Rainboom. And it is impossible to control the shattered light of the Rainboom without at least a little magical interference,” one of the board members explained in a stuffy, bureaucratic voice. 

“Check your calculations again, because everypony saw me going that fast,” Rainbow retorted quickly.

“You may have been going that fast, but the question here is whether or not you had magical aid from your unicorn friend,” Spitfire clarified, waving a hoof in the general direction of Twilight. “And the fact still remains that you shouldn't have been able to bend the light as you did.”

“I...” Rainbow trialed off, unsure of an answer. She didn't even know how she did it; how could she explain it while still upholding her innocence? Luckily for her, Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder and nodded calmly. Rainbow sat, and Twilight stood.

“You're correct; she could not have controlled the light created by the Rainboom without magical aid,” Twilight said. Rainbow frowned deeply; Twilight was admitting to helping her cheat?

Spitfire raised an eyebrow, but Twilight continued before anypony could speak up. “so she did have a magical aid, but not from an external course,” Twilight clarified quickly. She heard the shuffling of paper and the scratching of quills as the various board members started copying down her explanation to examine later. 

“The Rainboom not only shatters the visible light spectrum, but it also breaks the magic barrier; a very different spectrum. When the inherent pegasus magic all pegasi use to fly is strong enough, it begins to mesh and interact with the innate magic in the air. When the pegasus uses large amounts of energy, say, enough to create a Sonic Rainboom, the two magics combine and shatter as one, which in turn shatters the visible spectrum. This infuses every photon in the Rainboom with magic. Because Rainbow was the one to create the Rainboom, it was her magic that got infused, so it reacted naturally with her body and her magic. This allowed her to bend the magic released by the Rainboom. And, because it is bound to the photons, the light as well. Additionally, the extra magic in the air was absorbed into her body, giving her a temporary boost in skill, which in turn allowed her to exceed her previous skill level. Temporarily, of course. However, it was all using her own inherent magic and her natural abilities; there was no outside source, and therefore did not break the rules” Twilight finished her lecture with a smile, leaving most of the room in semi-silence as the Wonderbolt representatives struggled to copy it all down word for word. Eventually, the scratching silenced, and Spitfire took her turn.

“As interesting as that sounds, we haven't been able to find anypony who could explain the Rainboom. All we have to go on for right now is what you've just told us, and as you are suspected of being an accomplice, we have to take everything you tell us and have it fact checked. We doubt anypony will be able to confirm it, however, as Rainbow Dash is currently the only pegasus capable of it in all of Equestria.”

Twilight shrugged, “get it checked; it's all correct as far as I can tell.”

“Of course,” Spitfire started again, “that's not the only bit of evidence we have. There have been quite a few sources who confirm that they've seen you magically aiding Rainbow Dash's flight before.”

“For training!” Rainbow protested suddenly, eyes widening as she realized how her training sessions could be misconstrued to fit Spitfire's case.

Spitfire sighed a short, strangled sigh as she shook her head, “it's your word against ours on that matter, I'm afraid.”

Twilight opened her mouth to continue, but was silence by a knocking on the door. Spitfire waved to one of the board members sitting near the end of the table, who got up and opened the door. He smiled and allowed the newcomers in; the stallions who had escorted Twilight and Rainbow to the headquarters, and a grey coated unicorn stallion with a blue mane. Twilight's jaw nearly fell open as she watched the unicorn walk in and take one of the last free seats at the table. Meanwhile the pegasus stallions walked over to Spitfire and placed a stack of papers before her, one of them whispering something to her. She nodded and thanked him, after which they both hurried back out the door.

“Well, it appears we have some new evidence,” Spitfire called, bumping her hoof against the new papers added to her already impressive stack. Twilight's eyes remained fixed on the unicorn at the table. He took notice of her dumbfounded stare, and waved at her awkwardly.

“M-Mr. Flight?”
> 5. Proof
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter Five
Proof

Rainbow looked between the shock on Twilight's face and the unicorn she was staring at.

“Uh... Twi? Who's he?” She asked quietly, leaning towards her friend. If Twilight heard her she ignored her question, instead she turned to face Spitfire.

“You can't possibly believe-” Twilight asked in equal parts shock and indignation. She trailed off into silence as Spitfire nodded. 

“Twi?” Rainbow tried again. Still the unicorn ignored her.

“I would never do something like that!” She protested loudly. All she got was a wicked smirk from Spitfire.

“I'm sure you wouldn't; he's just here to make sure.”

“Twilight!” Rainbow just barely kept her voice below a shout as she glared angrily at Twilight, who turned and frowned at her.

“What?” She asked curiously. Rainbow motioned towards the grey unicorn that had entered the room mere minutes before. The fact that he still hadn't said anything was starting to get on her nerves.

“Oh, right. He was one of my professors in Celestia's school; enchantment, to be more precise. He's Magic Flight, the unicorn behind a lot of the enchantments in common use today, including the cloud walking spell I use to allow myself and the rest of the girls to walk up here. He specializes in pegasus and flight related enchantments,” Twilight explained quickly. Rainbow quirked her head to the side, still not understanding why Twilight had reacted the way she did. Twilight saw the gesture and grumbled angrily.

“They think I enchanted something that enhanced your flight capabilities. He's here to scan for any lingering traces of an enchantment,” she clarified. Rainbow's jaw fell open.

“What!? You can't possibly be suggesting I'd go that far to win some stupid contest?” She yelled indignantly, anger flaring up in her chest as Spitfire, who she had idolized nearly her entire life, simply shrugged. 

“It would explain everything you were able to do. But he's not the only thing I have,” she said, tapping her brand new stack of papers with her hoof. “These are statements collected from the friends you brought to view the competition.”

“Statements? You questioned our friends?” Twilight slammed her hooves down on the table, standing abruptly from her chair as all notion of Canterlot decency was thrown from her mind, “What the hay do any of our friends have to do with this!? Leave them out of it!”

“Please, Miss Sparkle,” Spitfire spoke up, leaning forward in her chair as she too raised her voice, adopting a stern authoritative tone, “contain yourself. This may not be a court of law but you will conduct yourself as if it were such! Now, we collected statements from your friends to verify the origins of that,” she said, throwing a hoof out and pointing towards Rainbow.

More specifically, the silver lightning bolt hanging around her neck. Rainbow reflexively brought a hoof up, pressing it against her chest and hiding it from Spitfire's accusing glare.

“None of your friends know where you got it; they all say you just started wearing it one day out of the blue, and never told them anything about,” she accused loudly, which prompted Twilight to take the offensive, taking Spitfire's glare off Rainbow and onto herself.

“I gave it to her,” she admitted, “for good luck in the contest.”

Spitfire lifted and eyebrow, “I hope for your sake that's all it gave her,” she muttered quietly, before raising her voice again, “Then you won't mind if I have Mr. Flight here scan for any performance-enhancing enchantments? We already now she was wearing it during the competition.”

“Go ahead,” Twilight cried defiantly, “I didn't place a single enchantment on that necklace, not even one to allow it to sit on clouds; it's a special type of metal with that ability already in it.”

Spitfire nodded towards Magic Flight, and he stood from his seat, walking around the table and coming to a stop in front of them. Rainbow looked at Twilight questioningly, but nodded hesitantly when Twilight gave her a reassuring smile. She delicately pulled the necklace up over her head and handed it to the unicorn standing before her. His horn lit up, a white-grey aura surrounding both his horn and the necklace, the silver bolt lifting into the air in front of them. The room fell to silence as he cast the spell, Twilight sitting back in her chair with a smile.

Magic Flight's horn flashed once, followed by a loud popping sound. Twilight's eyes grew wide as she leaned forward in her seat, staring at the necklace.

A second flash came a second later, followed shortly after by another pop. Rainbow watched nervously as Twilight's jaw dropped. The second pop left the room in total silence, all eye watching the spell being cast suspiciously.

Twilight was shaking as the third flash lit the room, the pop echoing about the silence as he ended the spell. The room was dead quiet, everypony had their eyes trained on the small silver necklace.

“That's... not possible...” Twilight muttered, nearly silently as she watched the stallion toss the necklace back to its owner before turning and facing the rest of the board. Rainbow quickly placed the bolt back around her neck, waiting to hear what he had to say. The look on Twilight's face didn't imply good news.

“There is a level thee flight enhancing enchantment currently active on this pendant. Certainly powerful enough to grant Rainbow Dash the abilities she displayed at the contest,” he proclaimed loudly, “From my knowledge of Twilight Sparkle's magical capabilities, she is more than capable of placing such an enchantment.” When he was done her turned and sat back down, the room once again filling with the scratching of quills as the various advisers and lawyers took notes.

“I... I don't... I didn't...” Twilight fumbled uselessly with her words, staring in shock at the apparently enchanted necklace. 

“Care to explain why a level three enchantment was placed on that 'good luck charm', Miss Sparkle?” Spitfire asked, smiling triumphantly. Though there was something more, something hidden behind her eyes. 

“I... I didn't... I didn't enchant it....” Twilight defended uselessly, the shock still coursing through her being. She looked over to Rainbow, who was simply staring numbly at the silver bolt around her neck. She wasn't the brightest pony when it came to magic, but she new enough to understand what had just been discovered.

“Did anypony else have access to it between now and when you gave it to her?” Spitfire asked. Twilight turned to Rainbow, silently asking for the answer she couldn't give.

“No...” Rainbow said quietly, looking between the necklace against her chest and Twilight, “Twilight was the only one who's had it aside from me.” Her entire body was numb as she stared between the two. There was only one explanation for this, and it was quickly dawning on her. The facts all lined up in a way she desperately wanted them not to.

Spitfire made a gesture towards the door, “leave us,” she commanded quietly, yet still sternly. The entire room silently started filtering out the doors. After a few minutes of quiet shuffling, the room was empty aside from Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Spitfire.

“I'm not going to lie to you,” Spitfire started, sighing as she leaned back in her chair, “I'm disappointed in you, Dash. I had hoped that all this wasn't true, I hoped that you had won fairly, I hoped the source was wrong. But this... this is conclusive, now. I have never been more disappointed with anypony in my entire life.”

“I didn't know...” Rainbow whispered, feeling tears come to her eyes as she realized what was going to happen next.

“I wish I could believe that,” Spitfire chuckled. A short, sad chuckle. “But we both know that's not true. I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash, but after the evidence I've seen today... you are hereby discharged from the Wonderbolts. You are banned from ever again entering to compete in our contests, and may not reapply to the academy. You'll be escorted off the premises and back to Ponyville.” Like a judge's gavel, Spitfire slammed her hoof down on the desk as she rose from the chair, sealing Rainbow's fate. 

“But I didn't know!” Rainbow shouted again, her eyes wet and her vision blurry as she struggled to keep herself together.

Twilight continued to sit in stunned silence. 

“Please, take what ever shreds of dignity you have left and stop denying it. I won't be pressing charges against either of you,” Spitfire said as she waled passed them, walking out the large double doors behind them. “Just leave now,” she called as the doors swung shut.

The room was heavy with silence as both Rainbow and Twilight sat numbly in their chairs, both of them too far gone in their own thoughts to even realize they were in the same room. Eventually, the doors opened again, and the same stallions in black suits that had brought them to Cloudsdale walked in, standing at rapt attention by the doors.

“We've been instructed to take you back to Ponyville. Please come with us,” one of them ordered. Both Twilight and Rainbow followed without question, allowing the stallions to guid them through the halls and eventually out into the open air of Cloudsdale, a chariot already waiting. 

After another prompt from one of the escorts, they boarded the chariot and were on their way back to Ponyville before either of them really new what was happening. Rainbow stared out the side of the chariot, pointedly looking away from the unicorn she was riding with as her mind finally began to process the information through her shock. Her mind brought her back, back into the small board room, back to the very moment it had all happened. Back to the very moment her dreams had been crushed.

A deep, dull ache filled her chest as Spitfire's words played over and over again in her head. The disappointment in her voice, the disdain in her eyes. It all hurt; it all hurt so much, and on top of it all she'd never be given another chance. Her one shot at her dream had been blown. Stolen from her.

By Twilight Sparkle.

The pain in her chest started shifting, shifting to anger; to rage. She hadn't known anything about the enchantment placed on the necklace. It had all been Twilight. Twilight had destroyed her dreams and any hope she had of reclaiming them. Twilight had helped her cheat against her will. Twilight... it all came down the the lavender unicorn riding beside her. There was no other explanation. Rage turned to hate as she was forced to remain so close to the pony who had cheated her out of everything.

The trip was over before either of them had managed to speak a single word. The chariot touched down roughly on the uneven cobbled streets of Ponyville town square. The sun was starting to dip behind the horizon  as they stepped off the chariot, the escorts quickly flying back into the sky and towards Cloudsdale. 

There was a few moments of thick, tension filled silence as both of them simply stared at each other, neither of them quite sure what to do. The square was practically empty, only the odd pony passing through on their way home after a long day of work. A few gave them an odd look, but didn't think any more about it as they continued on their way.

Eventually, Twilight found her voice. “I'm going to fix this,” she said firmly, eyes bright with determination as she looked back at the chariot disappearing into the distance.

“Don't bother; you did a pretty good job destroying it,” Rainbow shot back before she even thought about what she was saying. She didn't regret it, though, and once again found herself acting without thinking.

The surprise on Twilight's face was obvious. “W-what do you mean?”

Rainbow growled, her anger and hate overriding her shock and sorrow as she stared at the unicorn before her. The unicorn that had torn her dreams down brick by painful brick. “You know perfectly well!” She shouted, not caring who heard or what they thought. Her anger needed somewhere to go, and Twilight deserved every bit of it.

“Rainbow, you don't mean you actually think I would do that!?” Twilight asked in shock, clearly hurt that her friend would mistrust her on something as serious as this.

“Then who did? We're the only two ponies who've had the necklace, Twilight, and I certainly can't enchant it!” Here breathing quickened as adrenalin began coursing through her veins. She started seeing red as Twilight continued to try to make excuses.

“But I didn't! I'd never do anything like that!”

“Why should I believe you now!?” Rainbow yelled back, ignoring the pain on Twilight's face as she continued, “I trusted you! For so long I've trusted you with all of this! And this is what you use my trust for!?”

“I didn't do it!” Twilight protested weakly, her mind flailing as if it were being swept down a raging river, looking for any solid argument to latch on to. 

“You did!” Rainbow screamed, “Because of you I will never be a Wonderbolt. Because of you I will always be known as the one who cheated the one who wasn't good enough to do it one her own! You've ruined the rest of my life, Twilight. And for what? Did you think you were helping me?”

“Rainbow, you know that's not true!” Twilight gasped, mouth agape as her friend continued her angry tirade.

“So it wasn't to help me? Than what was it? Did you know this would happen? Were you trying to get me kicked out of the Wonderbolts!?” Tears were brimming in her eyes once again. “Was this all some kind of joke to you!?”

“No... Rainbow I... I would never...” Twilight trailed off, holding back tears of her own. Suddenly, Rainbow looked down at the silver lightning bolt dangling against her chest. In a fit of rage she snatched it in her teeth, tearing the chain off her neck and throwing it into the fountain in a single, fluid motion. It made a small splash as it broke the water's surface, sinking slowly into the crystal clear waters, the chain waving around it peacefully as it came to a rest on the bottom of the fountain.

“Never speak to me again,” Rainbow said quietly, forcefully putting an end to any argument by turning and walking at a swift trot across the square, disappearing quickly around one of the corners.

“Rainbow!” Twilight called, taking a few steps forward before stopping next to the fountain, thinking better of chasing her before she'd had a chance to calm down.

“It's alright, Twilight,” she assured herself, taking a deep breath, “she'll think it over and realize I didn't place that enchantment.... I hope.”

With her head hung low she began the journey back to the library, the determined glitter completely snuffed from her eyes. 

> 6. Aftermath
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter 6
Aftermath

Rainbow Dash never once looked back as she made her way quickly through the rapidly-darkening town. The sun was almost completely hidden by the horizon as Luna's moon began rising into the sky, signifying the beginning of night. She watched as the building's shadows grew longer and longer, extending out further onto the empty street she walked down. The occasional bit of golden light would spill out onto her from a window or from within a late-night shop as she continued her hasty journey through town, but she was the only soul visible on the road. The escorts had dropped them off in the middle of Ponyville, and her house was on the far side of the town's limits. 

Her wings ruffled at her sides, begging her to fly the remaining distance, but she ignored their silent pleas. Every feather and muscle in her wing had been trained and refined for one day becoming a Wonderbolt. Her entire body was built and conditioned for a dream she could never achieve. The feathered appendages were now nothing more than a painful reminder of that fact. The sky she once loved mocked her; she'd never be able to truly call it her own if she wasn't the best. And how could she be the best if she wasn't with the best? How could she call herself the best if the best had denied her?

So she walked. She walked to forget the pain and the heartache. She walked to leave the world behind her as she made her way through the deserted street in the sleepy little town that she had called home for such a long time. The shadow's began blending into the blackness of the approaching night, the light from within the buildings becoming more frequent and even brighter in contrast to the dark world outside as ponies began lighting their lanterns in preparation for the encroaching night. Some few houses were totally dark for those who liked to go to bed early.

Rainbow Dash knew she would be lucky if she got any sleep at all that night. 

Slowly the houses became farther and farther apart as she approached the edge of the town, eventually stopping altogether. The cobbled road became a dirt path as she crossed the hills outside Ponyville, her cloud house becoming visible in the distance. Before long she was directly underneath it, too lost in equal parts shock, rage and sorrow to fully comprehend the world around her. With a pained grimace she opened her wings, taking off quickly and flying up to her house. 

Wishing to spend as little time in the air as possible, she opted for a more direct route into her house than a door; through the floor. Extending her hooves out in front of her she shot through the layer of clouds holding her house aloft, the white fluff dissipating as she punched a hole clean through it. The cloud instantly curved back into the space, filling and erasing the hole from existence.

Rainbow ignored the hole closing behind her as she landed on the floor, her wings instantly closing into her sides as she began walking through her house. It wasn't big or fancy, but it was home. It was empty and lonely, but it was home. It was high in the sky that she could never again call her own, but it was home. 

She walked through the cloud structure slowly and solemnly, one goal in her mind; sleep. The day had been one big event after another, and the emotional and physical fatigue had finally caught up to  her. The sun's light was fully replaced by the moon's silvery glow as she reached her bedroom and slumped down on her bed, burying her face in the soft cloud pillow. Her eyes clenched shut as she struggled against her own body and mind's desire.

She lost the fight; a few solitary tears leaked through her eyelids, and that was all it took for her to lose control. She cried. She cried openly and freely into her pillow, the cloud instantly absorbing her tears only to be fed more as she wept on her bed.  She fell into a fitful sleep holding her pillow against her face.

-_-_-_-

Twilight stumbled through the front door of her home, the darkness of night being banished by the bright interior as the various lit lanterns and candles let loose their light around the front room of the library. Her mind was blurred with thoughts, too blurred to recognize the purple dragon looking at her worriedly from the kitchen door. 

“Twilight?” He called curiously, watching as the unicorn walked begrudgingly into the tree, shutting the door behind her and promptly falling to her haunches, leaning her head and back against the solid wood. 

“It just doesn't make any sense,” she mumbled, eyes reaching up to the ceiling as if searching for some all-powerful answer in the rings of the tree.

“Twilight?” Spike called again, a little louder as he walked out into the main room and approached the distracted unicorn. 

Twilight shook her head forcefully, clearing the mental fog of thoughts, and turned her eyes away from the ceiling, focusing them on the purple and green dragon looking at her curiously. “Hey Spike,” she greeted quietly, a weak smile adorning her lips as she pushed herself away from the door and onto her hooves.

“What happened?” Spike asked, motioning for Twilight to sit on one of the cushions in the living area of the tree. “There were two stallions in black suits here a few hours ago looking for you. Then, a little while later, they came back, saying you and Rainbow Dash had been taken to Cloudsdale for questioning regarding the Wonderbolts and they started asking a whole bunch of questions about the necklace she's been wearing almost constantly.”

“It's...” Twilight trailed off, unsure of how to explain her situation as she obeyed Spike's request and sat down on the plush, purple cushion. 

“What is it?” Spike asked, egging her on as he took a seat next to her on the floor.

“Complicated,” she finished slowly, cringing as she saw the deadpan glare her draconian assistant was giving her.  

“Really Twilight? You've been gone all day, a pair of black suited stallions ask a whole bunch of weird questions, and all you have to say is that it's complicated?” He asked rhetorically, “I already figured it was complicated. I want to know what was going on, not how convoluted it was.”

Twilight sighed, crossing her forelegs and resting her chin on them as she laid down. “It's been one big misunderstanding after another today. Somepony claimed that Rainbow cheated in the Wonderbolt competition, and that I helped her do it. And from there it just went... downhill,” Twilight explained, looking over to see Spike's wide eyes.

“They thought Rainbow Dash would cheat on something like that?” He asked incredulously. Twilight simply nodded in response. “What would you have to do with that? Did they think you enchanted that necklace for her?” Spike asked through a chuckle at the shier absurdity of the notion.

“There... was an enchantment on the necklace...” Twilight admitted quietly, so quietly Spike almost didn't hear her. His laughter died in his throat as he gaped at Twilight.

“You didn't...” he gasped, staring wide-eyed at the unicorn before him.

“I didn't!” Twilight protested loudly, shooting up from her prone position on the floor. “But... somehow there was a level three flight enhancer on that necklace,” she continued with a sigh, laying back down to the floor.

“Well, if you didn't place it, then it must have been the pony she got it from,” Spike deduced, scratching his chin with a claw thoughtfully, “so who gave it to her?”

“That's just it!” Twilight groaned, rolling over onto her back and staring at the ceiling, “I gave it to her! There certainly wasn't any kind of enchantment on it when I had it! And to make it even worse even she believes I put it there!”

Spike opened his mouth to respond, but slammed it shut a second alter, regarding Twilight with a skeptically raised eyebrow. “Did you just say that she believes you put it on the necklace?”

Twilight sighed, long and low, as she closed her eyes. “Yes; even Rainbow Dash thinks I placed that enchantment. When they dropped us off in Ponyville after questioning us she sounded like she wanted to kill me, before throwing the necklace into the fountain and storming off.”

“She can't seriously believe you'd try to sabotage her shot at the Wonderbolts can she?” Spike asked, a little surprised that Rainbow Dash would believe some ponies in fancy suits over her friend. Twilight's solemn nod, however, confirmed it.

“The last thing she said to me was that she never wanted to talk to me again.” Twilight finished quietly, frowning deeply as her mind brought her back to the exact moment in time. Her eyes grew wet as she remembered the look in Rainbow's eyes; the burning hatred mixed with a sorrow deeper than the deepest ocean. Despair was written clearly across her features, and Twilight hadn't been able to do anything to help. In the pegasus's mind, she was the one who caused that hurt. 

“What!?” Spike yelled, “how could she say that to you!?”

Twilight sighed again as she rolled back over onto her hooves. “Because of the enchantment on the necklace she was kicked out of the Wonderbolts and told she'd never be able to try to enter again. As far as she knows, I ruined her only chance at achieving her dreams.”

Spike frowned thoughtfully, silently mulling over the information he'd just been given. He was getting nowhere as he heard a long, tired yawn from beside him. He looked over, seeing Twilight struggling to keep her eyes open as she laid in the soft embrace of her cushion. 

“Well unless you have any better ideas, we're not going to be able to do anything about this tonight. Why don't you go to bed?” He suggested. Twilight looked up at him, smiling gently.

“I thought I was supposed to tell you when it was time for bed,” she joked, eliciting a chuckle from the dragon. 

“You used to, but right now you need sleep more than I do; you look like you've just come back from fighting a hydra.” 

“Yeah, I guess,” Twilight agreed, yawning again as she forced herself up from her cushion. “I just don't know what what I'm going to do about any of this. Even if I convince Rainbow I didn't place that enchantment, she'll still be out of the Wonderbolts.”

“Don't worry; I'm sure we'll figure something out,” he assured with a gentle, caring smile, before motioning to the stairs, “But you're no good if you're half asleep. Rainbow will come to her senses and realize you wouldn't do anything like that.”

Twilight nodded, walking over to the staircase to the second floor. She took the first few steps before turning, looking down at the dragon locking the door for the night. “I hope you're right, Spike.”

“I know I am,” He assured with a cocky grin that would suit Rainbow Dash more than himself. Twilight found herself smiling at the little dragon.

“And... thanks. I'm glad I didn't have to work through this on my own.” Twilight said gently before resuming her ascension to the second story and her bedroom.

“It's what I'm here for. Oh hey! Wait a second!” He called suddenly, running to the base of the stairs and looking up at the unicorn at the top.

“Yes?” She asked, curiously cocking her head to the side.

“You said you gave Rainbow Dash that necklace, right?” He asked, making her even more confused.

“I did...” she trailed off, unsure of where he was going with this.

“Why?”

“For good luck in the competition,” she answered quickly. Spike's interest only seemed to grow as he looked up at her.

“Really? And she actually wears it?” He watched as Twilight nodded slowly, “huh. I figured she'd only wear something like that if it were from her special somepony or something; she doesn't strike me as the jewelry type.”

Twilight shrugged, “I guess she liked it. Anyway, goodnight, Spike.”

“'Night Twilight!” He called as the unicorn, oblivious to the blush on her cheeks, went up the stairs and to her bed. 
> 7. Morning
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter 7
Morning

Rainbow Dash groaned as she felt the sun's bright morning rays piercing straight through her eyelids directly onto her sensitive eyes. She desperately tried to shy away from the intruding light, pulling her damp pillow over her face and rolling away from the window. Unfortunately, just as the intense burning left her eyes as she finished rolling over, she noticed a distinct lack of bed beneath her, and quickly found herself falling towards the floor. Too tired to properly react, all she could do was fling her wings open in a desperate attempt to slow her decent before slamming down on the surprisingly soft floor of her home, pillow still clutched against her face. 

Tempted to simply go back to sleep lying on her floor, she let out a long, tired sigh as she sunk a little deeper into the clouds she now found herself laying on. Made for structural support more than furniture, the floor was not quite as comfortable as the bed she had rolled off, but was still much more comfortable than most seats and cushions used by earth and unicorn ponies on the ground below. 

However, she was forced to pry the pillow from her face as a knocking sounded at her front door. Begrudgingly she opened her eyes, cringing as the bright light still streaming through her window tore into her sensitive retinas. The first thing she saw was the large wet spot on her pillow, the memories from the previous day filtering back through her mind at the sight. Caught once again between anger and sorrow, another round of knocks snapped her from her mind. 

She could just ignore the knocking. She could pretend she wasn't home; eventually whoever was at her door would get bored and leave, surely. Unfortunately, the pony at her door followed no such logic as the knocking continued, becoming more incessant as time passed. Grumbling she pushed herself to the floor to the tune of solid thuds against her cloud door, making her way slowly out of her bedroom and down a flight of stairs to the main level of her house.

“Coming!” Rainbow snapped loudly, the knocking getting the better of her nerves. As her voice faded, so too did the knocking, and she continued her journey in blissful silence. Until the knocking started again. 

“I said I'm coming!” She shouted again, rounding a corning into her front room, the door lying on the other side of the room. Groggily staggering across the room, she rubbed her eyes and yawned loudly before opening the door, cringing again as even more bright white light assaulted her eyes. For a second she could see nothing but bright white light and the vague shape of three pegasus ponies on the other side of the door. 

“So how's Equestria's newest Wonderbolt doing this morning?” One of them asked loudly just as Rainbow's vision started to clear. There wasn't a single trace of sincerity in his voice. As her eyes adjusted to the light, Rainbow recognized the stallions in front of her from the weather team. Three young stallions fresh out of school in Cloudsdale, having been assigned to Ponyville by their superiors. From the way she'd heard them grumbling, they hadn't been too happy with being assigned to her team If the crude smiles on their faces were any indication, they had no good intentions today.

“Nah man; she got kicked out before she was even in them!” The one on the right corrected, nudging the one in the middle playfully on the shoulder. Rainbow silently grit her teeth as they laughed at his joke. 

The one on the left sneered at her. “It's not like she'd have won without that enchanted necklace from her marefriend.”

“Can I help you guys with something?” She barked roughly, cutting them off before their snickering could even evolve to laughter. All three just looked at her for a second, catching the venomous glint in her eyes.

It was the one in the middle who found the courage to continue. “Help from a pegasus who can't even fly without magic? No thanks,” he laughed, the others regaining their confidence through his jeer and laughing along with him. 

“Get out of here,” Rainbow growled, turning her back on the stallions and taking a few steps into her house. 

“Why don't you?” The leader shot back, standing steadfast in front of the door with a mischievous smile. Rainbow stopped, perking an ear as he went on. “It's not like the rest of the town is going to want you here; you're little stunt's given the entire town a bad name. All of Equestria knows what you did,” he called after her. She heard something hit the floor behind her.

She turned, looking curiously at the object that had been tossed carelessly at her hooves; a newspaper. Rainbow stared uselessly for a second at the cover, before raising her head and glaring at the smugly grinning stallions. “Get lost,” she muttered, swinging out a hoof and slamming the door shut. Muffled laughter flowed through the door for a second as the stallions celebrated their victory and flew away. 

Rainbow continued to stare numbly at the newspaper before her, the mass of paper resting on the floor in front of her hooves. She ground her teeth against the tears fighting their way to the surface, closing her eyes and turning away from the news that all of Equestria would be waking up to. 

With an infuriated shout her leg shot out, connecting with the newspaper and sending it skittering under a table. Without thinking she took flight, shooting out her front door and flying high into the the early morning sky. She needed to get away, away from her house in the sky and the ponies on the ground. Away from the memories and feelings plaguing her mind, away from the hurt and the pain. 

She needed a friend now more than ever. One she could trust; one she could come to with anything. A friend that would stand beside her no matter what and would be by her side to the very end. A friend just as loyal as her. A caring friend that would drop everything to help her with anything.

She looked down, away from the light blue sky above her. She was already almost above the library. The library that she would so often come to when she needed a friend more than anything else.

Biting back her tears she forced herself to turn away from the home of her traitorous friend. No friend would do what Twilight Sparkle did to her. Instead she turned away from the town, away from the small houses and claustrophobic streets.

Instead of the cramped, cozy library she turned to sprawling, empty fields on the outskirts of town. To the wide-spread lands of apple orchards bordering the western half of the town: The fields of Ponyville's own Sweet Apple Acres. 

-_-_-_-

Twilight woke up to the peaceful chirping of the many birds that called her tree's branches home. The sweet songs drifting through her open bedroom window and caressing her ears as she slowly banished the fog of sleep from her mind. It was a brand new day marked by the rising of the burning sun already well on its way up into the sky. The golden rays poured in through the cracks in her blinds as she peeled her eyes open. 

From downstairs she could smell the undeniable scent of her draconian assistant’s best pancakes being made. The perfect breakfast for the night the unicorn had just had. Sleep had been anything but kind to Twilight Sparkle this night. Tossing and turning had been but one of many problems for the unicorn, among such others as nightmares. Nightmares of things that had already happened and were already coming true.

Nightmares of Rainbow Dash never accepting Twilight's word as truth. Nightmares of Rainbow Dash being permanently expelled from the Wonderbolts. Nightmares of the speedy pegasus's dreams crushed under the hoof of the very mare she had turned to for help. It was with a heavy heart that Twilight Sparkle raised her head this beautiful morning. With bloodshot and tired eyes she pulled herself from the warm, protective embrace of her blankets and pillows. 

She knew not what road she had to take to fix it all, but she new for sure it would be long. This problem was not one she could simply magic away, no matter how complex the spell nor how many books she read. This was a test, one she had not studied for. One she had not been given the topic for. A test worth 100% of her final grade. A test with only one question:

How do you fix this, Twilight Sparkle?

-_-_-_-

Spike hummed a merry tune to himself as he went about his morning cooking. The sound of pancakes sizzling on the pan and the smell of batter cooking filled his nose and ears as he watched over his cooking with a trained eye. Shutting out the world he focused solely on making this breakfast perfect; Twilight deserved no less on a day like today. Many times during the night he'd seen her wake up, or mumble the word “no” or Rainbow's name. It was clear that the events of the previous day weighed heavily on her mind, and if that was true then she would do everything in her power to set things straight.

Which meant starting with a hearty meal. One that he fully intended to provide.

With an experienced flick of his wrist the pancakes flew up into the air, flipping over and landing perfectly down on the pan on the opposite, uncooked side. The top was a delectable golden brown. His eyes were drawn away from his work by a quiet, tired 'good morning Spike' from behind him. He turned, smiling gently at the tired purple pony that had stumbled into the kitchen and was sitting down at the small table.

“Morning Twilight,” he chirped happily, “go ahead and help yourself,” he said, motioning to the stack of fresh pancakes already on the table. 

Twilight smiled gratefully, grabbing a stack of three large pancakes and putting them on the plate set in front of her. “These smell great,” she noted happily, taking a deep breath of the intoxicating aroma. 

“I hope so,” Spike started, flipping the final pancakes of the batch from the pan in his claw to the stack on the table. “I dove into the Canterlot cookbook for these bad boys.”

“Well it certainly shows,” Twilight giggled, stuffing a forkful of puffy pancake into her mouth, moaning lightly from the delectable taste. Spike sat in the chair opposite her, grabbing a stack of pancakes of his own and putting them on his plate before smothering them in syrup. The sound of a fork clinking against his plate soon followed, and quickly became the only noise audible in the small kitchen as the two ate the amazing meal with gusto. 

“Got any plans yet?” Spike asked with a mouthful of food, making Twilight shake her head in disappointment at his terrible manners.

“Spike,” she scolded gently, “what would Rarity think if she saw you acting like that?”

The reaction was instantaneous; he quickly clamped his mouth shut, chewed slowly, and swallowed silently. Rarity's name had a lot of influence when teaching him proper manners, as Twilight had found out long ago. He asked again, this time much more politely and properly.

“No, I don't, but I need to talk to her. I just don't now how I'm going to convince her. Or the Wonderbolts for that matter,” Twilight admitted with a sigh, setting her fork down on her empty plate. Spike frowned.

“Well I'm sure you'll think of something. Besides, she might be stubborn but she's not downright irrational; she'll listen to reason,” he reassured, giving his best most confident smile. She gave a light smile, but it did little to truly lift her spirits. 

“She might not; in her current emotional state... she might need more time...” Twilight trailed off. Spike opened his mouth to continue, but was silenced by a sharp and quick knocking on the door.

“I'll get it,” Spike volunteered quickly, standing from his chair before Twilight put her hoof out in front of him.

“No; it's all right. Finish your food and I'll get the door,” she said, getting up from her own seat as Spike sat back down and started making her way out of the kitchen and into the front room of the library. 

The knocking came again as she rounded the corner to the entryway of the library. “Coming!” She called as cheerfully as she could at the early morning visitor. Hiding her minor annoyance behind a happy smile, she approached and opened the door, her smile falling from her lips the second it swung open.

“R-Rainbow?”
> 8. Outcast
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams 
Chapter 8
Outcast

Twilight watched the kettle with a careful eye, waiting for the exact moment it would reach the perfect temperature for some nice, relaxing tea. Of course, she could just heat it to the perfect temperature magically, but that would be too fast for her liking. To be honest, even the slow way was looking like it would be over much too soon. Her thoughts circled and swirled around within her head, focusing mainly on the cyan pegasus currently sitting on her couch in the sitting area of the library. The mare hadn't said a single word since she arrived, answering any questions Twilight posed with nothing more than simple nods. After inviting her in Twilight had, of course, offered tea. Rainbow had nodded, and the unicorn had made a hasty retreat to the kitchen.

“Know what you're gonna say?” Spike asked, leaning against the cupboard calmly as he watched her stare intently at the tea pot. 

Twilight hung her head, sighing loudly. “No. I didn't expect her to come to me. Or even want to see me for at least a few days. I have no idea what I'm going to do,” she admitted.

“Hey; relax. I'm sure you'll think of something. Though I guess I should make myself scarce for a couple hours?” He asked with a knowing smile. Twilight returned it with a guilty one of her own and he nodded in understanding. “Don't worry about it; I get it. I'll be at Rarity's if you need me.”

Twilight watched her assistant walk through the kitchen to the backdoor with a grateful smile. “Thank you!” She called after him, to which he simply waved a claw and disappeared out the door.

The whistling kettle nearly made her jump out of her skin, her small shriek being drowned out by the high-pitched screaming. After taking a second to catch her breath, she turned the burner off and magically lifted the kettle from the stove, placing it on a tray with two cups, tea bags, and a small plate of cookies. Rarity had been rubbing of on her...

As she levitated the tray beside her she made her way to the door, the anxiety balling in her gut confirming her earlier fears; that was much too short a time to prepare.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself as much as she could, she pushed through the door and into the small, comfortable room. The sitting room, separate from the main library, had only a few bookshelves, containing a sparse collection of books. Technically a private portion of the library, the shelves were lined with what few books would not fit in Twilight's own room, and thus her least-favourite. Two comfy-looking armchairs and a couch sat, surrounding a low, wooden coffee table. On the far wall was a small fireplace, magically fire-proofed so that not a single burn marred the wood around or in it. 

None of this really registered with her, though; she'd seen it all before. What was demanding of her attention was the light blue pegasus sitting on said couch, stock-still and eyes glued forward out the window. Twilight set the tray down carefully on the table, placing a tea bag in each glass before filling them with water. She took her place on one of the armchairs, and held her breath.

Then, when nothing happened, she let it out. As soon as she did, Rainbow turned and looked at her, an emotionless mask covering her face as she stared blankly at the unicorn.

“I don't want to be here,” she said plainly, “but you're the only one left.”

Twilight stared at Rainbow Dash for a few long moments as a tense silence befell the library. Eventually, when she had grown tired of the thick blanket over the room, Twilight spoke; “Left of what?”

“Of Ponyville,” Rainbow answered mechanically, shrugging her shoulders at Twilight's quizzically raised eyebrow. “I'm sure you could probably guess you aren't the first pony I came to.”

“Well, yeah. To be honest I'm didn't think you'd want to see me for a few days,” Twilight responded with a nod.

Rainbow shook her head, chuckling emotionlessly before looking up at Twilight with a small, sad smile. “You still don't get it. It wasn't a 'give me some space for a while' thing. I meant what I said last night.”

Twilight simply nodded solemnly, biting her lip to keep herself quiet. With no proof she had no way to prove her innocence, and Rainbow was well past working with trust on this. Instead, she asked “so why are you here?”

“Because you're the only one who knows I didn't want to cheat on that exam.”

“W-what?” Twilight gasped, “what about our friends? Surely they believe you? It's not like any of them know what happened yesterday.”

Rainbow took a moment to regard the unicorn sitting across from her. She seemed genuinely surprised; had she really not heard yet? “You haven't read today's newspaper yet, have you?” Rainbow asked with a weak trace of dark humour in her voice.

“Well... no, now that you mention it I was very.... distracted this morning.”

“Here,” Rainbow started, reaching into the saddlebags that sat beside her on the couch, digging around for a second, “read it,” she finished, extracting a small pile of papers bound together by a length of twine and tossing it to the unicorn. Twilight caught it in her magic midair, hovering it gently over to her. She was about to take of the string holding it together, but quickly realized she didn't need to; they'd made front-page news. She didn't even need to read the full article.

On the top left was a picture of Rainbow Dash at the Wonderbolt Academy in full uniform, taking up half the page. To its right was the large, bold headline reading “Rainbow Dash: Super Speedy or Super Cheaty?” and below that was “First Wonderbolt to be kicked out for cheating on the entrance competition.”.

Twilight's jaw fell open as she forcefully turned her head away from the article, throwing the newspaper roughly onto the coffee table. Rainbow picked it up and slid it back into her bags. “Who would have known? I'm the very first one to cheat and win in that competition,” Rainbow chuckled darkly as she closed her bags.

“Rainbow.... that's...” Twilight trailed off, unsure what she could or even should say. Luckily Rainbow seemed more than willing to talk in her place.

“You wanna hear what you did to me?” Rainbow asked rhetorically. Twilight opened her muzzle to protest, but snapped it shut when the pegasus glared coldly at her. 

“I'll tell you what you did; you ruined me. My day started when a couple of stallions came to my house this morning on the way to their weather shift. Some snobby elitists from Cloudsdale. Like the pegasus version of Canterlot unicorn nobles. They'd been transferred to our weather division about a week ago, and were not happy about it. Well, to make a long story short they saw the article and decided to remind me of it,” Rainbow growled. Twilight covered her mouth with a hoof, gasping in shock that anypony could be so.... cruel. The pegasus continued after a short pause.

“After that... I wanted to talk to somepony. So I went to AJ's...”

-_-_-_-

Rainbow touched down roughly on the dusty dirt path just outside Ponyville, a cloud of brown particles being thrown into the air by her landing. A quick beat of her wings cleared the cloud, and she trotted forward quickly towards Sweet Apple Acres. Following the path along the wooden fence bordering her friend's property, she sped up her pace as she saw the gate on the horizon, just beyond it was the farm house. The sun was still just barely peaking over the horizon; Applejack should be going out into the fields soon.

Rounding the corner of the fence and walking through the open gate, she made her way up to the building the Apple family called home. She climbed the creaky wooden steps and knocked on the door, taking a step back and waiting anxiously. She wasn't really sure why she'd chosen Applejack, but it was probably for the same reason she hadn't landed until she was out of town; nopony would be out here this early in the morning. Nopony would bug her or laugh at her or even mention the newspaper.

She felt a frown pulling at the neutral line of her lips as the door was opened not by Applejack but by Big Macintosh. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her. 

“Hey, Big mac,” she said quickly, craning her neck to see behind him, “AJ in there?”

“Eenope,” he said with a firm shake of his head, before motioning out the the big red barn behind her, “should be gettin' ready for today's harvest in the barn.”

“Thanks Mac!” Rainbow called, already on her way to the barn. The look he'd given her was starting to bother her.

“AJ? You in here?” She called, pushing the large red door open with a hoof. It swung in easily, already unlatched and partially open.

“Who's askin'?” came the distinct country accent of her friend. Rainbow's frown started turning into a smile.

“It's me; Rainbow Dash,” she said, taking a few steps into the dim barn. In the low light she could just barely make out the farmer coming towards her, dragging  few empty baskets on a cart behind her. 

“Uh-huh. And what did ya' want?” Applejack asked skeptically, pushing past her pegasus friend and through the door into the light, wincing as the intense brightness assaulted her eyes.     

Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck nervously, not quite sure what it was she wanted. All she knew is that she wanted a friend to talk to, but about what she hadn't the foggiest. Twilight had always been able to- no! Enough of that stupid unicorn, she scolded herself firmly. “Well... I wanted to talk to you.”

Applejack stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Need me to help ya' cheat on another competition?” She asked in a deadpan voice. 

Rainbow froze, her jaw falling open as Applejack glared at her. “H-how did you-”

“It's all over the paper,” Applejack spat, “Everypony in Ponyville will be finding out soon.”

Rainbow shook her head firmly, running to catch up with the orange mare and skidding to a stop in front of her. “AJ! I didn't know I was cheating!”

Applejack looked at Rainbow with a bemused, and slightly annoyed, expression. “Right. Because you just so happened to get a necklace enchanted to enhance your flight and had no idea about it.”

“I didn't! AJ you gotta believe me! I had no idea that thing was enchanted!” Rainbow protested loudly, grabbing Applejack by the shoulders and looking her straight in the eye.

“Look, Dash, you're my friend and ya always will be, but... please; leave. I can't stand liars. Come back when you're willing ta be honest with me,” Applejack said with a sigh, hanging her head in disappointment as she continued pulling the cart into her orchard. 

“AJ! AJ I didn't know! Applejack!” Rainbow called, a hint of desperation in her voice as she watched her friend disappear among the thick trunks of apple trees. She remained still for several seconds, staring at where Applejack used to be, almost expecting her to come back at any moment and explain how it was a joke. She desperately wanted this all to be one big, elaborate prank. But when no such thing happened, she hung her own head and feel back onto her flank.

“Stupid Twilight,” she grumbled, kicking the dirt under her front hooves. “This is all her fault...”

Biting back her bitter tears she stood, making her way slowly out of Sweet Apple Acres and back onto the path into Ponyville.

-_-_-_-

“Applejack said all that?” Twilight gasped loudly. Rainbow simply nodded.

“Yeah; guess this newspaper is a whole lot more trustworthy than the school's. Didn't even give me a chance to explain,” Rainbow sighed, stretching out across the couch and folding her hooves behind her head. She continued, eyes fixed on the ceiling, “guess your little stunt did more damage than you thought huh? Did you know the newspaper says I asked you to enchant it for me? Guess you're more trustworthy than I am.”

“Rainbow I never-” Twilight started, a little indignantly, only to be silenced as Rainbow continued.

“After that I tried to think of somepony who would trust me over everything...”

-_-_-_-

Rainbow Dash stood nervously outside the wooden door of a small cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville. In the distance she could see the ever-looming Ever Free forest, and behind her she could hear the quiet noise of the town slowly waking up. The sun had just passed the horizon line and was rising slowly into the sky behind her. She raised a timid hoof, lowering it slowly against the solid wood door in front of her. It made contact with hardly a noise, the quiet wind rustling through the long grass surrounding the property louder than her actual knock.

“Come on,” Rainbow told herself, attempting to boost whatever confidence she could find. “It's Fluttershy; she'll believe you,” she affirmed, though the empty mailbox told her Fluttershy had already gathered her mail, which meant she'd already seen the newspaper. Things did not look good.

With a deep breath she pulled her hoof away from the door and shoved it forward more forcefully, clenching her eyes shut just before it made contact. However, instead of hitting a solid object, she felt it hit a soft, some-what squishy surface. Snapping her eyes open she stared at the butter yellow pegasus who's chest she had her hoof pressed against. She quickly brought it back and rubbed her neck nervously.

“Uh... hey... Fluttershy,” she started uncertainly. The yellow mare seemed to regard her curiously for a second before stepping to the side.

“Oh... Rainbow Dash... would you like to come in?” Fluttershy asked gently. Rainbow nodded, a hesitant smile spreading across her lips as she gladly entered her friend's home. 

“See?” She thought, “Fluttershy trusts you! Applejack just made a mistake; she'll come around!”

“I saw the newspaper...” Fluttershy started hesitantly, standing awkwardly in the entry way of her living room as she motioned for her guest to take a seat. 

Rainbow froze mid-step, panic flaring across her mind as she wondered if Fluttershy would believe her. “Oh...” was all she could say, not daring to move another inch or make another sound.

“I'm very disappointed in you...” the pink maned mare said quietly, almost sadly, still hovering by the archway connecting her front door to her living space.

Rainbow snapped around, stomping up to her pegasus friend and seething down at her as the shy mare shrank in on herself. “I didn't know!”She cried, wide-eyed and desperate as Fluttershy turned her head so her mane was between her and the very aggressive pegasus.

“B-but the paper s-said...” she trailed off into voiceless squeaks as Rainbow sharpened her glare and steeled her resolve. She didn't mean to hurt her friend, she really didn't, but she couldn't take this any more. Fluttershy had to believe her, right?

“It was wrong!” Rainbow defended loudly, leaning back just enough for Fluttershy to stand upright, but not so much she was out of her personal space.

“So... you didn't get kicked out of the Wonderbolts?” Fluttershy asked curiously, quirking her head to the side, wondering how the newspaper, the most trusted source of information besides Celestia herself, had gotten something so huge wrong.

Rainbow wilted, taking a step back; it was her turn to hang her head and hide behind her mane, or what little protection her short bangs offered. “Well I did get...discharged...”

“But... was it because of an enchantment on the necklace?” Fluttershy continued cautiously, advancing a step and scrutinizing Rainbow Dash carefully.

“W-well yes,” she admitted in barely more than a whisper. When Fluttershy adopted her motherly, disappointed look again she quickly stood up straight, “b-but I didn't know it was on the necklace!”

Fluttershy frowned deeply, “but... Then how did such an enchantment get on the necklace?”

“Twilight... it was Twilight that placed the enchantment. She didn't even tell me,” Rainbow said, turning her head down dejectedly.

“T-twilight?” Fluttershy gasped loudly, “why would she do something like that?”

“I-I don't know!” Rainbow shouted, falling back to a sitting position, looking deep into Fluttershy eyes for some hint that the pegasus believed her, “But I didn't have her place that enchantment and she's the only one who could have.”

“R-rainbow?” Fluttershy asked slowly after a moment of silent contemplation, scooting closer to her cyan friend and placing a gentle hoof on her shoulder, “are you sure you didn't ask her to place that enchantment?”

“What?” Rainbow shrieked, slapping Fluttershy's hoof away and standing aggressively.

“W-well... maybe you were just really nervous about the competition? And... maybe you thought you needed help to-” Before Fluttershy could even finish her sentence Rainbow was out the door, a chaotic wind current left in her wake as she bolted from the small cottage on the edge of the Ever Free Forest.

-_-_-_-

“Even Fluttershy?” Twilight asked in disbelief. Again the only response she god was a solemn nod. 

“After that... I didn't know who to turn to. Applejack hadn't even let me explain myself, Fluttershy didn't know what to think... even I was starting to believe it.”

They sat quietly for a few short seconds, before a deep, hollow chuckle emanated from the pegasus sitting on Twilight's couch. The unicorn looked over curiously, and somewhat fearfully, to Rainbow.

“Fluttershy didn't think you'd do something like that to me,” Rainbow noted through her empty mirth, “guess none of us know you was well as we thought. Not even Pinkie...”

-_-_-_-

Silence. All around was silence. Somehow worse than any noise that could be made. As far as Rainbow Dash could hear their was silence. The town was little more than a splotch on the horizon as she sat alone on an empty hill beneath a lonely tree. The sun, just under half way up to its zenith, was behind her as she stared out across the town. She could just barely make out the specs of the brightly coloured ponies going about their day-to-day lives, but not a single sound of the humdrum of life could reach her out in the solitary grassy fields outside Ponyville opposite the Ever Free. 

The quiet rang in her ears and her head as she leaned against the trunk of the tree; her solitary companion in the world of silence that reigned all around her. Her mind was clouded and her eyes were empty, but she was still there. All but forgotten by the life going on just out of earshot. And yet, at the same time, she was never forgotten fully; front page news was quite a big deal in such a small town. She'd made it for reasons that would follow her around for the rest of her time in Ponyville, even the rest of her life. She'd never get passed this; the humiliation, the pain, all of it. Everything Twilight had forced her to go through for a reason she didn't and likely never would understand. 

Suddenly, in the pure, blanketing silence, was a noise. A noise not quite like anything else. A noise of four hooves hitting the dirt path before launching back up into the air all in perfect sync before once again colliding with the ground. It was a sound Rainbow would recognize anywhere.

“Dashie?”

It was the sound of Pinkie Pie.

“H-hey Pinks,” Rainbow said as casually as she could, hastily wiping a hoof across her muzzle. Why was it wet?

“Dashie? What are you doing out here all alone?” Pinkie asked curiously, tilting her head to the side quizzically as she regarded the mare under the tree. 

Had she not seen the newspaper yet? Rainbow wondered idly, hopeful that she hadn't. “Nothing much; taking a break from training. I could ask the same of you, though; what are you doing all the way out here?”

Pinkie's eyes shifted to the left and to the right suspiciously, checking their surroundings for... something. She leaned her head in conspiratorially, Rainbow copying the motion and leaning close, not entirely sure what Pinkie was playing at. 

“It's a secret,” she whispered, before snapping her head back and regaining her grin, patting her saddlebags with a hoof. “But if I'm right tomorrow's cupcakes will be the best yet.”

“Sounds great Pinkie,” Rainbow said, giving her best fake grin, “have you been out all day?”

“Nope. Been out for two days; the in- thing I needed was really hard to get; I had to go all the way to Coltensburg to find it, but the cakes are expecting me to be back soon, so I better go. Bye Dashie! Good luck with your tricks; I'm sure they'll be super-awsome-mazing!” Pinkie chirped happily before returning to the path, bouncing happily back into Ponyville. She soon found a cyan pegasus keeping pace along side her.

“Mind if I tag along?” Rainbow asked, to which Pinkie nodded. She till had one true friend, at the very least, but what would happen if she saw the newspaper? No; that wouldn’t happen. She'd make sure it didn’t happen.

Time passed in relative silence for the two as they made their way back to Ponyville. Pinkie would occasionally blurt out a random fact or statement, which would strike up a small conversation but it would inevitably peter out before long. With fear and worry balling in Rainbow's gut she hardly even noticed when Pinkie said something, too focused on keeping her pink baker friend away from any possibly news sources. She trusted her friend, but she'd been burned by her trust before and if Fluttershy's reaction was anything to go by...

Before Rainbow even knew it they were outside Sugar Cube Corner. It was right between breakfast time and noon, so the bakery was all but deserted; only two ponies were in the building besides the Cakes. The little bell above the door rang happily as they entered, Rainbow half-hiding behind her energetic pink friend. She had little doubt that everypony in town had heard of her little blunder by now, and most of them probably had a pretty poor opinion of her right after receiving the news.

“Ah! Pinkie dear; you're back. Find those ingr-” Ms. Cake started cheerfully, but quickly found a pink hoof jammed hastily into her mouth.

“Careful; we mustn’t mention 'it' in front of outsiders,” Pinkie warned dangerously, motioning with her head to the other two ponies in the shop and the pegasus coming up to the counter behind her. Ms. Cake's smile visibly wilted when she saw Rainbow, but she kept a pleasant demeanour. 

“Ah... yes, you're right. Here; I'll take your bags, and-” Ms. Cake was, once again, silenced, but this time it was not by Pinkie, but rather Rainbow's frantic shout.

“Excuse me! Are you done with that? Good!” She chirped loudly, grinning down widely at the stallion sitting in a booth and enjoying a quiet snack to himself. He looked up from behind his newspaper suspiciously. Before he could even respond Rainbow grabbed the newspaper from his hooves and was out the door. She was back before anypony could even ask where she'd gone, and ignored the stallion's angry grumbling as he swallowed the rest of his coffee, threw the last bit of his doughnut into his mouth, and took his leave with a few more angry mutters.

Ms. cake frowned, before putting on a smile and turning to Pinkie, who seemed oblivious of the whole thing going on behind her. “Pinkie Dear, do you think you could take the... err... package to the cellar for me? Carrot should be down there; he'll tell you where to put it.”

The pink mare nodded happily and bounced back behind the doors to the kitchen, off to the cellar. Ms. Cake watched her go before leaning over the counter to Rainbow Dash. “I know what you're trying to do, you know. I've read the newspaper. I'm not one to judge, and I don't know the details or why you did it or anything about it and I certainly can't blame you for wanting to keep it from her, but she will find out sooner or later, and it'll be a lot worse for both of you then.”

Rainbow sighed, scuffing her hoof against the floor, “I know... but...” she started uneasily, before a bubbly pink pony came back into the room. “Hey Pinkie!” Dash said suddenly, brightening up instantly in the face of her friend.

“Hiya Dashie!” She chirped, as though it was the first time she'd seen her friend all day, “I took the package down to Mr. Cake, so we have the rest of the day to pull some awesome pranks!”

Rainbow chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof. Actually, if it's all the same with you, Pinkie, I'd rather spend the day just... hangin' out with you. No pranks or anything.”

Pinkie tilted her head at Rainbow's odd request, but shrugged it off. “Okie-Dokie-Lokie Dashie, what did you want to do first?”

“Well, how about we-” Rainbow stopped suddenly as the bell above the door jingled, announcing the arrival of a new pony. But what had shocked Rainbow to her currently frozen state was not the fact that there was a other pony in the shop. It was who that pony was; a small orange pegasus filly with a purple mane. With a newspaper carried in her mouth.

“S-scootaloo?” Rainbow stuttered out, watching as the young pegasus walked slowly into the bakery, tossing the newspaper onto the floor in front of Rainbow, the front page landing face up.

“Not awesome, Rainbow Dash,” the filly deadpanned, glaring coldly at the mare before her.

“Scootaloo! It's not true! I-I didn't-”

“What's awesome?” Pinkie chirped, having only been half-listening to the conversation. She swooped down in front of Rainbow, grabbing the paper in her hooves as her eyes rapidly scanned the first page. Her usual goofy grin slowly faded to a frown of disappointment.

“D-dashie?” Pinkie questioned, turning the paper so Rainbow could see the cover. “w-what is this?”

Out of the corner of her eyes Rainbow saw Ms. Cake frowning sadly. “I... it's... it's not true! It's... I didn't... I didn't know! I didn't know!” Rainbow insisted, looking desperately between Pinkie and Scootaloo. Neither of them seemed to believe her.

“Then why... why would the newspaper say such terrible things?” Pinkie asked, sounding almost as heartbroken as Rainbow Dash was when she'd first gotten the news. 

“I...” Rainbow stuttered unevenly as Scootaloo's eyes hardened to a glare.

“I don't need a big sister who cheats to get what they want,” the filly said, turning and walking back to the door.

Rainbow's heart broke again. “Scootaloo! Wait! Please; I can explain!”

Scootaloo whipped around, staring angrily at her former big sister. “Go on, then; explain.”

“I... I didn't know there was an enchantment on the necklace! Twilight placed it without me knowing! Please Scoot's, please, you have to believe me! I didn't know!” Rainbow pleaded, begged, even, as Scootaloo sighed, turning and continuing towards the door. 

“I didn't know!” Rainbow nearly screamed as the door shut behind the pegasus filly, the happily jingling bell mocking her as it rattled above the door. 

“Dashie... how could you? Twilight would never do something like that to anypony, especially not you,” Pinkie said, sniffling loudly. “Especially not you...”

Rainbow couldn't take it anymore. She launched herself out the door, flying high into the sky with a scream of rage and pain following her through the air. Her eyes scanned the horizon furiously, looking for something – anything – that could help alleviate the rage she felt. She found some relief in a small patch of clouds just outside Ponyville, her anger and frustration slowly being vented as she attacked the puffy white masses viciously. 

It wasn't enough.

As the last clouds exploded into mere vapour in her hooves she was breathing heavily, but still felt her anger burning within her chest. She pumped her wings furiously, screeching over Ponyville, continuing past the other side of town, past Sweet Apple Acres, past the point where Ponyville was nothing more than a spec on the horizon behind her. She doubled the strength of her flapping, and before long a bright ring of colour exploded out behind her. 

Then, when Ponyville could not bee seen and the lights of Manehattan were just becoming visible on the horizon, she started turning. Banking back around, she questioned why she was going back. She was an outcast, now; everypony thought she'd cheated, everypony was upset or disappointed in her. Why was she going back?

The answer, she realized, was because there was one pony there who knew the truth. One pony there who would never accuse her of cheating on that test. 

Twilight Sparkle knew the truth.

-_-_-_-

“After that... I flew around above your library for a while. I didn't even want to see you, but you were the last one left. I tried to go to Rarity's, but she wasn't home, and to be honest, after Pinkie's reaction, I didn't want to see hers. I even picked up that newspaper to remind myself what you did to me, trying to find some way to convince myself that I shouldn't see you. But... well, I guess you can see how that plan turned out,” Rainbow said, motioning to the library around her. 

Twilight was having trouble taking it all in. All of their friends had said and done such things over a  newspaper article? It just... it didn't sound like them at all. But Rainbow wasn't one to lie... All of them had said such things and Rainbow... Rainbow thought it was Twilight's fault.

“Rainbow... I... I didn't place the enchantment,” Twilight whispered weakly, though she flinched away when she saw anger flare up once again in Rainbow's eyes. Though the pegasus just as quickly forced it back down.

“The least you could do now is stop lying to me, Twilight,” Rainbow deadpanned, sending a cold glare to the unicorn.

Twilight, deciding it was best to change the subject, said “So what are you doing here? I'm sure you have more of a reason than telling me that.”

For the first time since her dreams had been crushed, Rainbow truly smiled. “You're getting me back in the Wonderbolts.”
> 9. Plans
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter 9
Plans

Dear Princess Celestia,

I have no doubt that you saw the headline in the newspaper this morning, about how Rainbow Dash cheated in the entrance competition for the Wonderbolts. The article held most of the details, so I won't go over them here. However, what I can tell you is that it's not true. None of it. I don't know how or why, but she was framed; I didn't place that enchantment nor did she knowingly use it to win the competition. I don't know if you can or will believe me, as I don't have any proof of this, but I have to ask you to. Especially when I get to the reason for this letter.

After it was discovered there was a flight enhancing enchantment on the necklace, Rainbow was immediately dropped from the Wonderbolts. While I have no idea where the enchantment came from, the newspaper assumes that I am the one who placed it, since as far as we're aware I'm the only unicorn to have come in contact with it. Even Rainbow Dash is convinced of my guilt. I can't blame her for blaming me, though; her life is in ruin. Everypony in Ponyville believes the newspaper article, and though they have not and will not take action against her, they are rather upset with her for doing such a thing. Even if the town and our friends believed her, she'd still have missed out on the dream she's held her entire life. 

It is with this information that she came to me earlier today, asking that I send this letter requesting you to pull some strings and get her back into the Wonderbolts. I now you cannot and will not do such a thing, but I promised I'd ask for her, and I learned the hard way not to break promises. She'd wouldn't take no for an answer anyway. 

However, while I know you would not do such a thing, I have a request of my own.

I need help. I know both Rainbow Dash and I are innocent, but nopony else does. I ask that you recommend something, if anything, that may be able to help me prove it. At the very least I want to convince Rainbow I didn't place the enchantment, because at least then she'd still feel like she has a friend left. At most... I want to prove her innocence to the Wonderbolts themselves, maybe give her another shot at her dream.

I hope you believe me and have some ideas that could help. Please write back as soon as you can.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
-_-_-_-

Drear Twilight,

I admit to being confused, and disappointed, when I first read the article this morning. I was concerned when I didn't hear from you before or right after, fearing that perhaps it was true and you were afraid to face me. However, I am glad to hear from you, and I can understand the delay with all that must have been happening for both you and your friend Rainbow Dash. 

As for you requests, you're right; while it is well within my power to force the Wonderbolts to take Rainbow Dash, the resulting impact on the trust my citizens have in me will be shaken. I cannot afford to play favourites for anypony, regardless of what they've done for this country or who they themselves have connections with. This is also the reason I cannot get involved directly with this matters. While I am an official in all branches of our government, including judicial, the Wonderbolts are not pressing charges and as such this case is outside my domain. I can't force them to investigate further if they have already taken action. 

But as for offering advice, there is something I can give you. The report says that there was an enchantment placed on the necklace, and since I doubt they would falsify evidence so blatantly for any reason, a unicorn must have placed it. There have been some recent developments in magic forensics that I think can help. As you now, each pony has their own unique magical aura that powers their magic. Previously the only way to identify an aura was to scan the pony the aura belonged to. However, a new technique was recently developed which allows a unicorn to identify the aura of another unicorn from an item they used their magic on. From my understanding, this magical imprint left on the item deteriorates over time, though, even when the magic was an enchantment. Once the aura decays completely, all that's left is ambient magical energy powering the enchantment. If you can scan the enchantment quickly enough,before the imprint is decayed, you can get the aura of the unicorn who placed the enchantment. Though there is not a way currently to then find the pony the aura belongs to unless you have previously scanned the unicorn, it is a start.

I've included a copy of the research notes taken on this area of magic along with the basic instructions for the spell that pulls and identifies the aura. 

I wish you luck in proving your innocence, 
Princess Celestia

Twilight smiled at the stack of papers held in her magic, bound together by a metal paper clip in the upper right corner. 

“Those the papers to get me back in?” Rainbow asked, laying across the couch and watching with semi-interest as Twilight looked between the letter and the stack of papers.

“Wait, that's what that letter was for!? Twilight, you can't actually believe Celestia would do something like that!” Spike protested, looking up at Twilight in shock. He'd arrived back at the library a half hour ago to find Twilight and Rainbow waiting with a letter for him to send. Celestia's response had come almost instantly.

Rainbow shrugged, eyes still towards the ceiling and her back on the cushions. “She has the connections. So what do I have to do?”

Twilight sighed, shaking her head slowly as she placed the papers on a table against the wall. “She can't get you back in, Rainbow,” she admitted, making Rainbow look down from the ceiling and over to the unicorn.

“Really?” She asked doubtfully, “The princess of everything can't get me on a stunt flying team?”

“Alright, let me rephrase that. She won't force the team to put you back on. The damage to her political reputation would be irreparable,” Twilight explained as Rainbow sat up, watching her carefully. “But what she can do is give us is a way to prove your innocence.”

“Prove my innocence!?” Rainbow yelled suddenly,  making Twilight jump and look over at her, “You could have done that back at the Wonderbolts! All you had to do was admit that you placed the enchantment without me knowing! All you had to do was confess! You can't clear my name, and you certainly don't want to.”

Twilight sighed sadly, “Whether you believe me or not, I didn't place that enchantment. I have a way  now to at least start proving that you're not guilty, and I'm going to do everything I can to do just that.”

Rainbow stood from the couch, stomping angrily up to Twilight, “Can Celestia put me back on the team or can't she?”

“She can't.”

“Then I'm done with you,” she spat bitterly, before turning and walking out the front door, slamming it behind her before taking off into the sky. 

Twilight hung her head low to the ground, tears brimming in her eyes as the echoing sound of the slamming door faded to silence. Suddenly, she felt something press into her shoulder gently. Her head snapped up to see the sympathetic smile of her draconian assistant. 

“Go prove it,” he said simply, patting Twilight reassuringly. 

The unicorn returned a tentative smile of her own, lifting her head towards the window to see a Rainbow trail leading off into the distance. A new feeling swelled in her chest, and though she didn't recognize it, she could feel her strength returning and growing. Head held high with a confident smile, she looked down once more at Spike.

“I have a few things I need to do. Think you can take care of the library while I'm gone?”

Spike waved his claw dismissively, “It's like I've never stayed home alone. Geez, Twilight; I'll be fine.”

Twilight smiled appreciatively, leaning down and scooping the dragon up into a quick embrace before turning and promptly following Rainbow out the door, walking down the street and turning towards town square. 

-_-_-_-

“Stupid Twilight,” Rainbow muttered, bucking another cloud to oblivion. 

“Stupid Celestia.” Another cloud met with her rear hoof, puffing into water vapour and spreading out into the air. 

“Stupid Wonderbolts.” This time Rainbow took on the largest cloud in the sky, punching straight through its center with a powerful flap of her wings.

“Grah!” An enraged shout left her lips as she tore the cloud apart from the inside out, leaving nothing but white wisps. 

At the rate she was going, Ponyville wouldn't be getting the rain it was scheduled for that night. But she didn't care. She didn't want to care. These ponies all thought she was some kind of cheating fake, so why should she care about them?

“Rainbow Dash! What the hay are you doing!? We need those clouds for tonight!” Somepony yelled from behind. Rainbow spun around, coming face to face with Cloud Chaser, one of the pegasi on her weather team.

“Just get lost,” Rainbow muttered, turning away from the intruder and starting to fly away until a hoof caught her shoulder. 

“What's up with you, Dash?” Cloud Chaser asked, “I saw you doing this exact same thing earlier today. At first I just thought we had too many clouds, but now I'm getting reports that we don't have enough and need to order more.”

“I said leave me alone,” she repeated, shrugging the hoof from her shoulder and continuing to fly away.

“If this is about those guys who showed up at your house this morning, I hope you know they're wrong,” Cloud called, making Rainbow stop dead in the air.

“H-how did you know about that?” Rainbow asked without looking back.

Cloud Chaser flew to catch up, stopping next to the cyan mare. “I was on my way to work when they showed up at your door, and I caught some of what they said. They are wrong, though; Ponyville doesn't want you to leave. If anything the town's more confused than anything. They just don't understand why you'd do something like that. Everypony in town knows how important the Wonderbolts are to you, and when you're not bragging about it they fully support you.

“They just feel like you betrayed their trust. We all had such high hopes for you, and most of us from the weather team wanted to go with you to the competition. When we got the news you were in... well, everypony in Ponyville was at the party,” she explained. “But when you were kicked out... they're all just confused, Rainbow. They don't really hate you.”  

Rainbow remained quiet for a few more moments, simply hovering in the air and absorbing what had been said. “I... I need time to think. Thanks, Cloud Chaser.” Before the grey pegasus could say anything more Rainbow took off, flying quickly towards her cloud home, leaving Cloud Chaser to clean up the hole she left in the clouds. 

-_-_-_-

“I hope it's still here...” Twilight murmured under her breath nervously as she approached the sparkling fountain in the center of town. This was where the necklace had ended up, she just hoped she wasn't too late.

She came upon the edge of the water somewhat hesitantly, fearing that somepony had seen and taken the piece of jewellery. She let out a sigh as she looked down into the water, the tension releasing as she saw the shimmering silver lightning bolt resting peacefully on the bottom of the fountain, as though waiting for its owner's return. Not wanting to add her own magic aura to the necklace, she had no choice but to reach in a grab it with a hoof. She leaned over the edge, looking around nervously to make sure nopony was around. Unfortunately, the square was rather busy; she wouldn't be able to get away with this without being seen. 

With a sigh she looked back down and thrust her hoof into the water, stretching out and reaching for the necklace. Her hoof swung underwater, searching for any piece of the chain that she could grab. When her hoof didn't hit anything, she leaned over further, getting her hoof as close to the bottom as she could.

She couldn't reach it.

“Oh you have got to be kidding me,” Twilight muttered, looking around to see a number of curious eyes fixed on her. Seeing no other alternatives and wanting to keep the aura left over from the enchantment as pure as possible, Twilight took one final, nervous glance at the ponies all around her, and jumped into the fountain.

A tremendous splash filled the air as Twilight landed in the water, her hooves touching down on the solid stone beneath her and the water rising up until her shoulders were just barely above the chilled liquid. Everypony in the square stopped what they were doing to turn and look at her, watching as she fumbled with her hooves for a second, searching along the bottom for the necklace. 

Her angry grumbling was put to a halt as her hoof found the silver bolt. She quickly grabbed it and hauled it to the surface, placing it on the edge of the fountain before jumping out herself, shivering lightly as the air met her damp lower half. A flash of her horn later and she was totally dry. Twilight looked around at the ponies staring at her.

“Show's over, folks; just needed something. Go back to your lives!” Twilight called, waving her hooves at the small group of ponies that had collected in front of her. When they didn't disperse, she sighed, magically altering her vocal cords. “I SAID GET LOST!”

All that was left was some dust and the sound of hooves galloping away.

Smiling to herself successfully, Twilight turned her attention back to the necklace in front of her. Using her hooves she somewhat clumsily hooked the chain back together and draped it over her head, letting it hang around her neck.

“Now let's get you home and see who placed that enchantment,” she said to herself, spinning around and walking back towards her library. However, before she made it very far she spotted Applejack, standing behind her apple stall and watching her curiously. 

Remembering what she was trying to do, Twilight galloped over to the apple stand.

“Applejack! Hey, do you have a second?”
> 10. Truth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter 10
Truth

Twilight flung the door of the library open, her shoulders sagging as she walked into her home. Spike came out from the kitchen, the smell of cooking food following him as Twilight closed the door behind her.

“Where were you? I thought you were just going to get the necklace. It's been hours!” Spike asked as Twilight trudged wearily into the main room of the library, sitting heavily on an arm chair and blowing out a long, slow breath.

“It's a long story,” she muttered, “what are you cooking?”

“Asparagus casserole, but you are not changing the subject; where were you?” He pressed, ignoring her obvious desire to rest in silence.

“Fixing things. Or at least I hope so; there's no telling what's going to happen next,” Twilight said, idly poking at the silver lightning bolt resting against her chest. 

Spike came out and stood in front of Twilight with a slightly fearful expression on his face, “Okay, I'm worried now; what did you do?”

Twilight sighed heavily, sinking further into the chair. “If you lie for the right reasons, is lying still wrong?” She asked, posing her question to the very air around her as she stared mindlessly up at the ceiling. “We'll find out soon. But it's nothing you should be worried about, just make sure dinner doesn't burn. If I'm lucky we'll have company.”

Spike was about to protest, but decided against it and nodded slowly. If there was anything really wrong she'd tell him about it. With that comfort in mind, he made his way back to the kitchen, returning to his cooking.

Twilight kept her gaze focused on the necklace hanging against her chest. “I hope I'm right,” she murmured quietly. 

As though on cue a sharp knock rang at her door, once again drawing Spike out of the kitchen. Twilight stood, waving for her assistant to go back to his cooking. “It's alright Spike; I'll get it,” she said, walking over to the door. “She's earlier than I thought she would be,” she added under her breath.

“Rainbow Dash,” she greeted calmly, stepping aside and letting the cyan pegasus into her house. Spike let out a gasp of understanding before scurrying back into the kitchen and taking out an extra plate before setting it on the table. 

“I had a couple visitors a little while ago,” Rainbow said, walking into the main room and sitting back on her haunches in front of Twilight.

The unicorn nodded, sitting a little distance away from Rainbow. “Oh? Who was it?” She asked, faking curiosity. Rainbow knew Twilight didn't really need to be told, but she played along.

“The girls, a couple other ponies around town, and even Scootaloo was there.”

Twilight's eyes widened in false surprise. “And what did they want?”

Rainbow, not wanting to play Twilight's little game, sighed and shook her head. "You can drop the act, Twi; the others told me."

Twilight sighed, nodding her head in acceptance. “How much did they tell you?” She asked, not meeting Rainbow's eyes as she scuffed a hoof along the floor.

“First they apologized for mistrusting me, which confused me. I finally got AJ to tell me about how you went around to all of them and explained how you placed the enchantment on the necklace without me knowing. Which, by the way, she's pretty mad about,” Rainbow explained, trying to catch Twilight's gaze. Unfortunately, the unicorn refused to look away from the floor.

“Yeah... she wasn't too happy when I told her either. I thought she was going to buck me in the face before she ran off looking for you to apologize...” Twilight trailed off, rubbing one of her forelegs against the other.

“Twi... look at me,” Rainbow prompted, bringing her hoof too Twilight's chin and slowly raising her head. She was met with minimal resistance as her eyes finally met Twilight's, before the unicorn's violet eyes quickly darted away from her.

“You didn't place that enchantment, did you?” Rainbow asked quietly. Twilight snapped her eyes around to face her, surprised Rainbow would ask such a question without further proof. Still, she asked, and Twilight could see the hope burning behind her eyes. 

“N-no... I didn't...” she said hesitantly, dropping her gaze back to the floor as she waited to be chewed out by the pegasus again for lying. When it didn't come, she looked back up to see Rainbow staring at her, her face unreadable.

Finally, she broke the silence, shaking her head slowly and saying, “I've been a crummy friend, haven't I?”

Before Twilight could properly form a response, she was wrapped in a tight embrace by the pegasus, cyan wings joining hooves and wrapping around the unicorn's body. She felt Rainbow rest her chin on her shoulder before gently whispering, “I'm sorry,” and promptly breaking down into quiet crying.

Twilight stood still in shock for a moment, before quickly reacting and adding her own two hooves to the embrace of legs and feathers. “I'm so sorry,” Rainbow repeated, shifting her head and burying her crying eyes into Twilight neck, replacing the pillow she'd used the previous night with the lavender unicorn. Twilight didn't mind one bit as she gently ran a foreleg down Rainbow's back.

“You must hate me,” Rainbow sniffled, not even daring to loosen her grip for fear Twilight would kick her out. Against all her fears, however, Twilight tightened the embrace instead f resisting.

“I don't hate you. I don't even blame you,” she assured quietly.

Rainbow drew back in surprise, looking up at Twilight questioningly for a moment, before chuckling quietly through her tears and once again resting her head on Twilight's shoulder. “Only you could forgive me after what I did, Twi. I did the exact same thing to you everypony else was doing to me. I was just too angry and stubborn to see it.”

Not knowing what else to do, Twilight stilled her hoof on Rainbow's back and said, “It's okay, Dashie; I understand.”

Rainbow felt her cheeks grow a deep crimson when Twilight called her 'Dashie'. Normally only Pinkie called her that, and it annoyed her to no end; it sounded way too girly for her liking. But hearing it now, coming from Twilight, it sounded... felt... comforting. With the mare’s hooves wrapped around her she didn't mind one bit. Still though, she had to ask.

“Dashie?” She murmured into Twilight' fur, closing her eyes and breathing deeply as her tears finally stopped fully.

Twilight felt her own cheeks grow a few shades redder as she realized what she'd said. “S-sorry, it just kinda... came out,” she explained sheepishly.

“It's okay; I kinda like it when you say it,” Rainbow admitted quietly.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Rainbow felt something brush against her that was not Twilight's own coat. Looking over curiously, she spotted a very familiar necklace. “Uh... Twi? Why are you wearing my necklace?”

“Oh, remember when I said Celestia sent me a way to prove my innocence?” Twilight asked excitedly, “I need this to find out who actually placed the enchantment”

“Oh that's great and all, but I have three plates and an asparagus casserole I cannot eat by myself,” Spike called from the kitchen doorway, watching as Twilight and Rainbow quickly separated themselves with an amused smirk before disappearing back into the kitchen.

Twilight was the first to fight down her blush, asking, “How about it; want some dinner?” With a pleasant smile, turning back to the still blushing Rainbow Dash. 

“Uh, y-yeah, sure,” she agreed somewhat nervously, still struggling against the heat in her face, turning to follow Twilight into the kitchen before stopping suddenly. “Hey Twi?” She called, making the unicorn stop as well.

“Yes?” She asked curiously turning back to face the mare behind her. She found herself once again wrapped in a hug, though this time it was much shorter and gentler.

“Thank you.”

-_-_-_-

“So let me get this straight; this spell will let you find out who touched the necklace with their magic, but not really, because you'll only know their aura-thingy?” Rainbow asked, staring uncomprehendingly at a sheet of paper containing various notes on said spell.

Twilight nodded, reading another page from the stack Celestia had sent her. “Pretty much.”

“But... won't the spell just detect it's own aura?” 

Twilight smiled brightly, looking up from the papers. “Apparently it detects and neutralizes the aura of the unicorn that's casting the spell. I wish I'd known that before jumping into the fountain,” she added under her breath.

“What was that?” Rainbow asked, looking up from the notes she'd never be able to understand as they were levitated away from her and back into the stack.

“Nothing. Now then, I think I understand the theory, so let's see if this works,” Twilight said, walking over to the table that held the very necklace that was the only way to prove Rainbow's innocence. She lit her horn, letting her magic gather and focusing it down to the right form for the spell she needed to cast. A bright purple glow sprung to life around her horn, flowing and weaving through the air and connecting in a solid-looking stream to the necklace. A ball of magic began forming around the small silver amulet, raising it off the desk and slowly bringing it up into the air as the glow grew even brighter.

With a final flash of light the spell was over, and there were two balls of magic floating in the air above the table, the necklace falling back down with a quiet tinkling noise. Each of the balls were encased in a near-translucent ball of purple energy, but even through the slight tint their colour could be clearly seen; one was a light grey, the other was a deep, reddish-brown. 

“Uh... Twi? There are two different... things...” Rainbow pointed out, watching as Twilight opened her eyes and observed the spheres for herself. 

“Huh... oh! Hold on, just lemme...” she trialed off as another look of concentration came over her face. The purple glow around the grey aura intensified slightly for a few seconds, before Twilight let out small hum of approval and the entire ball faded out of sight.

“Where did it go?” Rainbow asked curiously, looking around the room for any signs of the greyish magic.

“I let it dissipate; it was Magic Flight's aura from when he scanned for an enchantment. I'd recognize his aura anywhere, since we used to practice scanning auras on him back in school,” Twilight explained, bringing the remaining ball of magic for inspection. “This one, however, I don't recognize. We find its owner, and I'd be willing to bet we’d have found the pony who enchanted it.”

“That's awesome! So how do we do that?” Rainbow asked excitedly, circling the magical ball and examining it from all angles.

Twilight sighed, “That's just it; I don't know. We have the aura, but that's it. For all I know this could be from a unicorn all the way in Germane.”

Rainbow visibly wilted a little, but she quickly brushed it off. “Who cares who placed it? It's no one we know, so let's go to the Wonderbolts and prove it to them! They'll have to give me my spot back!”

“It's not that simple, Dash,” Twilight explained sadly, “All this does is prove I'm not the one who placed it. For all they know you could have gotten a different unicorn to place that enchantment for you. We need to find this unicorn; it's the only way.”

“But you just said we didn't have a way to find them!” Rainbow complained, sitting irritably back on her haunches and watching as Twilight shook her head sadly.

“Exactly; we don’t. But at least it's a start. We can narrow it down to motive, though; they'll probably be either close friends or family with a pegasus who was involved in the Wonderbolts competition. Either that or they're just a regular enchanter for hire, though there are quite a few of those...” Twilight trailed off, before glancing back over the the floating orb.  “Oh, hold on, if I keep it like this too long it's going to dissipate,” she said. Once again her brightened, as did the magic surrounding the sphere. The purple magic containing the reddish-brown aura slowly grew thicker, forming into a more defined shape. With a final flash of light, it congealed into a solid orb of magic-infused glass. 

“What did you do?”

“Something a bit more permanent. Now I don't have to hold it in my magic constantly and it won't dissipate unless I release it. It'll last as long as we need to find the unicorn it belongs to.” Twilight explained, setting the glass orb gently on the table next to the necklace it had come from.

“Great! So what are we waiting for? Let's go find that unicorn!” Rainbow cheered, flying over to the front door of the library.

“And how, exactly, do you intend to do that?” Twilight asked, catching Rainbow's tail in her magic before the excited pegasus could get out the door.

“Uh, I dunno, you seem to be able to scan ponies for their auras, so let's just start scanning!” Rainbow said impatiently, struggling against the magic holding her back. When it was clear Twilight wasn't letting her go she landed gently on the floor.

“Rainbow,” Twilight sighed, “do you have any idea how long that would take?”

The pegasus shrugged, “You scanned that aura pretty fast; I don't see what the big deal is.”

“That was pure aura; scanning it while still inside a pony is an entirely different level of spell. And even if I could scan them all that quickly, do you know how many unicorns live in Ponyville alone? It'd take me days to go through all of them here, never mind the couple thousand living in Canterlot. Then there's all of them in the other surrounding cities. It'd take me lifetimes to scan them all. Even if we narrow it down to those with either ties to Wonderbolt trainees or hired enchanters, there are still more than I can scan, not to mention it could have been done by a black-market enchanter, or somepony who doesn't actually sell their enchanting and was approached by whoever took the necklace to have it enchanted.”

Rainbow thought for a moment, before asking, “Wait, black market enchantment?”

Twilight nodded, “Yeah, there are a few unicorns talented with enchanting that sell their services to those who wish for illegal enchantments.”

“There are illegal enchantments?” Rainbow asked curiously, momentarily forgetting about her previous issue as Twilight sighed.

“Well there's always the more generic charms like poison touch, or the higher level version which causes near-instant death when a pony touches the enchanted item. We can't exactly let ponies go around preforming those can we?”

“No, I suppose not,” Rainbow agreed thoughtful, “But still! We could always get lucky and find the right unicorn!”

“Except that's technically a violation of their rights if we do so without their consent or a court order, and I doubt highly the pony who placed this would willingly give in to an aura scan,” Twilight explain, somewhat annoyed at Rainbow's thoughtless approach. 

“What if we got a court order?” Rainbow asked, trying to think of some way her argument could remain valid.

“Unless this is an actual legal case, I don't think we could get a court order, even with this evidence.”

“Well then what if you got Celestia to give you one? Surely she has that kind of power?”

Twilight rolled her eyes at the notion, “Right. How do you think it would look if the Princess of Equestria gave her student the ability to invade the privacy of any unicorn she wanted just to get her friend back into a team she had previously been kicked out of based on solid evidence?”

Rainbow opened her mouth to respond, before realizing exactly what that would mean for Celestia. “Huh... I guess you're right. So how are we going to do this?”

Twilight sighed, saying, “That's just it; I don't know yet. I just... I'll have to think of something. For the mean time, at least Ponyville isn’t as upset with you. It should have gotten around now that I was the one who placed the enchantment without you knowing, so you shouldn't have any more problems.”

“But you will,” Rainbow warned quietly. 

“I know,” Twilight said, smiling, “But for this, I'd rather take the blame than force it on you, since it really wasn't your fault at all.”

“But it wasn't your fault either!” Rainbow protested. “How do you think I'll feel now, knowing that they all blame you because I couldn't handle them blaming me and took it out on you?”

“It's alright Rainbow, really; I can take it. And it's only until we find the unicorn who did this. After that life can go back to normal. Well, except you'll be a Wonderbolt, of course,” Twilight assured confidently.

Rainbow shook her head in disbelief, before stopping and staring at the necklace on the desk. “Is the enchantment still on there?”

“Hmm?” Twilight asked, following Rainbow's gaze to the table. “Oh. Yes, it is; it's how I got the aura. Why?”

“Could you take it off?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight, unsure what Rainbow was getting at, simply complied, her horn lighting once again along with the necklace as she stripped the enchantment from the small metal bolt. “It's gone now. But why?”

Instead of answering, Rainbow reached over and picked up the lightning bolt, looking at it for a second before lifting it up and dropping it around her neck. “I can't be mad at the necklace, and since you're not the one who put the enchantment on it, I don't have a reason not to wear it now that the enchantment's gone.”

“Besides,” Rainbow added, “It reminds me of you, and what you've done for me.”
> 11. Stormy Nights
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter 11
Stormy Nights

“Who are you?” Twilight asked redundantly, staring intently at the swirly reddish-brown orb in front of her. She'd been sitting like this for the past ten minutes, ever since Rainbow Dash had gone home. 

“It's not going to answer you, Twilight,” Spike called from an unknown location. Twilight disregarded the comment.

“And how am I going to find you?” 

“Oh forget it. I'm going to bed,” Spike called again, this time Twilight could see him pass through the sitting room on the way to the stairs. “Good night.”

“'Night Spike,” Twilight responded distractedly. The aura continued to swirl around in its glass casing, as if caressed by an invisible wind only it could feel. Its many swirls and spirals were taunting her. Mocking her inability to find its owner. She would not be bested by some... some... magical gas! 

She was shocked from her thoughts as a high-pitched clanking rang through the room, as though something were hitting against her window. It could barely be heard over the howling wind, but it came again. Twilight turned to her window, watching to see if she could spot the noise maker. The noise came once again, but she didn't see anything hit the window. Curiously, she stood, making her way over even as the noise started coming more and more frequently, becoming louder and louder from more than just one window.

As she got to the window and peered outside into the dark of night, she realized what it was; hail. The small stones of ice were already littering the ground, giving the appearance of snow. The noise from earlier continued, growing louder and near constant as the tree was bombarded by the tiny pellets of frozen water. Only, they weren't so tiny; almost the size of golf balls and growing, the ice continued to rain down from the sky faster and harder every second.

“I thought it was just supposed to be a rainstorm tonight...” Twilight thought aloud, watching as a particularly large stone landed in front of the window, making a large indent in the soft dirt. Lighting her horn, Twilight quickly ran from window, placing an special warding spell for fear of the hail breaking through the glass. Only when every window in her house had been safeguarded against the hail did she allow herself to stop and once again look outside.

“I hope Rainbow made it home okay...”

As though on cue a loud thud that was decidedly not hail rang through the library, as though something had hit the tree, something big and something very fast. Sounding like it had hit just above the window Twilight was looking out, she pressed her face against the glass, trying to see above the window to whatever had hit her tree. She jumped back in surprise when something large fell past her window. Something about the size of a pony with a rainbow mane and- Rainbow!

Twilight looked down to the ground beneath the window sill, the cyan pegasus lying unconscious on the ground, her body continuing to be battered by the hail that didn't get caught in the leaves, now almost the size of pool balls. Twilight frantically dashed to her front door and threw it open without thinking. She instantly regretted it as the wind blew through the opening, pushing her back a few inches and forcing her to shield her face. A hailstone flew past her, barely missing her head and colliding with one of the bookshelves behind her. 

Swallowing nervously at the close call, she cast a force-field around herself and pushed her way past the wind into the storm raging outside. She could hear her books being thrown about in the chaos the wind caused inside the library, but she didn’t care as she ran around to the window and the unconscious form of her pegasus friend, the hail bouncing harshly off her magical shielding. 

As fast as she could she picking the pegasus up in her magic and brought her inside the protective bubble, straining to maintain her barrier against the hail and to lift the pegasus. She let out a sigh of relief as she rested her unconscious friend on her back, letting her magic once again focus fully on keeping the hail away from her and her passenger. 

She ran full-tilt back into the library, magically slamming the door behind her as soon as she was clear. She could feel Rainbow breathing against her back, which was good, but her lack of consciousness was worrisome. Carrying her carefully up the stairs, this time in her magic rather than on her back, Twilight took the limp pegasus up to her room and rested her gently in her bed. She took a moment to inspect the pegasus for damage; there were various scratches, no doubt from the branches of the library, and there was blood running down the right side of her face from a cut somewhere on her head hidden by her mane.

“What the hay happened to you?” Twilight asked rhetorically as she fetched her first aid kit from the bathroom. Bruises were already starting to show from the brutal beating the hail had given her.

-_-_-_-

Hail!? It wasn't supposed to be hailing! And even if it was, it wasn’t supposed to be this big!

Rainbow flew as quickly as she could through the large stones of ice trying to knock her out of the sky. Her wings had to work extra hard to fight against the wind and keep her from being hit. Why the hay was it hailing!?

She new she shouldn't be flying in weather like this; rain was one thing, but hail, especially when it was  this big, was a killer. One hit was all it would take to knock her out of the sky, or worse depending on how she landed. But where else could she go? Twilight's library was almost on the other side of town from her cloud house, and there was no way she was getting their without flying.

It hadn't even been five minutes since she left, and already she was seriously considering going back. She needed somewhere to wait for the storm to pass; that much was for sure. But could she really ask that of Twilight? After all she'd put the unicorn through?

Rainbow knew, in the back of her mind, that Twilight would never turn her away, especially in these conditions, but she couldn't help but feel like she was taking advantage of the forgiving nature of her unicorn friend. It was just the other day Rainbow was screaming at her and telling her she never wanted to see her again. She couldn't ask Twilight to do even more for her.

Rainbow's wings flared out suddenly, stopping her just as a massive hailstone flew past. She looked down, watching as the tennis ball sized chunk of ice crashed through a wooden bench below her. She swallowed nervously, looking down at the silver lightning blowing wildly in the wind.

Maybe asking Twilight to let her stay wouldn't be so bad...

She turned, flying her way back through the storm as fast as she could to get back to Twilight's tree. The wind was no longer fighting against her, allowing her to make progress much faster. Within two minutes the tree was already visible through the dense hail, a light still streaming through from the lower floor of the library. 

Sighing with relief, Rainbow allowed herself to relax a bit as she began slowing down to land in front of the tree.

Suddenly, she felt something big and heavy hit on the right side of her head, wrenching her neck to the side and forcing her body to follow.  She was unconscious almost instantly after the collision, just barely lucid enough to see the trunk of the tree rapidly approaching before she blacked out completely. 

-_-_-_-

Rainbow Dash groaned as she slowly regained consciousness to the blackness of the inside of her eyelids. The first thing she managed to process was the sound of the storm continuing to rage, though it was much quieter than it had been, sounding almost muffled. Though now it sounded like regular rain rather than hail, she still panicked at the thought of being outside in the undoubtedly terrible weather conditions. 

She snapped her eyes open, sitting up as fast as she could and throwing the blanket that had been covering her to the end of the bed.

Wait... blanket? Bed? Certainly not the hailstorm she remembered blacking out in.

“W-where...?” She muttered, turning her head to examine the room she found herself in. It was warm, comfortable, and filled with... books? 

“Glad to see you're finally awake,” a voice called from her left, a voice Rainbow recognized well.

“Twilight?” She asked blearily, turning over to face the unicorn sitting in a chair pushed up against a desk facing the wall. The unicorn herself had spun around in her chair, draping her foreleg over the back to face the pegasus currently in her bed.

Twilight smiled, “Looks like you took a pretty bad hit from a hailstone. Luckily the wind blew you straight into the library, otherwise there's no telling how long it would take for somepony to find you,” she explained, watching as Rainbow lifted a hoof and felt at the bandages around her head. 

“Yeah...” Rainbow trailed off, catching sight of a reddish glint on the desk, “You're still working at that? It must be midnight by now,” she said, motioning to the magically encased aura.

“Actually it's just past 12:30 in the morning; you've been out for a while,” Twilight corrected, before turning back to the sphere and a stack of papers next to it. “And yes; I'm still working on this. Not much point in having it if I can't work on finding out who did this.”

“It's 12:30 in the morning!?” Rainbow gasped, “Thanks for patching me up, Twi, but I should get back home,” she said, quickly pushing herself up and out of the bed. Or at least she tried, until a purple glow forced her back into a lying position.

“You're not going anywhere; not only is the storm still crazy, even if it isn't hailing, but there's a high chance you have a concussion,” Twilight said forcefully, effortlessly fighting against Rainbow's struggled as she kept her held firm against the bed.

“I feel fine,” Rainbow argued, stopping her useless struggling against Twilight's much stronger magic.

“For now,” she said forebodingly, “but I'm not taking any risks; you're staying in that bed, at the very least until the storm passes, and until I'm sure you don't have a concussion.” 

Rainbow humphed, sinking deeper into the bed and crossing her forelegs as Twilight's magic released her. “Fine, but where are you going to sleep? I'm kind of in your bed.”

“Oh that's alright; I didn't plan on sleeping much tonight anyway. I have a lot of work to do if I'm going to track down our enchanter. Besides, I need to keep an eye on you; it's a pretty common occurrence for those with concussions to not notice or come forward if they start suffering from some of the symptoms,” she explained, shrugging off Rainbow's surprised expression as she turned back to her notes.

“You weren't going to sleep!?” Rainbow asked, her voice coloured with disbelief. “Look, Twi; I get that you're trying to help, and I really appreciate that, but it's not something to lose sleep over.”

Twilight looked up from her work curiously. “It's really not that big of a deal, Rainbow; I'm used to pulling all-nighters for my studies.”

“I don't care;  I've caused you enough problems already, and I certainly don't need to know you're neglecting yourself to help me,” Rainbow protested loudly, adopting a defiant look as she stared at the unicorn sitting next to the bed.

“Whether I'm doing this or not doesn't matter; I still need to keep an eye on you after that hailstone you took to the head. Doing this will just help me pass the time. And besides that, it's never a problem for me to help one of my friends; you should know that by now,” Twilight explained, the sincerity in her voice only serving to make Rainbow feel worse.

“I still don't understand how you can call me your friend after some of the things I said to you,” she muttered. 

Twilight shook her head. “We've been through this already, Rainbow. Now, you're going to get some sleep, I'm going to make sure you're alright, and maybe make a little headway on this,” she said, motioning to the ball of magic before her, “and I don't want any complaints from you.”

Rainbow opened her mouth to continue her argument, but closed it when she saw the 'that's final' glare Twilight was giving her. She slumped into the bed, accepting her fate. “Fine,” she groaned, “but I’m telling you right now I'm ok.”

“I'll believe that when I see it, now sleep!” Twilight commanded as she lit her horn, her magical glow engulfing the candles around the room and snuffing all but the one on her small work desk, her quill once again being lifted in her magic and scratching against the paper as she took notes from various books.

Rainbow blew out a breath, shifting around to get comfortable in the unfamiliar bed. She laid silently beneath the blanket, listening to the steady, soothing scratching of quill on paper, mixed with the occasional pause to get more ink. It was a steady, methodical, soothing rhythm that Rainbow had grown accustomed to long ago when she had started spending more time with the lavender bookworm. 

So it wasn't that sound that was keeping her wide awake, nor was it the miniscule amount of light the unicorn was using to read and write. But rather, it was the simple fact that the unicorn was there, at 12:30 in the morning, doing something for her, while she slept in Twilight's own bed. The facts tore her apart with guilt; who was she to demand so much of Twilight? Who was she to force the unicorn out of her own bed so she could recover from a concussion she was positive she didn't have? 

“Look, Twi, at least let me use your guest bedroom in case you do decide to get some sleep tonight,” Rainbow insisted, already shifting to get out of bed. When she didn't feel Twilight's magic pushing her back down, she looked up to see the unicorn focused intensely on her work. Smiling slyly, she gently and near-silently crept out of bed, intending to sneak past her lavender warden and get to the guest bedroom just down the hall. Unfortunately, the second she was standing of her own accord, a sudden wave of nausea and dizziness washed over her senses, making her legs buckle and forcing her to cling to the bed she had risen from.

Twilight's head snapped around as she heard a low, pained groan come from beside her. She found Rainbow, barely standing, with one hoof hanging onto the bed for support and the other holding her head with her eyes closed firmly.

“Rainbow!” She admonished, levitating the now obviously concussed pegasus back into the bed, “I told you to sleep. You should be fine after a couple days, but you need plenty of rest to recover.”

The pegasus remained silent for a few moments, keeping her eyes shut firmly as she tried to fight of the nausea. Eventually, she managed a weak, “But what if you want to sleep?”

Twilight rolled her eyes, saying, “Then we can share the bed, but until then you need it more than I do and you're in no condition to get up yet. The more rest you get the faster your brain will heal. Now enough of your whining; I have work to do.”

Rainbow rolled over away from the unicorn in an attempt to hide the intense blush that had sprung up when she'd mentioned sharing a bed. Why was such an idea, that was clearly used as more of an excuse than a serious option, making her react so violently? Why was the thought so embarrassing? Why did she wish Twilight was being serious?

Shaking the thoughts from her mind, Rainbow sighed and shut her eyes, seeing no way to win this pointless argument. She rolled this way and that, trying to fall asleep in the more than adequate bed. Listening to the calming, steady sound of the scratching of a quill on paper and the low hum of magic. However, no matter how hard she tried, she found she still couldn't sleep while Twilight was still working.

“I'm not gonna be able to fall asleep if I know you're still up working,” Rainbow muttered, flipping onto her back and staring at the ceiling. Instantly the hum of magic died with he scratching of the quill.

“Oh for the love of Celestia! Fine; I'll get some sleep if it'll help you sleep. Now shove over!” Twilight commanded, pushing off of her chair and pacing over to the bed. Rainbow blushed heavily as she felt the mattress dip down and the blankets shift over, having not expected Twilight to actually share the bed with her. Apparently the unicorn was bound and determined to keep an eye on her, however, so she pushed herself as close to the edge of the bed as she could without risking falling off as Twilight slid in under the blanket.

Back to back with her pegasus friend, Twilight lit her magic and extinguished her candle. “Now goodnight,” she grumbled.

With the knowledge that Twilight was no long working on her behalf, Rainbow finally found a comfortable position in the bed, taking solace in the fact that Twilight too was getting some sleep. She allowed her eyes to drift shut, her guilt finally silencing as she felt the mattress shifting gently with Twilight's steady breathing. Before long she was asleep, her snores filling the darkened room.

As soon as Twilight was sure her bed-mate was asleep, she carefully eased her way back out of the bed, making sure to make no noise and shift the bed as little as possible. Once she was free of the blanket and had made sure Rainbow was still fast asleep, she made her way, slowly and silently, back over to her desk, where she re-lit her dim candle and resumed her research as quietly as she could.

She paused her quiet writing, glancing back over at the bed and feeling a pang of guilt at tricking the pegasus. Twilight sighed, turning back to her notes and the orb still sitting in front of her. 

“I appreciate the concern,” she mumbled quietly, “but this is more important to me right now.”
> 12. Hope
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter 12
Hope

Rainbow Dash awoke once again to the sound of a quill scratching against paper. Though this time, when she opened her eyes, she was not met with a dark and dreary bedroom, but rather a bright and sunny one as light streamed through an open window. She noted the delectable smell of pancakes and hay-bacon floating in the air as well.

“Twi?” She called groggily, sitting up from bed and scanning the room, though she already knew exactly where the unicorn was. Sure enough, just as her head turned to the left, she found Twilight, sitting at her desk with a quill in her magic. Rainbow noted the almost depleted candle sitting next to her with a small frown.

“Morning Rainbow,” Twilight greeted distractedly. Her voice was gruff, as though she hadn't had a glass of water in weeks. 

Rainbow was about to push herself out of bed when she remembered what had happened the last time she'd tried it. Deciding against risking that particular displeasure, she instead asked her questions from the bed, the first one to leave her lips being “How much sleep did you get?”

The sound of scratching stopped as Twilight sighed heavily. She was already feeling guilty about lying once; she couldn't bring herself to do so again. “I didn't,” she admitted quietly, quickly resuming her notes and theories as she waited to be yelled at for neglecting herself.

Rainbow shook her head in obvious disappointment. “What did I tell you? You're not to be losing any sleep over this; you've already done more than I ever expected you to.”

Twilight dropped the quill from her magic, turning in her chair and facing the mare in her bed. “And what if I wasn't doing this? You'd still be out of the Wonderbolts. Your dream would still be crushed. I can't just sit here and do nothing when I know what you've lost because of this. I told you I'd fix this, and I intend to keep that particular promise,” Twilight huffed, turning back to her work. She hadn't even picked up the quill when Rainbow spoke up.

“That doesn't mean you have to lose sleep over it,” she argued, “You don't have to put this over your own health!”

Twilight remained silent for a few moments, seemingly contemplating something. Eventually, she appeared to have come to a conclusion, and fixed Rainbow Dash with a determined stare. “No, but I have to put you above my health,” she stated firmly.

Rainbow's mind worked overtime in the silence that followed the unicorn's statement as she struggled to understand it. She didn't have much time to contemplate the true meaning of the words, however, as the bedroom door was thrown open. A large platter of food walked in, stalked nearly twice as high as the dragon carrying it with pancakes, berries, hay-bacon, and other assorted morning treats.

Twilight perked up considerably at the pot of coffee resting on one of the trays. She quickly lit her magic, lifting the heavy burden from her assistant's arms, who nodded in thanks as the food was distributed across the bed Rainbow was residing in.

“Thanks, Spike,” Twilight said, pouring herself a large, steaming cup of coffee and gingerly taking a few sips. 

“No problem, but next time, do you think you could come downstairs for it?” Spike replied, rubbing the pain out of his forearms.

“Sorry, but I didn't know if Rainbow would be ready to get up yet. While most of the time the serious symptoms of a concussion are gone in the first 24 hours, it's possible to take weeks or even months depending,” she apologized, watching as Rainbow stared in amazement at the buffet before her. Spike nodded in understanding before scampering back down the stairs to the dishes breakfast had made.

“Go ahead and eat,” Twilight prompted.

The cyan pegasus was very nearly drooling at the combination of the smells and sights, but managed to tear her eyes away to look at the unicorn quizzically. “Aren't you having any?” 

Twilight shrugged, “I might have a bit, but I asked Spike to cook that for you.”

Rainbow sighed. As much as she wanted to agree and dig in to the delicious looking food, Twilight had already gone a night without sleep because of her. She was not making the unicorn go without breakfast. “I'll probably eat most of it, so you go and grab what you want now.”

“It's fine, Rainbow, I-”

“No, Twilight,” Rainbow interrupted firmly, “It's not alright. You've lost a night of sleep over me already; I can't sit here and eat knowing you're not. So either make yourself a plate or I'll do it for you.”

Twilight huffed at the statement, but eventually relented and gathered a few items onto a plate of her own. She piled on only a single pancake, a few small pieces of bacon, and a couple berries. Rainbow watched as the sparsely decorated plate was levitated back to the small table Twilight was working at.

She turned and glared at the unicorn who she was convinced was on the verge of starving herself. “Bring that plate back here,” she ordered.

Twilight looked up, surprised, before complying. “Why? Is it too much?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes as the near-empty plate was placed in front of her. Instead of taking things off like Twilight had thought she would, she started piling more of the food onto it, ignoring Twilight's protesting. Once the plate was filled to the brim with food she leaned back, admiring her handiwork. 

“Now you can eat,” Rainbow said, nodding approvingly as almost half the food was levitated away on Twilight's plate.

“Are you sure? It's a lot of food and it was all meant for you...” Twilight trailed off as she saw the deadpan stare Rainbow was giving her.

“Either eat that or I'll cram it down your throat myself,” she threatened, stabbing one her her own pancakes with her fork and shoving the entire thing in her mouth, her cheeks bulging comically as they adjusted to the behemoth disk of dough.  Her stern glare never once left the unicorn beside her.

“Fine,” Twilight relented finally, albeit hesitantly, as she too started eating the food that was, as they were quickly finding out, delectable.

“Oh man,” Rainbow groaned, not even bothering to swallow the piece of unidentifiable food in her mouth. “Remind me to thank Spike for this. Maybe get the guy a ruby or something.” 

Twilight chuckled at the clear lack of manners, a display which would make Rarity run for the hills and might even make Applejack flinch. She chewed slowly, swallowing politely before responding, “Yeah. I should really do more for him; he works so hard...”

The room faded to silence after that, both ponies happy to simply eat in the company of each other. Eventually, though, when almost all the food was gone from Rainbow's plate and her stomach couldn't take any more if she tried, the peaceful silence devolved into that of an awkward pause as the clinking and clanging of forks against plates stopped. Finally, when Rainbow had had enough and the silence had grown too loud, she asked, “So... how's the aura thing going?”

She regretted it instantly as Twilight groaned. Loudly. “Nowhere,” she sighed, “I don't even know where to begin. Locator spells are easy enough, but the object being located needs to have been specially enchanted before hand to react with the spell. For a scribing spell I need an object of great personal value to the pony we're looking for. All I have is a tiny amount of their aura... I'm at a loss.”

Rainbow's lips twisted to a frown at the news, but she quickly replaced it with a proud, confident smile. “Hey, don't worry about it; I'm sure you'll find a way to find this unicorn. It's not like there's a deadline or anything; take as long as you need. That means no studying all night,” she added with a serious frown.

Twilight looked at her for a second, before letting out a quiet giggle. “That really bugs you, huh?” She asked, giggling again as Rainbow nodded sternly. “Alright fine; I promise I won't stay up all night studying again. Happy?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes at the sarcastic tone, but nodded anyway. “Yes, actually. I expect you to keep that promise, too. I don't need you losing any more sleep over this.”

“Fine,” Twilight sighed over-dramatically, though she was smiling. Rainbow too cracked a light chuckle at Twilight's tone.

“Anyway,” Rainbow started, “Can I get out of bed now?”

Twilight rolled her eyes as she saw Rainbow's wings fidget impatiently under the blanket. She lit her horn, levitating the used dishes from the bed and piling them neatly on her desk. “Yes, just give me a second,” she said, standing from her chair and walking over to the edge of the bed. Her horn once again lit with a magical glow as she placed it gently against the pegasus's forehead. 

“Uh... Twi?” Rainbow asked curiously as the unicorn's horn made contact with her fur. A warm, tingling sensation spread out from the point of contact across her head, wrapping around to the back of her skull.

“Shh,” Twilight shushed, closing her eyes in concentration, “This will only take a second.”

Rainbow complied, keeping her mouth shut as Twilight continued doing... whatever it was she was doing. True to her word, however, a flash of light filled the room a few seconds later, and when the light dimmed, she was sitting back, smiling happily. Rainbow looked at her, rubbing the odd feeling out of her head. “What was that?”

“Just making sure you healed properly. There doesn't appear to be any permanent damage and it seems like it's healed completely. Just keep an eye on yourself if you get any really bad headaches that won't go away or if you start having problems remembering things. If that does happen you'll want to see an actual doctor,” Twilight explained, backing away from the bed and gathering the small stack of dirty plates.

“You seem to play doctor just fine,” Rainbow noted under her breath, beginning to crawl out of bed, admittedly a bit more cautiously than she usually would have after what had happened last time. 

“What was that?” Twilight asked as she opened the door, the plates floating next to her, held aloft in her gentle magic.

“Nothing,” Rainbow said quickly, fighting back a mild blush, “Just talking to myself. I'll probably be pretty busy today after that hailstorm.”

Twilight nodded, accepting Rainbow's excuse as she made her way out into the hall and down the stairs to the main room. “Speaking of which; why was it hailing? I thought it was just supposed to be a normal shower last night?”

Rainbow chuckled nervously, rubbing her neck sheepishly. “Uh... I may have taken my anger out on a few too many clouds yesterday.”

Twilight stopped and turned to look at her friend questioningly. “What?”

“Well... after I'd gone to see the girls I was pretty angry, so I smashed up a couple clouds to blow off some steam. Because of that more sun got through, increasing the ground temperature, which is why it was hail instead of rain,” Rainbow admitted with a guilty smile.

Twilight rolled her eyes, continuing into the kitchen where Spike was busy eating what looked like a cross between a boulder and a salad. “Of course you did.”

“Look, the point is I gotta go clean it up and get chewed out by my boss, so I'll see you later,” Rainbow called, walking to the front door instead of following Twilight through to the kitchen. “And remember; no staying up all night studying. You'll figure it out eventually. Oh, and if you need any help with it, you know where to find me!”

“Napping, right?” Twilight called back knowingly, listening to a nervous chuckle come from her front room. “Good bye, Rainbow,” she added after a couple seconds of silence.

“Bye Twi!” With the final farewell out of the way Rainbow stepped out the door, closing it behind her before taking off into the sky. She did a single loop around the library before angling herself towards Town Hall, where a very angry District Weather Manager was sure to be waiting. 

Twilight listened to the shutting of the door, smiling happily as she started on the dishes she and Rainbow had used that morning. 

“A 'thank you for breakfast' would have been nice,” she heard Spike grumble out behind her, munching on his geode salad. She couldn't help but giggle.

“I'm sure she's very grateful, Spike.”

The dragon rolled his eyes as he swallowed his mouthful. “Yeah yeah, I know.”

Twilight paused her dish-washing to turn to her assistant. “How about this, once I'm done with these dishes we go out hunting for a couple nice big emeralds for you? I'm pretty sure I won't be getting any visitors today. At least not any that will want to be taking out books.”

Spike immediately perked up at the offer of one of his favourite gems, swallowing the rest of his salad in a single gulp before rushing up to her. “Hurry up and wash the dishes, Twilight! There a gems out there that need to be eaten!” 

The unicorn couldn't help but laugh at his typical antics as she resumed her washing. “In a minute, Spike. They're not going anywhere.”

“But what if they are? What if they get stolen by the Gem Thieves? They'll never have a proper home in my stomach then! Here; I'll dry, you wash,” he said, grabbing a towel and drying the dishes as Twilight cleaned them, putting them away just as quickly.

Twilight looked out her kitchen window. The ground was littered with small white specs, the once large stones now melting to the size of pebbles. The trees around town had taken a beating from the hail, but with such a large population of earthponies they should have no problem restoring them to full health. The sky was a bright, clear blue, the clouds having been withered away by the onslaught of hail the previous night, leaving a crystal clear view of the shining sky and burning sun. 

She had a brief thought about spending the day researching the aura, but pushed it out of her mind with what Rainbow had said; there was no deadline. She could spend one day with her dragon out enjoying the beautiful day.

A smile spread across her muzzle as she observed a rainbow streak flying away from Town Hall and over to one of the many farm on the outskirts of town, no doubt to get them the water they needed in the form of light, localized showers.

It was going to be okay. She'd find the unicorn who placed the enchantment, prove Rainbow's innocence to the Wonderbolts and get her back in. It was all going to turn out just fine.
> 13. Complications
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams 
Chapter 13
Complications

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since Twilight had taken the aura off the necklace for tracking down the unicorn who had enchanted it. It had been two weeks since Rainbow had accepted the truth. It had been two weeks since Twilight had told Ponyville she'd ruined Rainbow's career for some still-unknown reason. It had been two long, arduous weeks.

And she was no closer to finding the enchanter. 

No matter what book she read, what tests she ran, what she tried, she was still unable to locate their mysterious unicorn. 

The time was beginning to take its toll on both Rainbow and Twilight.

Twilight, the ever-dedicated and studious young unicorn was locked in her library pretty much every day all day, researching and reading and testing for hours on end. For the most part Ponyville was content to allow her to stay that way; the last they'd heard she'd destroyed her best friend's life, for a reason none of them could comprehend. The only time she pulled herself from her books were her daily visits from Rainbow Dash, the pegasus having made a habit to make sure Twilight was a least taking care of herself while working on a way to fix the problems Rainbow still saw as her own. When Rainbow was there Twilight allowed herself to momentarily forget about the puzzle placed before her. Instead she could once again enjoy life, something she'd not done on her own since taking Spike out to look for gems the day after the storm. Though Rainbow repeatedly assured her there was no deadline, she could see the pegasus's patience wearing thin.

Every day Rainbow came back to the library. It had started with her usual manner; flying in through an open window or through the upstairs balcony. While Twilight would have preferred her using the door, she didn't push the matter and had no real problems with it. However, after the first coupled days of no progress, Rainbow had started using the door, coming during business hours when the door would be unlocked and she could come in, where she would almost always find Twilight sitting at her reading desk, muzzle buried in the next book that may offer some useful bit of insight. 

However, the past couple days, Rainbow hadn't come in at all. Instead she stood at the front door and knocked. The change in behaviour worried Twilight to no end, but when pressed the pegasus would brush it off and insist Twilight take better care of herself and focus less on the Wonderbolts.

Rainbow Dash, while not at the library, was likely to be found either at work or in her home napping the day away. Her training sessions had been completely cut from her life since she'd been kicked out. No matter how much hope the aura discovery had given her, she still couldn't bring herself to train again. 

Her friends were all worried about her, thinking she was going into depression from the loss of her dream. Which was probably right, but Rainbow refused to admit or see it. What confused her friends, however, were her daily visits to the library. They'd all had some unpleasant things to say about the town librarian when they'd first heard of her betrayal, and had offered Rainbow their support. For the first couple days none of them really knew where Rainbow was, just that she always claimed she was busy when they tried to get together. One day, however, Rarity had seen Rainbow fly in through the library's window, smiling brightly as she dove through the small opening. When questioned about it later, Rainbow had simply flown away – back to the library.

Within the walls of the tree, she'd discussed convincing their friend's of the truth with Twilight. While Rainbow was positive it could be done, Twilight wasn't so sure. Bringing up the argument that they'd already told their friends Twilight was guilty, and attempting to change the story would only raise more suspicion and lower the chances of them believing it. Besides that, the unicorn had said, AS great as it would be getting along with their friends again, she needed all her time and effort to be focused on finding a way to fix things. According to her, their friends would be nothing but a hindrance at that point in time, and she didn't want to spare the time to try convincing them, time she would much rather spend researching.

Rainbow had been unwilling to keep up the lie, her guilt weighing heavily on her mind and soul, but Twilight would not budge on the matter. She still didn't understand why the unicorn was so adamant on keeping their friends out of it, but she was sure Twilight had a good reason for keeping them out of the loop that she wasn't willing to say, and she'd allowed herself to leave it at that. The likely hood of them believing just Rainbow was next to zero after the first time she'd gone to them, so she relented and refused to answer any questions their friends posed about her daily trips to the library. Eventually they learned to stop asking, and not too long after that Rainbow had begun secluding herself to her home when not at work or Twilight's library. 

Her seclusion had many ponies worried, including herself. Not even Rainbow herself fully understood her desire to be alone, but she knew she didn't like it. She just didn't have the energy or will power to do anything about it. The only thing keeping her going to Twilight was a feeling she had yet to place her hoof on. it was an odd mix of guilt, dedication, and something else. While she pondered over her reasons for her self-imposed seclusion and her new feeling, time had continued to pass. Her patience wore thin, and the hope she'd gained from discovering the aura was drying up. What little hope she had left of restoring her former title and dream of being a Wonderbolt was silenced by the soul-crushing dread of never again fulfilling her dream. The fear that whoever had enchanted her necklace would never be found. 

Now, two weeks later, her hope had finally run dry when Twilight had informed her that she was stuck running in circles with her research. Faith gone, nothing was left in the young pegasus's mind but directionless anger and sorrow.

“I don't know where else to look!” Twilight nearly yelled, slamming another book closed under her magical influence. “No tracking spells or locating spells can tell me how to track using aura. There hasn't even been any further developments on the subject. Old spells, new spells, experimental spells, nothing!”

Rainbow sighed heavily, sinking into the couch as she watched Twilight rummage around her bookshelves for a text she had not yet scavenged. “Still nothing?” She asked rhetorically.

Twilight froze when she heard the tone carried in Rainbow's voice; flat. Hopeless. “Don't worry, Rainbow; it's just a minor setback. I'll have you back in the Wonderbolts before you even know it.”

“If you say so,” Rainbow grumbled in reply, sinking further into the cushions of the couch. 

“What's the matter?” Twilight asked, turning away from her work and frowningly deeply. “You're not usually so... mopey.”

“It's just...” Rainbow paused, searching for the words to describe how she felt. “I don't even know what the point is anymore. I mean, Ponyville is convinced you ruined my life and wants nothing to do with you, the Wonderbolts already kicked me out with no chance to try again, and you're stuck on this research. And even if we do find the unicorn who enchanted it, what will that accomplish? For it to hold any ground they'd have to confess to Spitfire, and even then I'll still have cheated in the entrance competition, and there's no guarantees they'll let me try again, at least not until next year.”

“You can't think like that!” Twilight protested firmly, temporarily abandoning her work to come over and sit on the couch next to the depressed pegasus. “Focus on what happens after we find the unicorn; we can prove this aura came from them easily enough, and the only plausible reason for them to have had the necklace would be to the place the enchantment. At the very least we have a strong circumstantial case, enough so that Spitfire would be a fool not to give you another shot. And even if you have to wait until next year's contest, so what? Everypony will know you were framed, and life will go back to the way it was before, only you'll be a Wonderbolt.” 

Rainbow batted idly at the silver bolt hanging around her neck as she sat up, making room for the unicorn to sit on the couch. Letting out a breath of air, Rainbow responded with, “How can you be so sure? Maybe the only reason I won... maybe it was because...” she trailed off hesitantly, but she'd said enough.

“Rainbow!” Twilight gasped. “You can't possibly think you only won because of some enchantment!”

The pegasus didn't answer, instead opting to turn her head away and gaze out over the shelves coating the library walls.

“Rainbow?” Twilight called in concern. Still she ignored the unicorn next to her. “Rainbow, please; look at me,” she repeated, a little firmer, but still to no avail.

“What if I couldn't do it without the necklace?” Rainbow whispered shakily.

“That's not true and you know it,” Twilight stated firmly, forcefully grabbing and turning Rainbow's head around to face her. She was shocked to see the dark trails running down her cheeks. “You know it's not true,” she reaffirmed quietly.

Rainbow sniffled, shaking her head out of Twilight's grip and once again turning away, bringing a hoof up to wipe the tears from her eyes. “But what if it is?” She stressed. “What if I'm only as good as that enchantment?”

“You are the most amazing flier I've ever seen, Rainbow, and I've seen the Wonderbolts preform,” Twilight started, smiling and placing an encouraging hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. “You're the only pegasus capable of preforming a Sonic Rainboom. You're the Element of Loyalty. You've helped save Equestria more times than anypony knows. You've done things most ponies couldn't even dream of. You are the fastest pegasus in the world, Rainbow, and the Wonderbolts should feel honoured you'd even want to join them. You don't need an enchantment to do anything/”

Twilight's encouraging speech and hopeful smile was met by Rainbow shrugging the lavender hoof from her shoulder. “You're just saying that to make me feel better, like any 'good friend'; you don't actually mean any of it.” 

In an instant of confusion, anger, and concern, Twilight dd what came naturally to her after being told such a thing. Some base, primal part of her brain took over, and she was powerless to stop it. She lifted a hoof, reeled back, and sent it flying forward, connecting with Rainbow's jaw and emitting a loud smack as Rainbow's head was wrenched to the side by the sudden, unexpected impact. What lasted less than a second felt like forever as Twilight watched herself, as though she was in slow motion, punch her best friend square in the jaw. Even as the shock registered in her mind at what she'd done, Twilight was unable to stop the words that came next. “Never say that again!” She struggled to keep herself from screaming and alerting the dragon napping the day away on the upper floor. “I would never lie to you, ever!”

Rainbow was snapped from her self-deprecating thoughts by the surprisingly painful blow. The pain coursed through her muzzle, her face twisting to a grimace as she reached a hoof up to the spot where she'd been hit. She turned her wide eyes onto the pony who'd struck her, now looking just as shocked she she was. 

“R-Rainbow...” Twilight gasped, leaning herself away from her friend out of fear she'd do it again. “I-I'm s-so, so sor-”

The pegasus shook her head firmly, knocking loose whatever had jammed when Twilight hit her. “No... no, I needed that. I'm sorry I said that; I know you wouldn’t lie. It's just... it's so hard for me right now. I mean, it's been two weeks, and I'm not even sure if I could do it again if they gave me the chance.”

“You didn't need to be punched!” Twilight protested, appalled at her own actions, as reflexive as they were. 

Rainbow laughed. “Hey, don't worry about it; I'd have punched me too. Though... you hit pretty hard for an egghead,” she noted, rubbing her chin tenderly.

“Oh Rainbow, I'm so sorry. I didn't do any damage did I?” Twilight asked fearfully, craning her head around to make sure the pegasus was fine. Rainbow swirled her tongue around in her mouth. When she didn't taste any blood, she shook her head.

“Nah; I'm fine. It'll take a lot more than that to do any damage to me.”

Twilight smiled in relief. Though she was still surprised - and a little angry - at herself, though she was glad it seemed to have knocked some sense into her friend. However, she could tell it was only a temporary solution, and unless the spell to find their enchanter was handed to them on a silver platter by the pony who had framed her themselves, it was going to take something a bit more... meaningful. If nothing was done Rainbow would only slip back further into her depression. It was then that Twilight got another idea. One that held a little more permanent of a solution. Permanent enough to hold Rainbow's emotions at bay until she'd solved the riddle of the aura.

“Rainbow, I want to show you something,” Twilight began. “But... first I need to know if you trust me.”

Rainbow quirked her head to the side, her sore jaw forgotten as Twilight posed the odd question. “'Course I trust you; why wouldn't I? And what does that have to do with you showing me something?”

Twilight thought for a moment, seemingly second guessing herself for a split second before reaffirming her decision. “Well, it involves me digging around in your mind a little...”
> 14. Memories
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter 14
Memories

“So let me get this straight, you're going to be doing some weird magic thing to show me one of your memories?” Rainbow asked, scratching her head in confusion. “And that's somehow supposed to convince me that the Wonderbolts aren't a lost cause?”

Twilight frowned deeply at the way she phrased it, but the pegasus was correct. “Essentially, yes. Though you won't just be watching the memory; you'll be in it. You will see and feel everything I did at that point in time. I think it'll help you realize how much of a chance you have at joining the Wonderbolts once we clear this up.” 

“If we clear this up,” Rainbow huffed, flipping onto her back as she laid across the cushions of the couch. Twilight sat on the floor beside her, a book hovering in her magic, held open to a specific page. 

“I think it'll at least help,” Twilight muttered under her breath, snapping the book shut and setting it down gently on a nearby table. “Alright, now you're sure you're okay with me doing this?”

Rainbow craned her neck to the side, giving Twilight a deadpan expression. “I doubt it'll do anything, but you seem to think it'll help. Can you at least tell me what I'm going to be seeing?”

Twilight shook her head adamantly. “Sorry, Rainbow, but it's a bit of a surprise. Just trust me on it, alright?”

“Fine,” Rainbow sighed, “I trust you. Now hurry up and do it so I can go take my afternoon nap.”

“Alright,” Twilight started, pushing Rainbow's pessimism to the back of her mind and shifting herself a little closer to the couch, “Make yourself comfortable and close your eyes,” she commanded, lighting her horn with a magical glow.

Rainbow did as instructed, fidgeting gently on the couch and closing her eyes. In truth she held about as much hope in this spell as she did for ever again joining the Wonderbolts, but Twilight seemed dead set on it, and she at least owed Twilight this much after all the unicorn had done for her. She heard the energetic hum of magic growing louder as Twilight leaned her head down towards Rainbow's own, lightly touching her horn to the pegasus's forehead. The familiar feeling of Twilight's magic once again spread out across Rainbow's head, wrapping around her skull. Though unlike last time she felt it push deeper than her bone, past even her brain. She felt it slithering around, inside her very thoughts. Her mind's eye could see the light purple tentacles as they searched around her consciousness for something that wasn't there. When they determined what was supposed to be there, they started glowing a bit brighter, before suddenly flashing a bright white, blinding her internal sight.

Rainbow opened her eyes. She wasn't in the library. Twilight wasn't beside her. Instead, she was a in a large, circular structure, made entirely of pearly white clouds. She'd lived in the city long enough to recognize Cloudsdale's cloudesium. All around her were her four closest friends, all of them looking in the same direction with the same eager looks on their faces. 

Rainbow tried to follow their gazes, but found herself unable to control where she looked. 

“Figures,” she thought, “I can only do what Twilight did. It's like a movie...” 

Slowly, Twilight's head turned, as did Rainbow's vision, and she saw what all her friends were staring at. It was the most unfamiliar sight she'd ever seen, but also the mos recognizable. It was her. Flying, gliding, looping through the sky. Below her was a table with various ponies, all of them in Wonderbolt uniforms of some form.

She realized where this was; the Next Wonderbolt Competition. She felt a slight pang of anger mixed with sadness rise in her chest; of all the things Twilight had to show her, it had to be be this? The one moment in her life that she regretted above everything else? If it weren't for this stupid contest none of this would be happening. She could just live peacefully as Ponyville's Weather Captain, content with her job and her life and her friends. She'd never realize her dream, but she'd also never have it torn from her grip. She still couldn't decide which was worse.

Still, Twilight wanted her to see this, and she owed Twilight more than she could ever truly repay the unicorn for, so she watched. The cyan pegasus in the sky had already performed a Rainboom, and was entering the second half of her stunts.

As she watched, she realized what Twilight had meant; she could see what the unicorn had seen, yes, but she also felt what she'd felt. An overpower sense of awe and admiration enveloped her as the second Rainboom was performed. Awe and admiration and respect and more. All of them strong, almost to the point of being overpowering. And through it all, Rainbow watched and felt Twilight's memory of that day. The day she'd thought had ruined everything. 

She could see her necklace glinting in the bright sun as she flew around and around the Rainboom, making it spin with her faster and faster. 

She had to hand it to herself; she'd done an awesome job, enchanted necklace or not. A feeling of pride washed over her – though she couldn't tell if it was her own or Twilight's – as the Rainboom Galaxy was completed, spinning and curving and floating through the air with the brilliance of the sun itself in every colour of the rainbow. 

She felt and heard herself cheering as Twilight celebrated the amazing display of talent. Rainbow found herself fighting off an internal smile as well. She doubted anypony could do that, enchanted necklace or not. She could see and feel everything Twilight had, and she understood now why the unicorn had been so determined to help her. The feeling that she could feel burning within her chest – within Twilight's chest. It was one she recognized, one she herself had been feeling ever since she'd realized Twilight was not the one to enchant her necklace. And though she didn't know what it was, she knew Twilight felt it too. And she knew she liked it.

The Rainboom Galaxy began dissipating as she watched herself land at the judges table, discussing something Twilight couldn't hear. Quickly after the Wonderbolt stood and made their exit from the stadium Twilight stood up along with the rest of her friends and rushed out into the stadium where she was waiting for them with a proud smile on her face.

Then, as quickly as the memory had started, it ended. The world began dissolving away, dissipating into mere clouds of off-coloured particles and dispersing out into the black void surrounding the artificial construct of thought. Soon, everything was gone into the black, leaving her standing alone on an invisible floor surrounding by nothingness. Soon, even the black seemed to grow invisible, as she once again began to feel the couch beneath her and the air around her. 

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes, and was once again back in the library. Twilight was still sitting next to her, with a contemplative frown on her face.

“Before you say anything,” Twilight started quickly, “I want you to know something.”

Rainbow had many questions, though there was a sense of urgency in Twilight's voice that made her stop and ask, “What?”

“I thought about it and... you did that before the enchantment was placed on the necklace,” she explained, bringing a look of surprise and doubt to Rainbow's features. The pegasus opened her mouth, but was once again cut off by Twilight. “Let me explain,” she stressed. Rainbow snapped her mouth shut.

Twilight nodded approvingly, clearing her throat. “When you did that, you'd only had the necklace for a week, and the only ponies who knew about it would be me and the girls, who didn't really take notice until a couple days before the competition. I don't think whoever did this could have known about it before the contest, and I also don't think they'd have had a reason to enchant it until they found out you'd won.”

Rainbow sat for a second, taking in what Twilight had said, before nodding slowly. “That... makes sense... wait. Wait wait wait, you're saying...” Rainbow trailed off, looking up at Twilight hopefully. The unicorn nodded encouragingly. “I did it without cheating?”

“If I'm right, that was all talent; not a single enchantment,” Twilight assured, her smile splitting into a grin.

“I didn't cheat!” Rainbow cheered, jumping up off the couch and into the air, her wings carrying her through a couple laps of the room. “I didn't cheat!” She yelled again, startling awake one napping dragon, who came down and stood at the top of the stairs curiously.

“Er...” Spike watched for a few moments as Rainbow continued to do flips and spins through the room, rubbing his eyes sleepily. The air current she generated was knocking the lighter books from their shelves and scattering loose paper about the house. He sighed and went back to his nap with the sneaking suspicion he'd have some cleaning to do later in the day.

“This is awesome!” Rainbow called, banking around and slamming right into the lavender unicorn, wrapping her in a bone-crushing hug. Her wings never stopped flapping. “Thank you, Twilight. I don't know where I'd be right now if you hadn't been here for me.”

“Can't... breath...” Twilight wheezed, struggling to push herself out from Rainbow's death-grip. 

“Right, sorry,” Rainbow said, blushing in embarrassment as she pulled herself back and landed gently on the ground. “But this is awesome! I didn’t cheat; I can do it again! I can get back in the Wonderbolts!”   

Twilight smiled happily as Rainbow once again launched into the air, doing a loop in the air before landing proudly back in front of her, striking a confident pose. “Exactly!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Heh, guess I was acting pretty silly, huh? Thinking I couldn't do it,” Rainbow admitted, scratching the back of her neck nervously. “I mean, this is me we're talking about; I shoulda' known better than that. Thanks for snapping me out of it, Twi.”

“Not a problem, Rainbow. To be honest I was starting to worry if there even was a way to track down the caster, but I think I have an idea now,” Twilight explained, smiling as she walked back over to her desk, where the orb and her notes sat.

“Oh?” Rainbow questioned curiously, following the unicorn. “I thought you just said you were going nowhere.”

Twilight nodded, lifting the aura in her magic and inspecting it. “Well, I was trying to find a spell that used auraus to track down ponies, but since this kind of aura scanning is pretty new, there aren't any. I was thinking about it all wrong, and that memory spell started me thinking about it. There are spells we can use to locate ponies, but they generally need an object of immense personal value to the pony in question. They're called scrying spells. However, small bits of that pony's DNA can also be used; things like hair and saliva samples.”

Rainbow nodded slowly. It made sense to her so far, but she wasn't quite sure how this related to the aura. “And this can help us how, exactly?”

“Well, all DNA is the basic building block of life; as unique as an aura. The only difference is DNA is the physical building block, and aura is a magical one. Two very different things, but they share common purposes, and they may share common properties in relation to the scrying spell, with a couple modifications, of course,” Twilight was grinning as she finished her explanation. Rainbow had a barely-comprehending look on her face as she struggled to interpret what the unicorn had said.

“Wait... you're saying you can find the unicorn?” Rainbow asked excitedly. Twilight nodded enthusiastically in reasponse.

“Twilight Sparkle I could kiss you!” Rainbow cried, once again flying into the air, missing Twilight's heated blush and attempting to ignore her own. “So what are we waiting for? Cast the spell and let's go get them!”

“Patience, Rainbow. I have to set a few things up first and make the appropriate modifications to the spell, which I'll have to test for accuracy first. All in all, I'd say I could have it ready by tomorrow afternoon,” Twilight said calmly, picking up one of her books and flipping it open. “Well, maybe tomorrow morning if I work through the night...”

Rainbow stopped flying as soon as she heard Twilight's tone. “No; tomorrow afternoon is fine. You promised you wouldn't stay up all night anymore.”

Twilight sighed, “I know. It's just... we're so close, I want this to be over already.”

“I do to,” Rainbow said earnestly, “But you still need to take care of yourself. Anyway, I don't have to be anywhere today, so you need any help with the preparations?”

Twilight perked up, “Yes, actually. I need a couple maps; one of Equestria, one of Ponyville, Cloudsdale, and Canterlot. Maybe Manehattan and Phillydelphia. Anywhere close by where the unicorn might be.”

Rainbow did a quick salute, “You got it. Back in a flash.” With a cocky grin Rainbow opened the door and shot outside to find the maps. 

> 15. Journey
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter 15
Journey

“This is it?” Rainbow asked, keeping her excitement in check as she circled around the unicorn sitting in the middle of the basement. Twilight sat at the metal-topped lab bench in the center of the room, maps strewn about the top of the surface. The largest of them – the map of the entirety of Equestria – was sat in the middle, smoothed out and unobstructed by anything resting on top of it.

Twilight double checked the notes sitting off to the side, nodding her head after a couple seconds. “Should be. If I'm right all I need to do is start off with the aura scanning spell, then transition to the scrying spell, which should interpret the aura reading the same way it interprets DNA.”

Rainbow simply nodded. She'd never even tried to understand the mechanics of Twilight's spells, and Twilight herself had given up long ago on trying to explain it. “Then let's do this.”

“Alright,” Twilight took a deep breath, magically pushing everything a bit further away from the center map and bringing forward the glass sphere of reddish-brown aura. “Let's give it a shot.”

With a final breath Twilight shut her eyes and lit her horn, first enveloping the sphere in a bright purple glow. The light intensified until it was near impossible to look at, before suddenly it popped, a bright flash filling the room before dimming down to nothing. When Rainbow could see again, Twilight had angled her horn down, pointing it towards the previously enchanted map before her, the long purple spire still glowing brightly. For a few seconds, nothing happened, causing Rainbow's hopeful smile to wither on her face. Until, suddenly, a small, insignificant spark of magic dripped like water from a leaky tap off Twilight's horn. It floated down slowly, rocking back and forth like a leaf in autumn as it moved over the map, closer in closer to its destination.

Rainbow watched with baited breath. Twilight still had her eyes shut tight in concentration. 

Suddenly, still a few inches from the paper, the spark shot down, hitting the map and making a small point of light appear where it had landed. Small tendrils of white emanated out from the point, slowly spreading and consuming the map in a bright light, making the black markings almost seem to glow just as bright as the paper itself. 

When the entirety of the map was consumed by the white light, it slowly started dimming, fading back to the original colour of the page. All except one point of light, which continued to stay bright even as the rest of the map lost its glow completely. The point of light pulsed steadily, like a heartbeat, sending out small, rapidly-fading waves of light in a perfect circle. Rainbow looked at it curiously for a second, not sure what it meant, when Twilight snapped her head up, examining the map quickly before allowing a grin to spread across her face. 

“It worked!” Twilight cried, spinning around and grinning at Rainbow. “We found them, Rainbow! It worked!” She repeated, grabbing Rainbow's shoulders and shaking lightly.

“So... that's where they are?” Rainbow asked uncertainly, pointing to the pulsing point of light.

“Yep!” Twilight chirped happily, turning back to the map. “Looks like they're in Canterlot. Tomorrow we'll catch a train and-”

“Tomorrow?” Rainbow asked absurdly. “It's only one in the afternoon! We can still get to Canterlot today!” 

“Rainbow, the noon train already left, and the next one isn't until 8PM. And even if we could catch a  train, there's no way we'd be able to get a train coming back,” Twilight explained, rolling up her Equestria map. “It's best we take the rest of today to prepare and come up with a plan, then tomorrow we'll actually know what we're doing instead of blindly charging in.”

“Who cares if we have a plan?” Rainbow protested loudly. “We are this close to finding the pony who did this, Twi; you can't seriously tell me you want to wait!”

Twilight sighed, resting her hooves on the table as the unnecessary maps found homes in a filing cabinet against the wall. “I don't want to wait, Rainbow, believe me; the sooner we can clear your name the better, but I just don't see how we can get there today, or even what we'll do once we're there.”

Rainbow Dash grunted in frustration, flitting anxiously around the room. “We can't just sit here and do nothing until tomorrow's train! We found the unicorn, Twilight! We have to go now!”

“We can't!” Twilight snapped, “I know how much you want to, but there aren't any more trains, and you still haven't given me a viable plan.”

“I'll fly us, you think of the plan on the way!” Rainbow offered suddenly, brightening up at the – in her mind – brilliant idea.

“You'll fly both of us all the way to Canterlot?” Twilight asked with a  skeptically raised eyebrow, looking back over her shoulder at the excited pegasus.

“Why not? I can make the trip in 20 minutes on my own. With another pony it'll be just under and hour. We can go there, and knowing you that will be plenty of time for you to think up your plan. What we do after confronting this pony is your end of the deal,” Rainbow explained happily, already starting towards the stairs. 

“Well we still-” Twilight started, but was stopped by a loud, impatient sigh from the stairs, more specifically from the cyan pegasus half way up them. Her eyes fixed on Rainbow's necklace, hanging loosely around her neck, glinting in the gentle candle light filling the basement. Twilight relented with a groan of her own. “Fine, just give me a second to pack. We still need a few things.”

“Hurry up!” Rainbow whined anxiously, shifting from hoof to hoof as she watched Twilight buzz around her basement, gathering seemingly random objects and throwing them in her saddlebags. After a few hours – or minutes; Rainbow was in no mood to keep track – Twilight nodded her head in approval, and secured the bags around her barrel. “You ready?”

Twilight gave one last glance around the room before looking back to the anxious pegasus. “I'm ready,” she confirmed. In a flash Rainbow was up the stairs and out of the basement. Twilight sighed, magically snuffing the various candles and lanterns around the subterranean room and teleporting to the front of her house with a loud pop.

With a flash of light she reappeared on the path leading up the the library, and right next to an impatiently-waiting Rainbow Dash, who jumped into the air, startled by the sudden appearance of her friend. Twilight stifled a giggle as Rainbow set herself back on the ground, trying to hide her embarrassed blush. 

“So, how are we-” 

“Get on,” Rainbow interrupted, motioning to her back with a hoof and crouching down to the ground. 

“O-on your back?” Twilight stammered, feeling the blood rush to her own cheeks and Rainbow flared her wings.

“Yep,” she affirmed, “easiest way to carry a passenger long distance, just watch the wings.”

For a reason Twilight wasn't completely sure of, her cheeks felt hotter than the surface of the sun. If her logical mind hadn't reminded her otherwise, she would've sworn she'd suddenly caught on  fire as she awkwardly paced closer to the crouching pegasus. “O-ok...” she said uncertainly as Rainbow folded her wings, allowing Twilight to climb on a bit easier. 

“Hurry up, egghead! We have a unicorn to find!” Rainbow groaned impatiently, shifting around to emphasize her anxious energy. 

Twilight swallowed down a lump in her throat, confused and conflicted, as she place a shaky off on Rainbow's shoulder for leverage. She was pretty sure her face was redder than a perfectly ripened apple. With a careful and quick movement, she pulled herself up onto Rainbow's back like one would mount a bike, spreading her weight across the pegasus's back as she attempted to align herself so she wouldn't throw Rainbow's balance off too much. If Twilight could see her face, she'd see that Rainbow had just as profound a blush as she did.

“Heavier than I expected,” Rainbow muttered to herself, spreading her wings and shifting around to get used to Twilight's weight on her back.

“What was that?” Twilight asked coldly. Rainbow could feel the unicorn glaring holes into the back of her head. 

“N-nothing. You ready?” Rainbow asked, trying to shake the blood out of her cheeks, giving a couple test flaps to ensure she had a full range of movement, unimpeded by Twilight's body or legs. She felt Twilight shift around a bit and heard her fiddle with her saddlebags, but after a few moments Twilight stilled herself.

“Let's go.”

Rainbow crouched down to the ground, tensing her muscles, ready to shoot herself into the sky like a spring, before suddenly remembering something and standing back up straight. “Oh... uh, take-off is a bit rough; you might wanna hang on.”

“Hang on? To what? There aren't exactly any handles up here!”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “You know, for a genius, you can be pretty oblivious sometimes,” she sighed, reaching up with her front legs and grabbing Twilight’s hooves, previously resting on her shoulders, and brought them down around her neck. “There ya go; one pegasus handle. Now hang on,” Rainbow repeated, once again crouching down for takeoff. She felt Twilight clue in to what she meant and her hooves tighten up around her neck, though not so tight as to be uncomfortable. “Let's go!”

In an instant Rainbow shot off the ground, her well-trained muscles pushing her from the ground and into the air, where her wings took over and began flapping, generating enough lift to continue taking her and her passenger higher into the sky. Within seconds they were higher than the highest building in Ponyville, and after a couple more they were flying high among the clouds speckling the sky. 

Twilight felt her heart rate increase at the unexpected speed, adrenalin taking over as her hooves clamped down tighter around Rainbow's neck and shoulders. She buried her face into Rainbow's mane to protect herself from the winds - and the possibility of looking down. Though not exactly afraid of heights, she'd much rather be on the ground. When she felt the wind stop biting at her coat and Rainbow's wings flap at a slower, gentler pace, she risked glancing up. Too her surprise, she noticed that they were no longer climbing. The next thing she noticed was that Rainbow was laughing. 

“What?” Twilight growled, allowing her hooves to relax as she once again glared at the back of Rainbow's head. 

“N-nothing,” Rainbow wheezed between laughs, “It's just... I think that's the first time I've had a passenger hide on take-off.”

“I'm not used to flying, alright? And you didn't have to take off so quickly!” Twilight argued loudly, her voice ringing out through the still air all around them.

Rainbow stopped her laughing, glancing back over her shoulder curiously. “What about your balloon? The one you used to get to Cloudsdale?”

“That's different,” Twilight muttered. “The balloon is slow, and it has a basket. It's safe in the balloon. The last thing I'd call riding on the back of a pegasus is safe.”

Though she could only see less than half her face, Twilight saw Rainbow’s lips turn down into a slight frown. “You're safe up here, Twi; you're not gonna fall or anything,” she assured, sounding a little hurt that Twilight didn't feel safe. 

“And what's gonna stop that?” Twilight argued as she glanced to the side, seeing nothing to stop her from simply slipping off other than Rainbow's wing, which offered her little support, either physical or emotional. The thought made her once again tighten her grasp. They had gone higher than she'd thought they would, and she was regretting her decision to agree to Rainbow's idea. 

“Me,” Rainbow responded simply. 

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Right. Look, this was a bad idea. Can we just go back down and catch tomorrow's train?” 

Rainbow ignored her, instead facing forward as she added a little more force behind her flaps, increasing her speed slightly. “I meant it, Twi; you're not gonna fall as long as I'm here. And even if you somehow managed to slip off my back, you know I'd catch you.”

Twilight opened her mouth to plead her case to return to the ground, but found herself without an argument, or even the desire to argue. The way that Rainbow had said it, the sincerity in her voice, gave her pause. Twilight couldn't simply ignore that, and she knew Rainbow was telling the truth. So why was she so nervous? She'd seen enough times that Rainbow was more than capable of such feats, so why was she suddenly against the idea? Was it really a concern over safety, or was it something else?

Twilight sighed, shoving her mental debate to the back of her mind to be dealt with later. She lowered her head, gently resting her chin on the back of Rainbow's neck. “Let's go then.”

Rainbow didn't increase her speed, though. She still wasn’t satisfied with Twilight's answer, and it was bugging her. “I'm serious Twilight; I will catch you if you fall. But... if you don't feel safe, then we should just wait for tomorrow's train...” Rainbow trailed off guiltily, berating herself for forcing Twilight into this situation before making sure the unicorn was alright with it. She began angling her wings, banking back around to the town already far off in the distance.

“W-wait,” Twilight spoke up hesitantly, “Let's... let's go to Canterlot. I trust you,” she assured. She smiled brightly at her own words, not even knowing why.

Rainbow Dash smiled too, though she herself had a hunch why that statement meant so much to her. But for now, they had a unicorn to find. “Alright then. Next stop; Canterlot!” Rainbow called, pumping her wings hard and shooting off into the sky towards the mountain peaks of Canterlot. 

“Rainbow!” Twilight screeched as the wind once again buffeted her face, throwing her mane out behind her as it blew around wildly. Rainbow's mane was doing the exact same thing – directly into Twilight's face.

“Hold on,” Rainbow called back with a laugh, feeling Twilight once again duck her head down into her billowing mane as her wings continued to carry them swiftly through the air. 

“I'll get you back for this,” Twilight grumbled into Rainbow's fur, too quietly for the pegasus to hear over the wind. Twilight was still smiling.

Behind them Rainbow's signature rainbow trail formed, with an added streak of pink and purple stacked on top of her usual rainbow colouring.

It was time to clear their names. 
> 16. Confrontations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter 16
Confrontations

The flight to Canterlot had been uneventful and filled with the sound of wind rushing past them rather than talking. Twilight's nervousness at the beginning of the flight had been completely dispelled, allowing her to simply enjoy the feeling of flying and admire the admittedly breathtaking sights from high up in the sky. It was a sight she'd seen before from the safety of her balloon, but out in the open with nothing but the landscape itself to block her view it was a completely different scene.

True to her word, Rainbow had the pair in Canterlot in just under an hour as she landed on a neatly-carved stone road in Canterlot. From the look of determination on Twilight's face as she clambered off the pegasus, she had held up her end of the bargain as well.

“So, where are they?” Rainbow asked, following Twilight as she promptly set off through the relatively-quiet streets. The lunch crowd had come and gone, already back at their work or homes. The occasional pony could be seen – most of the time a unicorn – doing whatever it was they had to do that particular day, but the city seemed rather boring when it wasn't being attacked by something. 

“We're about to find out,” Twilight muttered, turning down a street she recognized as she brought them closer to their destination. Throughout the trip she'd been focusing on forming a plan to confront this unicorn, and while she wasn't exactly comfortable with the answer she'd devised, it was probably the only way she was going to get any information out of somepony who would purposely frame Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow followed quietly, a little surprised at Twilight's sudden determination towards their cause. It was clear the unicorn had a solid plan, but Rainbow didn't have the slightest idea what it could be. “Where are we going?” She asked curiously, having to increase her pace to a light trot just to keep up with the mare leading them.

“Here,” Twilight answered simply, motioning to a small cafe on the corner of the street. It was a small place, not at all the elegance one would expect from Canterlot. Large glass windows looked out upon a small outdoor seating area with tables and chairs. Inside a few ponies could be seen buying and eating late lunches. 

“And we're here because...?” Rainbow trailed off, eyeing the unassuming shop suspiciously.

“They have tables,” Twilight shrugged, approaching one of said tables and magically opening her saddlebags. In a glow of magic she extracted a map of Canterlot and the aura sphere. She spread the map out across the table, smoothing all the wrinkles she could find out of the enchanted paper as she placed the aura beside it.

Rainbow watched in silent admiration as Twilight once again performed her scrying spell. Though she preferred flying, magic had always fascinated the pegasus. Watching a unicorn perform a spell high-level spell such as this was almost as awesome to her as watching a Wonderbolt competition. Almost.

A few seconds later Twilight finished the spell, the point of light marking the map. She withdrew a quill and vial of ink from her saddlebags, quickly wetting the quill and marking the location of the mysterious enchanter. She ended the spell, and the light faded from the enchanted paper. In a flash of magic and a display of excellent multitasking, Twilight packed away everything she'd taken out of her saddlebags, recapped the ink well, dried her quill, and lifted the map up for inspection.

“Good, they're not too far. Let's go,” Twilight announced, spinning on her hooves and marching off in another direction. Rainbow Dash once again found herself being dragged through Canterlot at a near-gallop. Twilight was on a mission, and it seemed nothing would stop her. 

In another twenty minutes or so, Rainbow Dash found herself standing in a lower-income part of town, where the working-class ponies lived. The houses, while still elegant, were much smaller and all carbon-copies of each other. In front of them was a small two-level house with a yard that could barely be called a patch of grass. There was nothing spectacular about the house; it was the exact same as every other one on the street. Without hesitation Twilight stormed up the path to the front door, barely waiting for Rainbow to catch up. She stopped at the door, taking a moment to compose herself, before pounding harshly on the door.

When a couple seconds of silence had passed, she sent another set of loud thuds ringing through the small house. She relaxed her tense glare into a neutral expression when she heard “I'm coming!” called from the inside.

A couple seconds later the door was opened by a tall, skinny, grey-coated unicorn stallion with a slicked-back black mane and a short, straight tale. His cutie mark was an emerald-encrusted golden brooch wrapped in a magical glow. “Can I help you?” He asked, sounding somewhat annoyed as he stared at the lavender unicorn on his doorstep. “Or would you rather continuing trying to break down my door?”

“Actually, you can help me,” Twilight smiled kindly, stepping to the side to reveal the pegasus that had been standing just out of sight of the unicorn. Rainbow was not as good at hiding her death-glare as Twilight.

When the grey unicorn saw Rainbow Dash, his pupils shrunk and his eyes widened. He swallowed nervously, glancing out around the street before stepping back. “I-I'm sorry,” he said, closing the door, “I think you have the wrong house.”

Just as the door was about to close, Twilight grabbed it in her much stronger magic, holding it open just enough for her glare to be seen clearly through the crack. “I think you can,” she said, sending a wave of magic up to her horn and forcing the door wide open. “And I think you will.”

The stallion once again swallowed thickly, stepping to the side. “Would... would you like to come in?” He asked shakily, to which Twilight smiled brightly – tauntingly – as she accepted his offer. Rainbow followed, but never once took her eyes off the unicorn. Part of her wanted to jump him then and there, but Twilight had a plan, and she wasn't going to risk it by doing anything rash. Instead, she kept her venomous gaze locked on the stallion as they followed him through a short hallway into a meagre living room, where he motioned for them to sit on a couch. Neither of them accepted the offer. Twilight removed her saddlebags, setting them gently on a small table.

“So, let's talk about this,” Twilight said, gently removing Rainbow's necklace with her magic and holding it in front of the unicorn.

The stallion shifted nervously on his hooves, purposely avoiding looking at the necklace. When he didn't say anything, Twilight grunted in annoyance and dropped the silver bolt back around Rainbow's neck. She stormed up to him, closing the small space between them and shoving her face right up against his.

“What do you know about it?” Twilight growled darkly.

Rainbow's eyes widened in surprise at how... hostile her usually calm and collected friend was being. She was honestly a little scared for whoever Twilight's icy glare was set upon.

“I-I don't know anything!” The grey stallion cried frantically, taking a step back from the imposing lavender unicorn.

“Then I suppose this isn't your aura?” Twilight asked menacingly, extracting aforementioned aura from her bags and holding it in front of the stallion.

He stared numbly at it for a second before asking, “W-where did you get that?”

Twilight didn't answer, instead she simply put the sphere of swirling mist back in her bags and sat down on her haunches, forcing her face back into a neutral line. “Look, Mr...” Twilight trailed off, suddenly realizing she didn't even know this unicorn's name.

“S-shadow... Shadow Charm,” he supplied quickly.

“Look, Mr. Charm, why don't we cut past the part where I convince you to explain how and why you enchanted this necklace, and just get to the explaining?” Twilight asked almost innocently. 

Sweat could be seen forming on the stallion's brow as he desperately tried to think of a way out of this situation. “I didn't enchant anything...”

When Shadow trailed off, Twilight once again adopted her threatening snarl. “Really? Because I think you did. Unless you want to deal with Celestia's personal student when she's angry, I recommend you start talking.”

Rainbow Dash was now completely stunned by her unicorn friend. Pulling out the Celestia' Student card was something she'd never heard Twilight do, and she was positive she never wanted to be the one Twilight was pulling it on.

“I can't tell you anything about it!” Shadow Charm protested weakly, shrinking away from Twilight as she glowered down at him.

With a stifled sigh, Twilight closed her eyes. “Guess we're doing it this way,” she muttered under her breath, lighting her horn. An ethereal wind began blowing through the house, swirling around the unicorn in the center of the room. The wind, starting as a gentle breeze, began growing stronger and stronger, until a veritable hurricane was blowing through the room, knocking pictures from the wall and throwing paper around in the air. Books fell off shelves and furniture shook as the magical wind blew. 

Twilight began slowly lifting off the ground, her horn growing brighter and brighter as her mane fanned out wildly, blown out of her face by the wind. Her entire body started glowing faintly, feeding from her magic as she opened her eyes, now glowing a bright white. 

Floating a few feet in the air, her head just below the roof, Twilight looked down upon the grey stallion, who had resorted to cowering in a corner.

“Shadow Charm,” she boomed, her voice loud and thunderous, shaking the very foundations the house was built upon. Had anypony within three blocks been taking a nap, they were no long asleep. Rainbow Dash was pretty sure the entirety of Canterlot had felt the ground shake.

“You will give me the information I need, or you will regret it,” Twilight continued, undeterred by the stallion's look of utter terror.

“A-alright!” He shouted above the wind blowing through the room, “I'll tell you!”

Rainbow Dash watched in awe as Twilight once again closed her eyes, the light fading from her horn as the wind died down. She'd never seen the unicorn do that before, and she never wanted to see it again. As much as she would deny it, that scared even her, and she wasn't the one on the receiving end of it. She knew Twilight was powerful, but that? That was beyond immense. The very air felt saturated with magic after the display, and Twilight didn't even seem tired as she opened her eyes, once again their normal purple.

Though Rainbow also noticed something else as Twilight walked up to the cowering stallion; the unicorn had never once touched him. Not even a gentle shove. She had no real intentions of doing anything to him; it was all for show.

Although, it was admittedly quite the show.

“Excellent choice, Mr. Charm,” Twilight chirped happily, helping the stallion off the floor. “Perhaps we could sit down while we talked?” She offered kindly, motioning for the couch int he middle of the room.

Still shaking, Shadow Charm hesitantly took her offer, walking over and collapsing down on the couch.

“Now, why don't we start from the beginning. How did you get the necklace?” Twilight asked, sitting on a chair opposite the couch, the seats divided by a small coffee table. 

“A p-pegasus brought it to me,” he explained shakily after a moment of hesitation. He briefly glanced up at Twilight, before quickly looking away. “S-she asked me t-to place a f-flight enhancer on it... I didn't know why, but she paid me a large sum of money to do it. At the price she was paying, I didn't ask any question. Not even her name. I didn't know why she wanted it... but, when I saw the article about Rainbow Dash getting thrown out of the Wonderbolts for having an enchanted necklace... I had a pretty good idea.”

“When was this?” Rainbow asked, catching the stallion off guard. He'd been so scared of Twilight he hadn't even remembered there was another pony in his house.

“Uh... about three and a half weeks ago,” he answered slowly.

Rainbow glanced over at a calendar, looking back through the days. When she reached the rough day he was referring to, a smile split across her muzzle. Twilight smiled too, having already calculated in her head when that would be. It was well after Rainbow had competed in the competition.

“Alright so you don't know the pegasus' name... can you at least describe her to me?” Twilight asked, letting Rainbow have her moment of joy as she continued questioning Shadow Charm.

“Umm... well she had a dark red coat, pretty tall, she had a deep blue mane with red highlights... oh, and her cutie mark was a-”

“A black lightning bolt with a red outline?” Rainbow asked knowingly. The stallion nodded. “I know who it was, Twi.”
> 17. Falling
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter 17
Falling

“Rainbow! Where are we going!?” Twilight shouted above the wind roaring in her ears. Shortly after Rainbow realized who had paid Shadow Charm to place the enchantment, the pegasus and taken off running out the door, leaving Twilight to desperately try and keep pace. When Twilight had finally gotten Rainbow to stop and allow her to catch up, there had been no time for debate; Rainbow had lifted Twilight onto her back and taken off into the sky and breakneck speeds. 

“Cloudsdale!” Rainbow shouted over her shoulder, not even slowing as she bowled through multiple clouds in her way, the white fluff exploding around her and disappearing into the air.

“Cloudsdale!?” Twilight yelled back, “That's three hours away from here without a passenger! We won't be there until after dark!”

Rainbow looked over her shoulder. “I know who did it, Twi! Can can stop this today!” She protested, her billowing mane creating a screen between her and the unicorn on her back.

“I know, Rainbow,” Twilight sighed, fighting the wind to make her voice heard. “But we have to deal with Shadow Charm first, and just because you know who this pony is doesn't mean you know where they are; we don't even know they're in Cloudsdale! We need to take a step back and think before charging in!”

“You think, I charge!” Rainbow argued, giving an extra burst of speed. Canterlot was barely visible behind them now. “I'll be able to find her. It'll only take an hour or two extra with you to get to Cloudsdale; we'll be there just after sunset. I've seen her around the Weather Factory before.”

Twilight groaned internally, a sudden patch of turbulence making her cling a little closer to the pegasus beneath her. Rainbow was charging in without a plan again. She wanted to let the pegasus have her way with this; the sooner the better for both of them. But there were some things that needed to be done. “I said no, Rainbow,” Twilight stressed. “We need to go back to Canterlot and sort out a plan. I'm sorry, but this will have to wait until tomorrow.”

“What!?” Rainbow shouted back, anger tinting her voice. “You can’t be serious! We're not going back when we're so close to fixing everything!”

“I am serious! Rainbow, even if we find who did this, that won't help anything. All they need to do is deny it, and without any serious evidence we have nothing! All we have is a bit of aura that could easily be from some point during the manufacturing of the necklace,” Twilight argued sternly, levelling a determined glare at the back of Rainbow's head.

“We have Shadow Charm!” Rainbow countered. Twilight just shook her head.

“But we don't. If he doesn't come forward on his own all we have is baseless accusations against him. We might be able to prove the aura is his, but he can just as easily say you took it to him to get it enchanted!” 

“But... I...” Rainbow trailed off, unsure of a proper comeback.

“Face it, Rainbow; we need to go back to Canterlot. This was never going to be solved in a single day, even if both parties were in Ponyville with us,” Twilight explained, much to Rainbow's displeasure.

She knew the unicorn was right. She knew that her plan was stupid, that she had little to no chance of actually finding the culprit, but... she couldn't just let it go for the whole day.

“We have to go back to Canterlot,” Twilight insisted.

“Ugh fine!” Rainbow shouted, fanning her wings out and stopping herself nearly instantly. “We'll go back to- TWILIGHT!” Rainbow screamed as she watched the unicorn flip over, her momentum carrying her right over Rainbow's head as she was launched off her back.

“AHHHH! RAINBOW!” Twilight screech, hooves flailing wildly in the air as she fell rapidly, spinning and flipping on her way down. Her mind was slow to process the fact that she was falling; one moment she was sitting safely atop Rainbow, the next she was falling rapidly towards certain doom. Once it did hit her, however, she instinctively charged her horn, ready to teleport herself to safety. But where was safe? The nearest patch of solid ground was hundreds of feat below her, and teleportation did not cancel momentum. She could teleport herself back up to Rainbow, but then she'd just smash into the pegasus and bring her down too. If Rainbow was already chasing her, teleporting herself up would only make Rainbow lose track of her, and the extra fall distance would just increase her velocity. With no other options, Twilight snuffed her horn, closed her eyes, and stilled her body as she struggled to stop her spinning as best she could.

Her only hope was Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow, meanwhile, had already realized what had happened and was in a dive, trying desperately to catch up to the falling mare. Panic flashed through her mind as she saw the ground beyond the unicorn, now shockingly – and worryingly – still as she continued to fall. 

“Just a little closer,” Rainbow whispered, forcing her wings to pump harder, streamlining her body as she reached down towards Twilight, still tumbling through the air.

Images flashed through Rainbow's mind. Images of the 'what if' scenario. Images of Twilight, laying motionless, broken and bloody on the rapidly approaching ground. Images of the unicorn laying comatose in a hospital bed, tubes and wires connecting her to the artificial machines keeping her alive. She didn't know which was worse. She didn't want to find out which one she would get if she failed. A life without Twilight Sparkle was not one she wanted to suffer through.

Another burst of speed pushed her through the sound barrier, a Rainboom forming behind her. But it didn't matter to her. All that mattered was Twilight, now just a couple feet away, a distance that was now closing rapidly. As Rainbow finally came close enough to grab her, she noticed Twilight's eyes were closed, almost peacefully. 

Without giving it more than a second thought Rainbow gave her final flap, reaching out and grabbing the mare with her hooves, immediately pulling up as she saw the ground that was much too close for comfort. Carrying Twilight in her hooves, Rainbow finally allowed herself a breath of relief as she slowly bled off the extra speed by doing large loops, slowly descending to the ground. 

When Twilight felt a pair of strong, familiar hooves wrap around her, she knew she was safe. Slowly she opened her eyes, smiling gently up at the pegasus who caught her. After a couple seconds they landed on the ground safely in the middle of a field.

“Twilight! Are you okay!?” Rainbow asked frantically, letting the unicorn out of her hooves and looking her over for any injuries. 

“Rainbow, I'm fine,” Twilight assured gently, standing up calmly and spinning around to prove her point. “Not a scratch on me.”

“Oh Twilight I’m so sorry,” Rainbow cried, leaning forward and grabbing the unicorn in a firm embrace. Twilight smiled in understanding, returning the hug.

“It's okay,” she soothed, but Rainbow was anything but convinced.

“I should have just listened to you instead of running off and I should have thought before stopping like that. I should have made sure you were hanging on!” Rainbow ranted, never once releasing her grasp on the lavender unicorn in her hooves, squeezing tightly as if to assure herself that Twilight was okay.

Twilight sighed quietly. “It's not your fault, Dashie,” she insisted. 

“But it is!” Rainbow countered, a few more tears leaking down her cheeks. “What I did was stupid, and look what it almost caused!”

“But that didn't happen!” Twilight stressed. “Look, I'm fine, you're fine; nothing happened. As long as we're both okay it doesn't matter, right?”

Rainbow shook her head adamantly. “You didn't want to fly to Canterlot from the beginning! I should have listened to you back in Ponyville.”

“Rainbow, listen to me. It's not your fault; I agreed to go flying, and I trust you completely. I trusted you, and you caught me, just like you promised you would,” Twilight explained, holding the pegasus just as tightly as she was holding her. 

“B-but I-”

“No buts!” Twilight cut in sternly. “I agreed to go flying, and when I fell you caught me. Now what do you say you fly us back to Canterlot so we can deal with Shadow Charm? We'll get a hotel room and form a plan, then we can go find who did this in the morning.”

To Twilight's surprise, Rainbow once again shook her head. “We're not flying. I almost killed you, Twi. I can't be trusted to fly you back to Canterlot.” 

“Well I can't teleport two ponies that far, and we're too far to walk,” Twilight argued, releasing Rainbow from her hold and pulling away from the pegasus' grip.

“We'll have to find another way,” Rainbow said, reluctantly letting Twilight out of her hooves.

Twilight sighed, partly in annoyance, partly in sympathy. “I trust you to fly us back. It was just one mistake, that doesn't change anything. I still trust you. Canterlot is only 20 minutes away if you fly us. It'd be well over an hour on hoof, not including climbing the mountain path.”

“After what just happened, you still want to fly with me?” Rainbow asked in shock. How could she possibly deserve Twilight's trust again what had just happened? No, she didn't deserve the unicorn's trust, but she was getting it anyway. Twilight was counting on her to get them back to Canterlot. Twilight trusted her to get them back to Canterlot. She would not fail her again.

“Of course,” Twilight assured, smilingly brightly at  the pegasus.

Rain fidget nervously, still not entirely comfortable with he idea. But there was no other way, and Twilight needed her to do this. With a heavy sigh, Rainbow crouched down to the ground. “Hop on.”

“I trust you, Rainbow,” Twilight repeated, climbing on and wrapping her hooves around Rainbow's neck. “If I fall, you'll catch me.”

“Every time,” Rainbow agreed confidently, some of her usual confidence returning now that the adrenalin and fear was draining from her system. She kicked off the ground, carrying them slowly into the sky and turning towards Canterlot. She flew slowly this time, making sure there was absolutely no chance for Twilight to fall of. 

The twenty minute high-speed flight out to the middle of nowhere took just over half an hour at Rainbow's much more subdued pace, but Twilight didn't mind; the view was breathtaking. Her balloon may be technically safer but the basket blocked so much of the landscape below and around her that she'd only been able to admire the sky around the big bulky balloon above her. On Rainbow's back, she could still see the sky – all of it – but she could also see down to the ground passing below them. The shadows of the clouds floating all around them, the smooth green of the fields, everything. It was a sight she'd like to see more of.

“So are you going to tell me who did it?” Twilight asked, leaning down close to Rainbow's ear. Canterlot could be seen growing on the horizon.

“Her name's Neon Lightning. I never really knew her myself, but I've met her. I just don't understand why she'd do this,” Rainbow explained, her wings taking careful, steady flaps as she kept a slow and steady speed.

Twilight pondered this for a second, before asking, “Do you know who she was related to at the competition?”

Rainbow shook her head. “I don't know. Like I said; I didn't know her, I just met her. She was in Flight Camp with me, but we weren't in any of the same classes. The only reason I remember her at all is because I ran into her recently.”

Twilight tilted her head. “When did you run into her again?”

“Wonderbolt Academy. When the new batch of recruits come in, the old ones great them as they leave. She was their with whoever she's related to to see them off. She recognized me and we talked for a bit before I came back home,” Rainbow explained, readying herself for landing as she started climbing a little higher towards the city on the mountain before them.

“Hmm,” Twilight hummed, deep in thought. She didn't say anything until after they'd landed on the streets of Canterlot.

“We're here,” Rainbow announced proudly, crouching down to let Twilight off her back. The unicorn clambered down awkwardly, still lost in thought as she started trotting seemingly aimlessly down the street. “Uh, Twi?” Rainbow called. “Shadow Charm's place is the other way...”

“I know,” Twilight said distractedly. “But the hotel's down here, and if we're going to get a room for the night we need to get there within an hour, before registration closes.”

“Right... Hey, wait for me!” Rainbow yelled, running down the street to catch up with the surprisingly quick librarian.

A few minutes of trotting in silence and they reached the hotel Twilight had mentioned. It was neither large nor classy, but it was affordable and would suit them for the night they needed to stay in Canterlot. They walked through the front door together, entering into a nice, eloquent lobby. While small and obviously not the most glamourous hotel around, it did what it could to give the appearance of one, with regal red rugs and comfy-looking chairs. There was even a small chandelier. 

“Can we get a room, please?” Twilight asked kindly, coming up to the receptionist.

“Reservation?” She asked in a nasally tone, her glasses never once turning away from the paper work before her. Her horn hummed with energy as she did that day's filing and sorting.

“Um, no,” Twilight answered slowly. The receptionist sighed, looking up.

“We're all booked up then.”

“What?” Twilight asked in surprise, “why would you be full?”

The receptionist shook her head and returned to her papers. “The first performance of the new Wonderbolt recruit is tomorrow. A bunch of ponies came out to see them. Nopony knows who it is yet.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight saw Rainbow wilt a little. “Look, we only need a room for tonight, is there anything you can do?”

The receptionist sighed again, bringing out a small stack of papers and flipping through them. After a couple seconds, she stopped and looked back up. “We do have one room free, but-”

“We'll take it,” Twilight exclaimed, cutting her off. 

The mare nodded, making a mark on the paper before stashing them away in a drawer. “One night in that room will cost you 70 bits.”

Twilight nodded, reaching back into her saddlebags. The saddlebags that weren't on her back. “Huh? I thought... oh no...”

“Twi?” Rainbow asked, “What's wrong?”

“My saddlebags. I must have left them at Shadow Charm's house when I went to chase after you,” Twilight explained. “Can I book the room and pay you later?” She asked hopefully.

The receptionist just rolled her eyes. “Payment's not due until checkout tomorrow.” She paused, fishing around her desk for a moment before finding what she was looking for. “Here's the key. Second floor, turn left, near the end of the hall. Room 213.”

“Thanks!” Twilight called, grabbing the key in her magic before turning to the door. “I hope he hasn't been going through my stuff...” She muttered, before running out the door and down the street. Rainbow shook herself out of her daze, galloping to keep up with the unicorn.
> 18. Dinner and Dreams
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter 18
Dinner and Dreams

For the second time that day Twilight found herself pounding on a door in the Canterlot suburbs. Her face was set in an angry and impatient scowl as her relentless hoof continued to knock against the hard wood door. It'd be easy enough for her to simply blast the door of its hinges with her magic, but she didn't want to risk Shadow Charm going after her with any legal matters, especially when her case against the Wonderbolts was already walking on thin ice.

So instead she resigned herself to knocking. Loudly. 

Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity of the loud banging, the door opened to reveal a frustrated Shadow Charm. His annoyed scowl dropped when he saw who was at his door. “W-what do you want?” He asked shakily, hiding his body behind the door. “I already told you everything I know. The pegasus will have my head if she found about it!”

Twilight lowered her hoof – which was probably bruised from her incessant pounding – and smiled sweetly. Shadow Charm flinched; he recognized that overly-sweet smile. “Hi, sorry to bother you again, but I seem to have left my saddlebags here when I left. You wouldn't happen to know where they are, would you?”

Shadow swallowed nervously. “Uh, one moment, miss, I'll go fetch them,” he said quickly, before slipping back into his house and closing the door. Twilight waited outside for a few moments in silence, occasionally glancing back over her shoulder to Rainbow Dash, who stood a few steps behind the unicorn, scowling at the door. Eventually, the door opened again, and Twilight's saddlebags floated out.

“Ah, excellent,” Twilight smiled, lighting her horn. She paused, looking over to the stallion in the door, their eyes meeting. “I trust nothing's missing?”

“N-no, miss, everything is as you left it,” Shadow answered quickly. Too quickly for Twilight's liking.

She nodded slowly, accepting the bags into her own magic. Shadow Charm attempted to close the door, but was stopped by a familiar magic aura. “These bags are two thirds of a pound too light,” Twilight deadpanned.

“I-I have no idea what you're talking about,” the stallions replied, once again trying to shut his door. “Is it possible your weighing is off?”

Twilight rolled her eyes, forcing the door open. “No, my weight is not off. I always know what my bags weigh, and I also happen to know that the crystallized aura was exactly two thirds of a pound. I don't suppose you removed that?”

Shadow Charm wilted, taking a few anxious steps back from the unicorn. “I-I...” he trailed off nervously, eyes glued to the ground under the intense glare Twilight was giving him. Suddenly, he seemed to have an answer, as he held is head up with a slight smile. “It's too late; I already smashed it. You don't have any proof now!” He proclaimed proudly.

Twilight sighed in annoyance. “I appreciate the effort, Mr. Charm, but your magic is not strong enough to break the wards I had to place on that sphere to keep the aura contained. By the very nature of the containment my spells had to be stronger than your aura.”

Shadow Charm hung his head low. “Fine,” he grumbled quietly, lighting his horn and bringing forth the recognizable reddish brown sphere of aura from another room in the house.

Twilight smiled, taking the aura in her own magic and depositing it safely in her saddlebags before securing them to her back. “See; it's not so hard when you’re honest with me. Now then, we have a few matters we need to discuss.”

The dark grey stallion looked up in surprise, having assumed they were done. When he saw the look Twilight was giving him, he resigned himself and stepped to the side. “Let's at least do this in private. I actually have a rather good reputation that I don't want too badly damaged by this.”

Twilight rolled her eyes again, walking once more into the stallion's house. Rainbow followed behind her, and soon they were once again in Shadow Charm's sitting room.

“What's this about?” He asked. He didn't sound scared of Twilight anymore, he just sounded tired – like he just wanted it to be over.

“We'll need you to come to Cloudsdale in a couple days so you can testify to the Wonderbolts that you were paid to place the enchantment on the necklace,” Twilight explained, once again sitting in her chair calmly. 

“W-what?” The stallion asked in disbelief. “I can't! I took the payment and I’ve already done too much against my contract. She'll kill me!”

Twilight sighed, settling into her chair. “That's not our problem. Either you come to Cloudsdale to help clear Rainbow's name, or I drag you to Cloudsdale where I force you to help clear Rainbow's name. Either way we win and you lose. One way is just a bit more pleasant.”

“Y-you can't force me! I can just tell them you're forcing me and it will make you two look even more guilty!” Shadow exclaimed desperately.

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Somehow, I don't think you'd do that,” she threatened darkly, adding to the effect by lighting her horn briefly, making a light breeze start to blow through the room. Shadow got the message as he shrunk back in fear, covering his eyes with his hooves.

“A-alright! I... I'll go to Cloudsdale with you...” Shadow Charm trailed off, lowering his hooves only when he felt the wind stop.

“Excellent. We'll come for you when we're ready,” Twilight chirped happily. “Until then, goodby, Mr. Charm,” she continued, standing from her chair and making her way over to the door. Rainbow made to follow, but stopped herself, turning around and glaring down Shadow.

“Don't even think of running; we found you once and we can find you again.” With those final words, Shadow nodded his head frantically, indicating he had no intentions of running, and Rainbow trotted off, following Twilight out the door. Shadow remained in his chair as her heard his front door close, staring wide-eyes at the roof.

“Neon's going to kill me,” he muttered in equal parts shock and disbelief. He stood, making his way into his kitchen to brew some nice, relaxing tea.

“Neon Lighting is going to kill me.”

-_-_-_-

“I want to punch him so bad,” Rainbow fumed, slamming the door behind herself as she exited Shadow Charm's home. 

“I know you do, Rainbow, but that will only hinder us,” Twilight sighed, keeping her pace up as she left the house's yard and turned down the street, waiting a moment for her pegasus companion to catch up.

“That doesn't mean he doesn't deserve it,”  Rainbow grumbled, falling into step beside Twilight and trotting down the street in the direction of their hotel room. The sun was starting to make it's way towards the horizon, and would be down in just over an hour. “Speaking of, what you did earlier, what was that?”

Twilight tilted her head in confusion, glancing over at the pegasus. “When?”

“Before.. well, before I overreacted and went off, the thing with the wind and the glowing eyes and stuff,” Rainbow clarified, bringing a deep frown to Twilight’s features.

“Oh... that. Just a couple simple spells combined for effect. I didn't want to scare him as badly as I did, but I'm pretty sure it's the only way we would have been able to get him to tell us anything,” she explained. 

“Just effect or not, it was pretty awesome,” Rainbow said. “And you pulling out the 'Celestia's student' card was a nice touch.”

Twilight blushed deeply in embarrassment at the compliment. “Well... she wouldn't be too happy if she found out about it, so...”

“Hey, I'm not gonna rat you out. Personally I wouldn't blame you if you actually did do something to him.”

“You won't, but others won't see it that way,” Twilight noted. “Anyway, tomorrow we'll go to Cloudsdale and find this Neon Lightning... though I have no idea how... it would be a lot better if Shadow Charm actually knew who she was,” Twilight scrunched her brow in thought, her legs on autopilot as they navigated through the relatively quiet street. The odd pony was out, going home after a long day of work or stopping for dinner. As they passed by a particularly good smelling restaurant, Rainbow's stomach let out a loud rumble.

“Hungry?” Twilight teased, laughing as Rainbow's face grew a few shades redder. “We'll get some room service back at the hotel. It should be relatively cheep and at the very least edible for tonight.”

“Hope they have fast service,” Rainbow grumbled, trying to silence her rather loud stomach.

After a few more minutes of walking, they came to the hotel they'd started from. They passed through the main doors and greeted the receptionist, who simply nodded in acknowledgement, not even turning away from her work. “Enjoy the show,” she called distractedly.

Rainbow visibly winced at her assumption, knowing she should be the one ponies were coming to see. Twilight shot an annoyed glance back, but the receptionist wasn't paying any attention. Instead, she sighed, looking at her pegasus companion sympathetically before reaching out and wrapping a hoof around Rainbow's shoulders, stopping them at the base of the stairs.

“Hey, don't worry about the show; we're here to fix this, so that you can be the one in that performance,” Twilight assured quietly.

Rainbow sighed, lifting her head and giving Twilight a weak smile. “I know... I just hope we get to them in time.”

Twilight frowned, but said nothing as she released her hoof from Rainbow's back and lead the way up the stairs. Nothing she could say would assuage Rainbow's worries, all she could do as hope she was right. 

Following the instructions Twilight had previously been given, they found their room without much hassle. She extracted the key from her saddlebags and unlocked the door, stepping into the room and glancing around.

It was a standard hotel room; small, but not cramped. It had no kitchen, but it did have a bathroom and a basic living area with a  coupe chairs and a couch against the back wall. A door on the right wall lead to a bedroom, and a closet sat on the wall next to the front door. Most of the floor was covered in plain, off-white carpet, except the entryway and bathroom, both of which had the same linoleum pattern spread out. 

Twilight trotted into the sitting room, glancing around. “Well, I've certainly stayed in worse...”

“Whatever, where's the room service menu? I'm starving!” Rainbow rubbed her hooves together greedily

Twilight rolled her eyes, walking over to a small end table next to the couch. “They normally keep the menu... oh...” Twilight trialed off, frowning at the small table.

“What?” Rainbow asked fearfully, not daring to get any closer. Was this going to keep her away from the food she so craved?

“Ah-heh...” Twilight chuckled nervously, levitating up a small sheet of paper. On it was a notice, telling the room's occupants that due to an event the hotel was catering, they would not be offering room service (although they made special note that the breakfast buffet was still available). “So... Restaurant?” Twilight offered weakly.

Rainbow nodded firmly, walked back over to the door, and opened it. “Let's go.”

-_-_-_-

While it didn't take long to find a restaurant that was affordable on the admittedly limited amount of bits Twilight had brought with her, it felt like an eternity to Rainbow. More specifically, her near-constantly rumbling belly. Not too long after they had left the hotel Twilight's own stomach betrayed her, letting Rainbow know they were both in the same boat when it came to the desire for food. Every high-end and expensive restaurant they passed made their mouths water, the intoxicating aroma of food wafting out into the dimly lit street.

The sun was sinking down behind the horizon by the time they finally got seats at the eatery they had chosen. While not high-end by Canterlot standards, it was much more elegant than anything they had in Ponyville, and was unfamiliar territory to Rainbow Dash. Twilight, however, seemed to meld right into her home town. Which, while not unexpected, was interesting for Rainbow to watch. Twilight played the part of a Canterlot unicorn near perfectly. If she didn't know any better, she'd have guessed Twilight had never spent a day outside of the mountain city.

“Thank you,” Twilight said graciously as the waiter brought them to their table, slipping just a hint of a Canterlot accent in as she sat herself in her chair. Rainbow silently slipped into her own seat, nodding her head towards the stallion. Once the waiter was far enough away, Twilight let her posture fall.

“I remember why I was so willing to stay in Ponyville,” Twilight grumbled, slouching down in her chair as she picked up her menu in a magical glow. “It's always posture with these ponies,” she continued, flipping through the pages in front of her. She continued muttering to herself quietly as she searched for something to eat.

Rainbow just laughed and picked up her own menu, flipping through it briefly before finding a plain and simply sandwich. Closing the pamphlet, Rainbow leaned back into her chair, watching as Twilight continued to peruse her options. “You certainly fit in.”

Twilight glanced up, levelling a glare at Rainbow over her menu. “Don't remind me,” she growled, before looking back down. Rainbow let out a chuckle, and Twilight snapped her menu shut, setting it down on the table. “I was never one for the elitist culture a lot of unicorns around here seem to have. But manners are manners and I've gotten used to using them when necessary, like getting good service...” Twilight trailed off as the waiter came around the corner towards them. She straightened her posture, and adorned her most noble of smiles.

“Are you two ready to order?” The waiter asked politely, setting down a glass of water in front of each of them. Twilight nodded, and a few moments later he scampered away, their orders written on a notepad held in his magic.

“A little posture and just a hint of accent will get you a lot of nice things up here,” Twilight noted, letting herself once again slouch into her chair. “Waiters and such tend to assume you're a noble if you carry yourself right; better service for you and anypony you're with.”

“That's a nice trick, Twi,” Rainbow said with a smile. 

Twilight nodded, taking a sip from her glass. “It's not exactly the most... honest of things to do, but it's not exactly untruthful; I am the Princess's student, and my family is technically a noble family. Although not the richest of the families, we do get a certain level of respect.”

“Wait. Wait wait wait. You're a noble!?” Rainbow asked incredulously.

Twilight frowned at the pegasus's surprise, nodding slowly. “Technically, yes. My grandfather owns some land at the base of the mountain. Quite a bit, actually. So my family is noble.”

Rainbow leaned back in her chair, keeping her eyes on her apparently noble friend. “Wow... why didn't you ever tell us that?”

“Well,” Twilight fiddled with her hooves nervously, looking down into her lap. “I didn't know how you girls would react. Most ponies don't exactly have high opinions of nobles outside of Canterlot.”

“I... guess I could understand that, but still! Your family must not have been too impressed with you moving out to Ponyville, though. Noble like you in a small town like that...” Rainbow trailed off when she saw the harsh glare Twilight was giving her.

“I love my family – they are my family – but quite frankly I don't care what they think. They wouldn't even support my magic interests until I told them I wanted to go to Celestia's school. After that they bought me all the books I wanted.” Twilight explained, a little bitterly as she thought back. “My family isn't as stuck up as some other noble families around here, but they have their moments.”

Rainbow remained silent, soaking in the new information. Just as silence had fully settled over the table, the waiter appeared with two plates, each one filled with delicious looking food. He set their orders in front of the pony who ordered them, before taking a step back and asking. “Anything else for the lovely couple?”

Twilight, who had once again assumed her regal posture, lost all semblance of nobility as she seemingly choked on the very air she breathed, a scarlet blush lighting her face as she coughed roughly. “W-we're not a couple!” She cried, frantically shaking her head. Rainbow had to suppress a chuckle, her face nearly as red as Twilight's.

“My apologies for the mistake, madam,” the waiter said, as stone faced as ever. “Please, enjoy your food.” With that, he quickly scampered away from the table.

Twilight kept her gaze on the food in front of her, face still flushed. Rainbow was still suppressing her chuckles, trying to catch Twilight's eyes. When that failed, she cleared her throat loudly before saying, “Well this looks good. You ever been here before?”

Twilight shook her head forcefully, trying to shake the blood out of her cheeks. She glanced up, briefly making eye contact before quickly looking back down to her food. “Once, before I moved to Ponyville,” she answered shortly before promptly digging in to her food.

Rainbow rolled her eyes, relenting to the ensuing silence and starting on her own food. 

The meal passed in silence, though by the end Twilight had finally regained control of her blush and the awkwardness caused by the waiter's mistake had faded. 

“That was good,” Rainbow groaned appreciatively, leaning back in her chair. “Good choice coming here.”

“Better than I remember,” Twilight agreed with a small smile, fishing around her saddlebags for a moment before extracting a small bag of bits just as the waiter came back to the table. Twilight didn't bother assuming proper posture as he placed the bill in front of her.

“Oh, that's not bad either,” Twilight noted happily, extracting the appropriate amount of bits and placing them on the table, along with a tip – which would have been bigger had the waiter not mistaken them for a couple. With the bill and their stomachs full, they both rose from their chairs and stretched.

“How much do I owe ya?” Rainbow asked, starting to walk down between the isle of chairs towards the front door.

Twilight shook her head, following Rainbow out of the restaurant. “Don't worry about it; I'm more than happy to pay for you tonight. Consider it an early celebration for getting this whole mess finally sorted out. 

Rainbow shrugged, passing through the doors and glancing around the street, lit only by the various lamps lining the road. “If you're sure.”

“I insist,” Twilight giggled, quickly regaining her bearings and leading them back towards their hotel.

The journey back was passed in relative silence, only the occasional conversation was struck up between the two, but even those quickly died back down to comfortable nothingness as they walked through the deserted streets.

Rainbow would occasionally steal glances over at Twilight, who would occasionally be caught doing the exact same thing. When that happened Rainbow could do nothing but laugh as Twilight turned, failing to hide her blush from the pegasus beside her.

Before long they found themselves climbing a familiar set of stairs to the second floor of their hotel. Twilight fished through her bags for the key and opened the door. They walked into the darkened room, filing through the small entry hall and into the main living room where Twilight lit her horn, activating the light gems affixed to the roof and walls. Rainbow closed the door behind them.

“It's pretty late; I'm gonna head to bed,” Twilight said, walking over to the bedroom door. “Lots to do tomorrow.”

Rainbow yawned, stretching out her back and smacking her lips. “I think I'm gonna  do the same.”

Twilight nodded in understanding as they walked in to the bedroom, where two comfortable beds awaited them. Unfortunately, what Twilight was expecting and what she got were two very different things.

“Something wrong?” Rainbow asked, looking curiously at the unicorn who had stopped dead in the doorway to the bedroom.

“Uh... there's only one bed...” Twilight explained nervously. She turned, saying “You take it; I'll take the couch. Looks... comfortable enough...”

Rainbow tilted her head quizzically, glancing back to the couch that most certainly did not look comfortable. “What are you talking about? We could just share, ya know.”

“S-share? As in share the bed? Together?” Twilight stuttered nervously. Rainbow hid her laugh at Twilight's blush.

“More comfortable than the couch, and it is big enough for both of us,” Rainbow shrugged, walking over tot he bed. “Why not?”

“Um well I uh...” Twilight continued to stammer. She shook her head forcefully. Why was this so awkward for her? They were friends sharing a bed; there was nothing wrong or weird about that. “Sure,” she said eventually, nodding her head. “I didn't really want to sleep on the couch anyway.”

Rainbow yawned, stretching one last time before crawling into the bed. “Good; after today you are the last pony that deserves to be sleeping on a couch.”

“Right...” Twilight trailed off, feeling her nerves come back as she trotted up to the bed. Delaying it as long as she could, she turned her head, lighting her horn and magically switching off the light gems, bathing the room in darkness. The window let in only a small amount of light from the moon and stars outside, just barely enough for Twilight to fumble her way to the bed and lift the blankets. She slid in slowly, keeping her back to the pegasus already on the mattress and staying close to the edge.

Rainbow looked over, seeing the massive space Twilight had left between them, and the fact that she was nearly falling off the edge. She rolled her eyes, reaching over with a hoof and latching it around Twilight's barrel. The unicorn let out a surprised squeal as Rainbow dragged her across the sheet, making sure she had enough space to sleep before rolling back to face the wall. “'Night, Twi.”

“Goodnight, Rainbow.”

-_-_-_-

Twilight opened her eyes blearily, having been awakened by the odd sensation of wind blowing against her coat. What she found was not an open window in a hotel room, but rather a vast expanse of deep green grass, stretching on for as far as she could see, hundreds of feet blow her. Her eyes widened in surprise as she glanced around; the land, far below, was nothing but rolling green hills. Above, nothing but pure, unobstructed blue sky. Left to right, the horizon was a perfect circle, surrounding her on all sides, unbroken by even the shortest of mountain tops.

The sun was behind her, warming her fur, providing relief from the cold winds blowing against her. She was flying. Where she was, she didn't know, but she also didn't care. High above the ground and out of reach from her anxieties, out of touch with the harsh world of reality beneath her. With no destination bogging down her mind she was free to simply enjoy the feeling she'd only truly experienced twice.

So she did just that.

Looping and spinning and turning in the sky, diving and bobbing and weaving to her heart's content. She felt truly untouchable.

But then, just when the sun was its warmest and the wind at its most refreshing, disaster loomed on the horizon. Large, grey, threatening clouds began to fill the once pristine blue sky, turning it from a sight to admire into an object to be feared and respected. 

The clouds filled the sky, starting at the horizon and slowly closing in on the flying unicorn, cutting her off from the sky she had grown to know and love. Thick, dark clouds separated her from her freedom. Just as the last sliver of blue closed right before Twilight's eyes, the clouds started doing exactly what clouds do; rain. Large, watery droplets fell from the clouds, bombarding the land far below and thoroughly soaking the unicorn flying beneath them.

Lightning struck the ground, the bright white streak arcing down and spearing the ground with a tremendous crack. It left a deep, charcoal coloured patch of burned land. The patch began spreading, engulfing the green grass and turning it to an endless see of black. From the black came an ocean, with massive waves and rushing waters. 

Rain continued to poor from the sky as the ground below was transformed entirely to ocean; not a single spec of land as far as Twilight could see. The air was filed with he sound of waves crashing down upon waves and the wind howling through her ears. Lightning continued to split the sky, the thunder coming in droves of rumbling. All around her was noise and chaos; not at all the peaceful scene she'd awoken to.

Twilight began to panic, searching desperately for some safe haven from the storm that had engulfed her world. She flew as fast as she could through willpower alone, mentally pushing herself through the sky. But no matter how far or fast she went, land was not in sight. All there was was ocean and clouds and rain and lightning. There was no safe place this high in the sky, and there was no ground upon which she could hide.

Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind came rolling off the chaotic ocean below, knocking her out of the sky. Without wings to stabilize herself she began falling, spinning and twirling as she rapidly approached the storm tossed waters below. A scream of terror surged froth from her throat as her body was battered by the raging gale-force winds. There was nothing between her and the water below; nothing to stop her. Nothing to save her.

“Twilight!”

A weak, near inaudible noise echoed through the storm. Loud enough to be heard, but not loud enough to be defined. The clouds above Twilight seemed to shift, a hole appearing directly above her. A small sliver of sky blue light slipped through, landing directly on Twilight's limp form.

“Twilight!” 

Twilight began spinning violently as the winds had their way with her, her vision blurring as she tried to keep focused on the sliver of light above it. It was opening slowly, the ray of light expanding.

“Twilight!”

That time Twilight heard it; somepony was calling her name. It was a voice he recognized. “Rainbow?” She called hopefully, glancing around even as she continued to tumble through the air. The rainbow maned pegasus was nowhere to be seen. The waters were getting closer; Twilight could feel the ocean spray splashing against her back. 

“Twilight!”

The clouds above Twilight parted completely, showing her what was above. It was not the clear blue sky she had been expecting. Rather, it was a sky blue face, with a rainbow mane.

Twilight's eyes snapped open, her body automatically throwing itself upright as she gasped for breath. Rainbow barely managed to dodge Twilight's panicked motion, having been leaning over the sleeping unicorn.

“Twi?” She asked timidly, “You alright?”

Twilight didn't respond. She just sat there, nearly hyperventilating and with her heart racing in her chest. Her body was covered in a layer of sweat, making the comfortable temperature of the room feel like she was outside int he middle of winter.

“Twi?” Rainbow asked again, a little concerned as she saw Twilight shivering.

“I... I'm fine...” Twilight trailed off, her eyes scanning around the room. “It was just a dream...” she said, more for her own comfort than to answer Rainbow's question.

“You sure? You were kinda screaming... pretty loud, actually...” Rainbow couldn't see Twilight's face, both because of the darkness in the room and the fact that Twilight was deliberately keeping her eyes turned away from the pegasus. 

“I'm sure. I suppose I can't have a near-death experience and expect to get away scott-free,” Twilight said, chuckling humorlessly at her own weak attempt at a joke. 

“Wait, that was about me dropping you!?” Rainbow asked suddenly, feeling a sense of guilt once again well up in her gut. 

“No.. no,” Twilight shook her head firmly. “I just... well, let's just say I don't like falling anymore than the next pony.”

Rainbow rubbed a hoof against her forehead. “Twi I'm so sorry. It wasn't bad enough I dropped you; now because of that you're going to have issues sleeping. I wish there was something I could do to make this up to you.”

Twilight turned her head, looking at Rainbow in surprise. “Who said I was going to have problems sleeping? It was one nightmare, Rainbow; hardly what I’d call worrisome.”

“Trust me; if something like that effected you enough to have one dream about it, it won't be going away after one,” Rainbow muttered.

“Oh... Experience?” Twilight asked, partly from curiosity partly because she knew Rainbow as right and didn't want to go back to sleep.

Rainbow nodded slowly, shifting around to a more comfortable position. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“Want to talk about it?” 

“Well... no, not really. It's not important. What is important right now is making sure you're rested for tomorrow, which means getting back to sleep,” Rainbow said sternly, making sure there was no room for Twilight to argue with her. 

Twilight rolled her eyes at the forced authoritative tone, but complied as she lied back down. She frowned upon feeling the result of her sweating. “Ugh,” she groaned, lifting her head from the cold, wet pillow and looked at it distastefully.

“Problem?” Rainbow asked curiously, still sitting up in the bed.

“No,” Twilight answered quickly, briefly lighting her horn and casting a simple drying spell, removing the dampness from not only the blankets sheets and pillow, but also her own fur. “Good night, Rainbow,” she sighed, settling back down onto her nice, dry pillow.

“'Night Twi...” Rainbow trailed off. She was still sitting up, even as Twilight rolled away from her. The pegasus frowned, watching Twilight's steady breathing as she tried to get back to sleep.

Twilight closed her eyes, attempting to reclaim the sleep that had once ruled over her mind and body. Every time her eyelids shut, however, her vision was filled with images. Images of a storm. Of falling. Her heart rate quickened to match her faster breathing, her eyes snapping back open.

It was right there every time she closed her eyes, just waiting for her to fall asleep so it could once again enter and control her mind. She tried, again and again, to find sleep, but each attempt was met with the same result.

Rainbow frowned deeply, watching Twilight's breathing race once again. It was obvious the unicorn was still scared; the pegasus could practically see her heart pounding in her chest. With a heavy, guilty sigh, Rainbow slid down so she was once again laying down. Only instead of rolling on to her side away from Twilight, she rolled towards her.

With a single, fluid motion, she did the only thing she knew of that would help the unicorn sleep. She spread her wing beneath the blanket and slid it over Twilight's body, gently wrapping it around her barrel. She felt Twilight jump slightly at the unexpected contact.

“Rainbow?” Twilight whispered curiously, glancing back over her shoulder.

“Just try to get some sleep,” Rainbow whispered back, tightening her wing's grip. “It'll help.”

Twilight nodded slowly, too tired to argue and willing to accept anything that could keep her from having that nightmare again. She got comfortable in the feathery embrace, and closed her eyes. Once again her mind was filled with he scenes from her dream. Her eyes snapped open again, catching herself before her breath could speed up a noticeable amount. Instead, she reached out with one of her hooves and grabbed the wing draped over her, hugging it close to her chest as she once again tried to close her eyes. This time, she saw nothing. Nothing but the usual blackness she associated with the inside of her eyelids. She squeezed Rainbow's wing appreciatively, smiling as she slipped into a gentle, dreamless sleep.

Rainbow frowned, feeling Twilight's breathing slow to the pace recognizable of sleep. A sleep without any troubling dreams. She scooted herself a little closer to Twilight's back, wrapping her wing a little further around the unicorn's body. Twilight, in response, tightened her grip on the cyan wing in her sleep.

“'Night Twi,” Rainbow whispered, closing her own eyes and falling asleep shortly after.

> 19. Revelations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter 19
Revelations

Rainbow groaned quietly as bright sunlight pierced her eyelids, alerting her to the presence of the morning sun. She begrudgingly opened one eye, just a crack, to see the bright sliver of light slipping through the curtains covering the windows and landing right on her face. With a pained moan she once again shut her eyes, and was about to roll over and away from the sun when she felt something tug on her wing.

Glancing over, she remember how she fell asleep the previous night – and why. Her wing was completely numb after having been extended nearly all night, but Twilight's muzzle was twisted into a relaxed smile, so she deemed it worthwhile. 

“Only for you,” Rainbow groaned quietly, flexing her wing to try and get the feeling back in it without removing it from the unicorn. 

The flexing of her muscles must have been felt by Twilight however, as the lavender mare began to stir, turning over and trying to bury herself further into the pillows. When that didn't stop her from waking up, she rolled back over, grabbed Rainbow's wing, and pulled it tighter over herself. 

Rainbow let out a surprised yelp as Twilight tugged on her wing, the position amplifying the motion and tugging painfully on her appendage. Twilight's eyes snapped open when she heard the noise, and she looked around curiously. “Rainbow?” She asked tiredly. Suddenly, she realized the extra layer of blanketing wrapped around herself and blushed deeply, rolling out from under the cyan wing. “S-sorry.”

Rainbow shook her head, stretching out her aching limb before folding it back against her side. “It's fine. Sleep well?”

Twilight nodded happily. “A lot better, actually. Thanks to you,” she added with a blush.

“It's the least I could do after nearly killing you,” Rainbow assured, pulling herself out of the bed. She stood and stretched, giving her wings a couple flaps. “So what's the plan for today? Need to go get that Shadow guy?”

“Shadow Charm won't be necessary until we track down this Neon Lightning, which I honestly don't know how to do yet. We should head to Cloud-” Twilight explained, before being abruptly cut off by her grumbling stomach. She glanced to a clock, realizing it was just after ten in the morning. She laughed. “First, some breakfast is in order. The buffet should still be open.”

-_-_-_-

As Twilight had predicted, the buffet was still open – barely - and after a wholesome (if slightly stale) breakfast had been loaded onto each of their plates, they found an empty table – a rather easy feat – and sat down, eating silently. Both of them were lost in thought, but on very different subjects.

“I don't know how we're going to find this pegasus,” Twilight muttered, more to herself than Rainbow as she chewed the freshest scone she could find. If Rainbow had heard her, she made no mention of it. “Shadow Charm doesn't even know who she is...”

Shaking her head and snapping herself from her thoughts, Rainbow turned a questioning eye to the lavender unicorn across the table from her. “You really believed that?” She asked incredulously. Twilight gave her an odd look.

“Why would he lie about that?”

“You know, I think you're a little too trusting sometimes,” Rainbow laughed, drawing an angry glare from her companion. “Think about it this way; if some random pony came up to you asking for a flight enhancing enchantment, without even telling you their name, and was willing to pay a large sum of money, would you do it without asking questions?”

Twilight swallowed slowly, rubbing a hoof against her chin as she thought. “Probably not,” she agreed.

“Not knowing who she is? I'd be willing to believe that. But not even knowing her name? That's a bit far, making me think he does know who she is, and just didn't want to tell us. Probably was honest about her description because he didn't have time to make up a lie, that or he was betting on neither of us recognizing her.”

“That... makes a lot of sense,” Twilight noted, her surprise clear in her tone.

“What? You’re not the only one who can do a little detective work,” Rainbow boasted proudly. Twilight just rolled her eyes.

“Then I guess we're going back to Shadow Charm to see what he really knows.”

“First though, this cantaloupe is awesome,” Rainbow exclaimed, throwing a large slice of said melon into her mouth. Twilight laughed at the display as Rainbow spit the rind back onto her near-empty plate, completely devoid of the tasty meat.

Breakfast passed quickly now that they had a goal in a ind, and before either of them noticed they had paid for their room and breakfast and left the hotel. With a comfortable silence between them and a destination in front of them, they made their way swiftly through the streets of Canterlot. The roads were packed with ponies going this way and that, either out doing their shopping or going to work. The early morning crowd did little to dissuaded the two ponies pushing their way through it, though it was considerably effective at slowing them down.

However, before too long, they found themselves walking up the path towards a familiar house. Twilight was getting sick of the very sight of the house, and Rainbow's anger was still boiling just beneath her skin at the unicorn who lived there.

Twilight knocked firmly on the door once more, and they waited. After a few moments of silence, Twilight lifted her hoof to knock again, but stopped herself when she heard voices coming from inside. They were faint, too faint to hear, but there were two ponies inside the house, and one of them sounded angry.

“You hear that?” Rainbow asked, swivelling her ears around to try and hear better. Twilight nodded, pressing the side of her head against the door. The voices within became clear enough to understand.

“How much did you tell them?” Somepony asked, from the sounds of it it was a mare.

“N-nothing! All I did was describe how you looked!” Twilight recognized Shadow Charm's nervous voice.

“Then how did they know who I was?” The mare countered angrily.

“The pegasus recognized you! I don't know how!”

“Idiot! She's seen me before. Great... this is great... what else did you tell them?”

“Just that I didn't know who you were and that you paid me to do the enchantment,” Shadow explained, sounding somewhat smug. The mare was silent for a moment, seemingly to contemplate his answer.

“And they believed that?”

“As far as I can tell.”

“Huh, maybe you're not so useless after all. It'll throw them off for a while; they don't know how or where to find me...”

Twilight pulled her head away from the door, turning to face Rainbow. “Sounds like Neon Lightning is in there. You were right; they know each other,” she explained. Rainbow nodded.

“So should we go in there?” Rainbow asked curiously, rustling her wings with anxious energy.

“Not yet; I have an idea. I just need a focus...” Twilight glanced around her area, looking for something she could use. Eventually, her eyes fell on Rainbow Dash, and the necklace around her neck. She smiled. “Can I borrow that?” 

Rainbow titled her head quizzically, glancing down to her necklace. “Uh, sure... why?” She asked, removing the pendant from her neck and passing it over to Twilight, who lifted it in her magical glow.

“I just need a physical focus, but I can record and amplify what they say. Crystals work better than metal, but this will do for now,” Twilight muttered, before closing her eyes and casting a spell on the necklace. A bright flash of light signified it'd been cast, and she pushed it up against the door. “If I can just get the frequency right...” Twilight trialed off, her tongue sticking out in concentration. Suddenly the air around them was filled with crisp, clear voices, coming from inside the house.

“What should we do now though? They know who you are; it'll only take them so long to find you,” Shadow Charm asked nervously. 

“Yes, your bumbling has caused a few problems for me...” Neon said thoughtfully. “But what's done is done. You said they would come back and bring you to Canterlot in a few days, right?”

“Yes; to explain to Spitfire what happened.”

“Alright... I want you to go to Cloudsdale with them when they come back. I need you to tell Spitfire that they tried paying you to confess to enchanting the necklace.”

“But what about you?” Shadow asked. “They won't came back for me until they've talked to you and gotten at least some information.”

“Let them find me. I'll make sure the evidence they get will only incriminate them more when you claim to have been paid off,” Neon explained. “Think you can do that without screwing it up?”

“Of course, sister. I'll wait here for them. Though if I may, what will you tell them?”

'Sister'? Twilight mouthed to Rainbow in surprise. The pegasus shrugged, still listening intently.

“Nothing you would know if your story is true, and it needs to be as believable as possible. Don't worry; neither of us are going to be found out,” Neon assured. There was a pause of silence, before hoofsteps could be heard over the enchanted necklace. “I'll be back after you've delivered your statement to Spitfire.”

“Well, now that that's sorted, I'll see you soon,” Shadow Charm said. He was audible both through the necklace and through the door, un-amplified. Twilight realized what was happening and pulled the silver bolt away from the door, tossing it around her own neck before motioning for Rainbow to follow and running around to the side of the house. 

Just as Rainbow’s tail vanished around the corner of the building the door opened. “Yes. Don't screw it up,” Neon warned, before turning and walking away from the house without looking back. Twilight leaned around the corner cautiously, watching the red coated pegasus walk to the end of the street before taking off. As soon as she was sure the pegasus was gone, she walked around to the front of the house with Rainbow and knocked on the door. A frustrated grunt came from inside.

“What do you want Ne-” Shadow Charm stopped dead in his tracks, staring wide-eyed at the ponies on his doorstep.

“So,” Rainbow started, stepping forward slightly. “You never told us you had a sister.”

Shadow Charm stared numbly for a second, unsure of what to do. Eventually, he said, “I don't.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “We heard everything,” she deadpanned. The stallion was visibly sweating, shuffling on his hooves nervously.

Glancing around the street, Shadow Charm straightened his posture and set his face in a determined glare. “You can't prove any of it,” he said defiantly.

“Oh, but we can,” Twilight said smoothly, lighting her horn and touching her magic to the bolt around her neck. A soft, fuzzy noise filled the air, before two familiar voices started talking.

“What should we do now though? They know who you are; it'll only take them so long to find you.”

“Yes, your bumbling has caused a few problems for me...But what's done is done. You said they would come back and bring you to Canterlot in a few days, right?”

“You recorded it!?” Shadow shouted, staring wide eyed at the small piece of metal. 

Rainbow gave him a confident smirk. “Yep. And unless I'm wrong, it's all we need to prove you two are conspiring against us... right?” Rainbow asked quietly, looking to Twilight for confirmation.

Twilight nodded. “We show this to the Wonderbolts and they'll have no reason not to believe us.”

Shadow Charm sighed heavily, sinking back to his haunches and rubbing the bridge of his nose with his hoof. “Neon's not gonna be happy about this,” he moaned quietly.

“Happy about what?”

All ponies present turned their heads in surprise to a deep red pegasus with a dull blue mane and red highlights. 

“N-neon!” Shadow stammered in surprise before shaking his head and pointing a hoof at Twilight. “She heard our conversation! She recorded it!”

Neon shrugged calmly. “So I heard. I had a hunch you two were outside. You really shouldn't knock before trying to spy on somepony,” she lectured, sauntering up to Twilight, who just watched with a cautious expression. 

“Whether you know or not doesn't matter,” Rainbow boasted proudly. “We have proof now.”

“Yes, you do,” Neon said disinterestedly. “But not for long. Shadow,” she barked. The stallion in question nodded his head and lit his horn. 

Twilight, thinking quickly, prepared a defensive spell, ready for whatever Shadow Charm was going to throw at her as she spun on her hooves to face him. However, instead of a blast of magic, he simply snatched the necklace from around her neck and broke it off, before passing it to Neon who took it in her mouth and took off running down the street.

Momentarily stunned by the unexpected action, Twilight stared numbly at the spot previously inhabited by a red pegasus. She only snapped her mind free when she saw Rainbow jump off the ground and give chase, flying after Neon.

“Get back here!” Rainbow cried, pumping her wings. She was gaining ground easily on the pegasus, until she took to the air herself, giving a couple powerful flaps and taking off straight into the sky.

“Not doing so good without cheated eh Dash?” Neon taunted around the necklace in her mouth. Rainbow growled fiercely, adding another burst of strength and energy into each of her thrusts as she chased the pegasus. 

Twilight started running after them, trying not to lose sight of the two pegasi, but paused. Turning back to Shadow Charm she leveled a deathly glare at him. “If we don't get the necklace back, you will both pay,” she threatened. Without even waiting for a response she took off running towards the pegasi rapidly distancing themselves from the house.

Keeping her eyes trained on the sky, Twilight paid no mind to the ponies around her, some of whom only barely getting out of her way before being bowled over by the charging unicorn. Taking a turn down an ally, Twilight struggled to keep a line of sight around the tall buildings closing her in on either side. Unfortunately, with her head up, she couldn't see the ground, nor the pothole rapidly approaching. In a magnificent display of why you should always look where you're going, Twilight was flung from her hooves, her momentum carrying her forward even as her hooves lost contact with the ground. Her legs flailed wildly as she crashed painfully into the side of a building back-first and upside down.

Twilight let out a pained gasp, trying to take back the wind that had been knocked from her. She shook her head, clearing her vision of the black spots, and looked back to the sky, seeing that the two pegasi she'd been following were flying close to her location.

Ignoring the lingering ache, Twilight stood up from her crash and once again took off running, wincing every time her front left hoof hit the ground. Her injured hoof hit a rock, twisting her ankle and worsening her pain. She let out a yelp and fell the the ground, gingerly nursing her limb. 

Just as she was about to force herself back up and to get back into the chase, a bright flash caught her attention. Standing next to her was a freshly-teleported Shadow Charm, breathing heavily from the exertion of teleportation. 

“You know,” he panted, slowly regaining his breath. “It's surprising, how hard it is to cast even the simplest of spells when you're in pain.” He discretely slipped his hoof on top of Twilight's injured ankle, pressing down lightly and making Twilight cry out in pain.

“Let's go back to my place,” he said calmly, lighting his horn. “We have a few things to talk about.” With those words he cast his spell, removing both himself and Twilight from the ally.

-_-_-_-

“Not doing so good without cheated eh Dash?” Neon called over her shoulder as she doubled her flapping speed. She knew even without the enhancer Rainbow was faster than her, but that was okay; she was fast enough to stretch the chase out long enough. She had to divide her attention between the pegasus chasing her and the unicorn running along the ground.

Seeing Rainbow lean forward, Neon dodged out of the way just in time to avoid and angry swipe. “Whoa; easy there,” she laughed. “You might hurt somepony doing that.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow growled. “You, hopefully.”

Neon rolled her eyes. “You're no fun, Dash,” she mocked, adding yet another burst of speed. This wasn't good; she could already feel the burn starting to spread through her wings. She wasn't used to flying so fast for extended periods of time. But Twilight was still out in the open.

“We'll see about that once I get my hooves on you,” Rainbow shouted, matching Neon wing beat for wing beat, struggling to put more force behind each and every thrust.

“C'mon,” Neon muttered, dodging another swipe. “Almost there...”

“Get... Back... Here!” With every word Rainbow delivered an extra powerful push the the air behind her, instantly catching up to the much slower pegasus. With a final mighty thrust Rainbow launched herself, forelegs extended, aiming right for the red wings in front of her.

However, what Neon lacked in speed on Rainbow, she made up for in agility. With a twist of her body and a flap of her wings, she danced elegantly around the very tips of Rainbow's hooves, once again evading. Glancing down briefly, Neon smiled, and stopped flying away. “Missed me!” She taunted proudly, turning around to see Rainbow rapidly closing the distance created by her failed tackle.

“You're not faster than me,” Rainbow growled, “so just give up now and we can both go home.”

“I would,” Neon said thoughtfully, once again dodging a cyan blur as Rainbow tried yet again to grab her out of the air. “But that wouldn't be very much fun.”

Rainbow let out a aggravated shout as she missed the apparently agile pegasus, once again finding herself with empty hooves. Turning and charging, Neon simply dodged, using her agility to her advantage to avoid being caught.

“You're getting on my nerves,” Rainbow muttered, missing her air tackle. Neon laughed.

“Don't you see? That's the point!”

Instead of responding, Rainbow tried again to grab the pegasus out of the sky, and tried again and again. Each and every time Neon simply kept just out of her reach, her body and wings twisting and turning gracefully through the air, like dancing rather than dodging. After a couple more seconds of this, Neon stopped, looked down, and smiled.

“And we're done,” she said triumphantly, smirking maliciously as Rainbow stopped and gave her a confused look.

“You giving up?” She asked. Neon simply shook her head.

“No, but your marefriend is being pony-napped,” Neon explained, pointing down towards the streets of Canterlot.

“Twilight?” Rainbow asked confusedly, following where the red hoof was pointed. Rainbow found herself looking into an ally, just in time to see a purple unicorn fall to the ground. “Twi!”

“Better go save her,” Neon laughed as a bright flash of white signified the teleportation of her brother.

Rainbow looked on in shock as the grey stallion flashed out of existence, taking Twilight with him. “You won't get away with this,” Rainbow cried over her shoulder, already flying as fast as she could back towards Shadow's Charms house.

Neon shook her head disapprovingly, turning and flying away and a leisurely pace. “Oh Rainbow Dash,” she chuckled.

“You just made sure I will.”
> 20. Capture
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter 20
Capture

Twilight blinked her eyes clear from the flash of teleportation to reveal her surroundings. She winced as she once again felt the floor beneath her, lifting her front left hoof off the ground. The room she found herself in was dim, lit only by a small amount of light trickling in from ceiling-level windows. The walls were made of solid cement, much like the floor, implying she was in an unfinished basement. Pipes could be seen running along the roof and there was a staircase along the far wall, leading to a door with light bleeding around the frame.  The distinct sound of dripping water could be heard, adding to the foreboding atmosphere. What added to it more, though, was the rather cramped cage Twilight found herself in.

“What the hay?” Twilight asked aloud, craning her neck. Sure enough, she was trapped inside a large cage, the kind one would keep a big dog in for extended periods of time. Barely tall enough for Twilight to stand up straight and without the room required for her to turn around, Twilight was left with little clue to where she was. 

“Sorry about this, but my sister can be very... determined,” a voice called from the corner, making Twilight snap her head around to see Shadow Charm, his grey coat blending into the plain concrete wall in the darkness.

She let out a low laugh. “You really think a simple dog cage can keep me here?” Twilight asked with a rather smug smirk, already charging her horn. Without giving the stallion time to reply she launched her spell, firing a beam of bright magenta light at the bars in front of her, intending to blast the entire side of the cage off. Instead, the beam collided with the bars and was seemingly absorbed, making the entire cage glow. “What the...”

“You forget, Miss Sparkle; I'm an enchanter. A rather good one, if I do say so myself. While your magic may be quite powerful, defensive magics have always been more powerful than offensive,” Shadow explained, pacing closer to the cage and tapping the bars. “Everything you hit these bars with will simply be absorbed, adding the energy to the defensive wards placed on them. The more you try to get out, the less chance you have of escape.”

Twilight seemed at a loss for words, unable to comprehend what was happening to her. What started with an enchanted necklace had lead to her being pony-napped! “But... no spell has an infinite absorption rate!” She cried triumphantly. “I just need to overload the wards, and they'll destroy themselves!”

Shadow Charm seemed to contemplate the answer for a moment, before nodding. “Yes, that would work in theory. But the reaction would be quite volatile, resulting in an explosion, where the chances of your survival would be slim. Of course, I might have also placed a ward to enhance that particular reaction.”

Twilight seemed to wither under the explanation she knew was correct. Taking one last glance around her small cage, she sat back on her haunches. There was no immediate way out, and her best bet at this point was Rainbow. But she wasn't completely helpless inside the cage. “Why are you doing this?” She asked quietly, giving the grey stallion across the room a piercing gaze.

He sighed, sitting down as well. “My sister,” he said with a shrug. “I don't fully understand what she has against Rainbow Dash, but she is determined to keep that mare out of the Wonderbolts. You just got caught in the crossfire, I'm afraid.”

Twilight grunted in annoyance, examining the lock keeping the cage closed – no doubt enchanted as well. There had to be a key somewhere. “Why do you have cages down here anyway?” She asked, scanning the room for a way out. “I mean, your original plan couldn't have been to pony-nap me.”

“No, it wasn't,” Shadow agreed with a shake of his head. “However, it was one of many backup plans. My sister likes to plan for every eventuality, and this was a result of multiple paths Rainbow Dash could have taken.”

“Oh?” Twilight asked defiantly. “Then what's her plan now? You can't just keep me down here forever, and Rainbow will have noticed I went missing. She'll figure it out.”

Shadow calmly motioned with a hoof to Twilight's right. She turned her head curiously, finding another cage sitting next to hers. “She should be joining us soon, actually,” Shadow Charm said. “Once the new Wonderbolt has secured the position in a couple days, you will both be released. You'll have no proof we held you, you'll have no proof we framed you, and the Wonderbolts will never welcome Rainbow Dash back. If you try to accuse us of framing you or pony-napping you, it can easily be argued that it was a mental break caused by Rainbow's expulsion from the Wonderbolts, and you'll be dragged down with her. It'll be a lot easier on all of us if you just give up.”

“At least tell me who's replacing Dash. I know it's not Neon,” Twilight asked, the gears in her mind turning as she came closer and closer to a conclusion she was desperately willing away.

Shadow shrugged. “No idea. I don't think even Neon knows who replaced her. All she cares about is getting back at Rainbow Dash for something, though not even I know what. She's a very tight lipped mare.”

Twilight glared at the grey stallion, but said nothing else. She was unable to argue, and her mind reached the worst conclusion she could imagine. From within her cage, blocking her magic and movement, she could do nothing. Rainbow was going to be there any minute, and without aid, it was unlikely she'd be able to single-handedly take down a unicorn, especially if Neon Lightning followed her back.

Suddenly, an enormous explosion echoed through the basement from the main floor of the house. Shadow Charm smiled. “Look who's here.”

-_-_-_-

Rainbow Dash flew as fast as her wings could carry her, struggling to remember the location of Shadow Charm's house. She'd been there enough to know the general location, but it would take a stroke of luck the size of Canterlot itself to let her find the right house. It was of little concern to her what happened to Neon and her necklace right now. For all she cared they could both disappear off the face of the planet, never to be seen again.  Right now the only thought on her mind was making sure Twilight was alright.


She found the right neighbourhood without much trouble, recognizing the cookie-cutter houses. She even managed to remember the right street, but beyond that she was lost. There were ten houses on either side of the street, leaving her with a total of twenty options. She thought back to the times she'd been to the house before, struggling to remember every detail she could. Summoning an image of it in her mind, she started comparing it to the houses on the street as she circled just above their roofs. 

The door was on the left side, ruling out half the houses. It had bushes, not flowers in the small garden out front, ruling out another four houses. The bushes hadn’t flowered yet, ruling out one of the houses. She had five left, and from what she could tell they were all the same. Two on one side of the street, three on the other. Rainbow landed in the middle of the street, scanning each of her remaining options carefully before clenching her eyes shut and trying to remember any more details about the house. 

Suddenly her eyes snapped open and she glared triumphantly at the house she was looking for. The one with a dream catcher in the window. She jumped back into the air and flew towards the door, not even hesitating as she straightened out her body, pointing her front hooves straight out as she ploughed into the door. For a split second if felt as though the door would hold, but after one last, powerful flap of her wings, the hinges gave way and the door flew off its frame and into the house, impacting the far wall of the entryway with a loud crash.

“Twilight!” She called out into the house, the eery silence contrasting with the bright light pouring in through the door-made-window. When no answer came to her call, Rainbow began to fear that the stallion had the presence of mind not to take his pony-napped victim back to his home. However, a quiet, metallic clanking started, far too rhythmic and stable to be natural. Rainbow followed the muffled noise to a door that seemingly lead to the basement.

“Twi?” She called again, opening the door. The metallic clanging rang louder. Like somepony was tapping against a metal pipe or bar.

“Rainbow!” Twilight called from within the dark depths. Without wasting a moment on thought Rainbow Dash charged down the stairs. “Don't come down here!” She heard Twilight again as she hit the cement floor of the basement, turning to see the lavender unicorn trapped in a cage, looking at her fearfully.

“Twi! Are you alright? Where is he?” Rainbow asked, hurrying over to the cage and looking it over, noticing the relatively small metal padlock.

“Get out of here! You have to go find the royal guard!” Twilight cried frantically.

Rainbow ignored her, instead sizing up the lock and the metal bars making up the the dog cage Twilight had been shoved inside. “Hold on; I'm gonna get you out of there!”

“Get out!” Twilight screamed, snapping Rainbow out of her mind and drawing out an odd look. “If you don't get out of here and find help we'll both be-” she was cut off by a sudden flash and pop as the cyan pegasus previously in front of her was flashed away, reappearing in the cage next to her as it was slammed shut and locked.

“Trapped,” Shadow Charm said smugly, walking menacingly out of the shadows at the back of the basement. Sweat was visibly running down his brow after the teleportation spell, a type of magic he was clearly unaccustomed to casting. 

“You think some stupid dog cage can hold me?” Rainbow called, shaking the lingering traces of teleportation out of her limbs. Without warning she reared up as much as the height of the cage would allow and bucked the back of the cage with her hind legs. The bars flexed out like rubber, glowing brightly before snapping back into place forcefully, throwing Rainbow forward into the front of the cage painfully.

“Ow,” she groaned, rubbing her muzzle gentle.

“A simple cage, certainly not,” Shadow Charm said. “An enchanted cage? Well, I'd say so.”

Rainbow growled, pressing her forehead against the bars and levelling a threatening glare at the stallion. “Just wait till I get out of here.”

Shadow laughed, making his way to the stairs. “I'll let you girls out in a couple days,” he called before ascending the stairs, closing the basement door behind him. “Really? The front door? What did it do to you?”

“I'm really starting to hate that guy,” Rainbow grumbled, holding her death glare at the staircase for a few more second before looking over at Twilight. “So what's the plan? Are you gonna magic us out?”

Twilight kept her gaze down towards the floor, unable to look at the pegasus in the cage next to her. She shook her head.

“Right, suppose he'd make yours magic proof or something. Alright, guess it's up to me to buck my way out. Hold tight, Twi, won't take too long.” Rainbow once again reared back and bucked the cage. This time, instead of stretching, it held fast as Rainbow's hooves struck it uselessly, sending a painful jolt up the pegasus's legs.

“Rainbow...” Twilight whimpered, watching from the corner of her eye as her friend shook out the pain and tried again. She was met with he same result as the first time, the bars stretching before flinging her into the front of the cage, making her yelp in pain. This time when she staggered back, a small dribble of blood ran down from her nose. 

“Stupid cage,” she muttered, holding a hoof to her nose and backing up as far as she could go, which wasn't very far. She charged head first at the front door, aiming her head down and connecting with a loud clang. She fell back to her haunches, blinking spots from her eyes that resulted from her rather painful impact. 

“Rainbow, stop,” Twilight repeated, a little louder. Rainbow continued to ignore her, beginning to relentlessly shoulder check the door of the cage. With each impact that rang through the room Twilight visibly winced, keeping her head turned away from the pegasus.

“Don't... worry... I'll... get us.... out...” Rainbow panted, exhausted and sore from her attempts, but still trying as she once again tried bucking the back of the cage.

“Stop!” Twilight shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks. “You're going to break something if you keep doing that.”

Rainbow, still slamming random parts of the cage, laughed. “I think I already busted my nose.” She turned as much as she could, pressing her back against the side of the cage facing Twilight and her hooves against the other. With a deep breath she started pushing, smiling as she felt the cage start to give. “I... I think I got- Arg.” Rainbow cut herself off with a pained grunt as the cage sides snapped back into place. “There goes a leg,” she muttered through grit teeth, cradling her now injured leg as she caught her breath.

“Rainbow!” Twilight called worriedly. “Are you alright!?” 

“Yeah... Yeah I'm fine, Twi. The cage is just a little stronger than I thought. Don't worry though; I'll get us out of here,” she boasted, staggering back to her hooves, only to fall back on her flank with a pained grunt as soon as she tried to support her own weight.

“Rainbow, just... just stop. You're not going to overpower the enchantments with brute force,” Twilight said, smothering her tears under a veil of calm thought. If Rainbow knew she didn't have a way out, she'd keep throwing herself at the cage and only injure herself worse. “I'll think of something, don't worry.”

Rainbow huffed, “I coulda' gotten us out,” but relented, wiping the blood from her muzzle, only for even more to leak down her face.

“Alright... A magical overload is out of the question,” Twilight began muttering to herself. It was all for show; she'd already been through all the solutions she could think of. None of them would work. But she'd do anything to keep Rainbow from hurting herself more. “The keys aren't here, and even if they were the enchantments are block my magic from exiting the cage. Which includes teleporting.”

Rainbow sat patiently while Twilight found a way out. She trusted the unicorn to get them out of these cages, just like she trusted her to find a way to find the culprits. Given enough time Twilight Sparkle could do anything, of that she was sure. Blood was still trickling from her nose, and her leg, while not broken, was still aching bad, but she payed it little mind as she watched Twilight think.

“The strength of the bars isn't increased by the spell, the spell surrounds the bars and manipulates them...” Twilight kept talking. As long as she was talking, as long as Rainbow thought she was going to get them out, the pegasus wouldn't hurt herself anymore. 

“Can't you just disenchant the bars like you did my necklace?” Rainbow asked, curiously tapping her hoof against the wall of the cage and admiring the slight glow that signified the defensive magic activating. 

Twilight shook her head. “That was a simple enchantment. These are wards, much more powerful. Still technically enchantments, but instead of using the object as a focus for the spell to be applied to the wearer, wards enhance the object they're placed on.”

“Oh... okay. Any idea then?” 

“Well...” Twilight hesitated, frowning at the bars separating her from her pegasus companion.

“We can’t get out of here, can we?” Rainbow asked sadly, taking Twilight's fears and putting them into words.

At first the unicorn felt the need to deny it, to assure her friend that they'd get out, but she couldn’t bring herself to lie. With a heavy heart she said, “No, I don't think so. If I overload the enchantments they'll explode.”

Rainbow hung her head low to the floor of the cell. “How long are they going to keep us here?”

Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off when the door to the basement opened, momentarily flooding it with light, before it was shut.

“Hello Miss Dash, Miss Sparkle.”

> 21. Freedom
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter 21
Freedom

“What do you want?” Rainbow spat at the deep red unicorn walking down the stairs, her dark blue mane looking nearly black in the low light of the basement.

“Nothing from you,” Neon laughed, walking over to the pair of cages and tossing something onto the ground with her wing. A small glass sphere rolled along the ground, tinkling quietly as it rolled. It came to a stop resting against the edge of Twilight's cage. The reddish brown cloud swirled within the glass confines. “I need your unicorn marefriend over here too tell me how to destroy this.”

Twilight raised a single eyebrow. “You really think I'm going to tell you how to destroy the only piece of evidence we have against you?” 

Neon smirked dangerously. “I do, as a matter of fact. You see, Miss Dash over here wants you to.”

“I do not!” Rainbow protested loudly.

“Oh you will. Shadow! Get your flank down here!” She called up the stairs, waiting for a moment as the grey stallion fumbled down the stairs, looking at her curiously.

“What do you need?” He asked, sounding more like a butler to her than a brother. 

Neon ignored him as she turned back to the pegasus glaring at her from the confines of a cage. “I bet that nose is pretty sore, isn't it Dash?”

Rainbow didn't answer, keeping her glare leveled at the mare.

“I know it is. Shadow, make it hurt a bit more.”

Shadow Charm moved forward to comply, but stopped himself a few feat away from Rainbow's cage. “Uh, Neon? Are you sure? I mean... we could just make sure they don't get it back when we let them go...”

Neon grunted in annoyance. “We could, but if they have enough evidence for the guard to search the house, and they find the sphere, it would give them too much credibility, and remove a lot of ours. We need to destroy it, and the unicorn is the only one who knows how, since you're too inept to find out. So, you hurt the pegasus, the unicorn tells us how we can destroy the evidence, and we all live happily ever after.”

“You're insane!” Twilight cried suddenly, drawing all eyes to her. “It's just a stunt team! You would torture a pony to keep them off a stunt team!? You're completely nuts!”

Neon smiled, the kind of smile that showed all of her teeth, and stretched her face just a bit too wide. “You brought this on yourself. You could have just let Dash take the blame. You could have just let her lose her dream. You could have just let me get away with it. Nopony would have gotten hurt if you'd just left it all alone.”

“I couldn't just leave it alone! You cheated her out of her life's dream! You turned our own town against us! Our friends don't trust us anymore! How could I just let it go!?” Twilight raged from within her metal prison.

Neon shrugged. “Not my problem. Now, tell us how to destroy the sphere, or your marefriend will have more than a broken nose.”

“Don't tell 'em Twi. When we get out of here it's our only shot at proving anything,” Rainbow warned, her wings open as she crouched low the floor, instictually assuming the most threatening position she could, even if her cage prevented her wings from extending fully.

“Rainbow she's nuts! She'll hurt you if I don't!” Twilight protested.

Neon rolled her eyes. “Well that's a nice heartwarming scene, and a little pointlessly dramatic. Are you going to tell me or not?”

“No!” Rainbow yelled defiantly.

“Yes!” Twilight cried desperately.

Both trapped mares looked at each other outrageously.

“Enough!” Neon interjected, putting her face between the two cages, blocking her captives from looking at each other. “No more pointlessness. Shadow Charm, do it. Sparkle, tell me. We all get what we want that way.”

With a heavy sigh, Shadow Charm stepped towards Rainbow's cage and lit his horn.

“W-wait!” She called hesitantly, backing herself into the bars behind her. “Magic can’t pass through your enchantments! I'm perfectly safe in-ARG!” Rainbow as cut of as a searing pain shot through her broken nose, her muzzle glowing with a reddish brown aura.

Shadow Charm looked away, scrunching his eyes closed tightly. “The enchantment blocks magic, but since I placed the wards I can bypass them.”

“Let go you bastard!” Rainbow screamed, trying to shake her magic off her muzzle to no avail.

Twilight cringed away from the screams of her friend, instead turning to face the menacing pegasus in front of her own cage. “So, how do you smash this thing?” Neon asked sweetly, rolling the sphere along the ground with a hoof place on top of it.

“You can't. You need a unicorn stronger than I am to break the wards,” Twilight explained hurriedly. “Now stop him!”

“Shadow!” Neon barked. Rainbow's screaming stopped, replaced by huffing and the occasional groan. “Well then, I guess we need to find a powerful unicorn.”

Neon turned back tot he stairs, beginning to trot up them. She paused half way up, turning back to her brother. “See if you can get anymore out of her. I'll look for somepony we can pay off to smash the damn thing.”

“Yes, Neon,” Shadow Charm said solemnly, turning back to Rainbow and lighting his horn. “Miss Sparkle, if there's anything else, you need to tell me now.”

“There nothing else!” Twilight cried fearfully. “Stop hurting her! I promise there's nothing else!”

The stallion sighed, giving Rainbow's nose a painful twist and drawing a pained yelp. “I want to stop, really I do, but Neon would kill me.” He let the glow fade from his horn. “Nothing else?”

“No!” 

He lit his horn again.

“YOU WILL NOT HURT HER AGAIN!” Twilight screamed suddenly, horn glowing with a bright white light. “YOU WILL NEVER EVEN TOUCH HER!” Her head snapped up to reveal white-hot eyes, glowing just as fiercely as her horn. In a flash of magic and rage the lavender unicorn's coat bust into a white hot flame covering every inch of her body, her mane igniting a furious red and licking at the bars above her. 

Shadow fell back on his haunches, scooting himself along the floor until his back hit the wall. The heat coming off the enraged mare felt as though it would be enough to melt the cage holding her were it not enchanted. 

Twilight's horn flashed, surrounding herself in a magic bubble along with the entirety of Rainbow's cage. She then began feeding as much power as she could into the wards covering her cage, bloating the enchantment with her magic. 

“Y-you’ll kill me!” Shadow shouted, clambering to his hooves and running out of the basement as soon as he realized what she was doing.

“Twi?” Rainbow asked cautiously, examining the bubble surrounding her. She recognized the spell, but didn't know what it was for.

“YOU BROUGHT THIS ON YOURSELF!” Twilight screamed as Shadow disappeared out the door. In a final flash of light the wards covering the bars couldn't contain any more magic, and they shattered. A deafening explosion filled the room as the wards were overwhelmed, the blast taking the cage with them. When the light from the explosion died down, all the remained was a flaming Twilight Sparkle surrounded by her protective bubble of magic. Below her was a deep black scorch mark and a few smoking bits of blackened metal were all the remained of her cage. The flames that made up her coat and mane were nearly too bright for Rainbow to look at, yet she couldn't bring herself to turn her eyes away. 

The protective bubbles dispersed, as did the flames covering the unicorn's body, and Twilight wobbled on her hooves as a sudden headache washed over her mind. She pressed a hoof to her temple as she steadied herself against the side of Rainbow's cage.

“Whoa...” Was all Rainbow could say as she stared wide-eyed up at a panting Twilight Sparkle.

“Just... give me... a second...” Twilight said, breathing heavily. “I'll... get you... out....”

Rainbow nodded in understanding as the unicorn caught her breath. “How did you do that?”

Twilight smiled weakly, looking down at the pony in the cage. She pushed herself off and started hobbling around the room, both from exhaustion and her most likely sprained ankle. “Magical... never mind. Strong emotions mean strong magic in the case of powerful unicorns,” Twilight summarized, more for the sake of her pounding head than the high possibility that anything technical would confuse her pegasus friend. 

“Huh...” Rainbow said as Twilight continued hobbling around the room “So... how are you gonna get me out now?”

“A key would be nice,” Twilight muttered, scanning over a desk pressed against one of the walls. The darkness of the basement made her search more difficult than it needed to be. “If I can't find that...” she trailed off, her eyes falling onto the sphere of magic aura, resting against the wall after it was blown away by the explosion.

“Well?” Rainbow asked, motioning with a hoof for Twilight to continue.

“Uh... I'll find the key,” Twilight responded hurriedly, avoiding the question as she continued searching.

“Twi?” Rainbow asked, tilting her head. “What if you can't find the key?”

Sighing, Twilight stopped her search and turned to back to the trapped pegasus. “If I can't find they key I can... use Shadow Charm's aura to bypass his wards and deactivate them.”

“Great! Do it!” Rainbow cheered excitedly. When the unicorn didn't move, Rainbow tilted her head quizzically, before frowning. “What's the catch?”

“It'll use up the aura,” Twilight explained sadly. “Which is the only real piece of physical evidence we have against them.”

“Oh... don't care. I'm sure we can make a case, especially after they literally pony-napped us and held us against our will. Now get me out of here so I can give the unicorn prick a piece of my mind. Messing with my nose like that,” Rainbow started fuming, making Twilight laugh lightly. With a nod the unicorn walked over and grabbed the glass sphere in her magic, only to wince painfully and drop the orb.

“You alright Twi?” Rainbow asked as Twilight held a hoof to her horn.

“Yeah... just a little sore after doing all that magic at once,”  she explained, picking up the sphere with her teeth and bringing it over to Rainbow's cage, setting it down gently. 

“You gonna be able to get me out without hurting yourself?” Rainbow asked concernedly, making Twilight laugh lightly. 

“Without getting hurt? Maybe. Get you out? Definitely. Hold on...” she trailed off as her horn lit. She cringed against the pain that filled her head, but pushed through it as the orb began glowing, surrounded by her magenta magic. A second later, the lock keeping the cage shut began to glow as well, connected to the orb by a small strand of purple magic. Slowly, the red aura from within the orb began to filter our, flowing along the thread of magic into the lock. A second later, when the orb was completely empty of the reddish cloud, the lock flashed.

Twilight smiled, tapping a hoof against the metal contraption, grinning when she didn't feel the warding magic. “Excellent, now I just need to get the lock off...”

Taking the now-empty glass orb from the ground in her hooves, Twilight raised it above her head before slamming it down on the top of the lock. When nothing happened, Twilight repeated the action. With a third and final smash, the unprotected lock popped open. Rainbow didn't even wait as she rammed the cage door open, opening her wings as soon as she was clear and giving them a few flaps.

“Oh thank Celestia I'm out of there,” she groaned, lifting herself into the air. “Now, where did that unicorn go?”

“Probably to go find his sister,” Twilight shrugged. “If we go find a royal guard and bring them back here, this should be enough to have arrest warrants for both of them. Although... I'm afraid we don't have any proof for the Wonderbolts...”

“We'll deal with that later, for now, those two need to be dealt with. Let's go!” Rainbow called, already halfway up the stairs. 

Twilight rolled her eyes at the predictable enthusiasm, clambering her way up the stairs. Rainbow was waiting patiently at the top, but upon seeing the difficulty Twilight was having walking, she quickly rushed the the unicorn's side. “Twi?” She asked, “What happened to you hoof?”

“I think I sprained it while I was chasing you and Neon a while ago. I'd heal it with my magic but... I don't quite have the energy for a healing spell of that magnitude,” she explained as they reached the landing. The front door of the house had been repaired, probably magically, and all blinds had been drawn. 

“C'mon, once we get the guard over here we can get you looked at by a doctor,” Rainbow assured, taking Twilight's injured hoof and putting it around her back, effectively forcing the unicorn to lean on her for support. 

“I'm not totally incapable of walking,” Twilight noted sarcastically, but accepted the help as they walked through the house towards the front door. However, just as they were passing through the sitting room, something caught Twilight's eye, and she stopped. 

“What is it?” Rainbow asked when she felt her friend stop. She looked over to see what Twilight was looking at. On the coffee table sitting in front of the couch as a silver lightning bolt on a chain.

“Seams like it always finds its way back to us, huh?” Rainbow asked with a chuckle as she helped Twilight over to it. 

“Indeed it does... I wonder...” Twilight trailed off, reaching out with a hoof and touching it to the necklace. She smiled. “The enchantment's still active... they might have cleared the memory, but they didn't remove the recording enchantment.”

Twilight lit her horn, gently touching her magic to the necklace. A dull static filled the room, before voices emerged. They were muffled, as though they were being heard from through a wall. Or maybe from a basement.

“Hello Miss Dash, Miss Sparkle.”
> 22. Confessions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter 22
Confessions

The sun was going down behind the mountain as Twilight and Rainbow made their way out of the local guard station. As they had suspected, there was more than enough evidence to get arrest warrants put out for the siblings who had pony-napped them, but nopony knew where they had gone. Twilight had made a copy of the recording stored on he necklace, giving the copy to the guards for evidence. While they would have preferred the original, the sound quality on a crystal was much better, and Twilight wouldn't give up the necklace. After they had made their statements the guards had offered to place them both in custody to protect them, should Neon and her brother try again, but they'd both agreed the last thing they needed was to spend the night in a guard station. 

So they found themselves walking into a familiar hotel in the waning light of the sun. Neither had the energy for the trip back to Ponyville, by train or by flight, and Cloudsdale was far out of question. They stumbled wearily up the the receptionist, who gave them only a cursory glance before nodding in understanding. She reached into her drawer and handed them the same key they'd had the previous night without question. Twilight smiled in thanks as Rainbow escorted her up the stairs, her now bandaged hoof still giving her problems walking. Rainbow hadn't escaped without medical attention either; her muzzle now featured white bandages crisscrossing over the bridge of her broken nose.

“I... am going to bed,” Twilight declared as she threw the door open, walking in behind Rainbow before slamming it closed. 

“Right behind you Twi,” the pegasus agreed, yawing loudly as they stumbled their way through the dark hotel room and into the bedroom. 

Neither even questioned it as they clambered into bed, throwing the blankets haphazardly over both of them. Without thinking they pressed themselves close together, their coats rubbing and sharing the heat beneath the blanket.

Twilight let out a light, relaxed sigh as she felt Rainbow's wing extend under the blanket, wrapping around her barrel and holding her tightly. Without the wakefulness required to question or even ponder her motivations, Twilight simply allowed herself to revel in the feeling and closed her eyes. Just as sleep was about to take her mind, she felt a gentle pressure against her cheek, heard a quite “'Night Twi” then left the conscious world. 

Rainbow smiled, leaning in a softly kissing Twilight on the cheek “'Night Twi,” she whispered, feeling the unicorn's body go slack against hers. She was soon to follow her friend to the realm of dreams, letting the bed's soft embrace and the heat of the mare next to her lull her to sleep. 

-_-_-_-

Twilight awoke slowly the next morning, her mind stirring to life as she realized she was lacking something. That something, she soon remembered, was the pegasus sleeping next to her.

Opening her violet eyes blearily, Twilight frowned when Rainbow Dash was not lying next to her, her feathered wing no longer wrapped securely around her body. With some effort Twilight managed to roll herself out of bed, barely landed on her hooves – minus one injured one – and stumbled her way drowsily towards the door. She reached out with her magic, now only giving her a minor tinge of pain rather than the full on headache she'd gotten the previous day, and opened the door, revealing a room bathed in sunlight. She'd been sleeping for a while.

She saw the pegasus she was looking for sitting in front of the window, tail occasional flicking about behind her as she gazed out over the cityscape from the second floor of the hotel. Twilight silently came up beside the mare, sitting next to her and joining her in her gaze. “What's up?” Twilight asked curiously, trying to spot what her friend was looking at.

“Tomorrow is the Wonderbolt's first show since this year's recruitment drive,” Rainbow explained. “If we don't sort this out today, I'll have to wait until next year for another chance, if I even get one.”

Twilight frowned in understanding. “I'm sure we'll fix it today. We just need to go to Cloudsdale and play the recording for Spitfire. At the very least she'll be forced to reconsider her choices.”

“Yeah... we'd better leave soon if we want to make it to Cloudsdale. It's almost noon.”

Twilight nodded, but neither of them got up just yet. They both knew there was one more topic they had to cover that morning, and judging from Rainbow's silence, Twilight would have to be the one to bring it up. “What was last night about?” Twilight asked quietly, watching as the sun approached its zenith.

Rainbow chuckled. “Before or after we were pony-napped?”

“You know what I'm talking about. You kissed me last night,” Twilight deadpanned, glancing over to see  Rainbow still focused out the window.

“I thought you were asleep,” she admitted quietly.

“Well I wasn't, and I want an explanation,” Twilight said, her voice taking an authoritative tone, as if saying she wouldn't let it go. 

Rainbow sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. “When you showed me your memory of watching me compete to join the Wonderbolts, I saw and felt everything you did. It was hard to tell which feelings were yours and which were my own from seeing it again, but there was something both of us had. I didn't know for sure what it was until I was flying us to Cloudsdale. When you... when you fell, when I was trying to catch you... for a second I thought I wouldn't be able to make it in time.  I started thinking... what I would do if I couldn't catch you. What would happen if I lost you and...” she paused, blinking the tears from her eyes. “I couldn't take it.”

“Rainbow?” Twilight asked timidly, reaching out a hoof and placing it gently on the mare's shoulder.

Rainbow ignored her, taking a deep breath before continuing. “After that... I really started thinking about it, and I realized I had feelings for you. I'd had a hunch before but... that was definitive. I realized what the feeling I got in the memory was and... I realized you had it too, but I could tell you didn't know what it was. Hay, I still don't know. The kiss last night was... wishful thinking, on my part. I thought you were asleep, and that maybe... maybe it would be the only chance I got.”

With a final deep sigh, Rainbow finally turned her head away from the window to look deeply into Twilight's eyes. “So I want to know, for sure, would you be willing to give us a shot?”

“I knew what I was feeling when we had dinner the other night, so... I want to say yes as much as you want me too, and I don't have a reason not to,” Twilight admitted with a shy smile, sliding her hoof from Rainbow's shoulder to across her back, leaning into her gently as they turned out the window once more. 

“Awesome.”

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Twilight sighed, removing her hoof from Rainbow's back and turning to the door, standing up and making her way to it. “Who's there?” She called as she reached the entry way.

“Royal Guard, Ma'am,” came the gruff response of a well-trained guard. Twilight opened the door, smiling pleasantly at the white pegasus in golden armour. 

“Can I help you?” She asked as Rainbow walked up beside her. 

“We don't need anything more from you, no. I'm here to let you know there haven't been any signs of either of the ponies who pony-napped you. The Guard strongly recommends that you enter our witness protection program until we find the criminals. However, if you still refuse, I have to advise you to keep a keen eye out and to not leave the city. If you wish, we can station a few guards in the hotel until the mess clears up,” he explained, making Twilight frown.

“Thank you for the offer, but I think we'll be fine. We were actually about to head out to Cloudsdale,” she explained, sharing a knowing glance with the pegasus beside her.

The guard seemed honestly confused by the notion, but regained his senses and shook his head. “I have to ask that you not do that. We need you to be here should we find them for identification purposes. If you have pressing matters in Cloudsdale, I can send somepony to inform them of your situation,” he explained, sounding apologetic that they would be unable to leave the city.

“What!?” Rainbow asked, stomping up to the guard. “We have to get to Cloudsdale today! Before the Wonderbolt show tomorrow! We need to get a message to Spitfire!”

The guard nodded in understanding, but remained firm. “I'm afraid I cannot allow you to leave. My apologies, but whatever business you have with Spitfire will have to be taken care of after a proper investigation has taken place.”

“We have to get there-” Rainbow started, only to stop when she saw the thoughtful look on Twilight's face. “Twi? You got something?”

Twilight grinned as she limped as quickly as her injured hoof could carry her back into the bedroom, before coming out a few moments later with a silver bolt on a chain. “Get this to spitfire. Tell her... never mind, I'll write it down.” Placing the necklace in the stallion's outstretched wing, she dashed back into the room, scribbled something on a piece of paper and rolled it up, offering it to the pegasus. “Please, be sure she gets it today.”


“Of course, ma'am, I'll see to it,” the guard said, wrapping the chain of the necklace around the scroll and grabbing them both in his mouth before trotting hurriedly down the hall and out of the hotel. 

“How is that going to help? Doesn't that thing need a unicorn to activate it?” Rainbow asked as Twilight walked back into the room, sitting down on the couch and spreading out, sighing as she took all weight off her bandaged hoof. 

“I modified it a bit. If the unicorn who casts the spell is adept at such magic, they can rig it to play under certain circumstances, the instruction to achieve the conditions to make it play are written on the scroll. All she needs to do is submerge it in clouds and touch it. After that, it'll play like normal and she'll have all the proof she needs to put you back on the team,” Twilight explained with a smile. “As long as it gets to her soon enough, you'll be back on the team by the end of the week.”

Rainbow grinned at the news, sitting down next to the unicorn. “That's awesome! As soon as they find those two we'll be out of here and I'll be a Wonderbolt!” She cheered, wrapping Twilight in a quick hug.

“I just hope they can find them... and you may need to repeat your performance from the competition,” Twilight said as she broke the embrace. She was about to say more when her stomach emitted a loud rumble. She blushed in embarrassment, making Rainbow laugh.

“Sounds like you're hungry.”

“We didn't exactly eat anything since breakfast yesterday,” Twilight explained sheepishly.

Rainbow nodded her head in understanding, before suddenly smiling as she got an idea. “Hey, since we're going to give this a shot, how about we go to breakfast as our first date?”

Twilight's cheeks flushed even more at the prospect, but she nodded eagerly. “I'd love to go out to breakfast with you.”

“Well then, your home town, any good breakfast places nearby?”

“Well, there is one place...”

-_-_-_-

A half hour later, Twilight and Rainbow Dash found themselves sitting at a table in Doughnut Joe's bakery, munching on the pastries of their choosing. 

“In didn't know Joe did breakfast stuff, but these scones are delicious!” Rainbow exclaimed, emphasizing her point by throwing the remaining pastry into her mouth and chomping down on it.

“Glad you like them!” Joe said, walking over to their table and setting down a tray of danishes. “As good as my doughnuts are, just selling them won't exactly pay the bills.”

“Well I'm glad you branch out. I'll have to make this place a regular stop when I come to Canterlot,” Rainbow said as she eagerly attacked the fresh prey delivered to her on a silver platter.

Twilight rolled her eyes at the improper display, nodding her thanks to Joe before snatching a pastry for herself. Once it was clear of the ravenous Rainbow, she gently took a bite, eyes lighting up as the sensation hit her taste buds.

“So,” Twilight started, quickly taking another bite before continuing “As our first official date, what do you want to do?”

Rainbow, caught off guard by the question, remained quiet for a moment, chewing slowly and hiding her indecision behind the guise of proper manners. “Well... I dunno, I'm not normally one for mushy date stuff, so... whatever you want to do, I guess,” she said with a shrug.

“I guess we could-” Twilight started, only to cut herself off as she stared wide-eyed at the door to the pastry shop, the bell above tinkling quietly. Rainbow frowned, following the unicorn's gaze, her jaw dropping as she saw what her friend was looking at. 

“Hello, Rainbow Dash,” Spitfire said, walking over to their table. 
> 23. Redemption
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter 23
Redemption

“Spitfire!?” Rainbow gasped, quickly brushing the crumbs from her muzzle in an effort to make herself look presentable. 

“I got your message and I wanted to make sure you two were alright. The guard told me what happened,” Spitfire explained. “You mind?” She asked, motioning to a spare seat at the table. Rainbow shook her head eagerly, encouraging her idol to sit down.

“How did you get here so fast though? We only sent the letter an hour or two ago,” Twilight asked as Spitfire pulled out and sat in the empty chair, letting her bags drop tot he ground next to her.

She shrugged. “I was was just in the Canterlot Arena getting ready for tomorrow's show. What, did you think I would still be in Cloudsdale for the first performance with the new recruit?” She asked with a laugh, before frowning upon seeing the embarrassed looks on both their faces. “Just because I'm not in the squad flying doesn't mean I'm not there. If I don't have my own show to be attending, I'll be in the crowd supporting our fliers.”

“Heh... I guess I should have known that,” Twilight admitted sheepishly. “You did at least hear the recording right?”

Spitfire nodded. “Yes, and because of that... I'm postponing the show. It's clear we need to re-evaluate our position on the matter, and as much as I'd like to do so as soon as possible, I need to be in Cloudsdale with my board to make any decisions official, and you two can't leave the city until this mess is sorted out.”

“What do you need us for?” Rainbow asked, tilting her head. “Isn't the recording enough to prove I didn't cheat?”

“I'm afraid it isn't,” Spitfire said with a heavy sigh. “While it does prove you had no knowledge of the enchantment, it doesn't give a date of enchantment, meaning your performance could still have been a result of the enchantment. However, we will be allowing you to try and recreate your routine from the competition. If you can at least get close, you'll be back on the team. If you can't...” Spitfire trailed off solemnly, letting the silence say what she did not.

“Well... we might not be leaving the city any time soon, but... what if she does her routine again in the Canterlot Arena? You know what her original routine was; you'll be able to tell if she can do it again or not, then you can go to Cloudsdale and sort it out with your board,” Twilight suggested happily. 

Spitfire took a moment to ponder the offer, but eventually nodded. “I don't see a problem with that. If you can get anywhere near your original performance, you're in. Come to the arena at exactly 3PM for the retest. I'll go make the arrangements.” She stood from her seat, getting ready to leave as she threw her bags back over her back. “Oh, and here,” she added quickly, reaching back into her saddlebags and extracting a lightning bolt hanging on a silver chain. “You can have this back.”

Rainbow smiled in thanks, quickly taking the necklace and securing it back around her neck.

“I'll see you in a couple hours,” Spitfire said, walking to the door. “Impress me,” she added with a smirk tossed over her shoulder before disappearing out into the streets of Canterlot.

Twilight and Rainbow shared a grin. “Sorry Twi,” Rainbow said, “But I think we'll have to cut breakfast short. I need to practice.”

“Well then, I think I know the perfect place,” Twilight announced eagerly, finishing her pastry and calling Joe over to their table. In a flash she'd payed for their breakfast, and she stood from the table. 

“Oh? Where's that?” Rainbow asked curiously, following Twilight as the unicorn lead them out the door. The streets were once again lively, filled with a veritable ocean of ponies on their daily commute. The sound of idle chatter was nearly deafening in the mid-morning air.

“You'll see,” Twilight called over her shoulder as she disappeared into the crowd.

Rainbow quickly gave chase, but it soon became apparent that the unicorn had disappeared from her view in the crowd of ponies. Standing on the tops of her hooves Rainbow just barely saw a trace of purple over another pony's head and followed it as best she could. She found the place she thought Twilight was and once again stood as tall as she could, gazing out across the sea of moving heads, only to catch another glimpse of lavender near the end of the street. Twilight was moving surprisingly fast through the crowd, especially for a pony who had a sprained ankle.

With a strangled grunt Rainbow's wings rustled in frustration. Just as she was about to begin pushing her way through the crowd, she glanced back and saw her wings. She rolled her eyes at her own obliviousness and jumped up into the air, her wings snapping open and carrying her above the packed street. Keeping low to the ground but not so low as to knock into anything, Rainbow traced her unicorn friend through brief glimpses of her purple coat and mane. 

After a couple minutes of flying, she managed to trace Twilight coming out of the ground onto a side street and landed next to her. “Geez, Twi,” she said as they started walking side by side down the street. “Were you trying to lose me or something?”

Twilight giggled. “Sorry, guess I'm just used to moving through crowds like that. I did live here.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. Having grown up in a pegasus city crowds were never something she had to deal with on a regular basis, most of the populace preferring to fly wherever they needed to go. The only exceptions were indoors, which were rarely crowded in the buildings Rainbow Dash frequented, and Wonderbolt shows. “Never mind. So where did you have in mind? I can't exactly practice here,” she said, motioning to the buildings boxing them in on either side.

“No, you can't,” Twilight agreed. “We're going somewhere with plenty of open space, I just hope it's the same as I remember it...”

Rainbow sighed, accepting her fate to not know where they were going as she followed Twilight down the sparely populated street in an unknown direction.

-_-_-_-

“Ah-hah! They didn't change it!” Twilight cried victoriously as she rounded a corned, just a  couple steps ahead of Rainbow. They were in a rather uninteresting part of town, a small community behind Canterlot Castle. The houses and businesses here were run-down, some even abandoned. The palace cast a long shadow over the entire district, bathing it in cool darkness. It was right next to the mountain, the face of which could be seen over the roofs of the houses. 

Rainbow turned the corner Twilight had disappeared around, and smiled at what she saw. Behind a house there was a large, open space, filling with bright green grass. Sun shone on the space from between two of the castle's towers, covering it in a rich golden light, a stark contrast to the rest of the area. The green space was almost as large as the Canterlot Arena, lined with small buildings on all four sides, short enough so that Rainbow wouldn't have a problem with them while flying. 

“It's perfect!” Rainbow exclaimed, jumping up into the air and flying into the open space. “Exactly what I need to practice!”

“Glad you like it,” Twilight called after her rainbow maned friend, following her into the space. “I used to come here for reading when I was studying at the castle. It was supposed to be used to build a big stadium or something, but the funding was cut at the last minute.”

Rainbow did a loop in the air, revelling in the feeling of the sun's warmth on her coat, a feeling she had missed ever since falling into the shadow cast by the castle. “Let's see if I can still remember my routine...” She murmured to herself, flying up into the air, preparing to start the routine that would undoubtedly earn her her place back in the Wonderbolts. 

Twilight smiled as Rainbow started doing her slow-speed stunts, knowing full well it was just a warmup for the athlete. She walked a little further into the sunlight, before setting herself down in the grass and rolling over onto her back to watch her friend preform. 

The pegasus fell into her routine as naturally as one would fall asleep, looping spinning and rolling through the sky. All the while a rainbow trail followed her, marking her path for a brief time before fading in the wind. Rainbow looped one final time before beginning her ascent, preparing for the first Rainboom of the performance. She soared high into the sky, higher than the castle, nearly to the peak of the mountain behind her, before she stopped, and began plummeting back to the ground. Altering her trajectory just slightly, she grinned and extended her hooves, a shell of air forming around her.

An explosion ripped through the air as Rainbow tore her way through the sound barrier, filling the sky with a ring of colour. Twilight watched in aw as she saw the ring expand outwards directly above her, though the sound had not yet reached her ears. What was reaching her, however, was a cyan blur bolting straight down towards her. A frown crossed her muzzle as Rainbow continued descending, neither slowing nor turning, seemingly content to crash into the dirt.

Her eyes widened in fear; the pegasus was getting closer still, and not even angling herself to pull out of the dive. Fear gripped her heart as her friend fell. What if something had gone wrong? What if she couldn't pull up? What if- 

Twilight's thoughts were silence as the pegasus pulled out of her dive, becoming level mere feat from the ground. She saw the distinct, cocky grin of her friend directly above her for a split second before Rainbow had pulled up. A massive wave of air followed in her wake, blowing Twilight's mane wildly around her face. Her fearful features turned to a look of mild annoyance mixed with joy as she tried to hold in her laugh. How silly she was, thinking Rainbow had messed up something as easy as a Sonic Rainboom. 

The explosion hit Twilight not long after Rainbow had, the sound loud and low as Rainbow slipped into the super-sonic portion of her routine.

There was no way Rainbow would fail to get back into the Wonderbolts.

-_-_-_-

“You ready?” Twilight asked, glancing briefly up at the arena looming over her before turning back to the pegasus beside her.

Rainbow took a deep breath, looked down at her necklace, and smiled at her friend. “I did it before, I'll do it again,” she said confidently.

Twilight nodded, and together they walked through the entrance of the empty stadium. Two stallions stood guard at the entrance to the locker rooms, but stepped aside when they say who was coming. From the locker room the pair headed out and into the field of the arena, where Spitfire waited with a small group of Wonderbolts, probably the squad that was supposed to be flying the next day. Among them stood the new recruit whose position was in jeopardy, a lime green stallion with a a light red mane. He looked, understandably, nervous. 

“Welcome, Rainbow Dash,” Spitfire called, her voice projecting authority all around the arena. “Since our usual judging committee is in Cloudsdale, you will be judged by the rookie flight squad who was supposed to be preforming tomorrow.”

Twilight stopped at the edge of the stadium as Rainbow continued forward. Spitfire continued. “You are to recreate the routine originally preformed at the Next Wonderbolt competition, your accuracy will be judged by me personally, while the other aspects of the routine will be scored by the flight squad. Any questions?”

“No, ma'am,” Rainbow barked as she snapped to attention, giving a quick salute to the pegasus before her. 

“Then you may begin when ready,” Spitfire said, taking a step back as Rainbow nodded and crouched down to the ground, unfurling her wings. Just as she was about to take the to air, Spitfire called, “Wait a second!”

Rainbow uncoiled herself, keeping her wings spread even as Spitfire once again approached her. “Is there a problem?”

Instead of responding, Spitfire lifted a hoof, tapping the necklace around Rainbow's neck. “Lose the jewellery. It got you kicked out once, I am not going to risk it happening again and making me look like a fool,” she said apologetically. 

“But it's not enchanted, ma'am,” Rainbow argued respectfully, never once falling from her posture.

“That may be true, but I'm not risking it. Either take it off, or don't compete,” Spitfire explained.

Rainbow nodded hesitantly, turning and walking back over to Twilight, who was watching from the edge of the stadium. The unicorn tilted her head in confusion, having been unable to hear the conversation. “What is it?” She asked upon seeing the downtrodden look on Rainbow's face.

“I... I can't wear the necklace,” she explained. 

Twilight nodded, reaching out with her magic to take the necklace from her friend. “I'll hold onto it for you,” she said, but stopped when Rainbow held the necklace firmly to her chest.

“I... I don't know if I can do it without it though. It's what got me through the competition the first time, knowing you supported me... all of you...” She looked down the the ground beneath her, frowning as she remembered her friends, back in Ponyville, probably wondering where they were right now.

Frowning in understanding, Twilight said, “They still support you, Rainbow. If they knew what happened, they'd be here by your side.”

“I know but...” Rainbow trailed off, lifting the silver bolt with her hoof and examining it closely.

Twilight sighed. “I understand, but you have to take this opportunity.”

“I... I know...” Rainbow admitted hesitantly, finally letting go and lifting the silver chain over her head, holding it out. Twilight took it in her magic, debating for a second before dropping it over her own head.

“It'll be alright,” Twilight assured quietly. “Go do your routine; I'll be right here the whole time.”

“Alright...” Rainbow sighed heavily, turning away and starting her walk back to Spitfire. A hoof on her shoulder, however, stopped her. She turned back curiously. “Twi?”

Twilight said nothing, instead, she leaned forward, and kissed Rainbow tenderly on the lips. Rainbow's eyes flew wide open in shock, before closing slowly as she returned the gentle kiss. In that one tender embrace she gained all the confidence she needed. Much too soon it ended as Twilight pulled back, cheeks flushed a deep red.

“Go redeem your rightful place as a Wonderbolt.”

> 24. Date Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter 24
Date Night

Rainbow Dash was breathing heavily as she ended her routine, landing firmly on the ground and looking up at the Rainboom Galaxy she'd once again created. She glanced away to the edge of the stadium, to where Twilight sat with a grin stretched across her muzzle. Finally, Rainbow Dash faced the area where the judges stood, still mesmerized by the spinning wheel of colours in the sky. Spitfire was the first to look down, giving the cyan pegasus an approving nod.

“Well,” she said loudly, snapping the rest of the judges out of their stupor. “If memory serves, you have successfully repeated your performance from the competition. Judges?” 

A quiet murmur went through the group, all of them nodding excitedly. The stallion who had replaced Rainbow when she was kicked, and was now himself being replaced, frowned, but nodded anyway.

“Excellent. Then I shall take my leave for Cloudsdale and get Rainbow Dash on the team as soon as possible. Congratulations, you're officially a Wonderbolt,” Spitfire announced proudly. “You're all free to go until further notice. It will be at least a week before I'll have Rainbow Dash officially on the team through the board back in Cloudsdale. As soon as we can we'll start training for our first show with a new recruit.”

Rainbow gave a quick salute to her captain before running back towards Twilight's beaming smile. 

“I'm on the team!” Rainbow shouted as she jumped into the air, her wings carrying her the remaining distance as she tackled Twilight into a hug. “I'm a Wonderbolt again!” 

Twilight let out a groan as she fell onto her back, the pegasus landing on top of her and wrapping her in a bone crushing hug. She didn't care at all. “That was amazing, Rainbow!” She cried happily. “We'll have to tell our friends as soon as we can.”

“This is so awesome!” Rainbow squealed, leaning down and planting her lips on Twilight's, immediately blushing and pulling back as soon she realized what she'd done. “S-sorry.”

Twilight grinned at the sheepish look on Rainbow's face, wrapping her hooves around Rainbow's neck and dragging her down into a passionate kiss.

Spitfire smiled at the display before turning to her flying team. “I'm sorry, Thunder Flash, but it seems you've been beaten. We'll make sure the newspapers get the right story instead of rumour,” she said apologetically to the lime green stallion. He just nodded, walking back towards the locker room to change out of his uniform. 

“Oh, and keep the flight suit; you were and always will be a Wonderbolt. I hope to see you in next year's competition,” Spitfire called after him, frowning as the pegasus nodded weakly.

“As for the rest of you, get some rest while I have Rainbow situated in the team. I'll be back in a week to start going over the plan with her. You'll have to teach her the flight patterns.” After a round of nods had gone through the team, Spitfire took to the air, heading for Cloudsdale.

Twilight and Rainbow parted, each panting lightly and blushing as they stumbled back to their hooves, neither able to meet the others eyes. “So...” Rainbow started awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck. “Guess we're together,” she laughed.

“I'd say,” Twilight said with a giggle of her own, looking up and meeting Rainbow's gaze. They grinned at each other and started laughing uproariously. 

“Well, it seems you two are doing well,” a gentle, regal voice called from behind. Rainbow and Twilight turned around to see Celestia, standing tall and proud with a smile on her face.

“C-celestia?” They stammered in unison, both bowing respectfully to the monarch before rising. 

“What are you doing here?” Twilight asked curiously, running up to her mentor. 

“When my student is pony-napped and held in a cage, word tends to get around to me pretty quickly. Unfortunately I was in a meeting this morning when the guard came to inform me and I didn't hear about it until an hour or so ago. I'd have been told sooner but nopony in the castle likes to wake me up for anything short of war. You're both okay, I hope?”

Twilight nodded. “We're fine. Just a little shaken up after it happened, but it's passed,” she explained.

“According to the report you showed quite the display of talent to get out of the cage,” Celestia noted with a smile. “I'm proud of you, Twilight. Though... I must confess I have ulterior motives for finding you both here instead of simply waiting at your hotel.”

“What is it, Princess?” Rainbow asked, quirking her head to the side.

“We've found them,” Celestia said darkly. “We need you to officially identify them, but we're pretty sure we have the right ponies. My guards picked them up trying to leave the city by train a couple hours ago.”

Twilight shifted uncomfortably, images of her time spent in the cage flashed across her mind. Her sprained hoof sent a flair of pain up her leg. “Where are they?”

“They're being held at the main guard station for questioning,” Celestia answered. “Are you ready to identify them?”

Sharing a glance, Rainbow and Twilight nodded firmly at each other before turning back to the pearly alicorn before them. Celestia smiled. “One moment,” she said, before lighting her horn a bright gold. In a flash of light they were gone, reappearing in a similar fashion in the front room of the guard station, the sudden appearance startling a few ponies milling about the room. It took a moment for them to register the fact that a Princess had just appeared. As soon as they did they all bowed down respectfully. Celestia motioned for them to rise with her hoof, and they went back to their work.

“Stay here,” she said, “I'll have the guards prepare them for identification.” The Princess disappeared through a set of door a moment later, leaving both other ponies in unfamiliar territory. They were surrounded by guards, some in armour and some not, all of them with an important job. 

They easily found some chairs and sat down, glancing about the room. “So... time to end this, huh?” Rainbow started nervously, rubbing her hooves together. 

“Finally,” Twilight agreed. “We'll go back to Ponyville as soon as we can and tell our friends what happened.”

Rainbow snorted. “They're never gonna believe it all,” she laughed, thinking back over the absurdity of their past few weeks.

“Especially when we tell them we're together now,” Twilight agreed, giggling and drawing another laugh from  the pegasus next to her.

“Oh geez, Pinkie's gonna throw a party...” Rainbow trailed off, remembering the last time she'd spoken to the pink party animal.

Sensing her unease, Twilight lifted a hoof and lay it gently across her tense shoulders. “They'll believe us this time. They have to,” she assured gently.

“I know...” Rainbow sighed, turning and giving Twilight a weak smile.

“We're ready,” Celestia called, coming back out the doors she'd entered through not two minutes before. They nodded at her and rose from their seats, following the alicorn through the white halls of the station until they came to a small door set in the wall. Celestia motioned for them to enter. After a moment of hesitation, Twilight opened the door and stepped in.

Inside was a small room, divided down the middle by a wall with a large window set in it. There was a door on the far side of the wall to access the other half of the room. A guard was stationed on either side of the door. On the isolated side of the room sat a table with two chairs on either side. In two of the chairs sat a bright red pegasus mare with a dull blue mane and red highlight and a grey unicorn stallions with a deep black mane. Both of them had their front hooves held together by a pair of cuffs. 

“That's them,” Twilight said without hesitation, shivering as Neon Lightning gazed at her through the window. The guard nodded, opened the door, and said something to the guard inside the room.

“Did you find out why they did it?” Rainbow asked, glaring through the window at the unicorn. 

“They said they'd tell you,” The guard answered roughly. 

As if on cue, Neon started talking. “Hello, Miss Dash, how did the exam go? Are you a Wonderbolt again?” Although muffled through he glass, the spite in her voice was clear.

“Yeah, I am. Looks like your perfect plan failed,” Rainbow taunted victoriously through the window.

Neon shrugged her shoulders. “No matter, it's not like I care what happens to you.”

Twilight growled. “Why would you do it then?” She barked through the window, making the pegasus laugh.

“Why does anypony do anything? Money, Miss Sparkle.”

“Money?” Twilight echoed. 

Neon grinned. “Exactly. Money makes the world go round.”

“Are you saying somepony payed you to sabotage me!?” Rainbow shouted, pressing her nose furiously against the glass separating the two halves of the room.

“A rather large sum, yes,” Neon explained simply.

“Who?” Celestia asked, taking her place beside her student.

Neon laughed again. “I don't think I'll be telling you anytime soon.”

“Money can do many things,” Neon lectured. “It can turn an ordinary pony into a monster. It can drive ponies to murder. It could start a rumour, turning a town against two of its citizens. It could even fund a news report, designed specifically to tear apart friendships based on trust, sowing seeds of mistrust in every bond you've ever made..”

“You caused it!?” Twilight shouted angrily. “You turned our friends against us!?” 

“Yes, Miss Sparkle, I did. Nothing happened to you on accident. Money had its golden hoof in everything. Like a certain filly's parent, who told her her idol had betrayed her town, and let her little sister down.”

“Scootaloo...” Rainbow muttered, barely contained rage tinting her voice. 

“Who payed you?” Celestia asked again, her mask of calm perfected over thousands of years.

“A pony with money and power who wanted to see Rainbow Dash's life ruined,” Neon explained. “But I won't tell who; that takes all the fun out.”

“Why you little...” Rainbow glared harshly at the pegasus on the other side of the room. She felt a gentle pressure on her shoulder, turning her away from the window. 

“Stay calm, Rainbow,” Twilight advised. “She's just trying to rile you up. We've done out job; let's go home.”

“You've missed the train,” Celestia said, never once taking her eyes off the criminals in the room. “I'll pay for the ride home tomorrow, as well as your hotel room. Go and get some rest. I'll see to it that these two are dealt with.”

Twilight nodded and lead the way out of the room, hearing Neon's dark laughter from within until the door closed.

“Who payed her Twilight?” Rainbow asked as she stormed down the hall. “Why did they want me out of the 'Bolts?” 

“I don't know, but we'll find out. One way or another,” Twilight assured confidently as they exited the station, taking a moment to identify their location before leading them towards the hotel. “For now, let's get back to the hotel. Tomorrow we go home and tell out friends.”

“After that... I start practising for my first show as a Wonderbolt,” Rainbow said, smiling happily. “It's been a long month,” she sighed. 

“For both of us,” Twilight agreed. “I'm just glad it's over. Besides, it wasn't all bad.”

Rainbow quirked her head to the side curiously, looking at the unicorn next to her. “What part of this wasn't bad? If none of this had happened I'd be getting ready to perform as a Wonderbolt tomorrow.”

“Maybe,” Twilight said, a sly smile forming on her lips as she leaned her head over, gently nuzzling the side of Rainbow's cheek. “But I doubt we'd have gotten together without it.”

Rainbow blushed, extending a wing and wrapping it around Twilight's body. “Whoa, Twi; we only started dating this morning,” she said with a laugh.

“I'm not the one with a wing over somepony's back,” Twilight noted, giggling as the blush on Rainbow's cheeks grew a deeper shade of red. She didn't move her wing.

“Fine, maybe we're both jumping into it pretty fast, but let's face it; we were acting like we were together for a while before today,” Rainbow said quietly. “Besides, you kissed me first.”

“Hey! I did not!” Twilight protested. “You kissed me last night. I at least waited until we were officially dating.”

“Doesn't count,” Rainbow countered, “Mine was only on the cheek.”

“Oh whatever,” Twilight laughed, shoulder checking the mare playfully and sending them both careening to the side before regaining their balance and continuing down the street. 

The two drifted into a comfortable silence after that, each with an equally content smile on their face as they walked down the quiet street. The sun was coming near the horizon as they once again found the hotel, the front of the building now a welcoming sight to the pair of ponies. As they approached the front doors, Rainbow stopped suddenly, Twilight took a few more steps before noticing the wing sliding off her back, stopping as well and turning back quizzically.

“Rainbow?” She asked curiously.

The pegasus smiled. “How many bits ya got left Twi?”

“Well, since I won't have to pay for the hotel or train tomorrow, quite a bit. Why?”

“Our date this morning was cut short. How about we make up for that? Say, with a bit of dinner?” Rainbow asked, smiling brightly as Twilight nodded eagerly.

“That sounds wonderful, Rainbow.”
> 25. Epilogue; Unfinished
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheated Dreams
Chapter 25
Epilogue; Unfinished

Canterlot stadium was filled with the uproarious applause of thousands of satisfied ponies.  The sound was comparable only to rolling thunder as it reverberated through the large stone structure, all of it aimed at the flight team taking their bows in the middle of the arena. Everypony in the stadium, be they a pegasus, unicorn, or earthpony, could safely say it was one of the best Wonderbolt shows they had ever seen. Though nopony stomped harder or whistled louder than the five mares given the best seats available on the balcony normally reserved for royalty.

“That was amazing!” Applejack commented before giving an extra loud whistle, her hooves still stomping on the ground as the stunt team began filing out towards the locker rooms.

“Simply breathtaking,” Rarity agreed, clapping her hooves together like a proper lady.

For the first time in her life, Pinkie was truly speechless, offering only the sound of her hooves stamping against the hard stone floor, Fluttershy doing the same.

Twilight couldn't contain the grin stretching across her face. “She told you she didn't cheat!” She proclaimed proudly, trying to keep the 'I told you so” tone out of her voice. She failed.

“Well what else were we supposed ta' think?” Applejack argued. “Everything we'd heard pointed to the fact that she'd been kicked out for cheating.”

“You could have listened to her,” Twilight suggested with a shrug.

“If we believed her we'd be blaming you for getting her kicked out,” the farmer countered. “And if that happened, I think it would have been a bit harder to convince her of your innocence from the story you told us.”

Twilight started to respond, but cut herself off when she realized Applejack was probably right. “Come on, we're supposed to meet her out back in a couple minutes,” she said, ending the conversation as she stood from her seats. The rest of the group followed her out through a back staircase.

“Umm, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked quietly, increasing her speed to keep pace with the unicorn.

“Hmm?”

“It's just that, well, you and Rainbow have been awfully close since you came back, and I was wondering if... umm....” The timid mare trailed off with a muted squeak, but Twilight knew what she was trying to ask.

Fighting back a blush, Twilight forced herself not to respond. Both she and Rainbow had agreed to keep their new relationship a secret from their friends, at least until the whole fiasco with the Wonderbolts was over. Spitfire had come back a week after they'd returned to Ponyville with the proper paperwork, sending a messenger to inform Rainbow that her presences was required in Canterlot to start practising. They'd just sorted out their friends when the letter arrived, and they decided that they wanted to tell their friends about them together. After her first show as an official Wonderbolt seemed like a pretty good opportunity. 

“Oh! Oh! Are you two super-duper secret best friends now?” Pinkie asked excitedly, bouncing through the door at the end of the stairs and out into the ally behind the stadium.

When Twilight didn't answer, Rarity raised a curious eyebrow. “If I didn't know better I'd say that you had a crush on our dear Rainbow Dash.”

The lavender mare's face went a brighter red. “She'll be here in a couple minutes,” she said quickly, changing the subject before anypony made any more assumptions. They just had to wait until Rainbow met them.

“Come on, dear,” Rarity pressed, much to twilight's chargin. “You don't have to hide these things. In fact I think you should tell Rainbow how you fell as soon as she comes out!” Rarity's eyes lit up like a little filly's on Hearth’s Warming day upon seeing the presents. Images of a beautiful, heartfelt confession danced across her mind.

Twilight cleared her throat loudly. “I don't have a crush on her, Rarity,” she stated firmly.

“Aw, I think our egghead has a crush on the Wonderbolt,” Applejack teased.

Suddenly, another door along the side of the stadium was flung open, and out stepped a cyan pegasus with a recently-washed rainbow mane and a Wonderbolt uniform slung across her back. Around her neck still hung her silver lightning bolt necklace.

“Hey guys!” Rainbow called cheerfully, walking over and joining her friends. She gave Twilight a curious look when she saw the deep shade of red covering the unicorn's face. “You alright, Twilight? You look like a tomato or something.”

Twilight just laughed, turning to Rarity. “You wanted me to act on it, right?” She asked, grinning when Rarity nodded fervently. “How's this for acting,” she muttered, before taking a step toward Rainbow Dash, hooking a foreleg around her neck, and engaging her in a deep kiss. 

Rarity's jaw fell open, mirroring Applejack's expression exactly, as Rainbow returned the kiss eagerly. Fluttershy did her best to hide her embarrassed blush behind her mane, but couldn't keep her eyes off the embracing couple. Pinkie just grinned like a mad mare. 

After a couple more seconds, the two separated, both breathing heavily. 

“Whoa, Twi, I know you wanted tot ell them, but seriously?” Rainbow asked with a laugh.

Twilight shrugged. “They thought I had a crush on you, so I decided to prove them wrong.”

Applejack, regaining only the minimum muscle control required for speaking, said, “And... and how is that not a crush?”

“I don't have a crush on Dashie,” Twilight answered simply, giving her marefriend a peck on the cheek. “I love her.”

Rainbow blushed heavily. “What did I tell you about using that name?” She hissed under her breath so that only Twilight could hear her. 

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Right, because that's totally what they're focusing on right now.”

For her credit, Pinkie was completely unfazed. “So when would you two like the party?” The pink party mare asked excitedly. 

“I'm really glad I didn't take that bet,” Rainbow muttered.

Rarity, having finally regained use of her jaw, sputtered out the most coherent sentence she could under the circumstances. “Huh?”

“Long short or medium?” Twilight asked, her tone sounding bored with the prospect of sharing the story.

“Long,” Rarity snapped quickly. 

“Right, long, well it all started when there was nothing in the universe – not even the universe - then, suddenly, there-” Twilight started, only to pause when an orange hoof was shoved in her mouth.

“Short,” Applejack said, catching the glare Rarity was giving her out of the corner of her eye.

Twilight glanced back at Rainbow. “And that is how you get them to pick short,” she whispered, before clearing her throat and addressing the rest of her gathered friends. “We went through a lot over the past month, and decided we liked each other as more than friends. We went on our first official date the day after we escaped the basement,” Twilight summarized quickly.

“Details, darling, details, and why didn't you tell us sooner?” Rarity pressed, leaning forward excitedly.

“Details are for us and us alone, and we didn't tell you sooner because we wanted to tell you together, and when Rainbow left to train for the show we couldn't do it, and the week we were back we had to convince the town we were innocent and it was all too hectic. We decided to let things cool down a bit before we told you girls,” Twilight explained, much to Rarity's displeasure.

Just as Rarity was about to press further, Rainbow yawned. “Well, that's all good, but me an' Twi have plans tonight. We need to get on the train to Ponyville.”

Rarity huffed her disappointment, but nodded anyway. “Very well. Either way, I'm happy for you two. It certainly sounds like you're happy together.”

“I am too,” Fluttershy added, now that the conversation was on less embarrassing topics and she'd finally recovered from the surprise kiss she'd witnessed. Pinkie nodded happily, streamers and confetti flying from her poofy mane. 

“I reckon you'll make a good couple,” Applejack agreed. “But if you two wanna catch the train we'd best get moving. Rainbow, you sure you can just up 'n leave your team? And how is the whole Wonderbolt thing gonna work anyway?”

The pegasus shrugged nonchalantly as the group started walking towards the station. “I made sure they'd make do without me. As for how this is going to work... my off time will be in Ponyville, and I'll get a letter for when I have to go and train for a show. All in all I'll probably be gone 3 weeks, then back for two. Of course, if we're in a city close by I can always come back to Ponyville a couple days out of my training.”

“At least ya won't be napping in my trees anymore,” Applejack teased, tossing a smirk at the pegasus leading them.

“Heh, you know me, AJ; I'll always make time for your trees,” Rainbow laughed, turning a corner, navigating the streets of Canterlot as though she lived there.

“A long distance relationship can be hard, are you two sure you'll be alright?” Rarity asked, butting her nose once again where Twilight didn't want it.

“It's only three weeks at a time, I'm sure we'll manage. Besides, dragon fire doesn't just send letters to and from the Princess.”

“We'll have to have a party every time Dashie comes home!” Pinkie chirped excitedly, bouncing in front of the group backwards, keeping them in her vision. “And each one will be just as awesome as her show!”

-_-_-_-

Shadow Charm paced nervously in his cell, shaking his head back and forth. “I can't go to jail... I can't! I didn't want to do it...”

Neon Lighting, sitting in the cell across the hall from him, rolled her eyes, lying lazily on the bench connected to the wall. “Oh will you grow up? You're just as guilty as I am.”

The unicorn stopped his pacing, walking up to the bars separating him from the hall and pressing his face against them. “Just as guilty as you!?” He shrieked. “I am not! I wasn't even getting paid! You made me do it!”

“And I'm sure the judge will believe you,” she spat sarcastically. Suddenly, the groaning of metal grinding on metal filled the room as the cell door opened, essentially freeing Neon from her cell. Standing in the hall was an unidentifiable pony in a long black robe, their face shrouded in a shadow cast by a large hood..

Neon raised a curious eyebrow. “And what would you like? I'm not telling you anything else, and the trial isn't for another week.”

“You'll find I do not work for the Princess,” the figure said, his voice deep and quiet. “In fact, you might say we work for the same pony.”

Interest peaked, Neon stood from the bench and approached the cloaked pony slowly. “I don't work for anypony, I did my job and was paid for it.”

The hooded pony shook his head. “Rainbow Dash is still in the Wonderbolts.”

“I did all I could and got caught; my contract is up,” Neon argued suspiciously.

“I'm afraid our employer doesn't see it like that, Miss Lightning. You were paid to do a job regardless of what you had to do, and you have not completed that job. It's time to go,” the figure insisted, stepping to the side. “You have a job to finish.”

Neon eyed him suspiciously for a moment longer before nodding slowly and exiting the cell.

“W-wait!” She heard her brother cry faintly as the unknown pony lead her away. “You can't leave me here! You can't just leave me! Neon! Neon please!”

“I couldn't leave you fast enough,” Neon muttered. “So what does my employer want now, hmm? Rainbow Dash is already in the Wonderbolts, and she's repaired things with her friends by now, I'd imagine.”

The cloaked pony chuckled quietly as they slipped past an guard lying unconscious on the ground. “She has something more valuable to her now than her stunt team. A certain unicorn with an affinity for magic.”

Neon grinned devilishly as they slipped out a back door, two more guards lying unconscious nearby. “I like the way you think.”
> Sequel
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey! This story! It finally got the sequel I promised! Actually, that happened a week ago, but I forgot to post this chapter. Sorry! Anyway, you can find the link to the sequel at the front page for this story. Go read Missing Dreams. The second chapter of it should be up in a couple days.