Twilight missed having her horn. It always made preparing to leave on a trip so much easier, being able to levitate everything into place. Her only solace was that Rainbow Dash was going with her, but it did help that neither of them really needed to pack anything, both of them were planning on bringing their saddle bags and only what they actually needed, which ended up being very little for Twilight, the tea Zecora gave her, her tiara, and her regalia. Twilight sighed as she held her regalia, it brought back painful memories, although the pain was lessened by Rainbow's offer to give dating her a chance. Despite the pain, she refused to leave for Canterlot without it, reasoning it would make it easier for her.
She shook her head and pressed the regalia against her neck, then sat down on her haunches and fastened it into place. The weight was familiar, like an old friend. Her tiara wasn't as welcoming, and she ended up putting it in her saddlebag instead of wearing it to the train station. She sat in silence for several minutes, going over her logic behind the trip while she waited for Rainbow to return from her cloudhouse. She found it silly, the castle felt empty and less lively when Rainbow wasn't there, despite Starlight and Spike both being there. She knew it was her own perception fighting her, and it left her questioning whether or not she should actually go to Canterlot.
'It'll be good to get away from Ponyville for a while, but I will be leaving everypony behind... Rainbow's coming with me, but we'll be gone for over a week!' She didn't want to leave her friends, but they didn't have a lot of free time over the next week anyway, so it was the best time to take the trip, or at least that was how she reasoned it. 'It'll be good for me to get out of the castle... even if I'll just be going to another castle,' she thought dryly. 'Besides... I'll get a chance to go on a date with Rainbow and...' She stood up and walked over to the balcony door, then closed it behind her and sat down. The gentle evening breeze was calming, and it soothed her troubled mind. She would be lying if she said that the prospect of going to Canterlot without Spike didn't scare her, but it was for the best. Nopony knew that Rainbow offered to date Twilight, but it didn't matter anyway, nopony had time to spare to go with her, aside from Rainbow Dash. She was very glad that the pegasus was going to accompany her, not just because of her offering to go on a date with her. She dreaded the prospect of being alone.
In the back of her mind, she felt anxiety growing. They had plenty of time before the train departed, mostly because they would wait for Twilight. Being royalty had its perks, even if she normally didn't use them. 'I wonder if everypony's there waiting to see us off...' The thought made her anxiety worse, 'If everypony's waiting on us, then that's less time they could be using for-' Her thought came to an end as a sky-blue pegasus with a rainbow mane landed beside her. She immediately turned to her friend and smiled.
"Sorry I took so long, just wanted to make sure everything was locked up and whatnot," Rainbow apologized.
"That's alright," Twilight replied. She swallowed and looked away from Rainbow. "Thank's for..."
Rainbow scooted closer to Twilight and laid a wing over her back. Twilight smiled and leaned into her. "You don't have to thank me, you know."
Twilight looked at her wryly. "I'm just barely capable of taking care of myself," she corrected. "I..." She looked at her hooves, "I can't even... sleep alone, and... and you do so much for me..."
Rainbow smiled at Twilight. "I'm just glad you're happy.
Twilight nestled against the pegasus. Rainbow shifted her weight, still uncomfortable with the idea, but allowing Twilight to relax in her embrace. Twilight smiled and watched the sun lazily fall out of the sky, guided by Princess Celestia's magic. After a few minutes, she shook her head and sighed dejectedly. "We should probably get going. There's no sense in forcing them to wait on us any longer than necessary." Twilight pulled away from Rainbow and stood up and extended her wings out from her sides, although she didn't extend them fully, as much as she wanted to brush them against Rainbow's coat, she knew from experience Rainbow didn't like it.
"Uh... okay," Rainbow said as she stood up. "You have everything you need?"
Twilight bobbed her head. "Probably. I'm just taking the tea, my tiara, and regalia. I don't really need to bring anything else..."
Rainbow eyed Twilight cautiously. "You don't sound very sure about this trip."
"I'm not," Twilight said flatly. She turned to face Rainbow. "I don't want to leave everypony, but I don't want to stay here. I think it'll be good for me to take a break, but... I... I'm worried."
"Oh come on! It'll be fine, Twilight," Rainbow reassured. "Seriously, you're overthinking it. The week will fly by, and you know it, and then we'll be back in Ponyville!" She paused, then tilted her head. "Are you worried about... uh... you know...?"
Twilight shifted her weight uncomfortably. "A-a little," she admitted with a stutter. "I..."
Rainbow stood up and slid over to Twilight, then sat down in front of her and wrapped her wings around her. "The whole point of the trip is to relax, Twilight. If... that is making you nervous, we can... do something else, then..."
Twilight winced. "I... it's just, I've never... done this before..." she trailed off sheepishly.
Rainbow blinked and pulled back. "Yeah, I kinda figured that." She paused and looked away. "I've not done this before either, so you really don't need to worry about everything being perfect... I know you pretty well already, Twilight. We've been friends for years."
"You're still uncomfortable with... with that idea and being around me, though..." Twilight mumbled. "Plus..." she trailed off, biting her lip, not wanting to bring up something that would hurt both of them.
Rainbow winced. "I... Look, I'm not good with the whole... affection... thing, okay? You should know that."
"I do," Twilight replied defensively. "It's..." she trailed off shaking her head. Twilight sighed and relented. For a few second, she hung her head low, then she lifted it back up and smiled at Rainbow. "The girls are probably waiting on us at the train station..."
"Then let's not keep them waiting!" Rainbow beat her wings and jumped into the air. She hovered in the air for a few seconds while Twilight spread her wings and took flight, then the pair flew into Ponyville, then to the train station.
As Twilight expected, the train was there, along with four other mares, all waiting on them. Rainbow looked at Twilight and saw that her expression was strained. 'It wouldn't take much to convince you to stay in Ponyville, would it?' She sighed at the thought, not knowing whether Twilight would be swayed to stay, or would follow through and go. Regardless of Twilight's choice, she'd go or stay with her, the alicorn needed somepony to help her, and that pony would be her. She still didn't really think of Twilight as her marefriend, or fillyfriend, or special somepony. To her, Twilight was just her friend, but Twilight needed her, and she wouldn't let her down.
The four mares finally noticed them as they flew towards the ground and landed. "Girls," Twilight acknowledged. The four of them said nothing, instead, they pulled Twilight into a group hug. Rainbow could see Twilight's pained expression, and she quickly joined the hug, trying to distract Twilight from her fears and worries. Eventually, the hug broke apart. "I'm going to miss you all," Twilight added solemnly.
Applejack smiled and shook her head. "Shoot, Twilight, you're just gonna be gone for a week. Aint that long, you've got nothing to worry about! Just relax and enjoy your trip, Celestia knows you deserve it!" Twilight smiled a little at Applejack's reassurance.
"I may be making a trip to Canterlot later this week," Rarity said. "I have a delivery for a special client, and I may deliver it in person. If I do, I'll be sure to stop by, Twilight."
"Stay safe, Twilight," Fluttershy said softly. The pegasus turned to Rainbow, "Take good care of her, Rainbow."
Rainbow smirked. "Of course I will!" she affirmed.
Over the course of the next few minutes, they all said their goodbyes and parting words. The four mares stuck with them until they boarded. As soon as Twilight stepped inside of the train car, her ears fell back against her head, but she didn't slow down until they were in the next car. Rainbow placed a hoof on her shoulder. Twilight looked at Rainbow, the pegasus was brashly smiling. Twilight weakly returned the smile. She averted her gaze from Rainbow and scanned the car they were in, the car was far from packed, but she still found herself uncomfortable. She didn't want to be around anypony, with the exception of Rainbow Dash. For the most part, everybody on the car ignored both of them, aside from the occasional look and shock at realizing who she was, but Twilight was thankful nopony tried to stop her or talk to her.
Twilight worked up her courage, then continued further back. They crossed multiple cars until they eventually reached their destination, a private royal cabin that Twilight had rarely used before. She had only decided to use it since she wanted to be alone. Rainbow casually strode into the car, and Twilight locked the door behind her, then she sat down on her haunches.
Rainbow took the time to admire the gilded decor and edges to everything. "This is pretty cool," she commented as she walked further in and found a kitchen and dining room. "And this is all yours?" she asked. After a few seconds of silence, she turned around and stopped smiling. "Twilight?"
Twilight stood up and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry... Yes, Celestia gave me this."
Rainbow turned around and walked over to the wall, then ran her hoof over the golden edge. "Why don't you use it more often?" she asked.
Twilight walked over to her. "Normally I don't see the point in it," she admitted. "It's more trouble than it's worth most of the time."
Rainbow looked back at Twilight. "It's more trouble than it's worth? Really?" She shook her head and groaned. "So why are we using it now?"
Twilight smiled wryly and bobbed her head. "I wanted the privacy," she admitted.
Rainbow pulled away from the wall and walked further back through the car. "I guess I can understand that..." she said in a low voice. She counted four rooms with beds and two rooms that were bathrooms, then turned around and walked back to Twilight. She paused as the train whistle blew. It sounded quieter than it should have been. She opened her mouth, only for Twilight to cut her off.
"The car's enchanted," Twilight explained. She walked over to the couch against the wall on the right and laid down on her stomach. "Sound dampening, resistance to damage, et cetera."
Rainbow walked over to the couch and laid down on the opposite side, facing Twilight. There was maybe a head of distance between their muzzles, even with Twilight's neck fully extended. "It's going to be a long ride without Pinkie Pie," Rainbow commented wryly.
Twilight grimaced. "Yeah..." She lifted her head up and looked out the window. "But at least it's an overnight trip..."
Both of them laid there in silence as the train lurched forwards and began to accelerate. Twilight felt her heartbeat accelerate steadily with the train's increase in pace, and she fluffed her wings. She looked up and out the window, watching as the train station passed by, worrying that she was making the wrong choice. Rainbow frowned, then reached out and wrapped her arms around Twilight and pull her closer. Twilight looked away from the window and at Rainbow with a curious expression. Rainbow lifted her up and pulled her onto herself so that Twilight's arms were just behind her head. After a few seconds, Rainbow blinked. "This isn't really the best spot to do this, is it?"
"Not... really," Twilight agreed, stifling a giggle. She cautiously stepped off of Rainbow and turned back, seeing Rainbow sit up. The car shook as the train lurched again. Rainbow slid off the couch and walked up beside Twilight. "I... know it's still early, but..."
Rainbow looked at Twilight with apprehension. "You... want to cuddle again, don't you?" Twilight blushed lightly and nodded vigorously, not trusting her voice. "That's... fine..." Rainbow agreed. Twilight looked at her and swallowed, bobbing her head. Rainbow groaned in annoyance. "Look, Twi, we're supposed to be dating. Yes, I'm uncomfortable with cuddling with you, even though I enjoy it, just because of how uncool it is. I enjoy it, but it's uncool."
Twilight shifted her weight. "Does... that make you and me uncool?" she hesitantly asked.
Rainbow opened her mouth to respond, then closed it and shook her head. "No," she answered. "Look, I'm giving this a go, but-"
"But you still don't have feelings for me," Twilight surmised.
Rainbow let out an annoyed groan, then lowered her head and slid under Twilight and lifted the alicorn onto her back. She immediately walked towards one of the bedchambers, then lowered Twilight to the ground and nudged her inside with her muzzle. Twilight rubbed her wings against her sides nervously as Rainbow shut the door and the lock clicked. Rainbow turned around and looked at Twilight solemnly. "Look, Twilight, maybe I feel nothing more than friendship for you, but I'm still doing this for you, it makes you happy and it's nice."
Twilight smiled, then looked at the floor and ran her hoof in a circle over the plush carpet. She pursed her lips, then lowered her head further. "I... feel like I'm taking advantage of you," she admitted.
Rainbow walked over to her, then lifted her head back up with a hoof. "Don't," she said firmly. "I want you to be happy," she added with a smile.
Twilight looked away from Rainbow and walked over to the Window and peered outside. "But... if you don't feel anything for me, isn't this just a lie?" she asked emptily, turning around.
Rainbow hesitated a second, then walked over to Twilight. She knew from the past few days how much she meant to Twilight. She felt like she had the conversation she was having with her now every single day since she asked Twilight to go on a date with her, and it annoyed her. "You're overthinking it, Twilight." She wrapped her wings around Twilight, then pulled her away from the window and walked them over to the bed, then she fell backwards on it and looked at Twilight expectantly.
Twilight bit her lip, then put a hoof on the bed and pulled herself up. Rainbow wrapped her limbs around Twilight, then pulled her up on top of herself and smiled at Twilight. "Am I going to have to publish a book to make you realize that you need to stop worrying and just relax?" she asked with a chuckle. At Twilight's thoughtful look, she stopped laughing and looked at her seriously. "That was a joke," she said dryly.
Twilight smiled awkwardly at her. "I... don't think that would help anyway..."
Rainbow shook her head. "Am I going to have to just... cuddle with you this entire week to make you feel better?"
Twilight giggled and smiled. "I... would like that," she admitted softly. She laid her head down on Rainbow's chest and looked up at her. "But... We'd still have to do other things," she said sadly.
Rainbow blinked, still thinking about her suggestion. She shrugged as best she could from her position, then wrapped her wings around Twilight and rolled over onto her side. She pulled Twilight up so that she was lying on the pillow with her head right beside hers. Twilight slid her head off the pillow and laid it on Rainbow's arm, snuggling into her chest. Rainbow smiled and laid her head over the top of Twilight's head. "I really need to make this up to you somehow," Twilight said softly. "You've sacrificed so much for me, and I haven't given you anything you want in return..."
"Twiiiiliiiight..." Rainbow groaned. "I've already told you that you don't have to do anything for me. I want to... I want to do this..." she trailed off, staring at the wall. 'I do, don't I?' she asked herself. She smiled a little and nuzzled Twilight's mane, eliciting a giggle from her.
"Are... are you... sure?" Twilight asked, pulling back from Rainbow. She shifted her weight in Rainbow's embrace. "I-I mean... I... would do anything for you..." she said at length, trailing off and looking away from Rainbow while blushing lightly.
"Twilight, I don't want you to give me something just because you can do that," Rainbow replied with a smile. "I'd rather earn something than just have you... make a royal decree or whatever."
Twilight smiled sheepishly. "I know what you mean..." she giggled. "You'd rather work for something and earn it than have it given to you..." she trailed off, nuzzling into Rainbow's chest and smiling happily. She rubbed her cheek against Rainbow's chest, then laid her head on Rainbow's warm neck.
The morning rays of light assaulted Twilight's closed eyes, and despite the alicorn's attempts to block them out, they persisted. She pressed her eyelids together, then blinked open one eye, smiling at the sky-blue body at the bottom of her vision. Even if the sun was out to get her, she wouldn't let it steal the joy that her friend brought her. She gently nuzzled Rainbow's neck, then smiled contently as she watched the pine trees pass by out the window.
A good night's rest had done wonders for her. Gone was the stress and worry about leaving her friends behind yesterday, instead, it had been replaced with eagerness, excitement, and contentment. She averted her gaze from the window and looked over Rainbow's back, scrutinizing every inch. After she finished, she shifted her head and looked down her side. Her attention was drawn to Rainbow's wing, which was unfurled over her back. The sight made her smile widen. Each feather was gently laid on her side, and Rainbow's wing was loosely wrapped around her back. Feeling Rainbow's soft feathers shifting ever so slightly each time either of them breathed made her want to snuggle closer to the pegasus.
She did just that, wrapping her arms and legs around Rainbow's body. If her wings hadn't been pinned beneath Rainbow's wings, she would have wrapped them around the pegasus. After a few seconds of thinking and silently pouting over that, she slowly and carefully pried her wing out from under Rainbow's wing. The pegasus mumbled something inaudible in her sleep and tightened her grip while nuzzling the back of Twilight's neck. Twilight stifled a giggle and laid her wing on Rainbow.
After a few minutes, Rainbow started to stir, nuzzling into Twilight's mane and sighing contently, drawing a happy smile from Twilight. Rainbow flexed her muscles, pulling Twilight closer, then released and rubbed her cheek against the pillow. Twilight slid her head up to face Rainbow. The pegasus smiled, but her eyes were still closed. Twilight rolled her head off of her favorite pillow and laid it on the other pillow. She smiled at Rainbow, waiting for her to open an eye.
After a few seconds, Rainbow cracked open and eye. It took her a few seconds to regain her senses. She blinked several times and let out a content sigh. "Morning, Twi..."
"Spitfire's going to be mad when you go back to the Wonderbolts and sleep in and end up being late," Twilight giggled.
Rainbow rolled her eyes and pressed her limbs against Twilight, then rolled over onto her back, pulling the alicorn onto her stomach. "I won't be late," Rainbow responded firmly.
Twilight giggled and shifted her weight to roll off of Rainbow. Twilight immediately stared into Rainbow's eyes, looking at the pegasus fondly. After a few seconds, Rainbow turned away from Twilight and stood up, feeling uncomfortable. "What time is it?" she asked as she glanced out the window.
Twilight fluttered her wings and jumped off the bed. She slid up beside Rainbow and leaned her head against the mare. "We should arrive in Canterlot within two hours, I think..."
"Breakfast?" Rainbow asked. She glanced at Twilight. "Or would you rather wait until we're in Canterlot."
Twilight leaned away fromRainbow and sat down on her haunches. "Well, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will have already ate by the time we get there, and I'm not sure I really want to go someplace for breakfast, and I don't really want to bother the kitchen staff for something..." She shook her head. "The kitchen should be well stocked," she commented as she stood up and walked to the door. She was so happy with how the morning was going that she instinctively reached out with her magic to open the door. She pursed her lips and frowned. She glanced back at Rainbow as the pegasus walked up to her, then she quickly fumbled with the lock and slid the door open.
The doorway was large enough for both of them to walk out side by side, but Rainbow let Twilight go out first, then followed her. Twilight turned to the right and walked into the open area that served as the kitchen and dining room. Rainbow couldn't help but smirk at Twilight's obliviousness at the state her mane was in. "You should probably brush your mane before we get to Canterlot," she said teasingly.
Twilight paused and turned around, then hastily made her way to the bathroom. "It's not that bad is it?" she asked as she walked passed Rainbow.
"It's as bad as normal," Rainbow said as she turned to follow Twilight. "Maybe a little worse..."
"I'm not the only one with bed mane," Twilight commented as she turned into the bathroom, not bothering to shut the door.
Rainbow sauntered up to the doorway and peered inside. She snickered at Twilight's face in the mirror, looking at herself with a mixture of confusion and horror. "Can you actually tell a difference in my mane?" Rainbow asked, drawing Twilight's attention away from her mane.
Twilight's eyes shifted position and stared back at Rainbow. "Your mane may not normally be as well-kempt as mine, but I can tell a difference." She looked back at her mane and sighed. "This is going to take forever..."
Rainbow bobbed her head and walked into the bathroom. "Well... at least at least your mane's almost back to normal length, right?" Twilight smiled, then lifted her hoof to the cabinet and pulled out a brush. She sat down on her haunches and set the brush on the sink, then she unfastened her regalia and set it aside. She pulled her mane to the right side of her neck, then tilted her head to the left and picked up the brush again. Rainbow sat down beside Twilight and watched her struggle to run the brush through her mane. "Here, give me the brush."
Twilight paused, then turned to her. After a second, she pulled the brush away from her mane. Rainbow took it in her mouth, then stood up and walked around behind Twilight and straddled her. She pulled Twilight up against her, then ran the brush through her mane. She gently tugged through knots, occasionally drawing a wince from Twilight. "Shawwy," Rainbow hastily apologized.
"That's-" Twilight grunted as Rainbow tugged again- "okay." She watched Rainbow in the mirror. Despite the occasionally sharp pain from Rainbow's actions, she enjoyed it, and she was both surprised and heartened by Rainbow brushing her mane. After a few minutes, Rainbow worked most of the knots out, and she changed tactics from short tugs to long strokes. She gently ran the brush through Twilight's mane, straightening it and fighting off its desire to stray from Twilight's normal well-kempt mane. Twilight closed her eyes and smiled, enjoying the feeling.
Eventually, Rainbow finished with the back of Twilight's mane and stepped back from Twilight. "Turn around," she said. Twilight stood up and turned around in place, then sat down on her haunches and lowered her head to give Rainbow better access to her bangs. Rainbow pulled the brush out of her mouth and held it in her hooves. She looked at Twilight, then sat the brush down and brought a hoof to her forehead. Twilight shied away from her touch as Rainbow lifted her mane away and looked at her forehead.
"It doesn't normally hurt when I brush my mane," Twilight commented, staring at Rainbow's body.
"Okay," Rainbow replied. "It wouldn't be in such bad shape if you weren't so intent on cuddling," she commented, then picked the brush up with her hooves then scooted closer to Twilight. Twilight pouted at her, putting on an exaggerated expression of hurt. Rainbow looked at Twilight's expression and winced. "Not that I don't enjoy it!" she hastily added. Twilight smiled and giggled. Rainbow rolled her eyes and started running the brush through her bangs. The strokes were long and slow, even with her bangs being shorter than the back of her mane.
Twilight sighed, while having Rainbow brush her bangs was nice, it still wasn't as nice as having her brush the rest of her mane. Rainbow smiled and continued brushing her mane with gentle strokes. Twilight's mane fought back, not wanting to surrender to Rainbow's actions, but while Twilight's mane was a mess from having just woken up, her bangs weren't long enough to put up a fight for too long. Within a minute, she finished and set the brush back down on the sink.
Twilight smiled up at her, not quite meeting her gaze or matching her height. "Thank you," she said timidly. "That... meant a lot to me."
Rainbow smiled. "Well, it was quicker, wasn't it?"
Twilight giggled and turned around. She scrutinized her mane in the mirror. It wasn't perfect, but her mane hadn't been perfect in nearly three months. "Do you want me to... brush your mane?" Twilight offered.
Rainbow smiled but shook her head. "No, thanks. I can take care of it."
Twilight bit her lip. "A-are you sure? I... I would like to return the favor..." she trailed off with a light blush.
Rainbow watched Twilight for a few seconds, then she put her hooves on Twilight's shoulders. "You..." she trailed off, considering it. It was weird, she could brush her own mane. Twilight could brush her mane too, but it would have taken her a while. Twilight wasn't used to using her hooves or her mouth for things like that, while Rainbow was. "Twilight," she said softly. 'I can't just tell her why she shouldn't... That would hurt her...' "My mane's fine," she said. "Maybe tomorrow?" she offered.
Twilight smiled at her. "O-okay, then." After a few seconds, she looked away from Rainbow and scrutinized her tail. It didn't look as bad as her mane did, but it was still bad enough. She grimaced then took the brush in her hooves and scooted around to face the mirror, then pulled her tail up along her chest and started pulling the brush through it with long strokes. The brush never caught on any snags, which she was thankful for.
Rainbow watched her the whole time, considering offering to help her with her tail, an offer that made her uncomfortable. 'I'm supposed to be helping her...' she finally told herself. Even with that, her unease remained. She shifted her weight, then looked at Twilight's eyes in the mirror, which were directed to her abdomen. "You want me to brush your tail?" Rainbow asked quickly.
Twilight paused and looked back up at Rainbow. "I don't have a problem brushing my tail, it's just my mane that I have problems with," she said.
"Oh, okay," Rainbow replied in relief.
Twilight hesitated for a few seconds before resuming brushing her tail. Rainbow continued to watch her in the mirror, and more than once Twilight glanced back at her. Eventually, she finished and put the brush down on the sink.
Rainbow flashed Twilight a smile, then pulled back from her and stood up. Twilight mimicked her and stood up, then followed Rainbow out of the bathroom and into the main room. She broke off from Rainbow and jumped up onto the couch. She hesitated and glanced at Rainbow. Rainbow picked up two apples and sniffed them, then she flew over to Twilight and sat down beside her, handing her the apple she held in her left hoof.
Twilight smiled and happily accepted the apple.
Twilight and Rainbow casually strode out of the train and onto the platform, mixing in with the bustling crowd of ponies being exchanged and darting about. Since Twilight was nearly indistinguishable from a normal pony and was wearing neither her crown nor regalia, nopony paid much attention to her, she was just another face in a crowd of ponies. If somepony had bothered to look more closely, they would have realized who she was, but everypony was preoccupied.
Twilight wasn't sure what she had expected, but she was grateful for the anonymity. Nopony stared at her, or more specifically, nopony stared at her missing horn. It made her feel more at ease, although she was not relaxed. She felt tense and stayed closer to Rainbow than normal as they looked around. "Uh, Twilight, is it normally this busy?" Rainbow asked.
Twilight turned to her and shook her head. A pony passed by to her left and she scooted closer to Rainbow, almost pressing their coats together. Twilight followed the stallion with her eyes, then looked back at Rainbow. "No, not normally," she said. She looked around then shook her head. "Well, no sense in just waiting around..."
"Lead the way, Twilight," Rainbow said, smiling lightly.
Twilight shifted her weight, then started off, skillfully navigating her way through the crowd and making her way off the platform, and out of the train station. Rainbow followed closely behind her, careful not to lose sight of the alicorn. Outside the train station was nowhere near as crowded and busy as inside, nor the platform. It was like a completely different world, going from overcrowded and barely having enough room to squeeze between ponies, to only a handful of ponies in sight. Twilight was perplexed by seeing two guards on patrol but pushed it aside. She set off down the street at a leisurely trot, heading towards the castle.
Every so often, she passed a couple of ponies, and they would glance at her. Each time it felt like their gazes lingered a little longer. Without the busy crowd, more ponies took the time to notice her and realize who she was. She ignored them for the most part, with the exception of the occasional wave from somepony being friendly. Rainbow for her part watched the ponies watching Twilight with skepticism. "You didn't use to draw so much attention to yourself," she commented.
Twilight smiled wryly. "You would think that we would have drawn more attention to ourselves by saving Equestria multiple times, than by my saving a single town..." she mumbled.
"Well..." Rainbow said hesitantly. "Maybe... it's because most of those times we didn't lose anything?" she asked.
Twilight came to a stop, then turned around and looked at her. She opened her mouth, then looked at the cobblestone street. Over the next few seconds, she lowered her head. "Probably," she sighed. A second later, she pulled her head back up and fluffed her wings. "But you'd think an alicorn would stand out more than a pegasus..."
Rainbow frowned. "Twilight, you're not a pegasus, you're-"
Twilight smiled sadly. "I look like one now, don't I? Besides, my physical strength hasn't recovered either, and since I don't have my horn, I can't use my unicorn or alicorn magic, so for all purposes, I'm a pegasus."
Rainbow groaned and shook her head. "Look, you'll always be an alicorn to me. So what if ponies think you're just a pegasus? I'm pretty sure they know who you are, Twilight," she said with a wave of her hoof, motioning at the ponies glancing at her. "And even if they don't, what does that matter?"
"You think they actually know who I am?" Twilight asked with a tilt of her head.
Rainbow's face twisted and she grunted. "Ugh, Twilight..." She shook her head and rubbed her temple with a hoof. She looked at Twilight seriously, "I don't think I've seen a pony with a coat similar to yours before, and you're taller than most ponies. And your cutie mark is pretty unique, too."
Twilight smiled lightly and shook her head. "I guess it doesn't matter..." she trailed off, looking at the ground. After a few seconds, she looked back up at Rainbow. "Just because we're not going to be eating breakfast with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, that doesn't mean that I don't want to get to the castle in a timely manner."
Rainbow stretched out her wings. "We could fly, you know."
Twilight winced and looked away from Rainbow. "I'd... rather not..." she said at length. She turned around. "Let's just go..." she said quickly.
Rainbow watched her walk for a couple seconds, then ran up beside her and matched her pace. "What was that about?" she asked.
Twilight glanced at the street. "It's not important," she said.
Rainbow frowned. "Well... obviously it is if it's bothering you..." she trailed off, trying to figure out what could be bothering Twilight. "You're not feeling sick, are you? Tired?"
Twilight picked her head back up and shook her head. "No..." she said. She cast a sideways glance at Rainbow. "I just... I don't feel like flying," she lied. Rainbow's eyelids twitched. Twilight held her wings against her body a little tighter. "It would... wear me out," she added.
Rainbow watched her for a few more seconds, then looked away from Twilight. She knew that it would wear her out, but she wondered if there was something more to it than that. "If you say so..." she trailed off.
Half an hour later, they arrived at their destination. Twilight immediately started up the stairway, and Rainbow followed her, flying beside her. Less than half a minute later, they reached the top, and Twilight pushed open the doors. She smiled. "Never having to lock anything because of the castle being guarded is nice," she said. She stepped inside, then Rainbow entered behind her, eyes trailing over the large room. Twilight shut the door behind her, then locked it. "It's also nice that Celestia and Luna maintain it for me since I'm never here."
Rainbow nodded absently. "I can imagine..." She was impressed. Twilight's castle in Ponyville was larger, especially considering that her castle was an actual castle, rather than just a tower, but it didn't have the same feel as the tower. Where the crystal castle would have been fit to rule a nation from, this one felt more like someone's home. The walls, instead of being impersonal, sharply-angled and smooth crystals, appeared to be smooth and solid, painted a light purple-brown color. There was a large queen-sized bed against the wall to the right and towards the center of the room, with a desk sitting to the right of that bed. The covers were plain, light blue, not quite the same shade as her coat, and the pillow cases were pale lavender.
There was a large, arched double window positioned so that you could look out of it from the bed, and opposite of the double window there was a large doorway to a balcony. The room itself was curved into a circle, but large enough that the curve didn't make anything look out of place. Rainbow glanced to her left and was unsurprised to see a bookshelf, although she was surprised that it wasn't any larger than what it was. Just beyond the bookshelf, there were two more doors.
The room had a tall ceiling, and Rainbow imagined that she could do a couple stunts inside, but she brushed the idea off, not wanting to make a mess. "This place is nice," she said. "I'm surprised that you'd rather live in Ponyville if this is what you have in Canterlot..." she trailed off, looking at Twilight.
Twilight turned around and looked at her. "Well... it's... closer to you girls," she explained. "I'll... probably end up moving back to Canterlot in..." she trailed off. "In a century or two..." she paused and swallowed. "Although I do have my own castle, so maybe I really wouldn't need to move back to Canterlot. I would be closer to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, but-"
"So!" Rainbow said loudly. Twilight smiled sheepishly at her. Rainbow flew over to the bed, then pulled her saddlebags off her back and held them in her hooves. "Where do you want these?"
"Just anywhere is fine for now," Twilight replied.
"Okay." Rainbow flew over to the left side of the bed and set the saddlebags against the wall, then she flew over to the balcony door and landed. She pushed open the door with a gentle touch of her hoof, then stepped outside. She smiled. "This view is awesome! You can see Ponyville from here!"
Twilight giggled and set her saddlebags down, then walked out onto the balcony. "It is a nice view," she said with a smile, enjoying the gentle breeze blowing through her mane and tail. The cool mountain air was refreshing, she had missed it dearly. As much as she enjoyed Ponyville and the warmth of the sun, there was just something about Canterlot's atmosphere that made her feel at home. It wasn't the same as Ponyville, and it wasn't as peaceful or comforting, but it was where she grew up. She giggled and sat down on her haunches, leaning against Rainbow.
Rainbow blinked, then glanced sideways at Twilight. She smiled, then sat down on beside Twilight. "I don't think you've ever told us what it was like growing up in Canterlot."
Twilight frowned. "It... never really came up," she said sadly. She tilted her head and looked off at Ponyville. "It was... Well, I'm not really going to be able to give you the best idea... I mean, I didn't really have the most normal foalhood. I was introverted even then and mostly kept to myself, outside of my family. The first time I saw Princess Celestia raise the sun, it inspired me, but it didn't really help me make friends..." she trailed off, blushing.
Rainbow chuckled. "Yeah, and for a while when you first came to Ponyville, you just..." she shook her head. "You consulted a book for everything..."
"L-like I said, I... wasn't very social, and..." Twilight quickly shook her head. "Nevermind..." she said quickly. "Anyway, I hatched Spike in the entrance exam for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns... Which, I mean, I had actually already been accepted by that time, it was a test to see how I handled failure... They didn't expect a filly to be able to hatch a dragon egg..." she trailed off. "Princess Celestia took me in as her student... And I lived with my parents for a few years, then I moved into the castle when I was old enough for more rigorous studies." Twilight smiled at the memory, then turned to Rainbow. "What was it like growing up in Cloudsdale?"
Rainbow grimaced and bobbed her head. "It was okay, I guess... I mean, I never knew my mom, but my dad was there for me. He was always busy, but he did a good job of balancing everything, even though I gave him a hard time..." she trailed off rubbing the back of her mane. Twilight giggled. "Flight school wasn't the best time of my life... bullies, rules... But, I did meet Gilda and Fluttershy there, so it wasn't a complete loss. The ponies in Cloudsdale are... not as friendly as in Ponyville. They keep to themselves more, but they're not as hostile as some ponies. I guess I'd say I had a pretty good foalhood, all things considered."
Twilight bit her lip and met Rainbow's gaze. "What... happened to your mother?"
Rainbow grimaced. "She died from complications giving birth to me..."
Twilight pulled away from Rainbow and looked at the floor, ears pinned back against her head. "I... never knew that. I'm sorry I asked..."
Rainbow looked at Twilight and wrapped a wing around her, then pulled her back against her. "Don't be... it doesn't bother me. And if anything, I think my dad took his love for her and put it all on me. And after I was friends with Fluttershy, her parents and my dad got along well so they were like a second family to me." Silence filled the air for a good quarter of a minute before she spoke again. "What about your family?"
Twilight licked her lips. "Well... minor nobility, fairly wealthy... My parents were good parents. I rarely saw them after I moved to the castle, but before that we did lots of things together. I kind of drifted away from them..." She blushed. "I never even told you that I had a brother until he was getting married..." Rainbow laughed lightly at the memory. "I don't think I've met your dad before, but you met my mom and dad the last time we were in the Crystal Empire..."
"They seemed nice," Rainbow commented, then she frowned. "Uh... I don't remember seeing them visit you when you were... you know, in the hospital..."
Twilight grimaced. "Yeah... They were... still are... on a trip to Saddle Arabia. They probably don't even know that something happened..." She shook her head and smiled. "If they did, they would have been there before Shining Armor and Cadance," she said with a light laugh. A few seconds later, her stomach growled. Rainbow looked at her and pulled her wing back. Twilight leaned away and looked at her hooves, blushing. "An apple really wasn't that much to eat for breakfast for me..." she said quickly.
"Oh... uh... Alicorn meta-whatever?" Rainbow asked uncertainly.
Twilight nodded quickly, looking away from her. "Metabolism," she corrected.
Rainbow grimaced. "You want to go get an early lunch then, or-"
Twilight shook her head. "No... I should be able to find something in the kitchen. Despite having the castle staff willing to cook for me, Celestia makes sure that my personal kitchen is well-stocked... although I'm not really a good cook... Spike does most of the cooking..." Rainbow grimaced and shifted her weight uncomfortably. Twilight saw Rainbow out of the corner of her eye. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, then stopped. "I... I don't mean meat if that's what you think..."
Rainbow looked at Twilight. "Oh."
Twilight pursed her lips. "Although, I'll probably have some for dinner tonight..."
"Oh..." Rainbow trailed off.
"Um..." Twilight turned to Rainbow. "I don't think Celestia or Luna plan to have meat, but... Y-you... don't have to have dinner with us tonight, if it will make you uncomfortable..."
Rainbow shifted her weight. "No... I'll... go with you... I mean, I've seen you eat meat before..."
"It always makes you uncomfortable," Twilight countered.
Rainbow grimaced. "It does a little..." she admitted. "But, I mean, if we're dating, then I should get used to it, right?" She looked at Twilight seriously.
Twilight shifted her weight and looked at the floor. She hated making Rainbow uncomfortable. "I... guess..." she said hesitantly. "I still don't want to make you uncomfortable. You already do so much for me anyway, I-"
Rainbow held Twilight tightly to her side with her wing in a reassuring manner, then let up on her hold. Twilight smiled slightly. "Don't worry about it, okay? It makes me a little uncomfortable, but it's not like it's a big deal..."
Twilight nuzzled Rainbow's neck. "Thanks..." She leaned away from Rainbow and stood up. She had mixed feelings about Rainbow's wing leaving her back. On one hoof, she loved feeling her feathers slide over her coat, on the other hoof, she missed her wing. She shook the thought aside as Rainbow stood up and walked back inside. She spared a glance at Ponyville again. It looked different from years ago, it had changed a lot. She shook her head and walked back inside, shutting the door behind her.
Rainbow was looking around, focused between two doors on the side of the room opposite of the bed. "Where is the kitchen anyway?"
"Oh, right..." She trailed off and pointed at the door on the left. "The rest of the tower is accessible through that door, and then the door on the right is to the bathroom."
"Okay," Rainbow replied. She flew over to the door, then opened it. "And the kitchen is where?" she asked, looking back at Twilight.
Twilight shook her head and smiled. "I'll show you around."
"So I take it since we had lunch here, you don't really feel like going out around Canterlot today?" Rainbow asked as she closed the door to the stairway behind her. Twilight looked back at her apologetically and nodded, then she turned back around and continued walking towards her bed. Rainbow waited by the door while Twilight climbed up in bed and laid down on her back.
Twilight stared up at the ceiling and sprawled out across the bed, relaxing. Rainbow stared at her for a few seconds, then blinked and casually flew over to the bed and landed. Twilight looked away from the ceiling and at her. "I've missed Canterlot," she said. "But I don't really feel like doing much of anything today..."
"Are you feeling alright?" Rainbow asked as she climbed up onto the bed.
Twilight smiled. "Yes, I'm okay. Just..." she trailed off and her expression fell. "I'm nervous," she admitted. "I haven't been out much since..." She pulled her wings back to her sides and rolled over so that she faced Rainbow. "And... I'm nervous about tonight."
Rainbow chuckled and shook her head. "Don't you like... have dinner with the princesses all the time?"
Twilight smiled wryly. "I... did..." she said at length. "But... this will be the first time with... well..." she trailed off, looking at the bed.
"Me?" Rainbow asked.
Twilight hesitantly nodded. "And without the rest of the girls," she hastily added.
"Hey, I promise I won't do anything to embarrass you!" Rainbow jabbed Twilight in the shoulder with a hoof, eliciting a small smile from the alicorn. She sat down on her haunches and smiled at Twilight.
Twilight sighed. "It's... not you I'm worried about..." she trailed off, biting her lip.
Rainbow frowned. "What then?"
Twilight shifted her weight and grimaced. "It's... Celestia and Luna..." she trailed off.
Rainbow's frown deepened. "Why are you nervous about them?" Twilight said nothing. Rainbow shifted her weight and laid down beside Twilight, draping a wing over her stomach. Twilight smiled softly at Rainbow as the pegasus pulled her closer.
"I'm... probably just worried about nothing," Twilight replied.
Rainbow smiled. "Of course you are! Just relax Twi, nothing bad is gonna happen." She paused and glanced away from Twilight, then looked back at her and smiled wider. "I won't let anything bad happen. I promise."
Twilight snorted and smiled. She nuzzled Rainbow and slid her forehead up against the pegasus' shoulder. "Thank you." She pulled back from Rainbow and looked at her fondly. "I don't have anything scheduled for today other than dinner with Celestia and Luna tonight," she said. "Do you want to..?" she trailed off.
"Tonight," Rainbow said with a smile. "I kinda need to stretch my wings..."
"Oh, I could-"
Rainbow winced. "Sorry, Twilight... I kinda need a good workout. It's been a while since I've pushed myself and... Spitfire would be mad if she found out I wasn't staying active."
"Oh..." Twilight replied, looking at her own chest. "I..." she trailed off, not knowing what to say. "I'll just... stay here."
"Sorry, Twilight... I know how much being close to me means to you..." Rainbow said softly. She pulled the alicorn close and wrapped her arms and legs around her, then rolled over onto her back and smiled up at her.
"It's fine..." Twilight relented in a soft voice. She looked up and met Rainbow's gaze, smiling tenderly. She pulled away as Rainbow loosened her grip and made a mental note to ask Princess Celestia why Rainbow Dash was still physically stronger than her. Despite her recovery progressing smoothly, her strength was recovering slowly, or at least it felt slow to her. "I'll probably take a bath while you're gone then since I didn't have one this morning and I want to look my best for tonight..." she trailed off. Despite knowing that their dinner with the princesses wasn't the date she had planned, she still wanted to look presentable, which meant she needed to take care of something that she wanted to pretend wasn't a problem. She mentally prepared herself for the task and smiled down at the pegasus. "Don't forget about dinner tonight... Don't... spend the whole day exercising, or if you do at least come back to take a shower first..."
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to spend the whole day flying, Twilight. I just need to get a good workout in." Rainbow rolled over onto her side and released Twilight. "I'll be back in a bit," she said as she pulled away from Twilight, then flew over to the door, barely stopping to open the door before leaving and closing the door behind her.
Twilight smiled and looked out the window, watching the faint rainbow streak fly off into the sky and fade, leaving her to her thoughts which caused the smile to fade.
Rainbow sighed as she landed back outside the door to Twilight's tower. Her wings burned and ached, and she breathed heavily. She felt out of shape. She was still in better shape than most pegasi, but she was a Wonderbolt. She was going to have to dedicate more time to exercising if she was going to stay in shape and not get yelled at by Spitfire. She winced at that thought and she pushed the door open. "Twilight, I'm back!" she called out.
"Ow!"
Rainbow closed the door behind her and looked at the door to the bathroom. She tentatively walked over to the door. "Twilight?" she called again.
"R-Rainbow!?" Twilight stuttered. "I... Uh... I didn't expect you to be back so soon..."
Rainbow frowned, there was something off about Twilight's voice. It was higher pitched than normal. It was like she was in distress. "Are you okay?" Rainbow asked as she put her ear up against the door, listening for anything that was off.
"Y-yeah!" Twilight stuttered again. "I-I'll be out... in a few minutes..."
Rainbow hesitated, then pulled away from the door, only to stop when Twilight stifled a yelp of pain. Rainbow grit her teeth and leaned back against the door. She thought she heard Twilight stifle a cry. She reached for the door handle and pushed the door open. She wasn't sure what to expect, but she didn't like what she heard.
"R-Rainbow, d-don't-" Twilight argued, but it was too late.
"Twilight... what are you doing?" Rainbow asked softly, still taking in the sight. Twilight was sprawled out on the floor, and lavender feathers were strewn about the room. The alicorn looked like she was on the verge of a breakdown, and she could see tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She glistened in the light, her coat, mane, and tail still wet from water, which had pooled on the floor beneath her. Rainbow's brows furrowed, and she clenched her jaw.
Twilight bit her lip and looked away from Rainbow while she folded her wings back to her sides. "Rainbow, I-" she croaked, words trailing off into silence, unable to speak.
Rainbow tilted her head about in uncertainty while flexing her jaw muscles. She sighed and closed her eyes. "Twilight..." she said softly. She looked behind her and silently shut the door, then walked over to the alicorn, who flinched as she approached. She leaned over the alicorn and wrapped her arms around her, then pulled Twilight into a sitting position and held her. She was briefly shocked by how cold the alicorn was, but it only made her hold her tighter. "You don't know how to preen yourself without magic, do you?" Rainbow said soberly. She didn't need Twilight to answer to know that she was right.
"N-No..." Twilight croaked, then her body shook as she silently sobbed on Rainbow's shoulder.
Rainbow nudged Twilight's head against her chest and wrapped herself around her, not caring about getting wet. She wrapped her arms around Twilight's withers and laid her head on Twilight's mane, then wrapped her wings around Twilight's back, pinning the alicorn's wings against herself. Twilight tried to shy away from the contact, but Rainbow held firm. 'I should have realized that...'
"Rai-ainbow-"
"Just relax, Twilight..." Rainbow said softly, holding firmly to the sobbing alicorn. Twilight tentatively wrapped her hooves around Rainbow and pressed against her chest. Twilight's tears mixed with water and fell into Rainbow's coat, and Rainbow found herself hurting right alongside Twilight. Her heart ached to see Twilight in such pain. She nuzzled Twilight's cold and wet mane, then sat there in silence, holding onto her while Twilight sobbed out in pain, feeling like she couldn't do anything more.
Eventually, Twilight's sobs softened, but the alicorn still shivered. When she felt strong enough, she pulled back, and Rainbow released her head. Twilight looked up at Rainbow with big, twinkling eyes. "Rainbow-"
"You should have told me, Twilight..." Rainbow said softly.
Twilight immediately averted her gaze and looked at Rainbow's now matted chest. Her ears folded back. "I-I didn't want you to... to know..." she said at length. "Y-you think I'm pa-pathetic, don-don't yo-ou?"
Rainbow pulled Twilight's head back under her head. "No, I don't, Twi..." she trailed off silently. "You're my friend."
Twilight clenched her eyes shut. "I-I can't even preen myself without my horn!"
Rainbow ran a hoof along Twilight's back in long strokes, attempting to comfort her. "But you're not a pegasus, Twi, you're an alicorn." She lifted her head off Twilight and smiled down at her. Twilight refused to look up at her, so Rainbow nudged her head up with a hoof. Twilight didn't quite meet her gaze. "Let me help you," she said gently.
Twilight's heart beat a little faster. "B-but it's personal, a-and I don't want to be a burden!"
Rainbow briefly grimaced. She sighed. "Twilight... Look, I promised I'd help you, and you can't preen... You should have told me, I would have helped you..."
Twilight shifted her weight and leaned against Rainbow. "I... I didn't want you to think that... that I was pathetic," she said in a small voice. "That... that I..." she trailed off, clenching her eyes shut.
Rainbow shook her head. "Come on..." she prodded gently. "Let me dry you off, then we can go take care of your wings, alright?"
Twilight shifted her weight uneasily as Rainbow pulled away, but she didn't voice any objections. Rainbow glanced around the room, then found a towel. She walked over to it, then picked it up in her mouth and returned to Twilight. She unfolded the towel with her wings and wrapped it around Twilight's back. "You know you're supposed to dry yourself off before you preen, right? Otherwise, you'll just mess up your feathers again.."
"I..." Twilight trailed off, lowering her gaze to the floor. "I-I'm sorry that I got water on you," she apologized, staring emptily at the floor.
Rainbow sighed and sat down behind Twilight. "Don't worry about it, okay? Just let me help you."
"O-okay," Twilight squeaked as Rainbow started running the towel over her back, drying her coat. She closed her eyes and hung her head as the pegasus continued drying off her coat, then working her way up to her mane. Rainbow ran a hoof under her mane and lifted it, then dried her mane and neck.
"Stand up," Rainbow said. Twilight stood up and shifted her weight as Rainbow ran the towel over her tail, then down her flanks and legs. Rainbow dropped the towel on the floor, then grabbed another one. "Sit down," she said. Twilight sat down on her haunches and gave Rainbow access to dry off her chest and stomach. Rainbow quickly ran the towel over Twilight's arms, drying them, and then rubbed the towel along her chest, gradually bringing it down to her abdomen and slowing.
Once Rainbow finished, Twilight felt lighter than normal. The feeling was still overwhelmed by unease and insecurity. She tentatively stood up as Rainbow threw the second towel in a hamper, then Rainbow grabbed the first towel from the floor and threw it into the hamper. "Alright, let's take care of your wings," Rainbow said as she slid up beside Twilight and laid a wing over her back, attempting to reassure her. Twilight walked forward rigidly. Rainbow opened the door and motioned Twilight out with a hoof.
Twilight looked at Rainbow with uncertainty. After a few seconds, she relented and walked into the bedroom, then laid down on her stomach on the bed. Twilight looked around the room nervously as she waited for Rainbow to land and start her work. Every second felt like a lifetime, but all too soon she felt the bed shift from Rainbow's added weight, then she felt the pegasus' hoof against her side, just behind her wing. She immediately tensed up at the contact.
"Twilight, I know you trust me, and you know I'm not going to hurt you on purpose. Relax," Rainbow said in a gentle, non-threatening manner. Twilight tentatively laid her head on the pillow and attempted to relax. She cautiously unfolded her wings and laid them out on the bed. Rainbow scooted up beside her, close enough that their coats were against each other, then she leaned down and slid her muzzle against the base of Twilight's wing. She took the first feather in her muzzle, causing Twilight to shift her weight uncomfortably, then she ran her tongue along the shaft and nudged the feather around until it was properly aligned. "I can tell you haven't done this in a while, Twi..." Rainbow commented, then leaned in and grabbed another feather, nuzzling Twilight's side in the process.
She found the task slightly daunting. Twilight's wings were larger and fuller than her own, and she was sure it was going to take longer than preening her own wings. The only benefit was that it was easier to access Twilight's wings than her own. After a few minutes, Twilight had a slight smile on her face, it was slightly pleasant, and she found it easier to relax as Rainbow continued straightening her feathers out. Occasionally, however, Rainbow would pluck a feather from her wing, which wasn't very pleasant, but it was necessary.
"This is kind of nice," Twilight commented softly while Rainbow ran her tongue over one of her feathers. "It's... not as efficient as with magic, but it's... more pleasant."
"I'll show you how to do this yourself some time once your wings aren't in such bad shape," Rainbow replied. She leaned back in and scrutinized the next feather. It looked damaged.
"Thank-" Twilight winced as Rainbow plucked the damaged feather from her wing, "-you..." She glanced back at Rainbow, who smiled apologetically. Twilight sighed and pressed her forehead against the pillow.
Every time Rainbow took one of Twilight's feather's in her mouth, she briefly pondered the taste. Like her own feathers, there wasn't much to it. There was a hint of something pleasant, though, and it was fuzzy. Fuzzier than her own feathers. All in all, all she could really say about them were that they were Twilight's feathers. She twitched her head to the left quickly, realigning one feather, then moved onto the next one. She ran her tongue down the shaft and vane, then wetted her lips again and pulled her head back away from Twilight's feather. She repeated the process until the feather was realigned, then she continued on. After looking over the next feather, she frowned, then pressed her lips together around it and gave it a swift tug, pulling the damaged feather from Twilight's wing. "This is why you've been having so much trouble with flying, isn't it?"
Twilight pursed her lips and rolled her head over on the pillow. "Most likely..." she said unsurely.
"I don't think my wings have ever been in this bad of shape... You really should have told somepony," Rainbow replied nonchalantly.
"It's... embarrassing..." Twilight said in a quiet voice.
Rainbow rolled her eyes, then leaned back in and nudged the next feather back into place with her muzzle. "Even before the whole... reactor incident... I would have shown you how to do this, Twilight."
Twilight grimaced. "Celestia showed me how to do it with my magic... It was one of the first things she went over with me after my ascension. I never... considered that I would have to do it without magic..."
Rainbow bobbed her head and smiled wryly at Twilight. "I can understand why you'd rather use magic... Your wings are..." she trailed off squinting, not sure the best way to word it. "Well, they're bigger and fuller than mine. I can't imagine how long it would take for you to preen without magic... Although, if you preened regularly it wouldn't take as long."
"I did preen regularly..." Twilight mumbled. A few seconds passed in silence as Rainbow skillfully worked her way along Twilight's wing. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to brush my mane again after you finish, would you?" She turned back and looked at Rainbow hopefully. "Please?"
Rainbow chuckled. "So long as you don't turn into Rarity..." she trailed off.
Twilight smiled, then laid her head back on the pillow, lying on her cheek and looking out the window. A few more minutes passed, and then Rainbow finished with Twilight's right wing. Rainbow smiled at her work. Twilight was half afraid to look over her wing, worried that she'd be missing half her feathers. She trusted Rainbow, though, and knew that the pegasus wouldn't do that, as long as it wasn't necessary. She flared her wing out and looked at it, smiling. "I think the only other time when it looked that good is right after I ascended and before I flew any..."
"I do a good job at preening. I know," Rainbow replied, puffing out her chest and smirking. Twilight giggled, then folded her wing back to her side. Rainbow slid onto Twilight's back, then leaned down to the base of her other wing and began the process again.
Twilight knew there was no reason to be nervous. She had had dinner with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna many times before, and she had had dinner with them and her friends before. She was a princess with the same authority as both Celestia and Luna, and she had grown up as Celestia's student. None of that stopped her from being nervous. Rainbow watched her as Twilight paced back in forth, ruffling her wings every once in a while as they waited.
"Okay, Twilight, seriously, we've only been waiting for like... five minutes... Even I'm not that impatient!" Rainbow groaned.
Twilight pursed her lips and slowed her pacing, though she didn't stop completely. She glanced towards the large double doors, both of which remained closed ever since they had entered the room. The two elder alicorns weren't late, Twilight and Rainbow were early. The kitchen staff would have gladly brought them something, but Twilight didn't want to do that until Celestia and Luna were there.
She looked away from the double doors and then looked around the room again. The dining room was cavernous, yet felt warm and inviting. The first time she had been in the room, it felt imposing, but she had grown to find it comforting. The marble walls were inlaid with gold, which curved into intricate designs, and the marble floor remained as spotless as ever. The lone table could seat eight ponies, and under most conditions, only two or three ponies had dined at it at one time. Twilight and her friends had dined in the room on multiple occasions, and she had dined in the room with Celestia and Luna before, along with each of them without the other if circumstances prevented one of them from being there.
It had never been the four of them before, though. She was worried, she was sure Celestia and Luna would ask a few questions, but she still hoped that they would refrain from asking too many questions. She also hoped they didn't ask Rainbow too many questions. She wasn't sure how Rainbow would handle it, let alone answering them. Her mind kept replaying the scenarios, each time the outcome grew worse than the last, and her heart rate and pacing gradually increased.
And Twilight knew none of that took into account that Rainbow might be uncomfortable with the whole dinner. She glanced at the pegasus, who looked at her blankly. She flashed her friend a smile, then looked back forwards, allowing the smile to be replaced by a look of horror as she considered the possible outcomes. 'If this doesn't go well, then I'll probably have screwed things up even worse... Oh, why did I agree to this...' She bit her lip and turned around to continue pacing. 'It might... ruin my chances with her...' Her pacing slowed to a crawl at that thought, and she clenched her jaw. 'No... it... won't...' she told herself. 'She wouldn't just... abandon me...' She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She felt a little better, but not perfect. She took another deep breath, then brought her hoof to her chest. She exhaled and extended her hoof straight out at the same time. She frowned when her her hoof hit something soft. She blinked open her eyes and looked at Rainbow with perplexion.
Rainbow looked at her with a smirk. "You do realize the whole purpose of this vacation was to relax, right?"
Twilight smiled weakly at her, then she looked at the floor. "Are you sure that... that you want to give this a chance?" she asked, looking up and meeting Rainbow's gaze. "I... I'm a bit of a mess, you know..."
Rainbow shook her head dismissively. "Look, Twilight, I'm pretty sure I know what I'm getting myself into. Besides, it makes you feel better, doesn't it?"
Twilight clenched her jaw and looked at her hooves. "Is that the only reason you agreed?"
Rainbow frowned. "No! I..." she trailed off, pausing to think about what to say. Twilight's question had caught her off guard. 'I'm doing this because it makes you happy and I don't like seeing you unhappy...' She grimaced, then steeled herself. "Come on, Twilight! Stop overthinking everything... I enjoy it, it makes you happy, and I don't like seeing you unhappy!" Twilight looked up and met Rainbow's gaze, the pegasus smiled at her. "It's going to be fine, alright?"
Twilight hesitantly nodded. "O-okay," she said with uncertainty.
The large double doors opened without a sound, and the only sign that they had opened was the clopping of hooves on the ground as the two taller alicorns walked into the room, smiling at Twilight and Rainbow. Both Twilight and Rainbow turned towards the alicorns. Rainbow fluffed her wings and glanced at Twilight, then went to bow.
"That isn't necessary," Princess Celestia said warmly, waving her hoof as Rainbow barely started to lower her head. Rainbow shifted her weight and stood back up.
"It is good to see both of you in person once more," Luna greeted.
"Likewise," Twilight replied. "Talking in dreams isn't quite the same..."
Luna bobbed her head. "It may not be quite the same as in person, but it is much easier."
"I do apologize for not being able to see you earlier, but things have been rather... hectic," Celestia said with a shake of her head. "How was the train ride?" she asked as she broke off and walked over to the table. The rest of the ponies took that as their cue and all made their way over to the table, Luna sitting down to the left of Celestia.
"Well, it was an overnight trip so we were asleep for most of it," Twilight said. She pulled out a chair, then motioned for Rainbow to sit in it. The chair was mahogany, and while it didn't look too comfortable, it did look old and somehow managed to look regal. The pegasus brushed the concern aside and hopped into the chair, then followed Twilight with her eyes as the alicorn pulled out the chair to her right, then took a seat. "It was a little boring without Pinkie Pie or Spike," she added.
Celestia nodded. "Understandable..." she trailed off as the door opened once more as four ponies came in, each one wearing a white shirt and black tuxedo. Each of the four ponies quickly strode about and took the orders from the four ponies, then hastily left to fill them. Once the last pony left and the door closed, Celestia turned her attention to Twilight. "How is your recovery progressing?"
Twilight bobbed her head and bit her lip lightly. "It... It feels slow. Eating meat has helped, but... I still have some issues..." she trailed off frowning. She looked up at Celestia quizzically. "My strength still hasn't returned yet..."
Celestia and Luna both frowned. "And you're regularly eating meat?"
Twilight shifted her weight and looked at the table. "Not... regularly..."
Luna sighed and shook her head. "Twilight, you cannot skip out on that. I know it makes you uncomfortable, but it is necessary, especially if you are to recover," she gently chided.
Twilight grimaced. "I know, but..." she trailed off, not able to find a valid reason to argue.
"Is everything else going well?" Celestia asked, changing the subject to something more comfortable.
"I'm sleeping better thanks to a tea Zecora gave me, and... Rainbow..." Both Twilight and Rainbow shifted their weight uncomfortable, the former feeling like she had fallen into a trap. "The nausea is gone too," she added, hoping to distract Celestia and Luna.
"That is good to hear," Luna said.
"And... how is the investigation going?" Twilight asked.
Celestia and Luna shared a glance, both of their expressions shifted from warm to cold. "We... can discuss that after dinner," Celestia said. Twilight and Rainbow frowned. A second later, both of their expressions lifted once more. Celestia turned to Rainbow Dash. "I do believe this is the first time the four of us have sat down and had dinner together, Rainbow. How have things been going for you?"
Rainbow shifted her weight, uncomfortable with Celestia' informal approach. "Things have been... okay," she nodded quickly.
"Luna told me that you've taken a break from the Wonderbolts to help Twilight get better," Celestia commented.
Rainbow rubbed the back of her mane with her hoof. "Well..." she trailed off as the door opened again, and two ponies dashed in, bringing a platter of glasses and three bottles of wine in with them. The ponies walked over to the table, then set a glass in front of each pony, then filled them halfway from one of the bottles, starting with Celestia, then Luna, and finally Twilight and Rainbow. They set the bottles aside, then quickly bowed and left the room. Celestia lit her horn and picked up her wine glass, then took a quick sip and sat it back down. Rainbow scrutinized the glass in front of her. "Yeah," she said absently.
"I can't really do much without my horn, so she's been helping me..." Twilight said, lifting the glass to her mouth with her hooves and taking a quick sip, then setting it back down.
"I am glad to know that your friends are helping you recover, Twilight. I was a little worried that we had made the wrong choice in letting you remain in Ponyville," Celestia said. "And I'm a little surprised that you brought Rainbow Dash with you instead of Spike."
Twilight shifted her weight. "Rainbow offered... Spike did too, but..." She closed her eyes. "She's..." she trailed off shaking her head.
Rainbow glanced at Twilight. "Twilight felt like she needed a vacation, and she didn't want Spike to have to come with her..."
'This is so much easier in dreams,' Twilight thought. She took a deep breath. "There's a reason I asked for the dining room for myself tomorrow night," she said, heart beating quicker. "I-"
Celestia smiled gently. "Luna told me," she said. "Congratulations, by the way," she added in an even warmer tone.
Twilight closed her eyes and sighed. She was a little upset that Luna told Celestia, but she was grateful she didn't have to have that conversation, although she wasn't sure how Luna had found out that they were dating. As it was, she wasn't looking forward to having it with the rest of her friends. If it went that far. She knew they would be happy for them, but she was worried about Rarity and Pinkie Pie. She pushed the worry aside, then opened her eyes and smiled softly. "Thanks..."
"It's supposed to be a secret..." Rainbow said with uncertainty, staring at Luna.
Twilight glanced at Rainbow. 'Did you tell her?' she wondered. She smiled a little more at that thought.
"Don't worry, Rainbow Dash, we won't tell anypony," Celestia said. "I look forward to getting to know you better, and I hope it works out for you two."
"Thanks..." Rainbow said tentatively, turning her attention to the glass, then picking it up with a wing and taking a big gulp of its contents. She turned to Twilight. 'You've never said it, but you did admit that you love me... But I don't feel the same way about you,' she thought. 'Or do I? You're still my friend, no matter what happens...' She turned back and looked at the glass in front of her. 'I don't know...' She clenched her jaw at the thought. She glanced at Twilight, 'But I'm not going to abandon you. Not while you need me...'
"Of course," Celestia continued with a smirk, "Luna didn't tell me all of the details." She smiled brightly at Twilight.
Twilight sighed and shifted her weight. "Can we please not talk about this?" she groaned. "I want to relax and... and talking about this isn't relaxing."
"Yeah," Rainbow agreed. "I'd rather not talk about it either..." Twilight looked at her and smiled gently.
"I'm sorry, Twilight," Celestia apologized. "I just thought that you'd like to talk about it," she added.
"You know I've never done anything like this before... I'm just..." Twilight trailed off, eyeing the glass in front of her greedily.
"You are nervous and worried," Luna surmised.
Twilight looked at her and nodded cautiously.
Rainbow grimaced. 'I should help her...' She turned to Twilight, pondering how she could help the princess. 'How am I supposed to help you relax here?' After a few seconds of thought, she winced and groaned internally. 'No, stop. I want to help her, and she's uncomfortable...' She slowly turned toward Twilight, then leaned over to her and wrapped her arms around her, drawing a perplexed look from the alicorn. She smiled reassuringly and pulled on the alicorn. Twilight pursed her lips and tentatively slid over beside Rainbow. Both of them were glad that the chairs were as large as they were, as it was it could barely fit both of them. Twilight smiled at Rainbow, and Rainbow leaned away, then pulled her wing out from between them and laid it over Twilight's back. "Feel better?" she asked.
"A little." Twilight laid her head on Rainbow's shoulder, touched by her tender actions, even more so because they weren't alone. "Thank you," she whispered. Rainbow rubbed her wing up and down her side, then held Twilight a little tighter before relaxing her wing and letting it hang loosely over Twilight's back.
Both Celestia and Luna smiled warmly. Twilight did her best to ignore it, but she still blushed lightly. Rainbow managed not to blush. "I don't think you have anything to worry about, Twilight," Celestia said in her warm, motherly voice.
Twilight smiled and pressed herself closer to Rainbow. The dining room wasn't overly warm, nor was it chilly, despite this, Twilight relished the heat radiating into her coat from Rainbow's body, and she snuggled closer to it, nuzzling Rainbow's neck in the process.
"How are the rest of your friends doing?" Celestia asked.
Twilight briefly grimaced, then her smile returned. "They're... well, as busy as ever, but I think they're doing okay. I haven't really spent as much time with all of them as I should, but given the circumstances..." Twilight trailed off. Both Celestia and Luna grimaced and nodded in understanding.
They continued to idly talk for a few minutes, then the large double doors opened once more, and the four ponies returned, each one holding a silver platter in their magic. They quickly walked around and deposited each platter in front of the pony the platter was intended for, the exception being Twilight, who had her platter placed where she had been sitting when they first entered. The silver lids came off in unison, then the four ponies left after wishing the princesses and Rainbow Dash a good meal.
Following the closing of the door, Twilight looked at Rainbow sheepishly, then slid back over into her chair. Rainbow held her wing open for a few seconds after Twilight left her side, contemplating the loss of Twilight's warmth. Eventually, she slowly folded her wing back to her side and looked down at her plate. She smiled at the mass of cheesy pasta and broccoli, then glanced at Twilight's plate and shifted her weight. She quickly averted her gaze back to her plate, then picked up the fork with her wing and quickly stabbed some pasta onto it and brought it to her mouth.
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were much more relaxed, both of them lifting their forks with their magic, then gracefully sliding them into their broccoli. Twilight cautiously picked her fork up with her wing, and her knife in her other wing. She missed her magic as she glanced at her wings and her platter of food. She took a deep breath, then slid the fork into the golden brown fish, then slowly cut off a chunk and lifted it to her muzzle, then slid the meat into her mouth. She chewed it up, then swallowed and took a quick drink.
Over the next half hour, they ate in relative silence, broken only by the occasional comment or question. There were a couple of good laughs had, and they enjoyed the dinner. Twilight finally found herself relaxing, and more than once her gaze had drifted over to Rainbow, who occasionally glanced back at her, though Rainbow's looks were always more nervous than her own. She always immediately looked away, but each time, it felt like her gaze lingered a little longer than the last time.
Twilight licked her lips, then looked away from her platter and looked at Celestia. "You said you'd tell me how the investigation was going after dinner?" she asked.
Celestia pulled a napkin up to her mouth and gently wiped away any remnants of food and liquid on her lips, then nodded and laid the napkin back down. "We are making significant progress, and we believe we know who the culprit is..." Twilight waited several seconds, looking at Celestia expectantly. Celestia glanced at Luna and clenched her jaw.
Luna nodded and turned to Twilight. "We found the body of one of the workers at the reactor near the Everfree forest. There were signs of changeling magic in his wounds."
Rainbow and Twilight both felt cold chills run down their backs. Twilight shifted her weight and took a second to gather her thoughts. "That doesn't make sense, why would-"
Luna shook her head. "We believe Queen Chrysalis herself is responsible for it," she said solemnly.
An oppressive silence filled the room for a few seconds while Rainbow and Twilight processed what Luna had said. "What?" Twilight asked in disbelief.
"It makes sense, in a way," Princess Ceelstia said in a disgusted voice, grimacing. "She wanted to take revenge out on Starlight Glimmer... What better way than to cause the Ponyville Reactor to meltdown and kill everypony she knows..."
"That's..." Twilight whispered. She clenched her eyes shut. 'I stopped that... Chrysalis failed because I stopped it, her revenge failed... It's fine...' She wasn't convinced, and she had a sinking feeling in her chest. She wanted to ask why Chrysalis would do that, but Celestia was right. Revenge. She opened her eyes and stared at the empty platter in front of her. She also understood why Celestia didn't want to tell her that, especially before they ate. She was sure she wouldn't have been in any mood to eat if she had said that before, and the evening wouldn't have been as pleasant with that knowledge hanging over their heads.
Rainbow sat up straighter and glanced at Twilight with a concerned look. "If that was part of Chrysalis's plan to get revenge on Starlight Glimmer, and Twilight stopped it..." Celestia clenched her jaw, knowing full well the implications of what Rainbow meant, although she wasn't worried. Twilight shifted her weight uncomfortably.
"Do not worry, no harm will come to you Twilight," Luna said calmly. "Besides, there is no evidence that Chrysalis is going after you specifically."
"You really think she would just ignore Twilight if she was the one responsible for foiling her plan for revenge?" Rainbow asked in a low voice.
"Chrysalis is in no position to go after Twilight. We have reason to believe she expended most of her remaining resources on her plan for revenge, and as of right now, the guard is on high alert and looking for her," Luna said.
"You should have told me," Twilight said. She swallowed and looked up at Celestia. "If there's even the slightest change that Chrysalis might come after me, you should have told me. I can't defend myself if she comes after me."
"Twilight, we have the situation under control. King Thorax and his hive are helping us track her down, and it is only a matter of time before we find her," Celestia said.
Rainbow turned to face Twilight and looked at her wryly, "Maybe Spitfire was right when she told me to keep an eye on you..."
Twilight smiled back at her, but everypony could see the unease and discomfort in the smile. "If I had my horn I could help with finding her..."
"Twilight, you do not need to worry about it. The reason we did not tell you sooner is because there was no reason to concern you any more than you already were. We can handle this, and you need to focus on your recovery," Luna said, then took a drink from her glass. She swirled the glass around briefly, then levitated the open bottle over and refilled the glass before placing both the bottle and glass back down.
Celestia glanced at the clock and grimaced. She sighed and stepped down from the chair. "I'm afraid I have other business to attend to," she apologized. She turned to Luna, "Don't keep them too long," she said with a teasing smile.
Luna rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I would never dream of it, sister." Her tone drew a sideways glance from both Twilight and Rainbow, the former eyeing her suspiciously.
Celestia turned her attention to Twilight and Rainbow. "I look forward to seeing you both again in the morning, and I hope you two have a pleasant evening."
Twilight smiled lightly. "Thanks."
Luna watched Celestia leave, then turned back to Twilight and Rainbow. "You really do have nothing to worry about, Twilight," she said warmly, smiling. "I may not be visiting you or all of your friends every night, but I am keeping a close eye on all of them. If Chrysalis tries anything, I will know, and she will not succeed."
Twilight smiled a little brighter at that, feeling relief. "Thanks... I know you already have a lot to deal with since... since I can't help you... but it means a lot to me that you'd do that."
"You are family, Twilight," Luna said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. "But I am afraid I must take my leave as well. We have been rather busy, after all."
Twilight smiled apologetically. "Sorry..."
Luna shook her head as she stood from her chair. "Do not worry about it, Twilight. My sister and I are used to it." She turned towards the door and started walking at a leisurely pace. "I wish you both a pleasant evening and good dreams tonight."
As soon as the door closed behind Luna, Rainbow turned to Twilight. "Is it just me, or did they leave kind of abruptly?"
Twilight grimaced and bobbed her head. "They've been busier than normal recently because of... well... you know."
"Oh..." Rainbow said loosely. "Any plans for the rest of the night, or are we just going back to your tower?"
Twilight shook her head and slid out of her chair. Rainbow hopped off her chair and stood beside Twilight. "I don't have plans for the rest of the evening..." she admitted. She looked at Rainbow fondly. "I know it's a little early..." She leaned against Rainbow and nuzzled her neck. "But I was hoping you would lay with me..."
"If that's what you want to do, then I guess that's fine," Rainbow replied.
Twilight smiled, then took off walking. Rainbow thought Twilight's steps were a little more energetic than normal, and she smiled at Twilight. After a few seconds, Rainbow flapped her wings and hovered in the air, then caught up to Twilight and leisurely flew beside her. Rainbow was more attentive to her surroundings than normal as they made their way back to Twilight's tower. She cautiously watched anypony who so much as glanced at Twilight, but it was unnecessary, as nothing happened on the way back to the tower.
Rainbow walked into the tower first, slowly scanning the room for any sign of danger. Twilight slid in behind her and immediately made her way over to the bed, then collapsed onto it. Rainbow let herself relax, then locked the door.
Twilight rolled over onto her back and watched Rainbow fly over to the balcony door and lock it, then she flew over to the bed and smiled at her. Twilight smiled back halfway.
Rainbow pulled herself up onto the bed and slid under the covers. Twilight mimicked her and pulled herself under the blanket, then scooted closer to Rainbow. Rainbow wrapped Twilight in her embrace, and Twilight pressed her forehead against the pegasus' neck. Rainbow nuzzled her mane and pulled the covers tight around them with her wing, then she slid it over Twilight's back.