//------------------------------// // A Familial Encounter, Part II // Story: I'll Do Anything for You // by The Abyss //------------------------------// Everything moved in slow motion for Twilight. Her heart raced in her chest as she watched Rainbow’s wings flap down, propelling her from their table. Her eyes went wide as she saw Scootaloo’s mother leap from her seat, a shiny object that reflected the nearby candlelight with a sickly glow held tightly in her right hoof. No! she thought. Without a moment of hesitation, Twilight lit her horn, focused her magic on Rainbow then on everybody sitting at their table, and teleported them all into the first place that she could think of that was relatively close by: their hotel room. Their table and the booths they sat upon reappeared in mid air, falling upon the edge of the bed with a terrific clash. Everybody slipped off of their seats, collapsing to the carpeted floor in a heap. Due to her momentum, Rainbow flew straight into the wall on the other side of their small room, leaving a dent where her head struck it. Twilight lay still on the floor, panting heavily. Her vision was swimming so badly that she felt a bit nauseous, even though there was nothing in her stomach. Her head ached terribly, and her mouth was as dry as sandpaper. All of her energy was gone, and her muscles burned as if she had just finished a five mile race at full gallop. She closed her eyes and licked her dry lips as she pushed away the urge to throw up. “S-Spike!” she croaked out, her voice barely louder than a whisper. “Send a letter to Celestia... for help...” Twilight coughed out as she tried to push herself up. “On it!” Spike yelled, looking around the room for anything to write on. Fortunately, he spotted a small notepad, a quill, and a small ink pot on the desk next to Rainbow. He scampered over there, dipped the quill in the ink pot, hastily wrote a small message to Celestia, then sent it off. “Done!” he yelled. Rainbow groaned and pushed herself up, shaking her head with an annoyed flick of her tail. “Yo Dash, you okay?” he asked, kneeling down next to her with an outstretched claw. “No, I am not okay!” Rainbow growled, pushing him away with a wing. She stood up, rubbing her forehead with a hoof as she glared at Twilight. “How could you?!” she asked, barely-restrained anger in her voice as she stalked up to her. “Wh... What?” Twilight asked in a daze, struggling to lift her head as she forced her vision to focus on her special somepony. Rainbow snorted once and stormed away, breathing heavily through her nose as her legs and wings shook in a furious rage. Twilight’s eyebrows furrowed, but she pushed her feelings aside for the moment and remembered that they were still in danger. She swallowed once, the stark reality of their situation sinking deep into her mind. Wincing at the fact that she was going to have to cast another spell, especially after casting such a complicated and energy-consuming spell, she knew that there would be no small amount of pain. Nevertheless, she lit her horn once more, a bright purple aura coating the door and the window as she sealed them inside. Her headache doubled in intensity, making her groan and clench her eyes shut. It was just a little bit too warm in their room, and she desperately wished that they could crack a window to cool things off, but she simply wouldn’t dare risk their safety for her own personal comfort. “Rainbow...” she muttered. “I... I couldn’t...” “Couldn’t what?!” Rainbow shot back, stomping up to her again. “Couldn’t let me capture one of Scootaloo’s parents? Sure, I would have let her have it and then some, but still! Why didn’t you let me?” “Because I... I...” Twilight weakly flapped her wings as she finally got back on her hooves, a few of her feathers falling to the floor. On trembling legs, she cautiously walked over to the bed and flopped down upon it. She felt so tired that she knew if she closed her eyes, she would be asleep in seconds. “I didn’t think... Ugh...!” She buried her muzzle under her front hooves as tears welled up in her eyes; the pain in her head was simply too much to bear, and Rainbow’s yelling wasn’t helping her headache in the slightest. “And once again, the all-powerful princess doesn’t think before she acts!” Rainbow yelled, her voice becoming hoarse from all the yelling. “If you ever loved me, you wouldn’t have stopped me, and—” “Rainbow, stop!” Scootaloo screamed at the top of her lungs. She trotted up to her and slapped her leg with a hoof, then glared up at her. “Did you really just say that?! Look at her!” she said, standing up on her hind legs as she placed her two front hooves on Rainbow’s chest. When Rainbow’s gaze didn’t budge from her own, she jabbed her left hoof into Rainbow’s chest and used her right hoof to gesture at Twilight, who still had her muzzle buried under her forelegs. “I said look at her!” she hissed out as her eyes narrowed. “She kept all of us safe. You, me, and Spike. I admire that you want to hurt my mother, but not if there’s a small chance that you could get hurt.” “One on one with a drunk? Pfft, I could have totally won that!” Rainbow said with a snort. “She was eating dinner with her friends, Rainbow! Do you really think you could take on all four of them by yourself?” Scootaloo asked moments before Twilight coughed and lifted her head from the sheets. “She had a knife, Rainbow,” Twilight said, staring daggers at Rainbow. “I have no doubt that you would be able to subdue Scootaloo’s mother, but she was ready to kill you!” Tears streamed down her cheeks as the thought of living without her best friend grazed against her mind. She wearily lifted a hoof towards her as her throat grew tight. “I love you too much to let that happen to you...” Her muscles screamed in protest as she fought to keep her hoof aloft, and as the seconds passed, her vision started to become blurry. Rainbow’s eyes locked on Twilight’s hoof before they flicked up to meet Twilight’s tired gaze. “She had a... a knife?” she whispered, her ears flopping down as her heart sunk into her stomach. Everything clicked into place in her mind. She was going to kill me? she thought, her stomach twisting itself into a tight knot. “I... I, uh...” Rainbow walked up next to the bed and sat down, grabbing Twilight’s hoof in between her own. She held it close to her chest as she laid her forehead against Twilight’s, feeling heat radiate from her horn through her disheveled mane. “I’m sorry, Twi,” she choked out, holding onto Twilight’s hoof with all of her strength. “I’m sorry for yelling at you, and...” Rainbow gently nuzzled her cheek, then whispered, “I love you, too,” so quietly that only Twilight could hear her. “Forgive me?” she asked with a sheepish smile as she sat back. Twilight cracked a small smile. “Only on two conditions, and I think you already know one of them.” “Snuggles after Celestia comes with her army to lock down the city?” Rainbow asked with a smirk. “Yes,” Twilight said with a nod. “You want to know the other?” “Mhm!” Rainbow nodded furiously. Twilight yanked on Rainbow’s hoof, pulling her back up against the side of the bed. Twilight placed her forehead on Rainbow’s like Rainbow had done seconds earlier and stared deep into her eyes. “Don’t ever scream at me like that again. Got it?” Rainbow’s eyes drifted shut as her head tilted to the side, letting her lips find Twilight’s. “Anything for you,” she whispered into Twilight’s flicking ear. Suddenly, somepony banged on their door, making her head whip up. “Scootaloo, Spike? Get behind me.” She flicked her wings open wide, preparing herself for the worst. The door glowed in a pale yellow light, then their door swung open wide. Rainbow’s lips parted as she snarled, grinding a hoof into the carpeted floor as she lowered herself, ready to tackle whoever was about to walk inside. “Twilight? Rainbow?” Princess Celestia strode inside their room and paused as two of her royal guard trotted past her, deadly-looking spears held under their right wings. They took up position in the back of the room while two others took up position in front of the window. “Thank goodness you all are okay. I came as quickly as I could,” she said, eyeing the table and the two booths with a curious gaze. Rainbow’s shoulders drooped in relief as she bowed before Celestia, folding her wings back in. “Thank you, Princess Celestia,” she said as she stood back up. “How many guards did you bring with you?” “On such a short notice, I only managed to bring sixteen.” Celestia shut the door with a quick spell, then sat down in front of Rainbow and Twilight. “More are on the way, for my sister is rousing the guards in the barracks. We are going to do a full sweep of Cloudsdale, and I give you my word that we will find the escapees.” “Princess...” Twilight croaked. She pushed herself up on the bed, feeling nothing but an overwhelming hunger in her gut coupled with a horrendous headache. “Thank you for coming in the middle of the night. We didn’t wake you, did we?” she asked, noticing the lack of regalia. “...Yes, but I had only just retired for the evening. With a fellow princess in need of assistance, I would go many nights without sleep if need be.” “Good to know.” Twilight slipped from the bed and sat down, closing her eyes for a few moments as she gathered her thoughts. “All I know is that Scootaloo saw her mother. She knows more than I do in this situation, so...” She looked over at Scootaloo and opened a wing for her to sit under. Scootaloo’s gaze flicked between Twilight and Princess Celestia, biting her tongue as she trotted in place. They need to know I only saw my mother! she thought, a small groan slipping from between her lips. Celestia looked at her with a lifted eyebrow, making her wilt in place. “What is it, little one?” Celestia asked, laying down on the floor. She crossed her forelegs and beckoned her forward with a hoof. “You are among friends; there is nothing to fear.” “Um... Okay.” Scootaloo took a few steps towards Celestia and sat down beside Twilight, rubbing her left foreleg with a hoof as she stared at the floor. “I don’t think my dad is here,” she squeaked out as Twilight’s wing wrapped around her. “I heard my mom saying that he was gonna come back soon.” “Hm...” Celestia’s eyebrows furrowed as she let out a deep breath. “And it sounded like she has friends here in Cloudsdale, too. My dad used to work up here in the factory, so maybe ask around there?” Scootaloo glanced up at Twilight and shrugged. “His friends might not want to give him up if they know anything, though...” Scootaloo sighed as her tail swished back and forth behind her. “Why can’t they just leave us alone?” “My guards will surely find them, little one, I promise you that.” Celestia stood up and fluffed her wings. “When reinforcements arrive, you all will be on the very first chariot back to Canterlot.” She saw Twilight open her mouth to speak, but she waved her off with a hoof. “Including you, Twilight. You are a target to these ponies, and you must be kept safe above all else.” A knock on the door kept her from speaking, so she shot a glance over her shoulder just in time to see the door open. “Oh, Lieutenant! Have our reinforcements arrived?” she asked, turning around to face him. “Yes, Princess!” he barked out. “As per your commands, a chariot and an escort of pegasi are waiting just outside to escort the V.I.P.’s back to Canterlot!” “Excellent.” Celestia looked back at everypony in the room. “If you would all follow him, we shall get you back to safety in no time at all!” Rainbow huffed. “So what are you going to do to find Scootaloo’s mother?” she asked, looking up at Celestia with a defiant gaze. “Are you going to search each and every house and building here until you find them? Scootaloo made it sound like her mother was crashing with some friends, and I don’t think they have a house up here.” “Well, no, we are not going to do that, Rainbow,” Celestia said, her voice light but firm. “That would not be appropriate.” “For a situation like this? I think it’s totally appropriate!” Rainbow said. “We need to catch her as soon as possible!” “For all we know, she could have flown away into the night,” Celestia said, her voice becoming firmer. “We do not know if she is still in the city.” “Exactly! She might still be here!” Rainbow stomped on the floor with her front hooves. “I’ll do it myself if I have to!” Celestia’s lieutenant strode up to Rainbow and looked down upon her with a steely gaze. “With all due respect, if you try to do anything of the sort, you will be arrested, ma’am.” Rainbow flicked her tail once, her gaze never leaving his until Twilight nudged her with a wing. “Rainbow... they’ll get her,” Twilight said, letting Scootaloo go. She looked down at her and said, “Follow the nice guard down to the chariot, okay? Rainbow will follow you to make sure everything is safe.” “Okay...” Scootaloo nuzzled Twilight’s leg, then trotted away after Rainbow. Twilight stood up, her head hung low. “Spike, can you send word to my parents that we’ll be coming home late tonight?” she asked. “Uh...” Spike rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know how to do that.” Celestia lit her horn for several seconds, then said, “It is done. A guard has been dispatched to their home.” “H-How?” Twilight asked, blearily looking up at Celestia. “I will teach you later, my faithful student, but now is not the time for such things,” Celestia said with a gentle smile. “You should not keep the nice pegasi at the chariot waiting, though.” “Good point.” Twilight wrapped her forelegs around her former mentor’s neck. “I wish we wouldn’t have to keep meeting under such stressful circumstances...” “As do I, Twilight...” Celestia gently nuzzled Twilight’s neck, then let her go. “Perhaps I shall invite you all for tea once this is all taken care of.” “That would be awesome,” Twilight said with a grin. “Thank you for coming...” she murmured as she walked past her. Spike walked up to Celestia, then chuckled nervously. “Hey, so... I just wanna say that I’m sorry for waking you up, Princess. I don’t like it when Twilight makes me get out of bed, so I’m pretty sure that you don’t like being woken up, either.” “It is quite alright, Spike,” Celestia said with a light chuckle. She lit her horn, then levitated Spike up onto her back. “So... why does it look like Twilight teleported a table and chairs in here?” Spike laughed. “Long story.”