//------------------------------// // Instinct // Story: Alicorn Nature // by SC_Orion //------------------------------// Rainbow groaned as the ground slammed into her, causing her flight to come to an abrupt end. She blinked open her eyes and felt her world spinning. She tried to focus on the two, no, three trees nearby, but all three of them were blurry and moving. She squinted and groaned again. "Rainbow!" Twilight called. "Twi... ugh..." she groaned. She took a deep breath, then slid her right foreleg out from under her and pushed up against the ground, only to feel a sharp pain in her leg, immediately making her wince and inhale sharply. Her foreleg throbbed in pain, and she could feel her heartbeat pulsating through her injured leg. She carefully nudged her left forehoof out, then pushed against the ground and pushed herself up into a sitting position. Her vision was filled with a familiar shade of lavender, wearing a worried expression. Twilight's eyes shot all over her expression and body, never staying focused on one spot for more than a single instant. "Are you okay?" the alicorn hastily asked. Rainbow groaned and licked her lips. She could feel a spot on her lip ripped, and it burned as her tongue swiped over it. She groaned internally at the taste of blood. "Yeah... my leg..." she replied. She closed her eyes and tensed up, then hesitantly lifted her right foreleg and held it close to her body. It continued to throb but didn't hurt like before. "Let me see," Twilight demanded. "Lay down." Rainbow slowly shook her head. "Twilight, I'll-" Twilight picked Rainbow up in her magic, gently turned her upside down, then carefully laid her down on her back. Twilight hastily walked over to Rainbow's right side, then sat down on her haunches. "You're a mess..." she muttered, looking over the cuts, dirt, and twigs filling Rainbow's coat and tangling her mane and tail. She carefully took Rainbow's foreleg in her hooves and supported its weight with her magic, then ran her forehooves over the length, making sure nothing was broken. Rainbow stayed silent and watched Twilight. She could have sworn Celestia knew what was happening, since the sun was directly behind Twilight's head, blocking it from view, and casting a shadow on her own head. She grinned at the effect it had on Twilight, making her appear to glow, with her fur almost sparkling in the light. "Twi, you're beautiful." Twilight paused and glanced away from Rainbow's leg to stare at Rainbow. "How hard did you hit your head?" Rainbow groaned and rolled her eyes. "Really? That's what you're going to ask? What, I can't just call my mare beautiful?" "Well, no, you can call me beautiful anytime, Rainbow, but-" "Then let me enjoy this," Rainbow groaned. Twilight sighed. "Does this hurt?" she asked, pressing her forehoof against Rainbow's upper foreleg. Rainbow inhaled sharply, tensed up, and tried to jerk her foreleg away, only to pull against Twilight's magic, which held it firmly in place. She clenched her jaw shut. "Sorry!" Twilight squeaked, immediately jerking her forehoof back. "It's. Fine," Rainbow answered, still seething with pain. Twilight hastily leaned down and nuzzled Rainbow's foreleg, avoiding touching Rainbow's injury. "I think you pulled a muscle," she commented. Rainbow groaned, then rolled her head over limply to look at Twilight. "Please tell me you can heal it. Please?" she pleaded. Twilight smiled warily. "Well... not immediately, but I can make it heal faster. And I can numb the pain," she answered. Rainbow hastily nodded. "Yeah, I don't want to go to the hospital... again." Twilight snorted and smiled. "Well, I think you're probably fine other than the pulled muscle, then." She used her magic on Rainbow's foreleg, causing the pegasus to feel a tingling warmth which gradually caused the pain to fade away. After several second, Twilight laid Rainbow's forelegs back down on her body. "Well, aside from being a mess..." she trailed off. Rainbow squinted at Twilight. "Twilight. Don't you dare..." Twilight ignored her, then leaned down and nudged Rainbow with her muzzle, rolling her over onto her stomach. Rainbow closed her eyes and groaned. "Twilight!" she pleaded. Twilight continued to ignore her and leaned down, opening her mouth wide, then grabbing Rainbow by the back of her neck. She lightly bit down on her, then lifted her up off of the ground. Rainbow huffed as she hung from Twilight's mouth by her neck. Twilight idly looked around for a few seconds, then teleported both of them back to her bedroom in the castle. "Of course this is what I get for my marefriend being an alicorn as big as Princess Celestia," Rainbow muttered sarcastically. She could almost feel Twilight squint, and she could almost hear her shouting 'I heard that!' She winced and shifted her weight a little. "Sorry..." she apologized. Twilight headed for the bathroom at a casual pace, and her walk almost had a little skip to it as she held Rainbow high. "You enjoy this way too much," Rainbow stated. Twilight snorted. She closed the door behind her, then used her magic to start a bath, letting the water run out of the tub as it warmed up. She sat Rainbow down on the floor, then levitated a brush over and started pulling out twigs while running the brush through Rainbow's mane. Rainbow groaned and pressed her head into the floor. "Maybe I do enjoy carrying you around like that too much," Twilight admitted. "But I don't get to do it that often." Rainbow snorted, then sighed. Twilight tilted her head, then sat down beside Rainbow and wrapped her large wing around her, pulling her close and hiding her body from sight. She hummed softly as she continued brushing her mane and pulling skillfully twigs out while avoiding pulling Rainbow's mane. Eventually, Twilight used her magic to plug the drain in the tub so it would fill. By the time it was ready, all of the twigs were out of Rainbow's mane and tail, and both had been straightened to make the next part easier. She lifted her wing up from Rainbow, then leaned over and grabbed her by the neck again and lifted her up. She casually walked over to the bathtub, then lowered Rainbow into the warm water. Rainbow, for her part, stayed silent and didn't resist. After Twilight released her, she nuzzled her pegasus, then kissed her on the cheek. Rainbow smiled at Twilight.