//------------------------------// // Act 1, Scene 5 // Story: When Two Fly As One // by John H //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash awoke from her nap on the small cumulus drifting slowly over Twilight’s house, stretching her hind legs one at a time while letting out a loud yawn. She smiled to herself proudly; her plan of napping the day away worked in bringing her closer to tomorrow. She fixed her ruffled mane and flapped her wings to fix the discomfort from her furled feathers while trying to figure out how long she slept. It was still the middle of the night, and she knew how hard it would be to go back to sleep again. “Ugh, I bet Twilight’s sleeping like a filly. May as well fly it off.” Still worked up from her earlier, she rose slowly off her makeshift bed and took to the sky. She wanted to fly off a lot more than just excess energy. She needed to get her mind off tomorrow, because thinking about her date made her think about Twilight. She couldn’t think about her without dwelling on all the apologies she owed Twilight and what she could have done differently. Rainbow Dash knew she couldn’t simply take back what she said, and even if she could it would take away everything they could have. Tomorrow had to be perfect, not just for herself but for Twilight too. It took everything Rainbow Dash had to not let one bad memory ruin all the good ones. She wondered if Twilight ever felt the same way and hesitated to trade all they shared for peace of mind. Nothing Rainbow Dash has tried jogged Twilight’s memory of the time they spent together before. If anything, all her tricks and attempts to impress probably did more to hurt her chances with Twilight than make up for lost time. She was at a loss for what to do, having done everything short of confessing it all to Twilight. It seemed to be the easiest way, but the opportunity never presented itself. She flew just above the patches of the small and puffy altocumulus, kicking them apart angrily as she coasted by. Rainbow Dash never learned their name in flight school, having always fell asleep whenever teachers brought it up. She supposed she didn’t need it after landing her first job in Canterlot. She would have managed just fine without knowing the lame science behind her work, if it weren’t for a magic student she met while on the job. The unicorn would sit out in front of her school whenever she wasn’t studying to watch Rainbow Dash work, and after a few of these visits with some smalltalk here and there, Twilight’s cute nagging voice finally won Rainbow Dash over. “Wow Dashie, those clouds you made are so pretty! Are those altocumulus?” “I dunno. The name’s too long to worry over. I just need to know how to shape them!” “But didn’t your teachers ever give you books to read? Studying helps you do your job better!” “I don’t need eggheads telling me what they’re called or what they do. As long as I do it right, that’s all that matters.” “You... think I’m an egghead?” “Sheesh, you always get puffy-eyed when you want me to do something.” “Sorry, I don’t mean to. I just want to see you do your best! Aren’t you the one who said ‘best is coolest?’” “Fine. I guess I’ll learn a FEW of them, as long as it isn’t boring. Just don’t get your hopes up, okay? I dropped out of flight school for a reason, ya know.” Rainbow Dash thought of the old exchange often. She owed a lot of her tricks to learning more about the different clouds, including the cloud sculpture she made for Twilight when she popped the big question. She remembered how hard it was to say “no” to that smile of hers, and how often she willingly adjusted her definition of “cool” to please the unicorn. Even with nopony looking, she held back tears as she ripped apart the clouds she flew through. Would good memories always hurt this much, enough to make her destroy the clouds she spent so much time shaping? Rainbow Dash soared through sheets of white. The rush of cold air helped her zone in on what made her so scatterbrained. She didn’t want to mess up her big chance like one of her poorly thought-out tricks. Just like the young flier’s competition, she needed to come up with a plan of action and stick to it. Go to the right places, make the right moves, and say the right words. It was like the first time she performed a sonic rainboom, having earned Twilight’s affections without even realizing it. “Only this time,” she thought, “I won’t think I’m stuck with bronze when I’ve taken gold!” A heart-stopping scream jarred Rainbow Dash from her renewed focus. The hairs on Rainbow Dash’s coat stood on end when she recognized the her friend’s desperate voice. “Twilight!” She cried as she raced at top speed in the direction of Twilight’s voice. She dove towards what appeared to be the stage Trixie brought with her to Ponyville some time ago. She bit her lip and her blood boiled. She couldn’t tell if it was the wind resistance or her anger that blinded her. Rainbow Dash came to an abrupt halt and slammed into the stage between Twilight and her self-proclaimed rival. She spread her wings out to full span and glared as she rose up to face off against Trixie. She remembered how much she disliked Trixie the first time they met, and it made things worse to think that Twilight actually let her go. Even if Rainbow Dash could hold back her anger, she was better off showing Trixie’s who’s boss before bailing Twilight out. Trixie winced at Rainbow Dash’s sudden loud landing, opening her eyes to see the pegasus blocking her view from Twilight. She chortled at the new development. “My my, aren’t you the talentless ruffian whom The Great and Powerful Trixie cut down upstage with beginner’s magic? Be warned if you plan on showing off your amateur’s catalogue of tricks, dear. The audience had already been impatient with your uncooperative friend.” Rainbow Dash stepped closer. Still glowing in confidence, Trixie gestured with her hoof towards the audience. “Trixie sees you’ve moved on from showing off rainbows to crashing performances. There’s no fee to watch if you’d like to –” “What are you doing to Twilight?!” Rainbow Dash wasn’t going to let Trixie talk her way out of this. Seeing Twilight as a panicked wreck was all the evidence she needed to put Trixie in her place. She relaxed enough to lower her voice for Twilight, hoping it would help calm her down . “You alright Twi?” “Please take me home, Rainbow.” Twilight’s voice cracked in fear. Seeing Twilight struggle to even speak, Rainbow Dash wanted to do anything and everything to make things better. “So rude!” Trixie reviled the pegasus’ heroic displays. “Not only do you interrupt Trixie’s great and powerful performance, but you plan on snatching her only qualified volunteer from the show?” Rainbow Dash turned to Twilight with a raised eyebrow. Twilight shook her head at Trixie’s justification. She whipped around back at Trixie in full force. “Listen here, you lame excuse for a unicorn! Twi and I are gonna split. You’re going to leave us alone, and you’re going to apologize to her before we go!” Trixie glowered at Rainbow Dash. “Wrong! You owe The Great and Powerful Trixie an apology for ruining the moment.” The only thing more offensive to Rainbow Dash than Trixie’s tone was that smile she forced down her throat. Rainbow Dash was perplexed at how Trixie could innocently carry on like this. “What moment? You have some nerve coming back here, wasting everypony’s time with your lame tricks!” She felt a tug at her wing. Not now, Twilight. Rainbow Dash couldn’t just leave Trixie to her own devices. Out of the corner of her eye though, she saw there was something more than pain in her friend’s expression. Twilight was afraid of something. “Why, yes, Trixie needed to express her deepest admirations for the only unicorn in all Equestria to ever impress The Great and Powerful Trixie! The rose nestled behind her ear exemplifies the magnificence of the bond we could share.” Rainbow Dash hadn’t even noticed that rose until now, but she liked the opportunity it presented to show Trixie she meant business. Without a word, she snatched the rose with her teeth, spit it to the ground and stomped on it. “Twilight doesn’t belong to you.” “Ha! The Great and Powerful Trixie was not aware the talented Twilight Sparkle ‘belonged’ to somepony already.” Trixie leaned in towards Rainbow Dash and stroked the bottom of her chin with her hoof. Rainbow Dash held herself from shuddering. “Trixie hates to admit it, but at this very moment you can provide something for the audience that which even the Great and Powerful Trixie is at a loss for. What unicorn in all Ponyville, or even Equestria, has she met who could rival the magic Trixie could share?” Rainbow Dash didn’t want to hold back letting Trixie have it. She assumed that Twilight’s special somepony would be a unicorn? The crowd’s enjoyment of what Trixie turned into cheap entertainment sickened her. Trixie toyed with the wrong friend, and now she was messing with the wrong pegasus. Twilight continued to pull at her. Whatever it was, it could wait until after Rainbow Dash ended this. “I don’t care what stupid game you’re playing, Trixie. All you’ve been doing is preventing her from getting the sleep she needs for our date tomorrow. So back off, or I’ll make you back off!” She didn’t expect to be met with such an eery silence. Rainbow Dash looked around her. Everypony watching gaped at her and Twilight. She shrugged off the looks, but saw Twilight quivering under their stares and breathing almost as fast as Rainbow could fly. Trixie froze, taken aback in horror. Rainbow Dash’s confusion flushed out all the anger that seemed to boil only moments ago. “What? What did I say?”