Twilight kept up a pace that would have made Rainbow Dash look twice, ever fearful of a white alicorn approaching from behind. Eventually the familiar outskirts of Ponyville came into sight and she flew round until she saw what she wanted, a cloud with a blue shape on it. She spun on a wingtip and dived down back-winging furiously to avoid speeding straight through the cloud.
Rainbow Dash just gawked. She had red rimmed eyes where she had obviously been crying a lot, and as Twilight had suspected, had chosen to pour out her sorrows where nopony else would see. Twilight reached forward with both forehooves and grabbed the shocked pegasus firmly by her cheeks, pulling her close. Time seemed to stop as their lips touched and the reserved Princess overpowered the brash pegasus, kissing her with far greater passion than the iconic Wonderbolt had ever known. She responded gratefully to the unprecedented outpouring of emotion and both held each other tight, each feeling the beating of the other’s heart as they shared the closest moment of their lives.
“Sorry” apologised the lilac Princess, “I never told you I love you. And right now I need to tell you more than anything else. Touching you, feeling you, being with you; there’s nothing more important in my life, and I don’t ever want to be without you again.”
“Twi…?” she gasped, “But you’re dead - your funeral’s in two days’ time …”
“Rainbow” she said, forcing herself to pull away from the reassuring warmth of the most beautiful mare she could imagine, “I am very much alive, but I will need your help and that of our friends if I am going to stay that way. Round them up and bring the Elements of Harmony, but don’t tell anypony why, and especially don’t tell anypony, not even royalty that I’m alive – I am more deadly serious than I have ever been in my life. Bring them to the Castle of the Two Sisters as soon as you can.”
“Twi, I …” began the cyan mare with uncharacteristic bashfulness, more tears forming in her eyes.
“I know, Rainbow” she replied softly, placing a forehoof gently onto her cyan lips “Believe me my love, I know, and I regret never having told you sooner.”
“See you there soon as I can” she said, “And Twilight …”
“Yes?”
“I … I’m so glad you’re safe … and …” she faltered, her rose coloured eyes betraying an inner depth that Twilight had never seen before, “I love you.”
Rainbow slipped off her cloud before she embarrassed herself any further, flying off to round up their friends while Twilight stood stock still, watching her fly away and whispered after her, “I love you too …”
She waited until long after the last of Rainbow’s multicoloured trail had melted from the sky before taking to the air and heading off the other way, toward the old abandoned castle, the first genuine smile on her face for a week.
Twilight had never felt scared in the castle since the night she had defeated Nightmare Moon. Sure, Nightmare Moon had challenged Celestia there and lost, but with the rehabilitation of Princess Luna, all those malevolent memories had faded. However, for some reason, she felt her sixth sense screaming at her. She had chosen this place because when Celestia got free she would naturally come after her friends and their well known haunts, such as Sweet Apple Acres, Sugarcube Corner or even the Castle of Friendship. However, they had all pretty much left this place alone for a long time now, and so she figured this would be one of the last places she would come looking, yet close enough for the earth ponies and unicorns to reach.
Shivers ran up and down her spine and she fully imagined Celestia; not the loving and caring mentor, but the blood stained red-eyed monster coming to confront her from behind a pillar or around a corner and finish the job she had started. She was scared now, but determined not to show it as she climbed up into a high tower with a good lookout over the approach from Ponyville and barricaded the door behind her.