Longing for the Past

by Fantasia


Umbrum

"Nngh..."

Twilight stirred tirelessly in her sleep, her eyelids wincing before opening wearily.

She was greeted immediately by a sinister voice... in whatever dungeon she had woken up in.

"Wake up, Sparkle..."

"What...?" Twilight groaned out, staring up from where she lay.

The voice again hissed, "Wake up!"

It seemed to be coming from all around her, and carried an almost sort of wafty tone, echoing from all around her.

Twilight was now wide awake. Her chest grew tighter, and her eyes darted back and forth in anticipation of what was reaching out to her, only... she couldn't sit up.

Like she was in a state of... sleep paralysis.

A shadow crept along the wall outside her cell, moving fast... her breaths quickening as she watched its every moment.

"I told you I'd come for you..." The barred door creaked open. "You and all of Equestria... Come sundown!" The door was pushed the remaining way open by a swarm of buzzing insects—like changelings, but... the size of parasprites.

They swarmed Twilight, grabbing at, and gnawing into her skin. Their teeth tore away bits of her, and she screamed out in agony as she swung her forelegs at them to try and sweep them off of her.

"N-no, stop! Get—get off me!"

The insects seemed adamant however... to eat her alive.

She writhed, and continued to scream, tears building at the immense pain as bits of flesh and muscle were continuously ripped from her bones.

"Ce-Cel-lestia," her voice trembled, "puh-l-lease..."

The bugs covered her like maggots, when all of a sudden they bit into something they couldn't break off. Her skeleton... pale and... glassy.

Her crystal skeleton.

Twilight sniffled as the pain died, and was replaced by a sudden bout of anger.

"I... s-said...!"

Smoke rose up out of her chest, splitting into tendrils ready to strike.

They grabbed hold of the bugs like tentacles around their prey. Slowly, they began to retreat back into the suffocating smoke.

"G-get... out—!"

"Twilight!"

Twilight's eyes snapped open.

She sat up, and looked around her... meeting Rainbow's own alarmed expression.

Twilight tore her gaze away, then gasped in startlement the moment she laid eyes on her crystal skin.

What gave her pause however, was the fact that... her breath didn't catch in her throat, no sweat trickled through her fur, and she didn't feel cold, or clammy.

She couldn't even feel her own heartbeat...

"It wasn't a dream... C-Celestia, it... it wasn't—!"

Rainbow's brow furled. "What are you talking about...?"

"T-the changelings," Twilight sputtered out. "They... they ate off all my skin, a-and flesh... and underneath it all were bones made out of... crystal—"

"Twilight. It was just a dream... alright?"

"Then how do you explain this?" she demanded a little too loudly, pointing her hooves down at herself.

Her aggressive response was met by Rainbow taking a couple cautious steps back.

Twilight huffed out angrily, her eyes fixated into a glare for a few seconds before noticing how... apprehensive her friend seemed.

Her expression eased up, and stared back at her friend woefully.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash, I..." Her eyes darted back and forth, searching for an explanation. "Don't know what came over me."

"Right..." Rainbow stepped closer inquisitively. "Well, at least it is you."

Twilight looked at her funnily.

"Why wouldn't it be me? Did something happen—?" Twilight cut herself off with a breathless gasp. "Is this why I'm stuck in this... crystal cocoon? Oh Dash, I'm so confused." Her face proceeded to bury itself in her forelegs. "Where even are we? How come... h-how come I can't feel my own body anymore?"

"You really don't remember...?"

Twilight shook her head hopelessly, which ended up emitting a harsh scraping noise.

Rainbow's ears flopped, and she winced, quickly reaching out to place a hoof on her friend's foreleg in order to grab her attention.

"Okay... okay. It's okay. Let's just... start with what you do remember."

"What I...?" Twilight's eyes widened. "Oh Celestia!"

She hopped down from the side of the bed, and made a dash for the cell door.

Unfortunately for her, Rainbow Dash was quicker.

Rainbow flew in front of her, Twilight skidding to an abrupt halt.

"What?" Rainbow asked her, setting her hooves down upon the stone floor. "What do you remember?"

"Chrysalis!" Twilight exclaimed desperately. The name sparked a memory in Rainbow's head from the night before, and she glanced away in guilt, her ears lowering.

"I'm sorry I didn't consider what you were trying to tell me until it was too late, Twilight," she murmured.

Twilight cocked her head, to which Rainbow noticed as she glanced up at her, snorting in slight amusement.

"Guess your head's still a little hazy..." she mused aloud with a saddened smile, putting the thought aside as she continued. "Well I'm sure your memories will return eventually... In the meantime, however... Tell me what Chrysalis did—"

"She threatened me, Rainbow Dash," Twilight explained, continuing from where she had left off. "Me and Ponyville! I... I had to do something—!"

"So, what?" Twilight recoiled a bit at Rainbow's accusing tone. "You decided that using dark magic was the solution?"

"I..." Twilight looked back at her with a hurt expression, before shying her gaze away. "I just wanted to protect you... a-and the girls!" Her now panicked expression darted back to meet Rainbow's.

Rainbow simply sighed and shook her head, stepping closer.

"Twilight," she stated firmly, "you should have woken me up. We could have gathered our friends, and stopped her together—through the power of friendship and all that."

She smiled halfheartedly, and gave Twilight a friendly tap on the foreleg.

"That's just it though, Dash. I value my friendship with all of you too much to suffer losing you—another one of you, I-I mean. I know it seems like I was doing this to settle a score, and maybe I was, deep down... but Dash, I swear... I was only trying to protect my hometown, and the ponies there who look to me for protection."

"They look to us, Twilight. You may be a princess now, but... you don't have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, you know? We're all in this together."

"I know, Dash, I... Thanks."

The two shared a soft smile.

"Mhm. So... did you win the fight, at least?"

"I never stopped Chrysalis, Rainbow Dash. She... had me pinned down, and you know I couldn't use my magic, so... she declared that she'd invade, and... Celestia, what day is today?"

"It's... I dunno, the same day?" Rainbow shrugged.

"A-and the time?"

"Early in the afternoon, Twilight. Why?"

She turned with a curious look, following Twilight as she walked past her, muttering, "No," over and over again. "This isn't good..."

"What isn't good, Twilight? Please, talk to me."

"Chrysalis said that... she'd invade Ponyville today... by sunset—"

"Is that it?" Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Twilight, I think Ponyville can handle her—"

"Her and her remaining forces, Dash," Twilight finished explaining.

Rainbow averted her eyes, raising a hoof to the back of her head. "Oh..."

"Yeah, oh is right."

"Okay, well... me and the girls have it covered, don't you worry."

"First off, it's the girls and I," Twilight corrected, Rainbow looking off in annoyance. "Secondly... I'm coming with you."

Rainbow looked back at her in surprise, before pursing her lips. "I don't think you should go... in the state you're in."

Twilight's anger suddenly flared.

"What do you mean I shouldn't go? You mean to keep me from defending my own home? From putting an end to this... blight that has plagued our lives for Celestia-only-knows how many years? How much of a dense featherbrain are you?"

She leered at her friend for a few seconds longer, when the weight of what she said sank in... and she raised a hoof over her mouth.

"Oh Celestia, what is wrong with me...? How could I even say such a thing...?"

Rainbow's brow lifted, as did her head, and she rushed to console her.

"It, i-it's okay, Twilight," she reassured. "I, I know you didn't mean that... and hay... I'm tough, remember?"

She puffed out her chest and smiled, though Twilight was less than convinced.

"N-no, it really isn't okay, Rainbow Dash." She peered up pensively towards her pegasus friend. "I should have better control over my anger, I know I—oh!"

Rainbow's head tilted slightly. "What is it now?"

"Princess!"

"Er... Princess?"

Rainbow turned towards the barred door to find Celestia standing in its entrance.

"I see... Twilight has awoken?" she asked, looking down at Rainbow for confirmation.

Rainbow however, stared back at her funnily.

"Uh..."

A light bulb went off above her head as it dawned on her right then why Celestia had asked her so strangely.

"Yes!" she replied with a broad smile. "Twilight has finally come to—a-and not anypony else!"

Twilight cocked her head at the exchange.

Celestia sighed in relief. "Then it looks like you may have succeeded in suppressing his influence after all."

His... influence? Twilight wondered.

"But I have to ask," she continued, "if Twilight has been experiencing bouts of anger like the one I just witnessed... since she's awoken?"

"Anger?" Rainbow repeated, taken aback. "Er, w-well..." Her pupils darted back and forth. "J-just the one, Your Highness."

Celestia raised an eyebrow, staring down at her skeptically.

"O-or two, maybe..." Rainbow grinned nervously.

Celestia deadpanned, turning her attention back towards Twilight.

Rainbow's ears flopped, and she rubbed a hoof along her other foreleg.

"It is as I feared then..."

"Excuse me," Twilight cut in, growing a little riled. None of this was making any sense to her, and she found herself wanting answers more and more by the second. "What are the two of you talking about...?" She shook her head in dismay. "Chrysalis, she... she's going to attack Ponyville! W-we need to move!"

Celestia's lips slowly parted at Twilight's outburst. Chrysalis? she thought. Attacking Ponyville...?

Not knowing what to think, she looked to Rainbow for an answer.

Rainbow met her curious gaze with a simple shrug.

"It's a long story," she replied.

"Right..."

Celestia breathed in deeply as she closed her eyes for a moment of reprieve, before looking back to where Twilight stood, rather impatiently. "Well... I can assure you that she won't be attacking Ponyville under my watch," she assured with a warm smile.

Twilight glowered back at her.

"Under your watch... Right." She sighed and walked back to the bed she had been sleeping on, taking a seat on the side of it.

"Well... since we apparently have time to kill... Can somepony please explain to me where I am already... a-and what's happened to me?"

Celestia and Rainbow exchanged uneasy looks.

"We're in the dungeons, Twilight," explained Celestia, taking the reigns. "This is a cell."

"Well why am I—?"

Celestia held up her hoof, asking her to simmer down.

"We had to take the necessary precautions because... we weren't sure if you would still be you... once you awoke. If you were to wake up again," she added in a low murmur.

"If I were...? Princess, you're... not making any sense."

Rainbow sighed, giving her head a shake as she decided right then, to come right out with it.

"You were possessed by Sombra, Twilight."

Silence fell over the dungeon chamber.

Twilight glanced between her two friends, feeling as though this was one of her friend's pranks.

"You're, y-you're kidding. Sombra, Rainbow Dash? Really?" She rolled her eyes. "Come on—"

"She's telling the truth, Twilight," Celestia cut in, and like a ton of bricks... her words hit Twilight hard.

She shakily turned to face her mentor, at a loss for words. Celestia would never lie to me, it occurred to her. I...

"I... don't understand," she finally said. Her gaze sank to her lap, and she shrugged dishearteningly. "I mean... We defeated Sombra... didn't we?"

"We believe his spirit took refuge inside of his horn, which, along with his dark magic... manipulated your mind into attacking us. Even as we speak, his dark magic is poisoning your thoughts. I... I'm sorry, Twilight."

Twilight clutched her foreleg, lowering her gaze as the sickening feeling inside of her began to worsen. "I can't believe what I'm hearing..."

"You... really don't remember, Twilight?" asked Rainbow tentatively.

Twilight peered up at her hopelessly.

"You were responding to some voice in your head when I found you, not long after Chrysalis threatened you... and when I tried reaching out to you, you encased one of my forelegs in crystal."

Twilight's head shot up, appalled by the accusation. "I would never—!"

"I know you would never, Twilight. Sombra however..."

"Would have no qualms," Twilight concluded solemnly. "Is... is he the reason I'm l-like... like this?"

"We, um... think so." Rainbow gazed up at Celestia before turning her attention back to her troubled friend. "Maybe Celestia should explain this part."

"Princess?" Twilight looked to Celestia, the hurt in her pupil's eyes causing her heart to ache.

"Sombra, he... wasn't a unicorn like you, Twilight," she softly explained, taking a few steps forward, and taking a seat beside her on the bed. "He was a shadow pony... an umbrum."

"An umbrum?" Twilight cocked her head in confusion, looking up at her mentor. "With all due respect, Princess... I've never heard of them."

"They were an ancient race, and have caused problems for us before while Equestria was still in its early days. Thankfully we had Princess Amore, and her Crystal Heart to help vanquish them."

Her explanation however, only left Twilight with more questions than answers.

"Princess Amore?" she pondered. "Her Crystal Heart...? Princess, I... Was, w-was that the same one we used to stop Sombra?"

Celestia nodded. "It was, and Amore, she was... the first ruler of the Crystal Empire. She was so kind and wise... until Sombra put an end to her."

"Come on to think of it, I... I-I believe I read about her once..." Twilight's gaze saddened, her voice softening. "I'm sorry, Princess..."

"It is alright, Twilight. Really, it's... not our concern at this moment."

"R-right." The young alicorn collected herself, breathing out shakily. "The umbrum..."

"The umbrum were monsters comprised of smoke. They could sink into the earth at will, and smother an entire city in their grasp. They could utilize magic as well, focusing it through their eyes instead, bearing no horn to do it for them. So they crafted one for Sombra out of the crystals that imprisoned them... and that contained their dark insignia."

"S-so, what you're saying is..."

Rainbow's ears flopped, and she bit her lower lip.

"Your physiology is changing, Twilight... into that of an umbrum's," Celestia told her softly. She hesitated before continuing. "I used to know a pony... Radiant Hope. She knew Sombra before he became corrupted, and like you, his physiology underwent a change. He was molded into a pony, but the happiness the Crystal Faire brought about in ponies made him sick... to the point where he'd begin to break apart and dissipate... so Hope used a spell to piece him back together. This spell must have had a lingering effect on him, because it's her magic I sense that is now holding you together. Only... it has instead encased you within this... crystal prison—a possible side effect of being cast through Sombra's horn I suppose, but... you're reforming at a much slower rate—"

"T-though that doesn't mean that she won't reform... right, Princess?" Rainbow cut in cheerily, a hint of hopefulness in her voice. She looked up at Celestia, who met her watchful gaze, silently telling her to be more careful with her friend's feelings.

"It'll take some time, I'll admit..."

"But...?" Rainbow urged her on, a little peeved as her wings ruffled.

Celestia smiled down at Twilight pleasantly. "You will become whole again, in time."

She looked back at Rainbow, who beamed approvingly.

"Yeah," Twilight scoffed, "only... o-only without a heart, o-or the ability to feel..."

"We don't know that, Twilight."

"You alluded to the fact that these umbrums are heartless, soulless monsters. So what in Equestria makes you think that I'll be any different?"

"Well, for one," Rainbow put forth, "you're still part pony! And plus, you'll... still have your memories of who you are."

Celestia nodded, going on to explain, "As long as you hold your values close... then you'll never truly change, Twilight."

Twilight stewed over their words for a moment, something that had been gnawing at the back of her mind giving her pause.

"Princess, I... I don't think I can still be your Princess of Friendship," she lamented, eyes laden with uncertainty.

The two of them looked back at her in surprise, Rainbow's brow lifting as she exclaimed, "That's crazy talk, Twilight! Why would you—?"

"B-because every time, w-whether it be... Spike's death, o-or... Chrysalis threatening me in the dead of night, I just... keep making these... I don't know, selfish decisions that only end up negatively impacting the lives of everypony I know and love."

Love?

Rainbow couldn't help it, feeling her heart swell as she looked back at her friend in mild surprise.

Celestia shook her head softly, leaning in to assure her, "You acted reckless, Twilight. I like to believe that everypony has at some point."

"Y-yeah!" agreed Rainbow, snapping out of her sudden reverie. "Listen to her, Twilight! I mean... hel-lo?" She beamed proudly. "I'm like, reckless all the time, and you don't see me calling it quits on being a Wonderbolt, do you?"

She grinned sheepishly as she finished, and although Twilight no longer had a mouth to smile with, Rainbow sensed that she had gotten one out of her right then.

"N-no..." Twilight admitted weakly, giving her head a small shake. "I just feel like... like I haven't been a very good friend lately, a-and this change I'm undergoing is a representation of that."

"You haven't been any less of a friend, Twilight. I mean, if you're talking about trying to take on Chrysalis alone, well... hay," Rainbow supposed, "it's like you said. You were only trying to keep us safe."

"A good friend cares for all of her friends, Twilight," Celestia chimed in, Twilight only averting her eyes in shame.

Then how come I find myself caring for... just one in particular—?

"Do you... think you'll be alright?" her mentor proceeded to ask softly, interrupting her sudden thought.

"I-I'll... cope, I think. S-so long as I still have my friends."

She nodded in her friend's direction, Rainbow smiling back at her happily.

"Then there's just one other thing I'd like to ask you, Twilight, and... I am sorry to ask this in your current state, but..." Twilight looked up at her wondrously, her curiosity peeked.

"You and Rainbow both mentioned something about... Chrysalis?"


"So if Chrysalis really is planning on laying siege to Ponyville, then we'll be there to stop her," declared Rainbow, puffing out her chest as she walked alongside Twilight and Celestia.

Together, the three left the dungeon cell, stepping out into the dim, musty corridor.

"Luna and I will both be going, so you needn't worry, Twilight," Celestia added in,

"I know, I know, I..." Twilight gazed down dejectedly, placing a hoof of hers over her other foreleg. "Just wish I could tag along..."

"Twilight... in your current state—"

"I'd be a liability," she lamented with a heavy sigh. "Hay, I'm unstable, I get it."

"Well, um... Princess... I, uh, don't think I need to tell you how great of an organizer Twilight is." Twilight lifted her disheartened gaze, picking up on Rainbow's kind words. "I mean, it's not like she'd be doing any fighting, or anything... We could really use somepony to keep the townsfolk in line... and who better than Twilight, you know?"

Rainbow... Twilight stared over at her in slight amazement.

"You're right, Rainbow Dash," agreed Celestia. "Twilight is indeed gifted when it comes to keeping order. However, with the possibility of changelings, and Chrysalis herself showing up... I fear the sight of them may trigger the dark magic residing inside her mind to come forth. We do not need another threat on top of the one we already face."

Twilight's crystal shoulders slumped, and her gaze once again fell in dismay.

"Well, you won't have to worry about that, 'cause I believe in Twilight!" Twilight felt a hoof set itself over her shoulder, and peered up into her friend's face, Rainbow smiling down at her warmly. "You can keep your cool... can't you, Twilight?"

I'm not so sure, was what she thought of saying... but after seeing the look on her friend's face, and knowing Rainbow believed in her... "I'm hopeful?"

"That sounds like a yes to me!" Rainbow concluded, turning to look back up at Celestia. "Plus," she mused, thinking things over, "you can't keep her here forever. Ponyville is still her home, and its princess."

Celestia looked between the two decidedly before closing her eyes, and taking in a deep breath.

"Very well," she said, Rainbow's expression quickly becoming hopeful. "However!"

Rainbow froze, her smile slipping from her face, and ears flopping back down.

"If Twilight's other half begins to take over—"

"If that happens," Rainbow supposed, taking on a more serious tone. She threw her good foreleg over Twilight's shoulders, startling her as she pulled her closer. "I'll deal with it. Trust me... I'm not about to let Twilight lose what makes her sparkle."

The air between them filled with an awkward silence.

"Okay, that was corny, I admit."

"No, actually," Twilight mumbled softly. "It... it wasn't."

Rainbow turned to look at Twilight, taken aback by her confession.

"Then I suppose we should make haste. The sooner we get the two of you readjusted, the better."

"A-agreed," the two of them replied with a slight stammer, turning to watch as Celestia walked on ahead of them.

Rainbow and Twilight followed at their own pace, stealing glances at one another as they walked in silence down the remainder of the corridor, longing for something to say.

"Thanks for, um... sticking up for me back there," Twilight said, throwing caution to the wind as she decided on being the first to break the silence.

Well, that, and she really did want to thank Rainbow.

"Oh, uh... think nothing of it, Twilight," Rainbow replied, looking off nonchalantly. "It's what friends do—and hay, I couldn't leave you here in Canterlot all alone, where you'd probably be watched over nonstop! Nuh-uh, no way. Your home is in Ponyville, with me—a-and the girls!"

Her heart beat wildly in her chest—something Twilight was able to pick up on, curiously enough.

"I only hope we'll have a home to return to," she remarked gloomily, all the while wondering whose heart she was feeling, and why. She glanced over at her best friend and crush. Could it have been hers?

"We will, Twilight," Rainbow remarked simply, doing her best to not look conspicuous, but on the inside, Twilight could just sense that her friend was sweating nervously.

Was this another side-effect of her transformation? Had her heightened emotions, and at the same time, inability to feel, made it so that she could now sense the emotions and feelings of those closest to her? Whether out of... necessity, or perhaps a longing-like a moth to a flame-was being drawn to that which was taken from her?

She could only speculate as she shied her gaze away, continuing to ponder what she had felt. If that really had been her Rainbow's heartbeat, then she knew exactly what it signified... because her heart had beat the same exact way every time the pegasus would cause her to swoon, or smile ever since she had stolen her heart, all those weeks ago...

The realization that her friend might like her back would have caused a blush to stain her face if she had been capable or blushing right then and there. Instead, she felt a little more at ease-like all of her problems had momentarily ceased, and it was just her and Dash.

And although it wasn't the time or place... she decided on testing the waters a little.

"But, what if we don't? What if, hypothetically, o-our lives end up being changed forever?"

"What are you getting at, Twilight?"

"I mean... Would you have any regrets?"

"Like not becoming a Wonderbolt, or letting down Ponyville?"

"No," Twilight replied, shaking her head. "No no, more like... things you wished you had gotten off your chest, while you still could."

"So, like... secrets?" Rainbow asked.

"Like secrets, yes..." Her voice softened. "I have a few I've been holding on to..."

"Oh really?" Rainbow pried, leaning in curiously. "Mind telling me?"

Twilight remained adamant. "Mm mm, you first," she said, turning back to face her defiantly.

"Ugh, really, Twilight?" Rainbow deadpanned, disappointingly, before letting out a small huff. All the while her heart unwittingly beat faster and faster, and the nervous feeling of her stomach being in knots grew. "Fiiiiiiinne... but this isn't easy for me, a-and it's totally lame, but I—!"

"Love you too... Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow slowly blinked as her mind tried and repeatedly failed to understand what just happened. All she knew was that her friend Twilight was currently embracing her, and that her chin rested on Twilight's shoulder, and that... "You love me?"

"I do," Twilight answered simply.

"Like, how... exactly?"

"Like I could so kiss you right now..."

"I, I don't get it though, Twilight." Rainbow's brow furled as she turned her head slightly with a curious look. "How'd you know?"

"I sensed your heartbeat, Dash. It beat the same way mine did... when I first realized my feelings for you."

"Ah." Rainbow nodded softly, then paused, thinking it over. "Wait, what?"

"It's... kinda hard to explain, but... because my body is going through this... change, I... no longer have a heartbeat. And truthfully, I don't know if I ever will again because of this, but... I think I was able to feel yours because of it. Almost like my body is longing to reclaim what it lost."

"I see..."

"Is something wrong?"

Rainbow shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips. "No, no, I just... I'm so relieved you feel the same way, Twilight, I just..."

"Go on," she urged.

"This isn't exactly how I pictured this playing out, you know?"

The two shared a bittersweet laugh.

"I know what you mean, Rainbow Dash. A message written in the clouds, asking if I'd be yours would have been far more romantic..."

"Well I've ah, n-never really had a way with words, but... will you still say yes, if I ask you here and now, like this... to be my girlfriend?"

"Yes, Rainbow Dash." Twilight embraced her tighter, muttering softly, "A thousand times yes..."

"I'm glad." Rainbow smiled softly, closing her eyes, and hugging her back. "So, uh... what now?"

"Now?"

Twilight pulled back, titling her head inquisitively.

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah, I mean... We, uh... can't exactly do things that couples normally do while you're like this, so..."

"No... but, we can just... be there for one another, Rainbow Dash. After all, isn't that what a relationship is all about?"

Rainbow shrugged. "Maybe?"

She was met by Twilight giving her a playful jab.

"What do you mean maybe?"

"Well I'm not exactly Rarity, you know... Still... you're right. We should be here for one another—especially now, relationship or no relationship..."

The two separated and stepped back from the other, but continued to stare into the other's eyes.

"Plus, it's... sort of nice, knowing how we feel about each other. Having it be out in the open like this..."

"Mm hm," Twilight replied absentmindedly, dopey-eyed... and to Rainbow, seemingly lost thinking about something else.

The pegasus smiled back at her worriedly.

"Everything okay, Twilight?" she asked, then laughed softly. "I don't have something on my face, do I?"

"Your face is perfect, Dash. No, I... just can't believe I actually have a girlfriend..."

"Aw don't sell yourself short, Twilight. You're like, really beautiful, a-and stuff."

"You mean I was..."

"Well, no, I... You still are—on the inside, I mean." She donned a charming smile. "The crystals you're wearing don't look half bad either."

Twilight in turn, shied away bashfully. "You always knew how to flatter me, Rainbow Dash," she murmured.

"And you'll only be all the more amazing once you emerge from this... cocoon, I guess you could call it."

Cocoon? Twilight's eyes widened. "Oh my, Dash, we... we've become so sidetracked! Come on!" She grabbed Rainbow's left hoof in her own, and urged her forward.

"W-what, w-why?" Rainbow drew her hoof back, staring back startled at her new girlfriend.

"We're supposed to be on a chariot bound for Ponyville, Rainbow Dash," she exclaimed, exasperated.

The revelation caused Dash's head to reel backwards and a groan to leave her throat, her good hoof slapping against her forehead. "Man... I forgot! We must've gotten so caught up in the moment..."

"It was a moment I didn't mind getting caught up in, Dash," Twilight was quick to assure her, "but Princess Celestia is no doubt wondering what's keeping us..."

"Speaking of... Should we tell her?"

"About us? I don't know... I mean, it might be a bit impromptu."

Rainbow tilted her head.

"Not the right moment," Twilight clarified, but held up a hoof reassuringly. "We will tell her though—and everypony else for that matter! After we deal with the changelings."

Rainbow pumped her hoof down at her side. "Sounds like a plan!"

"I only hope that I'll still be the Princess of Friendship... when we announce our relationship..."

"And why wouldn't you be?" Rainbow asked her. "I mean, Celestia didn't strip you of the title when you thought you were acting selfishly."

"I know, I just... I care more about you than my friends, Dash. I... have for a while now..."

"Well... the way I see it... You're the Princess of Friendship because you understand what makes a friendship so strong. I mean, sure, we are going out now, but... that doesn't change the fact that you've spent years of your life studying it, and value what you've learned."

"I suppose you're right... Thank you, Dash."

"Mhm. Hey, it's like Celestia said earlier, Twilight. You'll never change so long as you remember what makes you you."

The two carried on, but one thought still lingered in Twilight's mind.

"So what, uhm... w-what'll I tell the others when they see me, you know, like... this?"

Rainbow's curiosity piqued, and she looked her new girlfriend once over.

"Tell them it's like... battle armor—courtesy of the Crystal Empire. Nopony will doubt such an exception was made for a princess whose life was recently threatened."

"I'm not comfortable lying to them, Dash..."

"You just asked me to lie!"

"I know, I know, I... S-sorry..."

The hallway fell silent.

"With everything going on," Rainbow continued in a low murmur, "we don't seem to have much of a choice, Twilight. Do you want everypony worrying over your transformation with a potential changeling invasion on the horizon?"

"I...! No." Twilight scuffed at the floor with her hoof. absolved of all her doubt. "A princess must always put the needs of everypony else above her own... no matter the cost."