Lighter than Air
Rainbow Dash smiled gently as she flew just outside of Ponyville, the cool autumn air brushing over her coat. As the last of the sun broke through the few clouds the weather patrol left for the overcast day, she began to perform her new move… The Firefly Flash. As the cyan pegasus began her dive bomb heading to the ground, she began to pick up speed. Her heart started pounding faster, and she adjusted her wings to begin a tight spiral as she smiled cockily. Rainbow watched as the ground approached faster and faster until, at the last second, she spread her wings and pulled up. A blue and pink flash followed behind her as a crack of thunder shook the air around her. Rainbow shouted, “Awww… YEAH!!”
Rainbow was grateful for these moments where she was one with the sky. Feeling her heart pounding in her chest, she felt like she was home. There was only one other place that she could think of where she felt she truly belonged, that made her heart pound no matter what. Her face began to warm up as this thought ran through her head. She started heading towards town. As she passed over the Carousel Boutique, she began to think about the lavender mare who opened a whole new world to her. Her smile began to spread wider as she thought of all that Twilight had done for her, for all of them. “I can’t believe how much we’ve all been through these last few years.”
Rainbow eyes softened as she saw the castle just on the horizon and she thought of the mare who melted her heart. Twilight was the one that brought all their friends together and showed them how strong their friendship could be. The lavender alicorn showed her how cool books could be, that even the most awesome of ponies can enjoy reading. Rainbow rubbed the back of her head with her hoof as she remembered how Twilight didn’t tease her as much as she expected. Even though she herself made fun of Twilight's love of books, calling her an egghead. Then after all that, Twilight even gave her more Daring Do books to read!
Eventually, they began to read together in the castle's library and at Rainbow’s cloud house. As they spent more and more time together, Rainbow began to realize that she felt more for the bookish alicorn than just friendship… and eventually she worked up the nerve to ask out the previous librarian of Ponyville. Rainbow spread her wings as she prepared to land and circled around, a grin beginning to break her face. She glanced in the window and saw Twilight at her desk, possibly working on another report to send to Celestia.
Rainbow began to smile mischievously as she quietly landed by the window. She started chuckling and reared back, raising her forehooves up to bang against the window. Rainbow’s eyes widened as magenta aura covered the windows just before she could hit the glass surface. “W-whoa!” Rainbow was so surprised she forgot to catch herself with her wings and tumbled into the room, knocking over a stack of scrolls in her wake. Twilight was bent over laughing as she saw the state her marefriend was in, flipped upside down covered in papers. A blush raged across the cyan pegasus’ cheeks as she glanced over to Twilight laughing at her. Slowly, the proud pegasus began to grin herself.
Twilight fluttered her soft downy wings, wiping a tear from her eye “Hello, Dashie… have a nice trip?” she asked as she nuzzled her blushing marefriend, kissing her on the nose.
“Hehe… alright, you got me.” Rainbow nuzzled her back as she righted herself back on four hooves, a goofy smile on her muzzle. She shook out her prismatic mane and started fixing it as much as she could before she began picking up the scrolls she knocked over. Twilight smiled softly at her as she helped clean up the papers and put away a few of the books she had pulled out for reference.
Rainbow watched as Twilight turned to put the books on the shelves and put up several stacks of paper, and she couldn’t help but glance at the toned flank of the lavender mage. She felt a blush spread over her cheeks and her wings started to stiffen; she was only a pony after all. “I’m surprised to see you so soon, Dash; you’re early today,” Twilight said as she glanced over at the athletic pegasus. Rainbow fluttered her wings to get them under control. “You bet; you’re dating the fastest flyer in Equestria!” she boasted. Twilight rolled her eyes as the grin on her face grew.
Rainbow walked up to Twilight and rubbed her coat against the lavender mare’s as she nuzzled her, placing her muzzle next to her lover's ear. “Besides, I wouldn’t miss out on a night with the most beautiful egghead in Equestria. That would be so uncool.” Rainbow winked at Twilight as she sauntered away heading downstairs. Twilight's ears shot up as a blush that rivaled the one the prismatic pegasus was wearing a few minutes ago began to spread across her cheeks.
Twilight watched as Rainbow spread her wings to land on the first floor, and she couldn’t help but admire how graceful the prismatic pegasus was. How her strong wings were able to cut through the air effortlessly, and then her athletic legs catching her as she landed.
Twilight spread her wings and she began to glide down to the first floor to join her. As they walked side by side heading to the library, Twilight noticed Rainbow sneaking glances at her. When their eyes finally met, Rainbow blushed and tried to look away, but Twilight wasn’t having any of that. Twilight wrapped her tail around Rainbow’s, and both ponies smiled as Rainbow took her wing and wrapped it around Twilight's shoulders.
“So, what do you have in mind for tonight, Twi?” Rainbow asked the purple alicorn. Twilight smiled softly at the cyan pegasus. “Well, you remember how you were upset that we had to wait six more months for the next Daring Do novel?” Rainbow nodded as she raised a brow, trying to piece together what her marefriend was getting at. Twilight's excitement continued to grow despite the confusion on Rainbow’s face. “I just so happened to write A.K Yearling and cashed in a favor.” Twilight winked and shrugged her shoulders as if it was no big deal. Rainbow’s jaw dropped and her eyes grew wide before she launched herself into the air.
“Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!!” Dash shouted as she grabbed a surprised purple sorceress in her hooves. “You got an advanced copy of Daring Do and the Mystery of the Ruby Obelisk!?” Twilight grinned widely as she nodded her head wrapping her hooves around Rainbow’s neck.
“I don’t suppose you’d want to read it with me, Dashie?” Twilight asked coyly. eyes softened as she gazed into the lavender orbs of the mare who never failed to make her heart race. As Rainbow’s and Twilight’s eyes drifted shut, Dash shuddered once their lips met. Rainbow loved the feeling of the lavender mare’s lips upon her own. Twilight returned her kiss, matching her movements and tilting her head to the side, and Rainbow slowly caressed her face with her hoof deepening the kiss. As their lips parted, the two ponies lovingly nuzzled each other before Rainbow continued to carry “her princess” to the library. Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but chuckle at that thought as the mare in her hooves shifted.
As they approached the library, Rainbow smelled something delicious coming from the other room, her stomach growled. “Hey, Twi… Is Spike cooking something?” Twilight looked at Dash. “Oh, that. No, that’s the second surprise. I wanted to make tonight a bit more special.” As they finally entered the castle's library, Rainbow’s eyes widened as she slowly let Twilight down on her hooves. The fireplace in the library had a roaring fire, and set up nearby was a nest of pillows and a blanket. Besides the comfortable warm place for them to read together, Rainbow noticed a few plates of daisy sandwiches, tomato soup, and Prench salad. Finally, the pegasus saw a small barrel of apple cider and two mugs sitting side by side as if her mouth wasn’t watering enough.
Twilight saw the surprise on Rainbow's face and couldn’t help but feel slightly bashful, evident by the fact that she fluttered her wings and pawed at the floor with her front hoof. “Like I said, I wanted it to be special… what do you think?” Rainbow looked over to the beautiful, smart, amazing, kind mare who made every day with her feel like the best day she’d ever had. She felt like the luckiest pegasus in the world. As tears started to form in the corner of her eyes she looked up at Twilight and nuzzled her marefriend. “It’s so awesome… but not as amazing as you. Thank you, Twi.”
Twilight smiled as she nuzzled her back “You’re welcome, Dashie. I’m glad you like it.” They both made their way over to the fireplace and began to eat the food Twilight had prepared for them. “Mmmmm… This is great, Twi.” Rainbow smiled a face-splitting grin as she glanced at Twilight. Twilight finished her bite and took a sip of cider. “I’m glad you think so, though Spike did help me a bit in the kitchen.” Once they finished their meal, they settled next to each other laying on the pillows the alicorn had lovingly set up. Rainbow draped her wing over Twilight as Twilight grabbed the blanket and pulled it over them.
A magenta aura retrieved the brand-new Daring Do novel from the nearby table and opened it to the first chapter. Rainbows eyes sparkled with excitement and she listened intently as Twilight began to read about the adventurous pegasus. “Daring Do felt the heat of the scorching desert sun on her wings as she began her flight to the small village of Somnambula…” The two ponies each took turns reading, but as the hours began to fly by and Luna’s moon rose over the horizon, the warm comforting feeling of laying beside their loved one and the dinner they had shared started to lull them both to sleep.
Rainbow opened her eyes slightly as she shifted in her sleep, and she noticed Twilight was already in a comfortable sleep, her sides rising and falling as she continued to breath slowly. Rainbow felt her heart pick up pace as she gazed at the sleeping alicorn. She nuzzled the lavender mare and whispered lovingly into the alicorn's cute velvety ear: “I love you so much, Twi…”
Twilight's ears twitched at the feeling of Rainbow's breath on her ear; Twilight mumbled a bit before she garbled out her reply: “I love you, too, Dash…” before snuggled closer to the pegasus and she fell to sleep once more.
Rainbow Dash took one last tired content look at the mare snuggled under her wing, her rose-wine eyes half lidded, and Rainbow felt a familiar warmth fill her as she felt the weight of her eyelids begin to win out over the desire to look at the mare snuggling under her soft cyan feathers. Rainbow’s last conscious thoughts were of the beautiful mare who stole her heart. She knew that no matter what they did as long as they were together, it never failed to make her heart beat a mile a minute.