Azure Edge

by Leaf Blade


156. Toaster

Rainbow Dash sat cross-legged on the floor of the Bitsburgh inn’s little kiddy playroom, her back to the open door while trying to meditate with Twilight. Rainbow had asked Twi to teach her how to do magic, and to Twilight’s infinite credit she just agreed without asking Rainbow a bunch of questions about why she was acting like such a freak earlier.

But now they were just sitting, breathing in and out, which was a lot harder than it sounded!

Rainbow’s wings fidgeted behind her, she couldn’t wipe the ugly scowl off her face, her nails were digging into her knees as her teeth grinding against each other— being ‘still’ and ‘quiet’ really just didn’t suit her at all!

“Something the matter, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight said flatly, and Rainbow didn’t need to have her eyes open to see the bemused frown on Twi’s face.

“Uh, n-nope! I’m good!” Rainbow struggled to smile, and after a second or two of silence she opened her eyes to see Twilight arching an eyebrow at her with a sly grin on her face.

“Is that right?” Twilight gently took Rainbow’s hands that were dug into her legs and placed them on the floor. “You know, there are as many ways to learn magic as there are ponies and dragons. We don’t have to go the meditation route.”

“Oh thank goodness!” Rainbow exclaimed, falling on her back with her limbs and wings all splayed out. “Cuz I feel like I was gonna lose my mind if I had to deal with even like two more seconds of that crap!”

“We could go flying, if that would make you feel better,” Twilight suggested. “I can turn invisible like Fluttershy and—”

“No no! That’s really not necessary!” Rainbow leapt to her hooves and threw her hands in front of her. She let out an awkward laugh when Twilight cocked her head and frowned; the last thing Rainbow felt like she could deal with right now was being alone with Twilight in her true form, but it’d be a total dick move to actually say that to h—

“What’s the matter, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight stood up and before Rainbow even knew what was happening, Twilight was two inches from Rainbow’s face, smiling smugly. “You’re not afraid of me, are you?”

Rainbow’s blood ran cold, and she said nothing. And as the silent seconds ticked by, Twilight’s confidence melted away into an awkward sideways glance.

“I w— I was just teasing you, Rainbow,” Twilight cleared her throat and took a few steps back. “Wait,” she bit her lip, and Rainbow’s ears flattened against her head as she braced herself for what Twilight was gonna say next, “you aren’t actually— you are. You actually are afraid of me, aren’t you?”

Rainbow said nothing. She couldn’t think of anything to say, or even look Twilight in the eye. She respected Twilight too much to try and lie, and she didn’t want to hurt her feelings with the truth, so she just… said nothing.

“Okay,” Twilight said flatly, letting out a tired sigh under her breath.

Rainbow took a deep breath in through the nose. She hated how she made Twilight feel, and she had no idea how to make things okay, or if she even could.

So she did the one thing she knew she could do: she told Twilight the truth.

“I am scared of you, Twi,” Rainbow admitted bitterly, still unable to look Twilight in the eye. “I don’t want to be, but I—” Rainbow shook her head. “I don’t want to be.”

Twilight touched Rainbow’s hand and Rainbow gasped, but she didn’t resist as Twilight entwined her fingers with Rainbow’s, or when Twilight tilted Rainbow’s chin up so she could look her in the eyes.

“Rainbow,” Twilight whispered sweetly, “you might as well be afraid of a toaster, you absolute fucking pussy.”

Rainbow blinked, and her face turned red as her ears flattened back. She had no idea what to say or how to respond to that, so she just… laughed.

“W-WHAT?!” Rainbow said incredulously, still choking through her laughter.

“I can’t hurt you, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight walked away from Rainbow and flumped her arms out for a sec. “You have more to fear from a hair curler or finding a measuring spoon in your haycake than you do from me.

“Just ask Rarity,” Twilight said, turning to look Rainbow dead in the eye, pointing a finger at her own eye. “She stabbed me right in my eyeball like a dozen times, and the most I could muster to defend myself was a pained whimper. I won’t hurt the people I care about— I can’t.

“I’m harmless to you,” Twilight hummed as she walked past Rainbow, her leonine tail brushing against Rainbow’s leg, “and if you’re still afraid of me even despite all that? Well it says more about you, doesn’t it?”

“Are you calling me a coward?” Rainbow growled, grabbing Twilight by her shoulder before she could walk off.

“I’m calling you a wuss,” Twilight chirped, insufferable smug smile on her face. And Rainbow couldn’t help but wonder if she was feeling what most people felt when they talked to Rainbow herself. “Feel free to prove me wrong though.”

Twilight brushed Rainbow off her shoulder and continued to walk away, but Rainbow dashed in front of her to stop her from leaving the playroom.

“I-I will!” Rainbow said sternly, putting her hand on the door frame to bar Twilight’s escape. “Uh, how?”

“Just show me you’re not afraid of me,” Twilight whispered, putting her nose maybe a whole inch away from Rainbow’s.

Rainbow responded by bumping her nose aggressively against Twilight’s, but Twi was unfazed and just revealed a bright grin— including her sharp, glistening fangs, which made Rainbow sweat— as she somehow managed to get Rainbow pinned against the wall, putting her hand above Rainbow’s shoulder so she would know she was totally trapped.

And suddenly, Rainbow didn’t find Twilight scary anymore.

No, now Rainbow realized that Twilight was really hot, and it dawned on Rainbow that the fact that Twilight could literally have broken Rainbow’s body in half with her bare hands somehow only made her hotter.

“Um, I think I’ve—” Rainbow slid down the wall until she was sitting down with her legs curled in front of her, her brain sparking and fizzing thanks to an overload of lesbian energy.

“D-did I overdo it?” Twilight fretted, dropping down to her knees and putting her hands on Rainbow’s legs. “I’m sorry, I was just trying to mirror you! You know how when someone has like the same energy or mannerisms or inflections as you, you kinda like them better and are more comfortable with them so I was trying to do an impression of you so you would think that I’m—”

“Wait, that was your impression of me?” Rainbow balked, shaking her head and doing a double take at that little nugget of information. “That’s what you think I’m like?”

“Oh, is it that bad?” Twilight’s ears flattened and she put her hands up to her lips, biting down on her thumbnail. Gawd she was cute. How was Rainbow ever afraid of this dork again?

“No, it was actually really flattering,” Rainbow said. “You were really cool!”

“I think you’re really cool!” Twilight slapped her hands against Rainbow’s thighs and lurched forward, apparently a little too forward cuz she lost her balance and Rainbow had to prop her back up before she totally fell on her face.

“Sorry I haven’t been acting like it,” Rainbow said, and then she groaned and slid her hand down her face. “I say for like the gazillionth time.”

“It’s okay,” Twilight shrugged, putting her hand over Rainbow’s as it rested on her leg. “Getting over a fear is a process, and I only want to help.”

“You’re not like,” Rainbow bit her lip, “you’re not mad at me for being afraid of you?”

Twilight laughed, and that brought a smile to Rainbow’s face as she once again appreciated how cute the lavender dweeb was.

“Of course not, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “I love you. And I was afraid of you when we first met, and you were nothing but patient with me. You promised me you’d never hurt me, remember?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow blushed as she recalled that second meeting with Twilight, and what a dork Rainbow was for making such a grand declaration like less than a day after meeting this girl.

“I understand where you’re coming from, Rainbow,” Twilight continued, playfully slapping Rainbow’s thigh. “And I admit, maybe I’m even giving you too much credit. But I’m willing to do that because I love you.”

“In that case,” Rainbow took a deep breath and grinned excitedly. “Twilight Sparkle, I would be honored if you would go flying with me.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up like Hearth’s Warming lights and Rainbow knew that even if she was still lowkey terrified, it was worth putting up with her bullshit fear if it meant seeing that look of joy on Twilight’s face.

Cuz she could never admit to it, but she loved Twilight too.