//------------------------------// // Requited // Story: Fly Like You // by Jinzou //------------------------------// “Bistro del Hay?” Rainbow Dash repeated, flopping onto her cloud mattress with a soft oomf, having just returned from work. “Isn’t the waiting list for that like… months long at any time?” Twilight sighed. “Ordinarily, yes. I went there to book a date earlier today, and they insisted on moving things around so I could book an appointment for tonight. I tried telling them no, I’m content to wait like any other pony, but they insisted they make room ‘for their princess’.” Rainbow chuckled weakly. “Ooh I bet you loved that.” “No.” Twilight harrumphed. “Yeah, I’m down for that. Do you think Scootaloo would like that though? That place is kind of high class and I don’t think they have a foal’s menu.”   Twilight’s cheeks flushed. “Well u-uh, actually. I was thinking that, y’know… if it’s okay with you… it could just be the two of us tonight?” Rainbow Dash flipped onto her back and shot Twilight with a quick quizzical look before shrugging. “Alright, that sounds fine to me. But what would we do with Scootaloo? Sweetie Belle is staying over at the orchard with Rarity still in the hospital, and I know Scootaloo would hate going there for even a few hours. Even if she was old enough to stay home alone, which I would trust her with at this point, I think she’d hate being alone too.” Twilight hummed softly. “There’s always her staying with Starlight?” “I thought you said that you didn’t want those two together while unsupervised after Scootaloo convinced Starlight to let a dinosaur loose on Ponyville?” “I did say that.” Twilight replied quietly. “Well… we can just ask her? Maybe she and the Crusaders have some other ideas. Or maybe they can stay with Pinkie or Fluttershy or somebody.” Rainbow suggested. “More likely Fluttershy if it’s the three of them. The last four times Sweetie Belle tried staying at Sugarcube Corner she almost burnt it down.” Twilight tittered. “Oh I remember. I was the one who had to stuff storm clouds in the window just to put out the fires. I’m surprised Sweetie’s cutie mark isn’t a lit match, or a flamethrower or something.” “If setting things on fire was her special talent, she’d have gotten her cutie mark in the first week of being a Crusader.” Rainbow let out a hearty laugh. “Alright, let’s go talk to Scoots.” “Diamond Tiara?” Rainbow Dash spat with no small hint of anger. “You were invited to a sleepover by the filly that’s been bullying you for years? And want to go?” “She’s not bad anymore!” Scootaloo protested. “Remember? I told you we had her go good that same day the girls and I got our marks!” “Actually,” Twilight interjected. “You just told me that there was another abusive parent in Ponyville and then gushed over your cutie mark for the rest of the day.” “And the next week and a half.” Rainbow added. “Oh, uh, right.” Scootaloo grinned sheepishly. “But the point is she’s good now! She invited all the Crusaders over for a sleepover at Filthy Rich’s manor mansion housey thing.” She accentuated her last words by waving her hoof around in a circular motion. “She said we can try ca-vee-are. I dunno what that is but she said it’s great!” Twilight and Rainbow Dash shared uncertain looks. “I mean… If you’d really like to, sure, we can drop you off there.” Twilight finally responded.  “Eeeee! Thanks!” Scootaloo squealed, pulling Rainbow and Twilight into a hug. Twilight turned to face Rainbow, a ghost of a smile on her face. “I can drop her off right before we leave, does that sound good?” Rainbow nodded as Scootaloo’s eyes widened. “Ooh, where are you guys going?” “We’re gonna grab some nice dinner and have a nice little chill night.” Rainbow said offhandedly.  “You two are going on a- I mean, that sounds nice.” Scootaloo bit down hard on her lip to prevent herself from grinning like a madmare. “Well we still got a couple hours till then Scoot.” Rainbow yawned. “Wanna knock out a couple more flight lessons?” Scootaloo nodded enthusiastically.  “Are you sure I look alright?” Twilight fretted, messing with her mane. “This is an upper class restaurant. We should be wearing nice things. Do you have any dresses?” “I have the dress I wore to the Gala. Don’t you still have yours?” “I did,” Twilight deadpanned. “But that was in Golden Oaks when Tirek… you know.” “Oh.” “Yeah.” “Twilight, you look fine. Really, you look great.” Twilight averted her eyes and stared at the floor, cheeks burning. “Oh uh, thank you.” “Of course. Now come along you silly pony, let’s go get our dinner.” Rainbow flicked Twilight with her tail playfully. As the two mares left the cloudhome and silently took to the skies, they spent a couple minutes enthralled in the beautiful pinks and oranges of the sunset. A gentle breeze blew across their coats, bringing with it the smells of the Ponyville market. It smelt like cider and pine. “Nice evening tonight.” Rainbow Dash commented casually. There was no more discussion until the mares reached the bistro. Once there, they were led deep inside the restaurant by one of the staff, and sat at a small table. The table had a white tablecloth, an empty, presumably decorative bottle of wine on one side, and on the other two small lit candles. Connecting the candles and bottle was a row of rose petals. In front of each of the two chairs was a fancy plate with flowers painted around the rim and utensils wrapped in a napkin. Rainbow let out a low whistle as the two ponies took their seats. “Dang Twilight, this is a fancy looking place. Are you able to afford this?” “Oh it’s fine, don’t worry about it. I’ve been saving up.” Twilight replied quickly. “Here you are, madams,” The waiter said, passing out menus. “Is there anything I can get you started with?” “How does chardonnay sound, Rainbow?” Twilight smiled. “What is that, like a beer?” “It’s a wine.” “Well, I mean I trust your taste, if you’re in for it so am I.” “Sounds good!” Twilight chirped. “Two glasses of that, if you’d kindly.” The waiter bowed and then turned to make his leave. “Of course, Princess.” “Oh you don’t need to call me pri- aaaand he’s gone. So…” Twilight gave off an awkward chuckle. “What’s going on with you, Rainbow?” “Just eating dinner with my favorite egghead.” Rainbow replied nonchalantly, gazing at the menu. “How about you?” “Oh I’m uh, just eating dinner with my favorite… uh… you.” Rainbow lowered her menu and gazed at Twilight, a faint smile playing at her lips.  “Well I’m glad that I’m your favorite me. I’d be concerned if somebody else was your favorite Rainbow Dash instead.” “Oh r-right. Yeah.” Twilight poked at her bundle of utensils absentmindedly. The waiter came back with two glasses of a clear liquid on a tray, levitating them to in front of each mare. Rainbow Dash took a cautious sip and instantly wrinkled her nose.  “Ugh, this tastes…” Rainbow searched for the right word. “Dry?” Twilight offered. “How can a liquid taste dry? It’s a liquid.” Dash cocked her head to the side, raising an eyebrow. “It doesn’t literally mean… it means all the sugar in the grapes fermented into the alcohol.” “...” “It means it has very low amounts of sugar.” “Oh. Why didn’t you just say that in the first place?” “...I did.” “Ladies, have you two decided what it is that you’d like to order?” The waiter asked politely, halting the banter between Rainbow and Twilight. “Yeah, can I get the mushroom wellington?” Rainbow replied. Twilight’s eyes shot open. She hadn’t even looked at the menu yet. Her hooves shot out, grabbing the menu in front of her and almost knocking her glass over. She flipped it open and ordered the first thing she saw. “And uh, the portabella mushroom risotto with truffle oil for me.” Twilight stammered. “Very well.” The waiter responded with another bow, taking the menus and leaving again. “That sounds fancy.” Rainbow Dash remarked. “What is it?” “I uh…” Twilight coughed into her hoof. “I’m not sure. I just saw it on the menu and picked it.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “So how was visiting Rarity?” “Rarity!?” Twilight sputtered, recalling her conversation with the alabaster unicorn the previous night. She probably meant her condition… “Oh, right. It was good. Rarity is looking much better and she should be discharged from the hospital on Sunday. Although she’s gonna have to be limping around in one of those casts that looks like a boot for at least four months.” Twilight tried to feign a passive attitude by lazily waving her hoof around, but accidentally struck the edge of her glass, knocking it over and spilling its contents all over herself. “Oh no, I’m sorry let me just…” Twilight stammered, grabbing her napkin with a hoof and dabbing it all over her now wet fur. “Here, take mine.” Rainbow pushed her glass over to Twilight’s side of the table. “I’m not much of a fancy-schmancy alcohol drinker anyways.” “No really, I couldn’t-” “Twilight.” Rainbow smiled. “Really, it’s okay. Just take it. I promise you I don’t have cooties.” Twilight, now staring down at the table, cleared her throat, took the glass and sipped from it. “Thank you.” She said quietly.  The two sat in silence for a few minutes, accompanied only by the din of other ponies eating and talking, and the soft music playing from speakers hidden in the ceiling. “Your dinners, madams” came the waiter, carrying two plates of steaming food, which he proceeded to levitate over to the table. “Would you like to see the dessert menu for later?” “That’d be great, thanks!” Rainbow responded chipperly, taking the menu. “Mm, this looks good.” “Yes it does. Thank you sir.” Twilight smiled.  With one last bow the waiter took off, leaving the mares to dig in. There were a few tense moments when nobody said anything, instead focusing intently on their meals. “How’s your ricotta?” Rainbow asked idly. “It’s a risotto, Rainbow.” Twilight chuckled. “Ricotta is a kind of cheese.” “Eh, same thing.” Rainbow laughed, taking a large bite of her wellington and then immediately spitting the bite out onto the plate. “Ahh! Ahh!! Hot!” Rainbow fanned at her mouth as Twilight tittered. “Yeah, it just got cooked, Dashie. Of course it’s hot. Try blowing on it.” Twilight snarked. “Thanks egghead, never would have thought of that without you.” Rainbow shot back, blowing on her meal. She blew on it a bit too hard and several specks of mushroom landed on Twilight’s muzzle. “Oh crap, I’m sorry Twilight, let me get that for you!” Twilight blushed as Rainbow leaned over the table, wiping off her muzzle with a napkin. She stared hard to the left and took a big bite of her risotto, discontent with the mushroom’s chewiness.  Why do ponies like mushrooms? They’re tasteless and weirdly chewy. “So, um,” Twilight eventually squeaked, rubbing her stomach. “How are the Wonderbolts?” Rainbow’s eyes lit up. “Great! I’m at the top of the reserves list last I checked, so whenever a Wonderbolt decides to retire, I’m basically granted in!” “Well that’s… wonderful. Do you know if any of them are planning on retiring soon?” “Well he would absolutely thump me if I said this near him, but Fire Streak is getting a little older and slowing down. I mean, he’s probably got a couple years left in him, but he’d be my guess.” “Well you’ve worked hard to get there. I have no doubt they’d love you on the team.” “Well of course they would,” Rainbow boasted. “I’m the fastest flier out of Cloudsdale.” “Humble, too.” Twilight rolled her eyes playfully, rubbing her stomach again. “Uh, Twi? What are you doing? You good?” Rainbow asked trepidly. “Feels like the mushroom got stuck on its way down.” Twilight frowned. “But whatever. How did you know you were at the top of the list?” The two ponies talked as they finished their meals, Twilight fidgeting restlessly and constantly rubbing her stomach the whole time. Rainbow Dash poked through the dessert menu, seeing nothing that interested her. She handed it over to Twilight, who flipped it over and immediately brightened up.  “They have strawberry cheesecake? Oh yes! I love that stuff!” “Well then let’s get some!” Rainbow smiled, waving down a waitress. “Good evening, how may I help you?” The waitress greeted Rainbow and Twilight. “Good evening!” Twilight chirped. “Can we get two slices of strawberry cheesecake and the bill, please?” “Of course princess, they should be out in a few minutes.” Rainbow Dash let out a small chuckle, seeing Twilight excitedly shuffling in her chair. “What’s got you so excited?” “Whenever Shiny came home from guard training he'd always take me out to go get strawberry cheesecake from this one place in Canterlot. Having it brings me back to those days.” Twilight grinned. “Aw, that’s cute, an excited little Twily filly.” Rainbow smirked, enjoying the blush that spread across Twilight’s face. “D-don’t call me that, it’s embarrassing!” Twilight weakly protested, before snapping up to attention, unconsciously rubbing her stomach. “Is that it there?” Just as Twilight thought, the same waitress came back with two slices of cheesecake and a receipt scribbled on a piece of parchment.  “That’ll be 37 bits, princess.” The waitress said. “Oh no problem at al-” Twilight froze, reaching for the saddlebags that she wasn’t wearing. She slowly turned and fixed Rainbow Dash with a horrified look. Neither of them had brought any bits. The waitress chuckled. “It’s not a problem princess, we don’t do this except for high ranking ponies, but if you just sign your name we can take care of everything.” Twilight breathed a sigh of relief and grabbed the quill from the tray with her mouth, raising eyebrows from both Rainbow and the waitress. She signed her name with a flourish, grabbed the plate off the tray, and joyfully scooped out a piece of the cheesecake, jamming the spoon into her mouth, and melting a little bit as the taste caressed her tongue.  Twilight’s pupils instantly shrank, and her whole face screwed up as her body gave a sudden shudder. She felt bile making its way up her throat. With a violent shudder, Twilight emptied her stomach’s contents onto the table, flecks landing on both Rainbow Dash and the waitress, as well as both desserts. Instantly her eyes shot wide open in an expression of panic. “O-oh Celestia I’m so sorry! I just…” Twilight was interrupted as another wave of nausea hit her. She clapped one hoof over her muzzle and the other around her stomach, gaze flickering between the shell shocked waitress and Rainbow Dash. Her eyes started watering up. “Oh my gosh Twilight, are you okay?” Rainbow asked, jumping off her chair and rushing to Twilight’s side. Twilight raised her hoof slightly off her face, her voice cracking. “I’m so sorry, I just wanted… I just… I’m so sorry!” Twilight dismounted the chair and galloped away, pushing open the door to the bathroom and disappearing from sight. “I… I’m just gonna… I’ll be right back!” Rainbow mumbled out to the waitress, trotting into the bathroom to find Twilight. “Twi?” Rainbow called out. “You in here?” “Go away.” Twilight called back with a strangled sob. “I just wanted a nice dinner and I… I ruined everything!” Pinpointing the source of the sound, Rainbow tried opening the door to the stall. It wouldn’t budge. Letting out a small sigh, Rainbow Dash crawled underneath the stall to see Twilight spread eagled on the floor, her wings draped out and her right cheek resting on the floor. Her eyes clenched as she held back body-wracking sobs. “Oh Twilight c’mon, you’re getting your feathers and fur all dirty, come on up.” Rainbow Dash hooked hooves around Twilight’s shoulders, pulling her up and laying a wing around her so she leaned on Rainbow’s side. Twilight didn’t try and resist, just stayed limp. “You didn’t ruin everything, I’ll bet-” Rainbow was cut off as Twilight let out a violent shudder, her eyes snapping open and her pupils shrinking to pinpricks. She pushed off from Dash’s barrel, grabbing the sides of the toilet and vomited into the bowl, her whole body convulsing as more sour sweat broke out across her back, soaking Rainbow’s coat. The stench of half-digested rice and mushroom punched Rainbow in the nose. Rainbow’s eyes clenched and ears flattened as she breathed through her mouth, her stomach muscles clamping down to keep her own dinner in place, instead of spewed over Twilight’s mane. “Yes I did!” Twilight blubbered, tears silently falling down her face. “I just wanted to take you out for a special night to show you how much I appreciated you and… and I ruined everything!” The two mares sat in silence for a few moments until Twilight felt Rainbow Dash lean into her. Twilight felt something soft and warm press against her cheek and break contact with a soft -mwah-. She felt Rainbow Dash then lean away from her again. Twilight’s head whirled around, her jaw dropping comically.  “D-did... Did you j-j-just…” “You know Twilight, this may not be the best first date I’ve ever been on, but it’s definitely the most memorable.” Rainbow Dash smiled. “D-date… You mean you knew? All along?” “Yes.” Rainbow booped her nose. “I did.” “And you still agreed to come? But.. w-why?” “Well, Twilight,” Rainbow smiled bigger. “We both know I’m not the best with feelings and junk, but after I figured out you had a crush on me, which I totally didn’t need Applejack’s help with, by the way… I did some thinking. And while I’ve never been into into somebody before, I’ve come to realize I see you differently than I see everyone else. I mean that cute little grin of yours, that excited squeal and little wing flaps you do whenever something really excites you, just… the sort of calm, happy aura you always seem to be giving out… I really liked those. And I really liked being close to you and hanging out and talking with you. It made me feel all warm inside." “So… while I don’t know what exactly this is. If it’s just like puppy l-love or whatever, but if you’re by my side, I’m willing to try and figure it out.” Twilight didn’t move. She didn’t even so much as blink. She wiped her mouth slowly. And then she blinked. And then she blinked again, and suddenly Rainbow found herself pulled into a tight hug as Twilight collapsed against her, a blissful smile on her face. Rainbow leaned down and gently kissed the base of her horn. “I’ll take that as a yes.” The sounds of retching filled the air. “Coming, Twi!” Rainbow called, entering her bathroom and propping up the exhausted alicorn. With no small amount of effort, Twilight made her way out into the hallway of Rainbow Dash’s home and collapsed on the nest of pillows and blankets. Rainbow left her side for a moment and placed a bowl in front of Twilight. “Whuzzat?” Twilight muttered. “Crushed ice. I need you to suck on these to get you some fluid. Food poisoning might suck now, but dehydration will make it way worse.” Twilight said nothing, just lifted her head enough to grab some ice in her mouth. She felt a warm presence press against her back and felt Rainbow’s hooves pull her in close.  “Rainbow… don’t. I’m disgusting right now.” Twilight whined. Rainbow Dash gently shushed her and laid down so the top of Twilight’s head rested in the crook of her neck. “Not to me, Twilight. Never to me.” It was a long night before the illness passed.