Rainbow Dash stared out the window, entranced by the spectacle of the tempest raging outside. Once the two ponies had washed the last bits of the beauty mask off of their faces, Twilight Sparkle had set up a spare bed across from her own. Now they each laid on a bed, legs folded beneath them, facing tempest's fury with naught but a thin piece of glass to protect them. The only illumination came from the lightning; Twilight had insisted that a lantern would ruin the experience of watching the storm.
Watching the storm. Dash had flown through storms, created storms, even studied storms in flight school, but she'd never just watched a storm. The darkness made the sounds seem louder, more distinct. Raindrops made a constant backdrop of noise, pinging on the window, dripping from the leaves of the library, battering the wood unrelentingly. Intermittently, wind howled, causing the boughs to creak as they bent while leaves whispered deafeningly, brushing against each other and the branches. Every few seconds, thunder boomed, rattling the windows, but it was frequent enough that it was impossible to tell which noise matched any particular bolt of lightning.
Lightning. The flashes lit the scene more clearly than a noonday sun, blinding snapshots that lingered in Dash's vision. Her eyes moved each time, hoping to discern a new detail when the next strike came. Flash. A tree bent nearly double, shaking from a gust, with many leaves stripped away. Flash. A closed shop with a sign above its door hanging from two chains, the painted board suspended in the apex of its swing to Dash's momentary perception. Flash. A large puddle, its surface rippling and chaotic, cratered by the splashes of raindrops and the waves of blowing wind, frozen like ice in the pegasus' vision. Rainbow Dash had never watched a storm before.
The sight took her breath away.
For long minutes, the two ponies were silent, consumed by the wind and the rain, the lightning and the thunder. At long last, Twilight spoke, "This is your storm, Dash."
"Yeah...," Dash responded, too amazed to put forth her normal bravado.
After a few seconds, Twilight began to murmur quietly, far quieter than the din of rain and wind. Dash heard every word.
"I've always loved storms. Ever since I was a little filly in Canterlot, I'd look forward to them when the clouds rolled in, hoping for a downpour. A storm is a dangerous, prideful, uncaring thing, but I knew that it was no danger to me. It raged, but it raged around me, not at me. Under open skies, I felt vulnerable; anypony could come and harm me when the weather was good. The storm kept everypony away, and with its violence wrapped around me, I felt safe. Even though the storm didn't know how I felt about it, even though the storm didn't care, I could still watch in awe as it protected me. Swift, brash, violent, beautiful." Twilight sighed.
Rainbow Dash just watched the storm. The lightning had become more regular; there was enough time now in the seconds between strikes that the clap of thunder hit her just before the next bolt lit the sky. Dash didn't usually like talking about deep stuff; those sorts of conversations usually just made her feel uncomfortable and awkward. Still, in the dark room, adrift in the sea of noise pouring in from outside, Dash found that she didn't mind listening to Twilight, even if she didn't understand what compelled the unicorn to speak.
After a few moments, Twilight continued, "Dash, what would you do if you fell in love with somepony that was... forbidden to you? Forbidden so that if anypony knew how you felt, even your closest friends, they might hate you or be disgusted by you or... just... shut you out. Would you tell them, knowing that they might laugh in your face or insult you, that all your friends might shun you?"
The pegasus had a suspicion that it was more than a hypothetical question, but she answered honestly, "If they were friends worth having, they wouldn't abandon me. Gilda was my best friend until she wanted to change who I hung out with, and who I was, and now she's history. I don't hide what I think or what I feel, I'd tell everypony and not give a hoof if they didn't approve." Thunder was coming more quickly on the heels of lightning now; it seemed almost as if they were alternating, the booms rolling over the ponies halfway between each of the periodic flashes. The unicorn was silent, for a time.
When Twilight spoke, it was barely above a whisper, "I wish I were as brave as you, Dash."
Rainbow Dash smiled, filled with pride, but as she stared out the window, the smile started to slip. "To be honest, Twilight, I've never been in love."
Dash heard Twilight's bed shift slightly, springs squeaking, as the unicorn asked, "Not even a schoolfilly crush?"
"Nope. Never. Stallions don't interest me nearly as much as flying," Dash replied, looking over at her friend; the unicorn was now facing her, rather than the window.
Twilight leaned forward, "What about...," she hesitated, "...what about mares?"
The pegasus tilted her head, "Mares?"
Her friend broke eye contact, her gaze fixed firmly out the window. Claps of thunder followed swiftly on the heels of lightning strikes; there was barely time to blink between a flash and a deafening rumble. A dozen bolts had struck before Twilight was ready to answer, "Well... in Canterlot, it's not all that uncommon for mares to be... together. Romantically."
Rainbow Dash blinked, "But then, what about...?" Dash had never heard of such a thing; she tried to wrap her head around the concept, "How would they...? I don't get it, Twilight. Canterlot is weird."
Twilight Sparkle stood up and gave a weak laugh, "Ha. Yeah. Weird." She hopped off the bed and started descending the ladder to the library floor below.
Dash watched her progress, confused. "Where are you going, Twilight?"
"I'm going outside," the unicorn growled, voice hostile, "For a walk"
It took a few beats for Twilight's words to register. Dash was certain that she must have misheard, but Twilight was headed right for the door of the library, appearing closer to the portal with every lightning strike. As soon as Dash realized that the unicorn wasn't joking, she hopped to her hooves, yelling, "Outside? are you crazy!?"
Twilight shouted back, "I must be," her horn glowed, and the door flew open, "I must be crazy, Dash!"
Twilight Sparkle disappeared into the storm, and Rainbow Dash rushed to follow.