Pearl groaned as the light from the teleport faded, shaking her head irritably. "Warn us next time you do that, Twilight!"
Twilight only smirked. "Learn how to yourself, Pearl, and I won't have to do all of this myself. I've been trying to teach you in case you forgot." She giggled at the blush the two gained at this, before gesturing around them. "But look around you two."
The dragoness did and blinked in surprise at what she saw. All around them was nothing but the infinite vastness of space, the sky filled with stars brighter than anything in Ponyville. As she craned her neck, she saw that they were atop a mountain, with nothing to break the cloud layers below. "Where are we?"
Twilight tapped her snout. "The top of the Throat of the World. Only alicorns ever come up here. Luna says it has the best view of the sky in all of Equus. I'm inclined to believe her now. Very few have ever been up here. Not even Cadance or Flurry Heart have."
The white's breath hitched as her blush deepened, as did Pearl's. "You're really going all out for this, aren't you?"
Twilight nodded, tenderly stroking the dragon's cheek. "Because I want you both to know just how much I care about you. I know whites are not the most intelligent of dragons. But I refuse to think that about you. You have never shown any of that, and I love you both for it."
The dragoness sighed, as Pearl's ears fell. "Do you know what it's like being the low girl on the totem pole? Because I am. Oh sure, the others never say anything about it, but it's there all the same. I can't help being who I am," she sniffed.
Pearl nodded sadly. "I wanted someone there to prop me up, to be there whenever I needed it. No matter what I did or how bad things got."
Twilight's heart ached as she flew up to Pearl's head and cradled it in her hooves. "Then let me be that rock, Pearl. Let me be your support. Both of yours. You don't need anyone else. Let me be the one you can both go to whenever you need it. No matter what you have done. Now and forever."
The dragoness giggled, flicking her tongue along Twilight's back, earning a moan in response. "You sure, Twily? You know how high maintenance we can be."
Twilight rolled her eyes as she looked into the dragon's eyes and smiled. "I deal with Spike every day. I think I can handle you for eternity. If you will have me that is?"
The dragoness and Pearl thought on it for a time, allowing Twilight to relax and settle herself down on Pearl's snout as they watched the heavens dance above them.
"You sure you aren't cold?" Pearl asked after a while, nuzzling Twilight as the alicorn lay her head against her own. "I can take way worse than this. But what about you?"
Twilight giggled. "Yes, mom. I'm fine. It's going to take more than a little cold to get rid of this alicorn."
"Where are we anyway?" The dragoness asked, looking up.
Twilight tapped her chin. "Far north of Yakyakistan. There is no one for hundreds of miles in every direction as far as I know. Prince Rutherford doesn't even know we are able to do this. Yaks think this mountain is cursed."
Pearl rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. Curses aren't real. How long can we stay out here though?"
Twilight shook her head. "I'm not sure. With Starlight taking over the School of Friendship, I have more free time now. But with my luck, Equestria will need saving if I am gone for too long."
The dragoness rolled her eyes. "They would have to be very stupid to think they could get away with it. The country is still standing even after all of this. Somehow. But it is."
Twilight chuckled. "I know. And there is also how I am going to try and get your other heads on board with this, Rosie."
"Who says I'm on board with it?" her dragon asked.
Twilight smirked as she leaned down and looked into her eyes. "Don't pretend you're not enjoying this, whitey. I can see it in your eyes. Whatever else you represent, you love me just as much as your sisters."
She blushed but didn't respond. She did in fact love Twilight. As much as any of them did. Her heart would always go for somefox else, but she couldn't deny the love and attraction she felt toward the alicorn. Not that she would admit it of course. Not yet anyway. She was going to draw this out. Have some fun.
Pearl, meanwhile, scrunched her nose. "And just how are you going to do any of that, Twilight?"
Twilight only smirked. "Well. First off, we need to visit a certain place. And you need to be a pony for this, Pearl."
She blinked. "Why?'
Twilight tapped her snout. "Because you will not fit through the World Mirror otherwise. And I won't cause a panic at Canterlot High even if you could fit through in this form. Sunset would tan my hide if I did. Once was enough, thank you very much."
Pearl and her dragon shared a confused look. "And why are we going there again?" Pearl asked, now with the green's voice echoing alongside her own.
Twilight just smiled wider. "You'll see. I'm sure you'll all love it."
Twilight smiled as she and the white dragon Pearl snuggled close. Pearl’s head snaked around Twilight’s body as their eyes drifted into the heavens. Twilight was cold, she couldn’t lie about that. But at least Pearl kept the wind at bay so she was at least comfortable. Above them, the sky danced with brilliant colors of all shades and hues. It wasn’t until a blanket flopped down in front of the princess that both her and Pearl looked up.
Standing there atop the snow was a stone gray kitsune, her nine tails swished behind her. On her stoic face was an expression of annoyance.
Twilight blinked as she and Pearl looked at each other for a moment. The vixen before them was familiar, though neither of them had ever seen her before. But what sent red alarms in Twilight’s head was that while she and Pearl had sunk deep in the snow, This vixen didn’t. She was standing atop it as if she weighed nothing at all.
“Seriously. You would think a princess would know how cold this mountain can get at this time of the night.” The vixen sighed and with a wave of one of her stone gray tails, covered Pearl with a dragon-sized blanket. “White dragons are not known for their heat, even a white pony dragon can catch a cold at this time of the year here.” Taking a few steps back, her massive paws left not a single trace she looked back.
“There’s going to be a small blizzard up here in the next few hours. You might want to find a suitable sleeping place before that happens. But until then I guess you can still admire the view. Just keep warm. You two are as bad as my little brother.” Before either could utter a word the vixen vanished just past a small ridge, but not before they saw a pack of yaks running away at full speed.
Pearl finally found her voice. “Was that… one of Kohaku’s sisters? Are they all like that?”
Twilight sighed as she snuggled in close under that large blanket, surprised at just how warm the thin fabric actually was. “I think so. Kohaku has a picture shrine in his room of his whole family. I only saw it once and I think he mentioned her name was Mitsuko. As for if they are all like that? Probably. He said they all have a fierce personalities, but also can be rather protective. And by the way, the yaks reacted. We just discovered the source of the mountain’s ‘curse’.” Twilight giggled a bit.
“Well, I don’t like them talking to me as if I’m some child.” Pearl huffed and slightly pouted.
“I don’t either, but compared to them.” Twilight nuzzled Pearl’s neck. “We are children. Don’t you at least feel better that she’s looking out for us? This blanket and the warning about the snowstorm. Because I am.”
Huffing loudly dragon Pearl lowered her head. “I would have preferred Kohaku telling me… Oh, I'm so sorry. I..” they both started, before a hoof placed on the dragon's and Pearl’s lips silenced them, both of them blushing at the contact.
“I’m not upset. You can’t help how you feel about him. But you're wrapped around me. So I know where your heart is.” Twilight smiled as Pearl blinked in confusion for several moments before getting it.
“Oh.”
Twilight giggled. As different as she was, the white was so much like Pearl in many ways. “As beautiful as it is here, I don’t think we should stay all night, Rosie. Your body can take the cold far better than I can, but even now I can see you are both starting to feel it as well.”
The white pouted, earning a coo from Twilight. She was built for the cold. How was she beginning to feel this?
Pearl was much the same. Even the heat provided by her red head could not keep them both warm. She nuzzled Twilight. “Can we stay here till the storm begins? I’m loving this too much.”
Twilight smiled tenderly, kissing her horn. “Of course, Pearl.”
Pearl awoke once more with a snort, shooting Twilight a glare as the elder mare poked her. “Hey. I’m trying to sleep here. Rude much?”
Twilight shook her head. Snow was coming down heavily now. So much so that Pearl couldn’t even see the end of her dragon’s snout. The alicorn was shivering noticeably. “You can sleep all you want, Pearl, once we return to Ponyille. We slept longer than I wanted.”
“Where’s your blanket?” the white asked, looking up. Even she was having trouble seeing Twilight now.
Twilight patted her withers. “I still have it, as do you both. But I can’t see a thing around us. There is no way we will find someplace to stay the night now. We need to leave. Now.”
Pearl nodded, before changing back into her pony form, being sure to unleash as much of her red head’s heat into herself as possible, pulling Twilight close. “Can you get us back?”
Twilight nodded, happy for the warmth. “Yes. If we had waited too much longer, then I am not sure if I could concentrate enough for the spell.”
Pearl nodded. “Then get on with it. I’d rather not freeze to death. My fires can’t keep this up forever. Especially for the two of us.”
Twilight nodded, igniting her horn, before the two of them blinked out of existence, but were sure to leave their blankets behind.
“Next time, I’m picking where we go. Someplace warm,” Pearl grumbled, scooting closer to the fire that roared in Twilight’s fireplace. “A volcano sounds nice.”
Twilight sighed, as she sipped her cocoa. “Is that you or your red head talking, Pearl?”
Pearl shrugged. “Both of us. She’s my core self. Everything you see every day, and everything you’ve known and loved since I moved to Ponyville.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Well. Pick someplace less flammable, please. I am all for someplace warmer. But I am drawing a line here, Rosie.”
Pearl giggled as she lay a wing around Twilight. “Fine. I think you got my white wrapped around your hoof at least. Oh, she won't admit it of course, but I can feel something from her.”
Twilight chuckled. She wasn’t sure about her just yet, no matter what last night had shown, but she was willing to wait and work on it. “Then what do you have in mind?”
Pearl smirked. “Remember what you said last night? We’re going to Canterlot High. I’ve got a Gunpla club meeting tomorrow. And then I’ve got my Vanquishers, and Stormdrake Guard to pick up. Damn Celestant-Prime is still not back in stock," she snorted.
Twilight’s ears wilted. Darn it. She had in fact forgotten about that last part. “And what does that have to do with me? You know how I feel about Warhammer in general.”
Pearl’s smirk grew as her voice changed. “Too bad, Sparky. I’m not asking you to love it. But stop acting so high and mighty about it. It’s a game. Not reality. Use your brain.”
Twilight wilted under the acidic glare she was getting. She knew whose voice that was. She also knew she was acting silly over a game. She had seen Pearl’s models and the sheer amount of love and effort that went into them. As much as she put into her Gunpla in fact. If not more. She had seen Pearl's Fists of Sigmarite army grow from just a silly idea the filly had once had, to a rather impressive army.
She also maybe have read the Stormcast Eternals battletome while Pearl was out one day, so she had an idea of which units Pearl was talking about. But she would never admit it. Oh no. Her pride as a ptincess of Equestria, and the Princess of Friendship, wouldn't allow it.
Pearl’s smirk slipped a little as she poked her with a wing. “I can give you a spare model. I know I've got a spare Vindictor or Knight-Incantor around here somewhere or at home from the Getting Started magazine. Already used the Liberator though. My very first model too. Guess I always wanted you to do an army too. With your attention to detail, I’m sure you’ll make mine look simple by comparison.”
Twilight giggled. And just like that, she had an idea. Whether it was workable or not though, time would tell. “I doubt that, Pearl. You’ve had years of experience compared to me. But I admit that I have been curious. And despite what you might think, I was paying attention when you explained Age of Sigmar to me. On top of what you gave to Spike. He and Shining seem to enjoy that game.” She took her hooves in her own. “You can be passionate when you put your mind to it, Pearl. That is why I love you.”
Pearl blushed. “And your willingness to learn something new is why I love you, Twily. Part of it anyway. I’m sure we can find you a Gunpla kit to build as well. Even if it’s your only one ever. That’s what Entry Grade is for really. Might as well make it count.”
Twilight nodded. It was a good start as any, as they relaxed once more, Twilight pulling her marefriend close as they watched the fire.