Rainbow Dash gently brushed her hoof through Twilight's mane, the lavender mare lying motionless in the hospital bed. The only signs of activity were the pulsating vein-like patterns that continued to spread across her body. Only two days had passed since the illness had surfaced, yet even to Rainbow's discerning gaze, it was evident that Twilight's condition had significantly deteriorated.
It was so obvious! But the doctors were saying she was stable. They were either incompetent or were lying. Twilight was getting worse and worse. Maybe it would take months or years (thanks to Celestia’s so-called great medical advancement), but she would end up… Twilight's life was slipping away.
Peering out the window, the cyan pegasus was greeted by the gentle embrace of the morning sun as it bathed Equestria in its warm light. Ponies bustled about, each seemingly immersed in their own content lives. Her gaze fell upon Big Mac walking with Sugar Belle by his side, and even Bulk Biceps jogged past as if everything was perfectly normal.
It wasn’t fair. Why were they all happy? Twilight was dying! The world was bleak, cold, and lonesome, everything should be miserable. Everyone should be sad and depressed! So why did they act like nothing happened?! The whole world should be crying and praying for her!
The world wouldn’t even BE there if it weren’t for her! Rainbow Dash wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for her… The pegasus glanced down, looking at the wedding ring hanging from her neck. She decided to wear it today. A part of her hoped Twilight would feel it and somehow get better with the power of love or something. She supposed that even the magic of friendship or love had its limits.
Her eyes wandered to the side, where a book was lying on the edge of Twilight’s bed. She picked it up and attempted to smile.
“So, how did you like it? It’s the book you really wanted to read,” Rainbow Dash asked, but received no response in return. “I know I don’t read as well as you do, but I hope you understood most of it, at least,” She said as her wife remained silent. “The first thing I did when I calmed down was to buy it, you know. I remember how I couldn’t stop you from talking about how much you wanted to buy it. Was that a hint that you wanted it for your birthday?” Rainbow chuckled while rubbing the back of her neck.
The lavender alicorn still held her eyes closed, softly breathing with the help of the ventilator mask. Rainbow sighed before standing up from her chair and hugging the pony on the bed.
“We’ll get through this, Twi. I know we will,” Rainbow Dash whispered with her eyes closed, firmly holding her wife in her wings and forelegs. “I’m… I’m even ready to give up on my position of wonderbolt if that’s what it takes to get you back…” She added while nuzzling her asleep wife.
“Really?” Twilight arched an eyebrow in surprise as a soft violin played in the background. “Spitfire actually let you take a month off? What did you tell her?” She asked in surprise as Rainbow blushed.
“Hehe, that’s a surprise, but it’s for a very special occasion. I’m sure you’ll love it!” Rainbow Dash replied with a grin.
Both of them sat across from each other in a fancy restaurant. The restaurant's ambiance was a symphony of warm, subdued lighting, tasteful décor, and the subtle fragrance of exotic blooms that adorned the room. Soft murmurs of conversation from other diners, clinking of cutlery, and the occasional burst of laughter created a gentle hum that added to the allure of the environment.
The two of them had been dating for quite some time now. Easily a few years and each day seemed happier than the last. Of course, they had their fights, but they were always swiftly resolved.
“Oh, so it’s a surprise for me?” Twilight inquired while batting her eyelashes.
“Nope! Not gonna get any more answers out of me, Twi!” The cyan pegasus shook her head teasingly, making her marefriend chuckle.
“Well, at least, I tried,” She said before giving her marefriend a smirk. “I actually also have a surprise for you,” She revealed, easily earning Rainbow’s curiosity.
“Let me guess, you’re not going to tell me what it is?” She supposed as Twilight nodded in response.
“Wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I did,” She replied with a small laugh.
“You’re teasing me,” Rainbow flatly stated, trying to pretend she was mad, only to spectacularly fail when she couldn’t keep her smile off her face.
“You started first!” Twilight playfully tapped Rainbow’s shoulder with her wing.
The pegasus grinned, her wing brushing against Twilight's, which brought a charming blush to the alicorn's cheeks. Lately, Twilight had been attempting to utilize her wings like hooves more often, seeking to embrace some of the pegasus culture. It was a subtle effort to impress both Rainbow Dash and her parents, as well as to bring happiness to her marefriend. Rainbow didn’t outright say how touched she was since Twilight tried to be sneaky about it (and failed utterly), but even if she had a much easier time talking about her feelings, the wonderbolt was still a bit timid with some of them.
“So, you know what’s up with my job, what about yours? Anything exciting happened?” Rainbow asked.
The pegasus already knew that Twilight didn’t leave for Canterlot or any other place in and out of Equestria for diplomatic missions since… well they lived together, so she would have definitely noticed. She was also aware that nothing major was happening. At least, nothing that would endanger the world. However, ever since they started dating, Rainbow Dash became more interested in the little things or the things she would have seen as boring before. Such as laws or politics. Actually, she still thought it was as boring as Tartarus! The thing, though, Twilight wasn’t boring. And Twilight knew how to make boring things… Not boring!
“Oh, I don’t want to bother you with my troubles,” Twilight waved with one of her hooves as Rainbow Dash playfully rolled her eyes.
“So something did happen! Come on, you know you want to tell me about it, egghead,” Rainbow urged her.
“Mayor Mare wanted my help with something. A family of three from Las Pegasus wanted to settle in Ponyville, and bought a house on the outskirts,” Twilight finally decided to explain as Rainbow arched an eyebrow.
“Why is that a trouble?”
“Because apparently, that house wasn’t supposed to be for sale. A pony from Las Pegasus scammed them since they were looking for a cheap house away from the city,” Twilight explained as Rainbow whistled.
“They’re all the way from Las Pegasus? Why did Mayor Mare need your help though? She could have just said it wasn’t for sale and let them deal with that scammer themselves,” The cyan pegasus shrugged.
“It’s not that easy, unfortunately. Understandably, the family wasn’t happy about this, and they weren’t willing to cooperate with Mayor Mare until they got the house they were promised. They didn’t even ask for the seller’s name once they saw how relatively cheap the house was! How are we even supposed to find him?” Twilight complained. “Mayor Mare tried to give them a temporary home until they could get tickets for Last Pegasus and told them she would look into ways to get their money back via insurance and even sell them another house here in Ponyville. After even more arguing, she sent them over to me since Ponyville is technically under my jurisdiction. Now I have to somehow convince the original house owner, who moved to Manehattan by the way, to sell them their house,” She shook her head in annoyance.
“Darn, that looks like a real bother. It’s kinda sad they got scammed, but they should be reasonable with the ponies trying to help them, at least!” Twilight’s marefriend commented, making the lavender alicorn nod in agreement.
“It’s not the first time I have to deal with problems like these, unfortunately. When so many disagreeable ponies come to meet you, expecting you to fix all their issues with a simple horn lift, you just start tuning them out,” Twilight sighed as she rubbed her forehead.
“You know, if you have any problems with them, you can call me and I’ll deal with it,” Rainbow assured her, earning a small giggle from her marefriend.
“Thank you, Rainbow, but I would rather not see how you will deal with them,” Twilight laughed. “My day wasn’t all bad, though!” She suddenly said as her marefriend’s ears perked up.
“Oh, yeah? You got some good news?” Rainbow Dash asked with curiosity.
“Not news. Your fan letters! Some of them were so cute! You didn’t tell me you were a little filly’s pen pal,” Twilight grinned, making the pegasus’ eyes widen.
“Oh, well… Poor girl was lonely and is a huge fan, apparently. Thought everyone at school would love her if her first friend was Rainbow Dash!” She blushed while rubbing the back of her neck.
“No one will think less of you because of touchy feelings, you know? Personally, I think what you did is adorable,” Twilight grinned as Rainbow cleared her throat awkwardly.
“I am not adorable! A-Anyway, you need a vacation, Twi. And something tells me that you’ll have one soon…” She smiled confidently as a waiter suddenly walked up to them, holding a tray with two glasses of a pink drink.
“Your cocktails, my ladies,” The waiter said as he put the drinks in front of the couple. Both smiled knowingly while looking at each other.
“After you,” Twilight offered as she motioned for Rainbow Dash to take a sip.
“No, no, you do it first,” The cyan mare shook her head as she grinned and motioned Twilight’s drink.
“I insist, Rainbow. Take a sip. You won’t regret it, believe me,”
“And you won’t regret it either!” Rainbow Dash replied enthusiastically.
“Let’s just drink at the same time! What do you say?” Twilight suggested as Rainbow reluctantly nodded.
“Alright, I guess I’m fine with that,” She said as she picked up her glass while Twilight did the same.
They shared a quick, sidelong glance, their eyes meeting briefly as they each took a sip of their drink. Abruptly, their expressions transformed into wide-eyed surprise, almost in perfect synchrony, as they both sputtered and coughed out their cocktails. They exchanged astonished glances, then instinctively extended their tongues to find a small ring resting there.
“A ring? Did they put it in the wrong drink?” They both exclaimed in surprise and confusion at the same time as they picked up the rings. “Wait! What did you say?” They asked in unison.
The couple looked at each other in silence, their eyes wide in uncertainty as they both slowly realized what just happened. Unexpectedly, they burst out laughing.
“Did you…?” “You were…” They started talking at the same time, only for Twilight to shake her head.
“That’s your ring, right?” She inquired while pointing at the ring she was holding.
“And this is yours?” Rainbow pointed at the ring she was holding while her marefriend nodded in response.
“So… I suppose we both got the same idea…” Twilight blushed while looking away, which was something Rainbow Dash was quick to do once she remembered what she was about to ask.
“Yeah… And? What’s your answer?” The cyan mare nervously asked while Twilight’s blush deepened.
“What do you think? I could never say no to you… What about your answer?” The alicorn replied.
“Yes! Of course, yes! I won’t leave you hangin’, Twi!” Rainbow Dash quickly retorted confidently as silence settled between them for a second time, only for the two of them to laugh again.
“When did we become such a couple of dorks?” The alicorn laughed in amusement.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Pinkie somehow pranked us into proposing the same day,” Rainbow Dash wiped a tear away. Suddenly, the pegasus, along with her chair, was pulled away by magic before Twilight jumped on her and wrapped her forelegs and wings around her. “Twi?” She inquired with a hint of worry, which subsided instantly once she noticed the alicorn’s smile.
“I’m getting married. We’re getting married,” She simply stated in disbelief and joy.
“Yup, we are,” Rainbow Dash returned the hug and put her head on top of her marefriend’s. “I think this is the second-best day of my life,”
“The second?” Twilight asked with an eyebrow raised.
“The first is going to be our wedding day, obviously,” She retorted
“Never change, Rainbow,” Twilight snorted.
The cyan pegasus gazed deeply into her marefriend's eyes, words seemingly caught in her throat as if her breath had been stolen away. Memories flooded her mind, of the first time she had ever locked eyes with Twilight. Back when they were both younger, naive about the complexities of relationships, be they friendships or something deeper. At that time, they hadn't even realized their attraction to mares. How far they had come, how much had changed – the thought nearly brought a tear to Rainbow's eye, a subtle shift that didn't escape Twilight's notice.
Their faces slowly moved closer and closer until their lips met, filling each other with warmth as their hearts skipped a beat. They ignored the cheering and clapping of the other clients as everything around them slowly vanished. For something so special, they only needed to feel each other. Being in such a tight, warm, and loving embrace convinced Rainbow Dash that, perhaps, there was nothing they wouldn’t be able to face together.
“Ahem. Excuse me. Excuse me!” Someone’s voice suddenly broke Rainbow Dash out of her memory.
“Huh? What?” Rainbow Dash rubbed her eyes tiredly as she sat up, slowly realizing where she was. This was still Twilight’s hospital bed. And the one that woke her up was a doctor, the same one that, along with the princesses and Discord, gave her the bad news.
“I understand your position, but sleeping in our patient’s beds, especially when they are still using them, is strictly forbidden. Also, the visiting hours are over,” He scolded the pegasus lightly.
“So what? I’m not getting out until my wife is fine!” Rainbow Dash responded stubbornly, making the doctor grimace.
“Princess, please. She needs her rest. All our patients do. I already made arrangements so you could stay here the whole day, and I know this is difficult, but it will only get harder if we can’t cooperate,” The doctor argued in a pleading tone.
Rainbow Dash clenched her teeth and looked away, noticing that night had fallen.
“So, wait… Am I gonna be a princess after I marry you?” Her own voice resonated in her mind.
“My brother did become a prince after he married Cadance, so probably, yes!” Twilight’s soft voice followed suit shortly after.
“Woah… I never thought I would become a princess before. Am I gonna get a horn?” She asked excitedly, only for Twilight to laugh in response.
“Haha! We’ll see!”
“You…” Rainbow Dash stared at the doctor, then glanced down at her sleeping wife. She didn’t look any better, that was for sure. The pegasus sighed. “Alright. I’m going,” Being with Twilight taught her to be more reasonable, after all. “Goodbye, Twi,” She said softly before planting a gentle kiss on the alicorn’s head and walking away.
Once she was out, she decided to walk to the castle instead of using her wings. She wasn’t even in the mood to fly. Being in the sky always brought her relief and peace of mind. It was the one thing that could calm her when everything else failed. There was a time when a whole day spent soaring through the open sky could make her concerns and the world around her seem inconsequential. Those flying sessions had been her sanctuary.
Yet, since her marriage to Twilight, she had found that she needed those flights less and less. The alicorn was remarkably adept at offering reassurance, surpassing even the calming effect of the sky.
However, she refused to even try calming herself or forgetting about her worries. How could she forget about Twilight? She wouldn’t be the bearer of loyalty if she did. And she wouldn’t be a good partner if she did. Truthfully, she was pretty sure flying wouldn’t even make any of this better. The sky also seemed cold and dark lately. And it should be. That was what she wanted, wasn’t it? Everything should be sad. Everyone should be crying, but perhaps this was a selfish wish. She didn’t particularly care how selfish it was, though.
Twilight would probably scold her.
“Rainbow? What are ya doing here?” Someone pulled the pegasus out of her thoughts. Finally, glancing around, Rainbow Dash laid her eyes on none other than Applejack. The earth pony seemed worried.
“I’m going home. Isn’t that obvious?” Rainbow replied coldly, unwilling to converse longer as she walked away, only for the other mare to follow her.
“What are ya doing on the ground?” Applejack cocked an eyebrow.
“My wings got tired,” The cyan mare retorted just as coldly as earlier and went on her way without pausing.
The farm pony stayed silent, grimacing at Rainbow’s obvious poor state of mind. As her friend, she couldn’t just leave her be. So she followed, running after the pegasus until she reached her again.
“Ah guess you visited Twilight?” The earth pony remarked as Rainbow simply glanced at her from the corner of her eye.
“Yeah. Been there the whole day,” She replied before pausing and growing silent. It seemed she was pondering whether she should say something or not. However, she didn’t think too long before speaking again. “You weren’t, though. None of you came except for Pinkie and Spike, actually,” She said in an accusing tone.
“We came yesterday. Ya… Ya were still in your room, so we didn’t want to bother ya in case ya needed some time,” Applejack explained, choosing to ignore Rainbow Dash’s tone.
“Doesn’t mean you can’t come today too,” She retorted dismissively as Applejack frowned. “Got something more important to do?”
“Rainbow Dash. What are ya implying?” She questioned as the pegasus finally stopped walking.
“I’m not implying anything. I’m just asking if you have anything more important to do than visiting your… Your dying best friend in the hospital,” The cyan pegasus shook her head. Applejack’s first reflex was to gasp in response before growing again.
“Are ya serious?! Ah ain’t working because Ah think it’s more important than Twilight! But Ah can’t just miss whole workdays when Ah have ponies to feed! We all do!” Applejack argued in anger. “We’ll still visit her, but what else do ya expect us to do?!” She asked while Rainbow remained silent. She either didn’t know what to answer or simply refused to.
“I just want her to know she’s not alone. And right now, she probably thinks I’m the only one she has. Even her parents, her brother, and Cadance are coming only tomorrow!” Rainbow Dash snapped, stomping the ground. She choked back a tear, refusing to allow Applejack to see her cry. The earth pony still managed to notice that the pegasus didn’t need an argument, but help. She swiftly calmed herself.
“Look… Ah understand what you’re saying. It’s hard fer everypony, and we’re all dealing with it differently,” Applejack softly spoke. “Just know that all of us care about Twilight and hope the princesses find a way to cure her,”
“AJ…” Rainbow Dash muttered, almost sounding apologetic. Likely because of her initial reactions to Applejack’s worry for her. “I’m sorry. I’m happy you and the others got my back, but…” She began explaining until she paused, her eyes landing on a bar. The Stardust Sip and Gallop was the second and most popular bar in Ponyville.
“Rainbow!” Twilight ran after her marefriend as the pegasus was walking out of the bar.
“Can you believe these guys?! Kicking us out?!” The cyan mare grumbled while stomping the ground as she walked.
“I’m not surprised! With that commotion you caused! I thought you were going to punch that stallion!” Twilight yelled as she flew up to her.
“Of course, I was! Did you see what that guy was doing?!” Rainbow Dash unfolded her wings in anger while Twilight cocked an eyebrow in confusion. “He was totally checking you out! Openly staring at your butt! Then he flirts with you as if I wasn’t there! And he was way too close too!” She snapped, then looked away.
Finally, the lavender alicorn understood and sighed sympathetically.
“Oh, Rainbow… But that’s nothing serious. I’m pretty sure some stallions and even mares checked you out too. It’s not a big deal,” She responded.
“Not a big deal?! Not a big deal?! Yes, it is!” The pegasus fumed with her face red, only for Twilight to narrow her eyes.
“Why?” She asked, making Rainbow pause in surprise.
“Huh?” She uttered in confusion.
“Why is it a big deal?” Twilight clarified as her marefriend blushed in embarrassment.
“W-Well…” Her eyes wandered from side to side. It was obvious she didn’t dare to answer for one reason or another. However, the princess quickly figured out what the problem was.
“Are you worried that I’ll fall for him? That I’ll cheat on you?” Twilight questioned her, making her step back while sweating.
“N-No! But… It’s just…” She stuttered, unable to form a correct sentence while Twilight’s eyes were burning holes into her head.
“Rainbow! You know I wouldn’t do that! Especially not because of false flattery and cheap flirting!” She exclaimed offendedly. This was enough to rid the pegasus of all the anger she was feeling and fall back on her haunches.
“I know, I know. I’m a stupid screw-up,” She groaned with her head hanging down. Twilight’s glare softened as she walked up to her marefriend and put a hoof on her shoulder.
“No, you’re not,” She denied reassuringly.
“Yes, I am. I know you wouldn’t cheat on me, alright? I know that. I just couldn’t help it. I got jealous,” She lamented with her head still hanging low. Twilight caressed her marefriend’s back, encouraging her to continue. “It’s the first time I’m taking a relationship so seriously…”
“Really?” Twilight blurted out in surprise.
“Yeah… I mean, I liked the guys I dated, otherwise, I wouldn’t have given them the honor of dating the coolest pony in Equestria,” Rainbow Dash began, making Twilight lightly chuckle. “But I never had with them, what I have with you. I sure didn’t get jealous when a mare or two was flocking around them! I like like you Twilight, and I’m… scared you’ll stop liking me. I know it’s stupid,” Her shoulders slumped.
“No, it’s not. There’s nothing wrong with being scared of something like that, Dashie,” Twilight comforted her as she sat beside her marefriend. “At least, I know you care!” She teased, lightly punching the pegasus’ shoulder, which seemed to help bring her mood a little. “But you don’t have to be afraid. The only cheap flirting I like is yours,” She grinned in amusement.
“Har har, you’re hilarious,” Rainbow rolled her eyes. She wasn’t really offended, but come on, she was having a serious moment there!
“This is my first relationship, as you know, so I can’t say I have a lot of experience. But I do know one thing: I love you, I always have, and I always will. Nothing is ever going to change that. I don’t need any other romantic relationship to know that,” Twilight put a wing over the other mare. “So you can be sure a stallion checking me out won’t change it. Not even Discord could!”
“What if we change?”
“That’s not gonna happen,” Twilight snickered. “I know you’re too stubborn for that,” This time, Rainbow Dash grinned too. The pegasus was finally willing to meet her marefriend’s eyes.
“I’m sorry,” She apologized in a whisper.
“I already forgave you,” Twilight kissed her on the cheek before standing up and helping Rainbow Dash to her hooves. “Let’s just go to Sugarcube Corner. I’m sure we’ll have more fun over there anyway,” She stated before walking away, holding Rainbow’s wing with hers.
“Oh, hey, Twilight!” Rainbow called out to her, stopping in her tracks, which made Twilight pause too. The alicorn turned around, curious and wondering if the pegasus still had more issues to talk about. “Uhm… I love you too. Always will,” She declared with a blush.
Twilight’s face lit up and her eyes twinkled. The mare gave her marefriend a heartwarming smile and moved closer to her until their mouths were only a few inches away from connecting.
“I know,”
Rainbow Dash blinked, trying to remove the small tears in her eyes. Thankfully, they went unnoticed by the earth pony standing at her side. She was still aware that her friend was obviously crestfallen, so she did the only thing she thought she could do and put a comforting hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder.
“Ah know ya need some time, but if ya ever need something. We’re here,” She stated, referring to their friend group. “Ah am here,” She added, which managed to attract Rainbow’s attention back to her. The pegasus looked at the mare’s hoof, then at Applejack herself. She furrowed her brow and violently brushed the hoof off before walking away.
“I don’t need anything. Twilight does,” She declared and left as quickly as she could.
This was as much as she wanted to talk, so Applejack didn’t push it further and let her go. All she hoped now was that Princess Celestia and Luna would find a solution, and if they didn’t… That Rainbow Dash would seek comfort from her friends.