//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: The Spell to Happiness // by ScientistTrixie //------------------------------// She pumped her wings as she soared through the sky, her eyes locked on the fleeing pegasus. After flying for several minutes, she watched Dash awkwardly land on a cloud. Twilight landed a few feet away, eager to rush to her lover's side, but didn’t because she was scared that Dash would rebuke her. As Twilight stood in silence, she noticed that the moonlight made Rainbow’s coat glisten. Twilight stood uncertainly, gazing at Dash's back as the pegasus tried to fight back tears. She stepped forward, stretching a wing out to pull Rainbow into her embrace, holding the pegasus tight to her body. Without warning the mare broke down, tears pouring down her muzzle as she threw herself into Twilight's embrace. Twilight tightened her hold on the mare and nuzzled her with her muzzle. Her heart broke as sobs racked her marefriend’s body, her shoulders convulsing as she cried. Twilight rubbed her back, staying silent as she felt her fur being soaked with tears. Twilight stayed still, rubbing her hoof through Dash's fur, her cheek resting against Dash's head. She leaned Dash backwards, resting Rainbow’s head against her chest. Dash buried her head in Twilight’s fur, her bangs covering her eyes as tears slowly trickled down her cheeks, dripping onto their coats. Slowly the mare below her pulled away, still sniffling as she rubbed a hoof across her nose, her eyes refusing to meet Twilight's. “I guess I never told you what happened with my...” She started, blinking in surprise as Twilight put a hoof to her lips. Twilight leaned forward, kissing the mare lovingly on the lips. She stood, ruffling Dash's rainbow mane as she smiled at the mare before her. “We can talk about this later. You have all the time in the world to tell me about that.” Twilight said, smiling as she beckoned with her head. Dash stood, rubbing a few tears out of her eyes. Twilight flapped her wings, rose into the sky and hovered a few feet above Rainbow, a hoof extended to the mare below her. “Let's fly for now.” A phantom smile appeared on Dash's face as the mare nodded. She grabbed Twilight's hoof and threw herself into the sky, pouring her sadness into her flight. Twilight remained hovering for a moment, smiling as Dash flew low circles around her. Without a word the pair flew, not for speed like their races earlier, but for comfort. They drifted slowly, so close at times Twilight could feel the whispering embrace of Dash's feathers lightly brushing her. Twilight smiled as she glanced at Dash, who was gazing at the mare with a steely look. They stared at each other for a few moments before Dash blinked suddenly, looking away as her cheeks burned crimson. Twilight grinned, bumping into Dash as she tilted her wings. Dash looked at her, a smile finally on her face as she flapped her wings, zooming ahead of the unicorn. As Rainbow passed her, she trailed a wing down the mare's back, giggling as Twilight twitched in pleasure. Dash stuck her tongue out at her, shaking her rainbow mane over her shoulder as she did. Twilight darted forward and clipped Dash with her wing as she dove into a cloud. “Catch me if you can!” Twi said, her voice echoing from inside the large cloud. Dash growled lightly and tucked her legs into her body as she shot forward, blindly flying into the cloud. She raced through the white fluff, a purple flash of fur catching her eye. She exploded from the cloud, her eyes darting here and there looking for her marefriend against the dark night. Dash yelled in surprise as Twilight tackled her from behind, sending the pair giggling across the cloud top. They laughed loudly, relaxing against each other. Twilight grinned as she entwined her tail with Dash's, smiling as the purple in her tail almost perfectly matched the purple in Dash's. She leaned against Dash, sighing in happiness as Dash kissed her neck tenderly. She leaned back, letting her head slide into Dash's lap as she snuggled against the warm pegasus's body. Dash looked down, running a hoof through Twilight's mane as she smiled down at her. Twilight closed her eyes, pulling Dash closer to her with her hoof as she snuggled into Dash's side. Twilight laid there for what felt like hours, snuggled up against her marefriend. Dash sighed nervously, her eyes studying the unicorn snuggled against her. “When I was little, just having started flight school, I didn't have any friends.” Dash said, her eyes losing focus as she gazed off into the distance. “Fluttershy was the first friend I'd ever made, and believe it or not, she wasn't always a timid mare like she is now. She used to be a lot more outgoing, and wasn't nearly as afraid to talk to ponies.” She trailed off, her mind drifting through memories. Her hooves tightened unconsciously, gripping at Twilight’s fur weakly. After a few moments, Twilight prodded her and asked, “What happened?” Dash sighed, her eyes focusing on Twilight below her. “I did.” Her eyes glistened as she looked through Twilight, guilt and pain clear in her conflicted expression. Twilight cocked an eye at her, giving the pegasus a confused look as Dash explained. “I've told you about how I got my cutie mark... Well, I never exactly told anypony what happened when I went to make sure Fluttershy was safe on the ground.” She said, a slight blush creeping up on her face. “When I found her, she was surrounded by creatures of all sorts, kinds I hadn't ever seen up close, having lived in Cloudsdale my entire life.” “When I saw that we both had gained our cutie marks on the same day, I guess I got a little carried away... and before I knew it Fluttershy and I were... kissing.” She trailed off as Twilight gasped, a hoof covering her mouth. Dash lifted an eyebrow at her, her head cocking to the side ever so slightly. “Sorry, I just always thought that you and Fluttershy had feelings for each other, and after we got together I just assumed I had been wrong...” She trailed off, red creeping onto her cheeks as Dash smiled at her. “After our kiss, we started dating for a while and during the later years of flight school, we continued seeing each other. She started to come over to my house more and more and... I hadn't told my parents about me being into mares. I just didn't think my dad would take it well...” She trailed off, her eyes glistening as she wiped them with a hoof. “I was right. One day, when my parents were both at work, Fluttershy and I had snuck some of my dad's cider, and before we knew it, we were both drunk... Things went farther than I normally would have allowed, especially not knowing exactly when my parents would be home...” She trailed off as Twilight hugged her. “Kissing?” Twilight said, a weak hope in her chest, which was crushed as Dash shook her head. “Did you..?” Twilight frowned, a strange feeling rising in her chest as Dash nodded her head. “Don't worry Twilight… Things between Fluttershy and I will... we’ll never be anything more than friends now.” She said, trying to reassure Twilight. “And that's when my dad got home.” She said, pausing as Twilight gasped in horror, several facts clicking into place inside the unicorn's head. “He screamed a lot. Called Fluttershy and I a lot of horrible names... He literally threw Fluttershy out of the house.” Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes, trailing down her muzzle where Twi wiped them away. “He disowned me, kicked me out of the house and told me to never come back; that I was never welcome there. My mom just sat there, nodding her head to everything he said... So I just left. For the longest time I slept on whichever cloud I could manage to hide away during the day, only eating what the flight school provided for their daily meals.” Twilight remained silent, her heart breaking as she imagined what Dash went through. “Fluttershy had long since stopped talking to me, and from what I had seen, she'd become even more timid than she is now. But one day, when I was hiding my cloud for the night she found me. She apologized for everything that had happened, and invited me to stay in her dorm with her.” “Why did Fluttershy have a dorm?” Twilight asked, curiosity creeping into her voice unintentionally. Fluttershy had mentioned her dorm days before, but Twilight had always assumed she had meant during her senior year, not before. “Her parents were always away, so she was able to get a dorm room for the upperclassman ahead of time. So we became roommates. It was pretty awkward at first, but eventually we were able to move past it all and become friends again. After school was over, Fluttershy moved to Ponyville to be closer to her animals, so I followed along, staying in her cabin for a few weeks until I was able to snag a job as a weather pony.” “And a few years after that, you came into the picture!” Dash finished her sad tale with a smile, grinning as a huge weight lifted from her shoulders. Twilight remained silent, gazing at the mare beside her. She kissed Dash, and the mare melted into her embrace. “Why did you tell me all this today?” Twilight asked, gazing at the pegasus below her. “It wouldn't have been fair if you had found this out later, and it's all in the past anyways. I'm happy with you Twi; happy enough to try again after the uh... well less than happy end to my last relationship.” She said, sighing as she stretched her wings out behind her. Twilight smiled, nuzzling Dash's cheek. “Thank you for being honest with me. I'm sorry about your dad.” Dash shook her head, waving a hoof at the unicorn. “It's not your fault Twi. I'm sorry I ruined our night with my problems.” She groaned as Twilight prodded her. “The night is still young, Dashie. And I've still got a few hours with these babies.” Twi said, flapping her wings behind her. Dash smiled as she stepped forward, nuzzling Twilight as the pair walked to the edge of the cloud. Together they jumped off, flying into the dark night inches from each other, their feathers brushing each other as they flew. They looped and circled; there bodies gracefully dancing through the brisk night air, their coats glistening in the midnight moon light. The pair turned, growing closer until there were embracing each other as they soared, higher and higher into the sky, the stars growing closer and brighter by the second. Their bellies rubbed together as they pushed higher, the lights of Canterlot and Ponyville visible in the distance. The pair hovered silently, hugging each other above the clouds, the moon glowing in the sky. Twilight leaned forward, happiness pouring into her kiss as she pressed her muzzle against Dash's. The pair gazed at each other, and as if on a silent command, they leaned back, diving into the clouds, intertwining in a beautiful, graceful circle as the earth rushed up to meet them. Twilight screamed in joy, her yell echoing into the darkness as Dash screamed with her. When the pair were feet from the ground they separated, gliding over the green grass of Equestria, their hooves clipping the long grass. They flapped as one, their bodies racing in the direction of Ponyville, the home of the two happy mares.