//------------------------------// // A second chance or False hope? // Story: Sunshine and Rainbows // by Saro0fdemonz //------------------------------// Twilight blinked and looked around, Pinkie walking past her, having lightly brushed against her. Her head spun with what had just happened, her eyes quick to scan the area. She looked up to see Rainbow slowly being lowered by the circle of unicorns. The coronation? But this already happened... Most ponies would have been inexplicably confused by what had just happened, but Twilight Sparkle was not most Ponies and her brain quickly threw together an answer. This is a second chance, it has to be. But what caused it? Was it a vision? a dream? me freaking out over things that couldn't possibly happen again? Whatever it is I can't let Rainbow die! As her inner rant ended she realized she was already too late to prevent the events to come, finding Gilda atop rainbow and trying to rip her wings off. "ENOUGH!" she yelled, throwing her magic out as far as it could go, stopping everyone in their tracks. She pushed her way through the ponies as she had done before, pushing Gilda into the guards-ponies grasp and collapsing next to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow..." she said softly. Everything was playing out just as it had in her mind, or vision, or whatever had come to pass. She didn't have time to figure that out right now. She had to warn Rainbow and prevent Gilda's death. She tried to lift her head, tried to speak up, though her body refused to listen and she found herself losing consciousness. "Twi...Twi c'mon get up" Rainbow murmured as she nudged the unicorn. Twilight groggily opened her eyes, her thoughts slow to form. "ugh...my head...RAINBOW! You're wings!" the Alicorn shook her head, a sad smile on her face. "They'll be fine Twi'. You used a lot of magic..." Twilights mind drifted off as Rainbow continued, realizing this had already happened. Everything was repeating itself. Was it going to repeat again if she failed to save Rainbow? Or was this her only freebie? Just the whole scenario made her head hurt. She couldn't piece together any of it. Why was all of this repeating to begin with? Had a future version of herself used some sort of time spell to send her back to this point? That made sense, but wouldn't she remember something like that? Maybe it would be an aftereffect of the spell, but why would she still remember everything happening if that were true? "Rainbow Dash, a Princess of all things. I never thought I would see the day she would become anything more than a rambunctious bundle of bravado, dirt, and pride." "I'm honestly not sure what to think right now. Everything's still spinning..." Twilight put a hoof to her head and blinked as Celestia sat beside her. "Princess Celestia...I..." "Please be silent a moment Twilight" Celestia turned to Rainbow as the mare closed her mouth. Her mind played out the scene in sequence as it had happened before. Would she endanger the time-line if she didn't do it exactly as it had happened before? She would have to make a change at some point if she wished to save Rainbow, but when and where? For now she would play it safe, speaking when she was suppose to, just barely managing a blush and being very careful to make Rainbows wings exactly as she had before. It still hurt to watch her mentor collapse and to watch Rainbows panicked reaction. Again she argued with the guards and was let inside, though instead of sitting opposite Rainbow she sat beside her, keeping a bit of distance between them as the alicorn cried. "Rainbow..." she said softly, gently nuzzling her friends neck. Rainbow sniffed and blushed, returning the gesture. Twilight smiled a little as she pulled away. "She's proud of you, because even when you had almost everything you wanted, when it came down to it, none of that mattered to you. You gave it all up to do what you thought was right and you did an amazing job up there Rainbow." "Really? I can't help but think your just sayin all of that to cheer me up." "Rainbow, how many ponies would just throw away everything like that?" "You?" Rainbow said. Twilight shook her head, she had to do this speech right, she remembered it had really managed to cheer her up. "Rainbow, most of my life was spent here. Of course I'd come back here, Canterlot pretty much is my life besides everything thats happened in Ponyville. But you spent your life in Cloudsdale and then the rest in Ponyville. You were only here for a few years. You were gonna be a Wonderbolt. Dash...there isn't any other pony like you. Shes proud of you because of everything you've done and everything you'll do. Thats what its like being a parent." "How would you know Twi'? Your not even a parent yourself." Twilight laughed a little, she really liked this part, it gave her that strange warm and fuzzy feeling when she thought of it. Her being Spikes mother. "No i'm not. But I've been caring for a child for nearly all my life." She said with a smile. Rainbow blinked and just stared at her confused. "Spike. I hatched him, I cared for him, fed him, raised him." She explained. It was Rainbows turn to laugh. "Heh, I guess you are a mom, in a weird sort of way." Its not all that weird... Twilight mumbled to herself internally "Ha, got ya to laugh." Twilight teased. Rainbow snorted and rolled her eyes. For a while they sat there in silence, watching as Celestia's breathing evened out, her chest rising and falling slowly. "Rainbow look." Twilight pointed a hoof at one of the spots on Celestia's wing. This was her chance to change things, her chance to make Rainbow truly happy. "I know already Twilight..." "No, Look!" Rainbow looked to see the spot was slowly fading away, little by little as time passed. "Does that mean...she's getting better?" here it was, all she had to do was say it and everything would be ok. Wouldn't it? Would hearing that Celestia would live change everything? No...that isn't what sent her over the edge, Gilda's death caused that. I have to keep Gilda from dying, not telling Dash a bunch of half-baked lies. she held back a sigh and gave as honest an answer as she could. "I don't know. Maybe. Whats important is that we are here for her..." Twilight continued on, giving the same lecture on the different races and giggling at Rainbows reactions to each explanation. Though she was surprised as Rainbow stared into her eyes, finding herself drifting toward her and all of her thoughts and worries vanishing as their muzzles met in an inexperienced but passionate first kiss. Though technically its my second... her brain mumbled in the background. Rainbow slowly pulled away, giving Twilight time to regather her very scattered thoughts. "W...Was that what you wanted to say?" she asked quietly. "Somethin like that." "I'm still a little confused..." "Well I could try explaining it again..." Twilight let out a happy sigh as Rainbows wing draped over her. Though her brain was slow to remember what happened next and her reaction was genuine as Luna burst into the room and awoke Celestia. Oh no...not this again...What do I say to her? She's going to ask me what to do...she's going to look to me for help and I have nothing to say to her! She turned to Rainbow, the Alicorn looking back at her. Twilight turned to Celestia for help, for some kind of answer, quickly closing her mouth as she realized Celestia couldn't help her here. "Not you too Twi..." Rainbow said softly, pushing past her. "Rainbow wait!" Twilight tried to chase after her, Luna getting in her way. "Princess I don't have time for this. She needs me!" "Twilight Sparkle..." "'She needs to figure this out on her own', yea yea yea, yada yada, look I've heard that already and its not gonna work!" Twilight quickly teleported away, chasing after Rainbow and leaving a pair of completely confused alicorn's in her wake. "Sister...did she...just predict what I was going to say?" Luna asked as she turned to face her sister. Though the Alicorn only wore a small smile and had no answer. Twilight panted heavily, running down hallway after hallway, her memory a blur as to where Rainbow would be now. She was running out of time, it would only be a few more minutes before Rainbow came running out of...Twilight smacked her forehead and teleported herself outside the Grand Hall just moments after Rainbow's announcement that Gilda was banned from Canterlot. She had to figure out something quickly. Gilda's death was only moments away. She wasn't sure she would get another chance and acting out all of that again would be too exhausting anyway. No, she had to solve this now while she had the chance. But how? Rainbow's hoof settled on Gilda's neck. There was no time left to think, she had to act. She rushed into the Grand Hall and flung herself at Rainbow moments before her hoof crushed the life out of Gilda. The gryphon gasped for air, guards quickly prying Twilight off of Rainbow and holding her in mid-air in their magic. "Wait! You don't understand! I'm trying to help!" she tried to explain. Rainbow stood, looking at Twilight in shock. "You...attacked me?" she asked in disbelief. "No! I didn't mean..." "SILENCE!" A guard shouted at her, his horn glowing brightly. Moments later Twilight Sparkle was unconscious.