Chapter eighteen: Closure
The very force of the shout was enough to send Rainbow Dash’s head spinning. For the first time she realized that she had never heard something that loud before. But, it also sent a message that only a scream that loud could send. She flattened her ears back against her skull and grimaced. There was no way for her to tell how many ponies were in the room exactly, but it seemed like there were a lot if they were able to produce a scream that loud. That was more of a curse than a blessing. Here she was, in a room full of so many ponies that pitied her, unable to escape. But something was definitely off with her statement.
She couldn’t sense any pity here. Unfortunately, there was no time to analyze that statement as the ponies began screaming again, a bit louder this time. Then, amidst the screams, she heard light hoofsteps trotting up to her cheerfully. She had no time to guess who it was though, as the pony in front of her did that for her.
“Hi, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie’s voice smiled eagerly. “What do you think?”
Rainbow Dash had to think for a moment. “About what?” she asked blankly.
“About the party!” came Pinkie Pie’s reply.
She should have known.
Rolling her eyes, she moved her head from side to side. There was no real reason for it, it just seemed like the right thing to do at the time.
“I’m sure it’s great, Pinks,” Rainbow Dash nodded. She shook her head as the overwhelmed feeling she had from before evaporated. “Thanks!”
A happy sigh came from in front of her, making Rainbow Dash raise her eyebrow at the sound.
“Wait, who’s all here?” she asked curiously.
“Well, there’s Mr. and Mrs. Cake, Rarity, Twilight, me, Applejack, you, of course, and Fluttershy. Also, Derpy’s here, and Big Macintosh, and Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom, and Scootaloo, Lyra, Bon Bon, Cloud Chaser, Flitter, Snowflake, Thunderlane, Cloud Kicker, and every pony else I could think of!” Pinkie Pie answered excitedly, barely taking a breath in between the names she had just belted out. “Oh! And we got Octavia and Vinyl Scratch all the way over from Canterlot! Isn’t that great?”
A large bubble of curiosity formed in Rainbow Dash’s mind. All of those ponies there for a party for her? But, why? She didn’t quite understand, but that wasn’t to say she wasn’t exactly grateful. Rainbow Dash appreciated all these ponies coming here at her expense, but it still didn’t make too much sense. After all, why would you come to a party celebrating a blind pegasus?
“Umm…thanks, every pony,” she smiled as best she could, tripping over her words at some points. “Really, it means a lot to me.”
“Oh, well it’s no trouble at all,” a masculine voice sounded out. By the sound of the voice, it must have been Mr. Cake. “We’re just glad that you’re feeling better, Rainbow Dash.”
“Eeyup,” she heard Big Macintosh’s voice agree. After that, she felt a huge hoof drape over her shoulder comfortingly.
“Alright, every pony, who’s ready to PARTY!?” Pinkie Pie shouted from right beside her. A resounding shout of excitement and agreement echoed through her eardrums. It seemed like things were about to get interesting.
She felt Twilight come even closer to her. In response, she folded her wing around Twilight’s back. Rainbow Dash couldn’t stop smiling when Pinkie Pie shouted at the DJ, most likely Vinyl Scratch, to crank up the music, and a burst of loud sound waves hit her ears. Every pony around her began to move away, thankfully. She was getting more than anxious surrounded by ponies she couldn’t see. And speaking of not seeing, it was a different experience being at a party but not being able to see anything that was happening. She had been to many parties in her lifetime, but this one was a different pill to swallow. However, with Twilight leading her way, it wasn’t so bad. She barely even ran into anything as an extra bonus. But there were still times when she had to hop around some pony or something that happened to be in her way. There were also times when her ears felt like they were going to explode. To some pony around her, the music probably wouldn’t be that loud, but to her and her enhanced hearing, it felt like some pony was taking a brick and smashing it against her head relentlessly.
However, even with the loud music and the constant obstacles that would fly into her way every few seconds, it was a pretty awesome party. For the first time in a few weeks, she was able to fit in. Nopony saw her as a blind cripple who should be pitied, they saw her just as she was before. Confident, competitive, cool Rainbow Dash. That was more than she could have asked for. Still, she knew that there would be so many ponies who didn’t see her as any of those things, but she had a feeling that she could handle it. If not, then what was a little butt kicking?
Throughout each moment of the party, she could feel Twilight right beside her. She could feel the unicorn’s warmth and she could feel the unicorn’s heartbeat. That heartbeat soothed her in an incredibly ridiculous way. As each beat pounded against her, she tried to match her heartbeat with Twilight’s. It was something to do and it was a challenge. And Rainbow Dash never backed down from a challenge.
“What are you doing?”
She shook her head and looked over to her right. Where Twilight was. That was weird, weren’t she and Applejack just talking?
“N-nothing,” she answered breezily, blowing her bangs out of her face and turning away. She felt Twilight shrug her shoulders and resume talking to Applejack.
Suddenly, she heard an unexpected voice from right beside her.
“Hello, Rainbow Dash. Wonderful party we’re having,” Rarity said right in her ear.
She bit down a cry of surprise and breathed deeply. There was no way she would admit it, but that scared her a whole lot more than she thought it would.
“Yeah,” she chuckled nervously, furrowing her eyebrow. “Sure is.”
“Are you alright, dear?” The tone of voice Rarity was using changed drastically. “You look a bit…flustered.”
“Flustered?” Rainbow Dash echoed. Her heart began racing. “What do ya mean? I ain’t flustered, I’m completely cool.” She crossed her front hoof in front of the other and pointed her nose up for reassurance. Then again, who was it that she was trying to reassure?
“I’m sure,” Rarity sighed. “Twilight?”
Wait.
“Do you think I could steal Rainbow away for just a few moments?” Rarity asked sweetly. “I just wanted to ask her something I forgot about earlier.”
What was she doing? Rainbow Dash was about protest, when Twilight answered for her.
“Oh, sure, Rarity,” the unicorn nodded, stepping away from Rainbow Dash. The warmth that had once been there vanished in an instant, leaving the pegasus feeling empty. She was about to move back to Twilight when Rarity slipped in beside her. Rainbow Dash groaned and let the unicorn lead her to somewhere in the upstairs level of Sugarcube Corner. She wasn’t exactly sure where they were, but it was certainly quieter.
“What do you want, Rarity?” Rainbow Dash snapped, stepping out from Rarity’s grasp and standing, hopefully, in front of her.
“Umm, I’m over here, darling,” Rarity’s confused voice told her.
Darn it.
She quickly turned around and repeated her sentence without hesitation.
“Well, Rainbow Dash, I was just wondering if something was happening between you and Twilight,” Rarity asked concernedly albeit knowingly.
Rainbow Dash felt her heart stop for a moment. What did Rarity mean by that? What did Rarity see between them? And why was she poking around in business that wasn’t meant to be poked around in? Before she even thought about what she was doing, she was in Rarity’s face accusingly and backing the unicorn up against a wall.
“What about it?” she growled. “So what if I…” She stopped herself suddenly. Rainbow Dash backed away and flopped down on her haunches in shame. Even from her position she could feel Rarity’s scrutinizing glare staring her down. “Uhh, sorry, Rarity,” she apologized quickly.
“It’s fine, darling,” Rarity answered wearily. “Just don’t do that again, please. It’s ruining my…” The unicorn trailed off once she saw that Rainbow Dash clearly didn’t care about how hot air ruined her complexion or anything of the sort. “Right…so, I suppose you’re wondering why I brought you here, yes?” she asked after a long pause.
“Duh,” Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes impatiently.
Rarity followed suite. “Yes, well, I was just wondering how things were going between you and Twilight,” the unicorn said, genuinely curious. But, there was a knowing little tone the lay underneath that Rainbow Dash didn’t exactly like. “You two seemed to have… bonded over the last few weeks, yes?”
“Yeah, what of it?” Rainbow Dash asked suspiciously.
“And I was just wondering what you think about her,” the unicorn said sweetly. A little too sweetly, if you happened to ask Rainbow Dash.
“What I think…hey, that’s none of your business!” Rainbow Dash retorted getting up and pointing her nose high into the air. “And what the hay were you trying to do back there?”
Rarity seemed confused, as any pony would be in her situation. “Back there? I’m not sure I quite understand what you’re trying to say Rainbow Dash.”
“You know, back there when you stuck your nose into me and Fluttershy’s business. When the hay did you get the right to do that? And you know what? Maybe I don’t WANT to make up with Fluttershy, ever think of that?” Rainbow Dash accused, turning away from Rarity once again. She could hear little gasps coming from the unicorn. It gave her a small sense of satisfaction that she had taken her friend by surprise. After all, it served her right.
“Now, Rainbow,” Rarity gasped out, hardly daring to believe what she was hearing. “Surely you don’t mean that.”
“Maybe I do,” Rainbow Dash answered. Then, her composure broke and she felt her rigid shoulders deflate. “Maybe…I…I just don’t know, Rarity. I really don’t. Things have been really weird lately.” She heard a chuckle from before behind her and some hoofsteps. After that a soft hoof touched her shoulder.
“I know, Rainbow,” Rarity nodded as she sat down beside her blind friend. “And I’m sorry that I looked into something that shouldn’t have been looked into. I knew that it wasn’t my business, but I suppose that I was just trying to help Fluttershy.”
Rainbow Dash smiled bitterly. She snorted and tossed her head up into the air.
“Of course you were,” she muttered under her breath.
“What was that?” Rarity asked.
“It’s just…it’s always Fluttershy that needs help,” Rainbow Dash complained weakly. “ It’s always, ‘Fluttershy was so sad’ and ‘Fluttershy’s so helpless’ and ‘come on guys, we need to help Fluttershy!’. I’m just getting tired of hearing that.” The pegasus put her head in her front hooves and stared at the floor, gritting her teeth. “I know I’m being a little harsh, but that’s really what got us into this mess in the first place; Fluttershy not being able to help herself.”
Rarity nodded in spite of herself. As much as she thought she was in the right in this situation, she was beginning to see some of the other matters that were at hoof here, some of which were more important than others.
“Yes, I see that now, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity chuckled. “Thank you.”
“No problem.”
“Now, shall we return to our original topic?” Rarity suggested.
“Our original topic of what now?” Rainbow Dash didn’t seem to follow.
“You know…you and Twilight…” Rarity prompted gently.
Now the pegasus caught on. Even so, she didn’t really want to answer the question. It just seemed much too personal for any pony’s ears to hear. What she thought about Twilight was her business and her business alone. At first, she was inclined to tell Rarity to bug off and leave her alone, but she didn’t. There was no logical explanation as to why, but she just didn’t. There was something inside her nagging her to tell some pony about this, telling her that if she told some pony, then things would get a lot easier. One thing was for certain, she wasn’t sure how she felt about Twilight, but it was definitely more than friendship. Or at least, she wanted it to be. She wasn’t sure how her friend felt, but she sure hoped that Twilight felt the same way. But Rarity didn’t need to know that, and neither did any pony else. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath before tilting her head in Rarity’s direction.
“What do ya want to know?” she asked hesitantly.
“Well, do you feel something for her?” Rarity asked again.
“Nope! Not at all. I TOTALLY don’t feel anything for that egghead,” the pegasus said in one last attempt to assure Rarity that nothing was happening.
“You’re blushing, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity told her.
Her eyes widened and she buried her face with her hooves. Any hope of her concealing this was just thrown out the window.
“Fine! I like her! A lot!” she admitted shamefully. “I’m so confused, Rarity,” she said from in between her two front hooves. “I mean, she’s my friend and all, but I want to be more than that. It’s just really confusing. I’m always thinking about her and she’s helped me through this, and I…”
“Tell me,” Rarity shushed her in the middle of her sentence. “Do you feel this way because she helped you?” That question was certainly unexpected.
“What do you mean?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Since she helped you cope with being blind, are you developing these feeling because of what she did, or is there something else that makes you feel this way?” Rarity questioned.
For a moment, she couldn’t respond. That question made her think much more than she would like to.
“Well, I guess that’s part of it…” Rainbow Dash began, scrunching up her face and beginning to set her mind into overdrive. “But, I don’t know. There’s a lot more to it than just that. Twilight’s…really cool. She’s smart and funny, sometimes, and she’s really nice, you know? I’m not sure where I would be without her, and I want to make it up to her somehow. But, I don’t know…and I’m rambling, aren’t I?” Rainbow Dash laughed, looking up at the unicorn.
“Not at all,” Rarity assured kindly. “Please continue.”
“Great,” Rainbow Dash nodded. “Well, and then she’s really pretty, from what I remember anyways, and everything about her is just totally awesome.” She paused, thinking over what she should say next. “Now that I think about it, I’ve felt that way about her for a while now, I’ve just never really noticed until now. Does that make any sense?”
A quiet chuckle came out from Rarity’s mouth. “Yes it does, Rainbow,” the alabaster unicorn smiled. “And I do believe I know what the problem is.”
“You do?” Rainbow Dash asked curiously.
“I do,” Rarity repeated. After a long tension filled pause, she finally admitted, “It is in my professional opinion that you have a crush on Twilight Sparkle,” she said, barely pausing to take a breath.
Rainbow Dash smirked and her head flopped to the ground. She wasn’t sure what made it do that. It was either shame or embarrassment. She, the fastest and awesomest pony in Equestria, had a crush on Twilight, the biggest egghead in history? That was the stupidest thing she had ever heard. So what if Twilight was nice and sweet and totally awesome, she was an egghead! There was no way she had a crush on an egghead. But…she was beginning to believe that her statement might not be true.
“That’s stupid,” Rainbow Dash said defensively. “I don’t have a crush on Twilight.”
“You’re still blushing.”
“Will you stop that?”
“Fine, I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said. She scooted closer to the pegasus. “I’m just trying to help you.”
“Yeah, I know,” the pegasus sighed. “I’m just so…confused.”
“I think we all are in our own small way,” Rarity agreed. The tone of voice was laid back and thoughtful. In a strange way, it calmed Rainbow Dash in the midst of the loud music that drifted into her eardrums from downstairs. However, the next question Rarity asked of her was like she just dropped a bomb on the pegasus. “Now, why don’t you tell her what you just told me?”
“Are you crazy!?” Rainbow Dash accused, her wings popping up from their resting places. “What do expect me to do? Waltz right up to her and say, “Oh, hey, Twilight, I have a huge crush on you. Let’s make out!” Do you know how weird that would be?”
Rarity seemed taken aback. “Well, that’s not exactly how I meant for that to be taken, I just…”
“No, I’m not doing that! I want her to keep being my friend, not scare her out of it!” Rainbow Dash protested, shaking her head and trying to fight the blush that was steadily rising to her cheeks. It was actually a lie, most of it anyway. She wanted to tell Twilight how she felt, and she wanted Twilight to return those feelings. But, there was no way she was risking her friendship for some stupid crush.
“I understand,” Rarity submitted. “But who knows? Maybe Twilight feels the same way about you?”
That got Rainbow Dash’s undivided attention. “You think so?” she asked hopefully.
“There’s only one way to find out,” Rarity said encouragingly.
It was a good suggestion, but her attention was then returned to a long overdue errand that she needed done.
“…maybe later,” Rainbow Dash said absentmindedly. “There’s some things I have to do first.” Like having a long-needed chat with her number one fan. She began to stand up. It was weird not having Twilight right beside her wherever she went, but at least Rarity was a good substitute. She curled her wing over the unicorn’s back and they both walked back to the party, which was still in full swing.
“Rainbow Dash! There you are!” called the only voice that was able to send her head into a tizzy. “ I was wondering when you two would get back.” Rainbow Dash felt the unicorn slide around to her unoccupied side. The pegasus let go of Rarity and curled her other wing around Twilight.
“Indeed. Thank you for letting me borrow her; it’s been so long since we talked,” Rarity laughed. “Well, I’m off to talk to Applejack. Ta!” With that and some delicate hoofsteps, Rarity was gone.
“So, what did you two talk about?” Twilight asked unexpectedly.
“Uhh, what?” It took Rainbow Dash a few moments to find her voice. “Oh! We, uh, talked about…stuff?”
“Stuff,” Twilight repeated in an unamused fashion.
“Yeah, stuff. Can we, uh, go see Scootaloo?” Rainbow Dash asked, trying to get Twilight off the subject. Luckily, it seemed to do the trick. “I still need to talk to her.”
“Oh, sure,” Twilight agreed brightly. She walked forwards and Rainbow Dash followed obediently, albeit a little nervously. Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure what to think as she felt herself getting closer and closer to the filly. There was no way for her to know what Scootaloo thought of her now, or if she even knew that her idol was blind. That was, if she was still the filly’s idol. She gulped at the prospect of losing her biggest fan. It wouldn’t be the first time, but she certainly hated the idea as if it was. Suddenly, Twilight stopped. Rainbow Dash stopped too.
“I’ll go find her,” Twilight said suddenly. Rainbow Dash felt the unicorn slip away from her again. The subtle hoofsteps were fading and all she could hear were the small waves of electronic music. It may have been distracting to some, but for her it was a good way to concentrate, and to keep her mind off some certain things. She really had no idea what was going to happen next between her and Scootaloo. But, she couldn’t analyze it any further when a huge block flew into her and knocked her to the ground.
“Rainbow Dash, there you are! I was so worried that I would never ever see you again!” a filly’s voice wailed right in her ear. “You were gone for so long!”
She shook her head and sat up, and the block begrudgingly moved with her. Rainbow Dash felt a hoof grab onto her and pull her close. Then, she had no doubt as to who this was.
“Hey, Scoots,” she greeted. “That you?”
The filly sounded rather surprised. Rainbow Dash didn’t blame her for that. “Yeah, I’m right in front of you. ‘Course it’s me.”
Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but chuckle at Scootaloo’s outburst. Unfortunately for her, Scootaloo heard this.
“What’s so funny?” Scootaloo pouted. Rainbow Dash could just imagine the look on her face right now. But, this wasn’t all fun and games, she had to remind herself of that. Once she told Scootaloo about this, then there was no doubt that the mood in the room would change drastically.
“Wait, can you see me?” Scootaloo asked cautiously.
Rainbow Dash sighed and took a deep breath. “No, I can’t see you. Sorry, Scoots,” she said. Well, that was one way to break the news.
“...then…then it’s true?” Scootaloo gasped quietly. “You’re blind, or whatever it’s called?” Rainbow Dash swore that she had never heard more crushed dreams in a sentence than what had just come out of Scootaloo’s mouth.
“Yeah, I’m blind,” Rainbow Dash nodded. Just thinking about what might happen next made her nervous. She heard Scootaloo try to say something, but more often than not she just heard sniffles coming from her number one fan. What was happening? “Scoots? You okay?” she asked hesitantly, moving a bit closer to the filly. Surprisingly, Scootaloo moved away.
“But…but, how can you be…blind?” Scootaloo asked numbly. “You can’t be. There’s no way! You’re too awesome to be blind! How are you going to fly? How are you going…how are you going to…” The orange filly trailed off in disbelief. The news was a hard pill to swallow, and she really had no idea what to think. Scootaloo had heard rumors around town about this, but she never suspected it to be true. Even when she asked her parents and they told her that it was true, she still refused to believe it. After all, how could Rainbow Dash be blind? She was way too cool for that!
“This has to be some prank, right?” Scootaloo gasped out helplessly. “You’re joking? You’ve got to be joking…”
“Sorry, squirt. It’s not a prank,” Rainbow Dash answered sadly. She expected some reaction out of Scootaloo, but this went way beyond that. The filly was straight up denying what had just been said to her face by Rainbow Dash herself. It made Rainbow Dash feel…weird. She couldn’t exactly explain it, but it felt like a mix of pity and empathy. She could identify with how the filly was feeling right now. She’d been in denial too for a little while, but Scootaloo was taking it much farther than she ever did.
“...” Scootaloo had been silent for a while, but Rainbow Dash could hear the muffled cries coming from her mouth. She wanted to say something, but she just wasn’t good at this. Situations where she had to be comforting made her feel really awkward more often than not. There was no way for her to know what to do, and everything she thought of would probably sound really stupid to both of them. Still, there was harm in trying, she thought as she opened her mouth to speak. Fortunately, Scootaloo did that for her.
“Can you still fly?” Scootaloo asked quietly.
“Yep,” Rainbow Dash answered. “I can still fly.”
“Without any help?” Scootaloo wondered out loud. She sounded astonished for some reason. Rainbow Dash shrugged inwardly, there was no point in ruining that.
“Uh-huh. Although, I did get a teeny bit of help from a few ponies.” She could have sworn she heard chuckling from behind her. “But when I was in the air, it was all me.”
“Really? I thought that blind ponies needed help with everything,” Scootaloo said curiously. Even though she was sure it was supposed to, the statement stung Rainbow Dash in a way that she couldn’t quite describe.
“That’s not true,” Rainbow Dash said quickly, and perhaps a bit too harshly. “Sure, I need help with a lot of things, but there are things I can do by myself too. Just because I can’t see doesn’t mean that I’m totally helpless.”
“I guess not…” There was some optimism in the young filly’s voice. It was a start, Rainbow Dash thought hopefully.
“But, what happened to you? And why didn’t you come find me? I could have been a big help! And I was really worried when I didn’t see you in like, forever!” Scootaloo complained loudly, her tiny wings flapping in frustration.
“I’m sure that you’re a very big help, squirt,” the pegasus assured carefully. “There were just some…things I needed to do first, that’s all. Look, I’m really sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner. I was just…you want to know a secret?” she asked quietly.
Scootaloo seemed to perk up a bit more. “What?”
“First, is there any pony around?” Rainbow Dash questioned. After a few moments, Rainbow Dash heard Scootaloo mumble, ‘no’. “Awesome. When I first found out that I was…well, blind, I was really scared, and…really angry.”
“You were scared?” Scootaloo echoed. “I know you’ve been scared before, but I…”
“Yeah, I was scared. You know why I was scared? Because I didn’t know what to do anymore. It was like, I thought my whole life was over, you know? That was it. My life was ruined, and I didn’t know how to handle it. So I got angry. When ponies get scared, they tend to take their fears out on other ponies, even when those ponies don’t deserve it…and I did that. I took my fears out on some ponies that didn’t deserve any of that. And I regret it. But, you know what that taught me?” Rainbow Dash asked as the small filly leaned closer.
“What?” Scootaloo asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Rainbow Dash paused for a moment, tilting her head back and letting her unseeing eyes stare at the ceiling. “It taught me many things, but it taught me that you have to take responsibility, and you can’t just blame bad stuff on other ponies; you have to take on some of that blame too. And just because you can’t do something other ponies can doesn’t mean that you’re helpless. You know what? I can do a lot of things other ponies can’t. And I’m still the coolest pony in Equestria.”
“I know that!” Scootaloo nodded supportively. “And what can you do that other ponies can’t?”
“I can sure hear a lot better, and I can read braille too. Not a lot of ponies can say they can do that,” Rainbow Dash said as an example. “You don’t need to see everything, kid.”
“I guess…” Scootaloo replied hesitantly. After that, the pair of pegasi were silent for a while, and neither of them dared to break it. Except for that one sentence. “Rainbow Dash?”
“Yeah, squirt?”
“Even though you’re blind, and you’ll probably be with Twilight or whoever most of the time…will you still…be my big sister?”
That question caught Rainbow Dash off guard. There was a longing pain in the filly’s voice that Rainbow Dash had heard somewhere before, however she couldn’t exactly remember where. Without a second thought, she scooped the filly up into her front legs and held her close to her chest. Scootaloo let out a surprised gasp, but quickly hugged the elder pegasus back. They sat there, holding each other in a comforting embrace, for who knew how long. The concept of time quickly drifted away from them. All that mattered was each other. It was funny, Rainbow Dash laughed inwardly as she held her ‘little sister’ tightly. Before she wouldn’t have been caught dead doing any of this mushy junk, but now she didn’t mind it so much. It was even a little…nice to be held by someone who cared for her so much. She had sure changed in such a short time span. But, maybe her eyes had gotten in the way of that.
“Yeah, squirt,” she whispered into the filly’s ear, answering her earlier question. “I will.”
Scootaloo said nothing, but responded by hugging Rainbow Dash tighter.
A little while later, Scootaloo found herself reluctantly squirming out of the tight hug. Rainbow Dash reluctantly let go as well. As much as they didn’t want the moment to end, there were still things that needed to be done by the both of them. But it certainly felt better to get this off their chests.
“I’m gonna go catch up with Applebloom and Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo said quickly. She gave Rainbow Dash one last hug before speeding off. “Bye, Rainbow Dash!”
“See ya, kid,” Rainbow Dash laughed as the filly zoomed off. She was about to call for Twilight when she was interrupted.
“Well, wasn’t that heartwarming,” Twilight giggled from somewhere behind her.
“Don’t tell me you were watching that,” Rainbow Dash sighed wearily, turning around.
“Maybe just a little,” Twilight smiled.
“How much did you see?” Rainbow Dash asked, just for the heck of it.
“Maybe just the end of it,” Twilight answered jokingly. “Or was it three quarters of it?”
Rainbow Dash grimaced. That little traitor…
Wasting no more of their valuable time, the unicorn came over to her quickly, much to Rainbow Dash’s pleasure, and the pegasus lifted a wing around Twilight and pulled her close. She missed Twilight, even though she knew it sounded horribly clichéd and cheesy. But, at this point in time, she could care less. No pony was there to barge in on them, they were just alone. Then, Rarity’s little conversation came back to her.
“Why don’t you tell her?” she could hear Rarity say right in her ear. There was nothing to stop her, and it would probably feel really good to get this off her chest. Taking a deep breath, she began to speak. “Umm…Twilight?” she asked cautiously, but perhaps a little too quietly.
“Oh, Rainbow Dash, I just remembered that Fluttershy said she wanted to talk to you,” Twilight said.
Rainbow Dash felt herself deflate. Why did this have to come up again? She just didn’t want to deal with this. Now if the rest of her friends could only understand that. However, she knew that this needed to be dealt with whether she wanted to or not. Otherwise this whole thing could turn into something so much bigger, and so much more unwanted.
“Really?” Rainbow Dash spat out, groaning internally. “When did she tell you this?”
“Just a few minutes ago,” Twilight answered as Rainbow Dash clung onto her. The two walked back downstairs and into, what Rainbow Dash presumed, another room. The room was quiet, a little too quiet. But, that was broken when Twilight spoke again.
“You know, I really appreciate you doing this,” Twilight said to her as they walked. “It means a lot to all of us.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Rainbow Dash sighed. “I’m really just doing this for closure, and to get you lot off my case.”
“I understand.” Twilight sounded disappointed. That was a bit disheartening, Rainbow Dash thought to herself as she felt herself getting closer and closer to where Fluttershy was. This was certainly not a reunion she was going to be looking forward to. “But, do you know what you’re going to say to her?”
“…not really,” Rainbow Dash choked out bitterly. She could think of a million or so places that she would rather be than here, and she was beginning to protest against this, but it was much too late for that. There was another pony in the room they were in, she could feel it, and the tension was so thick Pinkie Pie could probably cut a square out of it and then say they were cupcakes.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll think of something. Good luck,” Twilight said encouragingly. With a soft nuzzle and a few quiet words of support, Twilight quickly trotted out of the room. It seemed that she wasn’t the only pony who wanted to escape the tension.
After Twilight left, the room suddenly fell silent, and Rainbow Dash didn’t like it.
“Hello?” she called out. “Is any pony there?”
“Yes, I-I’m here.”
She could have sworn that she had done this sometime before today. Even though she had only done it once, she was more than sick of it. The voice was just in front of her, making her inch away slowly. Rainbow Dash still had no desire to have any chats with Fluttershy or whatever it was that her friends wanted them to do. But, with no distractions and nothing to separate the two, it looked like this was exactly what they were going to do.
“That you, Fluttershy?” she asked reluctantly into the darkness.
“Umm…yes,” Fluttershy’s quiet voice answered quietly. Suddenly, she felt a wing wrap around her hesitantly. At first she shied away from the touch, but then she reluctantly accepted it. She still needed to move around, after all, even if that mobility was from some pony who she didn’t want anything to do with. Begrudgingly, Rainbow Dash let Fluttershy lead her to what seemed to be a couch. The two hopped onto it.
“So…Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy began.
“What?” the pegasus answered coldly, not even turning her head in Fluttershy’s direction.
“Umm…I really liked your flying back there,” Fluttershy told her. “That was really…umm, nice.”
As much as Rainbow Dash loved getting compliments, something about getting them from Fluttershy left her with an unsatisfying feeling in the pit of her stomach. She grumbled and coughed out a ‘thanks’. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough for Fluttershy.
“Rainbow Dash, I’m…”
“You’re what?” Rainbow Dash repeated.
“I…” Fluttershy fell silent for more than a few seconds. Then, all she blurted out was, “I’m really sorry that this happened.”
That was it? She was sorry? Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped. So what if she was sorry? Sorry couldn’t turn back time, and sorry couldn’t make her see again. She heard sincerity in Fluttershy’s voice, but that just wasn’t enough for her. Rainbow Dash knew that time couldn’t be altered, and there was no chance at her getting her sight back, but she didn’t know if Fluttershy did. Did she really expect that if she said sorry everything would go away and things would go back to normal?
“Is that all?” Rainbow Dash asked, biting her lip to keep things that she would probably regret later in.
“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked worriedly.
“So, you come up to me after you basically ruined my life, say sorry, and expect that to be the end of it?” Rainbow Dash spat, her wings popping up in anger. To her sadistic satisfaction, the unexpected display of rage got a start out of Fluttershy.
“Well, umm, I suppose I…” Fluttershy began, but she was unfortunately cut off by an enraged Rainbow Dash. “I suppose I did,” she finished shamefully.
That was it. She got off the couch in one angry leap and pushed her nose up against Fluttershy’s in rage.
“It doesn’t work like that, Fluttershy! I’m blind now! I can’t see and I’m never going to be able to see again! And it’s all because you were too much of a coward to move when that bucking dragon came!” Rainbow Dash snapped, getting right up in Fluttershy’s face. She could feel the ragged breaths coming from Fluttershy’s mouth, and she could feel the salty tears running down the other pegasus’ face as well. Frankly, she didn’t care. Not after all the pain she had to go through. “Do you have any idea how it feels when you’re the pity party of the entire town? No pony cares about what you were, all any pony cares about is what you are now, and because you blinded me, I’m nothing but a cripple! I can barely do anything by myself! Do you know how that feels, huh? Do you?!”
Fluttershy said nothing. But that didn’t mean that Rainbow Dash couldn’t hear the muffled sobs coming from the pegasus. For a moment all of that unbridled fury disappeared. Deep down, she didn’t want to make Fluttershy cry, but all of the emotions that had been piling up against Fluttershy came bubbling up to the surface and Rainbow Dash could no longer holder them back. Then, the rage came back as Fluttershy spoke again.
“Yes. I suppose I did wish…for something like that to happen,” Fluttershy admitted sheepishly, her voice overflowing with shame. “But, now I know that it can’t happen. You’re right, Rainbow Dash, I am a coward, and I try not to be, but…I just can’t.” To the yellow mare’s credit, Rainbow Dash stepped back and allowed her the space necessary to breath.
“I know that I should have moved, and I know this is all my fault,” Fluttershy cried out. “I was just so scared and I’m so sorry, Rainbow Dash! I know that probably doesn’t mean anything to you right now. I wish it did. I really do, but it doesn’t! And I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash! I’m so sorry…”
By the end of all that, Fluttershy had reduced to nothing but a sobbing husk. The heaves that came out of her mouth sounded so sad to Rainbow Dash. The quiet rage she had felt before leaked away slowly when she heard her oldest friend start sobbing. Ever the loyal one, she carefully picked her way over to where the sobbing pegasus lay and tapped her on the shoulder. She expected a reaction from the other pegasus, she just didn’t expect THIS kind of reaction. And, as crazy as it sounded, she felt guilty that she was the pony who caused it.
Without hesitation, Fluttershy pulled Rainbow Dash into her front hooves and sobbed into her shoulder. Rainbow Dash’s dull eyes widened as she felt the tears wet her fear. The raw emotion Fluttershy was pouring onto her was overwhelming, to say the least. She heard muffled cries and begs for forgiveness in between Fluttershy’s massive sobs. In truth, the situation was difficult for her to put together. It was more like a big blur than anything else. However, one element stood out in her mind.
Fluttershy was still her friend, even if she wasn’t ready to forgive her just yet. And right now, her friend needed comforting.
Slowly and hesitantly, she reached her front hooves out and wrapped them around Fluttershy’s midsection carefully. She felt tears begin to prick at the edges of her own eyes as she held her sobbing friend. But she held them back. She wouldn’t cry now. She still needed to keep up the image she had tried so desperately to reconstruct.
They stayed like that, and no pony interrupted them, thank Celestia. The room they were in must have had a door, and that door must have been closed. Or maybe soundproof. There was really no way for the cerulean pegasus to know for certain. But, it was definitely a good thing, for what pony would to see this scene? Two pegasi holding each other while one sobbed? As Pinkie Pie would say, boring! Still, even if it was somewhat boring for Rainbow Dash, it was still comforting, and provided her with what she needed. Closure. She was sure that Fluttershy thought of it differently, but to her it was just closure. She had talked to Fluttershy about this, and, with a bit of screaming and yelling, somewhat resolved it. Granted, it would take time for her to fully forgive Fluttershy. But she had a feeling that they could make it work.
Suddenly, and all too soon, she felt Fluttershy unwrap from her grasp. Rainbow Dash backed up a little to allow room for the pegasus to stand up.
“Thank you,” Fluttershy said, her voice still heavy from her earlier sobs.
Rainbow Dash smiled. “No problem.” Then, her tone got serious. “Fluttershy, I want you to know that we’re still friends, okay?”
There was no doubting what Fluttershy was feeling after she said that. Relief, optimism, joy, hope. It pained Rainbow Dash to put a damper on such happiness.
“But,” she began hesitantly.
“But?” Fluttershy echoed.
“But, I don’t think I’m ready to forgive you for what happened,” Rainbow Dash sighed.
“Oh…” She could just imagine the crestfallen look on Fluttershy’s face. Rainbow Dash could never stand it when the yellow pegasus was sad or upset, and no matter how mad she was with her, that would never change.
“Hey, cheer up, Fluttershy,” she said, inching closer to the disappointed pegasus. “Don’t cry again, please?”
“You’re right…” Fluttershy nodded glumly. “Thank you again, Rainbow Dash…I’m really glad you're my friend.”
Rainbow Dash smirked. “Yeah, I know,” she answered breezily. But, even though she brushed the comment off like it was nothing, she was glad that Fluttershy was so willing to still give their friendship another chance, even if she wasn’t. “Hey, do you want to get back to the party? It’ll be over if we stay down here any longer.”
“S-sure,” Fluttershy answered reluctantly. Rainbow Dash heard some little shuffles and gasped as she felt her pegasus friend lay a wing on her back. It was weird for her not to spread her wings when some pony was leading her around, but she would cope with it. It was really only for a short while, after all. Soon, the music was steadily getting louder as they walked forward. When they finally reached the main room of Sugarcube Corner, Rainbow Dash heard some pony call her name.
“There you are, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. She felt the pink pony embrace her tightly, taking her out of Fluttershy’s wing in one fell swoop. “I missed you!”
Rainbow Dash chuckled as Pinkie Pie squeezed her relentlessly. “Yeah…missed you too, Pinkie. How’s the party going?” the pegasus asked when Pinkie Pie finally let her go.
“It’s totally great! But you’re missing all the fun! Come on!” Pinkie Pie laughed, about to grab her hoof, but she was stopped by Fluttershy.
“Umm, Pinkie, I think it might be best if I lead her,” Fluttershy said, quickly scooping Rainbow Dash up in her wing once again.
“Oh, sure. That’s fine,” Pinkie Pie smiled.
Then they were off. Rainbow Dash listened to the happy chatter of various ponies as they walked, and acknowledged each of the ponies who said hello to her. As happy as she was to be the center of attention again, it was a new experience for her to have ponies gathered around her and not tell her that she was awesome every two seconds. But, at least it wasn’t a pity party like before.
By the end of the whole thing, Rainbow Dash had a complete and utter good time. She was so happy that she was surrounded by ponies who loved and supported her completely. Still, there were a few times in the night when she slipped up and made it look like she was helpless, but Twilight and the rest of her friends helped catch her when she did. Overall, it was one of the best parties she had been to in a while, and best of all, it was for her. That simple fact made it all the more enjoyable.
One by one, the ponies began leaving, but not without bidding Rainbow Dash goodnight and good luck before they did. She, in turn, thanked them for coming as well. In the span of just ten short minutes, she, her friends, and the cakes were the only ponies left. However, the cakes were upstairs putting their two foals to bed. So, that just left the six mares.
“Well, Ah think it’s about Ah hit the hay,” Applejack told them, a wide yawn dominating most of her face. “That was sure a great party, Pinkie.”
“Thanks, AJ!” Pinkie Pie acknowledged brightly.
The farm pony nodded, then took one last look at her friends before turning around and walking out the door. “Bye, gals!” she called over her shoulder.
They all waved goodbye as well. The others soon followed Applejack’s example. Once it was their turn to leave, right after Rarity and Fluttershy had said goodbye, Rainbow Dash leaned against Twilight as they began walking towards the door.
“Bye, Dashie,” Pinkie Pie said suddenly. “I’m really glad you came.”
Rainbow Dash chuckled nonchalantly. “No problem, Pinks,” she shrugged. “I really enjoyed it.” The smile on Pinkie Pie’s face must have been huge.
“Yes, thank you again, Pinkie,” Twilight said. All too suddenly, she began tugging the pegasus towards the door, but Rainbow Dash was happy to oblige. “We’re off too. Good night, Pinkie.”
“Night!” Pinkie Pie called out to the pair. “Don’t let the parasprites bite!”
There was a door slam soon after, and Pinkie Pie’s cheerful voice faded into the night.
As Twilight led her to their home, Rainbow Dash could feel herself becoming increasingly nervous. As much as she wanted to get home, she also wanted to tell Twilight how she felt, but she couldn’t seem get the words out. That wasn’t to say she didn’t try though. In fact, she had tried many times in the walk home, but every single attempt resulted in a constricted throat and Twilight asking her if she was okay, to which she would always respond with a choked ‘yes’. She cursed herself inwardly for being unable to utter a simple sentence.
“Well, we’re here,” Twilight said suddenly. “Home sweet home.”
“Already?” Rainbow Dash asked absentmindedly.
Twilight took that as something to be laughed at. The unicorn giggled for a few moments, then she led Rainbow Dash inside. Rainbow Dash kept her wing folded over Twilight’s back as the pair walked up the stairs into Rainbow Dash’s bedroom. The small trek was silent and nerve-wracking for Rainbow Dash, who wanted desperately to break the silence. There had just been too much of that for her lately. She was going to break it, she told herself, but that was much easier said than done. Luckily, Twilight broke it for her as the pegasus hopped onto her bed.
“That was a great party; Pinkie Pie really outdid herself on this one,” Twilight commented breezily as she joined Rainbow Dash up on the bed. “Don’t you think?”
“Yeah. I swear that she put something in the punch though,” the pegasus laughed, leaning her head back against the wall.
“Now that you mention it, the punch did have a weird after taste…” Twilight humored her quickly. They both shared a friendly laugh, then made light conversation about how the past days have been. It was only when Rainbow Dash asked a simple question that things began to get serious.
“It sure is quiet around here without Spike, huh, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked cautiously. She was treading in dangerous waters, that she was sure of, she just hoped she could stay afloat.
“Yeah…it sure is,” Twilight responded glumly. “He’s been gone for a while, hasn’t he?”
Rainbow Dash tried not to burst out laughing. “Twilight, it’s barely been a day.”
“Really?” Twilight squeaked out. There was something in Rainbow Dash’s mind that told her the unicorn’s face just turned a deep scarlet. “Well, it sure feels like it’s been a while.”
“Yeah…” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I wonder how the little guy’s doing.”
“I’m sure he’s doing fine, just fine,” Twilight hummed to herself worriedly. The bed began rocking, and Rainbow Dash got the feeling Twilight didn’t quite believe it herself.
“Twilight?” Rainbow Dash began, sitting up and putting a front hoof on her friend’s rigid shoulders. “Are you okay?”
Luckily for her, the unicorn took a deep breath. “Yes, I’m okay. I’m just…really worried about him. What if this wasn’t a good idea? What if…”
“Hey, Twilight, don’t go having another breakdown on me again, okay?” Rainbow Dash laughed breezily. Luckily, this lightened the mood considerably, and Rainbow Dash was able to work some consoling words into the conversation. “But don’t worry, he’ll be back before you know it.” Suddenly, she felt Twilight shrug her hoof away and, for a moment, thought she did something wrong. But that didn’t seem to be the case. In one swift motion, Twilight grabbed her blind friend by the shoulders and hugged her for a few quick moments.
“You always seem to know what to say, Rainbow,” Twilight laughed.
Rainbow Dash was about to question her sanity, but the tone Twilight was using sounded more than sincere. Did Twilight really mean that? She gulped and panicked when she felt Twilight let go of the embrace and began to get off the bed. What was she doing? She was wasting time, that’s what.
“Well, I should probably go and –”
“Wait!” Rainbow Dash interrupted, grabbing Twilight by the hoof just as the unicorn was hopping off.
Twilight hesitantly hopped back onto the bed beside her. “What is it, Rainbow? Is there something wrong?” she asked concernedly.
“You could say that…” Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath. Now that she had Twilight’s attention and it was just the two of them around, there was no excuse for her to not make the unicorn aware of the feelings she held for her. Besides, if she didn’t, she’d never hear the end of it from Rarity. Without further ado, she squeaked out, “I have to talk to you.”
“Okay,” Twilight answered warmly. “Go ahead.”
Rainbow Dash bit back a small chuckle. If only it would be that easy, Twilight, she thought. She had no idea what she was doing, but that never stopped her before. Taking a deep breath in, she began the long arduous process of confessing her feelings.
“Uh, I really don’t know how to say this…but…Twilight, you know that you’re my friend, right?” Rainbow Dash began.
“Of course,” Twilight replied without hesitation.
“And you’ll always be my friend, right…?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Definitely,” Twilight nodded immediately.
“Even If I had…uh…”
“Even if you had…?”
“Even if I had, oh I don’t know… let’s say…a huge crush on you.” The last part was spoken very quietly and very quickly, just in case Twilight wouldn’t be able to hear her. If she couldn’t, then she could just say that she forgot and that would be the end of it. Unfortunately, she wasn’t so lucky.
“Come again?” Twilight blurted out, her voice holding a tone of disbelief.
Here goes nothing, she thought as she took a shaky breath in.
“You know how you’ve been taking care of me for, like, ever now? I’m really grateful for that and everything, but…there’s something in there that’s a lot more than that, and I really…”
“Rainbow Dash…this doesn’t have anything to do with me saving you, does it?” Twilight asked, cutting her sentence to a premature end. To her surprise, Twilight sounded…heartbroken, almost. She certainly didn’t expect that to come out of the unicorn’s mouth so soon.
“No! Not at all! Well…maybe at the start it was, but now…now it’s different,” Rainbow Dash mumbled, struggling to get her words out.
“How so?” Twilight inquired.
Rainbow Dash grumbled to herself. It would sure be nice to see what expression Twilight was wearing right about now. But, she would just have to make do with the tone of her voice.
“I…I’m really not good at this thing, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash sighed. But, miraculously, the words started flowing out of her mouth at a rapid pace, hopefully not too rapid for Twilight though. “But, I just feel these things for you, and I really like them Twi. You make me really happy, and I want to make you happy too. You’re just…I can’t even begin to describe how amazing you are, Twilight. Inside and out. I just couldn’t see what was in front of my face the whole time until now. Yeah, it may have helped that you saved me and all that, but that’s just a circumstance, not the whole reason, you know? And I…” She was going to keep her speech up, but thought against it when she didn’t hear anything from Twilight. “…ugh, I’m making a fool out of myself, aren’t I?”
To her surprise and utmost relief, Twilight didn’t kick her out right then. Instead, she felt the unicorn slide up to her as she spoke.
“No,” Twilight said comfortingly. “I don’t think you are.”
“Really?” Rainbow Dash asked, her voice beaming with hope.
“Really,” Twilight repeated. “But…do you really mean all those things you said? About how you think I’m…”
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash nodded, scratching the back of her head quickly. “I really do.”
She heard a faint chuckle from the unicorn. Briefly, she wondered why, but dismissed it. Things were going so much better than she had anticipated, there was no need to screw that up now. Rainbow Dash let out a sigh of relief as she felt Twilight lean up against her.
“So, is that why you’ve been acting nervous around me?” Twilight asked slyly.
That was a new one. Her wings popped upwards and she felt a huge burst of heat rise up to her cheeks. She quickly turned her head away anxiously and squeaked out, “Was I really that obvious?”
“Maybe…” Twilight answered slyly. Then, she heard a sigh. “But…I’m really flattered that you think about me in that way, Rainbow Dash. It’s just…well, it’s really quite new to me. I’ve never had any pony say that about me before.”
“I’m surprised,” Rainbow Dash blurted out. Luckily, this got a laugh from her friend.
“No, really! In Canterlot, no stallion would even come close to me! Well, except Shining Armor, but he’s my brother, so you can see why that didn’t work out,” Twilight told her. That got a short laugh out of both of them before Twilight continued on. “Rainbow Dash, you’re my friend, you may even be my best friend coming out of all this, but…”
Rainbow Dash listened with the most intensity she could muster, but as that last word flew out of Twilight’s mouth, she had to force herself to stay on the bed instead of jumping up and running straight out of the room. Twilight was totally going to turn her down and this was going to turn out to be a complete and total waste of time, she could feel it right now. But, that was okay, they would still be friends…hopefully. She tried to stay quiet as she listen for Twilight to continue, but, unfortunately, her fears got the best of her.
“You’re turning me down, aren’t you?” Rainbow Dash squeaked out shamefully, covering her head with her front hooves. Hopefully that would help Twilight not see the raging blush on her face. “I’m so sorry. This was a waste of time, and I’m so stupid and…”
“What?” Twilight gasped. “Oh no! Rainbow Dash! I’m not turning you down. I’m was just about to say that this is just a…rather new experience for me, and I’m probably not going to be very good at this... But, I’m willing to give it a try…especially if it’s for you.”
Rainbow Dash did a double take. She could feel her excitement building up to a point where she thought her heart might just explode out of her chest. Twilight was actually willing to give this a try, and just for her too. The very thought of that gave her an incredible sense of comfort and belonging. It seemed to be way too good to be true. The pegasus actually thought about kicking herself to see if this was a dream, but she quickly decided against that, for obvious reasons.
“And, I guess I’ve been feeling the same way for you too…” Twilight said, her sentence trailed off after the last word, and Rainbow Dash wondered why. “Although, I wasn’t sure exactly what the feeling was until you brought it up. There aren’t really many books on this kind of thing.” The unicorn laughed at her own joke, and Rainbow Dash did too. It was cute, after all. “You’re really amazing too, Rainbow Dash. I hope you know that.” By the end of her sentence, the two were leaning up against each other, and Rainbow Dash had even folded a wing overtop of Twilight’s back as a quiet display of affection. They were quiet for a little while after, just enjoying the presence of each other. But, even that was broken.
“So, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked as she slid closer to Twilight and leaned her head on the unicorn’s shoulder.
“Yes, Rainbow?” Twilight replied.
“Do you want to go out sometime?” The question seemed rather silly, and a little cheesy, but they both had to admit that it fit the mood pretty well.
“I would love to,” Twilight whispered happily. To Rainbow Dash’s surprise, the unicorn gave her a quick peck on the cheek. It was a small gesture, but it made Rainbow Dash blush harder than she had ever blushed.
“Awesome,” the pegasus smiled.
As the new couple sat there in silence, Rainbow Dash reflected on how much things had changed. From when she woke up that last morning when she could see, to when that dragon had come, to the very moment she was entrenched in, she thought about it. Everything seemed to have flipped upside down in a matter of seconds, and sometimes she still felt like she was in a dream, and at any moment she would wake up in her cloud bed, in her home up in the sky, and she would be able to see. The dragon attack wouldn’t have happened, and everything would be perfect once again.
But, there were also so many good things that had come from this. If some pony had told her that a few weeks ago, she most likely would have laughed and punched them in the face so hard they wouldn’t be able to stand back up again. Now though, she realized that life wasn’t just about flying and winning races all the time. As some wise old pony once said, it wasn’t about the destination, it was about the journey. She laughed at how cheesy that sounded.
“What’s so funny?” Twilight’s tired voice asked suddenly.
“Just thinking,” Rainbow Dash said. She stroked Twilight back with her wing once she realized that she had woken Twilight up from her light sleep. “Sorry about waking you up; didn’t realize you were sleeping.”
“It’s okay,” Twilight yawned quietly as she leaned her head against the pegasus. “Do you mind if I sleep here tonight?”
“Not at all,” Rainbow Dash happily responded.
“Thanks. Night,” Twilight said, leaning her head back up against the pegasus’ shoulders.
“Night, Twilight.” Rainbow Dash was silent afterwards as she listened for the sound of the unicorn’s heavy breathing. After a few minutes, she found it, and she was careful not to disturb it again.
So what if she couldn’t see and needed help with almost everything? She had great friends, and even a new relation to show for the journey she had just gone on. To some pony else, it wouldn’t seem like much, but to her it was monumental. It told her that she could conquer anything that might be thrown her way, even without her sight. And she would have her friend’s love and support, always.
Rainbow Dash closed her dull eyes and let her head lean on Twilight’s. She let her breathing slow as she felt the sweet embrace of unconsciousness begin to creep up to her. Rainbow Dash ceased her wing from stroking Twilight’s back, and opted for letting it rest there gently. It was probably going to be sore in the morning, but she could deal with that when the morning sun burst over the horizon.
Just before sleep carried her away to the never ending land of dreams, a thought tugged on her mind. A thought that she never dreamed she would think again.
Life was good.