Rainbow and Dash
“Where the brambles are thickest, there you will find a pond beyond the most twisted of vines.” Rainbow muttered the rhyme as she pushed her way through a particularly thick bush. Her mane was a mess, twigs and leaves practically turned the rainbow of colours into a dull brown due to how many there were. Her coat was no better; tangled and matted, a few scratches showing from particularly sharp branches. She would have much rather flown, but the trees made it impossible for her to see anything from above, forcing her to follow Pinkie’s old story.
She emerged on the other side of the bush, sporting a new and particularly deep cut across her cheek. She felt a single bead of blood trickle down her cheek before raising a hoof to wipe it away. She looked around, realizing she was in a small clearing. In the centre was a large grey stone, half buried in a hole of some kind.
“Twilight mentioned she plugged it.” She grumbled approaching the rock and poking at it with a hoof. “Now how am I supposed to get down there?”
As if on command the ground shook slightly as the rock fell a few inches down the hole. Curious, she stomped on it, causing it to fall quite a distance. He lips spread into a smile as she jumped down the hole, landing on the rock with a solid thump before continuing further towards the cavern said to hold the Mirror Pool.
A few more minutes of stomping and jumping let the rock finally fall away from the tunnel that was just barely big enough for it, rolling to the side to reveal a large cavern with a pool in the centre. The cavern was lit with mushrooms and various other luminous plant-life that let off a soft light.
Rainbow didn’t waste her time as she approached to pool and looked into it. Staring back up at her was herself, a confident smile on her face. She took a second to admire herself and her brilliant idea before thinking back to Pinkie’s rhyme.
“And into her own reflection she stared… yearning for one who’s reflection she shared… uh, how did it go? Oh right, and solemnly sweared not to be scared at the prospect of being doubly mared!” As she spoke the final words the pool started to shift, a few ripples emanating from the edge. The ripples slowly turned to bubbles, then to a cyan head with a rainbow mane. The head was followed by a pegasus body; cyan wings a perfect match for her own.
“It worked!” Dash cried happily, thrusting a hoof into the air. Her clone stared blankly at her for a second before opening her wings and cocking her head.
“Race?” She asked inquisitively.
“Uh, sure, but for now we need to sort some things out. First, though, what should we call you?” Rainbow sat back on her flank, her front hoof rising to rub her chin thoughtfully. “I know! I’ll be Rainbow, and you can be Dash, sound good?”
“Race?” Dash asked curiously, flapping her wings and hovering in the air.
“Not now. We’ll need to teach you a few things. Come on.” Rainbow led Dash back up the tunnel to the entrance.
-_-_-_-
“You know what you need to do?” Rainbow asked, peeking out from behind a bush across the street from a tree.
“Yep, I need to go find Twilight, my marefriend, and tell her I chose her over the Wonderbolts, my life long dream. From then on we can live happily; all I need to do is keep her and her friends away from anything Wonderbolt related to keep our secret safe.” Dash responded, puffing her chest out proudly at the fool proof plan.
“Excellent, now go on, the sooner the better, she didn’t look too healthy when I saw her.” Rainbow shuttered as she remembered the pale, sickly looking unicorn she had seen earlier that day. With a nod Dash walked towards the library and knocked on the door. Rainbow sighed sadly as she looked up, the sun had just gone down and the moon was just peaking over the horizon. It had been a hard decision, deciding where she would go, either to stay with Twilight or stay with the Wonderbolts. In the end she had decided to stay with the Wonderbolts. In the end it came down to the fact that everypony would be happier that way. She could fulfill her life long dream, and Twilight and her friends could stay happy. It was a win-win scenario.
She took off into the air with a powerful flap and started making her way back to Cloudsdale, only to stop and turn around. She looked sadly at the scene before her. There was Dash, her clone, being kissed passionately by Twilight. She felt a tear threaten to leave her eyes as something dawned on her; she could never see Twilight or any of her friends again. They would be happy, but would she? Sure, she had the Wonderbolts, her life long dream and long time goal, but was it worth it? And if she changed her mind now, was it too late? What would Twilight say when she walked up behind them and told her what happened and what she was going to do? She didn’t know and she didn’t want to find out. She took of as fast as her wings could carry her, her necklace bouncing against her chest as tears forced their way out of her eyes.
“Element of Loyalty. Who am I being loyal to now? The Wonderbolts? Myself? Certainly not my friends or Twilight. But who takes priority?” Rainbow’s thought bombarded her until she could no longer see Ponyville. There was no going back now. She forced her eyes to dry and shoved her thoughts to the back of her mind. Filling it instead with thoughts of her next show. Her new stunts she was working on, anything except a tree library and a lavender unicorn.
-_-_-_-
Twilight stayed in her bed, wrapped in her blanket in her darkened room, tears both fresh and old staining her cheeks. Even now she wanted to cry, but she had no more tears to use. She gripped a picture to her chest with her hooves; her and Rainbow Dash, flying through the sky as the sun was setting behind them. Twilight was glad she brought her camera with her that day; her very first flight with Rainbow. She scrunched her eyes tightly as a new wave of tears washed over her. She remembered giving Rainbow the ultimatum, remembered her dumfounded reaction, and remembered telling her to get out. She wished she could undo every second of it.
Did she really expect Rainbow to choose her over the Wonderbolts? No, not really, but at least then Rainbow could move on. Twilight wouldn’t hold her back anymore.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
She was about to call for Spike when she remembered she had sent him away. She had sent him up to Canterlot on some bogus errand she couldn’t even remember so he would be out of the way when Rainbow came home. But now she had a problem; there was somepony at the door, and Twilight didn’t want to get out of bed.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Whoever it was they were being persistent. Gathering what strength she could muster, Twilight stood slowly from her bed, her blanket still wrapped around her shoulders. As she approached he door she passed her desk, sitting on top was a pristine cyan feather. With a flick of her horn she put it back where it belonged; behind her ear. She may lose Rainbow Dash, but she’d still have her feather. She would never forget her.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
“ALRIGHT!” Twilight yelled, her annoyance giving her the energy to make it down the stairs and to the door. She opened it, fully intending to chew out anypony who would disturb her at such an hour. To her shock, opening the door revealed a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane and a confident smile on her face.
“R-Rainbow?” Twilight stuttered, taken aback at the sudden appearance.
“I choose you!” Rainbow said proudly, her smile widening to a grin as she puffed her chest out. Her eyes flashed to the side briefly, to brief for Twilight to see where she looked, but long enough that she noticed it. He mind, however, didn’t pay attention to it as she wrapped a hoof around Rainbow’s neck, dragging her in for a kiss.
When she broke the kiss she caught a glimpse of something shiny out of the corner of her eye. She turned to look at it, only for the dark of the night conceal it from her. Her focus was brought back to Dash as she gave her one more hug and motioned to the inside of the library. “Mind if I crash here tonight?”
“Of course, Rainbow.” Twilight smiled brightly as she stepped aside, letting Dash into her house. Whatever she had seen was instantly forgotten as she watched her marefriend trot happily into her home. Into her life.
-_-_-_-
Twilight awoke the next morning to the sun streaming through her windows like she had countless times before. But this time was different, this time she wasn’t alone. This time there were cyan legs wrapped around her midsection; holding her tightly to a cyan body behind her. The steady rising and falling of Rainbow’s chest nearly rocking her back to sleep as her heart pulsed rhythmically against her back. She smiled as she closed her eyes. How many times had she awoken without the safe feeling she now had? Too many for her to count, but now it all seamed like a bad dream. Rainbow was there, with her, for her.
Her sigh caused the pegasus to shift. She too opened her eyes.
“Morning Twilight.” She said groggily.
“That’s odd; she normally calls me Twi, especially in the morning.” Twilight thought, but quickly pushed the errant thought out of her mind. There was no reason for her to doubt Rainbow, not after she had chosen her over the Wonderbolts.
“Morning Rainbow.” Twilight replied, rubbing her eyes to clear her vision. Today was a big day, and they needed to get up. They had to tell their friends about her decision; Pinkie would probably throw a party. Twilight giggled at the thought, Pinkie would throw a party for any happy occasion, but was it still happy when Rainbow had to give up her dream for it?
“Not morning yet, you can get up if you want, but I’m sleeping in.” Rainbow released her grip on Twilight and rolled over. Again Twilight found this odd; Rainbow never slept in once she was up. Twilight just sighed and chalked it up to the stress of being a Wonderbolt for two months and got out of bed. She headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. The cyan feather discarded on her desk. She didn’t need it anymore; she had the real thing now.