Twilight nodded her thanks to the pair of guards as they opened the door for her and Rainbow. Trotting through, she led her now unarmored captain to the dining hall. As she approached the large double doors, the events of the morning replayed in her head and her pace slowed. Suddenly, the prospects of having dinner with Rainbow seemed a lot less innocent. She paused mid-step as her mind ground to a halt.
Rainbow nudged Twilight’s side gently with a forehoof. “Twilight? Are you alright?”
“Oh! Yes. Sorry about that, Rainbow.” The back of her mind prodded her to share the events from the morning, but wording it seemed nearly impossible. Groaning in frustration, she fluffed her wings and settled on the easiest approach. “I don’t really know how to say this elegantly, so I’m just going to be blunt.” She turned her head and smiled nervously at Rainbow at her side. “Celestia might have the tiniest impression that we’re together.”
Rainbow’s eyebrow arched and she tilted her head. “Yeah, so?”
“I know, it’s crazy—wait, what?” The unexpected response took her by surprise. She mused over the irony of her captain catching her off guard, but decided it was something best left to Pinkie. Composing her royal self, she prodded Rainbow lightly with the tip of her right wing. “Rainbow! I’m serious. She might try to get under our feathers.”
Chortled laughter echoed through the hall and she received a playful wing-prod in return. “Both of us now? I thought Celestia was only after you. I bet her bed is huge!” Rainbow laughed harder and draped a forehoof around Twilight’s neck. “Seriously, Twilight, I think I can handle a little ribbing from Celestia. You should, too.” She concluded this with a wink and nudged her princess forward. “Let’s get to dinner. I’m starved after flying all the way to Canterlot and getting tackled by guards—not to mention the most awkward armor fitting I’ve ever had.”
“Rainbow, you’ve never had an armor fitting before.”
“I know! That’s how I know it’s true. I’d be a terrible captain if I made a habit of lying to you!”
Twilight groaned and fluffed her wings again in irritation—mostly because Rainbow’s responses induced undesired blushes from her. “Fine, let’s just get to dinner. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Rainbow placed a hoof on the double doors of the dining hall and looked back to her princess with a smile. “Relax, Twilight. This isn’t anything you and I can’t handle, so stop worrying. Celestia can think what she likes. I’m here for you. That’s what I promised, and I’m sticking with it.”
The pair of doors swung open and Rainbow marched boldly into the dining hall.
Twilight remained stuck at the threshold, a blush plastered across her cheeks. She stared out at the two princesses seated side by side at the table and her blush deepened. Rainbow just had to say that just before the opening the doors. Judging by the slight smile on Luna’s face and the larger grin on Celestia’s, the damage was already done.
Stupid Rainbow Dash and her timing.
“Captain!” Celestia called out gleefully from her seat. “How kind of you to join us. I was afraid Twilight would keep you tucked away all for herself.” Celestia said this while looking straight at Twilight.
Twilight stuttered and commanded her hooves to move. Slowly, she crossed the seemingly insurmountable distance between the door and the table before settling down on a cushion. She cleared her throat and took a sip of water to compose herself—a princess must always be composed—and smiled. “I’ve asked Rainbow Dash to join me for dinner tonight. I hope it’s alright.” She motioned for Rainbow to sit down on a nearby cushion.
“Of course, Twilight! I’m always happy to see your friends. Besides, it feels so much nicer now that you have a companion too.” Celestia extended a wing and lightly hugged Luna around the side. “Things have been so much better now that my dearest sister is back.”
Luna tipped her wine glass to her lips with her magic and sipped the fragrant red liquid. Her lit horn, however, grasped more than just the glass. Celestia’s wing shimmered with a familiar darkened aura and eased away from Luna’s body. The younger sister’s eyes glanced to the side and she quietly whispered, “Don’t involve me in this.”
Celestia frowned momentarily and folded her wing back up against her back. “You’ll have to excuse Luna. She’s always a little grumpy around dinner time. She likes to sleep in. I keep suggesting tea for when she wakes up, but she insists on wine.”
The wine glass clinked down against the table just loud enough to draw attention to the owner. Luna quietly retrieved a dinner roll from the basket and tore it in half. “Please, Celestia, I know Twilight enjoys your addiction, but I prefer my wine.”
Celestia snickered and waved over an attendant. “She says that, but somehow I think the irony is lost upon her. Or she is saying it specifically to be ironic. It’s hard to tell when she’s grumpy.” Celestia nodded to the attendant and gestured to Rainbow and Twilight. “In either case, knowing your fondness for cider and under the assumption Twilight would invite you to dinner, I’ve had some brought up from the cellar for you.”
Rainbow’s eyes widened as she eyed the three frothy mugs on the silver serving platter carried by the unicorn attendant. “Is that Sweet Apple Acres Cider?”
“Indeed it is! You’d be surprised how hard it is to keep cider. It may have grown a little aged over time. We do our best to keep it in a magically induced state of freshness, but magic can only do so much.” Celestia winked at Rainbow. “Still, I hope you enjoy it.”
Twilight looked dubiously at the mug of cider placed before her. “Um, Princess...can’t I just have some water or juice?”
“Nonsense!” Celestia declared and raised her own mug of cider in a toast-like fashion. “Tonight is a happy occasion! We should all have a good drink with each other. At least Luna will have some company then.”
“You’re welcome to drink whatever you like,” Luna responded coolly. She glanced to the side at Celestia. “And must you press every questionable act upon Twilight?”
“It’s fine! I’m happy to drink if everyone else is,” Twilight responded out of turn and gripped the mug of cider with her magic.
“Wonderful! Bottoms up!” Celestia grinned and tipped the mug of cider to her lips, drinking deeply. Rainbow followed suit, needing no further encouragement. Twilight took a deep breath and winced. The cider was a little sharper than she recalled in the past. Steeling her resolve, she brought the mug to her lips and gulped down a few mouthfuls. Moments later, she felt much warmer and a lot more relaxed.
Rainbow’s empty mug dropped to the table and she licked her lips. “Mmm, that’s really good! Not as strong as Applejack’s stuff, but still really good. What do you think, Twilight?” She looked over to her princess and found a reddening Twilight with a loopy smile. “Twilight?”
Twilight blinked a few times and set her half-empty mug down on the table. She turned and smiled widely at Rainbow. “Oh... hey, Rainbow. It’s really good. A little warm and a little tangy, but good! It’s kind of different compared to the fresh stuff during cider season though.”
Celestia grinned broadly and gestured to the attendant to refill their mugs. “Twilight, have you ever had alcoholic cider before?”
“Well...no. I avoid the alcoholic stuff. It really impacts my studying.” Twilight grasped the mug before the attendant refilled it and downed the rest. The sweet flavor on top of the sharp warmth afterward soothed her insides in the most delightful way. “Still, this aged cider is almost as good as the fresh kind. Maybe even better!”
Rainbow thanked the attendant for the new mug of cider. Moments later, more ponies trotted in from the door in the back with plates of food. Silver covers magically lifted away and revealed plates of hearty vegetables covered in a rich red sauce, dotted with herbs. Rainbow nudged the mixture with her fork and took in the rich scent.
“You’ll have to excuse the cook. I may have noted you would be here tonight, and he took the liberty of making something a little more hearty.” Celestia spooned a mouthful of the stew into her mouth and chewed with a delighted smile. After swallowing, she grinned. “Though I must admit, for something that sounds like rat and patootie, it’s quite good.”
Rainbow looked to Luna, expecting a response from her due to Celestia’s odd choice of words. Instead, she found Luna gleefully spooning the dish into her mouth, words and composure long forgotten.
Oblivious to all this, Twilight raised a hoof and waved over the attendant. “Another mug of cider, please! This stuff is really good!” She grinned lopsidedly and spooned a mouthful of the questionably named dish into her mouth. Everything was delicious, she was warm and happy, and Rainbow Dash was at her side. Things were perfect.
A hoof prodded her side.Twilight looked up from her dish right into the narrowed eyes of her captain.
“Twilight, are you okay?”
“I’m great!” Twilight exclaimed a little too quickly and levitated a dinner roll from the basket on the table. It wobbled partially to her and dropped unceremoniously to the table, rolling the rest of the way to Twilight’s plate. Twilight grasped it with a hoof and tore a portion of it away and stuffed it in her mouth. Her mug of cider arrived and she grabbed it with a small squeal of glee.
“My, Twilight certainly seems passionate about cider. Perhaps she’s found something else to adore besides books and flying,” Celestia commented from across the table. “I imagine you know how she feels, Captain.”
Rainbow looked away from Twilight and nodded to Celestia. “I guess. Are you sure it’s a good idea for Twilight to have that much to drink? I don’t think she knows her own limits yet. I mean, I love cider more than just about anypony, but even I know when I have to call it quits.”
“Oh? And when is that?”
“When I can’t fly straight anymore,” Rainbow responded in a small voice with a blush. “I may have had a few run-ins with the ground as a result before I learned my lesson.”
“Ah, a wise decision! I myself would stop then as well. And don’t worry about Twilight. Everything will be fine. Now’s a great time for her to learn her limits. Plus, I’m always encouraging her to try new things.”
Twilight’s ears perked up at the sound of her name and she looked up from the mug of cider she was nursing. “Right! Celestia is always asking me about stuff. I think she asked me if I wanted to wear stockings for my coronation! I told her it was too warm for stockings, but she told me it was to make others warm.”
She giggled and tipped the cider mug to her lips and gulped down a few more mouthfuls. Turning to Rainbow, she leaned against the pegasus and nuzzled her head against Rainbow’s side. “And then, another time she asked me if I had seen your rain—” Twilight didn’t finish her sentence. The voluminous amounts of cider she consumed finally caught up with her, and her eyes drifted shut. Moments later, she was purring quietly against Rainbow, her body off-tilt in the most adorably awkward position.
Celestia noted the warm streak of red across Rainbow’s face and smiled. “She’s quite the pony, isn’t she?” A gold-adorned hoof gestured to the napping Twilight resting against Rainbow. “Smart and gentle. Perfectly capable of facing down the greatest dangers only to sucumb to a little cider.”
Rainbow nodded and stroked a hoof over Twilight’s mane to straighten out a few loose hairs. “She’s awesome, and I’d be happy to face any danger with her. When she disappeared after that beam of light shot out of my element necklace-thingy into her, I felt terrible—like the world was slowly crumbling away. But now, she’s back and with wings, and she’s amazing already. I just hope she doesn’t pass us by.”
Celestia’s smile softened further and she gently pushed the mug of cider to the side so she could look unobscured at Rainbow. “Rainbow Dash, I’m sure you know that all ponies will grow and change. Twilight might have moved on to advance her studies here in Canterlot, and you might have left for the Wonderbolts. Change isn’t scary as long as you trust your friends. You weren’t scared when you left for the academy, right?”
“Nope. I knew I had it in the bag. The only time I was scared was when I saw Twilight and my friends plummeting through the air. I guess a little part of me realized some things are much more important.” Rainbow smiled as she looked down at Twilight. The alicorn murmured in her grasp but said nothing.
“I imagine Twilight went through a similar experience. She trusts you all very deeply. Maybe that’s why she smiled as the change overtook her.” Celestia flicked her horn and Twilight’s body rose into the air in a golden magical aura. “But for now, why don’t you take her to bed, Captain? I don’t think your princess is in any state to make it there on her own.”
Rainbow blushed and nodded. “Oh, sure. I guess I can do that. Captain’s duty and all.” She got to her hooves and grunted as the weight of Twilight’s body slowly lowered onto her back. Barely managing a salute to Celestia, she trotted out of the dining hall with Twilight mumbling upon her back.
When Rainbow disappeared from view, Celestia glanced over to Luna.
Luna held her stomach and groaned, a half-smile accompanied by a glazed-over expression locked upon her face.
Celestia chuckled and waved over an attendant. She whispered a few suggestions to the attendant on how to deal with her sister’s catatonic state. “Goodnight, Luna. I’m going to get some rest. I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow.” She rose to her hooves elegantly and strode out of the dining hall, her face breaking into a huge grin as she walked past the last set of guards.
Switch my tea, will you? I hope you enjoyed your double helping of ratatouille, dear sister. You could never resist it. If Twilight and Rainbow are going to get together, they’re going to kiss under my sun. With Twilight sleeping, I doubt she’ll be any shape to do it under your moon tonight. Better luck tomorrow, Luna.
* * *
Rainbow grunted with exertion up the tower steps. She silently cursed whichever pony decided to situate the royal sleeping quarters at the top of towers. Thankfully, the guards left her alone after the incident on the balcony so she could focus on the precious cargo upon her back. Word must have traveled quickly, because every single guard seemed content to ignore the prismatic captain and her sleeping charge.
She clambered up the final few steps and pushed open Twilight’s purple chamber door with her body, her trembling limbs far too spent at this point to do little more than support the combined weight of her and her princess. Step by unsteady step, she carefully navigated through a minefield of books and parchment to the clear area next to Twilight’s bed. Siding up against it, she tipped her body a little and let gravity do the rest.
Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief as Twilight slid off her back and rolled into the awaiting assortment of cushions arranged haphazardly on the bed. Twilight murmured into her pillow and rolled over into what Rainbow assumed was a more comfortable position. Taking care not to disturb her princess, Rainbow grabbed the hem of the blanket and pulled it over the sleeping pony. She smiled when Twilight wiggled her body further under the covers to escape the slight chill of the night.
Duty completed, Rainbow looked around the room. Most of it was sectioned off into piles of books with sheets of scribbled notes next to them. Bookcases lined the walls with the occasional table set between rows of shelves. The most immediate problem was the lack of a couch and her rapidly dwindling desire to fly all the way back to Ponyville for the night.
She trod up and down on the carpet in place a few times, testing the softness, and found it to be quite comfortable. Plus, it seemed the massive bed Twilight slept upon offered no shortage of extra cushions and blankets. After a moment’s indecision, she shrugged and pulled a blanket and a few of the unused pillows off the bed. She positioned them around until she created workable but comfortable makeshift bed.
Looking down at the alluring pile of cushions, it finally occurred to her she’d be sleeping in the same room as Twilight for the first time. Alone. Sure, she dozed off in the library a few times, but Twilight was awake and happy to provide snacks when she woke up. This time was different. Sighing, she shook her head. If anypony asked, this wasn’t what it seemed like. She was just guarding Twilight. That’s what captains did, and she was intent on being the best guard she could be.
The last of her fears settled, she looked up at the elegant candelabra hanging from the ceiling of the room. She imagined Twilight would magically fizzle out the candles at night and re-light them when necessary, but the restful breathing coming from the bed meant Rainbow needed to employ a different approach. Taking to the air, she brought herself up to the glowing candles and extinguished them with a single practiced wingbeat.
She breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was done. She could finally get some rest. Landing next to Twilight, she looked at her princess one last time for the night. In the soft moonlight, Twilight’s well-brushed coat glowed with a milky sheen. Rainbow couldn’t deny how nice it looked given the circumstances. She leaned down over the sleeping form and whispered quietly, “Goodnight princess. Sweet dreams.”
“Mmm...goodnight, Dashie...” The response was quiet and partially moaned out. The latter explained the sudden rise of blood to Rainbow’s cheeks and the warmth which surged through her body. Her eyes rapidly adjusted to the dim light from the windows and filled her vision with an even more alluring view of her princess: eyes shut, a dash of red across her cheeks from the alcohol, and the sweetest little smile she’d ever seen. Rainbow gulped and leaned in a little closer. Everything felt like a fairytale now out of one of her books. Right before the hero drew in close and ki—
No! Rainbow pulled back suddenly, sporting a blush of her own. She was Twilight’s faithful captain, nothing more. Calming herself with long slow breaths, Rainbow drew away from the bedside and settled down on the cushions. She pulled the blanket over herself and turned her head so she could see Twilight sleeping in the moonlight. Satisfied everything was well, she closed her eyes and let the soothing thoughts overtake her.
No matter what happened, she was happy to be with her princess.
* * *
Far away in Ponyville, Pinkie stopped shuddering. Rarity’s mouth hung open, horn aglow, the fabric levitating in the air utterly forgotten. “Pinkie, are you quite all right? That was a nasty shake.”
Pinkie nodded slowly and plucked the fabric out of the air and passed it to Rarity. “Don’t worry your pretty head over it. I think a doozy almost happened, but didn’t. That was a pre-doozy warning shake! We best keep our eyes out for the real doozy!”
Rarity accepted the cloth with a smile. “Right...” Her voice wavered for a moment. “I certainly hope it doesn’t involve Rainbow Dash. Who knows what sort of trouble she could be getting into.”
“Fun trouble!” Pinkie declared with a grin.
* * *
The following morning, Rainbow Dash was definitely in trouble. She smiled sheepishly at Twilight surrounded by a mess of papers scattered all across the floor. In her daze the night before, her in-room flight swept several stacks of documents out of order. She wasn’t aware of her actions until the first trickles of sunlight woke her from her slumber.
At first, she didn’t realize the mess she was in until she saw the literal mess spread around her. Once she assessed just how much trouble she was in, all she could do was prepare and await the nerve-wracking confession and apology.
Twilight blinked blearily at the smiling face of her captain and gratefully accepted the glass of orange juice hoofed over to her. She sipped it slowly and took in her surroundings. Something didn’t seem quite right. After a few arduous minutes, her addled brain finally worked out exactly what was wrong.
“Rainbow, why are my notes scattered all over the floor in what seems to be the aftermath of a windstorm?” Her words started off slow and quiet, but it was not to last. “Because I see the windows are closed and I don’t feel a draft.” She hobbled to her hooves and invaded Rainbow’s personal space. “Seeing as I don’t remember tripping over any pages last night, perhaps you can offer an explanation?” She pressed her head forward and bumped her nose against Rainbow’s.
“S-sorry?” Rainbow smiled wider and took a step back, her wings partially flared outwards. She nearly tripped over another pile of notes, but a familiar magenta glow grabbed her and pulled her back in. Escape was impossible, and she’d have to admit flying wasn’t always the best solution. “I’m really sorry, Twilight. You were out of it last night, and I managed to get you to bed. But I couldn’t turn off the lights because they were really high up in the room! So, I just flew up there and put them out! That’s it!” The words tumbled out of her mouth as she struggled against her magical bonds.
Twilight took a deep breath and brought her foreleg to her chest. She extended it away and breathed out slowly. After a few iterations, she smiled and set Rainbow down. “Thank you, Rainbow, I think I overreacted just a little bit.” She blushed and looked away. Her gaze fell upon the scattered pages and she realized all her notes were categorized—fixing the mess would be easy. “However, if you wouldn’t mind helping me gather these up, I’d appreciate it. All my notes have a header and page number. Just gather them up and put them in order.”
Glad to be free from the magical grasp, Rainbow nodded briskly and started picking up pages from the floor. “No problem, Twilight. It’s like when I helped you in the library back in Ponyville.”
“Precisely! Though I think you napped more than helped.” Twilight giggled and levitated several stacks of papers from the floor to a table on the far side of the room. “Still, you were a great help when you weren’t sleeping.”
“Well, yeah. I need my energy, but when I do something, I go all out!” Rainbow responded as she picked up a few more pages and stacked them on a nearby desk.
“I’m not surprised, you do get pretty lively when you get into something. I’m the same way, though maybe a little less physical.”
“Twilight, we all know that intense look of concentration you have. When I’m flying and doing some really cool trick, I look exactly the same! I might make it look easy, but that’s only because I’m concentrating really hard and I’ve practiced a ton.”
Working together, it only took the pair a brief amount of time to get the room in working order and all the documents safely stored away from the floor. Rainbow stretched her limbs and glanced at one of the documents in front of her. “Huh... this has my name on it.” She picked it up swiftly and yelped. “Ouch!”
Twilight rushed over to her side and grabbed Rainbow’s hoof. “Rainbow! Are you alright?”
“Yeah. It’s just a papercut. It stings like crazy though.” She tried to pull her hoof away, but Twilight’s grasp was firm. And warm. And rather comfortable.
“Oh...I hate papercuts. You would not believe how many I’ve gotten in the past. Here...” Twilight leaned her head in and gently kissed Rainbow’s hoof.
Rainbow didn’t even have a chance to react. A blush filled her cheeks as the touch lingered and Twilight nuzzled into her hoof a little closer. She opened her mouth to protest—to reiterate how she didn’t like ponies touching her hooves. That seemed like an outright lie at the moment—apparently she did like ponies touching her hooves if that pony was her Princess Twilight.
After a minute or so, Twilight pulled away and opened her eyes. “There, how does that feel? Better?”
“Y-yeah...” Rainbow stammered out and looked away.
“Great!” Twilight beamed and pulled Rainbow in for a hug. “When I got papercuts as a filly, that’s how my mom treated them. She said the love made them heal faster.” Looking over to the document Rainbow cut herself on, she read it over and grinned. “Oh! This thing. You signed it yesterday. You’re starting combat training today with magic blades!”
“Wait, what?” Rainbow exclaimed and pulled her hoof away.
“Magically created blades! Don’t worry, no pony has ever been sliced in half by one. They’re purely for training!”
Rainbow gulped.