Song Prompt - "Crash and Burn" by Savage Garden
*WARNING TWILICORN*
Rainbow sat on a cloud layer floating high up above the Everfree Forest. Up here she was alone, away from the eyes of everypony that lived around Ponyville. Up here she had her solitude, and didn’t have to worry about dealing with anypony. Up here nopony could find her.
Up here nopony would see her cry, because Rainbow Dash does not cry.
Sure she may crash every now and then, but she would always brush it off and get back into the air. The world was her oyster, and no way was some little crash going to stop her. She was undoubtedly unstoppable, and not even the combined powers of Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis, and Sombra could keep her from rising to the challenge.
She was the fastest pegasus in Ponyville if not all of Equestria, the only pony ever to pull off the legendary Sonic Rainboom, and a local hero admired by every foal in town. She could stare a manticore down without even flinching and would charge a full-grown dragon if it meant protecting her friends.
She even managed to muster up enough courage to ask Twilight Sparkle, personal protege of Princess Celestia, not to mention the Element of Magic, the Princess of Friendship, and her best friend, to be her marefriend. The best part? She said yes, and Rainbow Dash couldn’t have been happier.
Rainbow Dash was supposed to be unstoppable. There was no way in Tartarus she’d let anypony see her beaten.
The faint flapping of wings and a slight breeze alerted her to another pony’s presence. Whipping her head around, she was greeted with her beloved marefriend alighting down gracefully onto the cloudbank regarding her with a sad smile.
Sniffling, Rainbow did her best to put on a convincing smile. “H-hey Twi’, what’s up?”
Without saying a word, Twilight lunged forward and enveloped the pegasus in a tight embrace. Before Rainbow even knew what was happening, she was openly crying into the alicorn’s shoulder as Twilight whispered soothing words in her ear and rubbed her back in small circles. Rainbow didn’t know how long they stayed like that, but she knew she needed it. She needed to stop pretending for a while, but even alone she could never bring herself to let go of the mask she had grown oh so accustomed to wearing. Only Twilight could ever really get her to come out of her shell. It was one of the many things that made Rainbow love her.
Twilight wrapped a wing around Rainbow, and as the purple feathery appendage made contact she lifted her head to look Twilight in the eyes. Rainbow’s face was graced with a small smile as she saw only care and love in her eyes.
Rainbow chuckled slowly, “I thought I was supposed to be the cool one in this relationship and you the mushy one.”
Twilight rested her forehead against Rainbow’s and sighed. “I just heard from the girls and I knew you’d be up here somewhere. Rainbow, why didn’t you tell me?” she whispered with a touch of hurt in her voice at the end. “Don’t you trust me enough not to have to hide something like this?”
“No! Nothing like that. I guess I just...I just didn’t want you to see me cry, to see me weak. I’m Rainbow Dash, right? I don’t ever let anything beat me down.”
Twilight regarded her carefully, before smiling herself and leaning in to kiss Rainbow lightly, still caught in the embrace. “But you don’t need to hide anything from me, ever.” She turned to kiss away the tears still trailing down Rainbow’s cheeks. “I love you for you Dashie, and I would never think anything less of you for crying. Neither would anypony else.”
“I...I know, but I couldn’t face everypony after I got that letter. It’s just...what do I do now Twilight? Everything I’ve been working for since I was a filly is crashing down around me, and I don’t have anything left,” Rainbow explained, fresh tears forming in her eyes.
Twilight leaned in to nuzzle Rainbow’s neck, a nuzzle that she gratefully returned. “You still have me, and you always will. We’ll get through this together. It’s going to be okay, I promise.”
“B-but-” Rainbow started.
“Do you remember the first thing you told me when you were teaching me how to fly?” Twilight asked, interrupting Rainbow’s protest.
“Wha? What does that have to do with-”
“Do you remember what you told me?” Twilight asked again a little more forcefully.
Rainbow shut her eyes as she tried to remember her flying lessons with Twilight. Slowly, a smile tugged at the corners of her lips until she was grinning widely at the memory.
“Yeah, I remember.”
Rainbow felt Twilight squeeze her a little tightly as she recited the lesson. “Everypony crashes from time to time. Sometimes it’s easy to pick yourself back up and get back into the sky again. Though some crashes are worse than others. It’s okay to crash and burn every now-and-then as long as...”
“...as long as there’s somepony there to carry you out,” Rainbow finished. She recalled the old mantra from flight school. “If you can’t fly, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl. And if you can’t do that, find somepony to carry you.”
Still smiling, Rainbow pulled back to kiss Twilight, a few tears still trickling down her muzzle. “Thanks, and I’m sorry. I should have known to tell you right away.”
“It’s okay Rainbow. I promise we’ll get through this together.”
Rainbow believed her.
Around Twilight, Rainbow never had to pretend. There was never any fear of shame with her. And that’s why Rainbow Dash loved her.