The Truth
"Rainbow?" I asked again, even though it was obviously her fighting alcohol poisoning.
"Alright... alright... I'll go back to... somewhere," she mumbled, lifting her head from the bench and flopping it down on the hardwood. It looked painful, but I doubt she could feel it. I think she thought I was a guard. I hopped over the hedge and settled myself. She cracked her unfocused eyes, taking a few seconds to register who was sitting in front of her.
"Oh... look who it is. Spilight Twarkle. Ms. I'm-too-good-for-Rainbow-Dash."
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't help but feel like this was somewhat my fault. I knew Rainbow didn't really have many coping skills, but I had no idea the few she had were this self-destructive. I couldn't help but stifle a giggle. If this is what I looked like during my little adventure with alcohol, Rainbow must have been a saint to put up with me.
"I'm not too good for you, Rainbow."
She snorted derisively and rolled away from me. "I'd have an easier time talking to your face rather than your wings," I reminded her. In Communicating with Drunks; a Beginner's Guide, it says your voice should be firm, but not condescending. "I just didn't expect you to do something like that in front of everypony. I am still upset," I made sure she knew this wasn't just me apologizing. It was just as much her fault. Maybe even a little more. "But... I'll get over it."
Just as I'd finished what I'd assumed would set things right for the moment, I heard the delightful sounds of liquified stomach contents erupting from a mare's mouth. I sighed. Thank Celestia for magic.
I lifted her from the bench and cleaned the little bit of bile off her dress. Rarity would have a fit if she saw what Rainbow did to this thing. Her mane hung down over her eyes as I sat her on the grass next to me and far away from the pile of vomit I regret leaving for a groundskeeper to discover. From her sitting position, Dash promptly fell onto her back, her disheveled mane, staring slack jawed at the stars while a bit of excess saliva still clung to her otherwise parched lips.
I sat there for a few minutes with her. I figured she'd be ready to move in time, having expelled all the undigested alcohol on an unsuspecting patch of grass.
"You really think I'll never be a Wonderbolt?"
I chewed my lip for a second. Ahg, why did words have to come back to haunt me! I would have thought she was in such a stupor she'd have forgotten our argument. "Well, I mean, I said some pretty mean things back there, and when you're upset, you say stuff just to hurt somepony's feelings." I admitted, looking over to her, expecting her to do the same. She simply kept up her blank stare at the stars. "I did that, and I'm sorry, Rainbow. You're a great flier, and you could join the Wonderbolts if you wanted to."
Rainbow closed her eyes. At first I thought she was about to cry, but then I realized the stars had probably begun to spin on her. "Thanks, Twilight. Sorry I said... whatever I said." That was probably the best I could hope for at this point.
"I'm glad. So, would you like to take this party back to our room?" I asked, unable to stop a smile. Rainbow opened her eyes. She rolled onto her side, pushing herself to her hooves on unsteady legs before falling back down. "Let me help you."
A quick levitation spell, and my droopy date was across my back. Pegasi are actually pretty light compared to earth ponies and unicorns. They have to be to walk on clouds! But it's mostly due to their hollow bones. Lightweight, but tough due to their octagonal structure they... sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. Anyway, I quickly teleported both of us back to our room. Unfortunately I managed to put us in the fountain. Still, I think the water sobered Dash up a bit. After her dunk, she managed to get out by herself as I dried off.
After shaking herself dry (or trying to) she sat on her flanks in the doorway to our bedroom. I trotted behind her, draping a towel over her damp shoulders. I tried to walk around her but her foreleg struck out against the door, blocking my way.
"Uh, I can't get to bed with you—" That was all I got out before I found myself on my side, a pegasus that felt a lot heavier now than earlier perched on top of me. Before I had time to react, she enacted her most diabolical plan yet. "No! Rainbow! Please, stop!"
I was at her mercy. Those darn feathers of her running down my sides. I was powerless as I fought my giggles. Even when blind drunk, she still knew exactly where I was ticklish. Now, I know what you're thinking. Why not just use your magic, Twilight? Well, magic takes concentration. Tickling breaks that concentration. Luckily, I managed to ignore her feathers just long enough to cast a holding spell. After I caught my breath, I took in the grassy, rough mare before me. She was still laughing, but her eyes still held the shine of too much alcohol.
I know what I could have, and by rights should have done. I should have taken a feather from our bed and ticked her until she turned blue. Blue-er. But then where would the tickle fights end? I couldn't watch my back twenty four-seven!
I floated her over to the bed and laid her in it, careful not to release her until I was already beneath the blankets. "I should have gotten you back for that," I reminded her, turning my head as she met my eyes. "You're lucky I'm so mature."
She snorted. "Yeah, lucky me."
We just lay there for a while. As tired as I was, I thought I'd go right to sleep.
"I didn't plan what happened tonight," Rainbow whispered hoarsely. Somehow, even when we were fighting, I knew that.
"I know. It was just so... unexpected," I replied.
Rainbow sat up, removing her grass-stained dress before looking over herself. "I could probably use a bath." I scrunched my nose. She wasn't lying.
She hopped out of bed and trotted towards the bathroom. Once the door was closed, I stared at the ceiling. Time alone with my thoughts were most dangerous. Especially when it came to something I had no experience to draw upon. I liked Rainbow. Rainbow liked me! Whether we announced it to the world or not, this was our first date. Ponies who liked other ponies got kissed by those ponies. Sometimes even on the first date, if my books were to be believed. Even though it was embarrassing to be in the spotlight at the time, I didn't consider what running away from Rainbow would mean to her.
I looked toward the bathroom door. Steam had started to seep beneath it as the shower ran. I should have just smiled, dealt with my blushing cheeks and pulled her aside later. That would have been the mature thing to do. But I didn't do that. Instead, I ran. Maybe I'm not ready for something like this. Maybe all my romance novels just made me think I know what it takes to make a relationship work.
But, everypony has to start somewhere, right? Why not now? With Rainbow?
As I lay there, the dangerous part of me being alone with my thoughts crept in. I over-think things more often than I'd like to admit. What if Rainbow and I broke up? What if we just aren't meant for each other? What if this is just a passing flame? What if by being together, my love for her overtakes my love for my friends and screws up the Elements of Harmony?
I grabbed an extra pillow and put it over my face. Maybe lacking oxygen would help me stop thinking.
It didn't, but it was worth a shot. Before I knew it, a light from the bathroom blinded me. Rainbow shut it off as she dried herself with a towel. I was actually pretty surprised how dexterous wings could be. She gently shook the remaining moisture from her mane and pulled the blankets back. She hadn't said a word since our tickle fight, and I wasn't sure what to make of that. Was she mad? Tired? Still drunk? Well, she was probably still drunk, but I sought her out an apologized! Shouldn't that at least warrant a warm shoulder?
She got back into bed and slid beneath the covers. I laid there, wondering if she knew whether or not I was still awake, when she surprised me. "Sorry for what I said earlier about you worrying your life away."
Her breath smelled like a mix of alcohol and peppermints. I couldn't tell if that was due to her brushing her teeth or just a hearty dose of schnapps. "Thanks, Rainbow." I guess showers do a lot more for sobriety than I realized.
"I guess... I guess I just wanted to show you, uhm..."
I looked over at her. The moonlight shining from the double doors leading to our balcony didn't do much to dull the vibrance of her mane. I couldn't help but return her hopeful smile. I rolled over onto my side, facing her, propping my head up with a hoof. Although I'm not proud to admit it, I'd practiced this pose.
"You know..." she finished. I had never seen this Rainbow Dash before. Probably because I was never around her when she was this drunk, but still. I could maybe afford to have some fun with her. Perhaps make her squirm a little.
Not in that way.
"Know what?" I asked coyly.
She huffed, her breath racing from her nose as she pouted. "Are you really gonna make me say it?"
I smiled. You bet I was. How often would I get a chance to do this? "Mhm."
"Fine. I wanted to show you that I liked you." The words flowed with relative ease, making me wonder why she'd hesitated in the first place. She clearly didn't mind showing me her feelings. In all honesty, it made me feel special. "Because I do. More than I realized."
If it weren't dark in our room, she probably would have teased me to no end. I bet my face was red as a tomato. "I like you too, Rainbow," I admitted. Now it was my turn for a confession. "I actually wish we could have had our private moment a bit more... privately." I had long since broken eye contact, until I felt her hoof on mine. I glanced up. I could have sworn she had somehow moved a lot closer to me than she had been a few seconds ago.
"I mean, there's no reason why we can't get a do-over, is there?" she whispered. Suddenly, I was aware of how incredibly fast my heart was beating. Were this any other scenario, I'd be worrying myself over the possibility of a myocardial infarction... I mean a heart attack. My mouth dried up and I was now extremely conscious of the fact that my lips were probably so dry that Rainbow would recoil in disgust after touching them!
All my relatively smooth talk had vanished, and now it seemed I would be the one to squirm for Rainbow.
Again, not like that.
"I-I guess not." The last kiss was a surprise. I wasn't expecting it, I had no time to over-think it! But now, I knew it was coming. My stupid physiology had time to betray me, to turn the suave, seductive Twilight I had been for only a few seconds into a blithering, cotton-mouthed filly. If I wanted this to happen while I still had some semblance of wits and saliva about, it needed to happen now.
Somehow, Rainbow sliding towards me with half lidded eyes was like something out of a movie. There was nothing about her I would have changed in that moment. I, however, felt myself awkwardly catching on the sheets as I tried to extend my neck to cover the length I was missing to meet her. Celestia only knows how ridiculous I must have looked. Thankfully, by the time I had the quickness to contemplate all of this, her lips were pressed against mine.
You're supposed to close your eyes when you kiss, which means you have to operate by feel alone. And that's a tall order considering my first kiss was a scant few hours ago. But... honestly, I kind of just fell into a rhythm with her. In a way, you can just play off your partners signals. Whatever she did, I tried to follow, and honestly, it worked! Even once our... uhm... tongues got involved.
I have to admit, this kiss was wonderful. It was everything I've ever wanted and more. All too soon, she pulled away. I said the only thing that came to mind. "Wow."
She smiled. I'd have given up every book in my personal collection to be able to see that smile whenever I wanted.
"Not bad, huh?" she asked.
"Nope," I replied wearily.
She leaned over again. I put my lips together expectantly, but she gave me a peck on the forehead instead.
"You're cute when you're embarrassed."
I giggled nervously. "You too."
She rolled her eyes. To this day, I'm not a very smooth talker.
"Goodnight, Twilight." Just as quickly as our passion had risen, it was gone. She rolled over and pulled the blanket around her shoulders, leaving me staring at the now neatly folded blued wings creating lumps beneath the blanket.
What a night.
That was it. That's the whole story. Twilight and I had our fun a few times past that night. We hung out in the library, out in the fields, and I even convinced her to come out to the bar again once! She took it a bit slower than last time.
This is probably the part of the story where you expect me to tell you about how Twilight and I went on more dates, had more good times, got married and magically produced a foal, or we lived in the palace happily forever or something. Well, that's not the case. Sometimes... I wish it had been.
But life isn't a fairytale. Not everything works out just because you want it to. Yeah, we had our fun, and I do love Twilight. As a friend. There was a chance for us to go farther, to become marefriends or lovers or whatever you want to call it.
It didn't happen. We had a choice to make. I had my career to think about. And then there's the matter of her becoming a princess. That kinda put a damper on the two of us making time for each other. I'm not blaming her for that, because it's not her fault. Princess Celestia doesn't choose to make a pony into an alicorn every day, you know.
Twilight was sent here to make friends and discover how having us around made her life so much better. And we did. Me, especially. We still keep in touch. She's actually really good at sending her weekly letters to the five of us. This is Twi we're talking about here.
She loves Canterlot. She's always been about helping others, and now, she gets to do that all day. We're supposed to go see her next month. I'm looking forward to it, and so are the girls. I've probably been looking forward to it more than I'd like to admit... but it's okay. She's happy. I'm happy for her.
There will be other ponies for me. That's what she told me before she hopped on the train to Canterlot. I believe her. I don't know where they are, but I hope I find them soon. Or they find me.