Okay, confession time: I know I may act cocky and stuff, but I hate talking to ponies about feelings—especially love. I mean, they always ask questions like, “when was your first kiss?” or “who was your first special somepony?” Seriously, how can I answer those honestly and not get laughed out of the room? I'd be Rainbow Dash: the coolest pegasus to have ever not been on a date! I guess that's why, instead of flying straight to Twilight's library like a bat out of Tartarus, I drifted down to the ground and walked back to Ponyville, aimlessly wandering the crowded streets once I got there.
I found myself walking around the park after a few minutes, watching a few foals play tag. They were so carefree, ducking and weaving between the reckless hooves of their adversaries, so young and naive—they would be anything that they wanted to be when they grew up. I saw a unicorn wearing a magician's hat try to make an egg disappear, just before one of the tag players tackled another and were sent careening into her stand, crushing the egg in a watery yellow mess.
I sat down on a bench and sighed, burying my face in my forehooves. What do I do now? I wondered, Might as well take that job as Weather Chief—maybe it'll pull in enough Bits for me to have something besides ketchup soup for dinner... Speaking of which, I probably should have been taking a shower; my friends had insisted on throwing me a celebratory dinner the night I got back from camp, and I didn't want to be all messy and dirty for it.
Just when I thought my heart couldn't sink any lower, it decided to prove me wrong. What was I supposed to tell them—I made it but I quit? No, they'd ask too many questions. But what else could I say? They'd never believe me if I told them I didn't make it—everypony knows that I'm better than half of the 'bolts that are already on the team!
I sighed and leaned back against the wooden bench, staring up at the cloudless sky. The weather was perfect for flying: sunny and cool, but not too cool. Normally, on a day like today, I'd be up there perfecting my moves for entrance to the Wonderbolt Academy—guess that's one thing I won't have to do anymore. Still, I figured it couldn't hurt to go up there just one more time. The heat of the sun on my back, the breeze on my cheeks, the wind in my fur... Yeah, a few minutes in the air would surely clear my mind.
I stood up and spread my wings, popping a few joints in the process. A deep breath, a jump and I was airborne. A few ponies gave me disapproving looks as I glided overhead—taking off in the middle of town isn't exactly looked upon fondly—but I ignored them and continued upwards. During my ascent, I tried to clear my mind of recent events; I wanted to forget my problems, if only for a few minutes, and enjoy my flight.
When I reached a decent height, I twisted my wings and angled myself towards the ground, speeding downward in a high-speed dive. Closer and closer to the ground I fell before—woosh!—I pulled up and spiraled back into the blue. I looped the loop, zig-zagged between the mail-mares, sped past a flock of seagulls and somersaulted through a group of clouds, landing on a rooftop with a clang. Smiling, I charged over the ledge and leaped back into the air. I flipped, I spun, I dove and corkscrewed; I felt good—really good. Despite just using my wings a few hours ago, it was nice to be back in the sky—therapeutic, really. I chuckled, some ponies had to pay hundreds of Bits to have their problems fixed by some shrink with a clipboard, I just needed some air.
I laughed as I flipped once more, coming up underneath an unsuspecting hawk and scaring half his feathers off. “You know something?” I said to myself, “This might not be so bad after all! I mean sure, no Wonderbolts, but at least I've got my friends...” I sneezed, and a few brownish-black feathers flew away from my nose. “...and I can still fly!”
There was no more pressure, no more constant demand for excellence in every flight related task! I could take my time for once and have some fun! I was free!
Oh, Celestia, I was free!
I could tell Twilight about my feelings whenever I wanted to, but there was no need to rush—it wasn't like there was some kind of deadline to reach! I could tell her in a few months—or even weeks! Heck, if I managed to work up the courage, I could tell her today!
Yeah, I could totally make this work!
I had my whole life to figure out all the hard stuff! Just because I wasn't a Wonderbolt didn't mean I couldn't try something else! I could do something! I could be anything! I could, uh...
I could...
I slowed down to crawl as reality hit me like a freight train. I'd gotten kicked out of flight school. I never went to college. My whole life had been dedicated to getting into the Wonderbolts and my only skill was flying—and weather control, I guess, but only because I'd needed money to support my dream of getting on the team! There was no way I could make a career out of kicking clouds! Not only would that be that boring as heck, but the pay was so horrible that I'd be eating out of a dumpster before long!
“Hey! Look!” a familiar voice cried before the cold feeling settling in my gut could spread very far. I peered downwards to see Pinkie Pie grinning and waving a sheet of paper around in the air. Twilight was with her, her beautiful mane flowing in the breeze. My other friends were there, too, all standing outside the library looking upset.
“There she is!” Pinkie shouted, bouncing up and down on her hind legs like only she can. “Dashie, down here!”
Well, I suppose this had to happen at some point—might as well be now. The familiar weight returned to my chest as I descended to their level. When my hooves touched the ground, I looked back up at my friends. Before I could even speak, a bright pink blur tackled me to the ground.
“Hiya, Dashie!” the frizzy haired maniac cheered, her figure towering over me. “How was the Wonderbolt Academy? Didja pass? Huh? Didja?”
“Pinkie—“
“I betcha did!” she continued without hesitation. “I know you did! Ooh! Are you a Wonderbolt now? Where's your badge? I wish I could be a Wonderbolt, but I don't have any wings!” She stepped back and saluted the sky before attempting to take off, flapping her forelegs like a crazed chicken.
An orange hoof snaked around my no-doubt sugar-high friend and helped me to my hooves; I smiled and said hello to Applejack. The farmer tipped her Stetson at me before lassoing Pinkie—who'd somehow managed to become airborne in her attempts to fly—and pulling her back to earth.
Once Pinkie Pie had calmed down, everypony's gaze drifted over to me. It was weird though, I don't really know what I'd been expecting when I got back, but frowns on the faces of my friends definitely weren't what I'd had in mind.
Do they already know? I wondered as they cast their glances at me. I shook my head. Don't be silly, Dash! How could they? But... what else could they be mad about?
“Uh, hey guys,” I said, scratching the back of my neck. “How's it goin'?”
Like a bursting dam, everypony started talking at once. Applejack began droning on about her chores at the farm; Rarity was complaining about her dress orders; Fluttershy could be heard muttering something about a sick gopher. They all looked frustrated, and the longer everypony went on, the more stressed they sounded.
“Everypony! Hey!” Twilight cried over the chaos, “Quiet!” After a moment, the silence returned and everypony was focused on the cutest mare in Equestria. Well, at least I was.
Kinda.
Celestia, her eyes are pretty...
Twilight took a deep breath and looked at each one of us. Maybe it was just my imagination, but she gave me the smallest of smiles when I caught her eye. “Welcome back, Rainbow Dash. We missed you while you were gone.”
She missed me!
I felt heat rush to my face and I quickly turned to the ground, hoping nopony would notice. “Uh, yeah. I missed you too—guys, I mean. Heh-heh, I missed you guys too.” Darn it! I'd only been gone for a few months! How could I have forgotten how to talk so soon? A quick glance around at my friends revealed that nopony had caught my slip-of-the-tongue—they were all too busy looking at Twilight.
“Like I was saying,” she continued pointedly, gesturing at the paper Pinkie Pie was still holding. “I know this is last minute, but we can't just ignore a summons from the Princesses!”
Wait... what?
“Uh,” I started, “did I miss—“
“It'd better be a real emergency if she needs us to leave so dang soon!” Applejack growled. “I mean, I respect Princess Celestia as much as the next pony, but doesn't she know that we've got lives?”
“Guys? What's going—”
“I agree, darling,” Rarity interjected. “Would it have been so hard to at least give us a day's notice?”
“Hello? Are you guys even listening—”
“What about poor Woody?” squeaked Fluttershy, “He needs lots of attention right now; I can't just leave him!”
“I understand there are problems, girls!” Twilight cried, waving her hooves in the air. “But I know that Celestia wouldn't—”
“What do I tell the Cakes?” Pinkie cried suddenly, latching onto Twilight's face with her forehooves. “I told them I was free this week! All this week! They need somepony to babysit the foals!”
“Guys?”
“There are other ponies in town, Pinkie,” Twilight reassured her. “I'm sure—”
“But there's only one me!” the dotty mare yelped. “And I told them I would!”
“Everypony shut up!” I shouted as loud as I could. Breathing heavily, I looked at each of my friends. They were all giving me a stunned expression—you know the kind: slack jaw, wide eyes, kinda leaning back on their hind-legs—but they were quiet. I took a deep breath. “Now, does anypony feel like telling me what the heck is going on?”
Silence all around. A few of my friends exchanged awkward expressions but nothing else. “Uh, right,” Applejack grunted softly. “Guess we all got a little carried away there, huh?”
“You can say that again...” Twilight's mumble was barely audible, but I managed to pick it out of the air. She took a step into the center of our circle. “I'll explain everything later, Rainbow Dash,” she said tiredly. “Look, the letter never said that you girls had to come, I just thought that—“
“Stop right there!” Rarity interrupted, “I know where you're going with this and I won't allow it! Why, we could never abandon you, Twilight!”
Applejack nodded. “Yeah,” she said, adjusting her hat. “We were just griping is all.”
Twilight sighed. “Then everypony get your affairs in order; we'll meet at the train station in an hour.”
There were a few more groans of discontent before the circle broke up and everypony went their separate ways. Soon, only Twilight and I were left standing outside the library. Well, I was standing—Twilight was sitting down, her head hanging low. I counted forty-seven seconds before her eyes opened—that was way too long to be good.
“Hey,” I said, getting as close too her as I dared. I put a hoof on her shoulder and she looked up at me with her big, beautiful orbs. “Uh, you okay. Twi?”
Her lip curled up a bit. “Yeah,” she sighed. “I've just so stressed out lately with all of the crazy things that have been going on.” She stood up and pulled me into a hug. “It's good that you're back, though; things haven't been the same without you around.”
I took a deep breath, hoping that the heat on my face wasn't as visible as it felt, and returned her hug. I took in the sweet, gentle smell of her mane; the softness of her fur against my cheek sent a shiver down my spine. “Yeah,” I said, snickering, “I bet things were pretty boring...”
Twilight laughed before letting me go. “Trust me,” she groaned, “'boring' is not the word.”
I bit my lip. “I didn't miss anything important, did I?”
Tapping a hoof on her chin, Twilight said, “Well, there was that whole situation with Discord...”
“What?” I cried, my wings bursting out instinctively.“Discord got loose again?” Why didn't they call me? We needed the Elements! I checked the sky quickly for any sign of demon mushrooms or cotton candy, but found nothing.
Twilight smiled. “Well, yes and no,” she said, laughing softly. “Celestia wanted us to reform him—he's working as the Equestrian Diplomat for Gryphonia, now. They like his brand of magic, I guess.”
My voice didn't seem to want to work. My jaw moved up and down at least, but no words came out. I must have looked really stupid, but I eventually managed to splutter: “What?”
Twilight giggled. “My thoughts exactly.” I thought she was going to elaborate, but she just stood up and faced the library. “C'mon,” she said, waving a hoof. “You don't have any packing to do, do you?”
“Well, no...” I answered, following her up the steps and trying not to stare at the gorgeous flank I was being presented with. “At least, I don't think so. What are we going to Canterlot for?”
The unicorn grimaced and looked up at the castle, barely visible in the distant mountains. “I'm not sure, really. The Princess's letter didn't really say much beyond her 'urgent need' of my presence.'”
I whistled. Never a good thing when that happens... “Sounds like some fun times await.”
“Precisely,” Twilight agreed. She opened the door and allowed me to walk through it. “We need to be ready for anything, but the short-notice has everypony in a bad mood—you saw them; they weren't happy. I can't say I blame them for being upset—I hate surprises—I just hope that they don't stay that way for long...”
“Bah.” I sat down and waved a hoof. “They'll get over it. It's not the first time we've had to drop everything and save Equestria.”
“Well, that's just it,” Twilight answered, closing the door behind her just a little too hard. “We don't really know what the problem is. Their attitudes aren't completely illogical; for all we know, this could just be another one of her pranks—remember April Foals' Day?”
I grimaced and rubbed my flank at the memory. “I try not to. How'd she even manage to get all those cactuses?”
“Cacti,” Twilight corrected, ever the scholar. She strode across the room and opened a glass case containing five ornate necklaces and an expensive-looking tiara-thing. “Anyway,” she giggled, “I'm going to pack the Elements of Harmony, just in case.”
I shrugged. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
After retrieving a suitcase from a nearby closet, Twilight set about cramming the most powerful weapons known to ponydom into it. She hummed softly while she worked, her flank bouncing along with the beat. Every now and again, a stray lock of her violet mane would fall into her vision, and she'd pause her activities to brush it out of the way.
I could have watched her all day, but I figured that would be weird, so I got up and started exploring the shelves of the library. Searching the massive amounts of books for diamonds like Daring Do had become a favorite time-burning hobby of mine just before I'd left for the academy and I was willing to bet that at least one or two new stories had been added in the past couple months.
I wandered down the aisle, taking in the familiar sights of the hundreds of books that lined the shelves, creating a mosaic of colors and shapes that may have even rivaled a rainbow. I'd never say it out loud—I mean, I'd be branded a total egghead if anyone ever found out—but I'd managed to memorize the placement of almost every book in the Action section of Golden Oaks. I soon realized that there was a book that was out-of-place, and grabbed it to check it out.
The book fell off the shelf and onto the floor with a thump. I flipped it over with a nudge from my nose, and was greeted with the strangest cover I'd ever seen. My jaw dropped. Was that a church? And a dress? And an eight-pony chariot?
“Daring Do and the Quest for Love?” I cried incredulously, waving a hoof at the monstrosity before my eyes. “What?”
From the far side of the library, I heard Twilight giggle. “The new Daring Do book?” she asked between fits. “Dash, it's not what you think! It's a parody.”
I frowned and poked the book, hoping that the title had been an illusion.
It wasn't.
“A what?” I asked.
Twilight laughed and poked her head into the aisle. “A parody,” she explained in that lecturing voice that somehow managed to be both cute and boring at the same time, “is a work that is created to poke fun at, or joke about, an existing work. Look at the author, Rainbow.”
I glanced down at the cover and searched for Red Morning's name, but it didn't turn up. Instead, all I found was the name U. R. A. Monkey under Daring's too-groomed-to-be-actiony tail. I snorted and pushed the book away. “That's stupid!” I declared, glaring at the party—part-rotty—par-ditty—thing—whatever the heck Twilight had called it. “Who'd wanna make fun of Daring Do? She's awesome!”
A smile grew on Twilight's face and she gave me The Look—the look that makes me melt every time I see it—the look that makes me feel like it's okay that I don't understand a lot of the things that my friends sometimes talk about—the look that makes me actually feel special, even during moments when I don't feel like I am. It was kinda like a smile, but warmer, y'know? Like no matter what I did or how stupid I acted, I could never disappoint her.
I loved that look.
“That's just it, Rainbow,” she said, “Daring Do is very popular, so the writer parodying her knew that his parody would sell well because the jokes would be understood. If he'd tried to parody Maristotle or Sun Moo, the general public wouldn't have understood what she was saying, and she wouldn't have made any money for her efforts.”
I pouted and looked back at the book. “But... Daring's too cool to be made fun of...”
Twilight laughed and disappeared behind the book case—probably going back to packing. “Oh, Rainbow Dash,” she chuckled, “Never change, okay?”
I didn't really know what she meant by that, but I figured that I must've done something really cool to get a remark like that. Something I didn't even mean to do, apparently. Slick moves! I thought excitedly, hoofpumping. Alright, Dash!
Smiling, I walked over to where I'd kicked the book. It certainly didn't look like any Daring Do book I'd ever seen before—and I'd read the whole series so far. But, Twilight said that it was supposed to be a joke, right? So, I guess it couldn't hurt to take a peek inside. Besides, what was I supposed to do while I waited for Twilight to pack?
Tentatively, I flicked over the cover and stared at the words of the first chapter. Here goes nothin'...
As Daring Do walked down the hallway of Mareshall College, she couldn't help but smile at the thought of encountering her favorite Professor of Archeology, Rosetta Stone. With a proud chuckle, Daring watched the Medallion of the Winds bounce around her neck; Rosetta was sure to appreciate this find! Maybe she'd get a little more than Bits this time, if she played her cards right...
Daring opened the door to the lecture hall, she could hear Stone drilling her students on the mechanics of the long-dead Equuish language and how it still affected modern Equestrian. She poked her head inside and saw that most of the class was droopy-eyed or outright sleeping.
Time to change that! she thought with a smirk, gearing up for her grand entrance. Sure, Stone didn't really like her bursting theatrics, but they both knew that Daring was the only reason that her students managed to keep awake during lessons.
“The term refers to the pointed end of one's hoof, which was once used by the ancient Laestrygonians for courting rituals in the—“
Daring slammed the door open with gusto and tore to the front of the room, tackling the professor to the ground upon reaching her. Stone shrieked in surprise, suddenly finding herself on the floor, and Daring laughed at the wideness of her eyes. “How's it goin', Doctor Egghead?” Daring giggled.
Rosetta's eyes narrowed sharply, her amethyst eyes barely visible behind her indigo lids. “Really, Daring?” she asked frustratedly. “How many times have I told you not to—“ Suddenly, her eyes widened once more. She brought her hoof up and held the swaying accessory still. “Is that what I think it is?” she shrieked.
Daring smiled and removed herself from atop the professor. “You betcha!” she said, showing off the sparkling medallion with pride. “And you said it was gone...”
“Sweet Celestia, Darey!” Rosetta cried, standing up and grabbing the medallion in her magic. She brought it to her face for closer inspection. “Do you even know what this means?”
Daring rolled her eyes, but turned to hide the blush crawling up her face. “Duh!” she said proudly, “It proves that the ancient pegasi of Cloudsdale used outside magic to interact with stormfronts.”
“Exactly!” the indigo unicorn cried, clapping her hooves happily. “It means that pegasi and unicorns managed to work together long before the Pre-Equestrian Era!” She turned her excited eyes to Daring and wrapped her up in a hug. “How did you get this?”
Scratching the back of her neck, Daring closed her eyes. “Aw, i-it was nothing,” she said sheepishly. “Anything for you...”
“Ugh! Are you guys gonna kiss or what?”
Daring froze; very much against her will, her wings began to rise. Acting quickly, she pushed herself away from Rosetta and fumbled for words. “Uh... Um... Er...” She surveyed the classroom, looking for the little punk that had managed to throw her off her game and whispering oaths of vile and painful torture.
A younger unicorn in the back stood up. “Seriously, Dr. Do,” she said gruffly, “This happens way too often; we're paying good Bits to learn ancient Equuish, not about how thunder-heads couldn't take care of themselves before we helped them out.”
Daring's ears dropped and cemented themselves to the sides of her skull. Biting her lip, she stepped backwards—towards the door—and surveyed the floor.
“Sparkler!” Rosetta roared, furiously stomping her way over to the pony in question. “Don't you dare say such things in my class!”
The unicorn shrugged. “Just saying what everypony's thinking.”
When nopony protested Sparkler's declaration, Stone growled.“Well, then everypony can leave!” she announced, giving them each a furious death-glare. “Class dismissed!”
Daring's eyes never left the floor as everypony filed out of the classroom. She could read their condescension through every hoofstep. Every jagged, stony glare drove into her heart worse than any spear or bullet ever could.
They were better than her—smarter. At least, that's what they thought, and who was Daring to argue with her superiors? Sure, she taught some of them, but that was her privilege as an authority in Archeology, not a common honor for dim-witted cloud-buckers like her. She was the exception, not the rule.
When the classroom was empty, a hoof settled down onto Daring's shoulder. Looking up, she saw Rosetta's warm smile. “Don't let her get to you, Darey,” she said softly. “Sparkler's a narrow-minded bigot.”
A corner of Daring's mouth perked up. “Don't worry about it,” she said, shrugging. “I'm used to it—I am the only pegasus in Mareshall, after all.”
Rosetta's eyes darkened. “You still shouldn't have to deal with that; it's not right.”
The corner of Daring's mouth perked up at that. Over three thousand ponies in the university, and the only friend she'd found in six years of teaching was in Rosetta. Of course, such a close friendship would likely always lead to stronger feelings on the part of the singled-out party, Daring reasoned, not just in her case. At least, that's what made sense.
It was only natural, right?
“C'mon, Darey,” the unicorn said, lifting the medallion from around Daring's neck. She gave the pegasus another warm smile and nuzzled her cheek.“Let's get down to the lab.”
“Hm...” A sudden voice next to my ear made me jump. “That's funny, I don't remember Daring feeling anything beyond friendship for Rosetta in the actual series.”
I looked to my right and realized that Twilight's face was barely an inch from my own. “Uh, hey, Twi...” I said trying to keep my voice steady. Her lips were so close... “Ya done packing?”
Twilight nodded. “We should get going now. You can take that with you if you like it, Rainbow.”
I looked down at the book again. I'd never been interested in frilly romance books, even after Twilight taught me that you shouldn't really judge books by their covers, but something about this one had struck a chord. I'd never really thought about it before, but Daring Do and Dr. Stone would make a perfect couple; Daring was brave and cool and fast, and Rosetta was among the best teachers in Mareshall and her research partner! On top of that, they were really close friends! How had I never realized that before? They were perfect for each other!
Still, romance books were so not cool. “It's okay,” I said, shrugging, “Not bad, I guess.”
Twilight beamed. “You see?” she said, picking up the book. “Just because you're not familiar with the genre doesn't mean that you can't enjoy it!”
I rolled my eyes and fought the urge to remind her that I was only a little ways into the story. “I guess so,” I said, picking the book up and tucking it under her wing. “But I still don't get why somepony would want to make fun of Daring...”
“Because satire sells,” Twilight assured, leading the way out of the aisle. “Ponies like to see popular things poked at, it's just one of those things.”
“It's a weird thing.”
Twilight looked over her shoulder and chuckled. “Yeah,” she said, striding over to her bags. “I guess you're right.” She grabbed her saddlebags with her magic and put them on, then turned to face me. “C'mon.” She gestured toward the door with her head. The movement did wonderful things to her mane. Very wonderful things.
I followed Twilight out the door and back down the steps of the library. Not much had changed outside—the streets were still pretty busy and the sun was still high, so they were likely to stay that way for the next few hours, at least. Twilight led the way through town, smiling and greeting everypony as she did so.
“Good afternoon, Twilight!” A greenish unicorn waved.
“Good afternoon, Lyra!” Twilight waved back.
A few more ponies greeted us on the way to the train station, but for the most part, the walk was quiet. As I watched Twilight walk—and I'm not saying I watched her, I just kinda had a hard time looking away from her... for a really long time—I wondered what it would be like to walk shoulder to shoulder with her every day, like a couple. Maybe I'd wrap my wing around her shoulders and just stroll around town with nothing really to do; then we'd go get some cookies at Sugarcube Corner and eat them in the shade of the park while we watched the town foals play and share stories from our childhoods.
We could go for walks together all the time and I could walk right next to her instead of a little behind her, like I was at the moment. While we walked, we could talk about all the things that we loved, like Daring Do and hanging out and our friends. At the end of the day, we'd curl up by the fireplace with a good book and just kinda snuggle until we both fell asleep.
Maybe I'd find out, someday, what it feels like to wake up with the mare you love sleeping right next to you, holding you tight against her chest and snoring those cute little snores that she'll never admit that she makes...
Hopefully, I'd find out someday soon.
When we got to the train station, we found ourselves line up behind some other ponies just outside the doors. Twilight sighed. “That's a long line,” she said. “I wasn't expecting this. What if we miss the train?”
Her ears drooped. I rolled my eyes but cast her a worried glance when she started tapping her hooves on the ground. She was biting her lip, darting her eyes from the clock to the booth and shaking like a leaf.
Uh, oh...
Tapping was warning sign number one of 'total neurotic freak-out' Twilight—and she was already getting antsy. Soon, if she didn't calm down, she'd go completely bonkers and start casting spells on ponies and painting the walls with her tongue or something.
In other words, it wouldn't be pretty.
“Hey,” I said, making my voice as soothing as I could make it. “It ain't so bad. Besides, it's not like they're gonna leave without us if the Princess asked for our help.”
Twilight's expression remained unchanged. “But—“
“No buts!” I said, placing a hoof over her mouth. “Seriously, Twi, you gotta learn to just go with the flow.”
She looked down at the ground, frowning. “You're right...” she muttered. “Sorry, I just hate unexpected complications...”
I shrugged. “No big deal. We all have things we hate, right? Just gotta balance 'em out with the things that we love!”
Twilight's lip curled up a little. “That was pretty wise, Rainbow,” she said, poking me in the chest. “You sure all they taught you at that camp was how to fly?”
My heart lurched at the mention of the academy. “Y-yeah...” I said, eying a particularly odd-shaped rock on the ground. “'Fraid so...”
“Oh my gosh!” Twilight cried out suddenly. I looked up to see her wide eyes dawning with a realization of some sort. “I completely forgot! How did it go? Did you pass?”
I bit my lip and looked back at the rock. It was a really strange-looking rock. “Yeah...” I said, a little quieter than I meant to. “Flying colors...”
Almost instantly, I was wrapped in one of the tightest embraces I'd ever been in—excluding those initiated by Pinkie, nopony hugs like that mare. “That's great news!” she exclaimed. “I'm so proud of you, Rainbow! I knew you could do it!”
I chuckled awkwardly and tried to ignore the heat accumulating in my cheeks as she nuzzled against my neck. “Th-thanks...”
I wondered, as she pulled away, what Twilight would say when I told her that I'd turned them down. Would she be upset? Would she tell me that I was dumb for turning away the biggest honor that had ever come my way? Would she laugh at the choice that looked stupider and stupider the longer I thought about it?
“Next!”
…Or would she be happy?
“Next!”
Nah, she'd be happy. Now, I'd have all kinds of time to spend with her and our friends. Plus, it'd be kinda hard to keep a relationship together if I was always gone, anyway. Twilight would be home alone all the time with nopony to keep her company. I could never do that to her.
“Next in line, please!”
A sudden push forward jerked me back into reality. I stumbled forward, barely managing to catch myself, and looked around. Somehow, the whole front half of the line had disappeared.
The stallion in the booth was waiting impatiently. Twilight was standing off to the side, giving me a strange look. The ticketpony knocked his hoof on the frame of his window, wearing a scowl. “Next!”
There was a chorus of groans. “Hey, get a move on already!” someone behind me cried.
Gulping, I slunk to the Ticketmaster's window and tossed a few Bits onto the counter. “Um, I'm with her...” I gestured at Twilight.
The stallion gave me a cold glare.
“Heh, sorry?”
Without saying a thing, the ticketpony tapped a few buttons on his machine and scooped up my Bits. After depositing them in the machine, he slapped a ticket on the counter and called for the next pony in line.
After I grabbed my ticket, I bolted out of the way of the other ponies and ran straight for Twilight at the entrance to the platform. She held the gate open for me while I ducked inside.
“Thanks,” I said, looking back at the line. A great many of the ponies in it were still staring at me. Quickly turning around, I brushed past my friend and continued down the boarding area.
“Uh...” Twilight's eyes followed me as I strode past her. “Don't mention it?”
In any other circumstance, it would've been cool to know that Twi's eyes were all over me—but not after a blunder like that. I don't remember ever having to focus on not falling down while walking, but here I was, watching every hoof make it's way down to the floor like a toddling foal. Even then, I nearly tripped over an abandoned suitcase.
“Uh, Rainbow? Are you okay?” she called behind me. I ignored her; hopefully, she'd think her voice just wasn't loud enough to get to me amongst all the chaos of the station.
The docking area was busy, but not so crowded that I had to worry about losing Twilight. With some careful navigation, I managed to avoid the judgmental stares of everypony else as I made my way to a secluded bench on the far side of the station. Sitting down, I maintained my focus on the ground and waited for Twilight to catch up.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Twilight approach and sit down beside me. Her hooves squirmed a bit on the concrete as she purposely avoided looking at me. After a moment of silence, she spoke up with a too-cheerful-to-be-genuine voice, “So, uh, I bet the others will be here soon!”
I bit my lip. How had things gone so wrong? All I'd done was think about Twilight and I'd somehow managed to make a scene; now, everypony was probably either mad at me, or laughing on the inside over my stupidity.
I didn't know which was worse.
“Yep...” she continued, rocking back and forth on her haunches. “Any time now...”
Sure, I liked Twilight—heck, I loved her. At least, I think I did, I couldn't say for sure, with so little experience with this stuff, but there was something there. I just don't remember it being so strong before. Here I was, stuttering and blushing and tripping over myself; I used to be so good at being cool around her, too. I'd thought all that stupid stuff was behind me...
Maybe I'd missed her too much while I was at the academy. I'd thought about her every day, and dreams of her kept me motivated and ready to fly at a moment's notice. But that was normal, right? Everypony thinks of their friends when they're away. Probably not as much as I thought about Twilight, though—too much, really; I'd often missed the key parts of lectures while trying to remember what her mane looked like when in flowed in the breeze.
Maybe it was just time to tell her how I feel, like Spitfire had said? Really, what was holding me back?
Myself?
Twilight sighed. “Rainbow?” she asked, stretching down to my level, “Are you okay? What's wrong?”
I looked up at her and felt a strange kind of floating feeling in my chest; she was giving me The Look again—that tender, caring look. I smiled a little at the sight; Twilight always manages to make me feel better, even when she's the problem.
“Nothin',” I said, shrugging. “It's just...”
“Just what?” Twilight asked, her brow now cocked.
I took a deep, albeit shaky, breath. Yeah, it was time. Mustering up all the strength I had, I looked her straight in her shining eyes and began to speak. “Twi, we're best friends, right?”
Her nose wrinkled. “Of course,” she said automatically, giving me a careful look.
“A-and we'll always be best friends, right? N-no matter what?” I fought the urge to look back down at the floor—I needed to look at her for this! I couldn't look like some scaredy-pony!
“Well, yeah...” Twilight answered. She furrowed her brow and her voice took on a gentler tone.“Rainbow, are you sure you're okay?”
I gulped hard and nodded. Here goes... “Twi, I-I... I kinda lo—“
“Twi-i-i-li-i-i-i-ght! Da-a-a-shie-e-e-e-e!” A loud, vociferous voice called out.
“Huh?” I looked over my shoulder to see Pinkie Pie standing across the room, waving wildly.
I stifled a growl as Twilight waved back. Really? This really has to happen right now?
Pinkie darted through the throngs of ponies between us and, somehow managing to not touch the ground once, made it to the benches in just under a few seconds. “Hi, girls!” she cheered, wrapping us both in her embrace. This caused my head to crash into Twilight's. I barely had time to dodge the point of her horn.
“Ow!”
“Ouch!”
“Aren't you guys excited?” the earth pony squealed, shaking us in her grip. “Well, the Cakes weren't, but they understand!”
When she let us go, I backed off a few steps with a snort. Twilight and Pinks talked for a bit about something-or-other before the latter gestured at me. “Hey Dashie?” she asked with a head-tilt, “Are you okay? Is something wrong with your wings?”
The realization that, as I had been glaring daggers at my magenta friend, my wings had risen to an attack position surprised me. Sure, she'd messed up my talk with Twilight, but it wasn't like it was her fault. After all, it was just crappy timing. Really crappy timing.
I sighed. “Nah, Pinks,” I said, locking my wings tight to my sides. I picked up my book and sat down on the floor. “I'm good.” I turned my eyes away from them as they started to talk again, trying not drill a hole in Pinkie's head.
Life sucks, I decided. Why even bother trying anything when all it ever does is go wrong?
It wasn't like it was the only chance I'd ever get in my life, but still, it was the only time I'd ever felt brave enough to say what I had on my mind. I sighed and wiped a tear from my eye. And Pinkie ruined it...
A few moments later, I spotted AJ and Fluttershy making their way through the gates, and I flagged them down. Not long after, Rarity showed up and started complaining about something Sweetie Belle had done with her flawless diamonds and a lint-brush. We stood around, just kinda hanging out before the conductor called out for us to board.
As the others filed in, I found myself waiting next to Twilight.
“Hey,” she said, poking me in the chest. “What were you trying to say earlier?”
I bit my lip and looked down at the ground. “Nevermind,” I said. Now was not the time to tell her, amidst all these ponies and their watching eyes... “It was nothing important...”