"Come on Rainbow, it shouldn't be long now." Twilight stated to her friend as the two of them walked down a paved walkway in the park.
"You said that when we left the hotel almost 20 minutes ago." Rainbow complained.
"We really are close now, Rainbow."
Rainbow groaned as they pressed onwards.
At the moment, it's late afternoon. Their morning and early afternoon had gone rather uneventful for the most part. Outside of eating breakfast, Rainbow had spent the morning helping Twilight out and helped sort through and organize the piles of paper that Twilight had used to write various notes and the books she had brought along. At this point, Rainbow was prepared to admit it that she was starting to admire Twilight as more than her friend, so as boring as helping the alicorn sort through her things, she found it more than rewarding to just hang out with Twilight.
"We're here." Twilight finally announced
Rainbow looked up to see a hot-air balloon, "A hot-air balloon?"
"Mm-hm, I reserved it for the day. I thought you'd like the idea of another chance to get up in the air after how well you liked the last time." Twilight replied, "I'd offer to give you another ride myself, but I'm still a little worn out from the last time. Plus, I'm sure it'll be more relaxing if we didn't have to worry about the take-off or the landing."
"Yeah, I understand. It's cool, but...you didn't have to reserve a balloon. Honestly...I would've been fine just going back to that boring conference room and finishing that Frozen Wasteland story." Rainbow nervously admitted.
Twilight shot the pegasus a surprised look, "Really...?"
Rainbow nervously grinned before nodding, "Like I said last time, it was a really good book."
"Well, um...we could spend only a few moments on the hot-air balloon, then we can come back, and I'll give you the book to read."
"Heh, I'm cool with that." Rainbow replied as she followed Twilight
Twilight paid the agreed fee to rent the balloon before getting into the balloon with Rainbow as the balloon's owner helped untie the balloon. After explaining to both of them the rules, he let them go.
Having used a hot-air balloon on several occasions, Twilight already understood several, if not all, the aspects associated with piloting and safe control of a hot-air balloon, and was quick to get them up to a proper altitude.
"First time I've ever ridden in a hot-air balloon." Rainbow stated outloud, really saying it more for herself than anything, as she looked down at the ground.
"You're not uncomfortable with the idea are you?" Twilight asked as she took a spot next to Rainbow and looked at the pegasus.
"Nah. It just feels funny...you know. Being up in the air and actually flying without having to use my wings. It's kind of relaxing actually."
Twilight giggled, "I could've guessed that. So, is there anywhere you want me to direct the balloon, or just floating around fine with you?"
"How about we go over the beach? I heard that Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie are gonna be there today."
"Again?"
"I think they're watching Scootaloo and Applebloom. Those two wanted to go splashing around in the water."
"Sweetie Belle isn't with them today?" she then got started on steering the balloon toward the beach.
"She's hangin' with her sister today. I'm not sure where though."
The two ponies remained silent as they gently floated over the beach. The view itself was more than enough to take up their attention. Sure it wasn't as fast as Rainbow would've liked, but having the breeze in her face was refreshing enough. To her, there was just nothing like it, the breeze had always felt far more comforting, more welcoming, and more calming compared to a breeze felt from the ground.
Twilight couldn't argue really, the breeze was rather refreshing, but unfortunately, she couldn't enjoy it as much as Rainbow. Twilight had to make sure that they stayed within the area, and in complete control of the balloon. Still though, she found some small moments to enjoy the breeze.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can't wait till this vacation is over, then I can finally fly again." Rainbow remarked.
Twilight took a spot next to Rainbow as they both held on to a side of the basket, and looked at the pegasus next to her.
"Still though, it kinda sucks that our vacation is almost over." Rainbow added.
"Agreed...but you know it had to eventually, we still have our duties in Ponyville."
"I know...."
"Still though, it is a shame that we didn't really spend much time just to hang out." Twilight stated, "We spent several days stuck together, mostly by your insisting, and we barely talked as friends."
Rainbow turned to look at the alicorn next to her.
"I was thinking, since we didn't really just hang out as friends, would you be interested in accompanying me to lunch tomorrow?" Twilight said with a wide smile on her face.
"U-um..." Rainbow responded as she started to blush heavily. "Did she just-? No, she didn't." Rainbow thought to herself, "But it sounded-. Augh! What's wrong with me?! I only figure out that I like her two days ago, and now I'm hoping for a date!?"
"I mean, I do understand if you're busy Rainbow. So if you don't want to-"
"No, wait!" Rainbow shouted, almost making the alicorn jump, "I mean..., sure Twilight. I might be interested to just hang out tomorrow. Not like I got anything else to better to do."
"Great!" Twilight cheered. "I'll meet you in front of the hotel tomorrow at noon, and we'll go find a nice cafe to eat lunch. Though knowing you, you'll probably still be following me around, considering you're probably more interested in make sure I don't cheat."
Rainbow nervously laughed in response.
After quickly checking that they were still where they should be, Twilight then turned her attention to the land below them.
"Hey Twilight, do you know if the others...you know, might wanna come along too? Cause, I'm cool with just hanging out with you, but you know how Pinkie is, and Applejack might want it to be all of us."
"It's probable, but I do have my doubts though. I know Pinkie mentioned something about bringing home a present of some sort for the Cakes, and I heard the same thing from Fluttershy, so there's also a probability that they might look for souvenirs tomorrow, seeing it is the last day."
"Oh, right."
"Try not to worry about it Rainbow, I'll check with the others first to make sure. If they do want to come along, we can still hang out."
"I'd prefer if we went alone though." Rainbow muttered
"Huh?"
"Nothing! Nothing." she quickly replied.
"If you say so." Twilight then looked out towards the horizon, the sun was still in the sky, but otherwise the view was still amazing, and looked on in amazement
Rainbow shot Twilight a curious look before saying, "Why do you look so amazed?"
"The view Rainbow, it looks amazing."
Rainbow looked at the horizon Twilight was facing before looking around the entire landscape, "Eh, I guess."
"How can you not?"
"I mean, I guess it's cool that I get to see over the ocean; but, I'm usually up here anyway, so I guess the view isn't as interesting as it use to." Rainbow replied with a shrug, "What about you? Canterlot is pretty high in the sky, why are you so amazed by the view?"
"Oh,um...well, I guess it's because I never really looked." Twilight admitted.
Rainbow gave Twilight a curious look.
"Back at Canterlot I mostly just studied, so any 'view' I could get were mostly from descriptions and pictures in books."
"You, Twilight, are such an egghead." Rainbow stated as she chuckled and poked Twilight on her head, just before a quick gust blew by, "Whoa! What the?" the gust itself wasn't too strong, but it did rock the basket.
"That was a gust. I don't think it had anything to do with the natural air cycle for this area. Do you think it has something to do with something from weather factory?”
"Just because I'm a weather pony Twilight doesn't mean I know every little thing the factory does. Some of the stuff they do is strictly for senior officers only." Rainbow explained, "Either way though, if something did happen at the factory, I think we better get back down."
"Agreed." Twilight then started maneuvering the balloon to a lower air-current to bring them back toward Luna Bay.
As they started descending, Rainbow opened her wings to 'read' the air-currents and figure out exactly where the right current was, even if it was the most gentlest of breezes, she would be able to detect it. Just under half-a-minute, Rainbow suddenly perked up and shouted, "Incoming!" just before a gust stronger than the last hit them. It blew them closer toward Lunar bay, which is what they wanted, but unfortunately while Rainbow's wings had helped them give them a heads-up, the appendages also acted like a mast in a way and actually shoved Rainbow backwards into Twilight.
To say Twilight wasn't ready for Rainbow to bump into her would've been understatement. The increased rocking of the basket plus Rainbow inadvertently knocking into her sent Twilight over the basket's edge.
"TWILIGHT!" Rainbow panicked and instinctively jumped out to catch her.
Dazed, Twilight wasn't able to catch herself right away and help herself. Just as she was finally able to find her bearings, she felt a pair forehooves wrap around, so rather than open her own wings and start flying, she let instinct decide for her and wrapped her own hooves around Rainbow.
As soon as they both had gotten a good hold on each other, Rainbow extend her wings and started trying to pull both of them out of the sharp nose-dive. At the speed they were going, there wasn't enough space to properly pull out of the nose-dive, which Rainbow fortunately quickly realized as she attempted to slow both of them. Rainbow did manage to slow them down, but only as far as making their landing less unpleasant as they both hit the ocean's surface below them hard.
Twilight was the first to recover, as she bobbed her head back up to the surface. After coughing up some water her attention quickly fell to Rainbow Dash, who wasn't too far from her. The sight made her blood run cold. Rainbow had taken the brunt of the impact and had gotten the wind knocked out of her and was falling in-and-out of conscious.
"Rainbow!" Twilight called out as she doggy-paddled over to her friend, before grabbing onto the pegasus's mane to keep her head above the water. Twilight didn't hesitate, and quickly teleported both of them onto the beach, and back onto dry land.
At this point Rainbow had completely passed out, and laying flat on her side on the beach sand.
Twilight was quickly by her side, and proceeded to try waking up the pegasus, "Rainbow, wake up! Come on Rainbow." Sheshook the pegasus's head in her hooves, "Come on I know you're stonger than this. Wake up." She tried roughly patting Rainbow's cheek.
"Wake up! Please...wake up." she begged as a tear rolled down her face, before coming up with an idea and rolled Rainbow so the unconscious pegasus was now on her back. Twilight pointed her horn toward Rainbow's chest and started casting a spell that she usually used to dry herself when she gets caught in the rain. To Twilight, it didn't matter anymore if she used magic or not, she lost the moment she teleported.
Not long after Twilight casted her spell, Rainbow started coughing and spat out the water that had gotten in her lungs.
"Rainbow!" Twilight exclaimed in relief and hugged the pegasus, earning a blush from her. "I'm so glad to see you're okay."
"Heh, I could say the same thing Twi." Rainbow said before she looked in the other direction as the others, who had witnessed the incident from the beach, rushed over to them.
After a quick moment to dry themselves off, and Fluttershy giving both a quick check-up to see if there was anything broken on either one of them, they took a seat on the beach blanket the others brought and rested. Fluttershy may have more experience as a veterinarian, but she pretty well experienced enough to check Twilight and Rainbow for any injuries.
While Fluttershy and Pinkie went off to retrieve the hot-air balloon, because apparently Pinkie had a pretty good idea where it had gone, and they had to return it eventually, Twilight and Rainbow were talking to Applejack in regards to their loss.
"Ya sure about that Twi? Ah mean, it was an emergency." Applejack stated.
"I'm positive Applejack. We agreed that I wouldn't use magic for the duration of our vacation, and I failed to do so." Twilight then looked at Rainbow before clearing her throat and elbowing her.
"Huh?! Oh...um, yeah, we...we did." Rainbow stated, though it much to her displeasure
"Well, if ya both are sure...alright. Mah hat off ta ya both, ya rather well holdin' yer end fer the time. Also, fer bein' honest about it." Applejack stated and, just as she said, did tip her hat off to them.
Rainbow gave a frustrated sigh as she shifted herself on the blanket so she was sitting flat on her stomach, before feeling Twilight do the same and slightly lean up against her. She said nothing about it and leaned back against Twilight.
Twilight shot an uneasy glance at Rainbow, but then looked away.
The rest of the day remained somewhat uneventful, as Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy, telling the others what had happened during dinner. They were, of course, surprised to hear what had happened, but were glad that both Twilight and Rainbow were safe and sound. Rainbow mostly added whatever she saw fit to add, as well as fill in holes with particular details.
Twilight remained silent through the whole matter, and quickly ate her meal before retreating to her room, telling the others that she had some research she wanted to do before the day was through.
Rainbow did stop by the door to Twilight's room on her way to hers, and was tempted to knock and check on Twilight, but she resisted. Rainbow gave a silent snort before pressing on to her room. She'll have plenty of time to talk to Twilight tomorrow.