//------------------------------// // 2. Honeymoon // Story: Under Our Wing // by Kodeake //------------------------------// Under Our Wing Chapter 2 Honeymoon Rainbow’s eyes fluttered open, the blinding light of Celestia’s sun streaming in through the partially-drawn blinds with the single minded goal to rouse her from sleep. As she moved to roll over and away from the sleep-intruding beam, she came face to face with a lavender muzzle and gently closed eyes. A subconscious smile spread across her lips as she squirmed a little closer to the mare beside to her, drawn to her presence like a moth to a flame. Twilight murmured in her sleep, her hooves instinctively reaching out and wrapping around the nearest object. An object which just so happened to be Rainbow Dash. The pegasus grunted slightly as the sleeping unicorn pulled her closer, forcefully pressing Rainbow’s face into her soft chest. Twilight’s legs squeezed tightly, letting her prisoner know she had no intentions of letting go until she woke up. Once Twilight was done fidgeting and relaxed with her new live-sized teddy bear, Rainbow allowed herself to release the breath she had been holding. Not wanting to wake Twilight up just yet, she allowed the impromptu cuddle session to continue, breathing in her lover’s unique smell. Twilight’s chest rose and fell at a gentle, steady pace. Pressing against Rainbow’s own belly every inhale and blowing across her muzzle with every exhale. The gentle, warm feeling generated by this almost hypnotic movement nearly lulled Rainbow back to blissful sleep, but something prevented her from accepting its gentle embrace. A tiny nagging at the back of her mind, trying to remind her of something she had long since forgotten in the bliss of her current position. Careful not to disturb her soundly sleeping partner, Rainbow gently removed her head from Twilight’s death grip and craned it to look over the unicorn’s sleeping body and across the room. More specifically, the clock. “GAH! Twi! Get up! We gotta get up!” Rainbow shouted suddenly, forcefully removing herself from Twilight’s grip and waking the unicorn as she jumped quickly out of bed. “Mmmm Rainbow?” Twilight asked blearily, eyes opening slowly to reveal the pegasus dashing frantically around the room. “Twi! We gotta get up! It’s almost noon!” Rainbow shouted again, stopping her mad dash to practically throw Twilight out of bed. “What’s the rush? I think we can sleep in today,” Twilight yawned as she was dragged down the stairs to the main room of the library. “We can’t! Cadence will be here soon!” Rainbow called from the kitchen, rapidly preparing two bowls of oats and honey. “Cadence? Why would Cadence- oh Celestia it’s almost noon!” Twilight’s eyes snapped wide open as the realization hit her. Any notion of sleepiness was forgotten as she quickly went about helping Rainbow with breakfast before beginning to scarf it down. “How long do we have?” Twilight asked between large bites of oats. “About twenty minutes,” Rainbow answered, already putting her bowl into the sink. “Good, I’ll go shower, you get the essentials. She said we wouldn’t need anything, but I still want a few books. There’s a list on the desk.” Twilight motioned to the previously mentioned desktop before teleporting up the stairs and into the bathroom for her shower. Rainbow grabbed the list and unrolled it as she heard the water turn on upstairs. She quickly located the first book listed before she realized that the list was still unrolling, forming a long paper trail from the desk to the bookshelf she stood at. “Really?” She muttered in disbelief, watching as the parchment started doing laps around the library. Deciding it wasn’t worth it, she tossed the list to the side and grabbed the books she wanted to take, knowing full well Twilight wouldn’t mind being stuck with the Daring Do series again. The books were tossed haphazardly into her saddlebags just in time to see Twilight rush back down the stairs, brush still in her magically-dried mane. “Did you get the… books…?” Twilight trailed off as she watched the list somehow roll up the stairs beside her. “Yeah, just a few more to go,” Rainbow said sarcastically, watching as Twilight smiled sheepishly. “Err… too long?” “Ya think?” Rainbow asked with a raised eyebrow. “Ah-heh,” Twilight chuckled nervously, horn lighting up along with the seemingly endless parchment before it disappeared with a pop, reappearing on the desk, once again rolled up. “I hope you’re alright with the Daring Do books.” “Well, there are still one or two I want to-” Knock Knock Knock “No time!” Rainbow snapped, grabbing Twilight and pulling her to the door. Making a quick stop to throw her saddlebags around her back, she arrived at the entrance to the old tree and pulled it open. On the other side stood Princess Cadence, behind her was an enclosed carriage hooked to two pegasus guards. “Ready for your honeymoon?” Cadence asked cheerfully, grinning down at the recently married couple. -_-_-_- “Sooo…” Cadence started eagerly, grinning across the small space the carriage provided at Twilight and Rainbow. “How was last night?” “Uh… you were at the wedding… and the reception…” Twilight answered wearily, eyeing her old foalsitter curiously. She heard Rainbow hold in a slight snicker next to her, but ignored it. “No, I meant last night. As in, after the wedding.” Cadence repeated, her voice taking a suggestive undertone as Twilight's lit up a crimson red. Rainbow struggled to hold in her laughter. “C-cadence!” Twilight sputtered, more than a little embarrassed as Cadence proceeded to giggle at her bright red blush. “Relax, Twilight, I was only kidding.” Cadence laughed, though it did little to help Twilight's embarrassment. “Though I would like to remind you you're not the only one married in the family. When me and Shining got married, we spent almost an entire night-” “CADENCE!” Twilight snapped, cheeks threatening to catch on fire as both her wife and Cadence burst into laughter. “Yes?” She asked sweetly, smiling innocently at the increasingly-red unicorn. “I do not need to hear it. Especially about my brother!” Twilight hissed, getting nothing but more laughter from the other ponies in the carriage. Cheeks a deep burgundy, Twilight sunk down into her seat, trying to ignore the other passengers. Rainbow, after finally calming her laughter, spoke up. “So where are we going for this, anyway?” Twilight finally looked back up, silently thanking her wife for the subject change. “Yeah, you never did tell us.” “Oh, you'll love it! Ever since the Crystal Empire came back, there have been many expeditions to map out the surrounding area. One of these turned up a rather... scenic spot. So much so a couple entrepreneurs built a resort there,” Cadence beamed, picturing the resort in her mind, and remembering the last time she had been there with Shining Armour. “It's a system of individual cabins spread across a rather expansive area. There's a central village for any necessities you may want, but each cabin is far enough away that you don't have to worry about your privacy.” Cadence explained, eliciting smiles from both her passengers. After a moment, however, Twilight's switched to a frown. “Wait, isn't the area around the Kingdom a wasteland? Last time we were there it was nothing but snow and ice.” “It was, but that was while the area was still under the effects of Sombra's magic. After he was defeated and the crystal ponies could once again power the crystal heart, the power dispelled his corrupt magic from the area, returning it to to its natural state.” “And what would that be?” Twilight asked curiously, making Cadence give her a mischievous smile. “I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise now would I?” “Aw, c'mon! At least tell us what to expect!” Rainbow protested, her sudden outburst startling both Cadence and Twilight. “Well... I guess I could give you just one hint,” Cadence smirked, drawing a pleased smile from both her passengers. “Well... it's kinda like a-” “We'll arrive in ten minutes,” a voice called from outside the carriage, ending Cadence's hint and replacing it with a pleased grin. “You'll find out soon.” “Cadence,” Twilight half whined, sticking her lip out in a pout. The older mare just giggled. “I used to be your foalsitter, Twilight; that may work on your wife, but not me,” she laughed, drawing a frustrated sigh from Twilight as she slouched back in her seat. “Now be patient; we'll be there soon.” Before they knew it, ten minutes had passed and they felt the carriage land on the ground, slowly coming to a stop. Twilight immediately opened the door, quickly leaping out of the carriage and onto the hard stone road below them, Rainbow following close behind. With a wide smile she looked at her surroundings. What was once a winter wasteland was now the exact opposite; it looked almost tropical. The ground around the cobblestone path was a bight, rich green, swaying in the light breeze blowing over the area. The bright blue sky was speckled with small, fluffy clouds. In the distance on all sides were mountains, surrounding the area in towering walls of rock. At the base of the mountains were hills, each one seemingly taller then the last and covered in the same green grass that was all around them. In the center of it all was them, in a large valley between the hills at the bases of the mountains. But they were not the only things in the valley; on the other side of the carriage was a large building, similarly styled to those in Ponyville, but with a distinctive Crystal Empire look, the two styles mixed to give it a rustic but elegant feeling. It was at least two stories tall, speckled with windows of all sizes along its front. A simple door stood in the middle, a welcome sign hanging from a metal nail in the wood. “Like it?” Cadence's self-satisfied voice drew Twilight away from the view around her and to the smiling alicorn next to Rainbow, who was staring at the area in a similar, dumfounded fashion. “It's...” Twilight trailed off, at a total loss for words as she looked back to the view around them. “Beautiful,” Rainbow supplied, sounding almost in a daze as she turned in circles, taking in everything that could be seen before realizing what she had said. “I mean.. uh... it's alright.” “Aw, is my Dashie going mushy?” Twilight teased. Rainbow stuck her tongue out at her. “No... it's just... I thought it was what you were going to say,” Rainbow huffed defensively as Twilight stifled her laugh with a hoof. Cadence didn't even try to hide her mirth. “I'll take that as a yes. Anyway, this is the lobby. From here you'll find carriages to each of the individual cabin branches and from there you should be able to find a path to your cabin. I booked you the best cabin they have for your stay. I'd accompany you further, but I have business to attend to in the Empire. I trust you two will be fine?” Upon receiving eager nods from the newlyweds, Cadence smiled and climbed back into the carriage. “I'll be back in a week to pick you up,” she called before motioning for her pegasi guards to start the journey back to her home in the Empire. Taking a running start they jumped int he air, their wings keeping both them and their cargo aloft as they flew away from the resort and back to the Crystal Empire with its Princess in tow. “One week...” Twilight muttered in disbelief, turning way from the retreating silhouette of the chariot and back to the scenery around her. “This is gonna be awesome...” -_-_-_- “Twiiiiliiiight,” Rainbow groaned, earning a frustrated growl from the unicorn walking below her. “How much farther?” “I don't know! The carriage driver said it would only be a twenty minute walk to the cabin, but do I look like I have a clock on me?” “We've been walking for hours,” Rainbow whined again. Twilight gave a tired snort. “No, I've been walking; you've been flying above my head and whining. Why don't you try doing something useful? Like fly up and see if you can spot the cabin?” Twilight suggested hopefully, motioning up to the blue sky above them. The sky, glowing a bright blue from the sun as it hit its zenith, was only visible through a tiny crack above them. On either side of them was a shear rock cliff, towering at least ten stories above them; looming over the couple as they walked to where their cabin was hopefully situated. “Fine,” Rainbow muttered in defeat, flapping her wings a little harder as she gained altitude, flying above the rocky walls beside them. Unbeknownst to the pegasus above her, Twilight actually knew exactly how long they had been walking; 13 minutes. Of course, saying that would only make Rainbow whine more, so she kept it to herself. Instead, she focused on the path ahead of her. It was only about seven metres wide and covered with a thick layer of reddish-brown dirt above a hard rock layer. She guessed they were walking between two of the mountains forming the bowl the resort was situated in, though if the resort's main attraction was the fact that it was surrounded by mountains, it made little sense to go outside of them. “See it!?” Twilight shouted up to her pegasus wife, her voice echoing through the enclosed path as the sound bounced off the sturdy stone walls. “No,” came the echoed reply from above, followed shortly by Rainbow coming back down to her regular hovering height. “How much longer is this going to take?” Rainbow groaned as she resumed her steady pace next to Twilight... and her constant complaining. “Relax, I'm sure it's not too much farther,” Twilight said, forcing a cheerful tone as she continued down the path. If that stallion had been right, she had another five minutes of this to suffer through. Actually, she ended up suffering through only four minutes. As the time ticked by the narrow path gradually became wider, eventually opening into a large open space. It, much like the main resort, was surrounded on all sides by large mountains, the path they had just came through splitting between two of the smaller ones. The area in question was just a little smaller then the entirety of Ponyville which, to be fair, wasn't very big. However, what was large by normal standards was the 'cabin' in the middle of the clearing. The size alone would put most buildings to shame, even some of the homes in Canterlot. What it lacked in height (being only two stories tall) it more than made up for in shier size. It was styled like the lobby building; a mix between farm-town and Crystal Kingdom, with large windows extending down both stories of the structure. But the main attraction was not the cabin itself. No, what really drew their eyes and dropped their jaws was the area around them. On all sides of them were mountains, revealing the sky only through a small window above them. All around the clearing was the same grass which covered most of he resort, speckled with flowers neither Twilight nor Rainbow had ever seen before. They looked as if they were crystals; shimmering in the afternoon sun, not quite transparent, but not quite opaque. Jagged, yet beautiful shapes sprouting off similar green stems. Looking as hard as rock, but swaying and moving fluidly with the light breeze rolling through the valley. To the left was a small creek, being fed from a waterfall coming from a hole high in the side of one of the mountains. The creek, in turn, carved it's way through the green grass, turning gently as it made its way between two other mountains on the opposite side of the clearing. The water rushing over the rocks sent a pleasant, almost rhythmic sound reverberating through the clearing, seeming to sync with the songs of various birds in the trees dotted about the grass. “Whoa...” Dash breathed, eyes scanning the area around her. She landed silently on the ground, too shocked to continue flapping. Twilight remained silent, continuing to stare in awe, hooves glued to the ground as she tried to come to terms with what she was seeing. Even as Rainbow started making her way towards the building, Twilight remained stock still, not even fully comprehending the world around her. “Hey, you coming or not?” Rainbow asked, taking notice of the fact that Twilight wasn't following. The unicorn remained silently, unaware Rainbow had spoken at all. “Hey, Twi,” Rainbow called again, a little louder this time. However, it became apparent to her that Twilight had completely zoned out. “Twilight!” Rainbow snapped, finally drawing the unicorn out of her thoughts. Twilight shook her head roughly, her vision focusing on Rainbow, already halfway to the large building they would be staying in. “Oh, right. Sorry.” Twilight smiled sheepishly, catching up to the pegasus and walking up to the cabin, eyes still glued to the scenery around her. “How much must this have cost?” Rainbow wondered aloud, stopping in front of the entrance. The door itself was a grand affair; intricately carved, a deep mahogany colour, handles encrusted with crystals. It was something Rarity would absolutely die to see, Rainbow noted humorously. “I don't know, and I don't think I want to,” Twilight admitted, reaching into her saddlebags with her magic and extracting a key given to them by the receptionist. Guided by a magical glow, it slid into the shimmering gold lock. With a turn and a click, the door was unlocked. Not quite knowing what to expect inside if the outside looked like this, Twilight gently pushed the door open, the well-oiled hinges barely making a sound as it swung inside the building. The light from outside streamed through the open door and numerous windows, casting bright light into the front room of the cabin. Twilight stepped inside the door, followed closely by Rainbow as they craned their necks, examining the room around them. It was very similar to that of the Crystal Palace; most of the furniture was either made of crystals or styled to look like them, the walls were a deep blue stone, blending with the light blue floor. Twilight briefly noticed her reflection staring up at her from the perfectly polished tiles beneath her hooves. There were doors to her right and to her left, with a staircase leading up in front of her. The room itself was two stories high, the front door behind them flanked by two windows stretching all the way to the roof of the second story. “We're going to be staying... here?” Rainbow asked in shock, already starting to explore the area. She went through the door on her left, gasping as soon as she stepped into the next room. “This place is awesome!” Twilight smiled, making her way up the stairs. The short staircase led her to a hall, both walls covered with doors. Unsure of where to start, she opened the first door on her right, stepping through into what had to be the biggest bedroom she had ever seen. In the middle of the back wall sat a bed large enough to hold two Celestia-sized ponies with room to spare. On either side stood a nightstand, each with a lamp and a single drawer. Large windows decorated the right wall, and a single door was on the left, presumably a closet, and knowing this place, a very, very large walk-in closet. The floor was covered in soft, blueish-grey carpeting, while the walls were painted a soothing light blue. The bed was circular, with more pillows then Twilight could count stacked at the edge against the wall. The base was framed by wood in the same style as the front door, decorated by detailed carvings and symbols. “Twi! They have a swimming pool out back!” Rainbow shouted from the first floor, her voice bouncing around the large, mostly-empty structure. For the next hour, Rainbow Dash and Twilight explored the cabin they were to spend the next week in. Each room seemingly more impressive then the last. It came with a fully stocked fridge and functioning kitchen, but also contained a menu should they wish to call and have a meal prepared and delivered to them. The house did indeed have a pool, lit by enchanted, glowing crystals from within, making the water glow even at night. It was clearly made for large groups of ponies; almost every room on the upper floor was another bedroom, most of them having a on-suit bathroom attached. One bedroom, however, was different then the rest. While most of them were carbon-copies of the others, the one at the end of the hall was at least twice the size of the others, and was fully furnished with bookshelves filled with common texts and sofas and chairs. It even had it's own mini-fridge, filled with a wide variety of drinks of various natures and cultures. Rainbow jumped into the air, landing on the incredibly-soft mattress with hardly a sound. She sunk into the plush comforter, seemingly being swallowed by the bed. “This is seriously where we're staying?” Rainbow asked again, trying to convince herself it was all real as she sat up. “I don't believe Cadence would get us.... this,” Twilight said, unsure of how to describe what they were in. Instead she simply gestured with her hoof wildly, motioning to... everything. “I know. How much did this even cost? I mean, it looks like it's made for a big business to host a party or something.” “Certainly not just two newlyweds,” Twilight agreed with a nod, taking her saddlebags off her back and placing them on the floor. She drew Rainbow's over in a magical glow and filled the empty space on the bookshelf with the texts they had brought with them. “Though I wish there was more room for books...” Twilight muttered, struggling to squeeze them all in alongside the book that were already there. Rainbow snorted a laugh. “Leave it to the pony who lives in a library to want more books on her vacation.” “Hey! You can never have too many books!” Twilight shot back, eliciting another giggle from her pegasus wife. “Right right, sure you can't. You wouldn't be happy with all the books in the world, would you?” Rainbow asked mockingly. “Actually, since a great deal of books and texts in general were destroyed, through either time or during a war, it's not even possible to own all the books in the world,” Twilight explained, wearing a very self-satisfied smile as Rainbow looked at her with a questioningly raised brow. “But no; I wouldn't,” she added after a second. “Ha! I knew it!” Rainbow cheered, leaping off the bed and into the air, landing seconds later next to Twilight just as she pushed the final book into the shelf. “Wow, they actually have quite a few books already,” she noted with a vague air of approval, noticing some rather good books among the already-present collection. “Great. But seriously; we're here for a reason. You are not allowed to spend the entire time reading.” “I know, but it'll be nice to sit down with a good book from time to time. We do have a week, after all.” “Right. Anyway, I didn't have time to shower this morning, and I really need one. So I'm gonna go do that,” Rainbow said, walking towards the door connecting the room to the bathroom. “Alright, I'll be here-” “Oh no, you'll be nowhere but in the shower with me. Let's go, Sparkles.” Rainbow said with a grin, motioning for Twilight to follow “But I still have to unpack the rest of my stuff!” Twilight whined back, motioning to the saddlebags sitting beside her “They'll be here when we're done.” “But I want to do them now...” “Oh suck it up and get in the damn shower,” Rainbow barked, her scowl turning to a smile as Twilight sighed and stood from the floor. “I'll get you back for this,” Twilight muttered as she walked passed Rainbow into the bathroom. “Oh I'm so sure,” Rainbow mocked, stepping into the large room behind the lavender mare with a subtle grin, closing the door behind her as she heard the water turn on.