Chapter 3: Next Morning
Love Conquers Hate...Right?
Knock, knock, knock.
Rainbow Dash moaned and stirred, unwilling to move from her comfortable position.
KnockKnockKnockKnockKnockKnockKnockKnock. The knocking became more persistent.
“Who is it?” Rainbow called, still not leaving Twilight's side.
“The Royal Guard, open up!” A deep voice, unmistakably male, replied. “If you do not open this door in ten seconds, we will buck it open!”
Rainbow sat bolt upright, untangling herself from Twilight, who slept on. “Coming!” she yelled. Rainbow ran over to the door and opened it with two seconds to spare. She saw eight pegasi there, fully decked out in combat gear. “Is something up, sergeant?” she asked, recognizing the emblem of rank on the armor of the lead pony.
“Is Her Highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle, in your house?” the pegasus asked.
Rainbow made a split-second decision to not lie. “Yes, I do. She– Hey! Wait!”
The ponies had barged past her, shoving Dash out of the way. They trotted over to the living room while Rainbow stood by the doorway.
“She's asleep, you know. It may not be a good idea to wake her–”
One of the guards took his weapon and lowered it at Rainbow Dash. “Do not speak,” said the guard. “You are under suspicion for foalnapping the Princess.”
Rainbow Dash attempted to protest, but stopped when the sword pricked her snout.
Suddenly, Twilight shot out of the room, and saw what was happening.
“WHAT IN THE NAME OF EQUESTRIA IS GOING ON IN HERE!?!” she yelled. The walls shook as she yelled. She was just one or two steps below the Canterlot Royal Voice.
Oh, buck, Dash thought.
Twilight narrowed her eyes and said in a deceptively mild voice, “Sergeant of the guard, could you come over here?”
Almost perfectly disciplined, the sergeant walked over to stand in front of the Princess at attention. “Yes ma'am!” he yelled. If Rainbow Dash listened very carefully, she could just barely make out a quiver in the sergeant's words.
Twilight took several deep breathes, then said, “Sergeant, what– exactly– are you doing here?”
“Looking for you, ma'am!”
“Why? And how did you find me?”
“When the guard could not find you in your home, the Unicorn Division of the guard found the residue magic of a teleportation spell. They reverse-engineered the spell and found that the spell led here. The sergeant then led the Pegasi Division of the Guard here.”
“And why did you feel it necessary to 'retrieve' me?”
“The sergeant was worried, ma'am! You had left in the middle of the night without notice!”
“Okay,” Twilight said, in a voice saturated with anger. “I accept that you had good reason to come looking for me. My next question is thus: Why, in the name of Celestia, why did you feel it necessary to arrest Rainbow Dash and HOLD HER AT SWORD-POINT!?!” Twilight's voice had risen to near-Royal Canterlot Voice levels again.
“The sergeant was following protocol, ma–”
“I DON'T GIVE A BUCK!” Twilight angrily interrupted. “Try exercising a degree of logic, as well!”
“Your Highness, we thought that this Rainbow Dash had foalnapped you.”
Twilight breathed heavily for several seconds, trying– and failing– to regain control of herself. Rainbow Dash backed up a few steps, recognizing the signs that told her Twilight was about to blow her top.
“You thought– you thought...” Twilight began, sputtering in rage and confusion, “you thought that Rainbow Dash, a Heroine of Equestria and the Bearer of the Element of LOYALTY, would come into my home in the middle of the night, subdue me without alerting you, and force me to use traceable magic to return to her house?? Are you insane??? Are you out of your mind??? What were you thinking?”
The sergeant had no answer to that, not that Twilight gave him the opportunity to respond.
“I will have you know,” Twilight plowed on, “that Rainbow Dash is one of my oldest and dearest friends, and I trust her without reservation. You should too.” By now, Twilight's voice had lost its edge. In a much softer, yet still guarded tone, she said, “I know that you ponies are just trying to do your job. Just, in the future, use common sense and try to avoid attacking my friends.”
The sergeant saluted firmly and said, “Yes, Your Highness.”
Quite honestly, Rainbow Dash was touched. Despite whatever Twilight and the rest of her friends thought, Rainbow Dash was quite sensitive to emotions. She just normally kept it a secret. Rainbow felt tears starting to form in her eyes, and quickly blinked them back. Twilight had noticed, however.
“Hey, Rainbow, are you alright? Did you get hurt?” asked Twilight, concern for her friend coloring her words.
“Yeah, I'm cool,” Rainbow Dash replied, shoving aside her sentiment.
“Very well. I will, of course, have to report this incident to Captain Shining Armor. He may wish to discipline you and your unit,” Twilight said, directing her words to the sergeant.
The sergeant flinched, but said, “Of course, Your Highness.”
“I have no idea what kind, if any, punishment he will have for you. I will put in the word that I spoke to you...somewhat loudly. Hopefully that will count for something.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” the sergeant responded.
“Now leave! Rainbow Dash and I have much to discuss.”
Twilight Sparkle closed the door behind the final guard, then rounded on Rainbow Dash. “All right, out with it!”
“Out with what?” asked Rainbow, bemused.
“You have been acting very emotional this past day. And I thought I would never catch you dead crying. But there you were, crying.”
“For the record, I wasn't truly crying. My eyes just watered up for a moment.”
“Whatever!” Twilight said, exasperated. “Now you are acting like me, bickering over terminology. Seriously, is anything wrong?”
Rainbow Dash sighed. “Well, no. Nothing is wrong. I am not quite sure what that was. What I do know is that I was – get this – touched by your high description of me and...well...ug, I don't know!” She stamped a hoof in frustration.
Twilight decided not to press the issue and instead said, “Well, whatever it is, I hope it passes. I am not sure if I like this new and sensitive Rainbow Dash.”
Rainbow snorted.
“I think I should be going,” Twilight said. “I have imposed on you for far too long, and I think you ought to get ready for work. It is Monday, after all!”
Dash gasped, and glanced at the clock. “You're right. I need to get moving! It's seven forty-five, and my shift on the weather squadron starts in...fifteen minutes! Goodbye Twilight!”
“Bye, Dashie!” Twilight said, sniggering.
“Don't call me Dashie!!!” Rainbow screamed after her.
Twilight vanished in a bright flash of lavender light, still laughing.
Twilight reappeared in her library/house and turned to the huge stack of papers and scrolls awaiting her. They had grown overnight as Princess Celestia forwarded them to her using magic.
“Oh, the glories of being a Princess,” she muttered under her breath, starting to shift through the mountain of paper. The subject today: a collection of reports regarding various other nations on the planet. Dull topic for anypony but Twilight, which is probably why it was given to her.
Today, however, the list of treaties, alliances, and military movements held little appeal for her. Instead, she felt her thoughts returning, time after time, to one mare. Shaking her head, Twilight attacked her work even more fiercely. Maybe if I finish soon, I can track down Dash and have a long talk with her, she thought.