//------------------------------//
// Day 5 - The "F" Word 
// Story: Winds of the Past 
// by Fantasia 
//------------------------------//

The moon hung heavy in the dark, misty Canterlot night sky, bathing the streets and buildings below in a magnificent light, and had any pony been awake, it would have been quite the sight.

For all but one.

For one pony remained awake to appreciate what others rarely appreciated. If only it didn't unnerve her to do so...

Her regal, sun-kissed coat slowly losing its tint as she looked pleadingly up at the moon for moments on end, sometime after its raising.

The sudden sound of flames sounded briefly before dispersing into thin air, and slowly, the pony lowered her tired gaze and walked from the balcony to her chamber that had recently been littered with worn tomes and open books, where a newly-materialized scroll sat upon her bed. The last bits of green flame floating listlessly in the air flickered away as she picked the letter off the bed and held it within her magic. She could only assume it was an update on her student's current pegasus situation, and surely, as she opened and read the letter, she could see that it... detailed her student's entire day.

Same as the previous two letters she sent me... she mused, remembering the letters her student compiled during her past couple days at the hospital. She recalled what Twilight had written about Spike and Rainbow, and how they, in different ways, were feeling the same, and how her student would do what she could to make sure the two felt they had a place where they belonged.

She remembered what Twilight had written about her dreams, what had happened as a result... and how Rainbow, in Twilight's words, had... helped her through the night, and the ones that followed. Though the methods of how she did so left her scratching her head, it also left her smiling.

Their friendship was only growing stronger, and knowing that... it gave her hope. Rainbow, she supposed, could be key in restoring the harmony that was lost... so many years ago.

And now, as she lay upon her bed, she took a breath and with tired eyes, began to read her student's latest letter from the beginning, starting with the three familiar words, Dear Princess Celestia...

After an... eventful few days together, Rainbow and I were at long last free to leave the hospital, and not a moment too soon. I could tell Rainbow was growing more anxious by the minute, and after leaving the bed one too many times and escaping to roam the halls, I knew she was. Well, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't grown the least bit anxious myself, every time I found myself dragging her back.

We left later that morning, on hoof anyway. Rainbow's wings weren't completely healed; it would be a few more days until she could fly again. Surprisingly, Rainbow didn't seem too dismayed. Either she had gotten used to the ground, or was too frightened to fly after a certain... incident earlier this morning...

Honestly? It was probably a little of both.

Well, whatever the reason, her wings were bandaged to her sides, and she was grounded. That much was certain.

But a part of me wanted to do something nice for her. Even when the issue of flight didn't seem to faze her, I had a feeling she needed something to take her mind off everything that happened these past couple of days. I'll admit even I felt a little on edge after all that happened.

Not to mention the fact there's been... little news regarding Rainbow's whereabouts. I assume some guardsmen will be setting out soon?

So, in order to relax and ease both our nerves, I settled on spending the day together, going along with whatever Rainbow felt up to doing... Within reason.





"Sit still, Rainbow!" Twilight's voice rang out, and soon after, a loud plop was heard as a reluctant Rainbow was dragged out from the hall, Twilight sternly sitting the pegasus back upon the bed in a magical glow.

A moment later and Rainbow sat upright from where she lay on the bed, and pursed her lips while crossing her forelegs. "No way, Twi! I've laid about in bed for like, forever! I can't "sit still" any longer; I need to get up, stretch my legs..." Rainbow paused once she noticed Twilight shake her head once, standing her guard before the doorway. "Twi, I feel fine, and the docs said I'm free to leave—"

"Yes, Rainbow, they did." Twilight let out a sigh before continuing. "Just... not at the moment. We'll leave when we're told, but until then, please—"

"Stay put?" Rainbow surmised. "Yeah yeah, you've said that a dozen times already..." Rainbow hopped down, nonchalantly glancing towards Twilight with a smirk. "And before you try to correct me or whatever... it's just a saying."

Twilight took a step back as her mouth snapped shut, taken aback slightly by Rainbow's words. She didn't even notice Rainbow already standing before her until the pegasus prodded her chest with her right hoof. "Besides, I'm allowing you to wear one of my feathers. That's a pretty big deal, you know." Twilight's gaze returned to the pegasus. Her left ear twitched as the memory of the feather-made-earring came back to her.

With her spare time at the hospital, Twilight had found herself fiddling with the appendage more often than not, and eventually—with the help of some extra bits of wire and thread, worked the cerulean feather into a makeshift earring.

She almost couldn't believe she had forgotten about it, and, had it not been for a certain pegasus's escape attempts distracting her, she never would have.

"And to make matters worse, you practically stole it from me!" Rainbow's voice raised, snapping Twilight from her thoughts. "But hey, it's cool; it suits you. I just ask that in return, you give me—" Rainbow pointed a hoof at her chest as she turned and walked away. "—a little freedom."

Twilight bit her lip, looking down at the floor from the corner of her eyes. "Just don't leave the room, okay?" she softly replied in defeat.

"Way ahead of you," came Rainbow's disinterested response.

"Wha...? Rainbow!" Twilight's eyes widened at the sight of Rainbow leaning up against the bedroom window, her forelegs resting on the windowsill. "What on earth are you doing?"

"Leaving the hospital," Rainbow explained, staring aimlessly out at the sky. Her wings began to unfurl at her sides, causing her to wince as they steadily unfolded.

"B-but you're wings aren't fully healed yet!"

Rainbow leaned further out the window and took in a deep breath. "That never stopped me before," she said, leaning away with a smirk. Then, in one swift motion and a few flaps of her wings, Rainbow threw herself out the window, aiming towards the sky and leaving one very stunned unicorn behind.

"Oh Celestia," the unicorn mare cursed under her breath, snapping herself from her momentary shocked state, and quickly she ran over to the window, muttering a slung together string of "nos" even as she reached the sill, leaned upon it, and peered outside.

And there she saw the pegasus—a cerulean speck—flying about, high above the building where she stood, watching with wide eyes and shrunken pupils, nervously chewing her lower lip.

Her magic could only reach so far, and at that moment, Rainbow was beyond her reach. So Twilight did all she could do at that moment. She waited impatiently, worried sick for Rainbow's safety.





For the second time since the incident, she flew.

Only this time, it felt as though she had the strength to. It didn't hurt as much, and her wings felt stronger, more capable...

Rainbow inhaled sharply, the rushing winds whipping through her mane, and ruffling at her feathers as she steered upwards, through a cluster of clouds and out again before soon slowing to a hover, feeling the warming rays of sunlight on her coat.

Unable to suppress the grin forming along her muzzle, she gazed down upon the city, with a single word at the tip of her tongue.

"Awesome." That one word was all that was needed to be said, the only word she could use to describe the spectacle that surrounded her. The buildings, towers, shops—all a part of the traditional Canterlot ivory architecture, glowed in the early morning sunlight.

It was the one word that was needed to describe her new home.

Gazing up from the city, her attention was soon drawn to what lay beyond the city, beyond the hills and grassy landscapes, to what almost appeared as a small town in the distance.

And for a moment, Rainbow was mesmerized—almost drawn to it. She inched closer through the air, curiosity written all over her face, and oblivious to all else until a sudden stabbing pain shot through her wings, snapping her back to reality.

They recoiled suddenly, and without a warning, she fell from the sky—unnoticed by all except for the purple-coated mare leaning out the very window Rainbow had flown out of.

She could only watch as the rainbow-maned pegasus fell, feeling her body tense up and a mix of desperation and fear swell up inside her. Moments ago, she knew this would happen; now, she could barely think. All she could do was manage a desperate cry of her name.

As quickly as Twilight called the pegasus's makeshift name, Rainbow fell past Twilight's widening eyes, letting loose a short, frantic cry and flailing her forelegs about. It was enough to snap Twilight out of it and spring to the rescue, putting her horn to work and enveloping Rainbow's prismatic tail in a flicker of magic.

Rainbow's descent came to an abrupt stop as she found herself suddenly yanked backwards, then a moment later, dangling loosely amidst the warm, summer air, wide-eyed and breathing heavily, her heart hammering away in her chest.

The same could have been said about Twilight, who stood overlooking the pegasus from above. She swallowed a nervous gulp and waited for her heartbeat to return to a normal pace, all while continuing to hold Rainbow's tail in her telekinetic grip.

I caught her, Twilight assured herself. She's safe, she's... Thoughts of Rainbow's earlier actions entered her mind and right then Twilight's eyes grew angry, her compassion and concern quickly replaced with anger and annoyance. A thoughtless, careless, hot-headed, reckless, senseless...fool of a mare! And—! And...

And she was surprised when she had no reason to be. This wasn't the first time in the short while they've known one another that Rainbow had done something foolish. But even so... I told her she was in no shape to fly, yet she went and did so anyway... Her gaze returned to the pegasus who lay limp in the air. If she had to guess, Rainbow was too shocked to move...

Or had been rather. Instead, Rainbow simply lay waiting in the air, steadily catching her breath.

It hadn't taken long for her to realize it was Twilight's magic preventing her from falling. Despite hanging upside down, Rainbow managed to tilt her head, casting a sheepish grin while focusing her gaze on the... surprisingly ticked looking unicorn... "Heh, uh... thanks, Twi—"

"Give me a reason why I shouldn't drop you," Twilight's cold voice called down to the dangling pegasus, just threatening enough to scare the mare into being a little less reckless next time.

Rainbow's eyes widened, for only a moment at Twilight's words, but soon they returned to normal at the realization that Twilight was simply bluffing. Rainbow broke out into a small grin. "Oh come on, like you'd ever drop me—"

Rainbow's grin disappeared and once again she found herself fearful the moment some of Twilight's magic slipped from her tail, causing her to inch closer to the ground. "U-uh, well... I'm pretty sure the princess would be disappointed in you if you let me fall—!" More of the magic slipped from Rainbow's tail, dropping her further. "Okay!" Rainbow cried out. "I-I'm sorry! It was reckless of me and—" She closed her eyes, letting out a shaken sigh. "—you were right... Hay, I'm in no shape to fly... I couldn't even make it back to your place without crashing once... or twice, maybe... several times... I-I'm sorry, Twilight, really, just... don't let go—"

The next thing Rainbow knew, she was no longer in the air, but sitting back on something solid, with a... tingling sensation encompassing her body. Her eyes remaining closed, Rainbow figured that Twilight really had dropped her... But then she felt something soft squeezing her. Something she recognized immediately as Twilight, more than likely strangling her out of sheer anger.

But a more hopeful part of her hesitantly opened an eye, and to her dismay, Twilight sat before her with her forelegs wrapped tightly around her own shoulders and no doubt moving in for her neck... but no such attempt came.

Curious, Rainbow sat still in silence for moments, unsure whether she should say something, maybe try to move... It seemed Twilight was no longer angry enough to kill her, though after her behavior, she wouldn't blame Twilight if she really wanted to.

A sniffle sound from Twilight made Rainbow all the more curious. She turned her head to the left a smidgen, feeling Twilight's own face and fur against her own, resting on her shoulder.

At that moment, though she couldn't see her face, Rainbow smiled warmly at the realization of how much she meant to the unicorn.

Though as more moments passed, the embrace began to grow uncomfortable. She could understand why Twilight refused to let go... but she could only stay still for so long. "Uh, Twi...?" Rainbow cautiously spoke. "I-I know I said "Don't let go," but... can you please let go?"

And that was enough to snap Twilight out of it and quickly push away from Rainbow.

"You featherbrain! What were you thinking?" Twilight scolded, stomping a hoof on the floor. "Diving head-first out the window like that? You could've gotten killed!"

Rainbow grimaced at Twilight's words, looking down at the floor, and unwilling to meet the unicorn's annoyed gaze. "Well, I—" she tried to say, though Twilight never gave her the chance. Didn't...

But could have, she supposed. Thinking back on her thoughtless actions, and how worried she had made Twilight... It made her heart ache.

"I mean really, what pony can't wait like, one hour until they're discharged?"

Moments passed and Twilight calmed a bit, though Rainbow could sense the mare was still fuming, listening as she sharply breathed in and out, and although she refused to look Twilight in the eyes, could feel the unicorn's eyes glaring at her.

Until Twilight could no longer stay upset. Her eyes closed for a moment, letting out a sigh before then glancing at Rainbow's wings. The bandages had become detached from her wings, some hanging loosely around her wingtips and base of her wings. "And now your bandages have come unraveled... Great."

Feeling Twilight had calmed down enough to get a word in, Rainbow hesitantly muttered while keeping her eyes averted, "Y-you could always call for somepony—"

"No... no, it's nothing I can't handle," Twilight replied, her thoughts focused on the bandages she worked with within her magic. Tightly wrapping a strap around Rainbow's right wing, she turned to look the pegasus in the eyes and gave a coy smile. "Besides... you don't want to extend your stay here, do you?"

For a moment after Twilight asked, Rainbow remained stunned, her eyes wide in disbelief. The next moment, a smile of her own formed, and she shook her head.

So Twilight continued to fix up the pegasus's wings, knowing which spots to avoid and which were sensitive to the touch, and sat back on her haunches, examining her work before looking to the pegasus herself, who sat absentmindedly staring out the window.

"Doing some sightseeing?" Twilight presumed, bringing Rainbow out of her thoughts, and right as she asked the question, Rainbow turned to her, a look of embarrassment on her face.

"Huh? Oh uh... no," Rainbow replied reassuringly, returning her gaze to the world outside, pointing a hoof out the window. "I was, uhm... looking at that."

"That?" Twilight moved closer to the pegasus mare and turned her head in the direction Rainbow was pointing, though remained unsure of what the mare was trying to show her.

"That... er, well, it's kinda hard to see from here," Rainbow explained. "But it kinda looked like another town."

Another town? Twilight wondered. Does she mean...? "Oh uhm, yes!" she exclaimed as the realization struck her. That's... Ponyville, I think." Twilight squinted at the spot in the distance Rainbow's hoof pointed at. She leaned back, letting out a sigh and turned to face the pegasus. "Sorry Rainbow, I can't tell you much about it other than the fact that it was founded by earth ponies decades ago, and that it's rather diverse."

"Huh..." Rainbow thought over Twilight's words. "Wait, diverse...?"

"Yes. You see, take Canterlot for example. Mostly unicorns live here in this city—it's actually quite rare to see a pegasus outside of the weather team or Royal Guard around here, opposed to Cloudsdale where it's nothing but pegasi... or so I hear."

Twilight averted her gaze for a moment before switching back to Rainbow, this time with eyes full of amazement, and taking notice, Rainbow didn't say a word, allowing Twilight to continue. "In Ponyville however, earth, pegasus, and unicorn ponies live together in one large community. It's quite an interesting thing, really..." As she finished, the unicorn grew silent, staring thoughtfully at the town for a few seconds and unaware of the words she began to speak. "I wonder... maybe you—"

"S-so uh, Twi! Some view, huh?" Rainbow asked suddenly, surprising Twilight. She turned to see Rainbow doing her best to pretend she meant what she asked, and kept her gaze fixed on the sights outside, all while baring an overly large grin.

For seconds Rainbow wore it, and it never once fooled her. Instead, all Twilight saw was a desperate attempt to change the subject the very second the possibility of her home was brought up. I suppose I can't really blame her for not wanting to think about it... Not after the thoughts she had the other day.

Twilight sighed. The last thing either of them needed to be reminded of was that Rainbow might not have a home after all.

They could use a distraction... Something to take their minds off the matter, for the time being.

"Hey, uhm... Rainbow," Twilight began. "I... I was thinking... This whole experience has basically been one headache after the other... Why not spend today taking it easy?"

Rainbow turned to the unicorn with an eyebrow raised. "Doing... what exactly?" she asked.

Twilight's gaze fell shyly to the windowsill. "Oh, I don't know... whatever you want to do, I guess," she replied, then not a second later, corrected herself. "W-within reason!" Celestia only knew what crazed things Rainbow would try and do. Though Twilight had a few ideas...

"No flying—"

Rainbow smirked. "Obviously," she replied, rolling her eyes.

"No salt blocks or alcoholic... anything, really. No bars—"

"You must be a ton of fun at parties," Rainbow teased.

"I wouldn't know, actually, I've never been—" Twilight paused, recalling Rainbow's tone, and for a moment, glared back at her with a stern, unamused look.

"Look, Rainbow..." Twilight sighed and hung her head, her voice growing softer. "I'm... I'm only looking out for you—"

"Because Celestia's making you," Rainbow muttered, not thinking much of what she had just said. Though she never meant to sound hurtful, Twilight didn't know.

Twilight's head shot up right after Rainbow spoke, eyes surprisingly not filled with anger, but rather of surprise, and more importantly... she wore an expression that Rainbow hated to see more than anything else. She looked hurt... and it immediately filled Rainbow with guilt, wishing she had never said a word.

Rainbow bit her lip, gazing down at the floor and rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof. "Sorry, I know that's..."

"Not true," Twilight finished. Her gaze softened as she noticed Rainbow's body language. It was enough to tell she hadn't meant it. Still... she wanted to show Rainbow that the princess wasn't the only reason she was doing all this. "I... I'm not sure how I feel about you—I mean, I do care about you obviously, and... I mean, it's not like I hate you or anything! I can tolerate you, forgive you time and time again, and it's nice... having you around, I think—I-I don't know..."

She could've just said it was because we're friends... "Alright, relax Twi... Thanks, I get it." The two shared a smile before Rainbow then asked, "So, what is there to do in this city?"

"I'm not quite sure myself," Twilight replied, sheepishly rubbing a hoof behind her head as her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink. Seeing Rainbow's sudden disbelieving expression, Twilight quickly averted her gaze out the window. "B-but it is a rather large city! I'm sure we could find something..."

For several moments, the two sat simply gazing out the window. While Twilight assumed Rainbow was taking in the sights, or looking around for something to do once they left, Twilight's thoughts were elsewhere. Particularly, on her little dragon assistant, and how she had managed to spend more time with him during the past few days.

But it was nothing compared to the time she dedicated to Rainbow.

And now she was about to spend an entire day with the pegasus. Twilight sighed. Tomorrow, she decided. Definitely tomorrow...

All that was left now was to tell Spike when she got the chance. She looked over at Rainbow from the corner of her eye. "I'll... need to stop on by the tower for a bit, if that's okay..." Of course, Spike wasn't the only reason; there was something Twilight had planned for Rainbow too, but having a quick talk with her assistant was a bit more important to her at that moment.

And then another thought popped into her head right as Rainbow shrugged in response. "Hey, Rainbow..." Twilight began, hesitantly turning to face the pegasus. "Could you—I mean, if we do spend today together, just you and me... could you spend the next with me and Spike?" Spending more time with Spike was one thing, but if she could get the two to spend time with one another, to enjoy each other's company... "Perhaps the two of you could get to know each other a little better," she suggested.

"Sure, why not?" Rainbow replied, letting out a single titter of laughter. Since I'll be living with him and Twi anyway... "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to get to know the little guy." At that, Rainbow cast a reassuring smile in Twilight's direction.

"Thank you, Rainbow," Twilight said, returning the smile. At least then he won't have to worry about Rainbow stealing me away... Smiling at the thought, she looked behind her for a moment, taking in the time before turning back to Rainbow. "You know, we've still got some time..."

Rainbow smirked, knowing all too well what Twilight had in mind. "Reading?" she asked.

Twilight nodded in response, a playful smile on her lips. "Reading."





"Alright, well... bye!" exclaimed Rainbow, walking backwards out of the lobby, waving a hoof at the ponies she passed. "Bye, everypony! It's been fun, really!" Her façade quickly dropped as she and Twilight stepped out the doors of the hospital and onto the sunny Canterlot streets, Rainbow sporting nothing but the bandages around her forehead and wings, and Twilight with her saddle over her back, packed with any belongings she had held onto during their stay.

Rainbow turned from the entrance, letting loose an audible groan. "So... stay off the wings for a week, no strenuous activity... and apply new bandages every morning?"

"Sorry, Rainbow. Doctor's orders," Twilight replied, lifting a hoof over her lips, and stifling a sudden giggle.

"It's not funny..." Rainbow grumbled, hanging her head.

"It totally is!" Twilight replied in her best Rainbow impression, to which Rainbow responded with a glare.

"Er, sorry..." Twilight apologized, her own smile fading. "I'll help with the bandages, if you want."

Rainbow sighed. "That's not it, Twilight," she said, and at the mention of her full name, Twilight immediately looked to the pegasus who looked to the sky as she continued. "When I was up there, it felt great. The feel of the wind beneath your wings, and the rush of air through your mane... the warm sunlight against your coat..."

"It's something else, isn't it?" Twilight asked. She had to admit, it sounded... almost kind of nice. It almost made her wish she had wings; wings she could use to take to the sky... to truly feel how Rainbow felt.

Rainbow simply nodded in response. "You have no idea."

Gee, thanks for reminding me... Twilight thought, internally groaning before shaking the thought away. Regardless of how it felt, Rainbow couldn't fly in her current condition... not for long, anyway...

"Well be that as it may," Twilight continued, "you could have died up there."

"But you were there to catch me!" Rainbow rebutted, skidding to a halt before Twilight, and stopping the unicorn in her tracks. Twilight quickly noticed the look of desperation in her pleading eyes, and as they focused on her, it made her want to give in right then.

It's for the best, Twilight told herself, letting out a sigh.

"Rainbow... please, it's only for a week," Twilight reasoned as she extended her foreleg, placing her hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. Twilight managed a warm smile as she continued. "It'll be over before you even know it."

In her head, Twilight figured that Rainbow would only attempt to argue with her some more. Argue how it would, for whatever reason, take longer than a week, and how she so desperately needed to fly.

So, to say she was surprised when the pegasus let out a quiet laugh in response would be an understatement.

Rainbow looked towards the unicorn with a small, yet amused grin across her muzzle. "You sound just like those doctors, Twi."

Twilight rolled her eyes, a smirk of her own forming. "But they were right, weren't they?" she asked, already knowing the answer as she trotted on ahead.

"Well—!" Rainbow caught herself. What could she possibly retort with...? Twilight was right. It did go by fast, she supposed. Though, only because Twilight had been with her... Even so... "Yeah..." she replied in defeat, eyelids lowering as she gazed down at the street. "Yeah, they were."

And now Twilight would be by her side once again, and no doubt the time it would take for her wings to heal would go by like nothing at all as well. As long as Twilight was with her... She smiled at the thought, and how—though it made little sense—it seemed she didn't care all that much about flying when she was with the mare. She looked straight ahead to see Twilight already several feet ahead of her and galloped up to her, rejoining the unicorn by her side.

Her smile purposely faded as she walked beside Twilight, her head forcefully dropping as she let out an annoyed groan. "Ugh... stuck on the ground for an entire week with Twi..." Curious, and just a tad concerned, Twilight turned her head towards Rainbow just as the pegasus's smile quickly returned. "Alright, but I'm taking you flying the second my wings are good to go!" she exclaimed, catching Twilight off guard and noticing her reaction, Rainbow quickly backtrack. "I mean, it's only fair," she added.

Twilight looked at Rainbow for a few seconds more as her brow furrowed in confusion. "Flying?" she sneered, her expression lightening while a small grin formed. "With you? The pegasus who can't even stay aloft for a minute?"

A blush crept upon Rainbow's cheeks. "O-once my wings are healed, I said!" she shot back, then a moment later, looked away muttering a quick "Jeez, Twi," under her breath.

Twilight smiled, resting her eyes on the now flustered pegasus for a moment longer before looking longingly to the sky. "You know, I've never given much thought to the idea of flying, but..." Ever since I met her, I've given the idea more and more thought, and... I think I want to.

"Just don't drop me," she said, triggering a sudden grin from the pegasus.

"Deal—"

"And no crazy stunts or maneuvers," Twilight added.

"But that's a part of what makes flying so fun!" Rainbow argued, though when she saw the serious expression Twilight wore, dropped her head in defeat. "Ugh, fine, Twi... nice and slow it is."

Twilight's attention returned to the path ahead of her, a small, yet triumphant smile tugging at her lips, only for it to soon disappear completely. Walking alongside Rainbow in an uncomfortable silence, Twilight took note of something she hated: the unnerving looks from ponies they passed, some snickering and whispering among themselves, others looking at Rainbow with looks of disdain and disgust.

Time slowed and her heart seemingly stopped as all the sounds and sights of the city faded away, and right then all Twilight longed for was to blend in with the crowd and continue unnoticed. But when she tried, she clumsily bumped into Rainbow's right side after a few miscalculated hoofsteps, and Twilight's now-flustered gaze immediately met Rainbow's concerned one.

"Uh..." Rainbow nervously uttered out as she continuously stared into Twilight's eyes. "You okay?" she asked as an amused grin formed.

Twilight shook her head and scrambled backwards, a little ways away from where Rainbow stood. "Y-yeah," Twilight replied. "Yeah, I am." She straightened up, and after a quick look around, turned to Rainbow and whispered, "Look, Rainbow... Can we... can we move somewhere a little more private?"

Private—? Rainbow blushed and her eyes widened for a moment, her mind racing to figure out what Twilight was getting at when, before she knew it, she was quickly being dragged along the street in a familiar and... irritating aura. Twilight was already ahead of her, presumably headed someplace a little less crowded and from the looks of things, didn't have the patience to stick around for her to follow.

And surely enough, the ponies on the streets became fewer and further between. Still, Rainbow could only wonder where Twilight was taking her. Another part of her told her she was over thinking this. This is Twi, Rainbow told herself. If anything, she's probably overreacting because of... because of... Rainbow's gaze lowered at the realization that it all started the second those ponies began whisperings things about them... Her gaze slowly made its way back to the unicorn whose pace had slowed, and glancing around, Rainbow saw they were now alone.

"Uh... Twilight," Rainbow cautiously called out to the unicorn standing a few feet ahead, "if... if this is about what those ponies were whispering about back there—"

Twilight stopped and spun around towards Rainbow, though looking more surprised than anything. "Rainbow, you...?" Her voice drifted, her surprised demeanor fading and slowly being replaced with a sorrowful one. "You heard them too?"

Rainbow grinned, pointing a hoof at her ears. "Sharp hearing, remember?" she reminded the unicorn, to which Twilight replied with a short nod of her head, vaguely recalling Rainbow mentioning something along those lines. "It's okay though," Rainbow continued, her ears drooping and smile saddening as she gazed down at the ground. "I mean, it's not like it bothers me or anything..."

"Yeah, but—!" Twilight paused, and unable to find the right words to retort with at that moment, let out an aggravated groan. "Ugh, it's just...! Everypony in this city is a complete jerk!" Twilight suddenly blurted out, triggering a slight jump from the pegasus. "I mean, making comments about the way you look, a-and about us? Who does that?"

For a moment, Rainbow was speechless. Another moment later and Rainbow shook her head as she trotted up to where Twilight stood, a sympathetic smile on her lips. "Aw come on, not everypony. I mean, you're not," Rainbow reasoned, poking Twilight in the chest. "And neither is Spike, nor Celestia... and I'm sure your folks are nice," she added before walking on ahead.

Twilight watched as Rainbow trotted down the road, snapping her from her earlier thoughts as she ran to catch up with her. "My... what?" Twilight questioned as she walked beside the cerulean-coated pegasus once more, a quizzical expression written all over her face. "But you already mentioned Spike and Princess Celestia!"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "I meant your family, smart one. Your mom, and dad, siblings... that sorta thing."

Twilight slowly turned her attention back to the path ahead, letting out a quiet "Oh," in understanding, and for several moments neither mare said anything, until at last, Rainbow spoke up.

"They... are still alive... right?" the pegasus solemnly asked. Twilight blinked, finding herself completely caught off guard by the comment and even did a double take when unsure if she had heard Rainbow correctly.

"O-of course they are!" Twilight replied matter-of-factly, wondering only where Rainbow got an idea like that. "We all live pretty safe lives and—" Twilight paused, her now piercing gaze fixating itself on the mare. "Rainbow, just how old do you think I am?"

Now it was Rainbow's turn to be caught off guard as she found herself pinned down, Twilight glaring daggers at her. "N-not very." Rainbow averted her gaze. "Just wondering..."

Twilight sighed, easing up on the mare and turning back ahead. "They're alive and well—" she began to explain.

"And together?" Rainbow asked suddenly, cutting in.

Twilight once again looked towards the chatty mare, tilting her head in confusion. "I think so?" she answered, rather unsure. "I mean, they're both rather busy ponies, but I'm sure they're together often."

An awkward silence followed as the two looked away from each other. "S-so..." Rainbow began in a poor attempt to change the subject, inattentively looking at the passing buildings and decorations that hung from them. Banners, flags, posters... All with images of some pegasus stunt ponies, wearing what Rainbow could only deem as pretty funny looking, yet... strangely awesome at the same time. "Any brothers? Sisters?" she asked, her eyes looking over the many pieces of alluring art as the grin she bore only grew wider and wider.

"Brothers? Yes—er, only one. He's... a part of the Royal Guard." Twilight turned towards Rainbow with an inquisitive expression the moment she heard Rainbow let out a laugh. Before Twilight could question why, Rainbow turned to her, an amused smile present on her lips.

"And here I thought your whole family was a bunch'a bookish eggheads," Rainbow teased her unicorn companion, playfully elbowing Twilight in the side, though quickly triggering an unamused reaction from the mare.

"Firstly," Twilight stated, stepping before Rainbow and prodding her upper chest with a hoof, "you've become quite the egghead yourself. Secondly...!" Twilight's expression and tone grew quiet, almost hesitant. "It's just me and my mom..."

"So... your family's half-egghead then?"

Twilight shrugged. "I guess..." Why Rainbow thought that reading was the only thing that made somepony an egghead was beyond her; or whether she should be honored that only half of her family was made up of brainy nerds, or insulted that Rainbow unintentionally called her other half dumb also preoccupied her mind.

Taking another look at the pegasus, and the sense of innocence she had come to know, she let out a sigh, ultimately letting it go.

The two moved on, the silence between them once again growing, though one pony could no longer bear it. She needed to say something. "Uh, you know, Twi... your mane looks way cooler like that," Rainbow said as a compliment, concentrating on what resulted from the unicorn running down the street minutes ago.

Twilight however, didn't take Rainbow's words too kindly. Her eyes widened in panic. "W-what?" She fretted, throwing both forelegs over her head in an attempt to cover what she could of her mane. Something must've happened to it, she would never—! Twilight paused in realization, gazing upwards. Was it the wind...? Her eyes lingered on the sky for a moment longer before turning to Rainbow. "H-how bad is it?"

"It's honestly not that bad," Rainbow assured her. "I mean, it kind of looks like mine... Kind of."

Twilight gulped. That wasn't what she wanted to hear. "Well I wouldn't get too used to it, Rainbow. I'll be fixing it the moment we get home," Twilight stated, already hard at work brushing her ruffled mane back into shape with her hoof as the two walked. She took another look at Rainbow. "Though, maybe we could do something with yours?"

Rainbow thought for a moment before giving the answer that deep down, Twilight had expected to hear. "Yeah... no," Rainbow replied, grinning at her. "Sorry Twi, you're not touching my mane. I mean, I don't know if I always kept it like this, but hay, I like it this way."

Twilight smirked. "Shaggy, messy, and uncombed?" she teased.

"Hey, it suits me!"

"Can't argue with you there..." she mused, smiling as she looked thoughtfully at Rainbow's mane.

The walk lasted for several minutes in an awkward silence, both ponies struggling but failing to find a worthy topic of conversation to pass the time, until at last, they ended up reaching the place both Twilight and Rainbow had, in their own ways, come to know as their home.

"And here we are!" Twilight announced, coming into view of the Ivory Tower. A place meant for pursuers of knowledge and what safety served as a current residence for the mares.

The two began the long walk up the outer spiral staircase. "Great!" Rainbow exclaimed, following closely behind. "So, let's get what you need and—"

Twilight stopped suddenly, then hesitantly turned around to face Rainbow. "Actually, Rainbow... there was, uhm... something I wanted to show you..."





"This is all... for me...?" Rainbow slowly asked, staring dumfounded in her guest room, which Twilight had taken the liberty of decorating with a few hand-me-downs and spare furniture, and more surprisingly than anything else: gifts.

Besides the star-coated comforter and stack of Daring Do novels stacked vertically on the bedside table—even the nerdy-looking violet drapes hung over the locked window with a conspicuous star pattern on them, there were some things that Rainbow had a feeling Twilight went out of her way to get for her. Most of it was 'Wonderbolt' memorabilia; Rainbow quickly recalled them from those posters and banners she and Twilight passed earlier. A couple posters, magazines, flight books—apparently authorized by them no less, which Rainbow realized upon closer inspection, and some gifts that surprisingly weren't Wonderbolt-related. A couple boxes of chocolates and assorted candies lay by the pillows of her bed, and on her table, a bouquet of flowers colored red, orange, yellow—Rainbow smiled as she looked at them, but soon her attention was torn away from them the moment Twilight began speaking.

"Uhm... Princess Celestia wrote to me in response to one of my letters that I should, you know... get you something from the gift shop while we were at the hospital... Only, well, I guess I got a little carried away." The unicorn blushed and looked down at her hooves while she continued. "I don't know a lot about the uh, 'Wonderbolts' other than they're some stunt team of pegasi who tour all over Equestria, and they're doing a show here in Canterlot soon, hence all the banners and flags in the streets, and, well... all this. I assume you noticed?" Twilight asked suddenly, perking up. Internally, she scolded herself for foolishly forgetting to ask something so important.

Rainbow simply nodded in response, and seeing that, Twilight breathed out a sigh and picked up where she left off.

"I know you probably aren't familiar with them—" No thanks to her memory loss. "—but they seem like an inspirational group of pegasi, and I don't know," Twilight shrugged, sighing briefly, "guess I just thought it'd be something you might like—"

Twilight was cut off by a surprise hug from an overjoyed, and rather thankful pegasus. "This is awesome Twi, thank you!" Rainbow exclaimed, beaming. She had meant every word it too, however, she couldn't help but feel a bit... undeserving. Her smile faded and she backed away from Twilight, her hooves firmly planted on the unicorn's shoulders. "But... please tell me you didn't spend your own bits."

Twilight shook her head, triggering a much-needed sigh of relief from the pegasus. "Princess Celestia helped out a little," she explained, then backtracked. "...A lot, actually," she sheepishly added.

"Its gotta be nice," Rainbow remarked. "Having connections like that."

"I wouldn't call it a connection, Rainbow," Twilight said. "I have a stipend account." Rainbow's expression in return, expectantly became confused. "Since I've been studying under Princess Celestia, I've received a sort of... payment," she explained, though to no avail.

Twilight sighed. "Think of it as an apprenticeship. It's like I'm getting a place to stay, food and water, tutelage, and payment—all for being a student of the princess. And now," she added, "she's been giving me a little extra recently to help with you, and well... with this."

Twilight cautiously removed Rainbow's hooves from her shoulder with a small surge of magic and trotted over to the bed, never noting Rainbow's eye roll. "You could've just said that," Rainbow added in a quiet mutter as Twilight picked up an article of clothing off the bed Rainbow must had skimmed over. However, it was something Twilight had meant to address.

Twilight turned around to face Rainbow, the object held by her side in an aura of magic. "It's up to you whether you'd like to wear this, but I picked you up one of these as well!" She brought it closer for Rainbow to see. "It's just a hooded sweatshirt, but it's modeled after the official Wonderbolt's uniform! Or so I was told..." The sweatshirt itself was deep blue, darker than Rainbow's own cerulean coat, with a light gold lightning bolt covering the chest area and coming to an end near the end of her belly. A single, golden lightning bolt wrapped around the ends of each sleeve, which came down just around the hooves, unlike the apparent uniform. "I was thinking maybe you could use it to hide your bandages," Twilight suggested.

Translation: "I really want you to wear this, specifically for that purpose, Rainbow."

Rainbow sighed. She didn't have a problem with the bandages around her wings, or the ones around her forehead, though her mane seemed to cover those up anyway. Hay, she didn't even mind when ponies stared at her for them... But then she thought about how Twilight reacted earlier, how uncomfortable it made the mare... and it was for that reason, Rainbow supposed, that she agreed to wear it.

Well, that, and it did look pretty awesome.

"Yeah, why not?" Rainbow replied, accepting the sweatshirt from Twilight, taking it into her own hooves.

"Oh, and this one's specifically designed for pegasi," Twilight continued to explain as she pointed out the wing holes on both sides of the sweatshirt. "So, uhm, if you wanted to wear it while flying, you could... O-once your wings are better, that is!" she quickly added, followed by a nervous chuckle.

"Well anyway, I'll leave you to get accustomed to uhm... all this; I've got to go get ready myself, and track down a certain dragon... I know he's around here somewhere..." With her mind already focused on having a talk with her number one assistant, and a need to excuse herself before the situation possibly became more uncomfortable than it already was, she politely excused herself, leaving Rainbow alone with her thoughts.

The mare sighed, taking in everything about the small room. Her new room. A soft, saddened smile graced her lips, taking a step further, feeling her heart grow heavier. A few hoofsteps further and she was at the edge of her bed, running a hoof along the sweatshirt.

She couldn't shake the feeling Twilight wanted her here as much as she wanted to stay. Rainbow knew it. Twilight must've realized... this was her new home.

She held the article until it was eye level with her, before throwing it over her head and trying it on. Falling back on her haunches, sliding her forelegs into the sleeves, she shook her mane back into shape and took a look at herself. Sure enough, it hid her injuries, and who she was, she supposed. She almost looked... normal. Not a mare Twilight had to look after, not a mare that caused her embarrassment, or stress. Just... her friend.

Moments passed as she walked back and forth for a bit, fell back on her back and lazily flipped through some of the books on her cloud bed, and... regretfully tasted one of the flowers on her nightstand while painstakingly waiting for Twilight to return.

Rainbow's bored gaze soon fell upon the boxes of candies, and immediately felt her stomach rumble.

It wasn't breakfast food, but what the hay?





Twilight huffed, climbing the stairs until once again reaching Rainbow's makeshift room. "Alright, Rainbow, I'm all s—" Twilight stopped, catching the pegasus with a few completely emptied boxes and papers scattered on the bed, wearing the sweatshirt she had gotten for her, which—aside from being slightly baggy—complimented her nicely.

Rainbow quickly sensed Twilight's lingering presence by the doorway, and spun around, hastily swallowing down the last chunk of chocolate in her mouth. "So," Rainbow began, facing Twilight while bearing a sheepish smile. "How do I look?"

Twilight thought for a moment before giggling into a stifling hoof. It wasn't that Rainbow looked bad; no, it was quite the opposite. It was however, the cheesiness of what she was choosing to say that made her laugh. Lips trembling, she lowered her hoof to the ground and replied, "Like a Wonderbolt."

Not surprisingly, Rainbow laughed a little as well. "So, basically... goofy, but at the same time, cool?"

"Seriously though," Twilight continued, "you look nice."

Rainbow's expression softened at the compliment. "Thanks again for all this, Twi. Really." She nervously smiled meeting Twilight's surprised gaze, feeling her cheeks grow warmer the longer she looked into her violet eyes.

Twilight gulped. "Y-you're welcome, Rainbow..." Twilight's cheeks began to match Rainbow's. She fought back the strange and sudden feeling in her chest, squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head to free her thoughts from the fog surrounding them. "I... I-I know you probably won't be staying here for long." Rainbow's heart sunk at the unicorn's words, her ears falling flat and going unnoticed as Twilight continued, "Still, it'll be nice to have your very own place to rest, if you ever choose to stop on by." Rainbow only nodded apathetically as Twilight smiled and turned for the exit. "Now, come on—I mean, if you're ready. Spike's content here by himself for the day, and it's already pretty late in the morning, so..."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Rainbow's excited tone startled the young unicorn, and before she could blink, Rainbow joined up by her side. She playfully nudged her with a foreleg while wearing a wide grin. "Race you to the exit, Twi!" Rainbow exclaimed, running out the door, up the stairs, and leaving a stunned Twilight Sparkle in her wake.

Okay, so she still wants to find the place I belong, but... I think I could hear it... in her voice. She wants me to stay, Rainbow told herself as she thought over Twilight's words, and about her decision to stay. I'll tell her eventually, but for now, I may as well enjoy today. I mean, no need to risk ruining today with a little drama...

Twilight watched as Rainbow disappeared from sight, before shaking her head with a slight smirk, and teleporting away in a flash of orchid light.





"Jeez, Twi... warn me next time... alright?" Rainbow held a hoof over her heart from the slight scare she received, all while Twilight stood giggling mere inches before her.

"You never said I had to run, Rainbow," remarked Twilight, her giggling dying down.

"Well no, but...!" But... No words came, Rainbow finding herself without a rebuttal. She looked away a bit, letting out a small huff under her breath.

Twilight rolled her eyes, grinning softly. "Come on, Rainbow." She turned, motioning her to follow as she pushed open the door and stepped outside. After another short walk down the tower's spiral stairs, the mares found themselves once again on the road leading in and out of the city.

"So..." Rainbow began as the pegasus glanced around the area for something to do, "Where to first?"

"Well, there's this one place that comes to mind, and..." She turned to Rainbow, hopeful that Rainbow would appreciate and love this place as much as she did. "I think you might just like it."





"A sculpture garden...?" Rainbow questioned in a deadpan tone, matching her current expression perfectly as her and Twilight stood side by side at the entrance of the sculpture garden. She turned towards Twilight. "Seriously?"

"Isn't it wonderful?" Twilight's eyes sparkled, remaining oblivious to the disappointment in Rainbow's voice. "I used to come down here all the time during my stay here at the palace."

Palace? The word stood out in Rainbow's mind, and she could only vaguely recall what one was. It sounded regal, that much she could tell, and it just so happened there was a regal looking building to her far right, standing tall before the garden. So this is where Twi used to live, she mused. From the looks of it, the princess probably lives there too... Living with the princess herself... Rainbow cracked a small grin; this mare never ceased to impressed her.

"Yeah, it's... something all right," Rainbow replied, following a pause, and shaking the thoughts of the palace from her head, trotted down a path leading left into the garden.

The two walked past a few different statues, none of which catching their attention, until, at the end of the dirt path, they came across a rather peculiar statue. "Hey, Twi! Get a load of this statue!" Rainbow pointed a hoof up at it while craning her neck and glancing back at Twilight whose attention was focused on another nearby statue. "It's some kind of dragon—"

"Draconequus, actually," Twilight corrected, joining up with Rainbow. She smirked, turning to Rainbow. "But you were close."

"So... what is it?"

"A creature from Equestrian myth, made up of all sorts of animals. A pony's head, the arm of a lion and claw of an eagle, the legs of a lizard and goat, the wings of—" She looked to her right, finding that Rainbow was no longer in sight. "Rainbow...?" she called out worried and glancing in every direction for any glimpse of the mare's rainbow colors. Nothing behind her, nothing where they entered... Then she caught a glimpse of what looked like Rainbow's tail disappearing behind a hedge to her left, and without hesitating, quickly ran after it.

And to no surprise, she once again came into view of the prismatic pegasus, nearing the entrance of the castle labyrinth. "H-hey!" Twilight called out to her, stopping the mare in her tracks and causing her to turn around in curiosity.

Twilight slowed to a halt before her, panting slightly. "Don't go wandering off like that, Rainbow," she advised, a hint of annoyance in her tone.

"What?" Rainbow shrugged, holding back a laugh of her own at the sight of an already-exhausted Twilight. "You were boring me." She turned back ahead, but found she couldn't move on ahead; the look of worry on Twilight's face kept wearing on her, and Rainbow found she had to say something. "You know you don't have to treat me like some foal, Twi," she added, her gaze grazing the dirt path beneath her hooves. "I can handle myself just fine."

Twilight's gaze lowered, her own anger fading. "It's just... easy to get lost around here, that's all," she clarified, softly shrugging.

Rainbow glanced into the labyrinth briefly, then back at Twilight as a small, sympathetic smile formed. "You got lost in there, didn't you?"

"Once..." Twilight replied, unaware of what she had just admitted. "I-it was a long time ago!" she quickly added in her explanation to an already-snickering Rainbow. "And I'd rather not think about it..." she muttered, though utterly failing to do so.

Twilight sighed, gazing up from the ground and towards the spot Rainbow once stood—once? Twilight's eyes widened and she once again began looking around as it occurred to her that Rainbow had, once again, walked off without alerting her. Alright, now where did she—? Relief flooded Twilight as she spotted the mare trotting back the way they came and ran after her, calling out to her. "H-hey, wait up!"





"So... you really came here often, huh?" Rainbow asked, sitting back on her haunches beside Twilight. After a brief lecture by a slightly sore Twilight, the two mares had chosen to take a seat on a park bench by the entrance with a nice view of the garden and more importantly, the statues that Twilight had come to know.

"Still do sometimes..." Twilight replied, much to Rainbow's surprise. It was hard to imagine Twilight leaving her personal sanctuary for someplace like this.

"It's nice, serene... peaceful..." Twilight continued, seemingly staring off into space. "Ponies hardly ever come here so I usually have the place to myself."

Guess that explains it, Rainbow mused, smiling softly at the unicorn, and it never once faded, even as she asked, "So in other words... I'm ruining it by being here, huh?" Only her tone saddened.

"No," Twilight said. She shook her head, looking towards Rainbow with a delicate smile as the pegasus's own expression became one of surprise. "I wouldn't have brought you here if I thought that way about you." The comment itself caused Rainbow's cheeks to redden and look away with a sheepish smile.

"You know, it's weird having somepony to talk to," Twilight said, changing the subject. She motioned with a wave of her hoof towards some nearby statues. "Usually the only ones I have to keep me company here are these statues."

Rainbow looked off in the direction Twilight had motioned, to the row of statues. "I'm guessing they're good listeners?"

Twilight nodded. "That one there's Laurus, the pony of victory," she said, pointing a statue of a caped pony bearing an orange flag with three horizontal yellow diamonds embedded on the surface. "Then there's Amor, the pony of lo—er, oh!" She quickly pointed to a different one. "T-that one over there," she began, "is...!" Twilight paused, realizing just which statue she had pointed towards. Three young fillies leaping over one another in a playful manner. "The ponies of—" She swallowed hard. "—friendship..." Her voice lowered to that of a whisper. "I never did think up suitable names for them."

"I wonder what we represent..." Rainbow spoke softly while staring thoughtfully at the very same statue. Then, as if she had come to a sudden realization, turned to Twilight with a widening grin plastered across her face. "Oh what am I saying? With you it's obvious!" Rainbow exclaimed. Twilight, in turn, could only stare back at her with a puzzled expression as if she were asking, "It is?"

And to that, Rainbow responded with a playful nudge. "Magic! It's your talent, and it's what you study, like, all the time!"

Twilight stared at the mare, while in her head, she thought over Rainbow's words. Yes, she supposed, magic was what she studied, if only for specific reasons. It wasn't her 'talent' as Rainbow proposed; she was adequate at best. "Even if we did represent something, like these statues do," she said. "I doubt it would be magic..." Twilight sighed, dismissing the idea. She glanced down at Rainbow's front hooves. "Hay, I can't even control mine..."

"Oh come on, you can too!" Rainbow exclaimed suddenly, hoping to sway Twilight's disheartening mood. She rolled her eyes, softly smirking at the unicorn. "You're wicked good at the whole magic thing—" Rainbow was cut off before she say another word.

"Princess Celestia—hay, even her late sister were both good at the whole "magic thing"." At least, Twilight assumed so from what she read about her in the history books, though what she read also told her that 'Luna'—that was her name, if she recalled correctly—had passed away at such an early age after a terrible incident befell Equestria. Twilight shuddered at the thought, and almost missed it when Rainbow asked in disbelief, "Celestia had a sister?"

A little too unnerved to reply, Twilight merely nodded. She wasn't about to say anything else on the matter. Oddly enough, Rainbow didn't press the topic any further.

A few moments passed as Twilight inhaled deeply and let out a slightly shaken sigh before continuing from where she left off. "Star Swirl the Bearded was good at the whole "magic thing"."

Rainbow cocked her head at the unfamiliar name. "Who?" she asked.

"The creator of over two hundred spells?" Rainbow shook her head, her expression remaining unchanged. Twilight tried again. "Father of the amniomorphic spell?"

Rainbow's brow scrunched up in thought. "Are you even saying that right?" she asked in confusion, looking Twilight directly in the eyes. Twilight's head dropped as she let out yet another sigh. At least that got a response out of her.

"Ugh, forget it... Sorry, Rainbow," Twilight apologized. "This is boring for you, I know—"

"No no, not really," Rainbow insisted. She sheepishly scratched at the back of her mane. "I mean, well—how about painting me a picture. What was he like?"

"Personality wise? Hay if I know. I mean, he was smart obviously—a magical prodigy in every sense." She shrugged. "There was nothing really special about the way he looked. Gray coat and scraggly white mane, with, as you may have guessed, a rather... distinguishable white beard."

Twilight exhaled another sigh while leaning back into the bench. "If you were hoping to note some sort of similarities between us, I'm sorry to say there's nothing. I'm just a student—"

"Yeah, to Celestia herself!" Rainbow exclaimed, interrupting the unicorn before she said another pessimistic word. "C'mon, Twi, cheer up."

Twilight remained unfazed however, leaving Rainbow to try something else.

"You know you might not be some prodigy spell-maker or whatever, but you're still pretty talented if you ask me," Rainbow said. "His name may be Star Swirl, but you've got an actual swirl of stars of your own, right on that flank of yours!" she exclaimed, pointing to Twilight's star mottled flank, then seconds later pulled her hoof back, noting Twilight's peeved expression and nervously shrunk back. "I-I just think that's, y'know... kinda... cool," she explained, each word becoming more sheepishly spoken than the last.

A pregnant silence filled the space between the two mares, Rainbow finding it increasingly hard to make eye contact, and instead, found she was content simply staring down at her fidgeting hooves until somepony found the courage to say something.

And then, after several long moments, Twilight sighed and began to speak.

"Rainbow, that was the most unfunny a-and awkward, and... stupidest thing you've ever said," Twilight said, holding back the sudden creeping urge to start laughing at the ridiculousness of Rainbow's comment. A quiet giggle managed to escape her lips which she quickly covered with her hoof and turned away. "So why am I trying so hard not to laugh?"

"Seriously though, Twi, the stars could be a sign!"

"That I have about as much potential as Star Swirl?" Twilight looked at her with an eyebrow raised, a grin remaining on her lips. "I doubt it."

With Rainbow's theory shot down, the two once again fell into silence, sitting contentedly and eying the different statues around them. "So... what about me?" Rainbow asked. "What do you think I represent?"

Barely a moment passed before Twilight gave her response. "Brashness, stubbornness—"

"I was thinking something a little more positive," Rainbow deadpanned, then let out a sigh. "I wonder though," she said, drawing her attention to her left flank. "I mean, I know cutie marks don't have to match a pony's personality or anything, but... any idea as to what a red, yellow, and blue-striped lightning bolt shooting down from a cloud even means? Wait..." Rainbow's expression turned panicked. "You don't think this thing's gonna vanish from my flank if I can't remember what it means, do you?"

"I don't think cutie marks work that way," Twilight replied, already lifting up a bit of the sweatshirt that covered Rainbow's flank.

"See? It's still there, in all its mystic glory," she assured with a brief chuckle. "The cloud and lightning bolt most likely suggest weather, which of course pegasi have a natural ability to manipulate and control so it's entirely possible that that's what it stands for," she suggested, shrugging her shoulders. "Though the rainbow coloring is what puzzles me. Though it's the same color as your mane, I don't see what your mane has to do with—" Twilight backed away, frowning at the enigmatic mark. Already she could feel her head begin to hurt trying to figure out the meaning behind it. "I've said it before and I'll say it again: you are one strange pegasus."

"Says the unicorn checking out another mare's flank in public."

"Analyzing it, actually—" Twilight corrected before quickly becoming aware of what she was replying to. She backtracked, immediately becoming flustered. "Rainbow!"

"Couldn't help it!" Rainbow grinned widely, holding back her laughter. "You kinda set yourself up that time."

Twilight huffed in response. She hated to admit it but Rainbow was right; she had set herself up, and she berated herself for doing so. She shook her head as another thought came to mind. "You know, we haven't had any breakfast yet." Already she could feel her stomach grumbling, and figured Rainbow was equally, if not more so in dire need of getting a bite to eat. She turned to Rainbow. "Wanna go?"

"Go where?" Rainbow asked.

"You know the place I got those doughnuts? It was the same place you pointed out the day we met."

"So... desserts for breakfast?" Rainbow inquired, her blank stare contorting into one of happiness. "I'm cool with that."

Twilight narrowed her eyes however, looking back at the pegasus in a disbelieving stare. "You know they do have a breakfast menu, Rainbow," she said, eliciting a simple, yet quiet "Oh," from the mare.

"Yeah," Twilight continued, "Spike and I usually eat there often, so... at the moment, it's a good enough place as any to have breakfast."

"So what are we waiting for then?" Rainbow hoped down from the bench and turned, looking expectantly up at Twilight with a smile on her lips. "Lead the way!"





"You know, you have good taste, Twi," Rainbow said, through a mouthful of apple danish. "This stuff's great!" The mare had taken the liberty of ordering what, to Twilight, felt like everything on the entire menu. To Twilight, it also felt as if the mare was trying to wring every last bit from her.

But in the end, it seemed she just couldn't say no.

"I had a feeling you would like it," Twilight replied, a humored smile on her lips as she watched Rainbow, before her gaze found itself wandering. The restaurant itself wasn't very crowded as usual. A part of the reason Twilight liked it so much, she supposed.

Twilight glanced down at her order of milk and banana bread, and the slice she now held in her magic. She sighed quietly, taking a small bite out of it, unable to keep herself from stealing glances at Rainbow. The pegasus in question seemed to be looking at posters and advertisements for the Wonderbolts hung around various spots within the restaurant, and Twilight had a feeling she knew what the mare was thinking... surprisingly. Rainbow wanted to see these ponies in action. The latter revelation wasn't nearly as surprising. She knew it was only a matter of time, and after the gifts she had gotten her...

Twilight's ears perked at the thought. That's right, I still haven't... Her ears flattened, remembering how she was supposed to wait. But, at the same time... "Oh Celestia, I'm bad at this..." As Twilight finished, Rainbow looked over at her, confused. Twilight met her gaze. She loved seeing Rainbow smile... and she was sure this would make Rainbow's day. "I'm really supposed to wait to do this, but... check your pocket sleeve."

"My... pocket?" Rainbow questioned, swallowing the last bit of a buttermilk biscuit and lowered her head beneath her underbelly, digging into the pocket with her muzzle. Twilight herself looked away from what she deemed an... uncomfortable sight, and looked again in curiosity once she heard a muffled voice ask, "Tickets?"

"Wonderbolt tickets to be exact," Twilight explained, noting Rainbow's look of curiosity as she held two golden tickets between her teeth.. "But eh... yes, tickets. It was Princess Celestia's idea, and... hay, I figured it would only be a matter of time before you wanted to go anyway." Her excitement grew suddenly, just as Rainbow set the tickets on the table. "Plus this would give me the opportunity to examine different sorts of pegasi up close!" Her excitement faded as quickly as it came, and she sheepishly turned, looking down at her own food. "If you wanted to invite me, that is."

"And why wouldn't I?" Rainbow asked.

To that, Twilight shrugged. "I dunno, it's just... they're your tickets. You can go with anypony you choose—"

"Yeah, a couple things," Rainbow interrupted, silencing the unicorn with her hoof. "One: I hardly know anypony anymore. Two... of course I'll invite you. You were the one that got me them, and you did say you wanted to see some pegasi—" She paused and backtracked, placing her hoof over her chest, sporting a small grin. "Besides me, of course."

"I did," Twilight said, sharing a grin. "Thank you, Rainbow."

The two grins soon faded as Twilight and Rainbow slipped back into silence, simply focusing on their meals. However taking another glance at the ticket made Rainbow a little curious. Her brow scrunched together. "So," Rainbow began, never taking her eyes off the ticket, "when is it?"

"The date's on the ticket, Rainbow."

Rainbow scratched the back of her mane. "I haven't exactly been keeping track of the days..." She looked away sheepishly while Twilight rolled her eyes.

"It's this weekend, Rainbow," Twilight informed her. "This show is sort of meant to welcome in summer." She leaned back into her seat as she mused on the realization. "To think that five days have already gone by..."

"I... couldn't agree with you," Rainbow said. She sighed, staring down at the table, and her mostly polished off plates of food. Twilight turned to look at her with a curious expression. "I mean, I don't exactly remember any of it, e-except for the short time I've spent here with you."

Twilight's heart grew heavier within her chest, and before she realized it, her expression had become saddened after hearing Rainbow's words. She bit her lip as she searched for something to say. "Rainbow, I... I'm sorry you couldn't spend these last few days in your hometown, but rather, in a hospital of all places."

Rainbow however, merely smiled reassuringly, unfazed. "It's okay, Twi, really," she insisted, meaning every word, but to no avail. Her words instead fell on deaf ears as Twilight continued.

"It's just... I hope today makes up for all that." Twilight returned the smile Rainbow had given her before returning to finish what was left of her meal. "So..." Twilight asked, after a few moments, "did you have anything in mind for what you would like to do next?"

"Mm... it's still so early..." Rainbow thought for a moment before asking, "By any chance, does Canterlot have an arcade?"





"I don't believe it..." Twilight's eyes narrowed as she watched the pegasus sit with her face glued to a nearby arcade screen, the mashing of the controls on the panel ringing loudly throughout the arcade. "Out of all the things I suggested, you would rather spend the day rotting your brain, ripping ponies' spines out."

"Aw, come on... it's fun," Rainbow rebutted, but Twilight wasn't about to agree.

"Reading is fun, Rainbow."

"Yeah... but this is fun, too!" Twilight remained indifferent just as Rainbow successfully beat her opponent. Rainbow turned away from the console and faced Twilight with a knowing grin. "You've never gamed before, have you?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "And you have?"

"I...!" Rainbow paused, then sighed in defeat. "Okay, you got me there... but this really is fun!"

"I'll take your word for it." Twilight watched Rainbow trot over to a contraption with pads large enough for a single pony to stand on, attached to the bottom. A screen hung from the wall above them, centered between the two pads. Twilight also noted, as Rainbow took out a bit and inserted it into the machine's coin slot, that there were colorful arrows on each pad, pointed out in every direction.

And then it occurred to her. This was one of those games where you had to dance. Twilight's eyes widened and she shook her head, just as Rainbow beckoned her over.

"Oh come on, Twi, just try," Rainbow persisted, but Twilight only shook her head a second time, taking a nervous step back.

"It's just..." She gazed down, and nervously shuffled her hooves. "I'm a terrible dancer..."

"So? I doubt I'm any good either," Rainbow said, much to Twilight's own surprise. What she had expected was for Rainbow to chide her, or start laughing on the spot, but the pegasus simply smiled and shrugged her confession off. "I'm willing to though," Rainbow continued, "and besides, we're all alone; no one will see us." Twilight didn't budge however, bearing a hesitant look. "Come on, Twi... please? For me?"

Twilight had already made her decision "Fine..." Her head fell as she let out a sigh. "But no laughing!" She looked up again, this time with a determined grin meeting Rainbow's.

Twilight trotted over, taking a spot to the right of Rainbow... and thus began, in her mind, one of the clumsiest dances in the history of Equestria.

"Well that was a disaster," Twilight grumbled, falling back on her haunches, and giving her hind legs a rest. She breathed deeply as her heartbeat steadily calmed.

"Oh come on, Twilight; it wasn't a total disaster," Rainbow said, as she stepped down beside Twilight. "Honestly? I was way worse."

"You?" Twilight gave an ironic laugh, looking disbelievingly at the pegasus. "Don't be modest, Rainbow, your reflexes are much better than mine. Not to mention you seem to be in better shape."

"I am...?" Rainbow paused, moving the foreleg out from behind her head and looking it over. It didn't look very muscular... If she was in better shape, she didn't see or feel it. "Look, who cares which one of us is in better shape. Point is, you tried, and with a little practice, you could easily become a great dancer! I suppose if you wanted... I could always practice with you, since... y'know..."

"We both need it?" Twilight surmised, and to that, both mares shared a brief chuckle. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to learn..." she mused. If only it weren't so time-consuming... "But I couldn't ask you to take time out of your day for that—"

"It's no problem at all!" Rainbow quickly assured, then paused. Her excited grin faded from her face, and she shrunk back, looking away sheepishly. "I mean, it's not like I have anything else to do."

Before Twilight could react, Rainbow stood and trotted over to another game, this time set up against the wall behind them. Twilight recognized it instantly as hoofball toss. A single area, with netted walls to the left and right and a backboard in the center with two hoops attached. A pile of orange hoofballs gathered at the bottom. Rainbow smirked, laying a hoof on one before craning her neck back to glance at the unicorn. "Now, let's see how you are at shooting hoops."





"Don't feel too bad, Rainbow. That game was designed for unicorns," Twilight said, as the two left the arcade. Rainbow snorted in response as she hung her head dejectedly.

"You could've told me..." Rainbow muttered out.

"Yeah, I could've..." Twilight nudged her playfully, looking at her with a smirk on her lips. "But I thought you'd like a challenge." Rainbow huffed, rolling her eyes as Twilight looked back ahead with a triumphant smile.

Though it was soon replaced with a look of disgust. "Ugh... I've never gotten so sweaty before..."

"Probably since you're always using magic," Rainbow chided, looking up suddenly. Then, a moment later, shrugged her shoulders. "Not that there's anything wrong with that—" She glanced over to Twilight, grinning as she spoke. "—but you aren't exactly doing your body any favors."

That time, it was Twilight who rolled her eyes before letting out a quiet nicker. The notion however, hadn't gone unnoticed. "You know, we can stop and rest if you'd like," Rainbow suggested, stopping and motioning to a bench seat, located just outside of an outdoor frozen treat shop.

Twilight nodded, bearing a sheepish smile. "That would be nice," she said before following Rainbow on over. The two took their seats just as a small group of ponies gathered behind them, drawing Rainbow's attention. A group of fillies, young enough to still be in school, gathered around the stand.

"That's right," Twilight spoke as she turned to where Rainbow was looking. "I forgot school will be starting again soon... once summer ends. Those girls are probably making the best out of their last few days of summer vacation."

"So... are you on summer vacation as well?" Rainbow asked. "You're a student too, right? I just thought—" Rainbow paused once she noticed Twilight shake her head.

"My school is different," Twilight explained. "I don't go to school in the morning until the afternoon like most ponies. At least... not anymore. I'm given an assignment, or a task, and I complete it to the best of my ability, while other times I'm given something to study, and the princess tests me on what I've learned. That's the extent of it, really—" Twilight paused, noticing Rainbow's attention seemingly lingering on the stand behind them. "Rainbow?"

Rainbow's ears perked, and she quickly turned back around to face Twilight. "Oh! Uhm... sorry, Twi," she apologized. "Want anything? I was thinking of getting a slushy myself—"

Twilight sighed, taking another glance at the stand, and the sweets on display. The sight alone made her thirsty. With her magic, she dug out a pouch of bits from her saddle. "Orange flavor, please," Twilight said, removing a couple of bits from the pouch. "Here's some bits."

"Awesome!" Rainbow grabbed the bits between her teeth. "I'll be back in a flash," she muffled out before turning and leaving for the stand. Twilight watched Rainbow for a few moments longer, then turned straight ahead, bored, with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company.

At some point, as she sat there, she found herself once again with Rainbow's feather out from beneath her ear and in her hooves, straightening it, and checking for any damage. And... there, Twilight thought, running her hoof over the right side of the feather. That should do it. She smiled victoriously, placing the magic-coated feather behind her left ear... just as it twitched. The sound of ponies... bickering? It wasn't Rainbow, that she could tell, but that didn't stop her from becoming a little curious as she searched around for the source.

And there she noticed, what she guessed were a couple, seemingly arguing over... something.

"Ugh, I can't believe it..." a certain cerise-coated alicorn grumbled, joining up by Twilight's side. "Another couple arguing." She sighed before donning a determined look, her horn sparking to life with a blue aura. "Observe, Twilight," she told the filly beside her as her horn produced a couple of hearts into the air, and over to the seated ponies, immediately working their magic and easing the tension, returning both to a state of serenity.

The alicorn smiled triumphantly, clasping her hooves together before soon turning to continue their walk. All the while the filly beside her remained awestruck. "Wow..." she sighed, genuinely impressed by the magic of her foal-sitter, Cadance. At the same time, it only made her more curious about love itself.

Twilight looked up at Cadance as they walked, and recalling the talk with her brother the day before, grew a little hopeful. If anypony could explain love, it was Cadance herself.

"I, uhm, spoke to my brother yesterday," Twilight started, deciding it was a good enough place to begin.

"Your brother..." Cadance tapped her chin with her hoof, recalling images of Twilight's family. "Isn't he that one blue-haired colt that's... kind of nerdy and shy, but at the same time, really sweet and cute?"

Twilight cocked her head. "I guess?"

Taking note of the filly's confused expression and voice, Cadance blushed, realizing her slip up. "S-sorry, Twilight. Please... forget what I just said." She glanced away from the filly, leaving her no less confused. "So, uhm... what were you talking about?"

"Oh, um..." Twilight shook her foal-sitter's mysterious behavior from her head. "All sorts of things, really," she replied. She hesitated, then added, "Regarding love."

Cadance raised an eyebrow. "And why were you...?"

"Your magic, Cadance." Twilight pointed at the alicorn's horn. "It's powered by love, and... well..." She shrugged, quietly sighing. "I've seen the things you can do with it." Twilight brandished a hoof against the ground in hesitation before admitting, "I don't understand love, Cadance."

Cadance's expression contorted at the confession, her piqued interest quickly becoming one of sympathy and understanding. "Is that all?" she asked. "You don't understand it?" Twilight softly nodded, her gaze remained fixed on the ground. "Twilight," Cadance continued, kneeling down before the filly, "love is... complicated."

"Shining sort of said the same thing," Twilight grumbled, disappointed.

"When I say love is complicated, it's because there's so many ways of defining it... Love is being there for those you care for, whether it be a friend or somepony who's... more than a friend. When your heart races, your body grows warm, and you're overcome with a multitude of emotions—!" She paused, sighing before continuing. "It's... when you can't live without that special pony... when you want to be with them every waking moment... It's those strong feelings you carry for that pony, and wanting to be with that pony that produces such a... such a strong magic—like my own."

"Those are a lot of 'it's'..." Twilight mused aloud for a moment, before quickly shaking the thought from her head. "So... that's it then?" she scoffed. "That's love?" Just... caring for somepony? Wanting to be with that pony? Wanting to be... friends with other ponies. She couldn't believe it, but if that's what love took... "No thanks then; I don't think I want a thing like that."

"Maybe someday you will," Cadance said.

"If... if love is what you say it is... as nice it is, it's not for somepony like me. Learning magic from the princess is... easier for me."

"Twilight... please don't go avoiding other ponies," Cadance asked. "Love really is a wonderful thing."

"Maybe, but... ugh, it's just— If I'm ever going to be as good with magic as Princess Celestia—!"

"You need to dedicate time to your studies," Cadance finished, letting out a small sigh. "I know—"

"Sorry, Twi, the line was longer than I thought it'd be." Twilight jumped slightly at the sound of Rainbow's voice. She turned with a faint blush present on her cheeks, taking note of Rainbow as she balanced two frozen slushies on her left hoof before once again letting her thoughts take over. How Rainbow even balanced the drinks on her hoof didn't derail Twilight from the thoughts on her mind.

"Can't really blame anypony though, what with the summer heat..." Rainbow mused, then smiled, holding her hoof out. "Well anyways, here you are. Orange, just like you asked for."

But the gesture went unnoticed by the mare, who remained lost in her own thoughts. She thought back to how much she looked after Rainbow... how she reacted whenever she saw the pegasus over the past few days, and what Cadance had described to her. Seeing Rainbow made her feel... relieved, happy even. Her body grew warm, her heart beat raced, at times she stuttered, and often grew flustered around the mare.

It was all as Cadance described.

Twilight's eyes widened as the pieces in her mind clicked together. Am I... really falling in love with Rainbow—?

Rainbow's voice raised as it entered Twilight's mind, once again startling the young unicorn. "Earth to egghead... You there?"

"Oh, uh... y-yeah," Twilight assured, with a slight shake of her head. "Thank you." With the help of her magic, she accepted the drink from Rainbow—who wasted no time in taking a seat herself, and began searching for something to take her mind off her most recent thought.

After all, to Twilight... they weren't even friends yet, and she knew next to nothing about Rainbow's life... but strangely, a part of her mind—as wrong as it was... was beginning not to mind.

Her eyes soon rested on Rainbow's hooves, and the frozen beverage between them. Curious, she raised an eyebrow. "Cola-flavored... really?"

"What?" Rainbow asked. "What's wrong with...?"

"N-nothing," Twilight quickly reassured her. "It just... Thinking back, it... reminds me of my brother, that's all."

Brother? A sudden thought popped into the mare's head. "Hey, uh... speaking of your brother..." Rainbow shuffled the cup between her hooves. "You said he lives here too, right?"

"I said he was a part of the Royal Guard—"

"So, in other words... he does?" Rainbow's face lit up. "Awesome!" With an excited, widening grin, she asked, "And your folks?"

It didn't take long for Twilight's expression to contort into one of confusion. She cocked her head slightly, wondering only where Rainbow was going with this. "Well... yeah—"

"Cool!" Rainbow exclaimed suddenly, then backtracked. "Now, uhm... don't freak out or anything; you said I could do whatever I wanted today—"

"Within reason," Twilight corrected.

"Right! Well, I, uh..." Rainbow bit her bottom lip, her voice growing more hesitant with each word. "Kinda wanted to—"

"Twilight?"

Both mares' ears twitched at the sound of Twilight's name being called, and looked over to an approaching mare. Twilight's eyes widened for a moment, her face flushed with embarrassment and annoyance as she muttered, "Why now...?" below her breath, though audible enough for Rainbow to pick up on.

Rainbow took a sip of her drink as she got a good look at this mare, and couldn't see what was causing Twilight to worry. All she saw was another Twilight, bearing a saddle of her own. An... older-looking, and white-coated Twilight, with fewer stars on her flank, but a Twilight nevertheless, and it made her wonder... What could be so bad about another Twilight?

"Uh..." Twilight donned a sheepish smile, as she held a hoof behind her head. "Hello, Mother..."

Rainbow nearly choked. Mother? She looked as though she could pass for an older sister of Twilight's!

Rainbow leaned to her right, leaning closer to Twilight. "That's really your mom?" she murmured, still in disbelief. Before Twilight could whisper a response, her mother's voice once again cut in before she could.

"Honey, it's been ages!" Twilight found her mother's hooves around her, squeezing her in a tight, meaningful embrace. Twilight's face flushed a deeper shade of red in embarrassment, and she quickly glared at Rainbow, silently warning the pegasus to keep her mouth shut. Though that didn't keep her from chuckling silently at the scene.

Twilight sighed, looking away from both ponies. She couldn't blame her mom... It had been a couple of years since she last visited. Studying under the princess herself did that to her... leaving her with little time to visit ponies she knew, or at least, that's what she kept telling herself...

Twilight squirmed a little in her mother's embrace. "Sorry, it's just... I would have, but... my responsibilities to the princess, and my studies—" she tried to explain as Twilight Velvet loosened up, pulling away from her daughter and berating her with a series of questions.

"How have you been?" Her expression contorted into worry. "And Spike, how is he doing? Are the two of you eating well?" She frowned, taking note of the frosted drink in her daughter's hooves. "You're not, are you? Twilight, I've told you a dozen times, not to fill up on sugar and junk food."

"It fuels the brain..." Twilight murmured, then shrugged halfheartedly. "I uhm, w-we always eat a healthy breakfast..."

Though as Twilight worked to reassure her, Twilight Velvet's attention slowly drifted to the pegasus mare seated beside her daughter, and right away her mind kicked into gear, working to figure out who this mare was hanging around her daughter.

Her brow furrowed as her eyes bored in on the prismatic pegasus. She was unfamiliar—certainly not somepony Shining knew, or hung out with; and the fact that she was a pegasus told her she couldn't have been from Twilight's school, much less from somewhere in the city. She looked innocent enough though, not that her daughter would be with her if she wasn't. But if she's not a threat... could it be...?

"Twilight..." Twilight Velvet turned back to her daughter with a knowing grin. "You've made a friend?"

"I uh—wait... what?" Twilight's eyes widened, brandishing a surprised gaze as she glanced at Rainbow, then back at her mom. "M-mother, this is Rainbow; she's my... uhm—" She briefly thought over her words. "—assignment."

A moment passed after her explanation, and no response came from either pony. Twilight Velvet appeared more confused by her choice of words, and Rainbow looked... hurt? No doubt because she just referred to another living pony as her assignment. Great...

She backtracked, quickly searching her mind for something to say.

"No, see... it's, uhm... complicated!" Twilight blurted out, an anxious tone clear in her voice. Rainbow's ears perked up, and from what Twilight could tell, there seemed to be a sudden flicker of hope in her eyes. For a moment, Twilight watched from the corner of her eye, confused, before returning to the explanation at hoof. "She fell from the sky and crashed into my study—"

Twilight Velvet's voice broke through, interrupting Twilight. "Oh you poor dear!"

Twilight could only stare, bewildered, as her mom's attention was now focused on Rainbow, as if suddenly she had another daughter; and that daughter had just been involved in some sort of tragic incident.

"T-that was days ago; I'm better now..." Rainbow insisted, a little taken aback by the sudden concern. "Thanks to your daughter, anyway." She held a hoof behind her head, shying away from both unicorns. "Although I am having a little trouble remembering who I am exactly, but she's uh, helping me," she added, motioning her hoof in Twilight's direction, and smiling briefly in her direction. Forget about all that.

Twilight Velvet nodded slowly, taking in what the mare had told her. The problem was however, it left a multitude of questions for her. She turned back to Twilight, giving her an inquiring expression.

Twilight averted her gaze, sheepishly looking down at her hooves. "A lot's happened, Mother."

Twilight Velvet thought for a moment, then nodded again. "Hm, well maybe you can tell me all about it, if you and Rainbow aren't busy, that is. I was just heading home myself." She looked at the two with a smile, a smile neither Rainbow nor Twilight could refuse. "How about it?"

Twilight briefly thought it over, as if she had a choice. If she went with Rainbow, there was no doubt in her mind her parents would embarrass her to no end. She knew Rainbow would say something she would regret... but she knew she couldn't say no. Unless she wanted to be known as the mare who refused to see, or talk to her own parents. Twilight sighed. A few minutes, she thought. We'll stay for a few minutes.

Rainbow shrugged, turning to Twilight. "We're not busy, are we, Twilight?"

Twilight's eyes met Rainbow's. "Uh, w-well, no... I suppose not—" She nodded, turning to look back at her mom. "We have some time." The two mares stepped down from the bench, disposing of their empty drinks in the nearby trashcan before joining up with Twilight Velvet.

Velvet watched her daughter as the she joined up by her side. She smiled as she said, "You know, I'm sure your father will be thrilled to see you after all this time."

Twilight froze, meeting her mom's gaze as she was temporarily taken aback. Her ears flattened, her gaze then fell upon the pavement. "Yeah..." she agreed, nodding halfheartedly.

Twilight sighed, turning her attention to the rainbow-maned mare to her right. "Hey," she called out under her breath, "you sure you're okay coming along? I promise we won't be long—"

Rainbow shook her head. "I don't mind," she replied, meeting Twilight's piqued expression. "I... kind of wanted to meet them anyways." As Twilight was about to question her, Rainbow's expression grew sheepish. "Sorry if that sounds weird... I just— I don't exactly remember my own, you know?"

"You want to remember how it feels?"

"Maybe." Twilight cocked her head, yearning to know what the reason was, but to her dismay, Rainbow never said another word. Whatever the reason was, Rainbow wasn't about to say... or Rainbow was messing with her again. Either one was equally frustrating to Twilight.

A few moments passed before either pony spoke up again, and naturally, Rainbow was the one to speak first. "You know, Twi," she began, "your mom was way nicer to me." She grinned playfully as she spoke. "I should've crashed into her home instead."

Twilight's heart suddenly grew heavy at those words. She glanced down at her own hooves, avoiding Rainbow's smile. It confused her. Why was she smiling? Was it just Rainbow being her usual self? Or did she really mean that? Somehow hearing Rainbow say that, no matter how jokingly, hurt more than Rainbow realized.

If they never had met, she would be pent up in her tower, studying an advanced spell, or mathematics... maybe a little astrophysics; and while she wasn't against such things, she could no longer imagine such a life without Rainbow.

Twilight supposed that's why it hurt to hear.

"But then again," Rainbow thought aloud, "if I did... we never would have met, so..." She shrugged, casting a reassuring smile back at Twilight. "You know."

"Hey, Cadance..." the small filly once again spoke as they continued their walk, the sun beginning to fade as they neared her home. "My brother also said... er, homogeneous relationships aren't natural."

"Homogeneous relationships aren't...?" Cadance repeated aloud, in question. "Wait..." The meaning pieced together in her mind. "T-that blockhead!" Cadance suddenly shouted out loud, before covering her lips with a hoof, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Twilight innocently cocked her head, confused.

Cadance sighed. "Twilight," she began, turning, then lowering herself to meet the filly eye to eye. "Listen... if you ever do change your mind about all this: about love, and about friendships... I want you to know that you can love anypony you chose, it... it doesn't matter who."

Twilight's gaze met Rainbow's, her cheeks red as a rose... and she returned the smile.





A short walk later through the residential district of Canterlot, and the trio of mares arrived at a house of modest size: Twilight's old home. A narrow pathway led up to the front door; a single light hung to the left, illuminating the entrance. "It's almost like I never left..." Twilight quietly noted. Everything was as she remembered it...

Twilight Velvet took a moment to take out a key from her bag, and using her magic, unlocked the door for the ponies. Immediately, the warm, familiar feeling struck Twilight, along with the scents and sounds. The crackle of the living room fireplace, the smell of something sweet... Cookies? Twilight wondered, sniffing at the air. Yeah, definitely cookies.

Stopping briefly to wipe their hooves before entering, and after a brief explanation to Rainbow from Twilight about why she should do so, the trio entered into the living room. Twilight Velvet quickly noted her husband, Night Light, seated in one of the recliners by the fireplace as he read the paper, and called out to him. "Honey," she said, hanging her saddle over the back of the couch, "look who I found."

Night Light looked up in curiosity, noting a familiar purple mare, and an unfamiliar rainbow-maned one standing before the door. "Twilight?" Twilight nodded sheepishly, shrinking back slightly at her dad's surprised tone. Night Light cast a worried glance back at his wife, before turning back to his daughter. "Don't tell me you were expelled!"

"What...?" Twilight's eyes widened, curious where an idea like that came from. "N-no!" she quickly denied, just as Twilight Velvet stepped in.

"She's here for a visit, Honey," she assured him. "Not to move back in with us."

Oh what a relief... Night Light sighed, then smiled, folding the paper and placed it aside. "It's good to see you, Twilight," he said, walking over to her. "After all this time too."

Twilight's hesitant gaze met her dad's as he placed a welcoming foreleg around her. "I-it's good to see you too, Father," she replied, brushing her left hoof against the floor as her own gaze fell upon it.

Night Light nodded softly as he pulled away, the prismatic colors of another pony's mane having caught his attention. His smile faded, his attention solely focused on the intruding mare. "And you are...?" he asked. Immediately, Rainbow, along with a suddenly fretful Twilight, scrambled to explain.

"Uh h-hello, Twilight's dad. I'm..."

"Father, this is Rainbow. She's my..."

"She is our daughter's 'assignment', Dear," Twilight Velvet explained, giving an answer that neither mare could find, then chuckled briefly. Night Light again looked to his wife in confusion before looking down at his daughter for an explanation.

Twilight sighed, glancing briefly back at Rainbow, gaining a warm smile at the sight of the mare, and the recollections of their... eventful time spent together. "It's a long story, Father," she said, turning to her dad, her warm smile turning a little sheepish.

A small ring sounded from the nearby kitchen, reminding her of the desserts she had prepared before leaving. "Oh, cookies are done!" exclaimed Twilight Velvet, breaking the silence. "I suppose you can have one if you'd like, Twilight. Now why don't I go get them, and then maybe you can tell us all about it," she suggested with a reassuring smile, before then leaving and turning for the kitchen.

And so they did.

Twilight and Rainbow sat beside one another on the couch while Twilight's parents sat in chairs opposite, and listened as Twilight told them of her time with Rainbow. All the while Rainbow made quick work of Twilight Velvet's homemade chocolate chip cookies, barely allowing Twilight one herself.

"And that's what happened," Twilight finished, eating the last of her cookie. She leaned back into the couch, and dismissively motioned a hoof towards Rainbow. "I've been with her ever since."

"Finally sounds happy about it too," Rainbow remarked teasingly, taking a rather large bite from the cookie in her hoof.

"So... you really don't remember a thing?" Night Light asked, genuinely intrigued.

"About myself?" Rainbow pondered the question for a moment, then answered with a simple, "No."

"You're not worried?" Twilight Velvet asked, a hint of suspicion behind her voice.

Twilight's kind words resurfaced in the back of her mind. Loud and clear, as if the mare had repeated them while sitting beside her just then.

"You can always live with me."

The memory itself was enough to trigger a slight smile. "No," Rainbow replied after a few silent moments, shrugging halfheartedly as she met Velvet's gaze. "Guess I'm not."

Silence followed, nopony knowing how to respond. Twilight shifted a quick glance between the two before rolling her eyes. "She thinks they'll just... come back eventually, Mom," she explained.

"They might," Rainbow muttered, glancing at Twilight with a deadpan stare.

"So, I take it Twilight's been doing a good job looking after you?"

Rainbow shrugged. "More or less."

"The princess said I was," noted Twilight in a low grumble.

Twilight Velvet and Night Light stared at their daughter for a moment before exchanging glances with each other. "Well how about that..." Night Light murmured in thought.

"Whoa, hold on..." Rainbow's voice brought their attention back to the younger mares. "You're into that Daring series too?" Rainbow's attention had turned to a small display of posters and plaques hung on the wall behind her and Twilight. "Huh..." She shrugged, turning away from the display, and looked over at Twilight, bearing a small grin. "Now I know where Twilight got it from."

"Actually... I'm an editor for the series," Velvet explained. "It's one of the many I work on down at the publishing house."

"Ah." Rainbow nodded a little in understanding while Twilight again rolled her eyes.

Twilight Velvet smiled softly as the reminder of the series brought about a sudden thought. "You know, Rainbow... you really do remind me of the book's author."

"Huh?" Rainbow perked up, looking at Velvet in surprise. "Really?"

Twilight Velvet nodded. It was almost uncanny... the resemblance between Twilight and Rainbow, and herself and... her old friend. She looked at the two again and for a moment was surprised when she imagined two young ponies in place of Rainbow and her daughter: herself, and a young pegasus pony with a grayscale mane, tail, and a golden coat.

"Uhm... could I—I mean," Twilight hesitantly spoke. "I'd like to show Rainbow my old room, if that's alright."

"Seriously?" Rainbow quipped below her breath, holding back a laugh. "Why?" Twilight glared back at her.

"Oh, uh..." Twilight Velvet blinked a few times, slowly coming out of her thoughts. "Sure."

Night Light glanced briefly over at Twilight Velvet, then nodded in reassurance. "You two go on ahead," he said, and soon the two did, leaving and walking down a hallway with the only sound being the questions Rainbow continuously asked Twilight.

Until the voice faded into distant muffles and the sound of a door closing shut signified the two older ponies were once again alone.

Night Light sighed. "I didn't want to say anything back there, but..." Twilight Velvet looked over at her husband, curious. "My daughter is wearing one of her feathers..."

Twilight Velvet looked up, surprised. She hadn't even noticed... Her surprise soon faded however, and she looked over at her husband with a reassuring smile. "Well I'm sure it's nothing, Dear," Twilight Velvet replied, thinking back to the way both ponies acted around the other, and their own personalities. "If Twilight knew the meaning behind wearing one, she wouldn't be wearing one... and Rainbow surely doesn't remember. They both seem to think of it as an accessory."

Night Light took in the information, feeling a small sense of relief wash over him at the reassurance. A moment passed as he searched for the right words to say next. "You seemed distracted back there... Something on your mind?"

Twilight Velvet shrugged. "I guess seeing another pegasus... reminded me of A.K."

"A.K. Yearling?" Night Light questioned. "Its been a while since you last heard from her, hasn't it?"

Twilight Velvet nodded softly. "Yeah..." Her eyes grew a little sad, looking in the direction her daughter and Rainbow had left. I hope the same doesn't happen to our daughter...





"Well this hasn't changed much..." Twilight noted, taking in everything about her old room. A bed to their left, with a pattern of waves—like gusts of wind blowing across the comforter, and pink bed-hangings above. A dresser beside the bed, emptied book shelves to their right, some posters of Celestia, the Summer Sun Celebration, and... surprisingly some pop-music posters. She smiled to herself. "Why am I not surprised?"

"So... why'd you want me in here?" Rainbow asked, curiously looking around. "Something tells me it wasn't to show me around."

"Look, Rainbow, sometimes I... I just need to get away, you know?" She smiled sheepishly, brushing a meek hoof against the floor. "So, uh... since you're here... this isn't exactly the "egghead" vibe you were expecting, is it?"

Rainbow shook her head. "No," she honestly replied. "This looks like it all belongs to a completely different pony." She stopped, as if in realization and turned to question Twilight. "Are you sure you don't have a sister?"

"Funny."

"So... no books?" Rainbow questioned, taking note of the empty shelves.

"I took them with me once I became a student of Celestia's," Twilight replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I just couldn't live without them."

As Rainbow's eyes scanned the room, something caught her attention, At the front of Twilight's bed, between the pillows sat a gray, black-maned pony doll... and it piqued her curiosity. "Hey, Twi," Rainbow called out, looking over her old bed, "what's this raggedy old doll-thing—?"

"Don't touch that!" The doll in question was cut off from Rainbow by a protective aura and whisked over to Twilight before she could react. With it safely in her hooves, Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, looking down at the doll in her hooves. She smiled softly. "It's just... it—she means a lot to me." Rainbow's surprise slowly faded away as she took in what Twilight told her.

"Which is why you left it at your parents' house," she remarked with a mildly confused expression, meeting Twilight's sudden, flustered expression.

"W-well I'm not about to make that mistake twice," Twilight said. She turned to look over her shoulder, and carefully tucked it into her right saddle pouch. "She's coming with me."

Moments passed between the two in an uncomfortable silence. "So..." Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck with her hoof. "Does it have a name?"

"Smartypants," Twilight replied matter-of-factly. A couple of moments passed with neither pony saying a word, with the two meeting the other's unreadable gaze.

Then Rainbow's lips started to tremble, and she burst out laughing. "That's... that's so dumb!" she managed to say between laughs.

Twilight glared at the pegasus, cheeks burning. "I-it's not dumb!" she shot back. "It's... it's a nice name."

Rainbow stepped forward, her laughter slowly fading as she wiped a tear from her eye. "Whatever you say, Twi." She smiled, laying a hoof on the unicorn's shoulder as she stood beside her. "Wanna get going?"

"I guess we could," Thinking back, she hadn't planned on staying long, anyway. "I'll tell my parents we were thinking about heading out, and then we can go, alright?"

Rainbow nodded, following Twilight out as she reopened the door to her room, and out into the living room where her parents still sat, talking.

"Oh... hello again, Twilight," Twilight Velvet greeted with a smile. "Back already?"

"I guess so." Twilight bit her bottom lip, nervously placing a hoof behind her neck. "We, uh... were thinking about leaving, if that's alright."

"Leaving?" Twilight Velvet inquired, her expression for a moment becoming downcast before again brightening up. "A-alright... Well, have you thought about where you'll be going next?"

Twilight and Rainbow exchanged quick glances with each other. "We haven't really thought about that..." admitted Twilight, giving her mom an idea.

"Well, if you're interested," Velvet said, "I know the new Daring Do movie opened recently."

"There's a movie?" Twilight and Rainbow asked, practically at the same time, once again sharing a quick glance.

Even if she wasn't the biggest movie watcher, Twilight figured she would've seen, or at the very least, heard something about it. Realizing this though only made her more curious... and annoyed. Was it animated? Live-ponies? Who was acting in it? What was it about? Was it good...? Twilight sighed, giving in to her curiosity. She needed to see this thing. "I guess we could," she said, looking over at Rainbow, who simply nodded in agreement.

Twilight Velvet nodded. "Hang on girls, I'll be right back," she said as she stepped down from the chair and went over to her saddle bag. With her magic, she pulled tickets from the right sleeve, and floated them beside her as she walked on back. "I got these today... Ponies who work on the series were given free tickets to the movie, but, well... why don't you two take these instead?"

"If it's really alright..." Her mom nodded as Twilight took the tickets in her own magic and safely tucked them away. "Thanks, Mother." Twilight smiled gratefully, then after a quick check to see she had everything, opened the door to their home. "Alright, well... Bye Mother, bye Father!" Twilight called out, waving a hoof as she and Rainbow stepped out into the quiet street.

"Bye girls... Have fun!"





The evening colors flooded the streets as Twilight left her parents' home with Rainbow by her side.

"She looks like me..." Rainbow spoke the thought in a whisper, before turning to Twilight. "Hey, Twi... what do you think the author looks like? Think she has a rainbow mane like me?" She turned back ahead, her voice growing softer as she thought, "Maybe we're related..."

"Related?" Twilight raised an eyebrow, smirking a bit. "I doubt it, Rainbow."

"So... your mom's the editor?" Rainbow asked, breaking the silence. "How'd she land a job like that?"

"She... used to know the author, co-wrote the first book even," Twilight explained. "Afterwards... the author, A.K. Yearling moved... somewhere far from Canterlot, and took control of the series."

"So... what happened? I mean between your mom and this... A.K. pony?"

"I guess... it didn't last."

Rainbow slowed, finding herself thinking over her words, confused over Twilight's response. Her eyes remained fixed on the unicorn as she walked, only stopping when she sensed Rainbow wasn't following. "Rainbow," she called out, her tone suddenly more cheerful, "are we going to this thing or not?"

"Oh uh, y-yeah," Rainbow assured, shaking her head and galloping up to where Twilight waited, rejoining her by her side. What was up with that?





The theater soon came into view, a wide, red carpet extending out beneath the arch overhead. Framed movie posters were lined on both sides of the hall, and as Twilight passed by the Daring Do poster, she noticed it was indeed live-ponies. It was also a new experience for the young unicorn, who rarely got to see movies, save for the times with her family, or with Spike.

"I've climbed out of my ivory tower, and get to see a movie with the common mare." Twilight sighed dreamily, stepping hoof into the moderately crowded building. "What an experience..."

Rainbow grinned a bit, looking over at Twilight, amused. "It's just a trip to the theater, Twi," she remarked. Twilight snapped out of her elation and rolled her eyes. She got their tickets, paid for their drinks and popcorn, which they settled on sharing together, and headed down the hall to their left until coming across their theater.

Twilight looked around. The theater wasn't packed from what she could tell, maybe fifteen or so other ponies spaced around the room—not too crowded and suiting her tastes just fine.

They arrived a little before the movie began—roughly ten minutes according to Twilight who had counted the minutes until it began. During the time, Rainbow fought desperately against her own boredom—and hunger—to not dig into their popcorn during the wait. The bucket would have been half empty, had Twilight not chided her to wait.

The movie soon began, and for the next hour and a half, the two sat there silent—at times intrigued, but for the majority, bored. Twilight sighed, inaudible enough to go unnoticed by Rainbow as a long exposition-rattling scene drawled on involving Daring and some professor pony—introduced in the second book, if she recalled correctly, and lazily reached for some popcorn. Only instead of popcorn, her hoof brushed against Rainbow's slightly buttery hoof, and at the sudden touch, Twilight tore her hoof away, startled and blushing a bit. Their gazes met, Twilight's flustered gaze meeting Rainbow's surprised one, which soon turned sheepish.

Rainbow whispered a quick "Sorry," before turning back to the screen, and for the rest of the movie, both remained a little more mindful of each other's hooves.

By the time the movie ended, the sun had already began its descent from the sky, and a cooler breeze was beginning to pick up as Rainbow and Twilight exited the theater alongside several other ponies.

A few seconds of awkward silence between the two as they stood just outside the theater, neither knowing where to start, what to say... Twilight was the first to act, brushing a hoof against the pavement. "Well that was..." Her voice faltered, hoping Rainbow would finish for her, and hopefully learn her thoughts.

"Disappointing?" Rainbow surmised.

Twilight looked up, surprised. Rainbow felt the same way?

"I mean, don't get me wrong, Twi; I still enjoyed it... even if it was a bit boring, and kinda..."

Twilight grinned. "Disjointed?"

Rainbow chuckled a bit. "I think..." She shrugged, smiling back at Twilight. "But if you didn't like it—"

"N-no," Twilight swiftly denied. "I-I mean, it was... certainly imaginative, and the uh, visuals were nice."

"You know, you don't have to agree with me, Twi," Rainbow assured, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess we both just have different tastes." Twilight was a little surprised at first before allowing her expression to soften. She shared a small smile with Rainbow and softly nodded.

Rainbow sighed, taking a look around. "So... what now?"

Twilight opened her mouth about to give an answer, but found herself not knowing herself. She looked around, taking in the setting sun, and the few lit streetlights. She could tell it was getting pretty late and knew they only had so much time left, but where to go...? Neither were feeling hungry, so a late night stop by Donut Joe's was out of the question. Twilight held a hoof over her chin in thought. Then again, she supposed, who said they needed to go anywhere? The two of them already had an enjoyable day together, and if they wanted, could head home, maybe read a bit... so long as Rainbow obliged.

Then another thought popped into her head. Home, she thought. A little spot near home... Rainbow might like it... "Hey, Rainbow. Follow me." She began to trot ahead, motioning for Rainbow to join her. "I just thought of something."





"So this is...?" Rainbow looked around. Twilight had taken her to a small spot by the river, not too far from her home. A narrow tree with hanging foliage stood in the field, though it was the only sight that stood out to her.

"Just a place I like to visit," Twilight replied. "It's close to home, it's peaceful, shady... it's right by the river, and it's the perfect place to partake in some reading or stargazing." She turned back to face Rainbow, smiling sheepishly. "Of course it's a little early to do the latter, but still..."

"Kind of like the statue garden?"

"Kind of, yes," Twilight said. "But this spot is a little different. For one, there's no statues to keep me company."

Rainbow chuckled a bit. "Just me."

Twilight shared the brief chuckle before turning to what she had meant to address. "And... well, you see these amaryllis flowers? This is the only place in Canterlot where I've seen these flowers bloom." Twilight looked at each flower carefully with a critical eye, examining each one before at last coming to a decision. She beamed, capturing the highest flower in her magic and bringing it down to her. "I'm sure you're not one for sentimental gestures, but... I want you to have one."

A moment of silence passed as Rainbow eyed the flower in Twilight's hold. "A flower...?" she questioned, looking at Twilight with an amused grin. "Seriously?"

Twilight looked away a bit. "I-I already took one of your feathers so... I think it's only fair I give you something of mine in return, you know?" She paused, then backtracked as her sheepish expression turned thoughtful. "Only, well, it's not really something of mine, but it'll remind you of me, I think, and—"

"Twilight..." Rainbow's voice cut her off before she could say another word. "Relax, I get it."

Twilight blushed, meeting Rainbow's gaze and simply staring back at her. "R-right..." She brushed a hoof against the grass, sporting an embarrassed smile. "Sorry."

Rainbow returned the smile, turning her attention to the suspended flower. "Well you're right about one thing, Twi. I mean, who knows? Maybe I was a sappy pony once, but right now... I sure as hay don't feel like one."

"So...?" What? She didn't want it? Twilight looked yearningly at her, beckoning Rainbow to continue.

"So... I guess what I'm getting at is I may not be one for... most flowers, or cutesy, sappy stuff, but this is the exception. It's a pretty sweet-looking flower, and it's from you! Of course I'll accept it."

Twilight's smile returned, mirroring Rainbow's as she floated it over into Rainbow's hooves. "So... will you be wearing it in your mane?" she asked, not a moment after passing it over. Her gaze drifted to Rainbow's mane, noting the absence of a certain hue. She supposed a little pink would somehow compliment her already captivating mane. "I... I think it would look nice."

"Hm..." Rainbow thought over Twilight's words. "Nah," she replied simply without a second thought, shaking her head. She grinned softly at Twilight as she added, "I think I'd look a little too girly if I did that."

Twilight's smile fell, and she shrugged, replying only with a dejected, "Oh..."

Twilight's response was harrowing to the young pegasus. Even if it was just a look of rejection, she hated seeing it. Darn it, Twi... Rainbow huffed out a sigh in defeat. "Alright... alright, Twi, you win," she said, turning Twilight's attention back to her. Her expression lit up as Rainbow worked the flower into her mane. Several unsuccessful attempts however, prompted Twilight to help out, lighting up her horn and placing the flower neatly near her right ear.

"Thanks for the help, Twi."

"Mm-hmm." Twilight nodded before stepping back to admire her efforts.

"So," Rainbow began to ask, "does it look okay?"

"It's pretty."

"Pretty?" Rainbow's eyes narrowed, staring back at Twilight in a dry, deadpan stare.

Twilight stifled a few short giggles with her right hoof at Rainbow's reaction. "Pretty," she repeated.

"Twi..." Rainbow looked off to her right. "I don't know how I feel about looking pretty." The confession however, only caused Twilight to giggle harder.

"I-I'm only wearing it for tonight, though!" Rainbow added as her expression softened into a smile. "Anything for a friend."

Twilight froze at the mention of the word 'friend'.

Her expression contorted into one of fear, and panic, her body suddenly growing weak. "W-wha... wh-what...?" She swallowed hard, her breaths growing heavier. "You-you're kidding, right?"

"About being friends?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow while maintaining the same soft smile. "No way, Twilight," she assured, unknowingly worsening Twilight's current state of mind. "I mean, sure, I kid about a lot of stuff, but our friendship's not one of 'em."

Twilight instinctively stepped back towards the tree, falling back on her haunches, her eyes wide as she sputtered, "B-but... we-we're not... w-we're not friends..."

Twilight's words were surprisingly met with laughter. "Good one, Twi!" the pegasus remarked. "Yeah, we're not friends... That's exactly why we already act like the closest of friends."

Twilight shrugged in response, looking away a bit. "I-I just like being around you, that's all."

"That's all?" Rainbow smirked, taking a tentative step forward. "You know... that is sort of a telltale sign of a friendship right there."

Twilight let out groan. Rainbow was right, that she couldn't deny... but at the same time, she still couldn't accept it. "But...!" she tried to argue, finding the words getting caught in her throat. "I can't—I mean...! F-friendships don't last!" Twilight finally blurted, stomping her hoof and turning around, walking away from where Rainbow sat, stupefied. "It's... it's, I don't know... just, really—" She bit her lip as she now found herself standing before the tree, staring down at the bark. She sighed before continuing. "It's a waste of time, and I'm not about to waste time on something that won't last."

"Uhm, Twi..." Rainbow reluctantly spoke up after a few moments of dreary silence. "I don't know what books you've read about friendships—I mean, I'm sure you've read lots, but... well, those probably aren't real friendships."

"And our friendship is?"

"Ours is... well, ours is different, I'll admit." Rainbow smiled, remaining ever so optimistic, and trotted softly on over to Twilight, taking a stand by her side. "But... yeah, I think it is. I mean, it feels real, and that's good enough for me."

Twilight looked into the cerise eyes of the pegasus beside her with saddened eyes, wanting to accept Rainbow's plea for friendship right then, but she remained adamant, desperate to argue this. She looked away. "S-sorry, Rainbow, I just... I don't see this lasting..."

Unfortunately, and to Twilight's bafflement, Rainbow remained equally as adamant. "Ours will, Twilight..."

"Not if you leave," muttered Twilight, knowing long-distance wouldn't help things any. Rainbow would probably forget about her one day. "I know that when you leave, you'll... you'll start to forget about me—about... all this, and all your old relationships would eventually overshadow ours." She was being jealous, selfish even, but... she couldn't help it. Maybe, deep down, she knew becoming friends would make it all the harder once their time inevitably came to a close. "Even if you did stop for a visit, it... it wouldn't be the same, would it?"

"About that, Twi... I... well, I..." Rainbow's voice drifted. Now, she supposed, wasn't the best time to make plans to stay, but at the very least she could offer the assurance Twilight needed. "Look, Twilight... I—I won't leave you, alright?"

Twilight narrowed her eyes at Rainbow accusingly, her brow scrunching together. "How do I know what you're saying isn't some... spur of the moment nonsense?"

Rainbow stepped back, holding her hooves out before her. "It-it's not, Twilight, I swear."

Twilight bit her lip, fighting back a groan. She needed another reason, and fast. "Well... w-what if I accidentally did or said something stupid that ruined everything, a-and drove you away?" she proposed, an anxious laugh following suit. "Some friendship, huh?"

"Twilight... I'm pretty sure you've already said everything imaginable, and hay, I'm still here!" Rainbow exclaimed, grinning proudly. "Yup, you can't drive me away that easily." Rainbow's smile fell, looking at the unicorn mare with a sheepish expression while rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof. "Not that I have anywhere else to go, but... you get the idea."

Twilight frantically searched her mind for the things she remembered about friendship, so she would have something, anything she could use to prove she was right. Then she remembered how friends had to know one another, and lucky for her, they didn't. "You barely know me—hay, I barely know you!" she argued. "I don't even know your name!"

"It's Rainbow..."

"Your real name."

"Well..." Rainbow looked away, heaving out a heavy sigh. "So what, you know? We've gotten to know each other tons, and... well, not knowing my "real" name shouldn't matter."

Right... In hindsight, she supposed, they had gotten to know each other... and now she was finding herself fighting a losing battle, but she wasn't about to give up. "Friendships always get in the way of what's important, Rainbow... like becoming good at magic. Friends would keep me from learning new spells, and distract me whenever I tried to study—hay, you're already doing that."

"You could always make time," Rainbow suggested, as if it were obvious. "You know... balance your friendships and studies—"

"T-the princess!" Twilight blurted out, at this point saying anything to put this idea of friendship behind them. "She would never want me to have any friends!"

"Seriously?" Rainbow leaned back a bit, surprised. "Twilight, have you ever talked to her about this?"

Twilight's tone softened. She found herself looking down at the grass. "That—that's not the sort of thing to discuss with your teacher—"

"Because," Rainbow continued, placing a hoof on the unicorn's shoulder, "she told me she'd love it if you went out more often, tried to make friends even!"

Twilight's eyes widened, already a bit misty as she stared back at the pegasus, surprised. "She said that...?" Twilight shook her head suddenly, shifting her shoulder out from beneath Rainbow's hoof. "No, I mean... no!" she shouted. "How can I even trust you?"

"Because I'm your friend, Twilight."

That remark shut her up.

She had no rebuttal; she could no longer fight it. Rainbow was right. There was no denying it... she had found a friend in the pegasus, and there wasn't a single thing she could say or do that would change the mare's mind.

Her lips tightened and her eyes quivered, sniffling once before shutting her eyes tight and letting her emotions loose. She threw her forelegs around Rainbow's neck, and started crying right into Rainbow's shoulder.

At first, Rainbow stood still, completely stunned. Then, without thinking, she placed a foreleg around Twilight's shoulders as many questions ran through her head... but one thing was for sure: she knew Twilight needed comfort, and a friend... more than ever.





Minutes went by, and eventually, with stained cheeks and dry eyes, Twilight moved to sit a little ways away from where Rainbow stood. She sat there in thought and disbelief, telling herself what just happened had been real.

"A friend..." Twilight muttered to herself, her tone seemingly still in disbelief. "I have a friend..."

Rainbow looked around, a hoof held behind her neck. "Uh... this seems like a big deal for you... I'll just—" She turned with one hoof raised, when the sudden, soft sound of a voice, barely audible enough to be heard, caused her to stop and turn in Twilight's direction.

"You said you wouldn't leave..."

"Alright," Rainbow assured, smiling softly and simply sitting down beside the unicorn. "I won't."

"I don't get it though," Twilight said. She looked at Rainbow with a puzzled expression. "Why would a pony like you want to be... er, friends... with somepony like me?"

"Well... there's a lot of reasons!" Rainbow exclaimed in response, meeting Twilight's gaze. "You took me in, looked after me—"

Twilight looked away, allowing her gaze to fall upon her hooves. "Anypony would have," she argued.

"Do you really believe that?"

Twilight hesitated, then shook her head.

"We still butt heads, but for the most part we get along fine." She smiled, looking over at Twilight. "You're kind, smart, thoughtful, fun to hang with, and you've just done so much for me already... Hay, why wouldn't I want to be friends with you?"

Twilight tittered under her breath. "You know, just hearing you call me your friend makes me feel... well, happy." She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I wanted to be friends too, but I didn't want to... to accept it..." A small, sheepish smile appeared on her face, again finding herself eye to eye with the rainbow-maned pegasus. "I suppose my views on the concept were a little askew."

Rainbow chuckled softly, choosing to plop down on the grass behind her. "Whatever that means..."

Twilight smiled, lying down on her side, facing the pegasus mare. "Sorry, I don't mean to drawl on about all this, but it's just..." She sighed, rolling onto her back, looking up at the stars. "This is all so new to me..."

"Don't sweat it, Twi," Rainbow whispered back to her. "You don't need to learn a thing. Just act like your usual self." She paused, then backtracked. "Your usual, non-crazy self, I mean."

"So... what now, friend?" Twilight asked in all sincerity, though not without an eye roll and sigh from the pegasus sitting beside her.

May as well get used to that, Rainbow figured. She rolled onto her left side, overlooking Twilight, and grinned as a sudden idea came to her.

"Wanna dance?"

Twilight stared at her as if the mare had lost her mind. Dance? she thought. Sure, we talked earlier about helping each other, but... It was late as is, they were in public, in an open field, and most important, there was no music. "Even though there's no music?"

"Well, who says you need any?" Rainbow argued, rolling onto her stomach and standing up. She sighed, looking down at the unicorn before her. "Jeez, Twi... can't you just imagine there's music?"

Twilight thought about it. "I... I guess it wouldn't be the first new thing I tried today," she agreed, with a nervous smile.

"Awesome!" Rainbow exclaimed, grinning excitedly. Her excitement was quickly replaced by a sheepish smile once she saw Twilight giggling a bit at her reaction. "Now, uhm... may I have this dance?" she asked, holding out her right hoof for Twilight who obliged, placing her hoof in Rainbow's and was gently lifted off the ground... only to stumble forward and fall against Rainbow's chest.

"I gotcha," Rainbow softly said, in a reassuring voice as she held onto the mare slumped against her.

Twilight blushed a bit and quickly straightened up. "Sorry... Guess I'm still a little shaken from earlier."

"Good thing this is a slow dance then!" Rainbow chimed, grinning while she held Twilight close.

Twilight herself smiled, shifting her gaze up to meet Rainbow's. "By the way, that flower really does suit you."

Rainbow blushed at the comment, tearing her gaze away from the unicorn. "Quit being so mushy, Twi."

Twilight giggled softly, looking ahead of her as she leaned softly over Rainbow's right shoulder. "What?" she whispered. "It's true." Smiling warmly, she gingerly wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow's neck, and in turn, Rainbow placed hers over Twilight's back, bringing forth a small shiver from the mare.

And with Twilight taking the first step, the two began their rhythmic dance of hoofsteps... side to side, forward and back... Twilight soon began humming a verse from the classical music that played in her mind as they danced. She further wrapped her hooves around Rainbow, feeling the touch of plush fabric beneath her hooves and the ticklish bristles of Rainbow's mane all reminding her that this was really happening, and how good it felt to be sharing it with Rainbow.

Twilight could safely say she enjoyed dancing at a slower pace. Rainbow didn't seem to mind, patiently following Twilight's every step. In the one week they had known one another, this was undoubtedly the best either one of them had felt, but for Twilight... she felt something more. She was beginning to see Rainbow in a different light, hearing her voice made her heart soar, and seeing her always seemed to make her smile. At that moment, she had only one thought on her mind:

Is this how it feels to love somepony...?





"And that one?" Twilight pointed up at the sky as her and Rainbow lied together in the grassy field, Twilight using the pegasus's belly as a pillow. "That's the Ursa Major, reminiscent of the ursas we have here in Equestria." Her hoof lowered, resting it against her chest as her voice grew quiet. "To think those things actually exist..."

"Aw come on, Twi." Rainbow rolled her eyes, smirking at the serious tone of Twilight's voice. "I mean, they're just bears."

"Just bears?" Twilight rolled over onto her stomach, looking Rainbow directly in the eyes, and doing her best to sound scary. "Imagine a celestial, all-powerful creature. Fifty feet tall, and ravenous, with enormous fangs and eyes that bare right into your soul—!"

"Yeah, I uh, can imagine..." Twilight paused, then merely nodded, smiling sheepishly with uttering a quick "Sorry," before back over to resume her stargazing. "These things don't live around here, do they?" Rainbow asked.

Twilight shook her head. "Most Ursas live in the Everfree forest," she explained, recalling what she could from the book she read about them. "It's a really, really, really, big forest south of here, and..."

"And?"

"That's all I know..." Twilight's admitted, timidly. "Sorry, I haven't exactly done much research on that particular forest."

"It's cool, Twi," Rainbow assured her. "From the sounds of it, neither of us will be paying this forest a visit anyway."

Twilight's eyelids dropped halfway. "I'd still like to learn more about it, Rainbow," she muttered.

"Whatever you say, Twi. How about pointing out more of those star-pattern things?"

"Constellations," Twilight corrected. Rainbow rolled her eyes.

"There's Aquila to the South, and to your right, Capricornus, the sea-pony." Her hoof chartered the sky like a map, pointing out and addressing each constellation she spotted, until coming to the last remaining pattern that was visible in the night sky... and was coincidentally, one of her favorites.

"And of course, the pegasus," she finished, then paused, recalling a certain myth she remembered reading about. "You know, Rainbow... in Equestrian myth, it's said that pegasi were born from the sea after small droplets of unicorn blood mixed with the sea foam."

"You're saying I came from the sea?" Rainbow asked, her voice skeptical.

"It's possible," Twilight replied. "For one, it would explain your connection to nature, your ability to control weather and so forth. Then there's the internal magic pegasi seem to have which help them stay aloft, and, as I mentioned, control the weather." She smiled, rolling back over to face Rainbow, and prodded the pegasus's chest with her hoof. "It would also mean I created you," she teased.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

Twilight chuckled, turning again to face the midnight sky. "A little."

"But like I said," she continued, "it's just a myth."

The two silently continued to lie in the grassy field for moments longer, only the faraway sounds of the city and chirping crickets filling the night air and reminding them of just how late it was getting. "We really should head home," Twilight suggested. "I can only imagine how late it is."

"Alright." Rainbow sat up, stretching her back, then exclaiming, "Cloud bed, here I come!" Twilight lifted an eyebrow, giving her a humored look. "What? Twi... I've been lying in the cold, itchy grass, for like, half an hour."

"I hear they're supposed to feel like a real cloud..." Twilight remarked. She hesitated for a moment before asking, "Could I—? I mean, if you don't mind..."

"You'd like to see for yourself... wouldn't you?"

Twilight only nodded in response, a faint blush on her cheeks.

Rainbow grinned. "Is this going to become a regular thing between us?" she asked. "Sleeping together like this?"

"Until I can sleep a little more peacefully, yes," Twilight replied, turning with Rainbow by her side, for the path leading home.

"So..." Rainbow looked over at her, a look of concern on her face. "Have you figured out the reason you've, uhm... been having these nightmares?"

Twilight shook her head. "Not yet..." She assumed they had to do with Rainbow, as much as it hurt to accept, it had to... "But on the up side," Twilight continued, "you have been doing an awesome job keeping them at bay."

Rainbow shook her head. "Sounds better when I say it, Twi."

After a few minutes of walking, the two mares at last reached their home, and without hesitation, stepped inside. "You go on ahead, Rainbow," Twilight said as she walked past. "I—" Twilight fought back a sudden yawn. "—have to write my letter."

Rainbow glanced over at her, with a small, sympathetic smile. "Good luck," she replied before heading down the stairwell.

Twilight walked over to her desk, pulling out some parchment, ink and a quill, and began to pen her letter, beginning with the start of their day, to when her and Rainbow formally became friends. She supposed the princess would be happy to hear about that, at least. Other than that, she thought as she skimmed over what she wrote, nothing new to report...

She signed her name, rolled up the parchment, sealed it, and trotted down to her bedroom for a late-night delivery.





"Spike?"

Spike's nose crinkled, feeling the touch of somepony's hoof poking at it, and swatted a claw at it.

"Spike... wake up, Spike."

"Ugh... wha...?" His eyes cracked open, only to be greeted by a purple blur before his eyes. He jumped back a little, startled, as the vision quickly came back to his eyes and saw it was just one of Twilight's hooves, belonging to a rather apologetic-looking Twilight.

"Oh... Twilight? You're back."

"I... I have another letter." Twilight brought the aforementioned letter—surrounded by a purple light—out of the darkness into view, at first causing the young dragon to squint his eyes at the sudden brightness. "Think you could send it for me real quick?"

Anything to stop that glow... Spike sighed. "Sure," he said, accepting the letter and sending it away in a breath of magical flames, to its destination: Princess Celestia's castle chamber.

"Thank you, Spike."

Spike nodded, nestling back under the covers as his eyes already began to drift shut. "Twilight..." Spike paused, letting out a yawn. "When are we gonna get that time together you promised?"

"Tomorrow, Spike," Twilight whispered, reassuringly.

"That's..." Spike's eyes fell shut, eagerly wanting nothing more than to fall back asleep. "Good to know..." Several seconds later and a soft snoring sound could be heard coming from the covered up dragon, sleeping soundly in the basket.

Twilight smiled at the sight. She whispered a quick "Goodnight, Spike," before turning and stepping out of the room, softly closing the door behind her.

A short walk up the stairwell later, and Twilight found herself in the doorway of Rainbow's room. Her face instantly lit up at the sight of the pegasus, lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling with a foreleg bent behind her head, her sweatshirt draped lazily over the edge of her bed.

"Hm?" Rainbow turned, sensing Twilight's presence, and smiled. "Hey," she greeted. "I take it you finished the letter?"

"Y-yeah," Twilight replied, dumping her saddle on the floor before trotting on over. "I had Spike send it." She smiled nervously before climbing in beside her... only for all her nerves to melt away and be replaced by a silent gasp. "Oh Celestia, this feels amazing."

Rainbow grinned. "Pretty comfy, huh?"

Twilight sighed in content. "I'm never going back to regular mattresses ever again..."

Rainbow chuckled a bit. "Sweet dreams, Twi," she whispered before rolling over, facing away from Twilight.

Noticing this, Twilight frowned slightly, and inched closer, placing her right foreleg around the pegasus and pressing up a little against her back.

Needless to say, the act surprised Rainbow.

Perhaps it gave Twilight a sense of knowing she was there beside her... Rainbow didn't know. Yet, she didn't complain. A giddy smile formed as thoughts began to race through her head. I wonder if she... oh, who am I kidding? She'd never—I mean, she never even thought of us as friends 'till today...

Then a more hopeful thought entered her mind. But... just thinking about the way we danced... I mean, sure it was awkward, but it just felt so... so real, like... there was something there. Like... Rainbow sighed, closing her eyes and slowly drifting to sleep. She loved me back...

Sleep soon took the mares, each with a mindful of cluttered thoughts, and dreams of what tomorrow would bring.