Cheated Dreams
Chapter 24
Date Night
Rainbow Dash was breathing heavily as she ended her routine, landing firmly on the ground and looking up at the Rainboom Galaxy she'd once again created. She glanced away to the edge of the stadium, to where Twilight sat with a grin stretched across her muzzle. Finally, Rainbow Dash faced the area where the judges stood, still mesmerized by the spinning wheel of colours in the sky. Spitfire was the first to look down, giving the cyan pegasus an approving nod.
“Well,” she said loudly, snapping the rest of the judges out of their stupor. “If memory serves, you have successfully repeated your performance from the competition. Judges?”
A quiet murmur went through the group, all of them nodding excitedly. The stallion who had replaced Rainbow when she was kicked, and was now himself being replaced, frowned, but nodded anyway.
“Excellent. Then I shall take my leave for Cloudsdale and get Rainbow Dash on the team as soon as possible. Congratulations, you're officially a Wonderbolt,” Spitfire announced proudly. “You're all free to go until further notice. It will be at least a week before I'll have Rainbow Dash officially on the team through the board back in Cloudsdale. As soon as we can we'll start training for our first show with a new recruit.”
Rainbow gave a quick salute to her captain before running back towards Twilight's beaming smile.
“I'm on the team!” Rainbow shouted as she jumped into the air, her wings carrying her the remaining distance as she tackled Twilight into a hug. “I'm a Wonderbolt again!”
Twilight let out a groan as she fell onto her back, the pegasus landing on top of her and wrapping her in a bone crushing hug. She didn't care at all. “That was amazing, Rainbow!” She cried happily. “We'll have to tell our friends as soon as we can.”
“This is so awesome!” Rainbow squealed, leaning down and planting her lips on Twilight's, immediately blushing and pulling back as soon she realized what she'd done. “S-sorry.”
Twilight grinned at the sheepish look on Rainbow's face, wrapping her hooves around Rainbow's neck and dragging her down into a passionate kiss.
Spitfire smiled at the display before turning to her flying team. “I'm sorry, Thunder Flash, but it seems you've been beaten. We'll make sure the newspapers get the right story instead of rumour,” she said apologetically to the lime green stallion. He just nodded, walking back towards the locker room to change out of his uniform.
“Oh, and keep the flight suit; you were and always will be a Wonderbolt. I hope to see you in next year's competition,” Spitfire called after him, frowning as the pegasus nodded weakly.
“As for the rest of you, get some rest while I have Rainbow situated in the team. I'll be back in a week to start going over the plan with her. You'll have to teach her the flight patterns.” After a round of nods had gone through the team, Spitfire took to the air, heading for Cloudsdale.
Twilight and Rainbow parted, each panting lightly and blushing as they stumbled back to their hooves, neither able to meet the others eyes. “So...” Rainbow started awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck. “Guess we're together,” she laughed.
“I'd say,” Twilight said with a giggle of her own, looking up and meeting Rainbow's gaze. They grinned at each other and started laughing uproariously.
“Well, it seems you two are doing well,” a gentle, regal voice called from behind. Rainbow and Twilight turned around to see Celestia, standing tall and proud with a smile on her face.
“C-celestia?” They stammered in unison, both bowing respectfully to the monarch before rising.
“What are you doing here?” Twilight asked curiously, running up to her mentor.
“When my student is pony-napped and held in a cage, word tends to get around to me pretty quickly. Unfortunately I was in a meeting this morning when the guard came to inform me and I didn't hear about it until an hour or so ago. I'd have been told sooner but nopony in the castle likes to wake me up for anything short of war. You're both okay, I hope?”
Twilight nodded. “We're fine. Just a little shaken up after it happened, but it's passed,” she explained.
“According to the report you showed quite the display of talent to get out of the cage,” Celestia noted with a smile. “I'm proud of you, Twilight. Though... I must confess I have ulterior motives for finding you both here instead of simply waiting at your hotel.”
“What is it, Princess?” Rainbow asked, quirking her head to the side.
“We've found them,” Celestia said darkly. “We need you to officially identify them, but we're pretty sure we have the right ponies. My guards picked them up trying to leave the city by train a couple hours ago.”
Twilight shifted uncomfortably, images of her time spent in the cage flashed across her mind. Her sprained hoof sent a flair of pain up her leg. “Where are they?”
“They're being held at the main guard station for questioning,” Celestia answered. “Are you ready to identify them?”
Sharing a glance, Rainbow and Twilight nodded firmly at each other before turning back to the pearly alicorn before them. Celestia smiled. “One moment,” she said, before lighting her horn a bright gold. In a flash of light they were gone, reappearing in a similar fashion in the front room of the guard station, the sudden appearance startling a few ponies milling about the room. It took a moment for them to register the fact that a Princess had just appeared. As soon as they did they all bowed down respectfully. Celestia motioned for them to rise with her hoof, and they went back to their work.
“Stay here,” she said, “I'll have the guards prepare them for identification.” The Princess disappeared through a set of door a moment later, leaving both other ponies in unfamiliar territory. They were surrounded by guards, some in armour and some not, all of them with an important job.
They easily found some chairs and sat down, glancing about the room. “So... time to end this, huh?” Rainbow started nervously, rubbing her hooves together.
“Finally,” Twilight agreed. “We'll go back to Ponyville as soon as we can and tell our friends what happened.”
Rainbow snorted. “They're never gonna believe it all,” she laughed, thinking back over the absurdity of their past few weeks.
“Especially when we tell them we're together now,” Twilight agreed, giggling and drawing another laugh from the pegasus next to her.
“Oh geez, Pinkie's gonna throw a party...” Rainbow trailed off, remembering the last time she'd spoken to the pink party animal.
Sensing her unease, Twilight lifted a hoof and lay it gently across her tense shoulders. “They'll believe us this time. They have to,” she assured gently.
“I know...” Rainbow sighed, turning and giving Twilight a weak smile.
“We're ready,” Celestia called, coming back out the doors she'd entered through not two minutes before. They nodded at her and rose from their seats, following the alicorn through the white halls of the station until they came to a small door set in the wall. Celestia motioned for them to enter. After a moment of hesitation, Twilight opened the door and stepped in.
Inside was a small room, divided down the middle by a wall with a large window set in it. There was a door on the far side of the wall to access the other half of the room. A guard was stationed on either side of the door. On the isolated side of the room sat a table with two chairs on either side. In two of the chairs sat a bright red pegasus mare with a dull blue mane and red highlight and a grey unicorn stallions with a deep black mane. Both of them had their front hooves held together by a pair of cuffs.
“That's them,” Twilight said without hesitation, shivering as Neon Lightning gazed at her through the window. The guard nodded, opened the door, and said something to the guard inside the room.
“Did you find out why they did it?” Rainbow asked, glaring through the window at the unicorn.
“They said they'd tell you,” The guard answered roughly.
As if on cue, Neon started talking. “Hello, Miss Dash, how did the exam go? Are you a Wonderbolt again?” Although muffled through he glass, the spite in her voice was clear.
“Yeah, I am. Looks like your perfect plan failed,” Rainbow taunted victoriously through the window.
Neon shrugged her shoulders. “No matter, it's not like I care what happens to you.”
Twilight growled. “Why would you do it then?” She barked through the window, making the pegasus laugh.
“Why does anypony do anything? Money, Miss Sparkle.”
“Money?” Twilight echoed.
Neon grinned. “Exactly. Money makes the world go round.”
“Are you saying somepony payed you to sabotage me!?” Rainbow shouted, pressing her nose furiously against the glass separating the two halves of the room.
“A rather large sum, yes,” Neon explained simply.
“Who?” Celestia asked, taking her place beside her student.
Neon laughed again. “I don't think I'll be telling you anytime soon.”
“Money can do many things,” Neon lectured. “It can turn an ordinary pony into a monster. It can drive ponies to murder. It could start a rumour, turning a town against two of its citizens. It could even fund a news report, designed specifically to tear apart friendships based on trust, sowing seeds of mistrust in every bond you've ever made..”
“You caused it!?” Twilight shouted angrily. “You turned our friends against us!?”
“Yes, Miss Sparkle, I did. Nothing happened to you on accident. Money had its golden hoof in everything. Like a certain filly's parent, who told her her idol had betrayed her town, and let her little sister down.”
“Scootaloo...” Rainbow muttered, barely contained rage tinting her voice.
“Who payed you?” Celestia asked again, her mask of calm perfected over thousands of years.
“A pony with money and power who wanted to see Rainbow Dash's life ruined,” Neon explained. “But I won't tell who; that takes all the fun out.”
“Why you little...” Rainbow glared harshly at the pegasus on the other side of the room. She felt a gentle pressure on her shoulder, turning her away from the window.
“Stay calm, Rainbow,” Twilight advised. “She's just trying to rile you up. We've done out job; let's go home.”
“You've missed the train,” Celestia said, never once taking her eyes off the criminals in the room. “I'll pay for the ride home tomorrow, as well as your hotel room. Go and get some rest. I'll see to it that these two are dealt with.”
Twilight nodded and lead the way out of the room, hearing Neon's dark laughter from within until the door closed.
“Who payed her Twilight?” Rainbow asked as she stormed down the hall. “Why did they want me out of the 'Bolts?”
“I don't know, but we'll find out. One way or another,” Twilight assured confidently as they exited the station, taking a moment to identify their location before leading them towards the hotel. “For now, let's get back to the hotel. Tomorrow we go home and tell out friends.”
“After that... I start practising for my first show as a Wonderbolt,” Rainbow said, smiling happily. “It's been a long month,” she sighed.
“For both of us,” Twilight agreed. “I'm just glad it's over. Besides, it wasn't all bad.”
Rainbow quirked her head to the side curiously, looking at the unicorn next to her. “What part of this wasn't bad? If none of this had happened I'd be getting ready to perform as a Wonderbolt tomorrow.”
“Maybe,” Twilight said, a sly smile forming on her lips as she leaned her head over, gently nuzzling the side of Rainbow's cheek. “But I doubt we'd have gotten together without it.”
Rainbow blushed, extending a wing and wrapping it around Twilight's body. “Whoa, Twi; we only started dating this morning,” she said with a laugh.
“I'm not the one with a wing over somepony's back,” Twilight noted, giggling as the blush on Rainbow's cheeks grew a deeper shade of red. She didn't move her wing.
“Fine, maybe we're both jumping into it pretty fast, but let's face it; we were acting like we were together for a while before today,” Rainbow said quietly. “Besides, you kissed me first.”
“Hey! I did not!” Twilight protested. “You kissed me last night. I at least waited until we were officially dating.”
“Doesn't count,” Rainbow countered, “Mine was only on the cheek.”
“Oh whatever,” Twilight laughed, shoulder checking the mare playfully and sending them both careening to the side before regaining their balance and continuing down the street.
The two drifted into a comfortable silence after that, each with an equally content smile on their face as they walked down the quiet street. The sun was coming near the horizon as they once again found the hotel, the front of the building now a welcoming sight to the pair of ponies. As they approached the front doors, Rainbow stopped suddenly, Twilight took a few more steps before noticing the wing sliding off her back, stopping as well and turning back quizzically.
“Rainbow?” She asked curiously.
The pegasus smiled. “How many bits ya got left Twi?”
“Well, since I won't have to pay for the hotel or train tomorrow, quite a bit. Why?”
“Our date this morning was cut short. How about we make up for that? Say, with a bit of dinner?” Rainbow asked, smiling brightly as Twilight nodded eagerly.
“That sounds wonderful, Rainbow.”