Even as they soared above the outer limits of Ponyville Twilight could feel it. She could see it in the eyes of those they passed over, hear it in their cries... For the first time since she left for Canterlot, Twilight was truly home.
Friends and neighbors sang out from below and chased them along the ground. Pegasi swarmed around them and unicorns fired sparks into the air, some barely missing Rainbow and Cappuccino as they descended toward the town square. Twilight only had eyes for one pony that zipped toward them from the north.
“Omigoodness, omigoodness, omigoodness...”
Twilight jumped from Rainbow's back only to be knocked to the ground by something hard and soft and fluffy.
“It's Twilight!” Pinkie screamed in her face, her huge blue eyes wet with budding tears. “Twilight's back! And she's poisoned!” She gasped. “But her eye looks like Rainbow's. What does it mean, Rainbow Dash?” she squeaked excitedly.
Rainbow smiled as she swept the filly up in a hug. “It means everything is going to be okay, Pinkie Pie,” she said confidently.
“How did you break the effects of the potion?” Twilight asked as she clambered slowly to her feet. “Has somepony found an antidote?”
Pinkie nodded excitedly. “Oh yeah, Princess Luna and Nurse Redheart and Applejack found one.”
Twilight smile grew wider. “The Princesses are here?”
Pinkie bounced on her hooftips. “You'll never guess what the main ingredient was,” she said, her voice shaking with barely-suppressed mirth. “Applejack's special cider!”
Twilight gawked at her. Rainbow just laughed.
“That explains why my potion failed,” Cappuccino muttered thoughtfully from behind. “Perhaps the alcohol in her bloodstream inhibited her body's absorption of certain chemicals."
Pinkie leaped back in shock. “It's Cappuccino!” she shrieked. “Everypony panic!”
Twilight didn't give the crowd of bystanders a chance to comply. “Don't worry, Pinkie!” she exclaimed. “He can't hurt anypony else.”
Cappuccino gave her a bland stare from the corner of his eye.
“You two have done Equestria a great service,” said the soft yet commanding tones of Princess Celestia.
Twilight spun on her hooves to see the great white alicorn stride through a path in the crowd with a proud little smile, clad in her crown and accessories and the most elegant saddlebag Twilight had ever seen. She dove into the alicorn's waiting embrace. “Princess!” she exclaimed. “I've never been so glad to see you!”
Celestia rested her head on Twilight's shoulder. “I knew you weren't responsible for this, Twilight.”
Twilight snuggled up against her chest. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I knew you'd believe in me.”
“I'm sorry I didn't find out sooner,” she continued. “If ever something like this happens again, do not hesitate to come straight back to Canterlot, no matter what royal duties I might be attending to.”
“I will!” she promised.
“Did you bring Princess Luna's potion?” Pinkie interrupted. “Is there enough left for Dashie and Twilight?”
“Luna is on her way with the antidote,” Celestia replied. “I believe she made more then enough to go around. How many did you poison, Cappuccino?” she asked as she turned to face him.
He blinked his emerald-green eyes and donned an expression of tranquility. “Seven,” he replied instantly.
“And where is Zecora now?” she asked.
The pegasus shrugged. “I sent her home to her native land.”
The princess smiled. “Thank you for your cooperation.”
“Keep my behaviour in mind when deciding my fate,” he reminded her. “It would be unbecoming of a princess to ignore such acts, would it not?”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “That depends upon the sincerity of such acts,” she countered.
Cappuccino frowned. “I can be sincere.”
Twilight placed a hoof on his shoulder and silenced him with a shake of her head. “What are you going to do with him?” she asked the Princess. “Are you going to send him to prison?”
“We'll see, Twilight,” Celestia replied. “I wish to try something first. Leave him with me for now. You have other matters to attend to.” She nodded to her left toward a trio of ponies that approached from the direction of the town hall.
Princess Luna waded through the crowd, her long legs and noble carriage clearing her way with ease. Applejack followed at her left heel, emotions playing across her muzzle as she fought the urge to run past the princess, and the relieved Mayor Mare followed at her right. “Worry not, Twilight Sparkle!” Luna called. “I have the antidote!”
Rainbow buzzed past her to land beside Applejack. “See, Applejack?” she said. “Told you we'd do it!” She raised her hoof for a bump.
Applejack's muzzle crumpled. She swatted the hoof away and threw herself at Rainbow, almost knocking her buddy off of her hooves. “I'm sorry!” she wept. “I should have trusted my gut.”
“It's, uh... It's okay, AJ,” she replied awkwardly. She gave the back of her head a few light pats.
Twilight brushed past the princess to rub Applejack's back. “You have nothing to be sorry for,” she assured her. “You did more than enough when you gave us the chance to track Cappuccino down.”
Applejack spun away from Rainbow and folded Twilight into a bear hug. “I'm so gosh-darn sorry, Twi,” she sobbed. “It seemed so real!”
“It's okay, Applejack.” Rainbow and Pinkie wrapped their hooves around the pair. “We couldn't have done this without you.”
“Yeah, Applejack,” Pinkie said brightly. “Don't be sad now! Everything's finally looking up!”
She sniffed back her tears and nodded. “I know. I'm sorry, girls. I don't mean to be such a wet blanket.”
“You're only wet 'cause you're crying!” Pinkie said helpfully. “I know what'll dry those tears: Milkshakes from Sugarcube Corner!”
“That sounds great right about now,” Rainbow nodded.
Applejack chuckled as she wiped her cheeks. “I don't think now's the time for milkshakes,” she said. “Maybe after all this is over.”
“Yes, there are more important matters at hoof,” Princess Luna reminded them. A pair of vials floated up to Rainbow and Twilight in the princess's sparkling blue aura. “You can worry about the festivities later.”
“And what festivities there will be!” the Mayor crowed. “In light of the events of the last week – and due to our less-than-stellar Hearts and Hooves Day – a repeat of the celebration is hereby scheduled for tomorrow!” A cheer rang out among the bystanders and looky-loos.
Twilight eagerly accepted the potion from her princess. “Ready, Rainbow?” she asked.
Rainbow Dash cocked her head at the vial of thin yellow syrup. “It looks funny,” she complained. “You said this was made from cider?”
“Yup!” Applejack grinned. “So you know there's good stuff in there. Drink up!”
She pried the cork off with her teeth and sniffed it. Her eyes shifted slyly in Applejack's direction. “Smells like oranges.”
“Oranges?” Applejack exclaimed. “You kidding me?”
“Yep!” She tipped it back and downed the entire vial in one go. She instantly regretted it and her muzzle contorted in disgust. “Gah! What's in that thing?” She drew her tongue across her teeth and spat the fluid left behind into the grass. “Eurgh. It tastes like a rotten candied apple!”
“Potions aren't known for their flavor, Rainbow,” Twilight chuckled. She still eyed her own vial with trepidation. She wrinkled her nose in preparation and downed the antidote. It wasn't as bad as Rainbow had made it out to be, but she still made a face.
“Tasty, huh?” Pinkie laughed.
“Ick,” Twilight agreed.
Rainbow stared at her vial. “So how does this thing worgyuh!” A violent tremor shook the vial from her hoof; Luna caught it just before it hit the grass.
“That's how,” Applejack smirked. “Feeling better?”
She folded her wings tight against her sides. “'S cold!” she complained, with another shiver for emphasis. She squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them her friends could see lines of pink running through her violet iris.
“You just need time to get used to not being so warm anymore,” Pinkie explained. “It's probably gonna be worse for you 'cause you were the first one he got to.”
“That makes sense,” Twilight agreed as she allowed Luna to take her vial as well.
“How long 'til I get used to it?” she asked unhappily. She rubbed at the irritated eye with the back of a pastern. “I'm gonna be feathering miserable 'til then.”
Suddenly an icy chill spread outward from Twilight's core, up her throat and down her belly. The burning sensation that had beset her faded, leaving her vulnerable to the nippy air of the cool spring evening. Twilight took a few brisk breaths as if she'd been pushed into an icy pond. “Well,” she said uncertainly. Goosebumps made her guardhairs stiffen, giving her coat an extra-fluffy look. “That's... That's invigorating.”
“That's one word for it,” Pinkie agreed. “At least it worked, right?”
“Is it gone?” Rainbow asked hastily. “Is... Is the feeling gone?”
“Mhm.” She shook out her mane and worked her pasterns as she waited for the chill and the sudden sensation of swelling in her left eye to pass. “It's finally over, Rainbow Dash! Soon everything will be back to normal.”
“Yeah.” She rubbed a hoof through her mane and glanced away.
“Isn't that great?” Pinkie asked, as oblivious to her friend's pain as everypony else. “Now we can get back to being friends and hanging out and not worrying about whether we'll live through the night!” She beamed brightly. “Speaking of which, where is Fluttershy?”
“I'm here,” she called from the back of the crowd, smiling widely behind her luxurious pink mane. She placed a hoof between two earth ponies only to retract it with a muttered apology. “I'll be there as soon as I can!”
“Fluttershy!” Rainbow exclaimed. She zipped over to her and gave her a squeeze, one that Fluttershy returned heartily enough to make Rainbow grunt.
“Why is your nose so bloody?” Fluttershy asked immediately, her eyes traveling over the other mare's injuries. “Are you okay? Are you feeling dehydrated?”
“We're fine, Fluttershy,” Rainbow assured her.
“I would like some water,” Cappuccino said politely as he and Princess Celestia rejoined their little group. He was ignored.
“But what about you?” Rainbow continued over him. She lifted Fluttershy from the ground and together the pair flew back to their friends. “You doing okay after what he did?”
She nodded. “I'm okay now.”
“How bad was it?” Twi asked. She glanced back toward Cappuccino, who was standing proudly with a shameless grin. Celestia was pretending not to notice, but her sister radiated disapproval.
Fluttershy blushed faintly. “Princess Luna had to, um... climb under the bed with me and feed me the antidote from a bottle...”
“Were your animal friends able to take care of themselves while you were hiding?”
“Angel Bunny helped,” Fluttershy smiled. “He also did the chores and left food for me too. He's been very kind.”
“Can you even use 'Angel Bunny' and 'kind' in a sentence like that?” Rainbow scoffed.
“Oh, he's really such a sweetheart!” she exclaimed. “After he helped Applejack and the Mayor figure out that Cappuccino was behind–”
“The bunny?” Cappuccino sputtered. “That is what I overlooked?”
Fluttershy grinned self-consciously. “He's so very smart, but nopony seems to notice because he's just a bunny, the poor thing.”
He groaned and hid his face in his forehooves.
“Where is Angel, anyway?” Twilight asked.
“I left him at home. He's still mad at me because he was left to cook supper for the timber wolves all by himself.”
Twilight's eyebrows disappeared under her bangs. “What timber wolves?”
“Well, dang,” Applejack breathed. “I plum forgot about them. They didn't try to eat him, did they?”
Fluttershy smiled shyly. “He can be very persuasive.”
“I'm sorry to interrupt, but there are more important matters to attend to,” said Princess Celestia. “The five of you, Cappuccino and I must pay a visit to Ponyville General. First I want you two to have your injuries looked over. When we are sure that the two of you are well, we will have work to do. I have brought the Elements of Harmony,” she said with a nod toward her saddlebag, “and Cappuccino has agreed to let us try to introduce the concept of harmony to his heart.”
“Oh,” Rainbow said uncertainly. “The Elements of Harmony?”
Celestia looked down upon her with honest confusion in her eyes. “What is the matter, Rainbow Dash?”
“I don't know if that's gonna work right now,” she admitted. “With everything that's happened between me and Twilight and Rarity...”
The Princess nodded. “I understand, Rainbow Dash. I hope that the six of you can look past your differences and reforge your shattered bonds.”
“We've been friends for a long time now, Princess. There ain't no way we can let something like this break us up!” Applejack declared confidently.
“Is Rarity going to be able to wield the Element of Generosity?” Fluttershy asked.
“She is awake and alert,” Celestia assured her. “She is heavily medicated, but it does not seem to be interfering with her mental faculties.” The pegasus sighed with relief.
“But are you sure this will work on Cappuccino?” Twilight pressed. “We've never used them like this before.”
“I believe that they should,” Celestia replied.
To Twilight, that was as good as an admission of uncertainty. She nodded anyway – after all, even a slim chance is better than none at all – and turned to her friends. “Ready, girls?” she asked. Three mares nodded.
“Uh...” Rainbow Dash paused with her hoof lifted from the ground. “I... Hold on. Um...” She chewed her lip as she tried her hardest to meet Twilight's gaze. “Look, girls,” she said finally. “Can you give us a minute?”
“What for?” Applejack asked, concerned. “You still worried it ain't gonna work?”
“We won't know until we try,” Fluttershy reminded her.
The Princess swept past Rainbow and Twilight and trailed her wings lightly over the other girls' backs. “I think we should give these two some space to talk things over,” she said. Luna nodded and followed. The girls trailed them uncertainly, but not without a few backward glances.
“Come on,” Twilight said to Rainbow Dash. “We'll walk and talk.”
Rainbow didn't open her mouth to speak until well after they had escaped the mass of curious citizens that had surrounded them, and when she did she was still unsure of what to say. “You said that it faded,” the pegasus began.
“Of course it did,” Twilight replied.
“Well, mine didn't,” she admitted glumly.
Twilight gasped. “The antidote didn't work?” she cried. “But your eye–”
“No, Twilight, not the potion! Jeez,” she muttered, glaring at her hooves and blushing brightly. “I mean my... feelings.”
Her brow creased between her eyes. She licked her lips. “Oh,” she said simply.
“I still feel the same, pretty much,” Rainbow continued. “I don't need to act like that anymore... but I want to, in some ways at least. I still wanna be your fillyfriend.”
Twilight let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. “You do.”
“Yeah. I told you it was real, didn't I?” she said, her nerves lending an edge to her voice.
“You did.”
“But what about you?” Rainbow asked. “Was any of yours real?”
Twilight stared after the Princesses and chewed her lip.
The silence was too much for Rainbow. She froze in her tracks. “Don't you feel anything?” she pleaded. “Even just a little?”
“I... um...” She stopped and turned to the pegasus and placed a hoof to her chest to still her racing heart. “I... I-I do,” she admitted.
Rainbow grinned and a tension lifted from her shoulders. “Great!” she exclaimed. “So do you wanna be my special somepony, then?”
Twilight averted her eyes.
Rainbow's smile collapsed with her ears. “Don't you?”
She studied the grass before her. “I don't know what I feel,” she muttered. “I've never done this before, Rainbow.”
Frustration made her jaw tighten. “Never done what?” she asked.
“I've never been...” She looked deep into Rainbow's eyes; the hurt she saw in them cut her right back. “I've never been in love with somepony before,” she said, the words flooding out before she could stop them. “I've never felt anything like this. I don't know if it's love or infatuation or something entirely different and it's so, so strong, but I just don't know!”
“Hey,” Rainbow interrupted. “Twilight.” She took a half-step closer. “Are you scared?” Rainbow asked bluntly.
Twilight nodded. “What if I'm wrong?” she asked. “What if I say yes and it turns out I just have a crush and I don't love you for real?”
Rainbow's eyes tightened. “I don't know,” she muttered. “Do you think you do?”
“I know I feel something,” she said. “It feels like what I think love would feel like, if anything I've read is any indication.”
Rainbow couldn't help it. She threw a hoof to her forehead and laughed. “Twilight, I don't know a feathering thing about dating, but I do know you can't learn about love from books!”
“How else could I learn?”
“By trying,” she replied. “You can't just study it. You have to go out and chase it, seize the moment, take a chance, all that stuff... Jeez, I'm starting to sound like Rarity,” she chuckled. “Look. Point is, you never know 'til you try, right? So why not try?”
“Because it could end badly!” Twilight answered honestly. “I don't want to ruin our friendship.”
“You won't!” Rainbow exclaimed. “After everything we've been through, there's no way this could hurt our friendship!”
“Just... Just give me some time to think about it,” she begged. “I need time!”
Rainbow sighed. “Fine,” she said softly. “Yeah. Okay. I can do that.”
“Okay then,” Twilight said slowly. “I'll think about it. Just give me time.” Rainbow nodded glumly and the two walked on in silence.
That silence chased them the whole way to the hospital, where they were momentarily detained by a pair of eager x-ray technicians and a half-dozen nurses bearing sponges, painkillers, and a brace for Twilight's fractured nose. The time flew by without Twilight noticing; her mind was occupied by a few other matters. In no time at all she found herself standing with her friends at the door to Rarity's room.
Twilight stood with her hoof on the handle, but she found herself unable to open it. She stared at her hoof with a pinched brow and a small frown. Her friends waited patiently behind her.
“It'll be okay, Twilight,” Pinkie said. “You don't have to be nervous.”
“You don't know how bad it got at the end,” Rainbow muttered.
“Do too,” she argued. “Rarity told us about it.”
“What did she say?” Twilight said quietly.
Pinkie leaned her head on Twilight's withers. “That she's sorry,” she said. “She didn't know she was acting like that.”
“That's not enough!” Rainbow exclaimed. “She nearly killed Twilight!”
“She meant well,” Twilight muttered defensively.
“She was the one pony who stayed on your case the whole time!” Rainbow growled angrily. “It doesn't matter if she meant well or not. She's–”
“Enough, Rainbow,” Twilight said firmly. She took a deep breath. “We're her friends. We have to remember that.”
Rainbow stomped a hoof and turned away. “Whatever.”
Twilight sighed to herself. At least her hoof had finally stopped shaking. Twilight pressed down and pulled the door open...
She looked absolutely pitiful. Rarity lay back on her hospital bed with a foreleg and a hindleg strung up to the ceiling and most of her body wrapped in bandages, some white and some pink, a few cherry red. Her coat was uneven where it showed and her beautiful mane was marred by a bald patch on her scalp. Her eyes were dull, but they stared right at Twilight as she entered the room. “Hello, Rarity,” Twilight said quietly.
“Welcome back,” she said. The words were delicate as eggshells. Princess Celestia lay a supportive hoof on her shoulder; Rarity winced at her touch. Cappuccino watched disinterestedly from the Princess's other side, where he stood sandwiched between the two alicorns.
Twilight moved to allow the rest of their friends to file into the room. “How are you feeling?” she said, for lack of better things to say.
“I am alive,” she said primly, “which might be more than I deserve.”
“Don't talk like that, Rarity,” Twilight said sadly as the group filed toward her bed. “You don't deserve this any more than the rest of us do.”
For a moment the unicorn lay quiet. “Did I do that?” she asked. Her free hoof rose shakily to gesture toward Twilight's muzzle. “Did I break your tooth?”
“No, that was...” Twilight cleared her throat. “Cappuccino.” Cappuccino's lips twisted, but even he couldn't argue the point. He had wielded the tool.
“Don't worry, Twilight,” she said certainly. “We'll get that tooth fixed as soon as Zecora comes back.”
Twilight kept her hooves planted firmly on the floor in spite of the urge to raise on to her mouth. “Never mind the tooth,” she said self-consciously. “We have a job to do.”
The Princess nodded. “Are you ready, Rarity?” she asked.
She closed her eyes and nodded. “I will try my best,” she muttered.
“We all will,” Applejack said firmly with a glance in Rainbow's direction.
The Princess's saddlebag flipped open; five necklaces and a tiara floated from it, wrapped in Celestia's yellow light. The necklaces, the Elements of Harmony, flew outward to land around their bearer's necks: a zircon balloon to Pinkie Pie's, an orange garnet apple to Applejack's, a rose quartz butterfly to Fluttershy's and a ruby lightning bolt to Rainbow Dash's. Rarity's necklace, adorned with a diamond of clean-cut amethyst, touched down gently. The crown, a golden band with egg-shaped turquoise settings topped with a six-pointed star of rubellite tourmaline, landed softly behind Twilight's horn. “Good luck, girls,” the Princess said softly.
“I have faith in you,” Luna encouraged them. “Be strong.”
Twilight closed her eyes and focused inwardly, calling up the magic of friendship. A white aura slowly surrounded her like a pocket of fog and lifted her from her hooves. Suddenly her eyes snapped open, revealing them to be hidden behind a white wall of the same energy.
Cappuccino recognized that energy. “Wait,” he said nervously. “You said this would be harmless!”
The fog reached out toward her friends. Applejack and Pinkie Pie floated up into the air to lend her their strength. Fluttershy soon followed. Rainbow and Rarity only stared at each other.
“We can do this, girls!” Twilight said confidently.
“You think we can?” Rainbow asked.
“Yes!” she barked. “I'm sure we can rediscover our harmony if we just try!”
“I can't,” Rarity muttered. “I have broken our harmony, Twilight. Nothing is going to fix that.”
As if it understood her words the magic winked out, depositing three mares onto their backsides.
“Interesting,” Cappuccino said quietly. “If not for two simple mistakes I would have succeeded.”
Twilight blinked the magic from her eyes and glared at him. “Don't get any ideas, Cappuccino!” she said angrily. “It's only a temporary setback!”
“And quite a setback at that,” Celestia said sadly. “I'm sorry, Cappuccino, but it seems that intervention by the Elements is no longer an option.”
The stallion shrugged. “I had not expected it to work in any case.”
Twilight frowned nervously. “Princess, could I have a word with you?”
Celestia blinked. “Of course, Twilight.” She followed the unicorn to the far corner of the room.
When Twilight turned to face her, it was with uncertainty and a touch of shame. “Please, Princess, don't send him to prison,” Twilight said quietly. “I know it sounds strange of me to ask, but I truly think that it wouldn't do him any good. He wouldn't learn anything from it.”
“I know,” the Princess murmured. “I have a place for him in Canterlot.”
“An institution?” Celestia nodded. “Then could I visit him sometimes?” she asked. “I've learned a lot about friendship and harmony over the last two years. I hope that my own lessons might help him learn what he needs to learn.”
Celestia smiled. “I wouldn't have it any other way,” she said proudly.
Twilight grinned back. “Thank you. I'll do what I can to help.”
The Princess turned to her sister. “Well, my little ponies, I think it's time for us to leave,” she said. “Perhaps we can try again another time. In the meantime, try to rekindle the bonds you once shared. I know that it will be difficult, but it will be worthwhile in the end.”
“Wait,” Rarity said suddenly. “Twilight, wait, please! I must have a word with you in private.”
“You sure?” Applejack asked. “Can't it wait 'til morning? We don't want you wearing yourself out.”
The unicorn shook her head. “Now, girls, before I lose my courage!” she insisted. Celestia and Luna nodded proudly as they ushered Cappuccino through the door.
“If that's what you want,” Pinkie said. She bounced after the Princesses and their prisoner without hesitation. Applejack and Fluttershy shared a look and followed her out.
Rainbow paused in mid-step. “I'll be right outside, 'kay, Twilight?” she said. “In case you need to talk.”
Twilight ducked her head in acknowledgement. “Thanks, Rainbow.” After one last encouraging smile the door closed behind her.
Rarity grimaced as it swung shut. “By the Princess's mane, this is going to be difficult,” she breathed.
“What did you want to say, Rarity?” she asked uncomfortably. “You don't need to apologize to me.”
“I do,” she insisted. “Twilight...” She stared down at herself and sighed. “I never drank the potion. The Princess delved me, Twilight, and she found not a trace of Cappuccino's influence. Everything I said and did was of my own volition.”
Twilight just stared.
“I was a horrible friend to you. No, not horrible...” She paused and her eyes wandered off into the distance. “Is there a word more horrible than 'horrible'? For surely I am not deserving of such... praise.”
“Rarity...”
“I placed each and every nail in your coffin, and when you escaped it I hunted you down personally to find what I considered justice. I had planned to capture you and return you to Ponyville, but I was ready to kill you with my bare hooves if I had to. I nearly sacrificed my own life to do just that! And now, to find out the truth after sinking so low...” She closed her eyes, blocking out the sight of her friend's concern. She knew that she deserved none of it. “I am despicable. I am an abomination. I truly do deserve this penance, but I know that my pain will soon pass while the pain I inflicted upon your heart will last a lifetime.” She opened her lazy eyes to stare down at her casts and stitches. “This...” She gestured weakly at her state. “This doesn't make us even.”
“I don't want to get even.” She placed a hoof lightly on her friend's shoulder, inwardly relieved when Rarity didn't flinch at her touch. “I just want to be friends again.”
“You deserve better,” the other mare muttered darkly.
“Look, Rarity, I already knew he didn't poison you,” Twilight admitted. “He told the Princess that he'd only poisoned seven of us. First there was Zecora, then Rainbow Dash, then Spike, Pinkie, Applejack, Fluttershy... and then me.”
Rarity's mouth opened, closed, and opened again. “Then... then why are you here?” she asked, her eyes wide with wonder. “Why give me another chance?”
“Because I understand why you felt that you had to do everything you did,” she said softly. “You were only trying to protect your friends and neighbors, and every unicorn in Equestria for that matter. The only thing you did wrong was get fooled by Cappuccino, just like everypony else in Ponyville. And for that...” She leaned down and nuzzled the smoother of Rarity's cheeks. “I forgive you.”
Rarity frowned up at her. “You do not,” she said, her words clipped short by her disbelief. “You can't.”
“I do,” she insisted.
“But I nearly... You must hate me, even if you don't want to admit it to yourself!”
Twilight shook her head. “I don't hate you, Rarity, but that doesn't mean that I'm not angry with you. You hurt me very badly.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“And now you've lied to me and our friends,” she continued. “But Rarity, I don't want to let Cappuccino's plan destroy our friendship. Even if we didn't have the Elements of Harmony to worry about, you're still my PFF and I won't let Cappuccino's horrible plans ruin what we had. I know your intentions were good when you chased us to Ghastly Gorge, and everything before that. Your lie was selfish, and frankly...” She paused to let her anger die down. “All I ask,” she finished, “is that you tell everypony the truth. They'll understand.”
Rarity stared silently as the words washed over her. Her ears lay limply against her sides and her good hoof touched lightly against her chest. “Twilight, you have a beautiful heart,” she said finally. “I'm sorry I can't be as good and kind a pony as you.”
“You're a good mare too, Rarity.” Twilight said. “None of us is perfect; there are times when every one of the six of us needs the support and guidance of our friends to choose right from wrong, or black or white from gray.”
Rarity smiled. “Maybe someday I'll find a prince so understanding. Rainbow Dash is lucky to have caught a princess such as you.”
Twilight's cheeks burned with a heat to rival the glow of Cappuccino's potion. “She didn't catch me!” she exclaimed awkwardly. “The antidote fixed all of that!”
“Oh, darling, you are surely joking,” she mumbled with a knowing smile. “I knew it the moment I saw you two together. Whatever happened out there, it drew the two of you so close together that I don't think you will ever part.”
“But I don't – It's just a crush!” she insisted, but Rarity was staring at her with a strange light in her eyes, as if she knew something that Twilight didn't. “I-isn't it?”
“No it isn't, Twilight,” Rarity said firmly. Her forehoof fell heavily onto Twilight's thigh. “I know you don't have any experience in these matters, so allow me to give you mine.” She looked up into Twilight's eyes with a pleading frown. “It's the least I could do.”
Twilight bared her teeth and glanced toward the door. “I...” Her hoof bounced anxiously on the floor.
“Don't ignore these feelings, Twilight,” Rarity insisted. “Don't resign yourself to years of regret.”
Twilight took a deep breath. “I need help,” she admitted. “Please, tell me what these feelings mean!”
Rarity closed her eyes, sank further into her mattress, and smiled. “You know what they mean,” she said quietly. “Don't be afraid to admit it.”
“But I don't know!” Twilight argued. “I've never been in love before! How am I supposed to handle this?”
Rarity beamed up at her. “There you have it!”
“What?”
“You said you've never been in love before,” she said slyly.
Twilight blinked. “What does that have to...?”
“Twilight,” she interrupted, “what is stopping you from going to Rainbow Dash right now?”
She swept a hoof down the pink stripe in her bangs. It seemed they needed another good brushing soon. “It feels strange, almost wrong, for reality to have become something so close to the lie that started all of this,” she explained. “I almost feel like I'm taking advantage of her.”
“'Almost', Twilight,” she pointed out. “'Almost'. If that were a dealbreaker, we wouldn't be discussing your relationship at all,” Rarity said wisely. “Don't think about the past, Twilight. Instead, think about the future. Can you imagine what life with Rainbow Dash would be like? Where do you see yourselves a few years from now?”
“Um...” She tapped her hooves together. “Ponyville, probably,” she guessed. “I think we'd... um...”
“Go on,” Rarity urged her. “Let your imagination run free.”
“We'd... We'd still live here in Ponyville,” Twilight said more confidently. “Maybe Canterlot. That way Rainbow can be close to Cloudsdale for her training with the Wonderbolts, and I could stay close to the Princesses. I'll help Rainbow optimize her performance so she can be the best flyer Equestria's ever seen! We'd have to live in a home spacious enough for Rainbow to fly through without my personal library and clutter getting in the way, and we'll need a couple of oak trees in the yard for us to nap in...” Unbeknownst to Twilight, she was smiling as she stared out the window at the plains that bordered Ponyville's northern boundary. “We'll have nachos every Thursday. I'll make sure to stock up on zap apple jam every year, since I know how much she loves her peanut butter and zap apple jam sandwiches...”
“I think we both get the point,” Rarity interrupted. “And without her?”
“Oh.” The expression of whimsy disappeared from Twilight's muzzle as she paused to think about it. “I don't know,” she said slowly. “Golden Oak Library, I guess.”
She leveled a bland look at her. “Are you willing to give up on those dreams for 'the library, I guess'?”
Slowly the smile crept back onto Twilight's muzzle. “No...”
“Then don't,” she said simply. “Chase your dream. Go to her and be the best wife you can be.”
“Do you think I...” The weight of her words settled onto Twilight's shoulders, making her flinch. “W-wife?” she stammered. “Isn't it a little too soon to be talking like that?”
“It's never too soon to think about it,” Rarity scoffed. “After all, what would be the point of persuing a relationship if you know the two of you don't have a chance of lasting the year?”
Twilight lowered her eyes to the floor. “To be honest, I have thought about it,” she said finally. “Despite our differences, I think the two of us might...” She trailed off with another blush.
The fashionista gave her a knowing wink backed by all the wisdom a lifetime of beauty magazines could share. “You think so?” she said slyly.
“I don't know,” Twi said hurriedly. “It was just an idle thought.”
Rarity chuckled softly. “Oh, to be so... so blissfully innocent...” Her jaws cracked wide, eliciting a whimper as the raw skin of her left cheek stretched. “I think you're right,” she said thoughtfully. “You know, Twilight, you might find that you and Rainbow Dash aren't so different after all.”
“You think so?” she asked shyly.
“I know so,” Rarity assured her.
Twilight slowly nodded. “I... I think I know it too,” she grinned. “You really think it'll work?”
“What I think is not important, Twilight,” she reminded the unicorn. “All that matters is what you and... and Rainbow...” Another yawn made her groan. “What you two think. But I suppose it truly is time I get some rest,” she said, unable to hide her disappointment. “Visiting hours ended half an hour ago.”
Twilight climbed down from the bed. “Are you sure you don't need anything?” she asked. “Some juice, maybe?”
Rarity shook her head as much as the bandages would allow. “Your understanding is all I needed,” she said softly.
Twilight smiled. “Thank you, Rarity.”
“No, Twilight,” her friend mumbled as she drifted away. “Thank you.”
Twilight left her to her slumber and shut the door on the past. As she turned to see the faces of her friends, friends once more now that this was over and done, she saw joy, relief, contentment... She could imagine she saw the future.
The future looked bright.
“Rainbow Dash?”
The pegasus's ears perked up. “What's up?” She buzzed over the other mares to land before her. “Is everything gonna be okay between you two?” Rainbow asked.
Twilight nodded. Her four friends sighed, relieved. “Did you hear any of that?”
Rainbow shook her head. “I thought you wanted some privacy.”
“I heard it!” Pinkie exclaimed.
“You had your ear to the door the whole time,” Rainbow said accusingly.
The shameless filly giggled without argument. She rubbed her hooves together, rested her elbows on Applejack's back, and let her chin fall into her hooves. “Oh, this is gonna be good!” she said with a dreamy smile.
Everypony's eyes were on Twilight, but hers were on Rainbow Dash. There was no reason for her to be nervous; finally, she knew exactly what to do. “Ask me again,” she said softly.
“What? You mean 'what's up?'” Twilight shook her head. Rainbow's eyes widened and her jaw creaked open. “Then you mean...?” The words as quiet and nervous as a mouse.
Twilight grinned shyly and nodded.
A huge smile lit up Rainbow's muzzle and her hooves danced on the linoleum. “Juvie mob a supper somepony!” she squealed happily.
Twilight snorted and couldn't hold back her laughter. Rainbow blushed furiously, but soon joined her in it. “I mean...” She held a hoof to her mouth and tried to temper her amusement. “I mean do you...”
“Close enough,” Pinkie giggled.
Twilight was laughing too hard to speak. Instead she nodded vigorously and pulled Rainbow into a tight and tender hug. Rainbow's giggles rose in pitch and her shaking turned to trembling.
“Aww,” Pinkie and Applejack chorused. Fluttershy brushed away a tear.
Rainbow clung to her like a life ring as the waves of her emotions threatened to pull her under. Twilight squeezed her right back until her laughter subsided. “I don't know what the future will bring,” she whispered, “but I want to face it with you, Rainbow Dash.”
“Me too,” Rainbow muttered, fighting to keep her voice level in spite of the dampness she left in Twilight's mane. “I love you.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and beamed over Rainbow's shoulder. “I... I love you too.”
Pinkie clapped her hooves. “That was beautiful!” she sighed. Her appreciation was short-lived. She bounced off of her friend's back and pranced across the room. “Well, how about those milkshakes now?” she asked. “My treat!”
Rainbow shook her head. “I'm beat, Pinks,” she sighed. “Rain check?”
“Maybe tomorrow,” Twilight agreed.
“Rain check it is,” Pinkie said. “I understand. I bet you two want to get to bed, huh?” She nudged Applejack with an elbow. “Know what I mean?” she said with a sleazy wink.
Twilight nodded. “That sounds good.” She released Rainbow and the two dropped to their own hooves, but before they'd taken two steps they were glued shoulder to shoulder and flank to flank. “Goodnight, girls!”
“I bet it will be,” Pinkie Pie winked.
If Applejack had still had her hat, she would have thwapped her with it. “You too,” she chuckled.
“Sweet dreams, girls!” Fluttershy added.
“Hey Twilight,” Rainbow said hopefully as she held the door open for her unicorn, “my cloud house is, uh... it's kinda far, you know?”
“Of course you can stay at the library.” she replied. “You don't even have to ask.”
“Called it!” Pinkie crowed. The door muffled Applejack's reply, but it sounded like a doozy.
The couple sauntered slowly down the hallway, blushing brightly at each look they got from the other visitors but unwilling to separate. “So we're dating now,” Twilight said, tasting the phrase on her tongue.
“Yep,” Rainbow replied. “I'm... I'm happy you, um...”
“Me too,” Twilight agreed.
The two shared an awkward silence.
Rainbow peered at her from the corner of her eye. “Um... Okay, before we do anything I just want to ask...”
“What's that?”
“You know, you and me... It isn't going to be like it was when I was sick, is it?” she asked worriedly. “'Cause I'm okay with doing things for you once in a while, but...”
Twilight snickered.