//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: Miss Sparkle, Psychopath // by Adda le Blue //------------------------------// The two staggered through the library's front door for the first time in forever. Rainbow Dash was supporting Twilight's weight, and though she wouldn't admit it Rainbow was grateful for the stability given to her by the body leaning into hers. The library felt empty in Spike's absence - he and a pair of fillies were keeping Rarity's little sister company at her parents' place - but Twilight welcomed the silence. The day had been long and the week longer; the only thing on either of their minds was a good night's sleep. No, not the only thing. The two sat at the edge of Twilight's little bed and shared an awkward silence. Twi looked backward at the mattress, which was big enough for two if those two were quite comfortable with each other. “Should I pull out a guest mattress?” Twi asked finally. “No, it's fine,” Rainbow said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “U-unless you want to, I mean.” The unicorn shook her head. “I don't mind sharing.” “Cool.” The two simply sat, looking at fixtures and their hooves as much as each other. Rainbow scratched at her scalp. “So, yeah,” she said slowly. “What now?” “I don't know,” Twilight replied just as uncertainly. “I was sure you'd have some kind of plan.” “Oh,” she chuckled awkwardly. “Well, Twilight, to be honest...” Her hoof went back to her mane, but this time it was between the two ponies. “I talk a big game, but I've never had a serious fillyfriend before.” “Don't worry, Rainbow, I've never had one at all,” Twilight laughed. “Not that I'm nervous or anything,” Rainbow reminded her unicorn. Twi turned her head to hide a smile. “Of course not. Everypony knows Rainbow 'Danger' Dash isn't afraid of anything.” Rainbow's lips tightened at Twilight's sarcastic snipe. “Don't rub it in,” she muttered. Twilight patted her shoulder. “It's okay to be nervous, you know.” Her pegasus nodded, but didn't meet her eyes. “To be honest, I'm so nervous I'm surprised I haven't thrown up yet.” Rainbow let out a startled laugh. “Ew, Twilight,” she said with a poke to her shoulder. “Way to kill the mood.” But at least she was smiling again. “I'm serious! I've had these butterflies in my stomach since we sat down. ” Rainbow just shook her head and chuckled. “But since we're on the subject, you know... Well, we're...” She shifted uncomfortably. “Are we serious?” she asked nervously. “I mean, I know we just started dating an hour ago but we've been friends forever, and after the week we've had... Well...” Her muzzle shifted from an anxious frown to an even more anxious smile and back in the space of a second. “Are we?” “I hope so,” Rainbow said honestly. “And it's not like we haven't slept together before, anyway,” she continued – Rainbow's cheeks and nose quickly turned beet red as her thoughts ran away with her – “so it shouldn't be weird. The only difference is that we get to sleep in a bed this time instead of on the ground.” “Yeah.” Up went the hoof. Twilight, ever one to notice a stray detail, paused and looked at her critically. “What?” she asked uncomfortably. “Is there something in my mane? Are the colors all mixed up again?” “Oh!” Twi said suddenly. “That's why you've been scratching it so much.” She turned to inspect her flight feathers. “Yep, that's probably why...” “Would you like me to brush the tangles out of your mane before bed?” Twilight asked eagerly. “You know, so it isn't a big mess when you wake up?” Rainbow shrank into herself a bit. “I-if you want,” she said with a nervous chuckle. The hazy pink light of Twilight's magic enveloped the handle of the brush and brought it to bear against the base of her marefriend's scalp. She began to run it along Rainbow's neck in slow, smooth strokes. “Sorry if that sounded... you know... mean. It's not a big mess.” “You're fine.” She chuckled again. “You know, I've brushed my friends' manes before, but it's different when it's with your marefriend, isn't it?” she said conversationally. “I wonder why. I mean, it's just brushing your mane. What's the big deal?” Rainbow grunted. Her eyes were closed and she was wearing a grin of contentment. A loud popping noise put an end to that, though, as the brush snagged on a particularly bad snarl and yanked at her scalp. “Ow! Hey!” she yelped. Twilight winced. “Sorry,” she muttered with a self-conscious grin. “It's okay. Just be careful back there, okay?” Rainbow patted her mane. “I might not be as crazy about my mane as Rarity, but I still want it to all be there!” After a moment Twilight grunted distractedly and the brush resumed its course. Even Rainbow could tell that something had changed, but she couldn't tell just what that was. “So, uh... Speaking of Rarity, it looks like you patched things up with her,” she tried. “That's good, right?” The brush dug deeper into her scalp. “Let's not talk about her,” Twilight muttered. She frowned uncomfortably. “But you seemed okay–” “Not now, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight barked. “Okay? It's...” She exhaled heavily through her nose. “It's complicated,” she mumbled uncertainly. She tried to focus on the manebrush, but it distracted her enough to allow the words to escape. “I mean, I forgive her, I really do, and I want to be her friend again, but it's going to take some time for everything to get back to...” She sighed. “Can we just talk about happier things for right now?” she pleaded. “Yeah, of course,” Rainbow said hastily. “I'm just making conversation.” Twilight patted her hip awkwardly. “I'm sorry I snapped at you.” “It's cool,” she nodded. “I get it– Ow!” The brush caught in another snarl and jerked her head back. “Watch it, Twi!” “Sorry! I didn't think it'd be this bad!” The two lapsed into silence; the only sound to be heard was that of the brush separating strands of the pegasus's prismatic mane into some semblance of order. Suddenly Rainbow Dash began to laugh. Twilight frowned at the back of her head. “What's so funny?” she asked. “You didn't think it'd be this bad,” she chuckled. “We just spent a few days fighting and sleeping in the dirt, that's all!” Twi couldn't decide whether to be offended or not. If it was a joke, it was a bad one... But then she got it, and gales of laughter shook her so hard she almost fell off of the bed. She curled up around her fillyfriend and clung to her for support. Rainbow giggled beneath her weight. “Omigosh, Twilight... You won your first dogfight!” “By Celestia's mane, how did we make it through the week?” she wondered, giggling madly. She wrapped her forehooves around her marefriend's sides, taking care not to trap her wings or irritate her sore muzzle. “I can't believe we actually did all of that. We could have gotten ourselves killed!” “Wow, Twi. Just...” Rainbow collapsed sideways and Twilight rolled over her. Latched on as she was, the unicorn ended up laying with her belly against Rainbow's, who was laughing hard enough to shake Twilight. “Omigosh. That was so stupid of us.” Eventually shock and adrenaline began to fade into relief. “We did it!” Twilight crowed. “I don't know how, but we did it. And you know what? I never could have gone through any of it without you at my side.” She nuzzled Rainbow's cheek with her own. “Thanks for sticking with me.” Rainbow rubbed a hoof up and down the unicorn's back. “No problem,” she said smoothly, but Twilight could sense an underlying layer to her words, an intensity that Rainbow fought to hide. The hoof tightened around her. “Thanks for not giving up on me.” “I could never give up on you, Rainbow Dash.” The pegasus smiled and looked away. After a moment she glanced back at Twilight and saw her staring at her from the corner of her eye. “Here,” Rainbow said awkwardly. She pushed at her fillyfriend's shoulders. “Turn around.” She raised an eyebrow at her, but Twi did as she was asked. “Why?” she asked slowly. Then she felt the bristles of the hairbrush against her scalp. She let out a little grunt of surprise. “Sorry if I'm no good,” Rainbow said quickly. “I don't really do this kind of thing.” “I'm sure it'll be fine,” Twilight assured her as the brush traveled down her neck. “It's not hard.” “Yeah, maybe not for you,” she muttered. Twilight turned her head just far enough to look at her from the corner of her eye. She was squinting in concentration; she looked as though her tongue would poke through her teeth at any moment. Twi thought she was adorable, but she knew better than to tell Rainbow that. Suddenly the brush met a clump hidden behind Twi's ear and halted, but Rainbow wasn't having any of it. “Ow,” Twilight said pointedly as her head was jerked backward. Rainbow gave her a crooked smile and a few more tugs. “Hold on, I'm almost...” “Ow, ow, ow! Wait!” Rainbow's hoof darted away from the brush as if it had burned her. It stayed wedged in Twilight's mane. “No, it's alright,” Twilight said hastily. She levitated the brush away from her scalp and back into Rainbow's hooves. “But when you find a big knot like this one, you have to be careful not to irritate the scalp,” she advised. “Try working it out from the bottom first.” “Like...” The brush eventually returned to her mane. “Like this?” A series of short, choppy swipes tugged hairs free of the bottom of the knot. “That's fine.” It only took Rainbow another minute or so to handle the clump, and by the time it was done Twilight was feeling a little sore but content; she was losing herself in the rhythm of the brush's strokes. “Am I doing alright?” Rainbow asked eventually. “You're great,” Twi said muzzily. “'Cause I think I'm about done.” The brush pulled back and Rainbow moved her hooves into Twilight's mane, fluffing it out and checking for missed snarls. “What do you think?” Twilight lifted a hoof to her mane and smoothed it down. She thought the pegasus had parted her mane around her horn differently than she usually did, but until she saw it in a mirror, who was she to say no? “You did a great job,” Twilight smiled. “Thank you, Dashie.” Rainbow flinched. Her eyebrows lifted in confusion. “What's wrong, Rainbow Da...” Twilight's eyes widened as she realized what she'd done. “Oh my goodness,” the unicorn breathed. “I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean to...” “It's okay,” her marefriend said casually. She bounced her hooves on her knees, maybe following a rhythm but likely not. “I know you didn't mean it like that.” “It's just a habit,” she said, her mouth moving of its own volition. “I don't actually want you to be like that, I swear. You don't have to change for me. I like you just the way you are!” “Yeah,” Rainbow said shortly. She leaned toward Twilight, though not without a moment's hesitation, and wrapped her forelegs around her unicorn's barrel. Twilight looked down at her marefriend with anxious eyes. “Rainbow Dash, you're shaking.” Just like that she was off on her own side of the bed. “Am not,” she said angrily. “You are.” “Is this too weird?” Twilight blurted out. Rainbow blinked, then blinked again. She fought to hold onto her poker face. “If it's too weird for you, just say it. I know you went through a lot with me and you must be feeling some mixed emotions right now. That's okay,” Twilight assured her. “To be honest, I expected as much. So if you need some time to... I don't know, see if we can work through them on a more casual level, then I'll accept that.” Rainbow opened her muzzle to speak, but it came out as a faint squeak. She tried to work some moisture into her mouth. “Twilight, I just wanted you to...” She shook her head. “What is it, Rainbow Dash?” she asked, concerned. “You can tell me.” The pegasus's frown took on a sickly twist. “I don't want time. I just want to know that you like me for who I am, n-not who I was then...” Twilight's heart sank. “Oh, Rainbow. Of course I do! I didn't fall for the Rainbow Dash that Cappuccino gave to me. I fell for the one I knew was buried underneath.” “I know there's something there,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “I guess I'm just worried you care more about that Rainbow Dash than the real one.” Twi grabbed her cheeks and spun the pegasus towards her. “Rainbow Dash, I don't want that pegasus and I never will,” she said. “Ever.” Rainbow's brows drew down. “Why not?” “Because that Rainbow Dash was too easy,” Twi said bluntly. “She did everything I ever asked as soon as I asked. If I'd have said 'jump', she would have, even if I told her to jump in front of a train. It was hard to watch, Rainbow Dash, and even harder knowing that I had that kind of power over you. To be honest...” Her eyelid twitched and some moisture balanced itself upon her lower lid. “It was terrifying. I might be good at making checklists and coordinating events, but to have that kind of control over a pony?” “But you're always trying to change me and the girls,” Rainbow argued. Twi's jaw dropped, and Rainbow raised her hooves placatingly. “I'm not saying it like it's a bad thing,” she said. “I'm just saying, wouldn't you take advantage of that just to, I don't know, make Pinkie stop being so random, or make Rarity stop being such a drama queen?” “No!” The force of her feelings surprised even her. “Why would I take away a key part of what makes my friends who they are?” She took Rainbow Dash's forehoof in both of their own. “An important part of building and maintaining friendships is accepting and growing to love the ways in which other ponies are different. I wouldn't want Pinkie to stop being so random, because then she wouldn't be our Pinkie anymore. If she did change, I would accept it, but that is her choice to make and I know I'd miss that part of her for a long, long time. Nor would I force Rarity to calm down and stop worrying so much, as much as I'd like to sometimes.” Twilight smiled and shook her head. “The same goes for you. If you want to change something about yourself, that is your decision. I cannot and will not make it for you.” Rainbow put her other hoof atop Twilight's. “But a pony like me... I know I'm crazy and careless and I do really stupid things a lot of the time, and most of them end up in messes that you have to help me clean up. You shouldn't have to deal with that.” “Rainbow, are you saying you want to be more like that Rainbow Dash?” The pegasus hesitated. “I... Yeah. If that's what you want.” “But I want you to be yourself, Rainbow!” she exclaimed. “I'll admit that you can be a pain sometimes, just as I'm sure I can be a bore, or picky, or stubborn, or... or all kinds of things. Everypony has their flaws, Rainbow, but your flaws are outnumbered by the things I love about you.” She smiled as memories of happier times danced through her mind. “You know, your carefree spirit and your tendency to rush ahead without thinking used to irritate me – they still do, sometimes – but now that I know you as well as I do, I can understand those parts of you and I can respect them. When I hear you talking about some new stunt that's probably going to get you killed someday I still get nervous, but I feel something else too.” A corner of Rainbow's mouth had begun to lift, and her eyes were shining. “What's that?” she asked. “Pride,” Twilight answered. “You're the gutsiest pony I've ever met. You're also one of the most spontaneous, which has saved me from countless uneventful days at the library. I like the sense of adventure you carry with you. It makes me feel alive!” she said excitedly; her eyes were shining too. “ I know that we'll both have to change a little for this relationship, but neither of us should have to lose part of ourselves to it. If you lost that just so I wouldn't have to worry so much, or if you stopped butting heads with me and made yourself into a doormat, I don't know what I'd do. I'm sure of one thing, though...” She pulled Rainbow's foreleg until the mare slid closer to her, eventually onto her thigh. She was trembling again; Twilight could feel her feathers vibrating against her shoulder. Twilight released her hoof and wrapped her own around her withers. “Even if you end up as boring as me, I'd still love you, Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow laughed, and with the laughter came tears of joy. “And even if you end up as crazy as me, I'd still love you too, Twilight.” Neither moved in for a kiss. Neither felt she had to. They were comfortable and they were happy. The two mares held each other for as long as it took for their tears to dry and for longer, and soon they were asleep in each others' hooves. Tomorrow would be a new day, and Ponyville's newest couple would rise to face it as equals, hoof in hoof.