Fall Down
by Present Perfect
II
"I've never been so disappointed in you, Twilight Sparkle."
The temperature in the throne room seemed to climb with Celestia's ire.
"In fact, I cannot remember ever being disappointed in you. I cannot even recall having reason to feel anything remotely akin to disappointment regarding you."
Celestia's hoofsteps echoed off the ceiling, her horseshoes ringing sharply back and forth as she paced the room. Each beat made Twilight flinch as though a nail were being driven through her hoof. In her peripheral vision, Rainbow Dash's wings twitched.
"Princess, please don't be mad at Twilight." Rainbow took a step forward. "I sent the letter without thinking she'd be able to find me. It's my fault, and you should blame me."
Celestia's eyes flashed solar flares. "You and I shall have a discussion of our own later, Rainbow Dash."
The gaze of her mentor upon Twilight was a lead blanket. Despite having a position equal to Celestia's, as she had been assured on more than one occasion, Twilight hung her head.
"Why didn't you tell me, Princess?"
"You could have been seriously injured, Twilight, or killed." The rage in Celestia's voice was tempered by the vibrato of worry. "The task I set Rainbow Dash was meant for reconnaissance only." Celestia stopped, closed her eyes, and drew in a deep breath. "Too many times, I've asked you and your friends to run headlong into danger without any idea of what you were up against. With the Lord of Storms a slow-burning threat, I saw the opportunity for more planning than usual."
Twilight met Celestia's gaze, a confusing mixture of firm and pleading.
"Twilight," she said, "I knew if I asked you directly to perform this mission, you would have gotten all of your friends involved. So I approached Rainbow Dash, alone, because I knew, if things went poorly, she would be able to handle whatever Tlaloc threw at her and escape unharmed."
Cold terror lodged in Twilight's throat. Her breath came in short gasps. "If things went..."
"I had the utmost confidence in Rainbow's ability to--"
"But you still shouldn't be yelling at her!" Rainbow flew up to look Celestia in the eye. The terror in Twilight's chest mixed with shock. "I made the bad call because I wasn't thinking. I should have expected her to come help me."
Rainbow shot Twilight a glance she didn't have time to process.
"But the fact is," Rainbow continued, less forcefully, "we found out what needed to be found out and old Stormy Shorts got in our way, so we took him out! Now you don't need to worry about him, so what's the big deal?"
"It was at great risk to both you and Twilight." Celestia leaned so far forward, she could have bit Rainbow's nose if she'd wished.
"Which wasn't any risk at all." Rainbow backed off, brushing her hooves together. "I mean really, Princess, you've known us how long? Do you even have any idea who you're talking to? I'd never let anything happen to Twilight, not while she's with me, because I l--"
The word caught in Rainbow's mouth, coming out as a stream of gagging. She turned bright red. Twilight took a step towards her, and Celestia, a step away. The Sun Princess's eyes went wide.
"I love her too much," Rainbow finished, her voice barely scraping the walls.
"You mean... the two of you..."
"Yes, Princess," Twilight said, her voice a tiny creak in a stone door.
Rainbow, forehooves crossed over her chest, smirked. "And you can count on us never leaving each other's' sides, forever."
Something swelled inside Twilight, chasing away the fear and shame, and she smiled.
Celestia sat down, hard, on the marble floor, her shocked expression giving way to a relieved smile. "Oh, my little ponies... Twilight, Rainbow, I am very happy for you both. If only I had..." She looked directly Twilight, her gaze intense but drained of the previous fury. "Can you forgive me?"
Twilight looked to Rainbow, who landed and smiled.
"Of course we can."