//------------------------------// // Preparations // Story: I'll Always be Here for You // by The Abyss //------------------------------// Rainbow stirred under the covers, the warmth of Twilight’s soft body all snuggled up against her chest nearly lulling her back to sleep. As happy thoughts of soaring through the clouds with Scootaloo started popping into her mind one by one, she noticed that the blanket keeping them warm had all but fallen from their still forms, only finding it laying bunched up at the foot of the bed when her left hind leg twitched. She frowned, caught between the desire to keep snuggling and the need to get the blanket. Rainbow lay still for several moments as she listened to Twilight breathe softly. Though while her back was getting pretty cold, she did not want to ruin this perfect moment. Twilight’s head was nestled right in the crook of her neck, her fore legs curled up to her chest just how she liked. Rainbow had wrapped her left wing around Twilight’s body just under her fore legs before they had gone to bed, and just for good measure, she had thrown her own leg over Twilight’s, keeping her fore legs gently pinned to her chest. Adjusting her wing’s grip on her friend, Rainbow felt a shiver run down her spine as she felt through her wing just how soft Twilight’s was. Just like her own, Twilight’s feathers were in pristine condition, probably even more so because of her position as princess. Before they had all gone to bed for the night, she’d heard Twilight muttering to herself about looking good for the trial. Rainbow cracked an eye open to see the sun’s morning rays start to shine in through the windows. Eh, I guess now’s as good a time as any to get up… she thought, letting loose a soft yawn. Pulling Twilight just a little bit closer to her, she nuzzled the back of her head right in between her ears and whispered, “Hey Twi, time to wake up…” As Twilight started stirring awake, Rainbow gently let go of her fore legs, smiling as she watched the alicorn stretch sleepily. As Twilight let her limbs go limp, she rolled over a few moments later, a lazy smile on her face. “Morning, Dashie… how’s my favorite pegasus this morning?” she asked, letting loose a soft yawn. “Oh, um… good, I guess,” Rainbow softly said, taking care to not wake Spike and Scootaloo. Lifting her head, she looked past Twilight and saw that the other two were still fast asleep in the other bed. Judging by the small smile on Scootaloo’s face and the fact that she didn’t wake everyone up screaming, it looked like she didn’t have a nightmare that night. She laid her head back down, giggling softly as Twilight’s mane tickled the side of her neck. “You think we should get ready, or…” she trailed off, a nervous smile forming on her face. “Or what?” Twilight asked with a chuckle, raising an eyebrow as she waited for Rainbow to respond. “Or… can I be the little spoon for ten minutes?” Rainbow asked as she felt her cheeks turn a little pink. She looked to the side and bit her lower lip then glanced back up into Twilight’s eyes. “Heh, why not?” Twilight asked. Before she was done speaking, Rainbow had already flipped over onto her other side, grabbed the blanket by their hind legs, and had gotten her pillow just the way she wanted. “I’m sure we can spare a few minutes…” Settling down beside Rainbow, she mimicked what the pegasus had done for her last night. She pulled Rainbow’s fore legs up to her chest and laid one of her legs over them, then she pulled her into a fierce wing hug. And just for good measure, she laid her right hind leg over Rainbow’s flank, pulling her even closer. With a quick spell, she tucked the thick blanket in all around them, tight enough to fight off the cold yet loose enough so that they wouldn’t overheat. As Twilight laid her head down on her own pillow, she angled the two of them into a better position, adding a little curve to her back so they could snuggle even closer to each other. Flicking her tail so that it fell around Rainbow’s flank, she whispered into Rainbow’s ear, “You comfy?” Rainbow nodded, letting loose a deeply satisfied sigh. Oh yeah, I think she’s good… Twilight let the next minute pass in silence as she listened to Rainbow’s breathing slow. She really enjoyed how close she and Rainbow were becoming, not just physically, but as friends. If she had to ever call somepony her best friend, she would most definitely pick Rainbow, not only because of the fact that they already did a lot of things together, but because they both shared a unique common interest: their desire to help change Scootaloo’s life for the better. As she relished the blissful feelings of snuggling, Twilight felt a small pit of worry grow within her stomach. She cracked open an eye and looked out of the window. Gauging by the amount of light shining through the window, it was already well into the morning. Praying that they didn’t oversleep, as a certain familiar feeling of dread filled her, she frowned and looked over her shoulder, trying to find a clock. Spotting one sitting on the far wall near the door, Twilight only saw one of the hands on the clock centered directly on the number nine. Oh no no no… she thought as she bolted upright. Throwing the sheets of off her, she ungraciously slid out of bed and made her way over to the clock, muttering, “Oh, this can’t be happening…” over and over again, ignoring Rainbow’s annoyed groan. Now standing in front of the clock she looked up, her gaze finally came into focus. Oh, it’s just eight forty-five... she thought with a relieved sigh. Her memory a little foggy, she walked back over to the bed, and as Rainbow rolled over to face her, she asked her, “Rainbow, you remember what time the guards were going to pick us up by?” “Yeah, like… nine fifteen, right?” Rainbow asked as she sat up, making Twilight freeze in place, her hoof raised to hop onto the bed. Noticing Twilight’s shocked expression, her tone becoming a little more serious, she asked, “Why?” Locking eyes with her friend, Twilight rose her voice as panic started to take ahold of her. “Rainbow, it’s eight forty-five! We only have a half hour to get ready!” Paying the fact that her outburst had woken the other two occupants of the room no heed, she continued, “We have to brush our manes, do some last minute studying, and then on top of that, we’ve gotta–” “Twilight, geez…” Rainbow said with a giggle. “Calm down a little; it’s not like we’re gonna lose or anything. Heck, Scootaloo’s parents are gonna have so many charges brought up against them that the court will have no choice but to give Scootaloo’s care to us!” She slid out of bed, trotted up to the anxious mare then sat down across from her. “Trust me, I know everything’s gonna work out!” Shooting a glance over at Scootaloo, she gave her one of her most confident smiles and asked, “Ain’t that right, squirt?” “Yep!” Scootaloo called back as she stretched, still staying under the covers. “See? Even Scootaloo knows we’re gonna win, Twi!” Rainbow said as she stood up. “Now, come on everyone, let’s get cleaned up for this trial so we can look our best.” She looked over at Scootaloo and saw that the filly hadn’t moved an inch. “Hey Scoots, since you’re so eager to get up, you can go take a shower first!” Rainbow trotted over to where she lay and pulled the covers off of her, tickling the filly’s sensitive belly with a single feather. Scootaloo squealed from the sudden tickle attack and tried to scramble away, her hind leg kicking out a little on its own as she tried to escape Rainbow’s relentless attack. “But I took one last night!” Scootaloo said, smiling in relief as she watched Rainbow fold her wing back to her side. “Heh, oh yeah,” Rainbow said, using her wing to gently push Scootaloo along towards the bathroom. “But you still need to brush your mane and tail! Come on, I’ll help ya get rid of that bedhead…” she said with a chuckle as they walked into the bathroom. Spotting a hairbrush sitting on the counter, Rainbow grabbed it with her mouth and motioned for Scootaloo to turn around and sit down. She sat down behind her and ran the brush through the filly’s mane, struggling to fight it back into submission. Thankfully, it didn’t take as long as she had thought it would take, and it only took her a couple minutes more to get the knots out of her tail. “There! All done!” “Thanks Rainbow! You want me to do your mane and tail?” Scootaloo asked as she turned around. “Nah, I think I’m good; thanks though, squirt,” Rainbow said, giving Scootaloo’s mane a playful tousle. “Now, go on back to Twilight and see if she needs any help, okay?” “Okay!” Scootaloo said before she scampered away. When Rainbow heard the filly try to rouse Spike, she chuckled and started brushing herself, only taking a few minutes to get it all done. Tossing the brush back up on the desk, she trotted back out into the living room to find Twilight brushing her mane with another brush while doing some last minute studying over at the desk. Deciding to just let her do her own thing, she walked up to their bed and started tidying up, trying to clean things up just a bit. Ever since she saw the deplorable conditions that Scootaloo used to live in, Rainbow was determined to change her usual sloppy ways for the better. Just as she finished tossing the last pillow back into place, Twilight’s voice broke the silence. “So remember, Rainbow, during the trial, you must be on your most absolute, perfect behavior, alright? Nopony’s ever won a fight or an argument because of yelling, especially in court,” Twilight said as she kept running the brush through her mane. Glancing at the clock for the umpteenth time, she moved the brush down to her tail, and after running it through it a few times, she tossed the brush back down on the desk. “Yeah, yeah, I remember, Twilight,” Rainbow said with a soft giggle. “You’ve only said that, like what, four times now? I think I can remember something like that!” Cocking her ear towards the door, she heard several sets of hooves hitting the floor in near perfect rhythm. “If my ear isn’t playing tricks on me, Twilight, I think our escort is gonna be here any second.” “Ack! Really?” she asked, her voice rising in pitch. “But I’m nowhere close to being ready for today! I still have to read that book over there, I’m nowhere even close to finishing this one, and–” “Twilight, seriously, chill out!” Spike said, waving a claw in front of Twilight’s face, snapping her out of her funk. She opened her mouth to respond but a loud knocking from their door cut her off. “Princess Twilight Sparkle, we are here to escort you and your company down to the Canterlot High Courts!” a loud, deep, and gravelly voice rang out from behind the door. “Okay, just a minute!” Rainbow called back. Turning to look back at Twilight, she looked her dead in the eye, placed a hoof on her shoulder, and smiled confidently. “Come on, let’s go win this thing!”