//------------------------------//
// Part 1 
// Story: I Can Hear You Scream 
// by Kodeake 
//------------------------------//


I Can Hear You Scream
Part 1


“I'll see you tomorrow, Soarin!” Rainbow called, waving a hoof down the hall to her teammate as he disappeared through the door into his hotel room. She turned and walked a little further down the hall as she heard the quiet click of his door closing. Not fifteen more paces and she was at her door, causing her to stop and reach back into her saddlebag with a wing, pushing the folded Wonderbolt uniform aside as she searched for the key she knew was hidden somewhere inside. With a small smile of success she poked a feather through the keyring and pulled it out of her bag, transferring it to her hoof as she unlocked and opened her door.

The suites in the hotels she stayed at had never failed to impress her. A combination of hardwood floors for the dining area and small kitchen, with plush, elegant carpet everywhere else greeted her hooves as she stepped inside. The bathroom had a pattern of beautiful mosaic marble tiles. Everything positively shined with cleanliness, reflecting light from the large, crystal and gold chandelier in the middle of the room, filled to the brim with the best of the best of enchanted lighting gems. The room had large windows in the sitting area facing out over the sparkling cityscape of Manehattan from the top floor of the hotel.

Walking into her gorgeous – as Rarity would call it – room, she let the door swing shut behind her, reaching out a back hoof to flick the lock as she stepped loudly on the hardwood floor of the entryway. The sharp clopping turned to muffled thuds as she entered her sitting room, taking her bags from her back and tossing them onto the couch. Her flight suit reeked of the sweat of a hard day's work, but since she'd already done her show, she had at least a week before she'd be needing it again. It was a week she fully intended to take advantage of. 

She looked longingly at the door to the bedroom, behind which was a large, comfortable bed, with pillows that were nothing short of divine. But, as she took a weary step towards it, she caught a whiff of herself. It seemed her flight suit was not the only thing that needed a serious scrubbing. With a tired sigh she trudged away from the promise of sleep and instead towards her bathroom, with its massive shower stall and jacuzzi tub. 

She shivered gently as her hooves made contact with the hard, cold marble tiles. Taking a moment of debate, the tub won out, as her legs already felt weak from exhaustion and she did not want to stand for another minute, let alone long enough to have a proper shower. With a quick twist of the nob the faucet sprung to life as Rainbow pulled the lever to plug the drain. The piping hot water filled the unreasonably large tub slowly as she sat back on her haunches, watching with a bored look as the ripples travelled out, washing over the water and splashing near silently against the porcelain sides of the tub. 

Such a tub was not normally her style; showers were more efficient and faster, but nopony – not even her – could deny the soothing feeling of a nice, hot bath. After a show it was practically mandatory for her sore wings. Steam began filling the room as the water filled to half way, the mirror that covered the upper portion of one of the walls beginning to fog. With a groan of impatience Rainbow spread her tired wings and gave a couple flaps, just barely strong enough to get her off the ground. Once she was high enough she hovered over to the tub and slowly lowered herself into the water, wincing gently as she got used to the rather high temperature. 

Without much hesitation she lowered herself the rest of the way, stopping when she felt her hooves contact the bottom of the tub. The water rose just above her knees, now nearing the upper edge of the jacuzzi. Letting it reach up to just below her belly, Rainbow reached forward and turned the tap off, wading through the water to the edge of the tub and sitting down, leaning her back against the edge of the tub. With a relaxed sigh she allowed her wings to fan out beneath the water's surface, feeling the comforting warmth surround them. It had been a long, tiresome day, and she was going to take full advantage of what being a Wonderbolt got her.   

Letting her head fall back loosely, Rainbow closed her eyes and breathed deeply of the steamy air, the soothing sensation of the water permeating her entire being slowly relaxing her tense muscles. All was perfectly silent in the bathroom as she let her limbs dangle uselessly in the water. She'd be heading back home to Ponyville the following day to celebrate her one year anniversary of being a Wonderbolt with her friends. It'd been more than a month since she'd last seen them, and she was looking forward to their usual antics.

She just hoped Twilight had managed to find the time to make it, with her being a princess and everything. Rainbow couldn't blame her if she didn't, but she was looking forward to seeing the alicorn, since she'd been hung up with her royal duties the last time Rainbow had time to come home.

With a begrudging sigh she shook the thoughts from her mind, resting with the knowledge that, even if Twilight wasn't there, she wished she could be. Rainbow stood and reached over to the soap to begin cleaning the sweat and grime from her coat and mane. The hotels' products were a bit much for her usual tastes, but without much other options she was forced to smell like pomegranate, or so the bottle claimed. She could live with it for one night. She'd need to shower in her own home with her own products as soon as she could though.

Before long she deemed herself adequately clean for bed, and when the water lost its relaxing warmth she pulled the lever and drained the tub as she dried herself with just about the fluffiest towel she had ever used. To say she was pampered was an understatement. She frowned as she wrapped a towel around her mane, catching sight of her wings. She'd need to preen those before the flight back to Ponyville.

One languid stretch later she trotted lazily out into the main room of her suite, glancing around for something to do whilst her mane dried. Going to bed with wet hair was an experience she didn't exactly relish. Perhaps it was the dampness on her pillow, or the slight chill on her scalp, or maybe it was just the fact that her mane looked terrible in the morning – even by her usual standards. She frowned again; the best hotel room money could by, and she didn't see a single interesting thing to do. With a quiet sigh she turned to her suitcase. Having packed light like usual, there were very few objects in them that did not normally get carried around in her saddlebags. One of these items was a book she'd brought with her for nights such as this.

The corners of her mouth rose just a little when she pulled out Daring Do and the Sands of Time, one of her favourites in the series. It was a mint condition signed first edition book. Being a Wonderbolt held no shortage of bits. Such was the reward of being on the top, along with the fame of course. She flopped down onto her couch, letting one wing rest against the back and the other dangle off the edge as she held the book open above her and began reading.

It was a thrilling tail, but also the most controversial when she'd first read it. Within the pages of this book held the very first bits of romance, a subject she was none too keen on reading when she'd first found it. Twilight had assured her over and over that the romance wasn't that big a deal, and that it added a lot of depth to the characters and made the adventures just a little more harrowing. At first Rainbow had rejected the book, and nearly swore off the series. Eventually though she gave in and read it. She never did get a taste for the romance, but it was at the very least tolerable.

Now, she read this book much more often than the others, even more than the first one, which was previously her favourite. She didn't really know why, but she began to enjoy – and even look forward to – the chapters that held the most of the romance.

With a firm thud the book was snapped shut and placed delicately on her bags, a bookmark placed a fair way through it. Her mane was dry, and it was time to get some rest before the long flight ahead of her. It was a flight she was equal parts dreading and looking forward to. It meant she was going home to her friends, but it also meant finding out whether or not Twilight would be able to make it back to celebrate with them. 

The towel was tossed to the glass coffee table as she trudged into her bedroom, not even bother to flip on the lights as she navigated her way through the darkness towards a bed she knew was there somewhere. It was certainly too large to miss.

Sure enough, with less effort than she'd expected, she found her bed, neatly made and expertly prepared for a night of restful slumber. She let loose a yawn as she climbed under the warm, smooth blankets, finding one of the numerous pillows and resting her head against it. It was a bed so large that, even if she spread out as far as she could in the center, she would not reach any of the edges. She lay directly in the middle, relishing in the sheer emptiness of the bed. 

With a wing she reached up, searching blindly for something she knew was there. She found it, and brought down one of her large pillows, bringing it down to her chest and wrapping her front hooves around it, along with one of her wings. As she lay there, snuggling with the plush pillow in her cold, lonely, empty bed, she closed her eyes. In her mind, the pillow she hugged to her chest was not a pillow, but rather another pony. That lived and breathed and laughed right beside her. Another pony that held her back, just as fiercely as she held it.

A single tear rolled down her cheek, one she didn't even realize she had let fall, as she gave her pillow a gentle, loving nuzzle.

“It's good to be at the top,” she whispered, before drifting off into a restless night of sleep, void of happy dreams.





Twilight Sparkle groaned quietly as yet another noble stopped her in the halls of Canterlot castle. It was the same noble who had requested multiple audiences with herself, Luna, and Celestia. Each time his plans to make himself even more money had been denied. She cared little for what he had to say, and so she didn't listen. Instead, she put on her best smile and greeted him happily, allowing him to blather on about whatever his newest argument was. She heard him talk, but she had no interest knowing what he said.

She waited patiently, for what she was convinced was hours, but was probably just a few short minutes, as the noble pleaded his case. When he was finally done, she gave him her best apologetic smile, though she could feel even that practiced routine cracking under her annoyance and exhaustion, and said, as politely as possible “Thank you, Mr. Bit; I'll considered your case with this new information in mind, but I cannot make any promises.”

He ushered out a hurried, “Of course, your highness. Thank you for your time,” before scampering down the hall with a giddy smile. Of course, he didn't need to know that Twilight wouldn't even think about it, but it made him happy, so she allowed it for now. 

As soon as she was sure he was gone, she allowed her polite smile to fade, her face once again taking on the true tiredness she felt. She could see, at the very end of the hall, the door to her bedchambers, where a comfortable bed sat and waited for her tired body and mind. While not a physically taxing job, being a princess took a lot out of a pony – more than she was expecting, with how calm and collected Celestia always was. The best time of her day was when she walked through those large double doors into her secluded room, the only place that was truly private. Nopony save the other Princesses disturbed her in there. It was a place she yearned for at the end of each and every day.

She trotted swiftly through the hall with a renewed vigour as the guards station along the walls gave her polite nods. It had taken her a while, but she'd finally gotten them to stop going into full attention for her. At last, with a burst of purple magic – perhaps a little stronger than was strictly necessary - she flung her wooden doors open, stepped through, and shut them. The inside welcomed her with open arms, displaying its plethora of plush, silk floor cushions and shelves upon shelves of books. In a loft was her large bed with its blankets, coloured lavender like most other objects in the room. Tapestries, emblazoned with her cutie mark hung from the walls, below two of them, spaced perfectly apart, sat a fireplace, its mantel covered in pictures. Pictures of her family and friends. Pictures of her mentor and fellow princesses. Pictures of old memories she deemed important enough to be displays rather than shoved into one of the many binders full of pictures just like them. 

With a brief spark of magic a fire was lit in the fireplace, though there was no wood to burn. A handy trick she learned living in a tree that would burn down if she lit a real fire. This spell cast light and heat much like a normal fire, but had no risk of burning anything around it. It had been her companion on many nights of working late on the countless requests she got. She never got how Celestia could take care of the entire country on her own and still keep her as a personal student. Even divided amongst three princesses, the workload was nothing short of legendary. 

Letting out a quiet sigh of relief that this was one of those rare nights she didn't have to stay up working, she once more lit her horn, beginning to strip herself of her regalia. First came her crown, floating over to a closet where it wouldn't be seen until needed. That time would not come for another week, thankfully. She'd specifically arranged a week where she could drop the weight of her title and return home to enjoy the company of her friends as they celebrated Rainbow's one year anniversary in the Wonderbolts. It was an event she'd been looking forward to since she'd found out she couldn't return home the last time Dash had been able to. Since then she'd planned out all her visits home for the next year and a half, timing them when alongside the Wonderbolt schedule.

When she was free of the clothing that identified her status, she sat down heavily on one of the large purple pillows in front of the fire, sitting up for a mere moment before laying down fully, resting her head on her hooves as she looked into the artificial fire. She missed the smell of a real fire, but she wasn't about to go and get wood when she'd just managed to get into her room. No telling how many nobles would stop her if she tried to leave again. 

So she resigned herself to simply enjoying the heat and light of a fire. The gentle oranges and angry reds danced before her eyes, casting their glow around the room and seemingly igniting everything into a burning blaze. Mentally exhausted from her day, but not quite ready to sleep, Twilight lit her horn for what was likely the final time that night and reached out to one of her many bookshelves. A couple seconds of searching and she found the book she was after, bringing it closer to her so she could read the cover.

'Daring Do and the Sands of Time' was printed proudly across the front of the book, along with an image of said adventurer running down a hall with an ornate hourglass clutched in her teeth. It was an old book; one of the earlier ones in the series. The pages were worn and beginning to turn yellow, and the image on the cover was starting to lose its once bright and vibrant colours. On the inside of the cover was the author's signature, one she'd gotten when she was just starting to get into the series. 

With a flare of magic the book opened to the first page and she started reading. It was a book she didn't give much though to until recent times. What was once her least favourite in the series had become her top for a reason she wasn't exactly sure of. When she'd first read it, the romance aspects hadn't been of much interest to her, being a shut in as a filly and finding the entire notion of companionship pointless and a little silly. If she was being honest, she had a very similar reaction to Rainbow Dash when she'd first read it, though she didn't nearly swear off the series for it. 

A small chuckle left her mouth as she thought of the absolutely befuddled expression on her pegasus friend's face when she'd been informed that Daring Do got a coltfriend in the book. The small laugh was quickly drowned under a wave of excitement for the following day as she thought more about all her friends. She'd forgo a train and instead fly straight back to Ponyville as soon as she could. She was sure Dash would no doubt do the same from her show in Manehattan, but Twilight had the advantage. Manehattan was a fair distance further than Canterlot from Ponyville, but Rainbow was the faster flier, even when she wasn't in a race. Depending on when they left, they'd probably arrive home at nearly the same time. Twilight just had to make sure she left earlier, and her plan could be set in motion.

Twilight glanced away from her book, looking instead to her large glass windows that looked out over the edge of the city and down to the fields far below the mountain. The sun had long since disappeared behind the horizon, and it was getting even later by the second. With a sigh she shut her book, not even bothering to mark her page as she stood tiredly from her cushions and wobbled her way up the loft to her bed. With a a flop that could only be achieved by a pony with wings she slammed down belly-first onto her bed, not even bothering to pull back the blankets. Her wings fanned out, spreading out to cover as much of her massive bed as she possibly could.

Almost falling asleep right then and there on top of her covers, she made one final effort and struggled around until she was safely beneath her silken blankets. The fire illusion she'd cast in the fire place continued to burn, and would do so until she herself put it out. For now, she left it; the dancing lights were a wonderful sight to fall asleep to, and there was no danger of anything else catching fire. 

With a content sigh and a final shift beneath the covers, Twilight closed her eyes and let her body go slack.

But she did not fall asleep.

Something stopped her from falling into the land of dreams she so desperately wished to enter. A nagging, itching sensation at the very back of her mind. A half-formed thought that had yet to be thought about. The idea of an idea. Whatever it was, it would not go away, and would not allow her the slumber she craved. 

With a frustrated huff she opened her eyes. She'd felt the nagging before. She knew what it was, but not why it was there. It seemed almost random, coming and going in short bursts of restless nights. Twilight grumbled, sitting up and scanning her eyes across her bed. Her cold, empty, lonely bed.

Her horn lit up in a flash of lavender magic and focused on her head. A second flash later and she fell back onto her pillows, the sleep spell she'd cast being just as effective as the previous couple times she'd needed to use it. There was simply no other way for her to sleep when the itching in the back of her mind surfaced. She knew that if she scratched the itch, the full, oppressing sensation of her situation would come crashing down on her. 

The feeling of no feeling; the sensation of something missing.

In her blissfully blank sleep, small orbs of water trailed down her cheeks from her closed eyes. 





Rainbow couldn't hide her grin as the town of Ponyville came into view on the horizon. The sun hadn't even reached its zenith yet, and was in fact just barely fully visible in the pristine blue sky. She'd left right at the crack of dawn as she'd intended, and it had given her quite a bit more time home than she'd originally anticipated. She chuckled at how surprised her friends would be at her early return. Pinkie would probably push her surprise 'welcome home' party up a few hours to get as much partying done as possible. 

Just imagining the look on the excitable mare's face was enough reason for Rainbow to fly a bit faster than she had been, a rainbow coloured streak trialling her through the skies as she soared over the rich green grass far below. She couldn't keep the excited gleam out of her eyes if she tried. It was time to make her grand return as the grassy fields turned to rows and rows of apple trees.

Before long Rainbow was flying over Ponyville, her tell-tale rainbow marking her return and catching a few curious eyes. As she slowed she started to hear the ponies in the town, welcoming her home with warm smiles and happy waves. Some of the younger fillies and colts in her self-dubbed “fan club” ran down the street trying to follow her. It brought her more pride than seeing her face on a Wonderbolt's poster. Making a mental note to great everypony properly at her party, which she could see being set up in Sugarcube corner, she banked around and landed near the center of town, to the surprise of the ponies who had been walking by at the time. 

However, when she raised her head, it was not with a proud smile or a cocky grin, but with a neutral frown. She'd landed directly in front of Golden Oaks Library. A terrible feeling welled up in her gut as she noticed the dark windows and 'closed' sign on the door. Twilight wasn't back yet. Sighing deeply, Rainbow shook her head; she'd prepared herself for the possibility that Twilight wouldn't be able to make it back. 

She understood, of course; being a Princess was both hard and important work, and vacations were few and far between. That didn't mean she had to like it. 

“Rainbow Dash!” Somepony cried excitedly, making the pegasus turn her head curiously. At the end of the street she saw her four friends rushing towards her happily. “You're back!” Fluttershy called again, her wings buzzing as she closed the distance between them quickly. Without stopping or slowing down the shy yellow tackled her friend into a hug, which was quickly joined by the other three mares.

“Welcome back, RD,” Applejack said fondly as she took a step back from the group hug after a couple seconds, signalling to the rest of the ponies it was time to let go.

“We do hope you had a good... time...” Rarity trailed off as she looked up, realizing where it was they were. Everypony else realized the same thing at the same time as they all turned their gazes to the empty tree standing tall and proud. 

“She sent a letter...” Fluttershy said slowly, lowering her head.

“She said she was sorry she couldn't make it, and that she was really looking forward to it but a last minute meeting came up that she had to attend,” Pinkie explained sadly.

Applejack sighed, watching as Rainbow gazed longingly at the library. Placing a gentle hoof on her back, the farmer said, “I'm sure she'd be here if she could. You know she wouldn't want to miss this, and it's been so long since she last saw you.”

Rainbow shrugged the hoof off her back, walking at a subdued pace away from the library. “I know... I just wish she could make it down more often. When was the last time you girls saw her?”

“About... two months...” Rarity said scrunching her muzzle in thought as she tried to remember the exact date. 

“Guess I won't have another chance to see her for a while... I don't even have any shows in Canterlot any time soon,” Rainbow muttered, before taking a deep breath. Letting it out slowly, she raised her head. “I saw the party you guys were setting up on my way into town, wanna get that started early?”

“Party time!” Pinkie cheered excitedly, pumping a hoof int he air even as she continued to bounce down the path alongside the rest of the group, now moving at a much faster pace. 

Applejack raised a curious eyebrow at her friend's sudden change in attitude, but let it slide as her being used to the situation by now. “How long are you gonna be here this time?” She asked, glancing briefly over.

“All week,” Rainbow announced proudly. “Maybe more, depending on what happens with the new recruits coming in.”

“Wow, what are you going to do?” Fluttershy asked happily, smiling brightly as she walked next to the cyan mare. 

“First, party,” Rainbow said, stopping and grinning up at the recognizable exterior of Sugarcube Corner. “After that, well, catching up with you girls, for the most part.” A frown crossed Rainbow's muzzle for a split second as she remembered the one friend she really wanted to see over the week, but it vanished just as quickly as it had appeared; nopony was to blame, so there was no point in being upset about it.

Suddenly, Pinkie burst through the front door of the pastry shop, confetti and streamers flying out with her. “Surprise! Welcome home Dashie!” She cried excitedly, grinning widely as her friends shrugged off the seemingly impossible action. 

“Pinkie, do me a favour,” Rainbow said quietly, taking a step forward to the pink mare. “Never change,” she finished, wrapping her in a quick hug before turning back to her friends. “I don't suppose anypony else will be here until later, so we have some time to just relax. I did just fly all the way from Manehattan.”

“Sounds good to me,” Applejack agreed with a nod of her head, following Rainbow through the doors into the bakery. 

“Oh! Oh oh oh! I have another surprise! Be right back!” And with that Pinkie was off, gone in a pink blur up the stares to her room on the second floor of the shop.

“Where are the Cakes?” Rainbow Dash asked curiously as she glanced around the front room. It was exactly how she'd expected it; covered in brightly coloured streamers and balloons. The tables that normally occupied the middle of the room had been shoved against the walls and connected to make one large buffet table, filled with various treats and drinks, most of which were made by Pinkie herself.

“Vacation with the Twins,” Rarity answered, using her magic to get a small plastic cup of punch from the table, offering one to Rainbow who gladly accepted. 

Raising a sceptical eyebrow, Rainbow asked, “They trust Pinkie enough for that?”

“Oh dear, it really has been quite some time since you spent any real length of time here,” Rarity noted with a chuckle, taking a delicate sip of her punch before continuing. “Pinkie runs the shop more often than the cakes do these days. The Cakes handle catering to the big events, and Pinkie handles the shop here in Ponyville while they're out. Our little bakery has become quite well known for its party foods.”

“Huh, well it's not destroyed, so I guess she does a pretty good job of it,” Rainbow Dash said, smiling at the decorated room.

“And here's part two of your surprise party!” Pinkie called, bringing all eyes to the top of the stairs where she stood. “Ta-Da!” 

Rainbow's jaw hit the floor. She'd been expecting, even anticipating, many different things from the spontaneous mare, but what she saw now blew everything she thought she knew out of the water. It was... the perfect surprise. Perfect in every way.

“Did... did you guys know about this?” She asked weakly, turning to her other friends but never once taking her eyes away from the surprise. What a surprise it was. They all nodded, but she barely noticed.

“T... Twilight...”

Twilight Sparkle was standing at the top of the stairs next to Pinkie Pie, smiling down at the room full of her friends with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “I never did get you back for dyeing my mane blue,” she explained with a shrug. 

“Oh come on; you just used magic to fix it,” Rainbow nearly whined, crossing her hooves. “Here I was thinking you wouldn't make it home. Worse yet you get all the girls in on it too...”

“First,” Twilight stated firmly, taking measured, elegant steps down the staircase. “I had to learn the spell before I could use it, which I didn't have time to do because I had to make a public appearance. Second, you know I wouldn't miss your one year anniversary for anything.”

“So not cool,” Rainbow muttered. “Though you looked ridiculous with that hat on!” She added with an hearty laugh, her other friends chuckling as they too remembered the incident. By time Rainbow had gotten it out of her system Twilight had made it to the bottom of the stairs and was walking across the floor towards her. 

“It wasn't that funny,” Twilight said with a roll of her eyes, cracking a smirk as well.

Rainbow smiled, closing the distance between them and wrapping Twilight in a short embrace much like she had with her other friends when she'd arrived home. “I'm glad you could make it back, egghead.”

“Aw, Rainbow's being sappy,” Twilight teased, giving her friend a quick hug in return before pulling herself away. 

“Shut up,” Rainbow growled. 

It was silent for a few awkward moments before Rarity cleared her throat purposefully loudly. It had no effect on the silence that had overtaken the room.

“Er... Dash?” Applejack asked slowly.

“What?”

Twilight chuckled. “I think they're all waiting for you to let go of me.”

Rainbow's eyes bulged open as she realized she still had her forelegs wrapped around lavender shoulders. With a nervous chuckle and a sheepish smile she pulled away, taking a few steps back and putting some distance between her and Twilight. 

“I... uh... missed you... it's been a while...” Rainbow trailed off nervously as all her friends just looked at her. Rarity had a devious smirk on her face – one that made Rainbow uncomfortable – and Twilight had a calm smile. The rest of her friends just looked confused.

Luckily, the door burst open just in time before anypony could say anything and a orange and purple blur shot into the shop, tackling Rainbow and nearly dropping her to the floor. “Oh my gosh! Rainbow Dash! You're back!” Scootaloo cried excitedly, giving her adoptive sister the biggest hug her rather small legs could muster. 

“Hey squirt,” Rainbow greeted, wrapping a single foreleg around the filly's back, thankful for the convenient excuse to not talk about her little... mistake. “How's it going?”

“Awesome!” Scootaloo chirped excitedly, removing herself from her idol's leg and buzzing her wings excitedly. “I've been practising flying just like you taut me to!”

“Oh yeah?” Rainbow raised a curious eyebrow. “How's that going for ya?”

Scootaloo gave a challenging smirk. “Watch.” With that, the filly started flapping her wings even harder before jumping into the air, hover about a foot off the floor. She manage to stay there for thirty or so seconds before one of her wings came down at the wrong angle and blew her off course, causing to tilt and crash to the ground. She quickly brushed it off as she stood and gave Rainbow a proud smile.

“Heh, not too bad, squirt. Keep it up and you'll be flying in no time!” Rainbow said, just as proud as Scootaloo.

Scootaloo's smile widened at the praise, a light blush of embarrassment crossing her cheeks. “What are you doing back so early? You weren't supposed to be here until late tonight.”

Rainbow shrugged casually. “Decided to head back early. Not like I had anything to do today other than come back home.”

Just as suddenly as Scootaloo had, a young purple dragon threw the front door open, the bell jingling loudly. “Girls! Rainbow Dash is back early! We need to-” Spike cut himself off as he saw said mare in the room with a smirk on her face. He gave them all a deadpan expression. “And when was I going to be told about this?”

Smothering a chuckle behind her hoof Twilight smiled apologetically. “Sorry Spike, but Pinkie saw Dash fly into town so we decided to start a bit early. We thought you'd have spotted her, since you were on lookout duty. Speaking of, how did you miss her?”

The dragon rubbed the back of his neck, letting loose an awkward laugh. “I may have been on the north side of town...”

Twilight laughed. “I told you she'd be flying in from the south didn't I?”

“The compass was acting funny! The red side of the arrow was pointing north!” He protested angrily, making everypony in the room break out into barely-contained giggles.

“Spike, the red side always points north,” Fluttershy explained kindly, her gentle chuckling making him blush in embarrassment. 

Too flustered to defend himself, he scampered quickly toward the table in an attempt to hide his embarrassed face behind a cup of punch.

“Well,” Rainbow started, clearing her throat as she fought off her mirth. “Since everypony's here, and the rest of the town won't be coming until later today, how about we start our own little party?”





The party was nothing short of fantastic. It wasn't as lively as some of Pinkie's other parties, but it was one of the best homecoming parties Rainbow had had in her year of being a Wonderbolt. Part of her wondered if that was because it was one of the few Twilight had made it to. The party just between her and her closer friends had lasted about two hours before other guests started arriving, each eagerly greeting and congratulating the town's resident Wonderbolt. After that the party started to get more party-like, with Pinkie busting out the music and restocking her refreshments. In no time at all it had changed from a casual get-together with friends to a full-blown welcome home party. 

But every party had to come to an end, and with work for the majority of the guests the next day Sugarcube Corner began rapidly emptying by time the sun was nearing the horizon. When the sun had completely disappeared behind the mountains all that was left was the original six friends, plus one dragon sleeping soundly in one of the booths against the wall.

“Oh hey, Twi, I forgot to ask; how long are you going to be home?” Rainbow asked, walking over to the alicorn currently eating what she promised herself was the last doughnut of the night. 

Twilight glanced up from her sugary treat momentarily to confirm who had spoken to her before quickly swallowing what she had left and replying, “As long as you're here.”

“Seriously?” Rainbow asked, surprised her friend had managed to escape from her Princess duties for a full week.

Grinning, Twilight nodded. “Yep, I figured since I missed you last time, I'd start working my schedule around yours. I've managed to get as much time as possible off between the Wonderbolt's scheduled tours. Of course, it's not perfect, and if anything important comes up I'll have to attend to it, but for the most part I should be home when you are.” 

Rainbow opened her mouth to comment on how “awesome” that was when a loud snore made them both glance to the side. Spike was sleeping on the seat of the booth beside the table, tossing and turning as though he couldn't find a comfortable spot to rest, which was probably the case. Twilight frowned. “I should probably get him home, he was helping set up the party all day.”

“I still can't believe he runs the library all by himself,” Rainbow noted as Twilight picked him up in her magical grasp and set him gently on her back between her wings. 

Twilight smiled fondly at the dragon now resting on her back, who'd subconsciously crawled up until his head was resting halfway under her mane. “Well, he was pretty much running it before I left, since I was always too busy studying to actually run it. He's still too young to live there on his own though.”

Chuckling, Rainbow nodded. “Bet he loves living with Rarity when you're not here.”

“You'd be surprised,” Twilight said, glancing around the room. The only ponies that were left were her closest friends, and she could see Fluttershy waving to her from the door. Giving a polite wave back, she watched as Fluttershy smiled before opening the door and walking out into the night. 

“Surprised?” Rainbow asked sceptically.

“She's more strict than I am, from what he's told me. Of course, I'm sure he's just over exaggerating, but Rarity's promised me she's making sure he's eating right and getting to the library and taking care of his chores and everything,” Twilight explained. “It's hard work taking care of that place on his own, but he wanted to stay there...”

“Little guy's loyal, I'll give him that. You ever get lonely without him?”

Twilight nodded solemnly. “All the time, but he wanted to stay here with his friends, and despite his size he's only a couple years younger than I am. I'm in no position to force him to come be my assistant again. It's what he wants, and I still see him whenever I can, not to mention we can send letters directly to each other.

“Anyway,” Twilight continued, “We have all week to catch up, so I'm gonna be heading home. I'll see you all tomorrow!” She called out to the room, earning waves and smiles in response.

Rainbow watched for a moment as Twilight started walking towards the door before shaking her head and chasing after her. “Hey Twi,” she called as the alicorn walked out of the shop.

Twilight stopped and looked back. “Dash?”

Skidding to a stop next to her lavender friend, Rainbow smiled sheepishly. “Wanna have a reading night tonight? I know we have all week but...”

“I'd be happy to,” Twilight replied with a smile, motioning for her pegasus friend to follow her as she resumed her walk back to her library home. “To be honest I was hoping you'd ask; I was really looking forward to it.”

Rainbow grinned cockily. “Well of course; it's with me,” she boasted, before letting her bravado go for a moment and saying, “I'm glad you made it home, Twi.”

“So am I... it feels like it's been years, but it's only been a couple months. This whole princess thing is taking more getting used to than I though it would, and I thought it'd be pretty hard,” Twilight said, gazing around the darkened streets of Ponyville. Not a single candle or lighting gem illuminated the town. Instead they relied on the light of the stars and the moon to guide them. “Canterlot's a lot bigger than I remember it as a filly, probably because I rarely left the castle when I lived there.”

“Yeah, I'm not used to the big cities either; Cloudsdale wasn't very big when I lived there, but it's grown a lot since. Even some of the smaller places we visit feel... massive. Manehattan and Fillydelphia...” trailing off, Rainbow glanced over at Twilight. “At least I can still come back here every month or so and take a break form the big cities.”

Twilight nodded in agreement as the tree turned library appeared at the end of the street. “I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't come back here from time to time.”

A comfortable silence descended on the pair as they made their way up the front door of the old tree. Twilight easily opened the door and entered, starting up the stairs as Rainbow shut the door behind them. “Go ahead and grab some cushions,” she called from the upper floor. “I'll be down in a second.”

It wasn't hard to find the cushions; they were int eh same closet they always were. She set them down in the arrangement she always did; two large, plush pillows right next to each other in front of the fireplace. It had become a routine chore every since their readings nights hard started shortly after Rainbow Dash had devoured the last Daring Do book. It allowed Rainbow to branch out to other series without investing too much time and it was an activity they both grew to enjoy greatly, especially when their time together was cut short by Twilight's princess duties and Rainbow's Wonderbolt tours. 

“So, were you already working on a book or did you want to start a new one?” Twilight asked, coming back downstairs, the purple dragon no longer sleeping on her back just as Rainbow sat down onto one of the pillows, lowering herself until she was laying on her belly.

“I was actually just re-reading the Sands of Time book,” Rainbow explained with a gentle blush she couldn't quite explain. 

Twilight chuckled, making Rainbow glower.

“What's so funny?”

Shaking her head, Twilight turned her attention to the shelves where she knew a copy of the right book was hidden. “Nothing, it's just... I was reading that same book the other night.”

Rainbow stayed silent as she pondered the coincidence, watching as Twilight scanned the shelves with a delicate eye. “Damn it, Spike reorganized again... where did they go?” The alicorn muttered to herself as she perused the shelves, eventually letting out a small noise of success as her lavender aura wrapped itself around a book and pulled it from the shelf. 

“Remember a page number or would you mind starting back at the beginning?” Twilight asked as she brought the book over to them, settling down on the cushion next to her friend.

“Beginning's good,” Rainbow said with a smile as the book was opened under Twilight's magical influence, the pages flipping until they rested on the first page.

Clearing her throat, Twilight started, “Daring Do was not often a pony to admit defeat, no matter what the circumstances were. So when she found herself strapped to the underside of a wooden board and hanging above a pool filled with starving alligators, giving up was the farthest thing from her mind. She had everything she needed at her disposal, that much she knew. All she had to do now was put them all together. Perhaps, if she moved fast enough, she could...”

Rainbow smiled and rested her chin on her forehooves, lazily following along with her eyes as Twilight read out loud. It was a system they were forced to design on their very first reading night, after discovering their very different reading speeds. Oddly enough, it was Rainbow who was much faster at getting the information off the page than Twilight was. The alicorn preferred to make sure she got every detail out of it, while Rainbow was able to pick up on everything simply by skimming over the words, a movie playing out in her mind without her having to consciously read the book. 

It was eventually decided that they'd take turns reading out loud, switching off every chapter or whenever the current reader's throat started getting sore on the longer chapters. However, just like their reading, their narration was vastly different. While Twilight was quick with her reading and very to the point about it, Rainbow took her time and emphasized everything she felt was important, making wild gestures with her entire body. The two styles were such a sudden and jarring change of pace that it kept their reading nights interesting, even when they were rereading a book. The fact that they both enjoyed the other's reading style was a big help.

A yawn escaped Rainbow's lips as the page was turned once more, giving way to the beginning on the next chapter. Twilight looked over at her expectantly, and with a content sigh she pulled herself up to better see the book from which she needed to read. Clearing her throat, rainbow started, “Flying safely away from the collapsing castle, Daring Do smiled her signature victorious smile, chuckling to herself as she heard the enraged shouting of her defeated nemesis...”

Twilight let her neck go slack, her head lowering to rest on her crossed forehooves. AS usual, even this late at night, Rainbow's voice was full of energy and excitement, no matter how many times she'd read the book. If she was being honest with herself, she was sometimes jealous of the pegasus' seemingly endless resource of enthusiasm. It was on a level similar to Pinkie's, even when she tried to hide it behind her mask of 'coolness'.With a smile Twilight watched her friend more than the words on the page as she gestured widely with her hooves, describing Daring's latest adventure – love.

She was curious why Rainbow had started reading this book over again, out of all the ones she could have chosen from. As far as Twilight was aware this was her least favourite book of the entire series, one she had assumed Rainbow had sworn off as soon as she'd read once. When she thought about it, she didn't even know why she'd been reading it so much lately either. For some reason she felt drawn to the book, on that she'd personally considered one of the weaker ones out of the series. 

Perhaps it was related to the feeling she sometimes got, ate at night when nopony was around. The emptiness that would occasionally consume her mind and force her to knock herself out with a powerful sleeping spell. Perhaps she desired what the characters in the book had achieved. Maybe she put herself in their roles out of a desire to be in their situation. It would certainly explain many things, but that simply couldn't be the reason. She had more than she ever wanted now, being a Princess and having good friends, but till, the more she thought about it...

“Hey, Rainbow?” Twilight interjected suddenly, cutting of the mare's excited retelling of Daring's first conversation with the stallion that was soon to become her love interest. 

Pausing, Rainbow looked over to her friend curiously. “What's up, Twi?”

“I was just thinking... why were you reading this book again? I thought you hated it?” The alicorn asked curiously. Maybe Rainbow's answer could give her some insight into her own motives. 

“I...” Rainbow trailed off. She knew the reason, but it wasn't something she was about to admit to anypony. The world's best flier, member of the Wonderbolts, and Element of Loyalty was lonely? Not cool. Shrugging her shoulders, she said, “Well, I was just rereading the series, and I didn't want to just skip this one.”

“Really? Twilight asked, quirking her head to the side. “You always told me that you, and I quote, 'could barely stomach the romance'.”

Shrugging her shoulders, Rainbow simply replied, “I felt like reading all the books again. I still like the action and everything. But why were you reading it? You always said it was your least favourite too,” she added, throwing the conversation off her own motives that she'd rather keep secret. 

Twilight sighed heavily, looking down to her hooves. “I... I really don't know, Rainbow. That's why I asked you.”

Rainbow frowned when she heard her friend's downtrodden voice, looking over at her concernedly. “Twi?”

The alicorn sniffled. “I... I don't know whats wrong...” Twilight trialed off, her bangs hiding her face from the concerned pegasus next to her. “I just... I've been having a hard time sleeping, the past couple months. So much so that I've had to sedate myself with magic some nights, like last night. I feel better when I read this book, I started liking the romance in it and... and I was thinking that maybe... maybe I wanted something like that...”

“Twilight?” Rainbow asked when the alicorn went silent, leaning down to try and catch her eye. She got a tired sigh in reply.

“I missed you so much, Rainbow. I scheduled my off time around yours! I just... I always feel so alone in Canterlot. Celestia and Luna are there but... they're always so busy, not to mention all of my own work, and nopony there cares about me at all. To them I'm just a title. I'm just a princess and to them I'll never be anything else. But Ponyville... Ponyville knows me they knew me before I was an alicorn, and they still treat me like that, even if they bow to me on occasion. But even when I'm back here, if you're not... it just seems pointless to come home when you're not home too.” Twilight sniffled again, burying her face in her hooves.

Rainbow wasn't totally sure what to make of the situation; Twilight's explanation had matched her own feelings near perfectly. Twilight was being honest with her, and she'd lied right in her friends face. For what? To preserve her eternal mask of “coolness”? She suddenly felt sick to her stomach as she thought about it, especially with how utterly depressed Twilight looked about the entire situation. She had a habit of not thinking things through, but this was too far even for her; she should have known Twilight would have an important reason to ask such a question. She shouldn't have lied to her friend, no matter what the conditions were.

With a  heavy hart Rainbow stood from her cushion, nudging it over with a hoof so it was brushing against Twilight's. Rainbow laid back down and looked over. Twilight's face was still buried in her hooves. Carefully, she extended her wing, giving it a languid stretch before letting it fall loosely over Twilight's back. The alicorn started in surprise.

“Rainbow?” She murmured, raising her head and turning it toward her pegasus companion. 

Smiling gently, Rainbow felt another pang of guilt run through her gut as she took a deep breath. “You wanna know the real reason I started reading this book again?”

Twilight tilted her head curiously, frowning. “But you said-”

“I lied,” Rainbow interrupted, cringing as she anticipated an angry response. 

Instead, she got a surprised, “Why?”

Sighing with a mixture of apprehension and guilt Rainbow cleared her throat. “Because... I'm embarrassed of the truth,” she offered quietly. Her gut twisted around in guilt once more; she wasn't telling the whole truth, and after lying to Twilight once she couldn't do it again. “And... and I didn't want you to think I was weak,” she admitted quickly, squeezing her eyes shut. 

“What are you talking about?” Twilight asked, her tone surprised rather than angry like Rainbow had expected. “Everypony knows you're not weak, Dash. What's going on?”

Rainbow Dash hung her head lower. “I was rereading the book for the romance, Twi. I... I don't have anything like that in my life and... I want it.” A burning blush of embarrassment lit up on her cheeks but she forced herself to keep going. If it would make Twilight feel better she'd do pretty much anything. “I get set up in the best hotel rooms in the city for every show I go to. Filled with marble floors and crystal chandeliers. The beds are massive, but when I try to get some sleep... I can't do it. I feel so alone, in those massive beds in an otherwise empty room. I barely get any sleep anymore, and it's started to impact my performance. If I don't find a solution soon, it's going to get to the point where I'm too tired to fly for the shows, and I'll get dropped from the team. I don't want that to happen but... I don't know what else I can do.”

Rainbow took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly through her nose before continuing. “Sure; I could try and find a special somepony in any of the cities I go to, I'm sure I could find somepony interested. But I'm only in a city for a couple days to do my show, then it's off to the next town and my next show. Nopony would be willing to have to deal with that, and I wouldn't want to put them through that either. Besides, it'd be hard to find somepony actually interested in me; most of them would only go out with me for the title; Marefriend of Rainbow Dash the Wonderbolt. All they'd see would be a status symbol, not me.”

“Marefriend?” Twilight asked quietly, averting her gaze to the floor. “I... I didn't know you were a-”

“Well I am,” Rainbow snapped, glaring at Twilight's hung head. “You got a problem with that?”

Twilight's eyes widened, quickly raising and shaking head. “NO! No, of course not, I just... didn't know; you ever mentioned it... but it's nice to know I'm not the only one who feels like that.”

“Well, when you're as awesome as we are, there are bound to be some similar situations, right?” Rainbow boasted, puffing her chest out boldly. “Besides, a Princess is one thing, but they'd be seriously missing out if they focused on that instead of the pony behind the title.”

Twilight smiled even as she felt her cheeks ignite in a burning blush. “T-thanks... and I think the same of anypony who would call themselves the Marefriend of a Wonderbolt rather than the Marefriend of Rainbow Dash.”

“I...” Rainbow blushed, looking down to the book in her hooves. They were just about to read the part where Daring Do confessed her true, hidden feelings to the stallion she loved. “I...” she pulled her head back and her eyes met with Twilight's. Her jaw worked uselessly as she tried to finish her statement, lavender eyes staring back at her, waiting patiently for her to say whatever she was going to say.

Rainbow swallowed back the lump growing in her throat and said, “Please don't hate me,” before darting forward and laying a soft, delicate kiss on the alicorn's cheek. 

Twilight's head snapped back, her jaw hanging open and eyes. “R-Rainbow...?” She whispered in shock.

“I... sorry; I had to try at least once. I'll see you later, Twilight,” Rainbow mumbled, hanging her head and standing from her cushion. In a flash she took tot he air, flying out a window and into the rapidly darkening night. 

“Rainbow!” Twilight shouted after the rapidly retreating mare, standing from her own cushion and rushing to the window. “Rainbow wait! I didn't-...” she sighed as Rainbow disappeared into the black of night. “I didn't say no...”

Sighing, Twilight jumped, taking to the air and giving chase.