//------------------------------// // Philía // Story: Amor // by 314 //------------------------------// Philía is a brotherly or friendly love. It is the love felt between people who care about each other without much intimacy. “Well Miss Dash, it looks like you’re clear to leave. We’ll see you back in three weeks to see those casts taken off.” The pegasus looked up at the doctor with a surprised look on her face. “You mean I’m not stuck here for forever?” He glanced back down to his handy clipboard, then shook his head. “We’ve done all that we can, and it’s best that you recuperate at home. Your bones have gone through too much magical healing as of late and they need to heal naturally. We’ll even loan you a wheelchair for the time being.” Rainbow Dash sat up in the bed, wincing slightly at the pain shooting through her left side. “But I live in a cloud house.” “As I am well aware. You’ll need to find a friend to stay with. I do not want you flying on that wing, do you hear me?” She grumbled and started to roll her eyes, only to notice the glare she was getting. She ruffled her intact wing’s feathers and looked away. “Alright.” Rainbow clambered out of bed awkwardly, trying to avoid as much pain as she could. She regretfully lowered herself into the offered chair, then waved off the help of the nurse. “I’ll be fine. Just give me some painkillers and I’ll be right as rain.” The doctor gave her another glare, but she was already on the move, wheeling her way down the hallway to the elevator. The hospital staff followed her, with the doctor rambling on and on about what she needed to do and not do, but she paid them no mind. ”Ugh, no flying at all? I wonder if Fluttershy would let me­” Rainbow let out a groan as she realized that her go-to friend was sick. And as much as she would offer to help, she cared too much to force Fluttershy into caring for her. Applejack? No, she’s got a farm to run. I wonder if Twilight would be willing to let me crash there.” Her side gave a twitch at the word crash, reminding her of the freak wind that had blown her off course and caused her to smack into the side of a building. The bruising on her right side was enough as is, but the hit stunned her so much she simply fell. The fall had broken her left wing scarily close to the joint, snapped her left forehoof, cracked two ribs, and dislocated her hindleg. Not to mention gave her one doozy of a headache, barely escaping a concussion on top of everything. She could still feel the bruise on the side of her head and body, the medicine staving off the pain. It hurt to walk, as all her limbs wanted to fight her every motion. But she wouldn’t complain in the slightest. A ding signaled that the entourage had arrived in the lobby. Rainbow held up a hoof, pausing the medical staff in mid-sentence. “Thanks doc, but it looks like I’m free to go, right?” “You didn’t hear anything I just said did you.” “Nope!” He wearily rubbed his scalp with a hoof, knocking his glasses askew. He then ripped a stack of papers from his clipboard, scribbled something barely recognizable as a signature, floated a bottle of painkillers over with it, and dropped it all into Rainbow’s lap. “Read those if you get a chance. Or don’t, and come back in a week complaining about pain because you didn’t listen to what I said. Until then Miss Dash.” “Thanks for the care doc!” Then, completely disregarding all of the advice she received, she got up out of the wheelchair and limped out of the door. The doctor started to raise a hoof to stop her, then just turned it into a shooing gesture. She tucked the papers and pills under her unwounded wing as she walked out into the warm spring air. The breeze carried the scent of flowers to her, the grass gently fluttering in that same wind. With every step a twinge of pain shot through her, but she simply gritted her teeth and powered through it. Despite the cyan cast wrapping around her front hoof, she continued to walk on the limb. There was no way she was going to use a wheelchair to get around everywhere. I may have been taken out for a while, but there’s no way I’m gonna wheel around like some old pony. The path before her was well trodden and rather flat, easy ground for wheels to traverse. But it was her own four hooves that walked across it, completely by herself. Her friends hadn’t even known she was in a crash. And why would they know? She messed up, so she headed to the hospital like she had so many times in the past year. She’d walk in, get zapped with healing magic, and walk out. She might have had to pay a bit more than the average pony for the country-wide insurance, but pegasi already had to do that. ”But now I’ve actually got to wait. So long sick days.” Walking the rest of the way into town took longer than she would have liked, and the sun was beginning its downward crawl towards the horizon. She walked into the central circle of town, glancing away at all the eyes seemingly turned towards her. She tried to hide her limp as best she could and tilted her head to obscure the bruise she knew was on her face. It didn’t take long before she found shelter in the well-kept, but small office of the Ponyville Weather Team. “Hey Blossomforth, I’m going to have to cash in a few of my sick days.” The mare wasn’t at her desk, instead standing with her back to the door while sorting through files. “Ya sound fine boss, what’s up? I can’t just give you sick days unless you’re sick.” She glanced back around and, in no time, saw how badly she was injured. She couldn’t help but chuckle a little at the sight. “Crash again? Eh, it happens to the best of us. Let’s see...” her voice trailed off as she turned back to the shelf of files. “Dash, Dash, aha!” She pulled out the folder and rolled over to the desk, plopping it down and opening it. “Dang, you’ve got a pretty full record.” Rainbow watched as the pages flicked by her upside down, medical records and broken records and all other kinds of records flipping over as Blossomforth searched for what she needed. “Looks like you’ve got sixty-five days.” She looked up at Rainbow again, curious. “Have you ever taken one day of sick leave?” She shrugged and went to rub the back of her neck with a hoof, only to wince in pain. “Umm, I don’t think so?” “Well, you’re more than covered. Rest well boss, see ya in three weeks.” She wheeled back to put up the folder, leaving Rainbow to head out the door. “Make that two!” She corrected, then walked out into the less crowded plaza. Her eyes flicked around, trying to figure out where to go for Twilight’s house. Ugh, how do ponies even navigate on the ground? Eventually, she spied the barest hint of a tree poking over the roofs and started to head in that direction, limping her way along. She scowled at each street that appeared in her path, forcing her to take side alleyways and cut between houses to go directly to her goal. Finally, she arrived at Twilight’s front door, panting slightly. She bumped the door open and stepped in, looking around for the librarian. “Twilight! You here?!” “One moment!” came the reply, sounding from the upstairs portion. The lavender alicorn appeared at the top of the staircase and looked down and Rainbow curiously. “Shouldn’t you be at work?” The pegasus opened her mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by a gasp and a flash of light as Twilight teleported to her side. “Rainbow, your wing! And leg! What happened?” She sighed and fluttered her free feathers, then took a small step away. “Just a crash, that’s all.” “You crashed again?! Why didn’t you tell us?” Her voice continued to be filled with worry, not diminishing at all. “I was just blown into a building by some freak wind. And then I kind of fell from there. No biggie.” Even as she played it off, the pain came back to her, the pain of laying on the ground during the storm, with wind howling around her and pouring rain soaking her to the brim. Wing, broken. Breathing, difficult. Legs, barely functioning. Eyes, half blind from dizziness. It was a bad crash, she knew that much, but it was over, right? No reason to dwell on the past. She’d recover, it would become history, and she’d forget it. “By the looks of things, it was more than just a little crash. How are you even walking? Didn’t the hospital give you a wheelchair?” Her voice was still frantic, filled with worry over her friend. ”Why can’t Twilight see that this really isn’t a big deal?” “They gave me one, but I don’t need it. I can walk just fine. I walked all the way here, right?” She gave a small chuckle, trying to defuse her friend. Her eyes squinted a little and her horn lit up with its lavender aura, scanning her friend. Then she gasped in shock and levitated Rainbow off the ground, holding her secure in her magic. The papers and pills she had been holding fluttered out of her wing at the movement, hitting the ground in front of Twilight. “Hey! Twilight, what’s up?!” she shouted, scrambling to find some purchase in her sudden flight. “What’s up is that you’ve been walking on that hoof far more than you should be. Because you shouldn’t be walking on it at all!” “I’m fine!” she shot back. “Really?” She pulled the papers from off the floor in front of her and began flipping through them. “It says here that you shouldn’t put any weight on it for at least a week, and after that only light exercise.” She glared at her levitating friend, anger and worry radiating from her. “Your wing not used for a week and a half minimum. Your hind leg has recovered from its dislocation, but that still should be treated lightly. No strenuous exercise because of your cracked ribs. Not much walking either because of them and your hooves. And you’re extremely lucky you didn’t fracture your skull with the size and severity of that bruise. A miracle you didn’t get a concussion.” She continued to scan her medical records, looking for any other signs that Rainbow was ignoring her doctor’s orders. “You know, you’re not supposed to be looking at­—” “I’m a Princess, shut up.” Her mouth opened and closed like a fish for a few seconds, then she sighed and hung her head in defeat. There wasn’t much else she could do with her wing out of commission. Soon Twilight would find the­— “And what’s this I see about being unable to heal with the usual spells?” ”Celestia, please spare me from the wrath of your student.” “The doc said that my bones weren’t going to be able to be healed with magic this time.” She shrugged her shoulders, trying to wave the whole thing off. “I don’t know why, it’s always worked in the past.” Twilight bit her bottom lip, took a deep breath, and exhaled it slowly. Even a completely oblivious pony could see the bubbling pool of anger just beneath her skin. “Rainbow, do you know how many times a bone has to be broken for medical magic to no longer work as effectively?” “Um, five times?” she ventured, knowing the answer was wrong and steeling herself for the response. “Thirty-one times. A bone can be broken a total of thirty-one times before healing magic begins to lose its effectiveness. At forty-two times it becomes better for the patient to heal naturally than through magic.” Rainbow swallowed down the fear she was starting to get from Twilight’s reaction. She was facing a cold anger, one made of ice and surrounded with worry and genuine care for a friend in need. She had absolutely no idea what to make of the situation, and it frightened her more than a little bit. She was levitated a little closer to her friend, almost nose to nose with her. When they met each other’s eyes, Twilight saw the fear in them and froze, realizing what had just happened. Her eyes widened in shock at her own actions and her magic cut short, dropping both Rainbow and the medical report to the ground. The pills clattered alongside it, rolling gently to a stop in front of her nose. She went cross-eyed staring at it, then looked back up to where Twilight stood with breath coming out noisily. “Umm, Twi, you alright?” She let out another deep breath, then smiled and looked down at where Rainbow lay on the floor. Twilight’s eyes showed nothing but care and worry now, all the anger and annoyance gone in a snap. “I’m so, so sorry for that Rainbow. Can you forgive me?” “Of course!” she replied without any hesitation. She pushed herself to a sitting position with her unbroken hoof, then reached down for the bottle in front of her. She cracked it open using her wing with practiced ease, slid out a pill, and popped it back. She swallowed it dry, not even batting an eye in front of Twilight. “But you’re still not leaving this building until you’re either healed or in a wheelchair.” “Wait, what?” Her head shot up, a look of disbelief flashing across it. “Twi, I just came to ask for a place to stay. I can move around fine on my own.” “No, you can’t. Your front hoof is broken in two places and fractured in a third. And while the cast has done a remarkable job of holding it together considering you walked all the way here on it, the pieces have slid ever so slightly apart. They won’t heal correctly unless I or Doc Stable fixes them.” Rainbow started to get to her hooves, blinking at the lack of pain as the new medication quickly took effect. Twilight used her magic to push her back onto her rear, then held her with a gentle pressure on her shoulders. “Where were you going?” Dash looked back in confusion, tilting her head to the side. “I was going to go see the doc so he can fix the cast.” Twilight threw her hooves up and let out a short scream of frustration. “Did you not hear anything I said?! You. Are. Not. Walking. On. That. Hoof.” Each word was punctuated by a jab of her hoof. ”Why is she still overreacting? I told her I’d be fine!” “Twilight, I’m tough enough to handle it. It’ll be a breeze.” Again, she got up and headed for the door. Then, Twilight showed the full force of her magic. The door slammed shut even tighter than it had before, the current deadbolt slamming into place and a brand new one joining it. Rainbow was plucked up in her magic without a second thought, quickly soaring into the air towards the library’s guest bedroom. The lavender aura dropped her onto the bed, then a chain of the same color wrapped itself around her unhurt hindleg and bound her to the bed. The librarian came stalking up the steps a few seconds later, every step showing her emotions. “Rainbow Dash, you are hereby under house arrest until such a time that I deem you fit to venture forth from this building. As you are unable to reach your own home, you will be kept here. And such a time will not come until you are fully healed and not walking around like a mare who is in one piece. Your legs are fractured and wounded and I don’t care what kind of pegasus you are, your body cannot take it any longer.” She took a deep breath and her voice softened, looking with much kinder eyes at Rainbow. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t care about you. Your body needs you to heal from this instead of running off to make it hurt worse.” “Twilight, I’m fine!” she declared emphatically, crossing her hooves across her chest. “I don’t need to be locked up like some foal,” she said, shaking the bound leg. “It was just a minor crash and I’m tough enough to take it.” Twilight let out another sigh, this one more pitying of Rainbow. “Have you even seen yourself lately?” She floated over a mirror, letting the pegasus see just what a state she was in. Her rainbow mane was dirty. That was the first thing she noticed. Then she saw the ugly bruise extending from below her ear to just under her eye and brushing along her cheekbone. It was a manner of different colors, ranging from purple to blue to a rather sickly yellow-green. Her other hoof touched it delicately, then she hissed in pain, despite the medication. A number of scratches crossed her face as well, tiny things that the doctors didn’t even bother with. She tilted her body, getting a better look at her left side. The bruising continued down, concentrated around her rib cage. She pressed her hoof there too, then gasped at the surge that went through her. It was all she could do to not search around for that bottle of pain meds. The bruise made a rainbow of colors appear all along her side and flank, coating over half of it with its discoloration. Her front hoof was surround by hard casing, protecting it from external damage, but not from the pressure she would put on it. It went from an inch or two above the end of her hoof all the way up to just below where it met her torso. Her wing too, was partially in a hard cast. That went from where her wing met her body to her first wing joint, trapping the break in between them. But her feathers were still in disarray and had a dirtier look to them than she would have liked, evidence of how she had been unable to clean them with her injuries. Tilting her body back the other way, she saw that her right side was a massive bruise as well, evidence of where she hit the building. Her whole situation suddenly came crashing down on her and she fell back into the bed, all resistance against Twilight gone. “I’ve really gone and bucked this one up, haven’t I?” she said in a voice barely above a whisper. Hesitantly, her friend nodded. “Rainbow, it’ll be okay.” She moved forward, sitting on the bed and wrapping a comforting hoof and wing around the pegasus. Rainbow looked back at Twilight, finally meeting her gaze. “Yeah. It will.” A small smile crossed her face and light twinkled from a tiny teardrop under her eye. “I suppose I should be fixing all of... this.” She waved her hoof in front of her, widely gesturing to her whole body. “I’ve always found a bath to help clean me up.” Her horn glowed in response, already turning on the water to get it warm. “Thanks Twi.” She started to move off the bed and got as far as one hoof on the ground before she was once again enveloped with magic. She opened her mouth to protest, then shut it and gave a short nod. “No walking. Right.” “Silly Dash,” she responded, then started to skip down the hall with the grumbling pony floating behind her. “I’m not silly!” Rainbow protested, her old spirit flowing back in abundance. “Riiiiiiiight.” The door in front of them swung open on perfectly oiled hinges to reveal the rather modest bathroom within. While Rarity had added a few special touches she claimed were becoming of a princess, it was largely the same room as it had been when she moved in. Twilight walked over to the side of the almost full tub and poked a hoof in, then smiled in satisfaction at the temperature. “In you go!” she chirped cheerfully and lowered the squirming Rainbow down into the tub. As she did so, she cast another spell to make doubly sure that the casts would be fine. In short time, Dash had been dunked completely into the water, only her head still above the surface. She gave Twilight an amused look, chuckling at how much fun she was having. That smile disappeared in a flash when the alicorn started to get into the bath with her. Rainbow stopped her with a hoof, biting her lower lip as she did so. “Um, what are you doing Twi?” “You can’t wash yourself with your injuries. I was going to do it for you.” “Twilight, I can wash myself. I’m not a foal.” “Then stop acting like one and let other ponies help you.” The logic made her voice falter, then she remembered how she had been carried into the room. “Well why can’t you use your magic? Do you have to actually get in the tub with me?” Twilight shifted awkwardly, half in the bath and half out. “Well I suppose I could, but I don’t want to take any risks with your injuries. I could hurt you and not know it.” Rainbow barked out a laugh and smiled wide, though her uninjured wing fluttered slightly. “I’m tough enough to handle it. Don’t worry about me Twi.” “But you don’t have to be,” she pressed on. “I’m your friend and I’m here to help you.” Then ignoring all of her protest, she finished getting into the tub right behind Rainbow. The warm water soaked Twilight’s coat to the belly, but it was a pleasant enough temperature that she didn’t mind. Dash started to scoot to the front on instinct, only to realize that it would be futile in such a small space. “You sure you still want to do this?” “Yes. Unless you tell me specifically why you don’t want me to.” Rainbow’s mouth opened slightly, then closed without a peep. Her shoulders relaxed and she even leaned back towards her friend. “Just get it over with then.” She felt Twilight’s hooves brush over her back, now coated in a fine layer of soap. She winced when they touched one of her bruises, but she largely just sat there, large and immobile in the bathtub. Those hooves wandered all over, as much as they could reach. Her back already felt fresher, better. She turned around to allow Twilight to wash her front side, but flipped back as soon as she could. Then, she felt her wing slowly pulled out by Twilight. It was all Rainbow could do to not flee right then and there. She hated her wings being touched. A moment or two passed and she felt the oils drip along her wing and feathers being straightened, though she still stared straight ahead. Slowly, the tension in her uncoiled, and she realized that she could actually trust Twilight with her wings. She wasn’t going to mess them up, wasn’t going to make it so she couldn’t fly. Rainbow let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding and leaned back against the mare. “Hey Twi, anypony ever tell you that you could give a killer wing massage?” She giggled, pausing in her cleaning for a moment. “No, but I’ve never touched somepony else’s wing before.” Rainbow sighed in relaxation, the tingles of pleasure aiding her in that. “Well you could give Aloe a run for her money.” Neither of them felt the need to say anything more after that. The mood had changed from frosty to the temperature of bathwater, and both of the mares felt it. It was just a peaceful moment between the two, and it didn’t stop when Twilight started washing that prismatic tail. “So is this dyed or what?” she asked, half losing herself playing with the vibrant colors. “That’d be telling,” Rainbow teased, giving her head a little shake and splattering the alicorn with water. Some shampoo went into her mane, smelling faintly of lavender. It was the same scent Twilight used, but that just made her enjoy it all the more. Those wonderful, wonderful hooves returned to her skin, gently massaging her scalp to help the soap work. After it was all done, Twilight sat back and admired the soapy-haired Dash, relaxed and gazing forward at the bathroom walls. “Alright, just dunk your head and we’re done!” Rainbow did as she was asked, submerging her head and muting the gentle bathroom sounds she had already gotten used to. She flicked her head back out of the water, spraying the mare behind her with as much as she could. Her mane dripped water back into the tub, now fully clean. It felt better than it had in ages, every single possible tangle carefully removed by Twilight. Her coat felt smooth and fresh, making her feel like a whole new mare almost. And still she could feel the close proximity of her friend, making sure she hadn’t missed anything. It would be over in seconds, and, surprisingly, Rainbow didn’t want it to end. “Hey Twi? Do you still want to know why I didn’t want you to wash me?” Those hooves that had been unknowingly brushing over and against her flank paused, and she felt a trickle of water hit her shoulder as the alicorn tilted her head. “If you don’t mind.” “Well, when I was a foal, my mom used to wash me at the end of every week just before bed. I’d return the favor. At least as much as I could. She had to work so hard during the week, and what little free time she had she chose to spend doing that. It was us time. Special. And then one night after doing that, she vanished. Poof.” There was a little splash of water behind her from Twilight’s hoof flying to her mouth, but Rainbow ignored it. “Bathtime together was the last memory I had of her. They told me later that there was some work accident, but they never found the body. I still don’t know if she’s really dead or just ran off. I probably won’t ever know. But that doesn’t matter.” She chuckled again, then twisted her head back as much as she could. “Until today, I hadn’t taken another bath. Cloud showers were it. Usually cold. But I wouldn’t mind doing this again sometime.” “Good, because you’ll be getting one every day for the next three weeks.” With that, Twilight started to step out of the tub sopping wet. Then, in a quick flash of magic, her coat was dry and her mane had been restored to its previous condition. “You ready?” “I suppose. I’ll be fine in two though.” ”Though I think I might miss those baths,” Rainbow thought. A stern look from Twilight made her glance up from the soapy surface of the tub to meet her gaze. “What?” “Three weeks.” “Two.” “Three.” “It’ll be two and you know it.” “It’ll be two before you can even walk again, three before you can do light exercise on that wing.” “Pegasi recover faster.” “Already accounted for.” “You can use magic.” “Your bones are too magically susceptible. The chances of them shattering into a thousand pieces are too high.” Rainbow paused and blinked a few times, then twitched her ear to make sure she heard that right. “That’s what would happen?” “Yes, causing excruciating pain and turning your leg or wing into jelly that would take a year to fix. Three.” She bit back another retort and resorted to putting a hoof on the edge of the tub. Before she could do anything more, she was lifted out of the water and dried. Her coat turned fluffy instead of sleek, and she couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of herself in the mirror. So long as she didn’t look at her injuries. A memory of her mother bandaging a cut on her leg flashed through her mind, but she shook it aside with a toss of her head. ”Don’t think about it Rainbow. Just don’t think about it. Twilight proceeded to carry her down the hall and back into the guest bedroom. The sheets were pulled back, a pegasus deposited, and sheets pulled back up over her. “Go ahead and get some rest Rainbow, you’ll need it.” Instead of relaxing and going to sleep, she started to sit up and throw off the covers. Twilight let out a sigh, then drew up her magic again. Rainbow collapsed back onto the bed, snoring almost before she hit the mattress. The sleep spell was a simple one that she felt a tiny bit of remorse for using, but it would have taken a lot longer to Dash to settle down. She walked over to the side of the bed and straightened the rumbled sheets, her OCD allowing for nothing else. Then, some instinct came over her and she bent down to give Rainbow a little kiss on her forehead. She walked back to the doorway, dimmed the lights, and looked back. “Get better soon Rainbow.” Three ponies watched as Rainbow took her first unaided steps in three weeks across the tile floor of the doctor’s office. Her leg was free of its cast, the fur still pressed down and slightly damp with sweat where it had been. Both her wings fluttered next to her, also free from the bandages. Fluttershy let out a happy cheer and clapped her hooves together. Twilight merely smiled and the doctor looked on grudgingly. “I trust that this experience will have caused you to be more careful with how you fly and treat yourself?” “Not a chance doc,” she replied, beaming all the while. He sighed, then looked back down at his clipboard. “And five bits to Redheart.” He added another note, scrawled some other thing unintelligible, then handed the paper to Twilight. “Those are her discharge orders. Make sure she follows them.” “What, you don’t think I can do it myself?” With perfect timing, Twilight and the doctor looked her dead in the eye. “No.” Rainbow let out a chuckle and looked over to Fluttershy. “You got an opinion Flutters?” “Um, well, I’m going to go with the doctor on this one. He is rather smart.” “Your words have wounded me!” she cried, then went lock legged and fell over onto her back. An oof came from her as she realized that not all of her bruises were gone, then Rainbow looked up at the other ponies with a grin on her face. “I swear I’m fine.” Twilight merely rolled her eyes, a small smile still on her face. She had gotten used to the constant antics over the short weeks, understandable considering how much she had to be kept up and resting. “I think she’s telling the truth this time.” “Then she’s obviously well enough to leave. Miss Dash, do try to be a little more careful next time.” With that, he swung the door open with his magic and gestured for the trio to leave. Rainbow confidently strode out first with Fluttershy bringing up the rear. It didn’t take long for them to navigate the west of the way through the hospital, only stopping to pick up Rainbow’s new prescription. They left through the wide double doors leading in, then Fluttershy bade them farewell. She had wanted to be there if Rainbow wasn’t strong enough to stand, but even she had a job to do back at her house. Twilight and Rainbow strolled through the pleasant path of trees back to Ponyville proper, with only the occasional limp to mar her step. “I suppose you’ll go and stay at your cloud house now.” Rainbow tossed a smile her way, then continued to focus on appearing to walk fine. “Why, wanting to get rid of me?” “No!” she shot back, a faint blush touching her cheeks. “I really liked having you over actually.” “Maybe I’ll do it again. See if I can drag Applejack into a sleepover.” ”I’d rather it just be us two,” she mumbled, barely audible over the sounds of their breath. “What was that?” “Nothing! Just running through a checklist.” Upon saying so, she ran through her plans for the rest of the day and came upon a massive blank spot in her calendar. Dinner. ”Oh yeah, Spike took the day off to go with Sweetie Belle and her family on a trip.” She stole another look at the mare beside her, trying to figure out what she’d like best. “Hey Rainbow, do you want to go out to dinner tonight? To celebrate your recovery,” she clarified, with just a hint of nervousness in her voice. “Why not? Where do you want to go?” ”Think Twilight Sparkle, think!” Her mind ran through a list of all the places in town, trying to find the perfect one. “How about that new Cavallino place?” “Heh, you know I’m always one for pasta and sauces. Wanna go invite the rest of the girls now or later?” “Actually, I was thinking just the two of us would be fine.” Rainbow almost tripped on a conveniently placed tree branch in the road, only narrowly swerving around it. “Are you asking me on a date?” was the only response she could come up with, asking the question point-blank. “Yes?” came the response, timid and hesitant. “Then of course I will egghead.” Then, on impulse, she leaned over and planted a kiss as best she could on Twilight’s forehead, just as she had received on every night for three weeks. Both her response and the kiss stopped Twilight in her tracks, a surprised look on her face. “Really?” “Of course. Now come on, we’ve got a date and we don’t want to be late!”