"Dash?"
The pegasus ignored her, continuing to go in front of Twilight fast enough to seem like she was rushing, but slow enough to let the poor mare keep up.
"Where are we going?"
The ignoring continued. Dash had invited Twilight to go "Erm, have some fun!" as she had put it so eloquently earlier that evening. Nightmare night had come to a conclusion not all too long ago, meaning Plan A was to initiate. Dash has been making plans like this since the violet mare came into town that fateful day so long ago. Back then it was barely noticeable; the way Dash liked talking to her, being near her, and the inexplicable urge to stare at her flank. The shared similar tastes, as in with certain books. But, the one thing that made Dash love Twilight more than anypony else, with the exception of her mother, was that Twilight had drive; she loved what she did and never gave up on her goal, whether good or bad came from it. It's a characteristic that the mares shared, something that could keep them together for the rest of time.
And that's exactly what Dash wanted.
"Dash, are you even listening to me?" the purple mare pleaded behind her. Dash felt that the deaf act had gone on long enough.
"Yup."
"So where are we going?"
"It's a secret."
Twilight sighed. This was going to take a while. "Can you give me any hints?"
Dash thought for a second. Yeah, she thought to herself, Another game'll be fun.
"We've been there before."
"Both of us?"
"Yep."
"At the same time?"
"Yep."
Twilight slowed down to think. They seemed to be going to the outskirts of town, which really could only mean...
"Dash, why are you taking me to the Everfree Forest?"
Rainbow turned around, to look Twilight in the eye. She had a smirk on her face that only she could make look cute, but be irritating at the same time. "Well, ya got the Forest part right," she smiled full on now. "But I wanna know where in the Everfree Forest?"
"The Everfree Forest is huge Dash!" Twilight clambered. She seemed to be taking this game a bit more seriously than Dash had planned. "I've been in several different places in the forest with you, including Zecora's hut, the river, the castle past the bridge, I mean why can-"
"Why can't I just tell you?" Dash asked herself. "I can't tell you because then it wouldn't be a surprise."
"It's the middle of the night in a dangerous forest, and we're two, unprotected mares. Surprises aren't what I need right now."
"Relax, it'll be fun." Dash slowed down to be side-by-side with Twilight, and gave her a friendly nudge of the shoulder. "I could walk with you if you're scared."
Twilight sighed for what felt to be the millionth time that evening. "I'm not scared Dash, just a bit disconcerted. You have to admit that we're prey to about five hundred different species surrounding us at this very moment."
Dash nudged in closer, nearly making Twilight lose her balance. "Yeah, but so long as we stick together, we'll survive long enough to kick at least one of their flanks."
Twilight giggled at Dash's comment, then added, "Stop trying to phase through me Rainbow, I'm trying to walk here."
"I'm a bit cold, is all." Dash said nonchalantly. Twilight gazed at her from her spot beside her, eyes burning into the side of Dash's face. She unconsciously kept up the stride that Dash had, matching step with step.
"You know I know pegasi don't get cold, correct?" Twilight asked, looking back in front of her. The forest was dark, and seemed to be closing in on them due to the size of the trail. Somehow Twilight was unable to be afraid, even with all the situations of the pair's untimely deaths floating in her mind.
What in the world is Dash on about?
"Y-yep." Dash finally answered, many moments after the question was asked. She quickly looked to her right to smile at Twilight, but noticed a look of pure confusion on the mare's face as she stared forward into oblivion. She frowned, and continued to walk ahead. Twilight never pulled away from her side. This was a good sign.
They walked together, through the woods, with no one but each other to keep company. Neither said anything, although both had so much to say. Dash wanted nothing but to proclaim her love of Twilight. She wanted to say it, shout it, fly into the air and trace it into the clouds. She wanted the whole world to know her heart belonged to a librarian. Twilight was ready to throw a whole interview on Dash; this whole adventure in the woods had become an odd, awkward silence between the two of them. And yet, something was oddly comforting in the fact of being with Dash, and only Dash.The wind blew, bringing cold with it. Chills surrounded Twilight, but she never became chilly, the small warmth from Dash filled her whole body, to the point where she was almost burning up. But, the question is, why?
Maybe she's been exercising?
"Hey Dash," Twilight said after those many minutes of patient silence. "Have you been... working... er... out?"
Dash instantly blushed at the compliment.
Is Twi hitting on me?
It wasn't phrased as a compliment, although. It was as if Twilight was legitimately asking if she had been working out recently.
"Dash?" Twilight looked up, to see if her friend was still there.
"We're almost there. Jeez Twi, no need to get all antsy," Dash smirked, and looked back at Twilight. Twilight noticed a different emotion than happiness in her friend's eyes for but a moment, and almost instantly it was replaced by a soft, warm happiness.
"I am not antsy. Nor is that the question I asked." the purple mare glared at her friend, and continued walking. Fine, she thought If Dash wants to ignore me I guess I won't bother.
The two walked in awkward silence for another batch of minutes. Nothing was said, nothing was done; the playfulness of earlier was gone, replaced by a sort of melancholy vibe. That was, until the silence was broken.
"Hey Twi?" Rainbow asked out of the blue, looking back over at her friend, "We, uh, arrived."
Twilight had phased out while they were walking, and so she had not noticed the building glaring down from above her. It was the castle they had defeated Nightmare Moon in almost a year ago. Everything was the same; the structure was a decrepit as it was when they came here the first time. "Alright, this place. Why did you bring me here, again?"
"Here, come on inside," Dash flew into the building and landed next to one of the windows. She smiled, a genuine, real smile this time. She was going to do it. This was the defining moment.
"What if there are Timberwolves in there? I don't want to get maimed, you know."
"Well, this i- wait, what?" The remark didn't come off as understood in the first seconds in Dash's brain. Was Twilight really doing this?
"I said, wh-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know what you said," Dash put in an irritated tone. "Just get your flank in here before I have to carry it in here."
"Hey, no need to be so rough about it! I just want to have all pre- gah!" Twilight was but off mid-rant as Dash flew over and, as she had said earlier, carried her flank in the room. Twilight was put speechless as she was carried over to the window and dropped, quite literally, next to the spot in which Dash was sitting so eagerly earlier.
They stared at each other for a few moments before Twilight spoke up. "Why di-"
"Don't even try and ask anything," she stared at Twilight, seriousness filled in her eyes. "Let me explain, and then you can ask questions. Got it?" Twilight just nodded. "Good, because this might take a while."
Dash took a deep breath, an apprehensive breath, something she hadn't taken since flight school, and began.
"Remember how I met you, that long, long year ago? The time when you got all muddy in the center of Ponyville, and I went and got you wet by jumping on a cloud? Well, that was the first time you met me. It was not the first time I met you. I met you here, in this very room, when you, and I, and all the others stopped Nightmare Moon. This is where I met you. Your real you. This is where I saw all the drive, the ambition, that emanates from your very soul. This is where I first saw you at your most, but it wasn't the last. After today I could see it in your eyes, in your walk, in your voice, in the very air around you. I saw it whenever we went on those adventures, together. I saw what no one else saw," Dash was starting to tear up, but that did not make her voice falter. It was as strong as it started. "I came back here, after we finished off Nightmare Moon, the next night. I looked out of this window, this very window, and wondered why I seemed to be the only one to notice this about you. I looked at the moon, and smelled the night air, and I could still see you when I closed my eyes. I could see your eyes, open and glowing in my vision."
"I realized that I love you Twi. I love you with all my heart, and even if you don't feel the same, or see the same; even if you now hate me for thinking like that, no matter how much I dread that possible fact, I will still love you."
They sat there, Dash staring into the sky, looking at the moon, and Twilight doing the same. Neither moved, neither backed away, but all the same neither went ahead.
After those many moments, Dash looked over at Twilight, and noticed a deadpan look on her face. Wha- what in the world is Twilight doing?
"Twi-?" Dash questioned, before being cut off by a kiss from none other than the mare she loved. Her words were stolen, but understood never-the-less. The pair melted into each others mouths, and nothing was said. But for the first time that night, it was a loving silence, one only wished to be broken by a few short words.
"I love you too, Dash."