On their approach to Sugarcube corner, Twilight and Spike noticed that something like a life-sized gingerbread house had appeared next to the building. They walked over to it. The skeletal contraption seemed to be made out of candy canes supporting horizontal boards of thick gingerbread, surrounded by a system of gears and chains. Four large candy canes stood up from the corners, topped with what looked like fan blades.
“What in Equestria is this thing?” Twilight said, stopping by the corner of the building.
Spike put a hand on his belly and moaned. “I dunno, but all I can think about is the tummy ache I’d get from eating it all.”
A nearby bush rustled, and Twilight and Spike took a step backward. Pinkie Pie popped out of the leaves, wearing a pair of flight goggles and carrying a handful of thick, colorful disks, which looked like oversized hard candies. “Twilight and Spike! You made it! Just one second.” She grinned and hopped over to the gingerbread-and-candy cane construction, dumping the disks on the grass. She picked one up and posed as if throwing a discus, closing one eye. “Hiya!” she shouted, and spun her entire body, releasing the disk, which flew through the air and somehow attached itself to the curled portion of a candy cane. “Hiya! Hiya! Hiya! Hiya!” Pinkie twirled her body like a baton, and the rest of the colored disks flew off her hooves, smacking and sticking to more candy cane and gingerbread. The resultant look was, oddly, aesthetically pleasing.
Pinkie breathed heavily for a few seconds, then turned and bounded over to Twilight and Spike. “I’m so glad you could come! Tonight’s going to be so much fun!” She leaned over to Spike and whispered loudly, “I’m bringing the candy bag.”
“Oh,” Spike said, his eyes wide.
Twilight smiled. “I’m looking forward to it. Um, is that thing what we’ll be flying up in?” She squinted.
“It sure is! This here’s the candycopter mark two! I’ve been working on it for a while.”
“Howdy, y’all,” Applejack said, walking up with Rarity beside her. “Howdy, Twilight,” she said with a smile. She looked over to the flying machine. “It’s looking pretty good, Pinkie! Reckon it’s okay to fly?”
“Hi Applejack! Hi Rarity! I sure reckon it’s better than any candycopter ever built before in the history of Equestria,” Pinkie said, beaming.
“And exactly how many candycopters have there been in the history of Equestria?” Twilight said.
Pinkie hopped around the other ponies and dragon. “More than one, and less than three! Now, it needs two ponies to power it, so Applejack, catch!” She tossed a pair of flight goggles bound with a leather strap to Applejack, who caught it in a hoof.
Applejack turned the goggles over in her hooves, then removed her hat and pulled them over her eyes. “How do I look, Rares?”
Rarity tittered. “Very dashing, Applejack. Why, I might mistake you for an airship pirate.”
Applejack laughed. “Arr! Y’all best turn out yer bits,” she said in a gruff voice.
Pinkie Pie stood up straight. “Stow the chit chat, rookies! This is last chance for the latrine ‘fore we make for high skies!” She pulled her goggles up to her forehead before leaning in and whispering loudly, “That means the little fillies’ room.”
“I think we’re good to go. Fluttershy’s meeting us there,” Rarity said. She turned to Twilight. “It’s probably best if Twilight were to cast the cloudwalking spell before we leave ground.”
Pinkie slid the goggles back over her eyes. “All right, mare your stations while we wait for tech to give us the go-ahead!”
Spike blinked and looked at her. “Uh, what does that mean?”
Pinkie slid the goggles back up into her mane. “That means we should all get into the candycopter, and Twilight can cast the spell on us all at once!”
“Good idea, Pinkie,” Twilight said, “That should make it easy.”
The four ponies and dragon walked over to the flying machine, and climbed candy cane steps onto a gingerbread platform. Two sets of four pedals connected to various gears were situated in the front of the platform, with a raised seat in the middle of each set, so that a pony could push four pedals at once while their body was supported. Applejack walked over and hopped onto a seat, placing her hooves on the pedals.
“Here goes,” Twilight said, lighting her horn and screwing her eyes shut. In a moment, a pink sheen covered the flying machine and its occupants, then vanished. Twilight let out her breath. “All right, that should last for a few days.”
“Magic, Twilight!” Pinkie hopped onto the other seat and pedals, then turned to Applejack. “Do we have clear skies, rookie?”
“Oh! Uh,” Applejack said, raising a hoof to shield her eyes and looking up. “Clear skies, Pinkie!”
“Then let’s do this thing!” She and Applejack pushed on their pedals. With a buzzing sound, the four fan blades at the top of the machine started spinning, quickly gaining speed until they became blurs of motion. The machine picked up off the ground and rose slowly straight up into the air.
“Whoa, nelly,” Applejack said. Rarity clutched a candy cane, while Spike ran to the front of the candycopter and looked over the edge. As they rose, more and more buildings became visible, until all of Ponyville came into view beneath them.
“Steering hard port!” Pinkie yelled. She reached forward with her muzzle and grabbed onto a candy cane with her teeth, pulling it. The flying machine rotated slowly in place. Past the buildings of Ponyville, a distant white and rainbow-colored dot in the air moved until it was in front of them. Pinkie spat out the candy cane, and they stopped rotating. “All right, get set for some chuff!” She shifted her body, and her seat and pedals angled forward along with two of the fan blades above them. The machine started drifting forward in the air, picking up speed and wobbling slightly. “Keep her steady, rookie!”
“I’m doin’ my best,” Applejack said, licking her lips.
“Good job, girls!” Twilight said. She clopped her hooves together and smiled, the wind tossing her mane.
“Yes, eh, keep it up,” said Rarity. She was grabbing onto the candy cane tightly with two legs.
Within a minute or two, the white dot grew into a large house made of clouds and draped in several fountains of rainbows, floating in the air above fields of farmland. There was a flat platform at the front of the house, with a pathway in the clouds leading towards what looked like a front door. Pinkie Pie lurched her body backwards, and her station and the fan blades flipped back to the horizontal. The machine slowed its forward approach, eventually stopping over the cloud platform. “All right, take her down easy!” Pinkie called out.
“Roger,” Applejack said, and the two slowed their pedaling speed somewhat. The candycopter descended slowly until it bumped and settled onto solid cloudstuff.
Rarity let out a breath. Pinkie Pie removed her goggles and hopped up and over towards the candy cane steps off of the machine. “That was a doozy of a trip!”
Applejack wiped her brow. “Eh, that wasn’t so bad, once you get the hang of flying that thing.”
“I’d take a candycopter over a chariot any day!” Spike said, standing up on his toes to get a better look at the cloud house.
The group left the candycopter and trotted across the cloud path. When they were near the door, it opened, and Fluttershy popped her head out. “Hi everyone, come right in,” she said. She squinted at the flying machine for a moment, then swung the door open wide, holding it while the others walked through. She smiled at Twilight as she passed.
The inside of the house was mainly blue and white in color. Some tough, smooth material made up most of the walls and floor, although much of the floor was covered in soft cloudstuff flattened into something like carpeting. White, patterned columns lined many of the walls and corners. After passing through a short entryway, the group entered a living room, which was slightly cluttered with random clothing. Wonderbolts posters were pinned up on the wall, along with a shelf adorned with several golden trophies. A purple sofa sat at one end of the room, next to a large mass of loose cloudstuff. A few chairs were arrayed on the other side of the sofa. Rainbow Dash was seated in one of the chairs, flipping through a brightly-colored magazine. She looked up as the others entered the room and smiled.
“Hey guys! This is gonna be so awesome!” she said, tossing the magazine into the corner of the room. “You all are going to witness the very first performance of this baby.” She pointed high up on the wall, where a black film projector sat on a shelf jutting out from the wall. The projector pointed to a flat, white, section of wall on the other side of the room.
“I made some popcorn,” Fluttershy said, walking into the room and carrying a large bowl of popcorn on her back.
Before long, the ponies and dragon sat themselves down around the room. Applejack and Rarity sat next to each other on the sofa, while Fluttershy lay on about half of the loose pile of cloudstuff. Pinkie, Twilight, and Spike took the chairs, which were deep and well padded. Applejack grabbed the bowl of popcorn and took a hoof full, then passed the bowl to Rarity.
Rainbow Dash flew out of the room for a moment, returning with a wheel of film clutched in her hooves. “All right everypony, get yourselves nice and comfy!” she said and attached the film to the projector, flicking a switch. The projector whirred and started spinning, and a light within it slowly brightened. On the other side of the room, the number ‘8’ appeared, counting down to ‘7’. The projector beeped, and Spike and Pinkie Pie cheered.
“Sweet,” Rainbow said. She grabbed a handful of cloudstuff and shaped it into a flat sheet, pressing it to one of the windows in the room so that the sunlight from outside was partially obscured. She did the same for the other window, then moved back to the pile of cloudstuff and gathered some up into a ball. As she laid back into the cloudstuff, she glanced over towards the chairs, catching Twilight’s eye. They both quickly shifted their gaze.
Some slow piano music began to play from the projector, and video of a sunset appeared, reflected over a pond. Geese were flying across the shot, framed by the sun. The shot changed to show an elderly mare standing at a window, gazing wistfully out across the pond. An indistinct figure appeared behind her in the doorway to the room, focusing into an elderly stallion, who knocked on the open door. The mare turned around to look at him. “Hello?” she said, in a breathless voice.
“Hi, Mayfly. How are you?” the stallion asked. His voice was gravelly and deep.
“Mayfly… yes, that’s my name. I remember it now.”
The stallion walked forward and extended a hoof, tenderly taking Mayfly’s hoof and shaking it. “Do… do you remember my name, Mayfly? Do you remember who I am?”
Mayfly studied the stallion’s face. “I… I don’t know… can’t remember…”
The stallion let go of her hoof and looked away, clearly crestfallen. “That’s all right, that’s all right,” he said. He reached behind him and pulled out a large scroll, rolled up and tied with string. He unwound the string slowly. When the scroll fell open, he pulled up a chair and sat down. Mayfly sat down as well.
“Now, I’d like to read you something that is very close to my heart,” said the stallion. “It’s a story that somepony I love very much asked me to write down for her. You should know this somepony very well. Very well, indeed,” he said, leaning towards the mare and pointing a hoof at her.
Mayfly put a hoof to her chest. “Who is this somepony?”
The stallion sighed. “I hope that, as I read this important scroll, you might remember who it is. And that you might remember who I am, too. Will you listen to the story? Please.”
Mayfly nodded gravely. “I will.”
The stallion smiled at her. “Thank you. The story begins, ‘There once was a mare from Nantucket, who slipped and fell on a bucket. She hit her head, then woke up in bed, and when asked who she was, she said ‘buck it’.’” The stallion looked up towards Mayfly with a hopeful expression. “Do you remember who that somepony is, now?”
Mayfly tilted her head to the side. “No, in fact I think I’m more confused than before.”
The stallion sighed again. “That’s all right, that’s all right. Thank you for listening to me. Can I read you some more of the story?” Mayfly nodded her head, and the stallion smiled. “You’re very kind. The next part of the story begins, ‘There once was a colt from Peru,’ …”
As the movie continued to play, Spike started visibly nodding off. Pinkie Pie nudged him with an elbow. “Psst! The candy bag,” she said in a whisper.
Spike jumped and blinked his eyes. “Huh? What?”
“The candy bag!”
Rarity looked over the side of the sofa, munching on popcorn. “Shh!”
Pinkie whispered quieter to Spike, “The candy bag, silly.” She stuck a hoof into her mane and pulled out a large plastic bag filled with a multitude of wrapped, colorful candies.
Spike grinned. “All right!” he whispered.
Pinkie grabbed either side of the plastic bag and tugged, but the bag wouldn’t open. She grit her teeth and pulled harder, and the bag ripped and exploded in a shower of color and loud crinkling sounds.
“Pinkie Pie!” Rarity managed to yell very quietly.
“Sorry!” Pinkie whispered back. She picked up the nearest piece of candy and pulled on the ends, starting to unwrap it. As the candy twisted open, the wrapper let loose with a loud cracking sound, as though the plastic were being torn in half.
Rarity leaned over the sofa arm and flicked a popcorn kernel at Pinkie, which lodged itself in her mane.
“Sorry!” Pinkie whispered again. She popped the candy in her mouth, and bit down. The hard candy scraped against her teeth and split in half with a loud pop. She turned to the sofa, meeting Rarity’s glare. “That’s the last time!” she said quietly, waving her hooves. Rarity kept her glare, slowly leaning back and turning towards the film. Pinkie turned to Spike. “Careful, Spike, you can eat the candy but you have to suck on it ‘til it melts!”
“Sure, sure,” Spike muttered, his eyes half closed. “Gah!” he said, jumping in his seat. He turned towards the movie and leaned forward.
Over an hour later, the movie wound down to a close. The final scene was in the same room, with the same stallion and mare lying in bed next to each other, holding hooves. “Good night, Mayfly,” the elderly stallion, said, in a slow, tired voice.
“Good night, my love,” Mayfly said, her voice fading.
The camera panned back out to another deep red sunset over the pond. A flock of geese flew in front of the sun, slowly traversing the shot. The silhouette of a pegasus pony flew after the birds, gaining on them. A voice echoed in the distance, “Turn around, you stupid birds! Don’t you know you’re supposed to be flying north?” The shot faded out into darkness, and credits started playing, with more slow piano music.
Rainbow stopped the film projector, then flew over to the windows and collected the cloudstuff, letting in light from the real sunset outside.
Rarity sniffed and put a hoof to her face as if wiping away tears. “My, such drama! Those actors were simply sublime! But the script could have used some work, to put it lightly.” Her body was snuggled up against Applejack’s side, who rested a hoof on her shoulder.
“I didn’t really get that movie, I mean, Mayfly remembered everything for like two seconds, but what did that change, really?” Applejack said.
Rarity gasped. “Memory is everything, darling! What if I woke up tomorrow, and couldn’t remember who you were?”
Applejack scratched her mane. “Well, first of all, we’re not that old, so it’s not really the same. And second of all, I sure as hay wouldn’t abandon my family to try to get your memory back, like that stallion did.”
“How could you say such a thing? You would just forget me and move on?” Rarity placed a hoof on her chest.
“I’m just saying that there’s such a thing as priorities! Sure, I’d visit you and all that, and I’d be mighty sad, but I wouldn’t go dropping all my chores on Applebloom and forcing Big Mac to keep track of the bits. That sure would be somethin’.”
Twilight stood up from her chair and stretched her limbs. “I’m sorry to cut this short, but shouldn’t we start heading back soon while there’s still some light left?”
All eyes in the room turned to her. Rainbow Dash spoke up, rubbing a hoof against her neck, “Uh, didn’t the girls say tonight was a sleepover? Because you could totally stay up with me and crash here, you know, if you want to.”
Twilight frowned for a moment. “Oh, sure! I must have missed that. I can stay up, I usually have a couple hours left in my daily routine, anyway. Should we play some sleepover games?” She looked around at the other ponies.
Fluttershy stood up and walked over to Spike’s chair. “Oh no, Spike looks so tired!” she said, pointing to the dragon, who was slumped against the arm of his chair. “Don’t worry, Twilight, I can take him back to the castle and tuck him into his own bed, so he’ll be nice and comfortable.”
“Okay, thanks, Fluttershy. Will you come back here?” Twilight asked with a confused expression.
Fluttershy winced. “Um, I don’t think so, there was something else I had to do. Oh yes! I forgot to feed the animals their dinner. They must be so hungry.”
“Well, we’ll certainly miss you. Thanks for taking Spike, though, that’s kind of you,” Twilight said.
“It’s my pleasure,” Fluttershy said, bending down and deftly scooping the sleeping dragon onto her back. She started walking towards the front door of the house. “See you later, Twilight.”
“Ah haff moo ho moo!” Pinkie Pie said, her cheeks bulging. She loudly sucked in some drool that threatened to escape her muzzle. The floor in front of her was littered with small wrappers, which she hurriedly scooped up and placed in her mane. When she was done, she started walking behind Fluttershy.
At the same time, Rarity and Applejack slid off of the sofa. “Whatever that was, Pinkie, it was revolting,” said Rarity. She turned to Twilight. “Oh, and, so sorry, dear, but I can’t stay either. Dress orders and the like, simply dreadful. But think nothing of it, you should stay and enjoy yourself!” She and Applejack followed behind Pinkie, who had already reached the door. Fluttershy was waiting just outside.
Applejack muttered to herself, walking in front of Rarity. “And all that rememberin’ wasn’t any good for her health, neither! So what did he really get done? It don’t make a lick o’ sense.”
“Well, all right then! Have a good night, girls,” Twilight said.
Once at the doorway, Applejack stopped and looked over her shoulder, grinning at Rainbow Dash. “We’ll see you two lovebirds later – ouch!” Rarity had stomped on one of her hind hooves. “Now what did you go and do that for?”
“Oh dear me, I must not have been looking where I was going,” Rarity said, bodily pushing Applejack’s rump out the door. “Things like that tend to happen when certain ponies stop walking in the middle of doorways to say unnecessary things, surely you understand…” Their voices became muffled and faded away as the door closed. The only sound left in the room came from the wind listing through the windows.
“Should we, uh, hit the hay, then?” Twilight said.
Rainbow stood, still rubbing her neck with a hoof. She turned and walked over to another doorway. “In a bit. C’mere, Twi’,” she said, opening the door and revealing a hallway that led deeper into the cloud house, lit by lantern light. She paused for a moment, until Twilight began to follow her, then walked into the hallway and left the door open. Twilight followed at a short distance, until Rainbow stopped and opened another door and stepped inside.
The floor inside this room was made of hard checkered tile, leading up to soft purple carpet further in. Framed by two pillars, a cloud bed and nightstand sat atop the carpet, the bed covered in sheets emblazoned with a stylized version of Dash’s own cutie mark. Rainbow Dash’s hooves sounded lightly on the tile, until she flapped her wings and took off, gliding over and landing on the bed. She sat down, smiled, and patted the spot next to her, indicating for Twilight to approach.
Twilight turned and closed the door behind herself, then took two steps onto the tile and stopped. “Rainbow…” she began, but her voice trailed off. Her eyes roamed around the room, to the Wonderbolts posters pinned up on the walls and a small bookshelf crammed with brightly-colored books.
Dash leaned back into a pile of pillows, placing her hooves behind her head. “Some movie, huh? I figured out that they were married from the start! It was so obvious!”
Twilight chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t see what all the fuss was about. I’d give it three stars, at best.”
“Three stars? Yeah, totally, out of ten!”
The two shared a laugh for a brief moment, but neither spoke up afterward. Once again, the sound of the wind filled the room.
Dash cleared her throat. “Maybe we should, um, talk about something else.” Her ears pricked up. “So, Twi’, you really like me, huh?” She sat still, looking at Twilight.
Twilight let out a puff of air through her nose. “Well, yeah! That’s what I was saying when you turned around and left me!”
“Yeah, so, I may have been kind of a jerk back there. I wasn’t thinking of how you’d react.” Rainbow’s ears fell back against her head.
Twilight laughed. “How I’d react? I just stood there like an idiot, hoping nopony recognized me and saw how pitiful I looked. The gossip column would’ve paid good bits for that photo, that’s for sure.” Twilight bowed her head and looked at her hooves. She spoke softly. “And I guess I know now that I never had a chance with you. But, it’s okay, Rainbow. I’ll get over it.”
Rainbow’s eyebrows raised and she leaned forward, dropping her hooves to her sides. She sucked in a breath through her teeth. “Twi-”
“I mean, why did I spend so much time analyzing myself and trying to decide if a possible relationship would work out, when I didn’t even know if you liked me back or not? But no, I was stuck in my books, like always…”
“Twi’, wait a sec,” Rainbow began again. Her hoof steps clicked onto the tile.
“Of course you ran away. You were trying to be nice to me. You couldn’t let me finish because your answer wouldn’t be what I want. You left because you’re a good f-friend.” She sniffed.
“Twilight,” Rainbow stated. She reached out a hoof and lifted Twilight’s head up, meeting her eyes with her own. “I’m the worst friend.”
Twilight blinked rapidly, her eyes glistening. Her lower lip trembled. “I’m such an egghead,” she said.
After a moment, Rainbow leaned forward and tilted her head to one side, puckering her lips slightly and placing them on top of Twilight’s. She closed her eyes and pressed forward a bit, causing Twilight to shift her stance. Her hoof moved from Twilight’s jaw towards her withers, stroking her fur and mane.
“Mm?” Twilight said, unable to open her mouth. She blinked, and a tear pushed past her eyelashes and fell on Rainbow’s muzzle. Twilight felt Rainbow’s breath on her cheek, accompanied by a sweet smell. She closed her eyes and pushed back with her lips, returning the same pressure.
The two stood like that for several seconds, moving their muzzles only slightly, until Rainbow leaned away and took a step back, separating them with a soft, wet sound. Rainbow locked eyes with Twilight again for a moment before Twilight looked away, a sheepish expression on her face. Both had healthy blushes on their cheeks.
“What’d you think?” Rainbow said, grinning. Her wings were slightly unfurled.
Twilight looked back up. “That was certainly… um, an empirical experience.”
Rainbow’s face fell. “That bad, huh?”
“No! It was great! I’m just really confused right now. I need some time to process this.”
“Oh. Okay then. Time is good,” Rainbow said. She stepped forward and placed a hoof on Twilight’s withers, leading her towards the bed. They sat down, and Rainbow positioned some pillows behind Twilight’s back.
Twilight leaned forward on the bed. “So, does this mean that you find me attractive?”
Rainbow laughed weakly. “Uh, yeah. I don’t do that with just anypony. Is that what’s got you hung up?”
Twilight fiddled with her front hooves for a while. “Are you mad that I was… ogling you, when you were flying last week?”
“What?” Rainbow laughed, then stifled herself with a hoof. “Twilight, I just kissed you, and you’re wondering if I’m mad that you were checking me out?” She extended a hoof, pointing to where the pair had stood a few moments ago.
“Um, maybe?” Twilight said. “Then why have you been acting so differently, and why did you run away from me at the Three Horseshoes?”
“Yeah,” Rainbow began, and wiped a hoof down her face. “Maybe, I panicked a little back there. You can’t blame me for being a little scared. You’re a scary mare!”
Twilight started to laugh. “You’re saying that you ran away – because I’m scary?”
“Well, yeah! You’re Twilight Sparkle. You’re way cute, and the smartest pony I know! I can’t do anything that you can do, and that scares me. And, you’re a princess, so throw that on top of the haystack.” Rainbow frowned.
Twilight shifted her body towards the pegasus. “Rainbow, you’re just as amazing at just as many things as I am, and I can’t do anything you can do, either!”
“Yeah, maybe,” Rainbow said, waving a hoof.
“Maybe you’re not a princess, but honestly, I don’t think I deserve to be a princess either! And you girls are the ones who’ve made me into who I am today.” Rainbow stayed silent, still glowering. “And I’m pretty sure that between the two of us, you’re the more attractive one. I mean, that seems pretty obvious to me.” Rainbow cracked a smile as Twilight spoke, but it quickly faded. Eventually, Twilight looked away towards a picture on the nightstand. “Is there something else?” she said, quietly.
Rainbow sighed and pushed herself up onto the bed a little more. “You don’t wanna date me,” she said, and sniffed.
Twilight’s eyebrows raised. “Er, actually, I think I’d be very open to the possibility.”
Rainbow shook her head, bending to look at the floor. “No, you don’t. I’m sure Fluttershy told you all about my failure of a romantic life when you were asking her about me. Every time I date somepony, it all falls apart in a few months, or even just a few weeks. It happened even when I – even with her.”
“Oh,” Twilight said and sat back into the pillows. “Why does it happen?”
“I’m just no good at that mushy stuff, Twi’. Things weren’t like they were at the start, and we just sort of drifted apart. Or maybe it was just me. I’m the one who pulled away.” She sniffed again. “And the worst part is, I don’t even know why.” A couple large teardrops slid off her muzzle onto the carpet.
As Dash cried, Twilight took a deep breath and scooted over to sit beside the pegasus. She put her hooves around Rainbow, pulling her into an embrace.
Rainbow sniffled onto Twilight’s shoulder. “Twi’? What’re you doin’?”
Twilight spoke into Rainbow’s multicolored mane. “I’m comforting you, silly.”
“Oh. Thanks.” Rainbow slid her own hooves up to return the hug.
Soon, Rainbow stopped crying, and her breath slowed down into an even rhythm. The two continued to hold each other, Twilight occasionally running a hoof over Rainbow’s withers. “I’m really glad you trust me enough to tell me that, Rainbow,” Twilight said, still talking into Rainbow’s mane.
“Uh huh,” Rainbow said in a weak voice.
“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” The pegasus nodded into Twilight’s shoulder. Twilight smoothed Rainbow’s mane with a hoof for a few seconds, then paused. “What would you say if I said, even knowing all that, that I would still want to date you?”
“Uh huh?”
“Well, I’m saying it. I’d like to try. Would you want to be marefriends?”
“…Yeah. That’d be awesome.” Rainbow tightened her hold for a moment, then pulled away. She looked up. “Are you sure?”
Twilight smiled. “Yes. As a wise person once said, ‘if it’s meant to be, it’ll work out.’ And if not… well, we’ll always be friends, right?”
Rainbow closed her eyes, wiping some tears off her face with a hoof. “Obviously.” She wiped her hoof on the bedsheets. “Ponyfeathers, look at how sappy I’m getting. Sorry you have to see me like this, Twi’.”
“Actually, you look pretty adorable right now.” Twilight chuckled.
Rainbow pursed her lips for a moment, then smiled. “Shut up.”
Twilight and Rainbow Dash lay back sprawled against the pillows, breathing deeply. The fur along their legs blended together, trapping a comfortable heat. Twilight gazed upwards, tracing swirling lines in the ceiling around with her eyes. The moon had come out and was shining through the room’s translucent windows, bathing the ceiling and walls in a soft silver light. Her muzzle rested with a soft smile. A warm feeling began to wash over her body, a familiar feeling of safety and of being at ease. She closed her eyes and lay there for some time, listening to the rhythm of Dash’s gentle breathing mingled with the sound of the wind outside.
At length, Twilight rolled over to look at Rainbow with a grin. “Do you really think I’m cute?”
Dash’s eyes popped open. She groaned.
The End