//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 - Dark Horse Twins // Story: Tamed // by PiercingZen //------------------------------// Act 2 Chapter 7 – Dark Horse Twins ***** In every being lies a parasite eating at morality. It only hurts more when they pretend it’s not there. ***** The two ponies had returned to the library where the unicorn, Twilight, began packing for the trip to Cloudsdale. It had only been a few days, but Twilight and Rainbow have both transformed physically and mentally. Twilight Sparkle, plagued by erratic, dangerous magic from a broken horn, felt very cautious with every thought and with every move she made. She feared for her friend, Rainbow Dash, who had recently wrecked her flying capability, but now, thanks to Twilight, flies with wings created by her twisted magic. Everything seemed to repair itself gradually, but unfortunately stability advents further ill-fated tragedies as the two ponies could only speculate what lies beyond the threshold of their trip to Cloudsdale. “Are you sure you want to do this, Twi?” Rainbow approached the unicorn and gave her an affectionate nudge with her muzzle. Twilight turned to kiss the concerned pony. “Yeah. I’m sure. I’m not worried. I know you’ll be there for me. I put all my trust into that soft heart of yours.” The pegasus pounded her chest with a hoof. “Hey! This heart is solid gold! Being soft is something I would expect from you, egghead.” She threw her nose up and grinned. The unicorn giggled. “You do know that gold is a pretty soft metal, right?” Rainbow snorted. “You would say something like that, Twi.” The two ponies laughed. “Anyway, I just finished packing, Dash. I’ve told Spike to gather our friends so we could tell them of our venture.” Dash’s face cringed, “That’s all good, Twi, but please don’t tell them anything they don’t need to know, okay?” She tapped the ground repeatedly as she spoke. The unicorn took Rainbow’s nervous hoof in her own. “Of course. I’m just gonna tell them we’re on official business from the Princess to Cloudsdale. If they ask why…” Bang! Bang! Bang! Something was hammering at the door. The two ponies separated and collected themselves. Twilight spoke up, “It’s open!” The door swung open and trotted inside were all of their pony friends: Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, and Fluttershy. Spike didn’t show for some reason. Rarity was the first to zip up to Twilight with a mouthful of speculation. “Twilight?! Is everything alright, dear? Spike made it sound so urgent, I couldn’t dare think of the possi…” Rarity gasped as the white unicorn’s eyes caught a glance of the broken horn. “What happened? And Rainbow?! Your wings!” Rainbow’s stance became a little sheepish and did her best to hide her wings. “Look, Rarity. It’s a lot to explain. I need everypony to listen whilst I shed light on the situation.” The white mare nodded and joined with the others who had just now gotten over to the group. The rest of the ponies had similar expressions in discovering the two damaged ponies. Fluttershy couldn’t help herself as she approached Rainbow. “Oh…dear! Rainbow!” Her voice as soft as a cloud. “Your wings…they’re…” Rainbow interjected by spreading her wings which wowed the yellow pegasus, “Pretty strange, huh? They’re magic…I think. Twilight, you should go ahead and explain.” The purple unicorn nodded, “It’s pretty obvious, but Rainbow and I were in an accident a couple days ago. I’m actually surprised that everypony didn’t know that already.” “I knew, Twilight!” Applejack stepped forward. “I mean I was the one who got y’all out of that mess below Rainbow’s. I was gonna tell everypony about it…but I figured y’all pull something like this. So I did the respectable thing and waited.” The orange mare gave a guilty smile to the rest of the ponies who gave her an array of irritated looks. “I appreciate it, AJ. Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy…” They turned their heads one by one. “My horn is indeed broken and Rainbow had lost her wings. You see, it started when I visited Rainbow’s to discuss a particular book with her…” Twilight began explaining the bare minimum of the story. She left out the initial stormy night, all of the emotional moments with Rainbow, and their newfound love. She didn’t tell them about Dash’s failure with the Wonderbolts and that she planned to attend flight school. She explained the mishaps with her horn and how they granted Rainbow new wings by sheer chance. She told them that Rainbow had fallen, not leaped from her house. It was cleverly crafted, and Rainbow was very happy with Twilight for being so thoughtful of her pride. “…and that’s pretty much how it happened, right, Dash?” Twilight finished her explanation and the pegasus nodded. The ponies had listened intently. Their minds brimmed with questions. “So she told you there’s no way to fix your horn?” Rarity touched her own horn, cringing. “Well, Celestia told me there was no known way to fix it. She’s tasked me to find one.” The white unicorn sighed with worry. “Well, this is just utterly dreadful!” Pinkie butt in, “But look on the bright side!” She hopped over to Rainbow and pulled on the pegasus’s left wing which made her grit her teeth. “Rainbow wouldn’t have these cool super duper wings!” Rainbow pushed the silly pony away with a hind hoof. “Easy, Pinkie! They’re not indestructible! I think…” Twilight shrugged. “So all this over some silly book?” AJ pound a hoof into the floor. “I reckon there’s more to this story than yer lettin’ on, but those injuries are real enough for me. So I won’t question it.” “Well, if I were to tell you every detail we’d be here forever. Besides there’s…” Fluttershy cleared her throat and the group turned her heads. She sunk a little and smiled sheepishly. “What’s up, Fluttershy?” Rainbow moved closer. “Oh…it’s nothing…sorry, Twilight. You can continue.” Dash rolled her eyes. “I’m not gonna play this game today, Shy. Just spit it out!” “Eep! Oh…Okay, it’s just that…well, I was just wondering…how come you didn’t come to me…when you were stuck on the ground? I could have flown you home…I mean…I would have been more than happy to…” She ran her hoof across the ground. “Oh! Well, you see uh…I was going to! Of course that thought crossed my mind, but like Twi said, I got zapped there before I got the chance to ask you. Don’t think I hadn’t thought of that, Fluttershy.” She gave the canary-yellow pegasus a cheesy smile. “Oh! Okay…I guess that makes sense…sorry…” Rainbow sighed loudly. Twilight cleared her throat and smiled, “With everything said, I initially called this meeting to announce that Rainbow and I are going to Cloudsdale on official business from the Princess.” Pinkie jumped in immediately, “Cloudsdale?! Why aren’t we invited for the party? Oo!! Is it like a top-secret mission? Do you get cool sunglasses and wristwatches that fire laser beams?! Because I would be so totally jealous!” Everypony rolled their eyes and Twilight chuckled, “No, Pinkie Pie. It’s nothing crazy like that. Just a simple request.” “And what, might I ask, is this ‘simple’ request?” AJ tilted her head in skepticism. Twilight had feared this. She took a deep breath, “It’s nothing to worry about! Just a couple of months of personal training from the legendary Wonderbolts!” Rainbow shot her a look of shock and everypony else gasped. “The Wonderbolts?!” Rarity exclaimed. “Rainbow Dash, my dear, that is simply marvelous! You’ve always dreamed to become one of those famous ponies!” Dash laughed nervously, “Uh, yep! Living the dream!” The pony reared in false excitement. Fluttershy’s eyes sparkled as Rainbow spread her wings. The beauty of them a little intoxicating. “Oh, Rainbow…I’m so happy…for you.” Fluttershy smiled. A pink pony popped up in front of Dash. “All right, Rainbow! You’re gonna become one of the Wonderbolts! Hooray!!” Pinkie Pie sprayed confetti over the bashful pegasus. “Thanks, guys…you don’t know how much this means to me.” Rainbow chuckled. Whilst the other ponies were busy praising Rainbow, Applejack was giving Twilight a skeptical stare. The unicorn caught wind of this and tried to look away. “Twilight, can I speak to ya fer a second?” The mare’s back hair stood on end, “Um, of course, AJ. What’s up?” The two ponies met in seclusion off to the side. Applejack whispered, “You may have them other ponies fooled, Twi, but I can see that there’s more to this.” Twilight cringed. “But anyhow…it’s none of my business so I won’t stick my hoof in. I just want to let y’all know…that I’m here for ya anytime anywhere.” Twilight grinned with a few tears in the corner of her eyes. She jumped up and embraced the mare. “Thanks, AJ. That means a lot. You’re the best friend a pony could ask for.” “Aw, shucks. Just try to be careful, ya hear? I don’t want to find y’all under Cloudsdale one mornin’.” The thought made Twilight’s heart jump. “Don’t worry, AJ. I’ll be more prepared this time.” “What are you two ponies talking about?!” Pinkie Pie butt in between them. “Applejack, are you Twilight’s informant or something?! Do you have the room bugged?” She zipped around looking for something. Applejack rolled her eyes, “Oh, fer Pete’s sake, Pink. Ya sure do know how to get under a pony’s skin.” Pinkie jumped up right in front of the mare and surprised her. “Under your skin?! Ew, that’s just gross! I would never do that! Is that where they’re hiding the bug?!” The orange pony groaned. Twilight was chortling to the side. The other ponies joined in and Rarity spoke up again, “So Twilight, why is that you have to accompany Rainbow to this occasion?” The purple unicorn shifted her eyes around, looking for an answer. Dash attempted to answer her question, “She’s…gonna help me train! You know it isn’t all about learning tricks and flying fast. You gotta be smart too, and there’s nopony I’d rather teach me more than the most smartest pony in all of Equestria!” The unicorn blushed and hung her head. “Oh, come on, Dash. You’re making me blush…but she’s right. Celestia has asked me to…” Pinkie interjected, “I think this calls for a celebration! A farewell party! Oh, we’ll have punch, cake, and balloons! Oh, it’ll be so much fun!” “Actually, Pinkie. We won’t be able to stay for a party.” Twilight hated to rain on her parade. “What?! Not even long enough for cupcakes?!” The unicorn shook her head. “We’re actually overdue as it is. All of these crazy events that have happened recently have kinda made us late.” She poked her head in front of all the ponies and grinned. “And you know how I get when I’m tardy…” Everypony winced. “I-I think a party is a bit excessive, don’t you think, Applejack?” Rarity fluttered her eyes toward the pony with a concerned smile. “Uh…yeah. I need to get back to Sweet Apple Acres anyhow. No need to pester these ponies any further seeing the mess y’all already in.” “Will we be able to visit…Twilight?” Fluttershy beat her wings. Rainbow threw a leg over Fluttershy, “Of course you can! Just don’t show up without some kind of warning though. I don’t want an earful from the Wonderbolts.” Fluttershy clopped her hooves together and smiled. “Yay…” “How are you two going to travel there? Do you need any assistance?” Rarity inquired. “I can carry her there!” Rainbow boasted. “With these new wings, I can carry anypony anywhere.” “Just don’t go dropping her now, ya silly pigeon.” Applejack put her hoof down. “What was that, AJ? You need to look at who you’re talking to! I was the one who simultaneously saved four ponies in a single dive.” The cyan pegasus beat her chest with a hoof and puffed it out. “The last time with Twi was just a fluke. It won’t happen again!” Twilight interrupted the two, “Actually, AJ. We’ve packed quite a few things so we’ll have to take the balloon there.” Rainbow let out a sigh that pretty much said “Oh yeah.” Rarity briefly embraced the purple unicorn. “I do hope you’ve packed everything you ponies need for your trip.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Oh, for Pete’s sake! You don’t need to obsess over everything, Rarity…” The white unicorn was taken aback. “Oh! Well, someone has to. What if you ponies forgot to pack warm? It is fairly high up there in Cloudsdale. I don’t want you two catching a cold!” Twilight could only laugh. “Don’t worry, Rarity. We’ll be fine. We’ve packed for all circumstances.” Applejack interrupted them. “Uh huh…well, come on everypony. Let’s say our goodbyes and leave these two to their mission.” Pinkie pointed at the orange mare. “Mission?! See I told you it’s some kind of secret spy sortie! They wouldn’t believe me!” “Come on, Pinkie!” AJ nabbed the pony’s tail and began dragging her out of the library. As she was dragged, Pinkie gave the Twilight and Rainbow a terrifying glare. “I’m watching you two…” She pointed to her eyes with a hoof, and then pointed it at them. The two mares laughed awkwardly. Fluttershy approached the two. “Please don’t do anything dangerous, Rainbow…I wouldn’t know what to do if…you two got hurt…” “You worry too much, Fluttershy. You forget who you’re talking to…” Rainbow turned her head. “It’s weird how I keep having to remind everypony…” “We’ll send letters to Ponyville weekly, Fluttershy.” The unicorn reassured her. “We know better than to leave you ponies hanging…right, Dash?” She nudged her. “Well, yeah! Just don’t be surprised if one’s late or something. Training with the Wonderbolts isn’t exactly a cakewalk.” “Did someone say cake?!” Pinkie Pie had barged back in. An orange blur tackled the pony. The group winced at the crash. “Well, come on, Fluttershy.” Rarity turned to leave. “I need a model for my new dress. Those mannequins are sometimes just too bland to properly judge beauty.” “A model?!” Fluttershy cringed, but sank. “Okay…just please don’t put me in a…fashion show.” She accompanied the mare towards the door. “Bye, everypony!” Rainbow waved to them. They each gave their goodbyes as they piled out. Once they were all gone, the two mares looked at each other and sighed with relief. “That went well, actually.” Twilight sunk to the ground. “And yet I feel horrible…” “Come on, Twi.” Rainbow sat right next to her. “I’m really happy about what you did back there. So what if we kept a few things and changed some stuff around? It’s better that they don’t know.” “But they’re our friends, Rainbow! They probably would have been accepting regardless of what we told them.” The unicorn looked away from the mare and at the floor. Dash leaned close and kissed her cheek. “How about we tell them everything once we come back?” Twilight turned her head, nodded, and returned the kiss to her lips. “Ew! What are you two doing?” A high-pitched voice immediately separated the two ponies from each other. They thought they were alone, but they had a few more visitors…three to be exact. Twilight and Rainbow jumped to their hooves. Twilight coughed. “Oh! Girls! I didn’t think you would come!” She looked at the famed Cutie Mark Crusaders accompanied by Spike. Spike spoke up, “Well, I thought since this was important that they should know too, Twilight!” The two mares shot him looks of contempt and he sank. Scootaloo hopped in front of the rest, “Rainbow Dash! I saw your wings and I think they’re totally boss! I want a pair just like them!” The little filly fluttered her wings. Rainbow laughed nervously, “Trust me, kid. It’s not worth the trouble. You should appreciate the ones you have now. I sure didn’t…” She gazed achingly at her wings. Sweetie Bell and Applebloom surrounded the two mares on both sides. They both backed up a bit. “Does it hurt, Twilight?” Sweetie Bell asked. “Your horn I mean. It must have been a pretty nasty fall!” “No, but how do you three know about what happened already?” As Twilight asked, the three fillies sank then looked at Spike. His eyes shifted to each pony. “What? Those ponies can be very persuasive, Twi!” He shrugged and the unicorn sighed. “Plus they spied on you two while the others were here.” “Hey!” The three fillies yelled in harmony. Applebloom spoke up, “It was Scootaloo’s idea!” “What?! It was totally Sweetie Bell’s idea.” The pegasus bounced the blame away. “Huh?! I was the one who said we should just go inside!” The unicorn stomped the floor. Twilight stopped the argument, “Girls! Girls! It’s fine, really. I’m glad you all came to visit us on our last day here. It’s just Rainbow and I have a lot of preparing we have to do and we’ll fall behind if we say goodbye to everypony.” All three girls moaned disappointedly then Applebloom whispered something to Scootaloo who nodded. “Twilight! Rainbow! We the Cutie Mark Crusaders…wish to join you on your quest to Cloudsdale!” The two mares gasped. “Yeah!” Sweetie Bell agreed. “We thought if we followed you on this important uh…thing! That we finally might discover our cutie marks!” “Yeah! Like professional balloon operators!” AB cheered. “Or pegasi trainers!” Scootaloo leaped. “Or secret agents!” All heads turned to Sweetie Bell. “What? Pinkie Pie said something about it…” “Girls, as much as we would enjoy you coming along…” The crusaders were already hanging their heads as Twilight spoke. “…oh, girls…it’s just that it’s already dangerous going just by ourselves.” “Besides!” Rainbow added. “We’re staying there for a long time. There’s no way we could look after you for that long.” “Oh, please! We won’t get in the way! Promise!” The three fillies saying each line in turn. “I’m sorry, but it’s a trip we have to make alone.” Twilight saddened the whole group. “Well, hey!” Spike lifted the cloud of guilt. “You three could help me watch the library while they’re away!” “Cutie Mark Librarians?” Sweetie Bell asked as the three tilted their heads. “I actually would appreciate that immensely if you did that for us, Crusaders.” Twilight smiled and clopped her hooves together. “Are you sure, Twi? These three aren’t exactly known for their upkeep.” Rainbow whispered to her. The three fillies were already roaming the library. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Crash! “Ahem…or something I can fix when we get back at least. Aheh…” ***** The two mares had decided to sleep for the night and take off in the morning. The crusaders had gone home. Their goodbyes had taken longer than expected and the balloon took half the day to set up. The two were sleeping in separate beds in fear of a walk-in. Twilight was staring out the window, pondering about that stormy night Rainbow fell into her room. It was all still vivid in her mind…the trembling pegasus and the care she had given her. It seemed to dawn on her the longevity of Rainbow’s affection for the unicorn. “Rainbow?” She asked hoping she was awake. “Yeah, Twi?” She answered immediately. Twilight was ecstatic to find her friend still awake. “How long?” Her question simple yet vague. “How long what?” “How long did you…you know.” Rainbow fell silent for a moment. Then something poked the unicorn’s back. She turned and found a sleepy pegasus who immediately climbed in bed with her. “I don’t know…a while. It was kind of a gradual thing really. It wasn’t something I just decided one day.” Twilight cuddled with the pegasus, burying her face into the mare’s neck. “I see. You know to be honest…I still don’t know what to think of this. It could be a result of a long, secluded life…or the fact that a relationship never really occurred to me as a path I wanted to pursue.” Rainbow could only chuckle which vibrated the unicorn’s face. “Not everything needs a reason to happen, Twi.” “Maybe you’re right…which is rare, mind you.” Twilight smiled, thinking this would aggravate the mare. Rainbow’s voice suddenly got serious. “It’s fun poking at other ponies’ flaws, isn’t it?” The response a bit unsettling for the unicorn. “W-What do you mean? I was just playing, Dash.” She tried to apologize. “I know, Twi.” The pegasus giggled. “You’re way too easy to upset, you know?” “Ha ha.” She poked at the pegasus’s side which made her flinch. “Hey, don’t do that.” Twilight did it again. “What? This?” Rainbow laughed. “Don’t! You’ll wake Spike up.” “Not my problem.” She continued to tickle the mare. The pegasus let out a small squeak. “Stop!” She pinned the unicorn down and kissed her. This stopped Twilight’s teasing almost immediately. The moonlight bled in from the nearby window, which half-way illuminated the two ponies’ faces. They separated as heat began to build up between the two. Twilight was slightly gasping for air as she stared up at the cyan-colored mare. Their eyes were locked on each other as each tried to decide what to do next. “You’re horrible, Twi…” The unicorn giggled, “Maybe just a little.” “That’s what I like about you…on the outside you’re a preppy know-it-all…but now…you remind me of myself…that adventurous side craving the unknown.” “So I’m Daring Do is what you’re saying…” She gave the pegasus a cynical look. Dash blushed. “I guess so…” She giggled. “So what about me, Twi? What’s so special about me?” The unicorn hadn’t really thought about it. It was a question she constantly asked herself since their first kiss. “Well…you’re the doorway that allows me into that unknown. I feel that together we are unstoppable force ready to conquer the world of its lore and mystery.” Rainbow responded with a deadpan look. “That may have been the corniest thing you’ve ever said, Twilight.” Twilight blushed and looked away, and then Rainbow burst into laughter. Twilight smiled and joined in. “Hey!! Quiet, you two! A dragon needs his beauty sleep!” They could hear Spike from downstairs. The two mares blushed and grinned. “We should probably get some sleep anyway.” Twilight suggested. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” The pegasus reluctantly climbed out of the bed and headed back over to hers. “Big day tomorrow.” “Very big…dream well, Rainbow.” “You too, Twilight.” ***** “All right!” Twilight exclaimed. “Is that everything?” The two ponies had woken up early and were packing their belongings into the balloon, which they had set up the evening before right outside the library. “I think so?” Rainbow shrugged. “All my stuff’s in there.” Twilight pondered for a moment, scanning her internal list of everything they needed. “Oh, horseapples! I forgot my brush!” She ran back inside. Rainbow shook her head. “Rainbow Dash?” A small voice called to her. The mare turned to face the voice. “Scootaloo?” Dash found the filly hanging her head with her saddlebags on her back. She was dragging her hoof across the ground. “Rainbow? Are you sure I can’t go with you? I really want to go.” Dash could see small tears in those little eyes of hers. “Kid…uh…I don’t know. I’m not sure if Twilight wants to be responsible for what might happen to you.” Rainbow was trying not to look directly at the filly. “I don’t care!” The filly pegasus yelled. “The crusaders…it’s a totally lost cause. I know if I go with you…that I’ll learn so much! I’ve never been good at flying…so maybe this is my chance.” “Kid…I mean Scootaloo…I would be more than happy to…” “No!” The demanding voice of Twilight burst from the doorway. “It’s too dangerous!” “Oh, come on!” Cried the filly. “You won’t even know I’m there! I just want to watch Rainbow in action! I brought my own food and everything!” The small pegasus motioned to her saddlebags. “This is not a field trip, Scootaloo. I can’t be asked to fulfill the wishes of the Princess and watch over you!” “Fine! Then I can’t be asked to keep you two kissing each other a secret either!!” This got their attention. “What?! What are you talking about?” Rainbow asked before the unicorn could. “I saw you two after everyone left!” She pounded her hoof to the ground. “Wait! You two kissed?!” Spike came walking out the front door. “Of course not, Spike! She’s just trying to get us to take her to Cloudsdale with silly fibs.” Twilight tried to explain. “But I saw it! And I’ll tell everypony about it!” The two mares stared at each other for a moment. Rainbow tilted her head and smiled, giving the okay. The unicorn still wasn’t convinced. "But what about your parents, Scootaloo? Or your schoolwork? Or your friends? There are still important things you have to do here." The unicorn smiled at the filly. "Yeah, but..." The filly's mind raced for a solution, but then she stomped her hooves on the ground. "I don't care about those things! Those things will always be there when I come back…this…this is a chance of a lifetime!” “Scootaloo…” “It’s a filly’s dream, isn’t it?” The pegasus turned around and gazed at the grass. "You won’t let me…” Twilight sighed. “You can come with us.” She was very unenthusiastic in her delivery. “What?! YES! Awesome!” The filly bounced excitedly around the two mares. “On one condition!” The unicorn continued. This silenced the small pegasus. “You have to agree to everything we tell you to do…and if you don’t…we’re sending you back home immediately.” “Okay!” Scootaloo didn’t hesitate and she continued her bouncing. Twilight sighed and Rainbow slapped a leg around her neck. “It’ll be fine, Twi. We’ll keep a close eye on her. No problem!” “I just hope you’re right, Dash.” She watched the filly continue to bounce. Scootaloo stopped. “So when do we leave?!”