3. Tomorrow
Under Our Wing
Chapter 3
Tomorrow
The sun was just as bright as ever, rising high into the sky as the various clocks around the expansive house struck noon. The chiming of the large grandfather clock in one of the many sitting rooms tickled Twilight's flicking ears as she sat quietly in a lawn chair. The chair, originally located by the pool connected to the house, had been brought over and sat at the edge of the rivers rolling quietly through the valley. In her magic was a book, below her was the soft green grass and crystal flowers she had become accustomed to seeing, and all around her were the mountains.
She could understand how this area might make some ponies feel caged in; surrounded on all sides by the large stone structures. But she got a very different feeling from them. Rather then trapping her inside, they trapped other ponies outside. They kept them out of her own personal paradise. They made the resort what it was, and without them it would have a very different feeling.
After three days, she had grown used to the size of the cabin they were staying in. It had been a little unnerving at first: To have such a large house all around you and have it be, for the most part, empty. But with time and exploration, she had come to accept it for what it was; a house. Sure, a beautiful, breathtaking house, but it was just a house. Very large, yes, but it was still just a cabin owned by the resort. In four more days she'd be back in her tree library with her pegasus wife and normalcy would once again return to her.
So why not enjoy it while it lasted? Rainbow certainly was; flying high in the air, doing tricks and stunts and twirls and loops. She wasn't training; she was having fun. She would never let the mountains surrounding them cage her in. As long as she had the sky, she had her freedom. And in many ways, that's all she needed. As long as she could fly, she could live. As long as she lived she would fly; that's just how Rainbow was.
Twilight smiled as the pegasus did another loop in the air, her Rainbow trail following and tracing every move she made high in the sky. The bright colours stood out against the crisp blue sky as she continued her flight. Even from her spot on the ground, Twilight could imagine the grin Rainbow must have been wearing as she turned into a nosedive, rocketing towards the ground before pulling up right at the last second.
Rainbow eventually slowed down high above the valley, nothing more then a cyan spec against the light blue sky, nearly invisible to eyes not used to looking for her. Twilight, however, was very adept at spotting her wife amongst the silky canvas of the daytime sky, and watched as she started slowly twirling to the ground in large, floaty loops. Her Rainbow trail was just a faint outline, showing that she was nowhere near her usual speed. Instead she took the time to relax, floating gently on the gentle winds rolling down the mountains.
She came to a stop on the opposite side of the small river from Twilight, grinning happily as she waved . Twilight waved back, smiling as Rainbow jumped over the blue waters dividing the green grass, easily clearing the gap with the aid of her wings and landing silently on the other side. Twilight closed her book with a gentle thud, her bookmark sticking out the top as she set it on the ground next to her chair.
“Hey Twi, you know when lunch is getting here? I'm starving,” Rainbow asked, sitting down in the grass next to the unicorn as she glanced back at the house a good 60 yards behind them.
“It was supposed to be here around noon, and I heard the clocks chime a while ago. I wonder what's taking them so long...” Twilight wondered aloud. In the three days they had been there not once had anything been even a minute late. The resort clearly deserved it's reputation for perfect customer service.
“Whatever the reason, I hope they get here soon. Any longer and I might have to make myself something to eat,” Rainbow laughed as she adjusted her position, allowing the rest of her body to lay on the soft, smooth grass, though still keeping her head angled up and over to the unicorn lounging in the chair next to her.
Twilight opened her mouth to reply, intending to tell Dash to be more patient, when she heard a sound. It was soft, carried to her ears only by the wind, but it was different from the usual near-perfect silence of the clearing. Apparently, Rainbow heard the sound as well, as she snapped her head up and around to the narrow path leading into their sanctuary. The sound repeated, growing clearer as the source came closer. Eventually it was loud enough to be recognized as voices. Just as the voices became distinguished enough for the words to be heard, three ponies came through the gap between the mountains. One a tall, grey stallion, and two young foals, dragging their hooves and following him begrudgingly.
“I'm guessing that's lunch,” Twilight noted, looking at the silver trolly the earth pony was pushing as she stood from the chair. Rainbow stood from the grass, and they made their way over.
“Finally! I thought we'd never get here! We've been walking forever!” One of the young foals whined, evidently a colt. His bright red coat mixed with his even-brighter yellow mane. He looked like a more vibrant unicorn version of Big Macintosh.
“It's only been eighteen minutes since we got to Cabin Branch Five,” The other one corrected, a pegasus filly with a light purple coat and a blond mane similar to the other. The older stallion shared their blond mane, the hairs dipping down and covering his face as he rubbed the bridge of his nose with a hoof.
“Will you two be quiet? Honestly, I don't know how your mother puts up with you while I'm working,” he grumbled, lifting his head back up and spotting the two approaching mares. “Ah, hello ladies. My apologies for being late. Your lunch,” he said, pushing the trolly towards them. It had three covered dishes on it, two on the top and one on a lower shelf.
“It's no problem,” Twilight smiled, picking up the plates in a purple glow.
“Eighteen minutes? It may as well have been a year! It's so hot out and we- whoa...” The young colt trailed off, staring in shock at the plates floating next to Twilight's head. Twilight look at him curiously. The older stallion sighed.
“You...” he trailed off again, pointing to the plates in the air.
“Yes?” Twilight asked, motioning for him to continue. He didn't. Instead he continued to stare.
“You'll have to forgive my son, he's become quite obsessed with magic as of late. Not many unicorns work for the resort, so he's not used to seeing magic at all, and you're rather adept at levitating,” the stallion explained, tapping his son's shoulder to get his attention. “Come on, Neon, we shouldn't keep the guests any longer then we need to.”
“W-wait! Where did you learn magic?” The colt asked frantically, pushing away from his father and rushing up to Twilight, much to her surprise.
“Neon Bolt!” His father snapped, stamping a hoof on the ground, “we are not to distract the guests.”
“No, it's fine; I don't mind,” Twilight said, smiling at the stallion and allowing his scowl to lessen before turning back to the colt at her hooves. “I went to Celestia's school for Gifted Unicorns,”
“No way...” He fell back to his flank, looking up at the unicorn before him in nothing put pure admiration.
“Don't sell yourself short, Twi,” Rainbow spoke up, stepping forward and leaning down to the colt, “she was Celestia's personal student.”
“W-what? You're Twilight Sparkle? The Twilight Sparkle?”
“Well, yeah; I am,” Twilight admitted with a blush. If she didn't know any better, she would have sworn the colt was about to explode.
“Oh my gosh! Miss Sparkle! I'm your biggest fan!” He gushed, much to the chargin of his father.
“Control yourself, Neon,” his father scolded sternly.
“But daaaaad,” Neon whined, “It's Twilight Sparkle!”
“Like she cares about you,” the filly piped up, presumably his sister. “She doesn't even know your name.”
“At least I can do some magic! You can't even fly yet!” He snapped, smiling proudly as she glared at him.
“Well at least I'll be good at flying! Mom can teach me. Who's gonna teach you?” The filly shot back defensively.
“Somepony better at magic then mom is at flying!”
“Enough!” Their father shouted, ending the argument before it could get too heated. “We'll find somepony to teach you magic, Neon, and you'll be flying soon, Misty.”
“She still won't be as good as me!” Neon whined, eliciting a glare from the stallion.
“Oh you wish,” Misty snarled.
All the while, Twilight and Rainbow stood side by side watching the family bicker, food completely forgotten floating next to Twilight's head. Rainbow was struggling to hold in her snickers, while Twilight stood, half confused and half surprised.
“I apologize again for my children. Normally they stay at home with their mother when I make deliveries, but today she was called in to help with a storm rolling in over one of the cabin branches.”
“It's no problem, really,” Twilight smiled earnestly, allowing the stallion to sigh in relief.
“Thank you, Miss Sparkle.” He stooped low, giving a formal bow before standing straight.
“Just Twilight,” she giggled, “and you are?”
“Silver Hoof, these are my two children Neon Bolt and Misty Skies,” he explained with a gentle smile, watching as his children glared daggers at each other.
“It's nice to meet you. This is my wife, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said, motioning to the pegasus floating upside down next to her head. Why Rainbow insisted on doing that in the middle of a conversation, Twilight would never know.
“Whoa whoa whoa, did you just say Rainbow Dash?” Misty suddenly spoke up, breaking her death glare with her brother to look up at the pegasus.
“The one and only,” Rainbow said proudly, flipping around and landing next to Twilight.
“No way! You're, like, the fastest pegasus ever!”
“Now look who can't control themselves,” Neon grumbled as his sister rushed up to her idol. His father stifled a chuckle.
“You two are quite the celebrities back in the Crystal Kingdom, you know,” Silver Hoof commented, watching as his daughter tried to reel herself in and regain the non-caring attitude that had been lost at the mention of Rainbow's name.
“You're from the Kingdom?” Twilight asked curiously. He nodded in affirmation.
“Along with most other ponies that work here.”
“Really? Then shouldn't you be, ya know, crystal ponies”? Rainbow asked, angling her head skeptically at him.
“Technically we are, but we only look like it when we're withing the city limits. It's like how you and the other elements reverted to normal when you left the city. We do the same, only we turn back as soon as we return, outsiders have to be around the Crystal Heart when it's powered.”
“Interesting, which means it's a hereditary gene...” Twilight mumbled, rubbing her chin thoughtfully as she examined the pony before her. “Do children born of one crystal pony and one outsider have this effect?”
“Uh... only if they are both conceived and born within the Kingdom. Anything else will result in them being a normal pony,” he explained cautiously, watching as the mare inspected him a little closer.
“Fascinating,” she mumbled, leaning even closer. The stallion leaned back, eyes glancing around nervously as Twilight scrutinized him.
“Your eyes aren't even the same outside the city...”
“Hey, don't go kissing anypony in front of me,” Rainbow laughed, snapping Twilight out of her thoughts. She quickly realized how close she was to the clearly uncomfortable stallion and quickly taking a few steps back.
“Oh gosh, sorry sorry sorry! I just got so focused and curious and it's so interesting and-”
“Please, Twilight, calm down,” he said gently. She smiled sheepishly, a light blush on her cheeks.
“Sorry.”
“It's quite alright, I assure you. But I'm afraid I have to be going. We have a few more deliveries to make today.”
“Right, of course. We'd hate to hold you up. Have a good day!” Twilight smiled, waving as the trio made their way back down the path and through the gap with the silver trolly, minus three platters.
“They were nice,” Twilight noted happily, turning and walking back towards the cabin with the platters of food floating next to her head.
“Always nice to meet a fan,” Rainbow agreed absent-mindedly, hovering in the air as she followed the silver plate floating in the air. “That smells delicious.”
“It does, doesn't it?” Twilight agreed, sniffing the alluring aroma of what was sure to be a delectable lunch, having been too distracted until now to fully appreciate the information her nose was sending to her brain. She felt one of the platters lose some weight, and instantly turned to glare at the pegasus next to her. Rainbow froze, the lid held in one hoof and her nose right next to the dish.
“You can wait until we get inside,” Twilight scolded, snapping the lid back down, nearly catching Rainbow's nose between it and the dish.
“Hey, watch it,” Rainbow whined, rubbing her nose with a hoof to make sure she had escaped unscathed. Once she was sure her nose was still in one piece, she continued following the swiftly-walking unicorn.
“Come on, just a bite? Please?” Rainbow pouted adorably. Unfortunately, Twilight was having none of it, as she angled her heady up like a snooty Canterlot unicorn and closed her eyes, walking away indignantly at a swift trot.
“No.”
“A nibble?” Rainbow nearly begged, salivating as a stray breeze blew the scent directly into her face.
“Nope.”
“A lick?” Putting all her effort and focus into one, final pout, Rainbow flew around in front of Twilight, forcing her to stop. Once she was sure she had her attention, Rainbow gave her the biggest, most pleading look she could muster.
Twilight faltered for a mere second before teleporting the pegasus to the side and continuing towards the house.
“We're less then 30 yards from the house, Rainbow. You can wait until we get to the table.”
“Come on! It'll be like a picnic!” Rainbow shouted, racing to catch up to Twilight. However, the unicorn just shook her head and kept walking. Trump card played and out of options, Rainbow crossed her arms miserably and followed Twilight and a much more subdued pace to the cabin.
An eternity later, at least to Rainbow's mind, she was finally sitting at a small table next to the outdoor pool. While normally they'd have eaten in the dining room, this particular cabin's version of a dining room more closely resembled and banquet hall. Eating outside by the pool not only allowed for a smaller table more suitable for only two ponies, but also afforded them with the ability to eat outside in the beautiful weather.
Twilight opened the sliding patio doors, linking the kitchen to the pool, with two plates in her magic. Each one was piled high with delicious looking and smelling food.
“Finally!” Rainbow exclaimed as Twilight set the food on the table, a plate in front of each of them.
“It's been less then four minutes since we got it, Rainbow. I swear, sometimes I think time passes more slowly for you then anypony else.” Twilight rolled her eyes as Rainbow ignored her and dove into the food, scarfing it down quickly and eagerly.
With a slightly disturbed grimace at Rainbow's eating, Twilight began munching her own lunch, though much more slowly then her partner. It was simple; a veggie wrap with a side of salad and dressing, but the food at the resort always managed to surprise her. The chefs were certainly nothing to scoff at; even a simple dish like this had not only their own personal flare, but tasted as good as some of their best dishes. Though the resort did offer fancier foods befitting royalty, they also offered a wide variety of more common foods, catering to both the elite and the average patrons.
Rainbow had been thankful; unlike most places in Canterlot they had been to, she actually knew what most of the menu was, which made ordering a lot easier.
“Oh, that hit the spot,” Rainbow groaned happily, leaning back in her chair and away from a barren plate. If Twilight didn't know any better, she would have sworn her pegasus wife had licked the plate clean. Actually, she did know better, and knew that that was entirely possible, and probably true.
Twilight smiled and continued eating her own meal, having barely started on the food in front of her. “You're going to get sick if you keep eating like that.”
“I was hungry!” Rainbow shot back defensively. Twilight chuckled lightly and shook her head, focusing on her own delectable food.
“Sooo...” Rainbow started slowly. Twilight looked up from her plate just enough to give her a death glare; she knew exactly what Rainbow wanted.
“Touch it and die.”
“Aw c'mon! You're not eating fast enough and I'm still hungry,” Rainbow whined.
“What are you, a black hole? You just ate enough for two ponies in less then ten minutes!”
“Heh, that's me; Rainbow Dash the Black Hole,” she proclaimed proudly, puffing her chest out and holding her head high. Twilight just raised an eyebrow as she suddenly deflated, giving her a sheepish smile and asking, “What's a black hole?”
“It's... never mind. You're not getting my food and that's final.”
“Awww...”
-_-_-_-
Rainbow yawned loudly, stretching her wings to their full span before tucking them neatly back against her sides. Her hoofsteps were silent on the plush carpet of the bedroom as she made her way across the darkened room to the bed. Twilight was already settled beneath the sheets, eyes barely open as she struggled to stay awake while Rainbow showered. It was a fight she was evidently losing, as her eyes drifted shut before snapping back to half-open, the shutting again. The silky sheets and soft mattress were much too comfortable to fight off sleep for long, especially when one was already tired from a long day.
As she crossed the room, Rainbow looked out past the bed and to the windows, giving a clear view of the valley around them. The moon was full, sitting almost directly in the center of the cloudless sky above them. It cast its silver glow down, reflecting off the shining grass and gently flowing waters of the waterfall in the cliff face. From their bedroom they could see almost all of the clearing they were situated in, the entire area bathed in the same iridescent glow.
“Dashie?” Twilight groaned groggily, struggling to lift her head from the pillows to look up at the pegasus just standing in the middle of the room.
“Coming,” Rainbow whispered, tearing her eyes away from the view outside and continuing across the room. The carpet brushed gently against the undersides of her hooves as she lifted them off the floor, only to set them down a few inches closer to her destination. Her eyes grew heavy at just the thought of the warm embrace of the bed and blankets, and the unicorn that would be next to her throughout the night.
Arriving next to he bed, she crawled in below the covers, sliding in between the mattress and the blankets. Lying on her back, she felt Twilight wrap her hooves around her barrel, a lavender head coming to rest against her upper chest. Bringing a hoof up from her side, she laid it across Twilight's head, running it down her mane in a long, sweeping stroke before bringing it back up to the top and repeating the motion slowly.
“Four more days,” Twilight murmured, her eyes shut tightly as she used the pegasus as a pillow, practically purring as Dash continued petting her mane. Rainbow nodded in response, eyes trained on the textured ceiling above her, face contorted in thought. Her mind was whirring a mile a minute, and had been for the better part of the day. Thoughts and feeling clashing in her mind, neither side giving an inch to the enemy.
“You're cute when you're tired,” Rainbow noted with an absentminded chuckle. Twilight didn’t respond right away, instead opting to press herself further into Rainbow's side.
“Yeah, but so are you.”
“I don't do 'cute'; I do awesome and radical,” the pegasus snorted back defiantly, though her voice was quiet, betraying her tiredness.
“Oh sure you do; you do it all them time,” Twilight snickered, jabbing her horn into Rainbow's side playfully.
“Nope; never done cute in my life, never will either.”
“Not even for me?”
Rainbow could practically hear the sarcastic pout in Twilight voice. She couldn't even fight the next words that came out of her mouth. “Fine, but only for you.”
Twilight giggled happily, squeezing her life-sized teddy-bear pegasus tightly.
“Hey Twi?” Rainbow started slowly; the war had finally been won. It was not the side she had been rooting for.
“Hmm?” Twilight groaned, clearly losing the last of her will to fight against the sleep encroaching on her mind.
“Remember that family who brought us lunch?” Rainbow couldn't even believe she was talking about this, but the war was won, and the victor was reaping the spoils.
“Silver Hoof and his foals? Yeah, I remember, why?” Twilight asked curiously, holding off the sleep long enough to have this conversation. Rainbow's hoof slowed to a stop.
“Did you ever want that?” Rainbow waited silently for an answer. For a moment there was silence, then another. Then she felt Twilight let go of her side, shifting over in bed and sitting up, tossing the blanket to the end of the bed. Rainbow followed suit, sitting cross legged on top of the sheets.
“Do you?” Twilight asked curiously, all notion of sleep forgotten as she realized what exactly Rainbow wanted to talk about.
“Well...” Rainbow trailed off nervously, unsure of what exactly she should say. Averting her gaze down to the bed beneath her, she felt Twilight rest a gentle hoof over her own. “Kind of?” She admitted slowly, unsure of Twilight's reaction.
“I've never really thought about it, you know?” Twilight noted, looking up to the ceiling as she recalled memories from when she was still a filly. “Most other fillies used to dream about falling in love with a Prince and having kids and living in a castle. I never did. I fantasized about being a successful scientist, with all the respect of my peers and colleagues. I dreamed of joining the Circle of Mages that governs and controls most magical advancements and controls research grants. I imagined owning the world's biggest library, complete with every book ever written. I never thought about family.”
“So no,” Rainbow sighed, unsure of how exactly she should feel about this revelation.
“I never said no,” Twilight corrected sharply, continuing before Rainbow could say anything else, “While it's true I never thought about it, I also never thought about having friends or a wife, either. A lot has changed for me, Rainbow, and I've changed a lot since then. But I still don't know about... that,” she concluded, watching as Rainbow's ears fell back against her head.
“Though if you don't mind me saying, I never pegged you as one to want that kind of thing, and you've certainly never said anything to me about it. Why are you suddenly interested?”
Rainbow looked up from the sheets, meeting Twilight's gaze and holding it for a time before finally speaking. “It's because of what happened between you and your parents,” she admitted quietly, almost in a whisper. Twilight frowned at the thought of her own parents, but pushed forward.
“Why would they make a difference?”
“The way they treated you, Twi. It's just... it made me so mad. No parent should ever say that kind of thing to their own kid. I just... I wanted to try doing it right. It was one of the things my parents used to joke about, always telling me they wanted grandchildren. I never thought much of it until I saw how you're parents treated you when you told them about me. The, the way you reacted when they didn't show up to the wedding I just... I don't know. I just feels like I have to do right by my own kid to make up for what they did to you.”
“Well, I see your point,” Twilight nodded thoughtfully, before yawning loudly and frowning, “But it's too late and I'm too tired to think about this now. Think we could talk about it tomorrow?”
“Yeah, that's alright,” Rainbow agreed, happy to have the conversation over with, at least for now.
“Good. It's been a long day, and I really need some sleep,” Twilight yawned again, emphasizing her statement as she laid back down on one of the generously fluffed pillows, Rainbow copying the motion as she pulled the blanket back over them with a gentle violet glow.
“Me too,” Rainbow affirmed, shifting onto her side to face Twilight. The unicorn smiled, worming closer and pressing her face into Rainbow soft chest, rubbing her cheek into the warm pillow. Rainbow reflexively wrapped her hooves around lavender shoulders, holding Twilight close.
“We'll talk about it tomorrow,” Twilight promised sleepily, closing her eyes and sighing quietly as she finally allowed her mind to succumb to the sleep it had been pleading for.
“Yeah. Tomorrow...”
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Like the two kids who were super fans of them. Was really fun.
Also, Dash's motivation for bringing up kids feels really real.
omg that was so funny
3551352
You have no idea how glad I am to hear that. I was really worried about that part feeling forced, and I rewrote it at least 4 times. But I'm glad you like it!
3551484
It fits her. It ties into her 'loyalty' nature, and fits for why she acts the way she does. Her parents always joking about grandkids means she'd always have at the back of her mind what kind of mother she'd be, the bit with Twi's parents means she feels she needs to prove she'd be a good one, and those two colts fangasming over the two of them brought it to mind. Felt very natural and very real.
Looking forward to when this story gets to the promised part of when they adopt Scootaloo. Can't wait to see how that goes.
man, i can't wait for things to kick off. this is awesome and all, but i really want scoots to come in.
3551769
Then I have some unfortunate news. While indeed Scootaloo will be a major character, she won't be involved for a few more chapters. I need to finish the Honeymoon arc, then start on the next arc, which she'll be in, but will not have a main role in. However, the third arc is, for now, dubbed the "scootaloo arc", and I'm gonna let you guess why. (As a side note, arc 2 will be a little shorter then the Honeymoon arc, probably only 2-3 chapters at most just to establish the Antagonist(s))
3551797 ah, see, now i love it when the author plans damn near everything out in advance! hats off to you, sir.
Dash seems to have given the having kids thing a lot of thought. Nice chapter.
Great chapter, waiting for more.
The plot thickens.
Great chapter by the way, I always get a little excited when thers a new chapter for this story.
hey i think you got this part wrong Rainbow copying the motion as she pulled the blanket back over them with a gentle violet glow. rainbow would not be able to twilight could do that beside that its anwsome
The truth in the last half of this chapter was practically palpable (means able to be touched or felt, just in case someone didn't know). I can't tell you how many times I've finished a ship fic in the middle of the night, then spent and hour pacing, thinking about how much I want to (eventually, I mean, I'm only 16) marry someone I love and have kids, if only to prove that I can keep a happy relationship with my wife and kid(s), something my dad was unable to do. I apologize to anyone who reads this, as I'm sure that it was painful. I just had to get that out.
Will Dash and Twilight try teaching the foals?
this dead?
4381765
I want to say no, but... most likely it won't be updating for a while. When I switched computers I lost my progress on the next chapter and... well... I have yet to sit down and recreate it.
lowercase
__________________
Cap. [Conversely 'for' can be Caped. [and in most places should since it's part of the school's title. But there are schools where 'for' isn't so that is more a choice than not. Unless it's capped in cannon.]
change ',' to '.'
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4381798
Have you tried using GDocs? When I started using that it's been the best decision I ever made. Especially with how often my computers die on me.
it took me 3 chapters to realize twilight stole my wiafu
I really wanna see some scootaloo, but just got to be patient