• Published 8th Jul 2013
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Forgotten Kin - This Account Is Dead



A creature of darkness is evoked to Equestria and roams around, alone and unguided. What kind of bond does it share with the princesses and Discord though? And why are Twilight and Rarity acting so strange around Rainbow lately?

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Chapter 7: Sentiments

Chapter 7: Sentiments

A loud sizzling burp echoed through the library’s bedroom. When it reached Twilight’s ear, the unicorn responded with a not exactly enthusiastic grunt. Would she have been at least a bit awake, Twilight would have recognized the familiar sound and rushed over to Spike and started reading the letter on the spot.

This time, she just rolled over and pulled the pillow over her head. Not even the faint rustling and rumbling from Spike’s basket had any noticeable effect on Twilight. What finally got her barely existent attention was a scroll poking into her ribs. With a growl, Twilight moved her pillow a bit to reveal just enough of her face to open an eye and take a look at the agonizing piece of parchment as well as its wielder.

Spike didn’t look too happy either. A short glance to the window told her it must have been just before the crack of dawn. Why would he wake me so early, Twilight asked herself. She was still too drowsy to realize the scroll must have been sent by Celestia.

“Aren’t you going to read it?” Spike grumbled and repeated his previous action.

“Okay, okay, okay… Give it to me.” Twilight moaned and snatched the letter out of the dragon’s claw with a surprising speed. Angrily, the unicorn broke the seal, unfurled the parchment and started reading. Halfway through it though, Twilight realized she didn’t have the faintest idea what she just read. A facehoof and a shake of her head later, Twilight tried it again, with more success.

When she finished, Twilight kept staring blankly at the letters and let the words sink in. Only then she noticed the six amulets that fell onto her bed from the scroll and inspected them with newly awakened interest. These are ancient relics to protect us? They look like cheap trinkets from the market… Beautiful they are, but are they really that powerful? Twilight thought. She decided to simply believe her mentor like always and crawled out of the bed. Now that Twilight was awake, it was very unlikely she would be able to go back to sleep. Besides, no point in wasting time, right?

The unicorn threw a glance at Spike, who had gone back to his basket and already dwelled in Luna’s realm again. Maybe she could just compel him to make breakfast again? Not that Twilight was unable to prepare a meal by herself but most of the time, like now, she lacked any real motivation to do so.

In the end, Twilight let her assistant sleep and snuck out of the bedroom. He had been already moody yesterday and she wasn’t that eager to deal with an angry baby dragon, number one assistant or not.

Yawning wholeheartedly, Twilight descended the stairs to the living room, the scroll and the amulets in her magical grasp. She just wasn’t one to stand up early, unless it was some kind of emergency. No matter what, she was always drowsy in the morning. Or if sometimes if something exciting happened. The letter should have been enough to set her into a more energetic mood but sadly, the whole information hadn’t reached her brain yet. Otherwise she would be already worrying how they could keep Discord from using the town as his personal playground if Fluttershy was busy.

Twilight entered the living room and stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted a softly snoring Rainbow Dash sprawled across her couch, half covered by a blanket. Why is she here? Twilight frantically searched her memory for anything about what happened yesterday. Not that the librarian didn’t want Rainbow to be in the library, quite the contrary was true. She just liked to know about it and right now her memory failed her until she finally remembered last night’s events.

After Spike had sent the letter, Rainbow had continued her nap and soon she had been fast asleep. Twilight had taken a book and a place beside Rainbow, watching until she would hear the characteristic burp from the bedroom signaling the arrival of Celestia’s response. The unicorn had waited about an hour but eventually, she had grown too tired to stay awake any longer and, since Twilight hadn’t been able to bring herself to wake her friend up, had tucked Rainbow in the blanket before heading to bed herself.

Well... If she's already here I can prepare a breakfast for her too, Twilight thought smiling and headed to the kitchen. Once she stood there, Twilight set the letter and the amulets down on the table and thoughtfully tapped her chin. What should I make? For some time she pondered if she should bake something but they had pancakes just yesterday and eating the same thing twice in a row didn’t fit her taste. In the end, Twilight just prepared some sandwiches and poured cereal into two bowls. After a short moment of hesitation she put a bowl of gems for Spike on the table as well. He would probably sleep a lot longer but it wasn’t like the gems could get cold or anything.

Soon, Twilight had finished her preparations and walked back into the living room to check up on Rainbow. The prismatic mare was still snoring contently on the well-cushioned furniture. Seizing the moment, Twilight's eyes wandered yet again over her athletic friend’s body, admiring its well-toned shapes. When her gaze reached Rainbow's face she felt an incredibly joyful warmth rising in her heart. She looks so peaceful when she sleeps... and so unbelievingly cute.

Twilight surely would have just stared at Rainbow a lot longer, if it weren't for a fly that landed on the pegasus' nose. The sleeping mare gave an annoyed snort and wrinkled her nostrils in such a way that Twilight thought she would melt away from adorableness this instant.

As the fly understood it wasn't welcome on Rainbow's face and went look for another place to sit on, a mischievous grin crept on Twilight’s lips. She grabbed a quill from her desk and stepped closer to the couch. She gently brushed over Rainbow’s ear with the soft tip and giggled when it flicked to shoo away whatever dared to touch it. A broad grin on her face, Twilight repeated the process and was again rewarded with another adorable flick of her friend’s ear.

Wanting to try something different, Twilight slipped to the far end of the couch, where Rainbows hind leg peeped out of the blanket. During this, she slowly traced the outlines of Rainbow leg muscles and chuckled gleefully when the leg jerked a bit and the pegasus grumbled faintly. Becoming daring, Twilight drew a bit closer and started drawing small circles on Rainbow’s fetlock. This time she was sent flying through the library, as Rainbow kicked out vigorously and hit Twilight’s head.

Murmuring some unintelligible syllables, Rainbow Dash struggled with the blanket, seemingly waking up. Twilight on the other hand sat up with a groan, shook her head and immediately regretted it. While the kick hadn’t really hurt her, it still gave her a serious headache. Squinting at the couch, Twilight cursed herself for not keeping a safe distance and held her head. At least Rainbow turned her head to face the purple unicorn with bleary eyes.

“Mornin’, Twi. Did ya hit your head somewhere?” the prismatic pegasus asked and yawned widely. Twilight stared at her, slack-jawed by the fact that Rainbow obviously hadn’t been woken up by the kick she had delivered, but rather her admittedly loud crash with the library floor. “You know… if you keep that up you might eat a fly,” Rainbow Dash stated with a smirk.

Twilight gave her another incredulous look and answered with reproachful voice. “You kicked me, Rainbow! Right in the face!”

The librarian received an unsure glance from Rainbow. “Why would I do that?”

“Because…” Twilight started but fell silent when she remembered what had earned her the rather rough treatment. “Nevermind… I probably deserved it,” she muttered.

“How so? What did you do?” Rainbow asked and her ears perked up in sudden interest.

Twilight sighed and explained. “I thought it would be a good idea to tickle you out of your sleep, while having my head in front of your hooves…”

Trying to suppress her laughter, Rainbow blew air through her nose, sat up and looked away with wide eyes. She did a great job but all too soon Rainbow was no longer able to contain her laughter and Twilight threw her a dirty look.

Rainbow eventually calmed down to a degree where she only snickered now and then and rolled off the couch to approach Twilight. Still grinning, she firmly pulled the unicorn hoof away from the spot on her head she was holding.

“Lemme see that. I don’t think I hit you too hard but I better take a look,” Rainbow insisted.

“If… If you think so…” Twilight shot Rainbow an uncertain glance. A faint blush adorned her face and she prayed that Dash wouldn’t see it. It was a rare occasion for the athlete to actively care about somepony’s health and being tended to by her made Twilight’s heart flutter. Regardless of this, the librarian still took a sharp breath when the pegasus lightly touched the hurt spot on her head.

“I’d say it’s nothing serious. You’ll probably just get a small bruise…” Rainbow informed her friend, “though… You shouldn’t do something like that with Applejack. That would be pretty unhealthy!”

Twilight finally got up on her hooves and briefly rubbed her head again. “Anyway, I woke you up because I wanted to ask you if you are staying for breakfast. Oh, and Celestia has sent an answer as well!” she told Rainbow.

The addressed pegasus didn’t have to think long about it. Free food? Why in the world would she refuse such an offer? “Sure thing, Twi. Can you tell me about the letter after breakfast? I’m starving!” asked Rainbow, who hadn’t noticed she was hungry until Twilight had mentioned food.

“Of course! It’s not much, but I hope you don’t mind. It’s in the kitchen. Follow-“ Twilight interrupted herself when she realized that she was talking to thin air, as Rainbow had already zipped past her to the given direction. “-me.”

The corners of Twilight’s lips rose a bit and she turned around to enter the kitchen as well. Rainbow had already sat down and was just about to bite in the sandwich she held in her hooves, when she saw Twilight she guiltily closed her mouth and waited until the unicorn took her place at the table as well. Both of them dug in like they hadn’t eaten for ages. The hours of reading last day had been exhausting and afterwards, they haven’t eaten either, so they had something to make up for.

Not before long, all of the sandwiches had been devoured and the bowls emptied. Munching on the last bite, Rainbow detected the scroll with the amulets on the kitchen counter. The cyan pegasus swallowed and turned to Twilight, pointing a hoof in the direction of the parchment.

“So what’s with the letter? Was it something important?” Rainbow inquired curiously.

The sudden question startled Twilight, who had finished her meal some time ago and had stared blankly at Rainbow, lost in her thoughts. Her eyes darted from Rainbow to the parchment and back for a few seconds, her mind trying to figure out the question.

“You could say that. There are good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow tilted her head and briefly pondered about it before opening her mouth again. “The bad news first. Let’s get it over with!” she decided.

“Okay, then. For starters, we are going to have Discord around for a while,” Twilight announced with a frown. ”I know what you think about him but the Princess ordered this.”

“Yikes! I’d gladly see him go…” Rainbow grumbled, “and what are the good news?”

“Sorry, Rainbow, I’m not done with the bad ones yet. The princesses also seem to think that the darkling will come back.” Twilight continued, “But here is the good news: If it returns, we get help from Celestia, Luna and Discord to deal with it.”

Rainbow chewed over this new information a bit and asked, “And what if this thing comes back and flash freezes one of us? Rarity was lucky she wasn’t in the room when it got turned into a fridge. We might be not that lucky next time. Did Celestia say anything about that?”

“Yes, actually. I’ll have to ask you for something because of that.” Twilight responded and jumped of the chair and went to pick up the pendants. “You see, the Princess sent us and our friends these amulets to protect us from another attack of the darkling. Could you fly around and give one to each of them?”

Rainbow stepped a bit closer to Twilight and eyed the trinkets in Twilight’s hooves suspiciously. To her, they looked like some of Rarity’s more subtle jewelry.

“What do they do?” the pegasus wanted to know.

“It will protect you from direct magic and extreme temperatures. If I understand it right, any kind of magic will not work on you and you could run straight into a fire when you are wearing it,” explained Twilight.

“Sounds awesome! Gimme one. I wanna try it!” Rainbow demanded, an unsettling grin on her face.

“Okay. We should wear them anyway. Come here!” Twilight nodded and picked two of the amulets, putting the others together with the letter on the table.

The librarian hung one of the trinkets around her own neck and approached Rainbow with the other. As soon as she was close enough, Twilight slowly slipped the other one over Dash’s head. She could have used her magic to do it, but Twilight used her hooves instead, letting them brush over her friend’s ears almost sensually, gently stroking the prismatic mane.

By the end of it, she let her hooves rest on the pegasus shoulder and an ever so slight blush adorned her muzzle, just visible enough that Rainbow saw it. However, the athlete’s mind was still busy with an impish plan, so it was recognized but immediately stored in her memory for later. For now, it only caused Rainbow to lift an eyebrow. There were more important things to do than to wonder about Twilight’s behavior, after all.

“So… Now you can’t cast any magic on me either, Twilight?” Rainbow asked insidiously.

Twilight hastily pulled her front legs away from Rainbow, looking from one side to the other before responding. “No. Not directly, at least. I could still- Ah!”

Twilight yelped as Rainbow lunged at her, grabbing her around the waist and flapped her wings to lift both of them a couple of inches over the floor. With a bright laugh, Rainbow flew through the door into the living room, never letting go of the panicking unicorn in her hooves.

“Let me down, Rainbow! Please! Waaaaah! I swear, if you don’t let me down now, I swear I’ll…” Twilight screamed as Rainbow started to maneuver close to the bookshelves, spiraling around.

“Then what? Scold me? Telling me off? Boring me to death with a lecture? Telling Celestia? You can’t use your magic on me, remember?” Rainbow cheered merrily.

This actually silenced the bookish unicorn. Unfortunately for Rainbow tough, an idea started to form in Twilight’s mind. The pegasus was too absorbed with flying as close to the furniture in the library to scare Twilight, that she would have noticed that a number of cushions that started to hover, enveloped in a magenta aura, and gathered in one place.

The next time Rainbow flew over a relatively empty area of the library, the cushions suddenly flung onto her and her unwilling passenger, enveloping both of them in a soft cocoon and constricting Rainbow’s wings. Without them, their means to fly were gone and the two mares dropped on the floor. Though both landed softly, due to the cushions, they still ended up one over the other.

“Hah! Nice ride, wasn’t it, Twi?” Rainbow laughed from above.

“Maybe if it was outside. You could have crashed into the books! I don’t want to shelve them back all the time!” Twilight growled.

“So what? Spike is always putting them back from somewhere anyway. Let him do it!” Rainbow shrugged.

Twilight groaned and smacked her hoof on her forehead. “That’s because you usually only see him after you crashed into the library again!”

“Oh… Okay. But I had it under control. No harm done, right?” Rainbow replied with a sheepish grin, wondering why this had never occurred to her before.

“Urgh…” Twilight rubbed her temple before she continued, “Anyway, these amulets only protect you from direct magic and temperatures. Indirect magic can still hurt you, as I wanted to say before you decided to give me a heart attack.” She ended with a glare towards Rainbow.

“I regret nothing!” Rainbow exclaimed with broad grin.

Twilight took a deep, exhausted breath. Rainbow definitely wasn’t easy to deal with. Though, holding a grudge or something wasn’t easy either… That stupid crush… Why you, Rainbow? Why not somepony else? the unicorn thought. Twilight’s gaze became soft again and she remembered her other friends.

“Rainbow, could you fly around and give the others their amulets?” Twilight asked her prismatic friend.

“Sure thing. Gotta stretch my wings anyway. Can’t get risk to get out of training,” Rainbow agreed.

Aiming for the other four trinkets, Twilight trotted towards the kitchen. She threw a quick glance at the letter again, pondering if she had missed anything. Right… keep distance, don’t lose the amulets. Hopefully I can convince Dash not to fight it heads on. Quickly fetching the amulets, Twilight returned to Rainbow, who was already stretching her flight muscles.

“Before I forget it, Rainbow, if you see this thing or something that could be the darkling, don’t just go for it,” Twilight began, “Princess Celestia told me to send her a letter when we see it. I think she wants to deal with it herself.”

“Awww… So I can’t use this fancy anti-magic thingy to kick its flank?” Rainbow complained.

“No, you can’t. No one knows how dangerous it is even without its magic. Now here are the amulets. And remember: these are ancient and incredibly rare. Tell the others what they do and how important they are. And tell them everything else Celestia said too,” Twilight reminded her friend and handed her over the trinkets.

“Got it. You can count on me!” Rainbow assured the librarian and stepped towards the door.

“And, Rainbow…” Twilight’s meekly spoken words barely reached Rainbow’s ears.

They perked up as they picked up the unusually quiet voice. If they had been in Twilight’s usual analytical or ordering tone, the athlete would have probably just kept going and bolted out of the window but something about how Twilight said that made Rainbow stop. There was something else, something that needed her attention. It wasn’t exactly her strong side to deal with emotional stuff but she never ignored a friend in need.

Rainbow turned around to see Twilight opening and closing her mouth, as if she wanted to say something but didn’t find the right words. Rainbow furrowed her eyebrows. Something about that behavior seemed familiar. Suddenly, she remembered other situations where Twilight had acted a bit off. Like when she had put the amulet over Rainbow’s neck and countless other times Rainbow had simply dismissed as irrelevant back then. What is going on with her?

“What’s up? Anything else you forgot?” Rainbow inquired suspiciously.

Twilight inhaled deeply before giving her friend an unconvincing grin. “No, it’s just… Just don’t hurt yourself with your stunts again?”

Okay… Now I know that there’s something cooking! Rainbow thought. “You know you lie as bad Applejack sometimes, Twilight… I can see that you're hiding something.”

“No, it’s okay. Don’t concern yourself with it. I’m okay!” Twilight replied with a caught look on her face.

Rainbow looked at her, slightly annoyed. “I don’t believe you. We both know that there’s something. Just tell me.”

“I told you, there is nothing wrong. You can fly to the others now. I’ll manage alone now.” Twilight claimed with a slightly nervous undertone.

“Oh, come on! It’s like you’re not even trying to hide it! Why can’t you just tell me?” protested Rainbow.

“I told you, it’s nothing. Don’t bother yourself. Rarity wanted to go gem hunting with Spike I think. You should go there first before she leaves.” Twilight desperately tried to change the topic.

“Okay, Twilight. What is the matter? Why won’t you tell me?” Rainbow almost yelled at her friend with an exasperated glare.

“Because I can’t!” Twilight screamed back, equally loud.

Silence fell over the two. Rainbow had instantly calmed down when Twilight raised her volume and now she was staring at the purple unicorn who held a hoof to her mouth, terrified by her near-confession. Time to step into the breach… thought Rainbow, internally congratulating herself. The pegasus approached Twilight until she stood right before her and sat on her haunches, putting on the most sincere smile she could muster.

“Twilight, you know you can trust me. I won’t tell anyone, if you want me to, but there is no point in dwelling over something. What is it? Why can’t you tell me?” Rainbow asked in her most soothing voice.

Hanging her head low, Twilight sighed in defeat. “It’s just… I don’t know… It’s something I hoped I would never have to tell anypony,” the unicorn admitted after a short pause.

“Then tell me, Twilight. I promise I won’t judge you. I’d never leave you!” Rainbow promised.

Twilight looked to the side and opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something and closed it again. This went on a couple of times but always, the unicorns throat seemed to shrink, denying her the words she wanted to say. Not blind to the internal battle, Rainbow watched her friend and waited. She knew that there was no point in pushing further right now. What Twilight needed, was space and patience. However, there was no point in staying here while Twilight was struggling to come to terms with herself. Also, Rainbow was getting bored and decided it was time for her to take the next step.

“Hey, Twilight. You know what? I’ll fly and give the amulets to our friends and when I am done, I’ll come back here and you can tell me. Okay?” Rainbow asked with an engaging smile.

You are so unfair, Rainbow… Twilight thought, as she stared into her friend’s magenta eyes. There was no way she could wriggle herself out of it now, not without seriously offending the prismatic mare. In a way, she was even happy that the constant ignoring of her feelings would be over soon, no matter how. Another part of her was still scared of how Rainbow might react.

It wasn’t unusual for two mares to be a couple, but Twilight didn’t have the faintest idea what Rainbow’s opinion on the topic was. She hadn’t even known she liked mares herself, until she fell for Rainbow! Even if she might not love her back, Twilight was sure that Rainbow wouldn’t just shun her, she was far too loyal to do that, but wouldn’t it get awkward for them? Well… There is only one way to find out…

“Okay Rainbow… You win. I’ll tell you once you’re back.” Twilight conceded meekly.

“Pinkie Promise?” Rainbow eyed her friend with some suspicion.

“Pinkie Promise,” assured Twilight with a solemn nod.

“That’s what I wanted to hear. I’ll be back in no time!” Rainbow grinned, satisfied with her success and turned towards the window.

There may have been a door, but Rainbow had made it a habit to use windows to enter and exit buildings. It was a bit extra training for her and always fun to see her friends’ annoyed faces but also good for dramatic entrances. Just in time she recognized her way out was closed and opened it with a huff. Twilight chuckled lightly at the athlete’s antics, as Rainbow bolted out of the window into the misty morning, heading to Sugarcube Corner.


The midday sun shone down brightly on Rainbow’s extended wings as she took off into the sky. Flying a quick loop, Rainbow waved goodbye to Fluttershy who looked up to her from the ground, flapped her wings to accelerate her to an acceptable speed. It had taken her a while to find all of her friends, longer than Rainbow had expected.

Admittedly, it had been partly her own fault. Rainbow just couldn’t say no to Pinkie when she invited her on a pranking spree that was already planned and prepared… That has also been the reason why Rainbow had troubles to find Pinkie in the first place. Her ability not to be seen almost matched her skill in spotting ponies who spied on her. After two hours of making fun of several randomly picked townsponies, Rainbow had remembered the amulets and handed one to Pinkie. Oddly enough, the pink mare already knew everything about them but Rainbow simply shrugged it off. There was a reason nobody ever questioned Pinkie anymore.

The next one on her list had been Rarity. Unfortunately for Rainbow, Twilight had told the truth and the alabaster unicorn was long gone when she arrived at Carousel Boutique. Slightly cursing her inability to resist the temptation of a good prank, Rainbow raced to Rarity’s usual gem hunting area. It had taken her another hour, but she finally found Rarity and Spike in a small cave.

Rarity irritated Rainbow and Spike both with her inadequately joyful reaction as she got the pendant from Rainbow. Though… the athletic mare was still wondering why Rarity’s mood had dropped, when Rainbow explained the situation and the amulet’s properties. Rainbow had considered talking to her friend about Twilight’s behavior, the designer had a knack for those kind of things, but quickly dismissed it. Having Spike in a personal talk was a no-go for her, so Rainbow had departed to look for her other two friends.

Luckily for her, neither of them were hard to find. Both of them were at their respective homes. Applejack had been reluctant to wear the amulet though. The whole Apple family had a superstitious streak and having something around her neck that broke some laws of nature was definitely not something Applejack was comfortable with, no matter how useful it was. Fluttershy, on the other hand, had found quite a liking in it. The timid pegasus had marveled the filigree seeming beauty of the pendant for some time until she really listened to Rainbow’s explanations of its functions.

Rainbow had talked with both Applejack and Fluttershy about Twilight after giving them the amulets but neither of them had noticed anything unusual about her. This struck Rainbow rather oddly but didn’t press any further. If it wasn’t obvious to them at first, there probably wouldn’t come any useful information later. Now, Rainbow was on her way back to the library, to Twilight and hopefully an answer.

I wonder what she didn’t want to tell anypony… Rainbow thought. Twilight had obviously been trying to hide it, and had probably done a great job until the slip-up this morning. Granted, Rainbow didn’t know how long Twilight kept the secret and merely assumed the unicorn was struggling with it for some time. The reason for this laid in a special streak in Twilight’s voice when she called her back then. A streak of sadness, mixed with hope, reserved for those who still don’t want to accept their fate and see a chance to get what they want, even against all odds.

That nobody, not even Fluttershy, had noticed the little weird things in Twilight’s behavior was a bit strange though. As far as Rainbow remembered, Twilight had acted like this for quite some time now, but the colorful pegasus couldn’t say when it started. Maybe it’s something about me? Maybe it’s something she wanted to tell only me and didn’t know how? Something personal?

Before Rainbow could develop the thought further, she spotted the Golden Oaks Library beneath her. Well, I guess I’ll just let her tell me… With this Rainbow discarded her considerations and dove down, looking for an open window.

Much to her satisfaction, Rainbow saw that the window she left through was still open. Deciding this was a good time to prove her skills and show off how good of a flier she was, Rainbow dove down to attempt the same trick that had failed yesterday, courtesy of Spike. Focusing on the window, the cyan pegasus accelerated.

Just before she reached the window, Rainbow folded her wings to shoot through it like a cannonball and opened her wings directly after to slow her neck breaking speed. Instead of trying to stop her flight completely, what would have inevitably caused her to crash into a bookshelf, Rainbow redirected her velocity upwards.

Rainbow had learned from past experiences that it was impossible to come to a halt when she slowed down in a straight line. Thus, Rainbow had decided to make use of the relatively high rooms of the library and do a looping. For this Rainbow used a technique she had developed to fly tight curves in caves, and ran along the wall, letting her legs brake the most force of her dive.

Once Rainbow was slow enough to fully control her flight again, she landed and looked around. Her gaze fell on Twilight, who was standing beside a small table with a can of steaming tea on it. The librarian’s eyes were full of terror, her hoof stretched towards the bookshelves Rainbow grazed during her daring maneuver and her mouth wide open in a silent scream. After looking at her speechless friend for a couple of seconds, Rainbow decided to snap her out of it and approached Twilight to wave a hoof in front of her face.

“Hey, Twilight, I know I’m awesome but I think it’s enough. You can talk to me now,” stated Rainbow matter-of-factly.

Twilight blinked bit and tried calm herself down. “Don’t do this ever again Rainbow, please! You scared the living daylights out of me…” she stammered.

Frowning disapprovingly at the request, Rainbow stepped towards the couch and threw herself on it, trying to find the most comfortable position.

“I’ll try to be slower next time, okay?” the pegasus offered a bargain.

Twilight sighed, having calmed down for the most part. “That’s the best I can get, I think…”

“Damn sure it is. So, Twilight, there is something you wanted to tell me, isn’t it?” Rainbow grinned victoriously.

Sighing yet again, Twilight looked directly in Rainbow’s eyes and asked nervously, “Is there any way to get out of this?”

“No. You’re going to tell me, like it or not.” Rainbow crushed any attempt to elude the topic Twilight might have planned from the start.

Rainbow watched Twilight flicking her ears and pacing around. She could tell how nervous the unicorn was. “Dammit… why is this so hard?” Twilight muttered under her breath.

Biting her lip, Twilight let her eyes wander around the room, trying to avoid Rainbow. She knew there was no chance to get away from this anymore and part of her knew this was probably the only way for her to actually get herself to admit her feelings to Rainbow but that didn’t silence her worries at all.

Okay, Twilight. You can do this. Just look at her and say it! Twilight glanced at Rainbow. Bad idea… Rainbow patiently waited for Twilight, laying on the couch with a warm, encouraging smile.

Rainbow’s position, though unintentionally, drove heat into Twilight’s cheeks. The librarian quickly moved her gaze away from her friend but the damage was already done.

“Y-you know, R-Rainb-bow…” Twilight began, shuffling her hooves. “I-I might have… um…” Twilight trailed off, cursing herself for being so nervous and thinking of a way to tell Rainbow, despite her state of mind.

Rainbow on the other hand decided she had been silent long enough. All the stuttering wasn’t going lead anywhere anytime soon, so why not have some fun? Besides, the chance was too good to pass up…

“You know, Twilight, if I didn’t know it better, I’d say you’re just about to tell me you have the hots for me…” Rainbow smirked provokingly and laid her head back, closing her eyes.

The first thing Rainbow noticed was the complete and utter silence. It was so quiet, she swore she could have heard a quill drop. This was especially strange since Rainbow had expected heavy protest from Twilight. These kind of comments always ticked off other ponies and the ones who weren’t very social, like Twilight, were even touchier about that topic.

Rainbow sat up and looked to Twilight. The unicorn had stopped running in circles and had instead dropped to her haunches, her gaze glued to the ground she was pawing with her hoof and a deep red blush spread across her muzzle. Oh my gosh… Did I say something wrong? Rainbow worried. The comment was supposed to be a harmless joke to lighten the atmosphere. It should have been foolproof. Unless…

The longer Rainbow stared at Twilight though, the more sure it was that her friend wasn’t offended but extremely embarrassed. The other weird things Twilight had done came to Rainbow’s mind. They clicked together with the current situation and her joke and slowly but surely it dawned on her. Rainbow’s eyes became ridiculously large and her jaw nearly fell to the floor.

“No way… Are you serious?” Rainbow nearly screamed.

Twilight took a deep breath and met Rainbow’s incredulous stare. “Yes, Rainbow, it’s true… I think I even love you…” she began, her insecurities suddenly washed away and replaced with the urge to win Rainbow’s heart. “I know it comes out of the blue for you. I was surprised when I first realized I had a crush on you too…

“I don’t know when it started, I’ve been thinking about you for months now. I don’t know why I love you, may it be for your carefree attitude, your undying loyalty or just your natural beauty but you are always in my dreams. Sometimes we read together, sometimes we walk together, sometimes we fly together but it’s always with you.

“The reason I didn’t want to tell you was because I was, and still am afraid that you will reject me. I hoped it would just go away, that I could just forget about my crush on you to prevent this, but it couldn’t. I just couldn’t forget you…

“And now I am here, confessing my love for you because of a promise I gave you and still don’t know if you even like mares…” Twilight laughed bitterly, and continued shortly after, “Yet my heart is still craving for you. I know you probably don’t want me to be your marefriend. I’m just a bookworm with a knack for magic and Daring Do, no match for an world-class athlete like you.

“But even if you say no, even if you don’t think of me like that, though you don’t love me, I still have to ask you. Are you willing to give me a chance?” Twilight ended her speech and glanced pleadingly at Rainbow.

The pegasus had fallen silent when Twilight had begun to talk. Now, Rainbow simply sat there, a dull look on her face, not responding in the slightest, while the gears in her head were spinning out of control. Both stared, one in the other’s eyes, one on an indefinite point beyond the visible world. Seconds passed and became minutes and still no one moved a muscle.

Finally, Twilight stood up and turned around, head hung low and tears welling up in her eyes. If Rainbow would have had similar feelings for her, the cyan mare would have already responded. It would be better for both of them if they just moved on, even if the mere thought wrung the air out of Twilight lungs and clenched around her heart.

“I’ll go to bed now. I’ll see you around, Rainbow…” Twilight choked out with broken voice and slowly walked towards the stairs.

When she was about take the first step up, a cyan hoof came to rest on her shoulder and applied a light pressure to spin Twilight around. A tear splashed on the floor as the hoof wandered from the shoulder to her chin and pushed her head up. Rainbow looked Twilight with the earnest expression the unicorn had ever seen on her.

“Twilight, I know my reaction just now wasn’t exactly the best, but please hear me out before you go and shut yourself away.” Rainbow took a deep breath. “I gotta say I never thought much about relationships before. Yes, my parents obviously had one, I even have couple on my weather team, but it just never was important to me.

“It’s not that I dislike relationships or never want to have one, it’s just that my love for flying always was, and still is, my lifeblood, my training to become a Wonderbolt is my greatest purpose in life, and it occupied so much of my time that there never came somepony close enough to seriously care about it.

“You are right, Twilight, I don’t love you, but I can’t say I’ve ever loved someone else either, mare or stallion. I don’t know the first thing about romance and such beyond the little bits I picked up from Rarity.”

Rainbow stopped and let her eyes wander over Twilight. “You are a beautiful mare, Twilight. I don’t have the words for it like you or Rarity but I know you are, on the outside and the inside. Don’t you ever deny that” Rainbow said decisively and poked her hoof at Twilight’s chest.

“You’re one of the best friends I’ve ever had, I can’t say I have no feelings for you, though I can’t say that they’re of the romantic kind. But… You’re my friend after all and I want you to be happy…” Rainbow trailed off.

Straightening herself, Rainbow grabbed Twilight’s hoof with her own and smiled at her. “Yes, Twilight. I will give you a chance. If anyone deserves it, it’s you.”

Twilight stared at Rainbow, her brain trying to process what she just heard. Slowly, the corners of her mouth raised upwards.

“So… You will be my marefriend?” Twilight asked, still not entirely believing that this wasn’t just some kind of cruel joke.

“For now, yes, I will.” Rainbow nodded with a bright smile.

As the realization finally settled in, Twilight grinned wide enough to worry Rainbow that her head might split. Without losing another word, the unicorn wrapped her legs around Rainbow’s neck and pressed their mouths together.

At first, Rainbow tensed up at the unfamiliar feeling of Twilight’s lips against her own. Then she reminded herself who was kissing her, a pony with whom she had saved the world more than once, a pony who Rainbow would trust with her life. She relaxed and wrapped her own legs around Twilight, pulling her deeper into the kiss and felt the unicorn melt into the embrace.

Eventually, they broke apart, breathing heavily, and stared into each other’s eyes. The sheer amount of love, passion and pure joy in Twilight’s violet eyes was more than Rainbow had ever imagined possible. Neither of them moved a muscle, too content relishing the intimacy of the moment forgetting about the world around them.

Not bad… If it’s always like this, I think I can get used to it… Rainbow thought.

Author's Note:

I'm back! Yay!

Okay, okay, okay... I know this is basically a TwiDash oneshot but I had to make some actual progress with the story. I'll try to give Rarity a bigger role within the next two chapters. For the one who want the adventure to go on: Sorry, I'm going to use the time the shadow running around to develop the romance.

I'm currently trying various amounts of cheese in my writing. I'd like to get some feedback if I'm overdoing it.