Winds of the Past

by Fantasia

Day 2, Part 1 - A Crash Course

In some ways for Twilight, the day before felt like it never happened. Some unknown pegasus falling into her home, without a care in the world, seemingly apathetic to all that had happened around her... it had all felt so... surreal. So dreamlike.

And she wanted to believe it had been just that. A dream brought on by a seemingly endless, and rather uneventful slumber; but in the end, something had to cause that night of unrest... and that something was currently curled up, peacefully snoring while lying on the floor at the end of her bed.

As unrealistic as it seemed, there was no doubt in her mind Rainbow was real, that she had indeed been flung into her life from... wherever it was she had come from; and today was the first of many she'd be spending with her new found pegasus acquaintance. After catching a few more Zs before starting said day, that is. After all, wasting it away at some hospital with some pegasus wasn't exactly something she was looking forward to...

Twilight rolled over in her sleep, letting out quiet murmurs and kicking away the sheets that covered her body as she lay flat on her stomach, fast asleep with her head buried deep in her pillows. The curtains above her bed blew slightly from a rush of wind through her open window; the sound of birds chirping and singing their morning songs signaled the approaching dawn.

And soon, the sun began to rise; sunlight beaming in through the curtains onto the pillows where Twilight's head lay. It was then that she began to wake... immediately feeling her body dampened with sweat. Her eyes fluttered open, staring wide-eyed into the darkness her face was buried in.

A dream... It... it was only a dream... she repeated in silent thought, lying still and taking a few breaths as she worked to convince herself what she just experienced really had been just a dream.

But similar to the one I experienced yesterday... While it changed slightly, the basic string of events remained the same. Twilight lay still allowing the fact to sink in, and the darkened realization the dream she experienced yesterday at the hospital wouldn't be a one-time occurrence. But what was the point of these dreams? To put herself in Rainbow's position? To make her see things the way Rainbow did? She grumbled into her pillow; it was pointless to try and figure something like this out. At this time of day anyway. Instead, seeing as how no one else seemed to be awake at the moment and how she could still use some sleep herself, flared her horn and using her magic to shut the curtains, blanketed the room in darkness. A few more minutes... she thought, reaching for and pulling the comforter over her head. She closed her eyes, letting out a brief yawn and snuggling deep beneath the covers, ready for another minute or two of rest—

"Oh, Twi! Hey!" a sudden voice spoke up from somewhere within the bedroom. "You're awake?"

The sudden voice startled her, triggering a slight jump from the young unicorn. It seemed she wasn't the only one awake. She realized closing the curtains just then must have alerted someone in the room... and considering the only ones in the room besides herself were Spike and Rainbow, and the voice she just heard, she assumed it was the latter.

Before she had the chance to properly react, Twilight felt something land on the end of her bed, pressing down on her sprawled-out hind legs in the process. Her eyes blinked open, grumbling under her breath. So much for an extra few minutes... She sighed, waving any hopes of her sleeping in goodbye, as the voice spoke up again.

"Twi...?" That was definitely Rainbow's voice alright. She felt one of her hooves now softly poking her in the shoulder. "Hello? You alive under there?"

"Rainbow...?" Twilight said, deciding to give a reply. She assumed it was still early—given the sudden beam of sunlight from moments ago which she had been quick to cover up. Still, she had to be certain. "Mm, what time is it...?" she asked, letting out a silent yawn.

"The time?" she wondered. "Well..." Her eyes searched the room, looking for something that could provide a clue before turning back to the unicorn. "How should I know?" she replied, then redirected her attention to sun-soaked curtains. "Well I know it's sunny out if that helps..."

Twilight gave a brief sigh of annoyance as she assumed it was true what she had read about pegasi: they were always up at the crack of dawn. Why that rule only applied to pegasi, she couldn't say. Either that, or Rainbow hadn't gotten much sleep. Or using her magic really had woke her up.

Or maybe it was none of that and she was simply over thinking things again.

"I know it is. And no Rainbow, that really doesn't help," Twilight informed her, returning from her thoughts and rolling her eyes. "You know we have a clock, right?"

"A clock?"

Twilight mentally slapped her forehead. "It's a white, circular object, has twelve numbers labeled on the inside, makes a sort of ticking noise—"

"No no, I mean, I know what a clock is," Rainbow replied, putting an end to Twilight's theory just then about not knowing what one was. Though, if she really hadn't known, it wouldn't have surprised her. After all, this was the same pegasus who either forgot or hadn't known what a tower, hospital or bits were...

"I just don't see one anywhere around here."

Don't see one? Twilight thought over Rainbow's words, and for a second, believed Rainbow must have gone blind as well. It shouldn't have been all that hard to spot... "Did you try looking up?"

Up...? Rainbow titled her head upwards, and sure enough noted one hung above the bed. "Oh now I—" She paused, realizing just what an odd place that was to hang a clock. "Wait, why do you keep a clock right above your bed?"

"It's not like I had a choice, Rainbow... I don't exactly have a lot of wall space to hang stuff."

"Well maybe if you got rid of some of these bookshelves..." Rainbow mused at a whisper, taking note of just how clustered the room was. Mainly shelves cramped with more books occupied the walls, while Spike's bed remained nestled in a corner by the entrance. The dragon himself was curled up under the sheets of his own bed, sleeping soundly.

"So anyway," Twilight continued, "what does it say?"

Rainbow glanced back at the unicorn with a look of confusion. Why she didn't just get up and check for herself was one thing, but... "Right, uh well... the short hand thingy is a little past the six and—"

"Six?!" Twilight jumped out from under the covers and nearly tripped over her own hooves stepping out of bed. She took a quick look at the clock for herself and sure enough, as Rainbow had already explained, it was already well past six a.m.. "Oh no, no no no no no, no no! This is bad, this is very bad!"

Rainbow watched as Twilight stomped her hooves in short, jittery movements while looking about nervously with wide eyes... and other than the small grin she attempted to hide behind her hoof, all Rainbow could question at that moment was what had caused this sudden behavior. It wasn't the first time she had seen Twilight stress over something, but it was the first time she had seen her panic in such a way.

"Bad? Why? What's—?" she tried to ask before being cut off by Twilight, stopping long enough to explain.

"What's "bad" is that I have to lug you back to the hospital today and I'd rather not do so with others around!" the unicorn explained, raising her voice, and unintentionally waking up Spike in the process. Though taking a quick note of Twilight losing her cool for the millionth time and yelling at Rainbow over... Celestia only knew what, Spike instead sunk back in his bed, not wanting anything to do with their pointless squabbling...

Though thinking it over, Twilight realized that perhaps she may have exaggerated, but she'd be lying if she said that she hadn't been the least bit embarrassed during yesterday's events. It was because of that, she had hoped to get an early start and leave before other ponies started their day. Well, she had hoped anyway... Seeing as how it was already past six, it was unlikely the streets were still barren...

"So... that's all?" Rainbow queried. Leaving early so they wouldn't be spotted by other ponies wandering the streets? That's what she's worried about? Rainbow couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Yes—er I mean no, I—! It's not funny!" Twilight let out another one of her usual groans before pausing and taking notice of the pegasus seated on the edge of her bed, still sporting her bandages, though she had scrapped her hospital garb as she noticed it lying alongside the papers on the floor. "How... how did you even get up there?"

"It's a bed, Twi," she said. A bed no more than a couple feet off the floor. "I climbed up."

"In your condition? There's no way somepony like yourself was... was able to..." Twilight's voice quickly drifted off as she immediately became aware of what she was saying. Saying this to the same pegasus who somehow escaped a Canterlot hospital while injured, then proceeded to fly back here solely by herself...

As Twilight fell into silence, Rainbow began suspecting her and Twilight were thinking the same thing. "It's a pain in the flank to do so Twi, but I can still move about you know," Rainbow told her, who was now staring back at her—seemingly in disbelief—but also with a look as if she were urging her to continue. "I uh, guess the docs fixed me up pretty good... feels like I can actually move around now," she explained as she stood on all fours for a matter of seconds, extended her forelegs outward, one after the other as proof.

"See—?" She winced suddenly, and fell flat on the bed once more, cuing an inquisitive look from the unicorn. Twilight narrowed her eyes, unconvinced by the act. Though, she supposed if it were true, it would have explained how Rainbow had managed to fly back to the tower on her own. If it were true.

"Okay," Rainbow said after a few moments of lying still, allowing the pain to die down. "So maybe my body still hurts, but the pain isn't near as intense as it was yesterday."

"That may be, but that doesn't mean you should move around and— Oh Celestia what am I doing?" She paused long enough to focus her magic on the pegasus, lifting her from her seat on the bed and back on the floor, upon the wadded papers and scrunched up sheets which Twilight had provided her the night before. She then began work on straightening her bed up, taking everything off and dumping it beside her before rummaging through the pile and pulling out the correct layers in order and lacing them across the bed, all without lifting a hoof.

"Hey uh, do you ever not use your magic?" Rainbow asked, watching the mare make quick work of her bed. Not that there was anything wrong with manipulating magic for such a task—she was a unicorn after all. Magic was their specialty. But using it almost non-stop and when she just as easily could have used her hooves to arrange the sheets on her bed instead of magical powers seemed like a waste to the pegasus. Not to mention, lazy.

"Well it sure beats using your hooves," she replied, laying the comforter on top the stack of sheets and blankets.

"Yeah, well maybe, but still..."

"Look, we can discuss this later..." Twilight said, fluffing the few pillows she owned and placing them at the end of her bed. "But right now I don't have time to waste chatting with you. Okay uhm, let's see..." She trotted over to a vanity with a mirror she had conveniently set up between two bookcases. "First my mane! Let's just take a look and uh, oh..." Her sudden gleeful expression turned into a frown as she noticed the condition her mane was is. She turned to Rainbow, "Why didn't you mention my mane looked like this?"

"I was supposed to?"

"Ugh! Never mind!" She turned as she continued to mumble under her breath. "Brushing it will only make it look worse... Great, looks like I'll have to wash it." With that thought in mind, she remembered the previous day and her unintentionally sneezing on Rainbow, and getting snot caught in her own fur as well. I suppose her coat's no less filthy than mine...

"Hey, Rainbow," Twilight called out to her. They were pressed for time as is, and it was clear Rainbow could use one... "Would you like to join me?"

"Join you? Join you in doing what, exactly?"

"Oh well I was planning on showering, and you're welcome to join in too, if you want—"

I'm welcome to join, if I...? Rainbow stared at her, wide-eyed in astonishment. "Hold up hold up, Twi... you serious?" There was no mistaking it. She had heard right, but... but this was Twilight. There was no way someone like her would ever suggest such a thing... Well, until she proved otherwise with a simple "yes".

"I'm sorry, Twi. I mean, I get it; you think I'm attractive," Rainbow teased, only to receive an unamused glare from the unicorn. "But," Rainbow soon continued as she grew more serious in tone. "Do I need one? Probably... but with you? No no, nuh-uh. Sorry Twi, but the answer is definitely no. I'll just wait here until you're finished."

Twilight sighed, having expected such a response... and would have left it at that. She wasn't looking forward to this anymore than Rainbow, but time was a factor. "Sorry Rainbow, I know I asked whether or not you'd like to, but you don't have much of a choice. We're on a tight enough schedule as is, and need to leave as soon as possible, so excuse me for this but we really don't have time for both of us to take separate showers."

Before Rainbow could argue with her, Twilight caught the mare in an aura of magic and lifted the pegasus up into the air. Hearing a faint groan escape the pegasus, she added, "Look, I'm not exactly keen on this either, but it saves us time. Besides, there's no way you could manage to wash yourself in your current condition."

"Hey, you don't know that!" Without thinking, Rainbow shot back at the unicorn in her defense, resulting in Twilight coming to an abrupt stop. The two remained silent, completely motionless for some time—Twilight seemingly still shocked over Rainbow's sudden outburst, and why Rainbow would insist on something so insignificant... other than proving her condition really had improved.

Or it was simply Rainbow being her usual, overconfident self again.

Several long moments passed before it dawned on Rainbow what it was she had even blurted out, and she soon regretted saying anything at all. Twilight would never buy into what she said. Hay, she herself knew that wasn't true; she could barely move about, much less manage a proper shower.

Rainbow sighed, knowing it was impossible without Twilight's assistance, and that things would go a whole lot smoother if she simply went along with what Twilight suggested. She looked over at the unicorn, who remained completely still and at a glance, was at a loss of words.

"Alright Twi, fine. I'll let you this one time," Rainbow finally spoke, breaking the momentary silence, as well as bringing Twilight out of her thoughts. Before Twilight could get a word in however, there was one thing Rainbow had to make clear... even if it wasn't exactly true. "I'm pretty sure I could though..." she muttered out in a softer tone of voice, looking away once she noticed Twilight had turned to face her, her gaze now firmly fixed on the pegasus. "Shower on my own, I mean."

At first it was a look of curiosity. She's going to keep insisting on this, isn't she? Twilight asked herself, though it hadn't taken long for her mind to come up with an answer, and dismissed her curiosity as quickly as it came. After all, this was Rainbow she was dealing with. Anything she said or did that Twilight didn't understand—and there was quite a lot—she would simply chalk it up as Rainbow being... well, Rainbow.

Instead, Twilight smiled, simply shaking her head and finding it hard not to grin at the pegasus's behavior. "Come on, Rainbow," she said with with a small grin, rolling her eyes and turning around as she headed out the bedroom, and carrying the reluctant pegasus along against her will.

---

Trotting down the stairs, she headed for the the nearest bathroom she could think of, and in several more hoofsteps, she was there. Wasting no time, Twilight pushed the door open and stepped inside, getting straight to work. She gently set Rainbow down in the tub, before then turning to mess with the array of knobs, twisting the one furthest from her and in turn, activating the flow of water... only for Rainbow to let out a startled shriek once the near-scalding water splashed down against her coat.

"Sorry!" Twilight apologized, frantically working the other knobs in an attempt to adjust the water temperature. With a few twists and turns, she quickly got the water under control and sighed in relief, turning to check on the now dripping-wet mare who appeared to be slowly recovering from the seemingly painful incident. "Is that better?"

"Uh-huh..." Rainbow replied sorely, after a few moments of allowing her body to adjust to the sudden change. Though it was hard to adjust when a stinging sensation now filled her body, not helped by the resentment she held towards Twilight for that blast of hot water mere moments ago, and—and...

This feels nice... she thought as her mind went blank, closing her eyes and sighing contently. Any negative thoughts she had at that moment were washed away as the warm water washed over her body, relaxing her muscles and allowing her mind to enter a state of surrender.

It felt like her first shower in ages—hay, maybe even her first shower, period. ...Rainbow quickly dismissed the latter thought. She was certain she had taken showers in the past. She wasn't that unruly...

Though she hadn't been lying when she thought of it as her first in ages; it really felt as though she hadn't showered for the longest time. Or at least, not like this. It felt rejuvenating; all her pain seemed to vanish as the water swept it away. She tilted her head upwards, allowing some of the water to fall upon her face and parted her lips slightly, catching some of it in her mouth.

It was warm, sure, but she sort of liked the taste of it. And hay, even if she hadn't, she had been in desperate need of a drink since yesterday anyway—oh, and a bite to eat. Thinking back, she never had gotten a proper meal...

Her drink was cut short however, as Twilight decided to step in, sitting herself down in front of Rainbow. Right, she had forgotten Twilight was with her...

---

Twilight sat back on her haunches in a similar fashion, sitting opposite of the rainbow-maned pegasus, and closing the curtain around them... when it hit her. She was actually doing this... About to bathe with some pegasus— No, what was she thinking? It wasn't some pegasus; it was Rainbow.

To make matters worse, she was a mare. Tomboyish, but nevertheless, a mare. Around the same age as herself, no less.

She recalled times where she used to give Spike a bath, back when he was either too young or incapable of doing it himself. But those times were different. Spike was practically family to her, and to her, it was like somepony giving their kid brother a bath. Back then, neither of them thought anything of it, or cared for that matter. But now, Twilight did. Things were different. She was older, and so was the pony before her...

That desperately needed a good cleaning.

Twilight sighed. It looked like there was no getting around this. They were both in desperate need of a shower, and there was no way Rainbow could manage one herself without help. Then there were the time restraints, and even if it was... uncomfortable for her, she would have to pull through. It seemed a little late to have second thoughts anyway.

"Alright," Twilight grumbled, turning to face Rainbow, "let's get this over wi—" Her voice paused. Since stepping into the tub, she had kept her gaze focused elsewhere, averting her own gaze to the shower curtains. Turning to face her however, for the first time since preparing the shower, Twilight took quick notice of the way Rainbow looked.

It amazed her. The innocent, almost naive look Rainbow wore... Her flustered cheeks, patted-down fur and wet mane, motionless beads of water glistening along her face and forelegs. She was lean, yet firm, with trim muscles that rose with each breath she took. In a way it surprised her. She never would have thought Rainbow was an athletic pony. She looked so... Twilight rid herself of these thoughts. Wet, she thought. She looks wet. Nothing more, nothing less... and certainly nothing worth staring at her over—

Twilight shook her head, only now realizing she had been staring at her, and mentally slapped herself over the fact. Staring... at Rainbow. She prayed to Celestia Rainbow hadn't noticed.

"Uh, Twi...?" Rainbow began, wondering why exactly Twilight hadn't bothered to move a muscle since entering. She cocked her head, "You—?" However Twilight already had an idea as to what she was about to say, and was quick to deny it.

"I wasn't staring!" she blurted out, cheeks burning bright, and cuing a questioning look from Rainbow. An awkward silence soon followed.

"Never said you were," Rainbow replied after the momentary silence. "I was just gonna ask if you were okay, is all."

More silence ensued.

That's all she was going to ask? Twilight thought, suddenly feeling foolish for jumping to such a conclusion. Even worse, now Rainbow knew she had been staring. Her widened eyes began to narrow, letting out an irritated sigh before grumbling, "Let's just get this over with."

---

"So if you'll just let me— Argh, stop squirming!" Twilight said, making another attempt at cleaning the pegasus's fur only for her to retract away. "If you would just sit still long enough for me to clean your coat..."

"Well maybe I would if you'd quit scrubbing so hard!" Rainbow was quick to protest, shoving away Twilight's hoof, which she now had a cloth wrapped around, using it to make cleaning Rainbow's fur all the easier.

"Hard? I'm sorry but I'm doing this as gently as I possibly can," she replied, taking a firm hold of the pegasus with her hooves and then proceeding to wash every inch of the cerulean mare, much to Rainbow's displeasure.

Rainbow shut her eyes, letting out another grunt as the unicorn worked at cleaning her fur. "You—ah, you seriously call what you're doing, gentle?"

"As a matter of fact I do. Now please..." Her voice drifted, taking hold of Rainbow's face and began scrubbing away at the pegasus's facial features, washing away areas of drool that had dried around her lips—presumably from the night before—or stains of dirt hidden beneath her mane and layers of fur. "There," Twilight said satisfied as she backed away and wrung the cloth out with her magic.

With that, Rainbow gently shook her fur dry, coating the surrounding walls and tiles with a flurry of water droplets as she opened her eyes. "So what...? Are we done?" she asked. Oh how she hoped they were done...

"Far from it, actually," Twilight said, causing Rainbow to droop her head in response. "Let me see your ears."

Rainbow's head shot back up, her ears falling flat. "My... ears?"

"Yes," Twilight replied, "now hold still..." She leaned up, and placing a foreleg over Rainbow's head as if it were an armrest for support, began cleaning in and around Rainbow's ears and down her neck, only stopping every now and then to make sure her actions weren't causing the pegasus any pain. "Uhm, nothing's hurting, is it?"

"Twi, it's fine," Rainbow lied. The annoyance of Twilight's upper chest fur brushing against her face and the rest of the unicorn's body practically resting over her head was becoming a tad too much for the young pegasus to bare. Then again, her fur... it was soft, and warm, pressed against her own— She quickly shook those thoughts from her mind the second she felt her wings stiffen. "Just please hurry it up, will ya—?"

"All done," Twilight said, stepping down and away from the pegasus.

"Wha...?" Rainbow said, almost baffled by how quickly Twilight had finished up. "Already?"

"Well uh, yes... I was only washing your ears and around your shoulder line, after all."

Rainbow felt her cheeks grow warmer. "Uh right, I knew that..." she replied, looking off to the side. "So... now are we done?"

"Not quite," Twilight said only to have Rainbow roll her eyes back at her. She pointed a hoof at Rainbow's wings. "There's still the matter of your wings—oh, and your back."

"M-my what now?" Rainbow panicked, remembering the state of her wings. "N-no! Sorry Twi but those areas you mentioned, they're uh... still in way too much pain."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that? You don't sound sure..."

"No no, I'm sure. Believe me, if you were to apply pressure there, I'd imagine it would hurt pret-ty bad." She demonstrated, touching her left wing with her hoof and wincing as a result. "Ooh, uh yeah, ow... That hurts alright." Well she wasn't completely lying, they were still in pain.

Twilight tilted her head to the side, replying with a confused, "okay?"

"I'd say I'm already mighty clean anyway!" Rainbow beamed, hoping to change the subject. "Now, forget about me. Focus on getting yourself cleaned up."

"Well, uhm... alright... Oh, but first!" Twilight turned to her side, rummaging through, then grabbing two different containers from a shower rack with her magic and popped one of the lids. "A bit of shampoo and body wash never hurt anypony! Here, I'll apply some..." she said, squeezing a small of amount out onto her hoof before working it into Rainbow's fur, then turned her attention to her own coat once she was finished with Rainbow's.

"Think they'll be mad—?"

"Hold still, please," she told Rainbow as she squeezed a second substance out onto her hooves and began working it into Rainbow's mane. "Now I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"Those doctor ponies... Do you think they'll be mad? About what I did?"

Twilight stifled the sudden urge to laugh. "Oh no, Rainbow, not in the slightest!" she said sarcastically, scooting aside and allowing the stream of water to freely wash over Rainbow's mane. "Why I'm sure they were thrilled to discover you had gone missing last night and have been spending the entire night here instead."

She closed her eyes as bits of shampoo began to drip from mane and trickle down her face. "Okay okay, that was a dumb question... We're in deep trouble, aren't we?"

Twilight nodded. "Most likely," she said as she let out a small sigh. Noticing Rainbow's mane and coat had been washed clean, Twilight turned, bringing her head underneath the flow of water as she began focusing on washing her own mane.

"Wait..." Rainbow began, uncertain why Twilight hadn't seemed the least bit bothered by the fact. "You're okay sharing the blame?"

"Well I allowed you to stay the night when I easily should have taken you back... I'm not okay with being blamed for your little stunt but I won't claim I'm innocent here either." She brought her head out from under the water as she continued to talk. "You and I, we're—" She paused, stopping herself before she accidentally said anything she'd regret. "—we'll both share the blame, and I think that way... it'll be easier on both of us. Of course we'll both be scolded and—"

"Say, we should come up with a lie or something," Rainbow suggested, much to Twilight's surprise.

"Lie?" Twilight pondered the idea. She hardly ever lied. Even if she did, the only other being she associated with on a regular basis was Spike, and what did she have to lie to him about?

"Yeah, you know, lie about what happened," Rainbow continued, bringing Twilight out of her thoughts. "Like let's say instead we tell 'em I was kidnapped or something, yeah! Then you, being the cool and awesome mare that you are, swooped in and rescued me, then brought me back here so you could watch over me and..."

"Rainbow?"

Rainbow stopped for a moment upon hearing Twilight call her name. "Uh... yes?"

"That's the most absurd lie I've ever heard anypony say," Twilight admitted, unintentionally crushing any hope the pegasus may have had of coming up with a good plan. "Besides," she added, "with the amount of trouble we're most certainly already in, lying doesn't sound like the smartest thing to do."

"Alright," Rainbow sighed in defeat. "It was only a thought after all."

Twilight nodded, turning to make sure everything was put away before exiting the shower. She shook her coat dry and grabbed a towel from a nearby towel rack with her magic and placed it over her dripping wet mane. After a few moments, she realized Rainbow had yet to leave the tub and turned to see what was taking her. "Alright, come on Rain—" She paused mid-sentence after noticing Rainbow with her head tilted and mouth hanging open, eagerly guzzling down the water as it rained down on her. "Rainbow!"

Rainbow's ears perked. She stopped, swallowing down the last bit of water as she curiously turned to Twilight. "What? I was thirsty..."

"Well I can get you something to drink soon," she assured Rainbow, as she turned to grab another towel, as well as a medical kit to patch up any spot on the pegasus which had previously been bandaged up. "Just please, not from the shower... that's disgusting."

Why? It was only water... Rainbow stepped out onto the bathroom floor, recklessly shaking her coat and mane dry... and in doing so, covered the walls and bathroom tiles in a thin layer of water. "Well If you say so..." she said with a hint of curiosity, plopping down beside Twilight... who groaned inwardly as she watched Rainbow's actions.

Could have waited until I laid down some towels, at least... She sighed, taking note of the now-expanding puddle of water beneath Rainbow. Looking around the bathroom however, she noticed the floor wasn't the only place Rainbow had gotten water. Looks like I'll have to get Spike to clean up in here later...

But for now, there was still the matter of a certain drenched pegasus before her. Using the towel she already held in her magical grasp, Twilight began drying Rainbow's mane and patting down her fur as gently as she could, hoping to avoid causing her the least bit of pain. She figured she was doing a decent enough job, considering Rainbow's lack of any grunts and groans, or the fact she had yet to whine about something Twilight was doing wrong.

"Isn't there some other way you could go about drying me that's ya know... quicker?" Rainbow asked after several moments had passed in silence. Twilight huffed out her sudden irritation. Then again, maybe she thought too soon.

"Sorry but there really isn't," Twilight explained. "It's either this, or sitting around and waiting for your coat and mane to dry on their own." With that, Twilight continued drying her off, only receiving an exasperated groan, followed by a few low murmurs she couldn't quite make out, in response.

"And there," Twilight said after a couple minutes had passed, placing the towel aside with a satisfied smile. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"I guess not..." came Rainbow's faint response, leaning up off the soaked floor and sitting back on her flank. "Still feels like it took longer than it should have though."

"Well just be glad it's over," Twilight replied, turning away from Rainbow and walking towards the sink. "Okay, now we need to patch you up again. Let's see..." She picked open the kit that lay on the sink counter and dug around before pulling out rolls of gauze and bandages. "This should do the trick!" Twilight grinned, sitting down on her haunches, and taking Rainbow's hooves one by one into her own. "Now hold still..." Careful not to lay a hoof on any areas that were sensitive to the touch, she began covering any areas that she could remember being bandaged up, or that Rainbow insisted were in pain.

As she applied the final bandages, Twilight thought back to what Rainbow had said about her. She remembered the words Rainbow had used to describe her while suggesting they lie about what happened. Cool... and awesome. Those were the words. Or in adjectives she preferred: marvelous, sensational, magnificent, wonderful—! She paused, now unknowingly blushing, as she debated why Rainbow would chose such words to describe her, or why it even mattered to her.

She was hardly ever complimented by others, and in some ways, she didn't mind. But it was Rainbow who did so, and that made her all the more curious. Especially when she considered the way Rainbow talked with her, and behaved around her... it seemed likely Rainbow had said those things simply to ease her into the idea of lying. Still, a part of her had to be certain. "So..." she began, finding herself staring down at her hooves as she continued. "Um, earlier... did you mean that? What you said about me being 'cool'... and 'awesome'?"

Several long seconds passed as Twilight awaited an answer. However, when the answer didn't come, she nervously peered up from her hooves, only to note Rainbow staring blankly back at her, unsure of whether or not she had heard correctly. Twilight was wondering about that? Well, then again, it shouldn't have surprised her. This was Twilight; it would have been unusual for her not to over-think something like that.

Rainbow scratched the back of her mane, searching for an answer, before eventually replying, "Eh, not really."

Right... Figures. Oh well, she thought, standing up and looking down at the newly-bandaged pegasus. "Well anyway, you're all set," Twilight informed her, tossing both their towels into a nearby laundry hamper. "Now, how about some breakfast?"

"About time," Rainbow remarked, grinning in excitement at the thought of finally receiving a decent meal. Twilight nodded and without hesitation, picked Rainbow off the ground in a magical light, and unlocking the bathroom door, exited the steamy—and partially soaked—bathroom.

---

With their shower successfully out of the way, Twilight headed downstairs into the kitchen, carrying Rainbow along with her.

And after a few more steps, they now stood on the lowest floor of the tower. To their right was a convenient, and rather cozy den where Twilight would spend some nights reading—when she didn't have a project to attend to or a new spell to master; and to their left, a quaint dining area complete with a small cooking space.

Twilight glanced to her right. Walking into the den and curling up in front of her fireplace with a good book was almost too tempting for the young unicorn, but unfortunately, she decided, it would have to wait.

Sadly, she still had a pegasus and some breakfast to attend to.

She sat Rainbow down at the table before immediately getting to work, grabbing a selection of goods and ingredients from the fridge and placing them on the nearby counter. Normally I'd have Spike take care of all this... Too bad he's asleep... She would have to handle the cooking this time. If only she was any good at it...

Which is perhaps why she hadn't drawn anything from the fridge that involved a lot of effort. Instead, she grabbed an assorted abundance of fruits and vegetables, a container of milk, and bread and various plants she had kept on the counter where she worked. Slicing fruit or preparing sandwiches was hardly any effort.

Taking a breath and relinquishing in the brief silence she had, took hold of a knife with her magic and began focusing on carefully cutting an orange when she heard a sudden groan Rainbow let out in frustration from where she had been sitting, followed by, "You almost done over there? I'm sorta starving over here," disrupting her concentration and causing the knife to slip and almost cut her own hoof. Twilight stepped back a few inches, eyes widening as she gulped.

"Well?" Rainbow spoke up again as her body remained hunched over against the dining table. Her head lay on its side, eyes blurry and barely open, lazily staring off into the kitchen space.

Then in a flash, a light appeared before her, startling her, and causing her to stumble back in her seat. The light came and went, and in its place stood Twilight, with the very same look of anger Rainbow had seen the mare give her a dozen times before. "Uh, so I've uh... never seen ya do that before—"

"Rainbow!"

Rainbow backed further away, innocently holding both her hooves before her. "What? Yeesh Twi, what did I do this time?"

"What did you..? What do you mean, 'what did I do'?" Twilight hit her forehead with her hoof, letting out a troubled groan. "You disrupted my concentration, that's what you did! I nearly slit my own hoof because of that!" Finishing, she held up the very hoof that, in her mind, would have been cut clean off.

Upon hearing Twilight's words, all Rainbow could do was tilt her head in confusion. "Okay?" she replied while thinking over in her head what that word even meant.

Twilight turned and faced away from the pegasus, feeling herself growing angrier by the second. "Ugh, I don't believe you! You are so...! So—!"

"H-hey, look, no need to get, uh... however it is you get," Rainbow cut in softly, hoping to calm the mare's nerves and get her to relax. She still wasn't sure what she did exactly, but if it meant avoiding any further arguments, and getting a meal faster... "I didn't know I had disrupted your... whatever, and sorry I did... what I did to your hoof, alright? Sorry... I'll be quieter, okay?"

Twilight paused, allowing Rainbow's apology to sink in. She stopped, finding her breathing had become heavier than usual, and remained still for seconds to come, until finally turning to face the pegasus. "Fine... look, just don't do anything that may disturb me while working, alright?" She noted Rainbow nod in response. "Alright, well... Well hey, I'm still in one piece. No harm done, I suppose... How about we just, forget this ever happened."

"Please," Rainbow replied in agreement.

Twilight nodded, then turned and headed back into the kitchen space. "So um... I'll just get back to work then." She glanced back at Rainbow for a brief moment. "Breakfast should be ready in a few minutes, alright?"

"Uh-huh," Rainbow replied, seemingly uninterested as she went back to lazily lying against the table.

More time passed and Twilight finished preparing a nicely put together breakfast for the two of them. Well, she considered it a nice enough breakfast anyway, considering her lack of experience in the matter. However it hadn't taken minutes like she had promised, but rather a good ten minutes, at the most. An entire ten minutes spent silently regretting having snapped at Rainbow over something that she may have over exaggerated in the first place. Resting her head on her hooves, she found herself leaning over the counter with only one thought in mind. She looked down at the hoof, that, to her, almost would have been cut. It's fine... she thought. I suppose Rainbow didn't really do anything. Maybe I should—

"Hey, uh... Twi?" Twilight perked up upon hearing Rainbow call her name. "I uh, know you pretty much wanted me to stay quiet while you work, but uh... well... Are you almost done?"

"Oh Celestia," she cursed under her breath, realizing she had completely forgotten about their breakfast. "Uh, yes, yes I am!" she answered, turning and walking towards Rainbow with plates and glasses held aloft with a simple spell.

"Well?" She eagerly peered up at the assortment Twilight held above her head. "Don't keep me waiting Twi; what did you make?"

"Well Rainbow, since you refuse to eat hay like everypony else, I've prepared something a little different for us this morning," Twilight explained, laying down the assortment of goods upon the table Rainbow sat at. A couple day lily sandwiches, loaded with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet onions, and fresh basil herbs, apple and orange slices, a couple fruit salads, and two glasses of milk. "How's this?"

"Uh..." All this was for her...? She stared down at the meal, licking her upper lip and swallowing, soon realizing she was salivating more than usual, and just how starved she had been. Staring down at the food, she realized something else. The food actually looked good. Well, it was a step up from the hay she had been given the day before, anyway. Though why Twilight had prepared double of everything did leave her a tad curious. Ah well, the more the merrier, she thought, happily grinning... until a simple wave of Twilight's hoof before her eyes snapped her out of it.

"Hello? Earth to Rainbow? I asked if the food was okay."

"Oh, um..." She asked that? Rainbow thought, realizing she must have zoned out while overlooking the food. "Well, I guess it looks pretty cool, for breakfast anyway."

I'll take that as a yes, Twilight thought, rolling her eyes. And now that their breakfast was prepared and Rainbow was content, there was one more matter which she needed to attend to.

"Alright, well I'll be back in a flash," Twilight said, turning for the stairs leading up to her room. "Just gotta run up stairs real fast, and pack up a few things... for later, alright?"

Rainbow nodded and replied with a quick "Mhm," never once taking her eyes off the food before her.

With that, Twilight proceeded to head up the stairs as she thought about just what to take with her. Things that would keep Rainbow, and on a lesser scale, herself, occupied. Doubt Rainbow was ever much of a reader... she surmised, finding the idea of somepony like Rainbow actually picking up a book a rather humorous one. But books would have to suffice. It was most of what she owned, anyway.

As she entered her room, she was quick to notice Spike was awake, and up and about. "Morning, Spike," Twilight greeted, alerting the young dragon. "Just getting up?"

"Oh, Twilight." Spike turned, surprised to see her. "Well, uh actually, Twilight... I've been up. You seemed to be in a rush earlier, and busy with Rainbow, so I didn't say anything..." he explained as the mare trotted past to some nearby bookshelves. "Earlier... you uh, kinda woke me up."

"Oh I did?" she questioned, sounding less than interested. "Sorry about that, Spike." Though that was the least of her problems. Her mind was elsewhere as she crouched and began examining the contents of one shelf in particular. Okay... do I bring this one? No... Maybe this one? I like this one, but would she—?

"Uh, Twilight?"

"Oh, by the way, I'm gonna need you to clean up the bathroom later," Twilight added, thinking back to the watery mess Rainbow had caused earlier that morning. "That's not a problem, is it?"

"Well no, but..." He found himself cleaning up after Twilight every morning... after every shower in fact; it was hardly any trouble mopping up some water. But it wasn't the work that was bothering him, but rather the way Twilight was acting all of a sudden, walking on by without a second glance and barely paying him any mind. She seemed almost entirely focused on something else... "Twilight?" he asked, stepping closer to the mare now feverishly pawing through the selection of books and stacking several of them in a pile beside her. "Is something bothering you?" Well, Rainbow aside, though he wouldn't have been surprised if that pegasus really was the reason for Twilight's sudden behavior.

Got to make sure I have enough here to keep Rainbow occupied— Twilight's thoughts were interrupted the second she heard Spike's question. "Right... I haven't told you yet, have I?"

Spike titled his head in puzzlement. "Told me what?"

"Oh, just that me and Rainbow will be leaving soon..." She pulled one last book from her own personal library and neatly stacked it beside other items she selected. There... these should do... she thought, glancing briefly at the stack. She stood, inhaling a deep breath before turning and trotting over a chair with a violet saddle embodied with her signature mark, slung over it. She lifted and placed it over her back with the help of some magic, tightening the strap a few times, then trotted back to the place she had been standing just mere moments ago. She gazed down at the pile beside her. "I came up here to gather a few things to take with me... hopefully these will keep Rainbow occupied—" Twilight quickly stopped what she was saying when it finally occurred to her just who she had been talking to this whole time. She had only gone upstairs to grab some things, but ended up pushing Spike to the side as she did so. She had yet to go over any of this with him...

"Oh my Celestia, I'm so sorry Spike, I wasn't... I didn't mean to..." she stammered on her apology. "I really meant to go over this with you earlier, it's just... well, Rainbow, she—" Twilight only stopped once Spike raised his hand, motioning her to quiet down.

"Twilight, it's fine, really," Spike insisted. "You've been busy with her, I get it. I had a feeling you guys would be leaving soon anyway."

"Still... Oh you'll be okay here by yourself for the next few days, right?"

"Twilight, you're acting as if this is my first time staying home alone." Reassuringly, Spike added, "I can handle myself just fine."

"Aw, I know you can Spike." She trotted past him, to a small work area where she grabbed a small scrap of paper and began jotting down notes. "Now I'll be stopping by every now and then to check up on you. Oh and if necessary, I put together a list of ponies you can contact in case of emergency," Twilight said as she handed Spike the slip. Twilight pointed a hoof near the bottom of the page as Spike glanced it over. "I uhm, also included mother and father's information, if you feel you need some grown up supervision. I'm sure they wouldn't mind looking after you. I mean, we are practically family after all. Oh, and Shining should be available to look after you, if needed, though I'm not sure for how long, and—"

"Twilight!" Spike said loud enough to disrupt the young mare's ramblings. He understood Twilight was worried for him, but it seemed she had forgotten he had been left alone dozens of times before. Yesterday had even been one of those days. He sighed, allowing his voice to lower. "I'll be fine... alright?"

"Oh I sure hope so, Spike..." She turned and began filing things into the sides of her saddle, hoping Spike was right. He'll be fine, it'll only be for a few days. Plus he has those contacts, he's old enough, anyway, she tried to convince herself. If only she could.

"Twilight..." Once more, Twilight found Spike's voice bringing her out of her thoughts. She shook her head, placing the last item of hers within one of the pouches on her saddle as Spike continued. "You don't have to do this for her, you know."

"I promised her I would though, Spike," she said, straightening up and turning her attention towards the young dragon. "Besides, we're stuck with her for the time being anyway, and if I don't go with her, she may try something again." She told herself this was the only reason she would be tagging along with her, to keep her from running away again... but she did find herself wanting to spend more time with her, even if she couldn't explain it, or want to admit it to anypony. Twilight groaned inwardly, letting that last thought sink in. She actually wanted to spend time with Rainbow. Rainbow, of all ponies! And not to learn more about her anymore. It was official, she was losing her mind...

Spike nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I guess in that case you better go with her then."

Twilight leaned down before Spike, and what Twilight planned on being a brief goodbye hug, quickly changed into a hoof being placed on his right shoulder. "So... I'll stop by later to check on how things are going. Keep an eye on the place, and... please be safe?" Shifting her gaze away from Spike, Twilight added in a whisper, "I don't need anypony else crashing through windows around here..."

"What?" Spike asked as Twilight realized what it was she just said.

"Uhm, nothing Spike!" Twilight blushed, scrambling away from the young dragon and quickly stood up, turning for the exit. "Well, I think that's enough of that..." she said, flustered, and finding her gaze wandering as she continued to walk towards the exit. Before exiting, lifted a hoof and waved a quick goodbye. "I'll uh, see you soon..." she assured him before exiting and leaving one confused Spike inside the room.

Moments passed as Spike stood there, staring at the spot Twilight had previously been standing with an eyebrow raised and one question racing through his mind. What's gotten into her?

---

Argh! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why did I say that out loud? she scolded herself in thought, mentally slamming her forehead over and over in embarrassment as she trotted down the main staircase. Don't go falling out windows. What was I thinking? Oh how she hoped Spike hadn't actually heard her, but who was she kidding? He had, and Twilight prayed to Celestia he would think nothing of it.

She sighed again; this pegasus was rotting her mind. Thoughts were one thing, but now she was letting this pegasus affect the way she talked. Nearing the entrance to the kitchen, she began to think maybe it all had to do with the fact she had barely eaten since this whole ordeal. That her stomach was simply empty and it'd help once she got some food in her system.

"Yep, I'm just hungry is all," she told herself aloud, stifling a grin as she stepped down from the stairs and immediately spotted Rainbow sitting at the same spot as before. "Hey Rainbow," Twilight greeted, trotting over to join the cerulean mare. "So I grabbed what I needed and I— I..."

Rainbow craned her head over her shoulders, glancing back at the unicorn who was now frozen in place, mouth agape. She spun around in her seat, grinning as she let out small belch which she quickly covered up with a hoof. "Oh uh, 'scuse me," she said, feeling a blush coming on. "So that uh, that food was pretty good!" Quickly changing the subject and shining a large grin at Twilight, but after several moments of dead silence, her grin began to diminish and Rainbow knew she had unknowingly made another mistake. "Okay, what did I do this time?"

Twilight remained practically oblivious to all of what Rainbow was saying. "You ate all... all my..." she sputtered, eyes wide and walking up to the table littered with empty plates and bread crumbs. "That was supposed to be for the both of us!"

Rainbow paused in the middle of picking her teeth. "Oh uh... you mean this wasn't all for me—?"

"No!" Twilight shouted, her voice cracking a little.

Rainbow's eyes widened as she gulped. She had really done it now. "U-um, okay okay, well... it's not like you were that hungry—"

"I was too!" Twilight rebutted. "I practically went the whole day without eating yesterday because you just had to show up. Then I prepare some breakfast, for both of us, and you eat it all!''

"Twi, take it easy. Just grab something from the fridge, or some hay or something."

"Oh please, like I even have a scrap of food left after you've eaten it all—"

Okay, now she was over exaggerating. Twilight wouldn't have gone through everything she owned to prepare a simple breakfast. "Twi..." Rainbow began to say, but was quickly denied by the mare.

"—and now I'll probably have to do some grocery shopping later—" She paused for a brief moment. "Oh wait, I can't. I have to spend the next few days with you."

"Twi, you're making way too big a deal outta this."

A big deal...? Rainbow meant to tell her it wasn't a big deal? Eating her share of the meal and plowing through her own food like it was nothing. No, it was a big deal. She was acting exactly how anypony would act in this scenario... or at least, how she imagined other ponies would act. "So what if I am?"

"Jeez, do you always freak out like this?"

"I never 'freak out' Rainbow, I just—" A sudden sound came knocking at the door upstairs, and almost immediately Twilight replied.

"What?!" she yelled, glaring at the pegasus before angrily turning and leaving to answer whoever it was at the door. "Whoever it is, now really isn't the time..." Twilight said again through gritted teeth. "I don't mean to be rude, but if you could, please come back another— Why hello!" Her tone shifted suddenly when she noted just who stood at the entrance, and the ponies she had been yelling at...

Before her stood two of the city's royal guards, both unicorns with dark grey coats and clad in golden armor and a helmet with crests matching their white striped tails. Their usual serious expressions were replaced with looks of concern and confusion.

"Morning, Twilight Sparkle. Is everything alright?" one of the stallions greeted, looking down curiously at the young mare. "You gave a shout just moments ago and we heard some mumblings—"

"Y-yes! Uhm, please excuse my outburst; that was nothing! Everything is perfectly fine around here," Twilight lied, through a grinning smile. "Now uh, w-what brings you here...?" Sure she had met members of the royal guard before, whether wandering the streets of Canterlot, or whenever she visited the castle—she had even come to know some of them... partially due to her brother being captain of the guards, but that only made her wonder. Had something happened involving Shining? It was either that, or a matter involving Celestia herself. It made sense, after all; they served under the princess and catered to her every whim.

Though either of those possibilities filled her with worry, she just hoped one of those was the reason for their visit and not—

"We're here under the order of the princess herself. We were ordered to investigate reports of a pegasus that..." The guard paused as Twilight felt her body tense up. "Isn't from around here. We would like to learn more about where it is she came from." He stepped forward as Twilight stepped back as he glanced around her. "She is residing here, under your care... correct?"

"A pegasus...? Uh no! Oh no, no no no, why would I be sheltering a pegasus?" she responded with a nervous laugh. "That would be ridiculous! I'm just a student! What would I gain by doing so?"

"We should ask you the same thing." The stallion reached into a case he had been carrying and pulled out some paperwork. "Miss Sparkle... the hospital filed a report that this particular pegasus had gone missing." He held the documents up with a magical aura so Twilight could have a better look. One of the papers he flipped through that Twilight was quick to recognize was the sheet she had used to sign Rainbow in the day before. "We also received documentation that states you had dropped a pegasus off under the alias 'Rainbow'."

Twilight lowered her head. "Oh Celestia..." she muttered, realizing her one mistake.

"Yes, my student?" The guards at her doorstep stepped aside, allowing a white mare with a flowing, celestial-like mane to step forth, stopping once she came before Twilight. "It would be wise not to use my name in vain in such a way."

Twilight's head shot up, eyes wide. "Oh, Princess Celestia!" Immediately she bowed down before her teacher. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean—! I mean, I didn't know you were..." Twilight tired to explain, though finding herself unable to do so.

On second thought, why bother saying anything anyway? She was so dead for this.

"It is alright," Celestia assured her pupil, to her surprise, though her body remained still, her gaze focused on the ground below. "However, there is something important that I was hoping to talk with you about." Twilight peaked up in curiosity. "Something about a pegasus...? Rainbow, is it?"

Twilight's eyes returned to the floor. Why had she even bothered to hope it would have been something else? Why else would she have come here? To say hello? She was always too busy to visit, and the one time she does, it's because she got the princess involved in her own mess...

"Yes... well no, technically it's not," Twilight spoke into her hooves, making it hard for anypony to make out what she was saying. "It's what I decided to name her... since she apparently lost all memory of who she was, and maybe more... it's not really clear—"

"Heard my name!" Rainbow chimed in, appearing suddenly from the stairwell and limping over to where Twilight stood, bowed over before the princess. "Well it's not really my name, or maybe it is... dunno." She quickly glanced over at the unfamiliar visitor, then down at her mare responsible for her. Crouching down next to her and raising an eyebrow as her gaze remained fixed on the unicorn, she whispered, "So, what are we talkin' about?"

Instead, all Rainbow got was a sudden "shh" noise as a reply and before Rainbow could question anything, Twilight spoke. "Stay down and don't say a word, Rainbow," she whispered, just loud enough so Rainbow, and only her, would hear what she was saying. "We're in enough trouble already and I don't need you making things even worse, for either of us."

Rainbow smirked. "Oh, and since when have I made things worse?" she whispered back to her. Twilight turned her head slightly, glancing at the pegasus as if she had gone crazy. She was kidding, right? Twilight shook her head and shifted her gaze back away as she heard the princess's voice speak up.

"So this... pegasus is Rainbow then, I presume?" she asked, resting her eyes on the mare.

Twilight nodded softly. "Look, Princess I... I understand if you're disappointed with me..."

"Disappointed with you?" Celestia stepped forward, gently placing a hoof on her student's shoulder. Feeling her hoof on her shoulder, Twilight gazed up only to meet Celestia warmly smiling back at her. "Now why would I be disappointed? You've done nothing wrong here, my student."

"I... I haven't?" Twilight found herself confused by her teacher's words.

"Regardless of how you went about doing it, you chose to look after another in their time of need. While I do not know all of the details, it would appear you've done... a well enough job looking after her, and I can say I'm proud of how well you've handled this situation thus far."

"I have?" Twilight asked, this time with a hint of glimmer in her eyes as a small smile formed... only to fade when Rainbow commented on how the princess herself said she didn't know all the details.

She quickly brushed off Rainbow's remark as another thought soon came to mind. "But Princess, surely you know about the incident at the hospital last night, and how Rainbow flew back here."

"Yes, I am aware, and neither of you are in any trouble."

"I allowed her to stay the night when I really should have brought her back and—" Twilight paused as Celestia's words began to sink in. "I'm sorry?"

"I payed a visit to the hospital you dropped Rainbow off at before arriving here," Celestia explained, sparking not only Twilight's interest, but for the first time since she had shown up, Rainbow's as well. "Not to worry, I smoothed things over with the head staff when I spoke with them."

Twilight couldn't believe it at first, what she had heard... Just like that, they were apparently off the hook.

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. All thanks to Celestia, she supposed. She had never really thought about, but it was times like these, she was thankful she had Celestia looking out for her...

"Now then, Twilight," the princess spoke up, softly smiling down at Twilight. "If I may, will it be alright if I sit and talk with her?"

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, ready to question why she'd want to do such a thing, but Rainbow was quick to interject. "Wait wait wait, hold up. Why does some mare wanna talk with me?" Rainbow questioned, finding she was no less confused than Twilight.

Some mare...? Twilight nervously grinned at the princess before turning her attention to the pegasus beside her... who really needed to learn to keep her mouth shut. Quickly covering the pegasus's mouth with a foreleg, she turned back to the princess with the same nervous grin as she explained, "I'm terribly sorry, Princess; please excuse her attitude. She banged her head pretty bad and must've uh, forgotten how to properly address one such as yourself."

Rainbow opened her mouth wide enough so her tongue could leak out and with it, gave Twilight's foreleg a quick, sloppy lick. Anything to free herself from Twilight's grasp... Rainbow immediately made a sour face, followed by a small blech sound and her repeatedly brushing off the base of her tongue with a hoof. It seemed to work however as Twilight pulled her foreleg away the second Rainbow licked it. She too seemed to be having the same, disgusted reaction to the act. Brushing her one foreleg off with hopes that that would actually do something, she turned and prepared to yell at the rainbow pegasus... starting with the one name she found herself shouting over and over again... "Rainbow!"

"Look, I needed to say something and your arm there was... kinda in the way."

"So you licked it?"

"Would you have liked it better if I bit it?"

"Well no, but—!" Twilight found herself at a loss for words, and realized she could do nothing but let out another agitated groan, briefly turning away from the two. Taking advantage of the situation, Rainbow quickly stifled her laughter and turned to look up towards Celestia.

"So anyway, as I was trying to say..." Rainbow began, glancing at Twilight from the corner of her eye. "Before I let you talk to me, or whatever you want, I wanna know who you are."

Celestia placed a hoof to her chin, looking up as if in thought. "I suppose I never did introduce myself to you properly... Alright." She leaned down, becoming eye level with Rainbow. "My job is to assure the safety of ponies like yourself and ensure that all goes well throughout the land."

"Okay...?" All Rainbow could do was tilt her head to the side in confusion as she stared back at Celestia. "What?" She shifted her gaze towards Twilight who seemed to have calmed down, though appeared more embarrassed now than anything. "That's it?"

Twilight looked over at Rainbow, realizing the question had been directed at her. Rolling her eyes, she grabbed the pegasus, pulling her close and whispering in her ear, "She's the ruler of Equestria, Rainbow," Twilight said, triggering Rainbow's eyes to grow wide in astonishment. "She's tasked with raising the sun at dawn and moon at dusk, and..."

And? Rainbow thought, staring off ahead of her, and never once changing her expression. Staring indirectly at the mare ahead of her, Rainbow thought Twilight's words over, in an attempt to process how any of what Twilight told was even possible. But what surprised her more was the fact Twilight seemingly wasn't finished, thinking only, What else could there be?

"She's my teacher," Twilight added, "so please, show some respect."

She's... Twilight's teacher? Rainbow, for a moment, found herself amazed by the fact. Only to hide it seconds later behind an unimpressed demeanor, followed up by another one of her usual ill-mannered remarks.

"Alright... but you know, she could've just said that."

Twilight lightly shoved Rainbow away with a single hoof and turned to face the princess. With Rainbow's questions out of the way, she could finally ask what was on her mind. "Forgive me for asking, but... you said you wanted to talk with Rainbow?" Sure, it made sense she supposed, but still... "Rainbow?"

Rainbow shifted a look towards Twilight, her eyes narrowing, unamused. "You know I'm standing right here, Twi," she faintly added in, though Celestia had managed to catch some of what the pegasus had muttered out.

"Twi?" she asked, looking to her student. That was new. Never in the time she had known Twilight, had another pony referred to her by such a name.

"It's a... nickname, Princess," Twilight explained. "A name Rainbow insists on calling me." She stopped for a moment, glancing at Rainbow from the corner of her eye. "Although I'm not sure why..."

Celestia merely chuckled softly at what her student had told her, holding a hoof over her lips as she did. "Is that right?" she questioned as her quiet laughter began to die down. "So, if I may..."

"Oh, y-yes! Please, come in!" Twilight said, now blushing profoundly as she realized just how off track the three had all gotten. "This way, Princess..." Clumsily backing away and picking Rainbow off the floor, she motioned Celestia in, leading her into the entrance room, and down into the tower's den.

Comments

[Timaeus]

Hate to be persnickety... but last chapter I recall Rainbow's nickname for Twilight as "Sparkles," not "Twi," unless Rainbow decided to change that between chapters or something.

[Kodeake]

3469068 there was a paragraph in the last chapter where Twilight makes Rainbow change her nickname. Twi comes up.

[ankyo]

"I pardoned the two of you after explaining the situation to the head staff there."

I don't think that anything they did requires pardoning. I don't think that Twilight did anything that is outright illegal, and I'm pretty sure that all that either would have gotten is a sound talking-to. And even if what they did was outright illegal, I doubt that they would have pressed charges. For that matter, I'm pretty sure that charges would have had to have been pressed before it could have been pardoned. They might even have had to have been found guilty.

[Stormgnome]

3471354
I read that as the Princess apologizing on Rainbows and Twilights behalf. I may be wrong though.

[eclyptic moon]

lol

[ABronyJohn]

Wow the author had no notes
hmm

[TheRandomMLPegasister]

Haha the Princess was a surprise! Although, not really.

[RainbowDeathClaw]

I'm here writing another comment. Man is this a trip seeing everything from Twilight's perspective, almost, as in we get to see what Rainbow is really think, but what we see what happens from Twilight's POV. I also think its always interesting seeing how Rainbow acts and how she could be considered outright rude to other ponies, but only half way there. Anyway I liked this chapter as well building on the twidash dynamic between the two of them.

[Rosie Quill]

day 2 part 1 a crash course

Hi, I’m John Green, this is crash course history, and today we’ll be talking about ‘The Reign of Discord‘

Twilight lowered her head. "Oh Celestia..." she muttered, realizing her one mistake.

"Yes, my student?"

Welp. They’re dead