Loyal to a fault

by Twidash fanatic

Desperate Denial

It was past 7:30 by the time Rainbow landed near Twilight's front door. On her way over, the speeding pegasus' mind had been filled with doubts and worry over what Twilight wanted from her. Was Rarity right? Was Twilight feeling neglected, or lonely? She had been busy this last month with the weather, but surely Twilight didn't blame her for doing her job?

With a heavy conscious and a lack of confidence, Rainbow knocked on the door to her marefriend's castle. When the door opened, the purple alicorn who lived inside emerged wearing a new dress and a strained smile.

"Rainbow! I was worried you had forgotten about tonight." Twilight said. She seemed relieved to see Rainbow, as if she had been expecting her marefriend to stand her up.

The mare in question flattened her ears against her head in shame. "I'm really sorry Twi, Pinkie and I lost track of time." Still feeling guilty, Rainbow realized how dolled up Twilight was. "Hey, you look nice. What's the occasion?"

"Well, I had some dinner reservations all set up, but we've missed our window by now." Twilight responded. At this, her blue companion's face fell, regretful of ruining their night out. Determined to salvage what she could of their date, the princess rose a hoof to Rainbow's cheek. The daredevil rose her eyes to meet Twilight's gaze. "Hey, don't worry about it." She reassured. "Why don't we just go for a walk around town, instead?"

Rainbow nodded, leaning into Twilight's touch. "That sounds awesome, Twilight." Before her marefriend removed her hoof from the side of her face, Rainbow's stomach growled. Blushing, the pegasus chuckled. "But we're gonna find something else for dinner first, yeah?"

***

What was supposed to be a high class dinner in town turned out to be some fruit from Twilight's pantry, eaten on a couch in the library. The couple had shared many meals on this exact couch, and even more books. In a way, it was more romantic than the pomp and circumstance of eating in public, trading quality of food for comfort and closeness.

Rainbow finished off her meal and leaned back against the couch in satisfaction. Feeling a warm, soft mass against her side, she smiled and cuddled up against Twilight. The cyan flier could have easily fallen asleep right there, but she knew Twilight still wanted to go for a walk. "Ready to go to the park, Twi?"

"Mm, yeah." The princess purred. "Let's go so we can enjoy the warm weather." She slowly rose from the couch, nuzzling Rainbow's neck as she stood up. Twilight stretched her wings out and locked eyes with her marefriend. "Care to fly with me?" Instead of being answered, Twilight was swept off her hooves by her strong companion.

"Actually, I'd rather you fly with me, Twi." Rainbow developed a smug grin as Twilight blushed in her forelegs. Without warning, she flew out of Twilight's castle and carried the alicorn all the way to the park.

Landing gently for her passenger's sake, Rainbow set Twilight down near the edge of Ponyville's park. Proceeding in comfortable silence, the pair set off on a stroll along the dirt path. Since it was still early in the year, the sun was long gone, making their walk one under the stars. As they went, Twilight pointed out constellations and Rainbow listened with interest. The couple was happy to find they had the park all to themselves, and felt completely at peace with each other.

All the tension that had been building throughout the day began to melt away. Twilight and Rainbow traded stories from the week and told each other jokes. Before long, they stopped focusing on what was around them and gave their full attention to one another. Between laughing happily, walking so close their bodies remained in contact, and genuinely cherishing the evening, the pair lost track of time. Eventually the two stopped to rest on a bridge, draping their forelegs over the side.

Content to simply enjoy her marefriend's company, Rainbow looked on in silence until the alicorn beside her spoke up. "Thank you for this, Rainbow." She started. "I'm having a really nice time." She smiled at the pegasus, wishing the night would slow down just for them.

Rainbow Dash smiled right back at her princess. "Me too, Twi. I still feel bad that this night didn't go the way you wanted, but I'm glad we're here now."

Twilight blushed a deep red, which made Rainbow raise an eyebrow in question. "W-well, that's not entirely true, Rainbow." She laughed nervously. "This date could still go the way I w-want it to, if we just..." The purple mare was now trembling.

"Are you okay, Twilight?" Rainbow asked in concern. "What is it? What would make this date perfect?"

"It... it would be perfect if you spent the night with me." Twilight turned away to hide her burning face. Completely taken aback, Rainbow attempted to wrap her mind around what her marefriend had just proposed. The couple had taken naps together, even cuddled in bed before, but Rainbow understood the implications of what Twilight had said. She was offering intimacy, something that would solidify their relationship beyond mere words and kisses. The daredevil would be lying if she claimed to have never thought of sharing such a moment with the alicorn in front of her, and nearly every fiber of her being wanted to accept.

Then Rainbow remembered something. She had promised Applejack that she would help clear some flooding in Sweet Apple Acres. The farmer needed the fields dry by midday, which meant Rainbow and her weather team would need to arrive early in the morning.

What should I do? The cyan mare wondered frantically. I want to stay with Twilight, but I need to be alert and rested in order to help AJ tomorrow. I can't just duck out on my promise... "Ah... um... look Twi, I'm totally ready for... y'know, that. It's just that Applejack needs my help tomorrow morning. I kinda need to be awake really early." Rainbow regretted every word as it left her mouth. "I'm sorry, honestly."

Looking to her marefriend, Rainbow saw utter disbelief on Twilight's face. "Rainbow... You would rather spend time on Applejack's farm than spend the night with me?" Tears began to form in her eyes, making Rainbow desperate to fix the situation.

"No, Twilight, I would much rather spend tonight with you. But I promised AJ I'd help her days ago. She's our friend, and I can't leave her hangin' when she needs help."

The surprise on Twilight's face melted away into frustration. "Look, I get it. You agreed to help Applejack, and now you feel obligated to stick to that promise. But we're marefriends now. I don't want to sound clingy, but I expect a little priority over your errands." The alicorn didn't intend on sounding insulting or malicious, but Rainbow took offense.

"What, you want me to brush off AJ? To give up on helping ponies whenever we have a date?" The brash speedster didn't mean to lash out, but found she couldn't stop herself from continuing. "I know we're a couple, but being loyal is what defines me. It's who I am, Twi, and I thought you liked me for that."

Suddenly, Twilight found herself backed into a corner. "I-I do like you for who you are, Rainbow Dash. That's why I want to spend more time with you, can't you see that?"

"Twi, I want to spend all my time with you, but we both have lives to lead. Ponyville couldn't function without their princess and weather manager."

"Is that all our relationship is to you, just a part of your life?" Twilight demanded. "What makes me more important to you than anypony else?"

Rainbow had no response. Her experience with romance was non-existent before Twilight, and she still fumbled with what to say and how to act. Though Twilight meant more to her than anything, Rainbow couldn't put into words why.

"I can't deal with this, Twi. Not now, not today. I'm sorry, but I need to go." Before her marefriend could see her cry, Rainbow took to the skies, heading towards her house. She heard Twilight call out to her, but couldn't bring herself to turn around. Her instinct was to get away from the source of her confusion. The blue pegasus desperately needed an answer to Twilight's question, but she wouldn't find it here.

Reaching her house in record time, Rainbow Dash burst through her front door in tears. She flew up to her bedroom and collapsed onto her cloud bed. "What do you want from me, Twilight?!?" She yelled to nopony. "Why can't you understand that I need to be there for our friends, even if it gets in the way of out time together? I can't give up my element for you, even though I would in a heartbeat. Why do I feel so guilty for just doing my job?"

With no answers for her growing pile of torturous questions, Rainbow cried herself to sleep.

Comments

[T-Dash]

Rainbow is really being a dum-dum here. Taking being loyal to the extreme. Until next time.

[Little Ling]

Wow, that was hard to read at the end. I loved it, and it really had a nice internal conflict. I can see how work could get in the way, and how other relationships, especially 'close' ones, could be threatened. Good job!

[Twidash fanatic]

6878265 Thank you, that means a lot!