Rainbow Crash
Flying High, Falling Hard by soundslikeponies
Twilight went inside the library and slammed the door shut behind her, throwing her pink scarf on the floor, not caring where it landed. She paced back and forth restlessly, letting out a frustrated shout.
“I can’t believe Dash just did that! You don’t just kiss somepony out of the blue and expect them to be fine with it!” She let out a grunt and collapsed on the floor, grabbing a pillow with her magic and burying her face in it to let out a long, muffled moan.
Her first kiss. It was her first kiss, and it was with Rainbow Dash. She had no doubt it would stick with her forever, and the way Dash just went and kissed her without any sort of permission or prompting was inappropriate.
A part of her knew she had been too harsh on her friend, but the kiss had left her confused about everything. She had no idea something like that had been what was bothering her friend. She didn’t understand why though, and she hated not understanding things.
She didn’t understand why Dash grew to have those kind of feelings for her; she had never done anything to even hint at being a fillyfooler, nor had she ever hinted at being interested in any kind of romance for that matter.
Shifting through her memories of the last few days, she thought about how strange Dash had been. She wanted to kick herself for not noticing her friend’s feelings sooner, but she never would have thought another mare would crush on her, and she certainly didn’t think one of her friends would for that matter.
A shooting star flew by, leaving a speckled star dust trail behind it that lingered across the sky briefly before fading away. Dash couldn’t bring herself to appreciate the sight. She was too busy feeling sorry for herself, and cursing her childish naivete. She should have seen the rejection coming, but an optimistic part of her wouldn’t stop saying, “What if?”
Dash let out a small whimper.
But she had blown it. Now Twilight probably never wanted to see her again, and Dash didn’t know why she had ever thought it was a good idea to tell her in the first place. She could have at least tried to ignore it, but now it was too late. Kissing Twilight, she completely opened up, something she had never done to anypony before, and she got hurt in a way she had never experienced before.
Dash stood up and fixed her watery eyes on the library.
She wouldn’t just let Twilight walk away. She wouldn’t accept leaving things between them like this, tucking her tail between her legs, and going home. And she knew Twilight didn’t want to talk to her right now, but she’d be damned if she didn’t try her hardest to get her friend back.
Steeling herself and blinking away the tears that lurked in the corner of her eyes, she marched towards the library as it began to rain.
Twilight stood at a round window, with her hooves rested upon its sill, resting her chin on them and looking out at the grassy hills surrounding the library. A lone tree stood atop one of the hills, some filly or colt’s kite stuck firmly in its branches and being tugged at by the wind. She tried to forget about what had just happened with Dash, but her mind kept wandering back to it.
A knocking at the door tore her gaze away from the window. Letting out a weary sigh, Twilight went to answer it, knowing very well who it would be. She swung the door open to see Dash standing there with a grim look of determination on her face.
“I thought it was obvious I didn’t want to talk to you.”
Dash swallowed the lump in her throat. “It was, and I’m sorry, but I want to apologize. I didn’t think enough about how you might take it.” Dash looked at the ground in shame. “I was selfish to go about it like that, but I don’t want to lose our friendship.”
Twilight clenched her eyes shut, feeling a bitter taste in her mouth.
“I don’t like other mares Dash,” Twilight replied. “Not only that, but it was also my first kiss, which now, I will always remember was with another mare!” She shook her head, letting out a disappointed sigh. “I’d have to lie to say I’m not mad at you right now. I’m sorry. Like I said, I don’t want to talk to you right now.”
A frown spread across Dash’s face as Twilight went back inside, closing the door behind her.
“I’m not leaving here until I fix what I did wrong you know!” Dash’s muffled shout came through the door.
Twilight stopped, turning around to the door and opening it once more.
“What?” she asked in flat tone, Dash staring defiantly back at her.
“I won’t leave Twilight. Not until I fix this,” Dash asserted, stomping the ground.
“You’re going to stay out here? By yourself? In the cold? Yeah right,” Twilight scoffed. “Go home, Dash.” She shut the door, with a bang, deciding to head to the loft and get some sleep.
Climbing in under the bed covers, she closed her eyes and listened to the raindrops striking the roof, just wanting the day to be over.
Twilight woke up and let out a long yawn. Getting out of bed and stretching her hooves, she arching her back to work a kink out of it, resulting in a small pop. The morning sun filtered in through her bedroom window, and the fields outside glistened with dew.
She fumbled down the steps to the kitchen, still half asleep, and opened the fridge, trying to decide what to have for breakfast.
Her ears twitched as she heard a faint noise briefly. She swiveled her ears to where she thought it came from, trying to figure out what had made the sound.
"Achoo!"
The sound came from the library door, and she slowly turned around to look at it.
"Achoo!"
No way.
Her mind on full alert, Twilight rushed from the table, knocking over her glass of carrot juice in her haste, and slammed the front door open.
Dash sat soaking wet and curled up in a ball at her doorstep. The pegasus’ mane, which had been well groomed the night before, was a mess, and clung to her coat with water. Her coat was pale and wet, and she was shaking like a leaf, and she had darkened lines under her eyes as she looked up at Twilight standing in the doorway.
“Twilight, I...”
Twilight stared at Dash, her mouth hanging slightly open. “Are you out of your mind!?” she screamed at the top of her lungs, looking over the pegasus with worry.
“I just w-want you t-to stop b-being mad at me,” Dash stuttered, her teeth clacking together.
Any anger Twilight had for her was pushed aside, replaced with overwhelming concern for her friend’s health. She lifted Dash with her magic and brought her inside, taking her upstairs to her bed and tucking her under the covers. She didn’t care if the pegasus got them dirty or wet.
Twilight ran back downstairs, grabbing a towel and running it under warm water in the sink. Taking the towel out from under the tap and pouring a glass of water, she rushed back upstairs.
Dash’s eyes were closed, breathing in short, labored bursts through her mouth. Twilight walked to her bedside, placing the warm towel on her forehead and tipping the glass of water to her mouth so she could drink.
Dash swallowed the water and let out a refreshed sigh, opening her eyes and giving Twilight a weak smile of gratitude. “T-t-thanks.”
Twilight blushed and looked away. “You’re dumb as a mule, you know that?”
Dash tried to chuckle, but the action turned into a small coughing fit. “Yeah,” she said, closing her eyes as her coughing died down. “I know.”
Twilight stayed at her bedside while she slept, replacing the damp towel on her forehead every half hour. She knew sleep was what Dash needed more then anything right then, so she simply watched with worry as the sickly mare slept, watching her chest rise and lower from shivering breaths.
Twilight let out a long sigh.
I’ve been doing that far too much since last night.
She had been certain that Dash would just give up and leave if she had ignored her. Her loyalty was an admirable trait. Even if she didn’t return Dash’s feelings, the gesture was touching, and it also served to make her feel like a jerk for how she had acted last night. She still couldn’t agree with how Dash went about showing her feelings for her, but it must have meant more than Twilight realized for Dash to risk their friendship over it. All Twilight could think about was one thing Dash had said last night while looking up at her with a broken heart.
“I really like you, Twilight.”
The way Dash’s ears had been drooping, her mouth quivering as she sat there on the verge of tears, was stuck in her head. And the more she thought about how she had reacted, the more she began to regret it.
The sick pegasus coughed in her sleep, her towel slipping off the side of her forehead. Twilight glanced up, reaching a hoof over to slide her towel back in place.
She really has it bad for me, doesn’t she? she thought with a frown.
It still baffled her that without even trying she had gotten somepony, one of her best friends no less, to fall head over hooves for her. She always thought she was far too boring and plain for anypony to like her in that sort of way. Sure, she was the Princess’ student, but she was also a shut-in and a bookworm. She couldn't think of a single reason that would make Dash like her in the way that she did.
I just don't feel the same way about her, and I don't know if we'll be able to put this behind us, and be friends the way we were before. What if every time we talk I feel as tense and nervous as I do right now, just from sitting next to her?
Twilight sat down, and laid her head on the bed next to the sleeping pegasus. She hadn’t managed to fall asleep until quite late the night before; she had too many emotions swimming around in her head.
Crawling up onto the bed and crossing her hooves on it to use as a pillow, she gave one last look at Dash, before falling asleep herself.
Groaning as she woke up from her nap, Twilight opened her eyes, feeling of déjà vu as she saw Dash’s face inches away from her own.
“Gah!” Twilight shouted in alarm, tumbling off the side of the bed and falling onto the floor. Lying on her back, she moaned, rubbing her sore backside, which had taken a brunt of the crash.
“Twilight?” Dash asked, poking her head out over the edge of the bed. “What happened?”
Twilight blushed, remembering that she climbed up on the bed while not really thinking and fallen asleep.
“Nothing, just um...” Twilight looked around nervously, trying to think of something. “Here, let me change your towel,” Twilight said, grabbing the cold towel off of Dash’s forehead, running away to go change it.
Twilight slowed to a walk as she entered the kitchen, feeling her blush die down. Twisting the faucet, she waited until the water grew warm before running it over the towel.
A knock at the door made her jump. “Coming!” she shouted, turning off the tap, setting the towel down, and opening the door to see Fluttershy standing outside with a cheerful smile.
“Hello, Twilight. I was just wondering if I could check something out if you aren’t too busy.”
Twilight bit her lip, glancing towards the sink. “Sure. What do you need?”
“I have a bee hive over at my place, and wanted to find out which flowers’ pollen would make the best honey for the bees,” Fluttershy answered, stepping inside the library.
“You’re probably looking for the Botany Encyclopedia then,” Twilight said, scanning the bookshelves for it. “Here it is! This should have exactly what you’re looking for.” Twilight handed Fluttershy the book, who took it and placed it under her wing, nodding thankfully.
“Thank you,” Fluttershy said, turning to leave.
“Wait! Fluttershy!” Twilight called, making the other mare pause and turn back to face her. “You sort of have some veterinary knowledge from all the animals you take care of... right?”
Fluttershy pawed the ground nervously. “I’m not as knowledgeable as a real vet by any means, but I do know some things. Is there something you need to know?”
“Well, if somepony slept outside during a cold and rainy night and got sick, how do you help them get better?”
Fluttershy let out a gasp, darting in close to Twilight’s face with a serious expression. “Did something happen? Is somepony sick?”
“It’s just for a research project I’m doing,” Twilight fibbed. “It has to do with this spell they use in this book I read, and it all seemed sort of unrealistic, so I was just a little skeptical of it!”
“Oh.” Fluttershy suddenly realized how much she had gotten in her friend’s face, and backed up a little bit. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “If they’re running a fever you’re supposed to get them under some warm blankets if you can.”
Check.
“They’ll need water, and a warm towel for their forehead to reduce the fever, if you can get one.”
Check.
“Also, if they look pale, and are shivering a lot you should get under the blanket with them and stay close to them so that your body heat warms them up.”
Twilight blanked. You have got to be kidding me.
She didn’t feel at all comfortable with the idea of getting under the blankets next to a mare who had just last night kissed her, and told her she had feelings for her.
“Was that helpful?” Fluttershy asked, turning around in the doorway to look at her friend.
“Yeah, I just don’t...” Twilight paused, letting out a sigh and facing Fluttershy with a smile. “Yes, it was helpful. Thank you, Fluttershy.”
Happy her advice had been at least somewhat useful, Fluttershy nodded and left, leaving Twilight to shut the door and head back inside.
Picking up the towel again, Twilight turned the tap back on with a sigh, wetting the towel and watching the water run over it, before taking it back upstairs. The stairs creaked, the wood groaning under her hoofsteps.
Dash was in bed fast asleep. Twilight gently placed the warm towel on her forehead, noticing how Dash was shivering in her sleep. The sleeping mare relaxed slightly as the warm towel was placed on her forehead, but it didn’t get rid of the shivering altogether. Taking a look at her cyan coat, Twilight cringed at how pale she was.
Twilight looked at her for a while, biting her lip, before finally letting out a sigh of resignation. I’ll try the last suggestion. For Rainbow’s sake.
Lifting the covers, she slid into the bed next to Dash, trying not to disturb her. She hesitantly, and with great reservation, put her hooves around the pegasus, instantly noticing how frigid she her body was. Closed her eyes, Twilight tried to ignore the feeling of Dash’s frigid back pressed against her chest, and slowly slipped asleep.
The first thing Dash noticed waking up, was that she felt incredibly warm. The second was that there was a sleeping Twilight hugging her side. She didn’t know why Twilight was hugging her, but deciding not to think on it too much, Dash turned to face her, wrapping her hooves around the other mare.
Twilight’s eyes snapped open. Seeing Dash hugging her, she quickly broke the embrace and climbed off the bed, much to Dash’s dismay. Twilight was quiet, a bright blush on her face.
“You’re kind of sending mixed signals, you know,” Dash said with a slight frown.
“What?” Twilight said, blinking. “No! It wasn’t anything like that! You were pale and shivering, so I used my body heat to help keep you warm!”
“Oh,” Dash said. It did make a lot of sense. Her frown disappeared quickly though, realizing what her friend had said. “Well, thank you for doing that.” She rubbed the back of her neck, trying to think of what to say. “And I never got to say it, but I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable last night. I acted stupidly and invaded your...”
“Privacy?” Twilight supplied.
“Yeah, that.” Dash turned to her back, reaching a hoof up to touch the towel on her forehead. “Anyways, I understand if you don’t feel the same way about me and everything, but I would still like to be your friend.”
Twilight was silent.
Dash looked over at her, wondering why she wasn’t saying anything. “Twilight?”
“I don’t like things I don’t understand,” Twilight finally said. “I don’t like surprises either. I didn’t understand where that kiss was coming from, and it also surprised me.” Twilight looked up, seeing Dash silently hanging on every word she spoke. “I was freaked out, and I overreacted. I do want to stay friends. You just never gave me any time to cool off.”
Dash looked away sheepishly.
“I’m not going to lie though, things won’t go back to normal right away,” Twilight added.
“I don’t doubt that. I mean... I guess I screwed up big time. But I’d like to try and have things go back to normal.”
Twilight nodded and smiled at her. Dash felt a tug at the sides of her lips, and soon she was returning the smile.
The next three chapters mostly underwent technical alterations, changing descriptions, and writing style. Only a couple scenes have been added or cut.
Although if you didn't read these chapters after their first rewrite, which was posted in the original, you're going to see some more changes.
948684
ugh, I'm going to do this one more time. You posted a few minutes after I did.
I added an authors note to the first chapter. I'm going to copy and paste it here, though.
If you have read this story before, you don't have to reread the rewrite. The rewrite isn't going to change where the plot winds up, it's just going to change how scenes transpire, as well as cutting/adding scenes, dialogue, and narrative description throughout the entire story.
Hopefully the changes are enough that it still feels somewhat refreshing to reread it, but rereading it isn't necessary.
948727 But it's so enjoyable reading your stories... how can you call it unnecessary? Might sound stalker-ish but whenever I get a break from life the first thing I do is check if you've written something. On another note, your rewrite seems to flow more smoothly so keep up the updates, please?
You know... I kinda hate to admit this, but I'm really afraid to sit down and read this again.
This story.... well its what restored my faith in fanfics as a whole and got me reading them for friendship is magic. That's not to say it was perfect, but I don't suppose I was expecting that. The first comment I left on anything was on Flying High, Falling Hard. I wonder if it even still exists anywhere. I may have been overly generous in it, but the direction the original story took me, how everything went was still a fantastic experience.
And I'm worried about this whole rewrite thing. I know its probably irrational, and that likely every rewrite has improved on the mechanical issues and structure problems and whatnot. But I haven't been able to bring myself to read this again. I've put this as favorited and I see the stars tick up every few days to let me know another chapter is up, but there's a raw emotional piece of me that decries the very notion of going back over this, it cries out against reading it all again, that it might not quite unfold the same way (read by my memory, the "right" way) or that I might just not feel the same attachment to everything.
I'm not certainly exactly why I wanted to put this down here, but I must say that I do feel a little better having put this down. Sometime I will get to reading this all again, maybe it'll just be when it's back at 23, 24, 25 and we're into the new chapters I've not yet read.
'Til then.
-Duskrider
3 more chapters? Trixie cannot be fooled! "Reads" You win this time.
948727
I'm rereading it anyway because god knows how long its been since I read this. I need to refresh my brain.
950007
actually, 'being on a drunk' is a correct term. Although most people just say "they're drunk" or "drunken"
basically it was a bit of flaunting.
This was certainly one of my favorite fics sir. i look forward to reading them with a nice glass of pinot noir and jazz music
I gotta say I really love these re-written chapters. I remember finding some issues with the original but nothing so serious to not enjoy the story, but now I find myself reading the story even more comfortably. The pacing seems better as well as the descriptions. It just flows better overall. The cliffhangers have me checking my emails every few seconds and I love that I can be this excited for the new chapters. Thanks for this rewrite.
Drool.... The re-read is always worth is since it's been so long. It helps refresh what I once knew, and I get to find any new surprises that you added to the story. My only gripe is the wait... mostly because I blaze through stories so I wait once more.
Wait, this is a rewrite of a story?
That explains why it seems familiar...
It also tells me that my memory is pretty off.
Usually I despise re-writes, like hate them with a passion. However this one is actually good. I remember reading bits and pieces of it but unlike most re-writes it all blends smoother than a glow stick in a blendtech total blender.
950117
You learn something new everyday
I wouldn't have known you replied to me if I hadn't read the comments, I didn't even get a notification.
948727
Funny, I even went through all the new comments first to see if there was anything relevant to what I was about to say, then refreshed the page before making my comment. Somehow you managed to toss up your comment in the exact window of time that it took me to decide what I wanted to write for those few sentences.
But yeah, there are an awful lot of stories I haven't even managed to read once yet, so I'm probably just going to wait for this to catch back up to where it was before. Maybe I'll give it a quick glance once it's about there, though.
Also, it's annoying how replies on different chapters don't give a notification.
I... I gotta read it again?
http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/170/301/Twitableflip.png
FINE
Some minor things I found:
- In this version of the story, unlike in the original, there is no mention of there being any rain during the night Dash was out there. You might want to at least hint towards that.
- "No way." I liked the original line better
- "Groaning as she woke up from her nap, Twilight opened her eyes, feeling of déjà vu as she saw Dash’s face inches away from her own." You might be missing a verb at the bolded section. Perhaps something along the lines of "experiencing a feeling of déjà vu..."?
I could swear there was one more thing that needed to be noted, but I seem to have lost it. Oh well.
I do enjoy the story despite these minor setbacks, you're doing outstanding job overall
Its good to see this on EqD after all this time. And I'm enjoying the rewrite.
Wow, I'm really liking this story. Especially since its TwiDash
I gotta stop being so reluctant to read shipping fics lol.
948807
yess.... stalk him... stalk him with all your might!
then kidnap him, break his legs, and hold him in a ski lodge, forcing him to write fanfic after fanfic to meet your... what, too steven king?
952362
is cause he responded in a diff chapter. happens ALL THE TIME.
I just started reading this and I was expecting to read the entire fiction. Imagine my disappointment when I saw it ended at 6 I would really like to read the original regardless of the rewrite because I REALLLLLLLY NEEED TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS! Im hooked!
May I please kindly ask if there will be any more chapters ? I would love to see the story continue, and I am unsure if the last paragraph of this chapter means that the story ends
Great work.
I think you just got me interested in shipfics
957255
There's currently 26 chapters written. The unposted ones are pending further editing, but the updates should be semi-frequent
957791 You just made my day ! One of the best news in last week. So Awesum !
http://www.equestriadaily.com/2012/07/story-flying-high-falling-hard.html
Dude you're on EQD, Congrats!
now, despite all trouble you had with this story, it finally is on EQD
i'll wait until all 26 chapters are uploaded and then reread the whole thing. i have high expectations after so much editing
Reread it, and I don't regret doing so either. I envy the pacing you have for this story, it really makes it compelling to read, wondering when the next milestone in the relationship will go. Now comes the worst part: waiting for the updates...
And congrats on getting this onto EQD!
This waiting is killing me
It'll be worth it though
962833
Same here
I love this story so much. I read it before, but figured it was good enough to read again after the edits. To be real honest however I wouldn't mind had it ended after chapter 6. Dash admitting her feelings for Twilight, Twilight rejecting her, but soon they make up - although they don't become a couple. It would've given at bit of a sad but realistic touch. Still, this story is amazing and I'll happily read every chapter there is
964215 Yep, I feel the same way, I think that there is some truth in that saying that opposites attract each other.
And also, I love this one because I'm myself a lot like Twi and not at all like RD, so you can guess how can I associate with
this
I'm just on Chapter 6 as we speak, and I need to ask, where's the rain? In the original, the story was prefaced with it being rainy as Rainbow waited for Twilight outside the library, but here, we go from a clear night, to the morning where Dash is inexplicably drenched. The first mention of rain is when Twilight is asking Fluttershy's advice.
Heck, the only reason I knew there was rain was because I read the original, if I were a new reader, this would probably seem out of nowhere to me.
The rain doesn't really fit here, and seems to cause continuity issues, which is HUGE considering the events of the next two chapters. How can it rain when that night was so clear that they had chosen to go stargazing? It just doesn't make sense. There's not a cloud in the sky one minute, and it's raining the next. I know why it's raining. I mean, if it doesn't rain, then pretty much nothing from the next two chapters can happen, but if it gets cloudy in order for it TO rain, nothing that came before this could happen. The how just doesn't seem possible.
last chapter broke my little
“Also, if they look pale, and are shivering a lot you should get under the blanket with them and stay close to them so
that your body heat warms them up.”
My reaction : Really ??
A really great story, so catchy
Dumb as a mule... Pony racism!
991289
Watching any given anime will tell you that emotion forms weather, specifically heartbreak = rain
But a valid point nontheless
Curious move on Dash's part.
And Twilight... Stop being so THICK.
~Skeeter The Lurker
991289 Pegasi controle the weather, and Rainbow Dash8 islike a... super pegasus! Maybe her sadness did cause it?
2157438>>2157438
I can over look alot of things but the part where Rainbow dash is walking towards the library and it began to rain just made me angry. I love this story and it is amazing but it's because the story is so good that I got annoyed. You said that the sky was especially clear, you never mentioned clouds coming at any point. The rain has just come out o nowhere to make twilights feel guilty or provoke sadness in the reader for no reason! Aarrrggghhh I shouldn't even be this angry but the fix is so good that its made me annoyed.
Rant over sorry everyone :)
WHOLLY S%&T THAT IS DEDICATION TO AN APPOLOGY!!!!