Making Up For Her Mistakes
It was night time, now, and Ponyville was completely and utterly silent. The last of the residents of the small village, a certain set of six mares, a disguised changeling, a little filly and a baby dragon, were all resting inside of the Golden Oaks Library. Despite some initial confusion over how the day and night cycle was still in motion if Celestia and Luna were out of commission, Thorax, still disguised as Squall to most of them, had put forth that Chrysalis had likely assumed control over the rotation after Celestia and Luna were defeated, draining the power out of them to do it.
They had then spent the better part of what remained of the daylight hours hashing out a plan, and what they had managed to agree upon after much consideration was simple enough for now. They were going to wait until the first light of dawn, then head for the Castle of the Two Sisters as quickly and as quietly as was possible. Once there, they’d be able to figure out a better plan. Once that meeting had been adjourned, all of them got cozy in beds, sleeping bags or, in the case of Thorax and Wind Whisper, the couch.
However, one of them was having a hard time sleeping.
Opening her eyes and glaring bluntly up at the ceiling of the bedroom she had shared with Twilight since they moved into Ponyville, Rainbow Dash pondered the merits of asking Twilight to cast a sleep spell on her so she could actually get some rest. Looking over, Rainbow took note of the fact that the unicorn in question was managing to look peaceful in spite of everything going on. Her eyes were closed, her chest was rising and falling with each and every breath she took. Rainbow started zoning out, just staring at her for a good long while. Twilight shifted just a little, and a strand of hair in her mane slid down her face a few inches.
Rainbow caught herself and turned her eyes away from her sleeping friend and back up to the ceiling before snorting with frustration. Grumbling to herself mentally, she slipped out of bed and headed for the largest window in the room, lightly stretching her wings as she went. From that window, she had a good view of most of Ponyville and, more importantly, Canterlot, up in the mountains.
For a good minute or so, she just looked at it. The smoke had long since stopped, but that didn’t remove the notable appearance of damage and devastation. One of the guard towers had collapsed at some point about halfway up its height, and what was left of it stuck up towards the moon in the sky like a jagged, broken tooth.
“Can’t sleep?” Twilight’s voice drowsily asked from behind Rainbow, though the pegasus wasn't at all surprised. In all honesty, she had been hoping Twilight would notice her restlessness.
“Nope,” She replied in a deadpan. She turned her back on the window and sat heavily against the wall, looking at Twilight in exhaustion. “There’s just way too much going on in my head.”
Twilight sat up, an adorable yawn disrupting whatever she was going to say. She regained control of her mouth after a second and gave a pleasant if kind of loopy smile. “Well, to be fair, I’m having a hard time sleeping, too.”
Rainbow frowned skeptically at her lavender friend. “You sure? Cause you looked pretty passed out and peaceful, to me.”
“Tossing and turning only makes it worse, you know, so that’s why I was holding still,” Twilight commented before sliding out of bed herself and stretching. “But if I were a betting mare, I’d say everypony downstairs is having a hard time sleeping, just like us.”
“Hmm,” Rainbow hummed simply and let the back of her head thump against the wall.
Twilight came over and then joined her against the wall, sitting down side-by-side with Rainbow. For an indeterminate amount of time, the two were quiet, just thinking. Then, Twilight broke that silence with a small, almost imperceptible sigh. “Well, since we’re both here… do you want to talk about it now? You know… what happened in Hollow Shades?”
Rainbow looked over at Twilight, a solemn look on her face. Then she looked straight ahead and nodded. “Sure. Might as well…”
“I’m listening,” Twilight urged her on gently.
“Right… first off, I… I’m sorry for how I just... dropped how I felt on you in Hollow Shades like that,” Rainbow began, leaning forward slightly and setting her forehooves in front of her. “It wasn’t a good time to bring it up, and it definitely wasn’t fair of me to shoo you out like that… especially considering I actually really wanted you to stay with me just then...”
“We were all under a lot of stress, Rainbow,” Twilight assured her gently. “I’m not mad at you or anything...”
“I know, I know,” Rainbow nodded and closed her eyes. “But still… I could tell it… it hurt you when I… when I asked you to go. I could see it in your eyes and the way you moved… the fact that I had just dropped how I felt about you only moments earlier didn’t help at all… I felt really rotten after you left,” she poked the floor with a hoof absently, her muzzle scrunching up a little.
“Rainbow, you can just say it,” Twilight said with a smile giggle. She reached a hoof out and touched it to Rainbow’s back. “We’re not school fillies, here…”
“But it’s just so… uegh,” Rainbow stuck her tongue out in playful disgust. “It’s the mushiest of all the mush bombs somepony can drop.”
Twilight giggled again and let her hoof glide down Rainbow’s back in a comforting petting motion. “Well, if you mean it, it shouldn’t be hard to say, should it?”
Rainbow relaxed under Twilight’s touch and slowly leaned back again. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “...You’d think so…” she then opened her eyes and looked at Twilight again. “Fine, but just this one time, okay? Nopony else can know that I said this. Deal? I have an image to maintain and all that.”
Twilight outright laughed at that before nodding. “I mean, your image is kind of broken to our friends anyway, but okay, deal.”
Rainbow pouted at Twilight, then took a long, deep breath. Her body started shaking a little bit at about the same time a small blush started to form on her cheeks. “Okay, okay… I… I…” she looked into Twilight’s eyes. “...I love you, Twilight.”
Twilight nodded slowly, her face twisting with uncertainty.
Rainbow’s own ears drooped a little. “...I guess all I need to know now is… how do you feel?” she asked quietly, looking away. “I know you said you forgave me, but… that’s not the same as… well… loving them...”
“I do forgive you, Rainbow,” Twilight countered simply before reaching out and pulling Rainbow into a side hug. “As for how I feel… I… don’t really know. This is unfamiliar territory for me.”
Rainbow slowly nodded, looking disappointed. “I gotcha… It’s all pretty new to me, too…”
“How long have you felt this way?” Twilight asked after a moment, nuzzling into the top of Rainbow’s mane.
“Frankly? I don’t know,” Rainbow replied with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. “I think it started to really show up in full when you and the others came for me after Nightmare Moon foal napped me, though.”
“Given the fact that you were willing to submit to Nightmare Moon’s demands to save me at first? I believe it,” Twilight nodded in thought. After that, the two fell into a long silence, just enjoying the other’s company and pondering what the other had said.
“That’s… not the only thing that’s bothering me,” Rainbow suddenly spoke up, shifting slightly so that she could stand up.
Twilight looked up at her curiously, an eyebrow raised. “Your responsibilities are getting to you, aren’t they?”
“To put it mildly,” Rainbow replied bluntly while turning around to look up at Canterlot through the window again. “Everypony’s looking at me to make the right choices. They’re all counting on me to lead them and see this all through. But…” she looked down at Twilight’s face, where the remnants of the bruise on her muzzle were still clearly visible. “...I’m not cut out for this. I’m a Princess by family relation to Princess Celestia, and that’s only because she adopted me… I was never meant to be in this kind of position, and I was never really taught how to be a good leader for most of my life. Mom gave me a basic crash course once, yeah, and I crashed through it, but I’ve always wanted to be an athlete over being a leader... And the last time I led a group of ponies…” she closed her eyes and sighed. “...the last time I led something, I attacked an innocent pony, hurt you, and caved under my own… insecurities.
“I am not the right pony to lead us. I can’t be put in charge of Equestria, Twilight. I’ll just… I’ll break something important before I even fully understand how all of the pieces work,” Rainbow shook her head in exasperation.
“For what it’s worth,” Twilight said soothingly while also standing up. “I think you’re doing pretty well so far. Evacuating Ponyville was probably the best thing you could have chosen to do, and it was the first thing you did.”
Rainbow shook her head again. “Yeah, but how long will it last before I screw something up again? One day of doing okay does not mean I’m going to make a good leader! Especially in what’s basically a war!” Rainbow pointed up at Canterlot. “I mean, look at Mom. She has an entire council of advisors to help make sure she is aware of everything she needs to know, and she has Raven as a personal assistant. Me?” Rainbow glanced up at her mane and puffed a breath up at it. “I’ve got some colorful hair, a knack for flying quickly, more emotional issues than I will ever be comfortable admitting, and a phobia of contact with magic.”
“You also have us,” Twilight countered in a firm voice while putting a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “We’re all here for you. I’m here for you. And I believe in you. We may not be royal advisors or anything, but for Celestia’s sake, we’re your friends. You’re not alone here, so, please… don’t act like you are.”
Rainbow blinked and nodded. “I know that Twilight, and I really do appreciate it… I dunno what I’d do without all of you, You’re the best friends a mare could as for,” she glanced out the window and up at Canterlot. A small fire flickered in her eyes, just then. A flash of resolve. “But…” she reached a hoof up and put it to the window. “...I also know we’re not going to be enough. Not nearly enough.”
“Huh? Rainbow, what are you doing?” Twilight asked quickly while reaching a hoof out to stop Rainbow's. Rainbow froze for a few seconds before closing her eyes and taking a long, deep breath. On her exhale, she opened her eyes halfway.
“...Ever since we took out Discord, all I’ve done is make one mistake after another, and each one was bigger than the last. I drank so much cider I got the worst hangover I have ever had, I let Discord’s blabbering get under my skin, I took you with me to encroach on the privacy of Starlight Glimmer, then left Canterlot without spending basically any time with my family there. I left Ponyville without saying anything to mom, I dragged all of you along on a mission based off of a hunch and a chaos spirit’s drivel. On the way home, I attacked Starlight and hurt you in a crowded, public train. Did you know that the rumors that sprung up around that made my mom and aunt’s lives a lot harder? They had to deal with intrusive journalists and rumors spreading about me and them like wildfire... I’m done letting myself be buried by my own failures,” Rainbow spelled out slowly and methodically. She reached out her free hoof and brushed away Twilight’s, looking into her eyes with a fiery determination that gave the unicorn pause. “I’m not going to leave anypony else behind. It’s the middle of the night, I’m the fastest pony there is; I can get in there and save somepony; I can bring back mom, or aunt Luna, hay, even Cadance! We’ll have a better chance against the Changelings, then!”
“No,” Twilight said sharply, shaking her head. “Rainbow, don’t you dare! You’ll get caught, or hurt, or worse! And what about your wing?! It’s still hurt!”
“My wing can handle the trip! And don’t forget, I’m also the element of loyalty, remember?” Rainbow closed her eyes and took another slow, shaky breath. “...I’ve been way too selfish lately... It’s time that I made up for my mistakes.”
She gave the window a shove and it swung open. The cold night air rushed in to greet their faces, and Rainbow relished the feeling. It was invigorating, and her wings snapped out quite eagerly to emphasize this. Twilight reached out again and grabbed Rainbow by the shoulder tightly. “Wait!”
“Let go of me, Twilight.”
“Rainbow…” Twilight said in barely even a whisper before closing her eyes, seemingly in thought. When she opened them again, there was that same burning intensity that Rainbow’s eyes were displaying. “I’m going with you.”
“What?” Rainbow took a step back, baffled. “No, you stay here! I’m not putting you in danger!”
“Tough luck,” Twilight retorted simply. “I’m going, or this little mission of yours isn’t happening at all. Besides, you’ll need my magic if you want to go undetected.”
“How?” Rainbow asked, still bewildered by Twilight’s sudden shift in demeanor.
A smirk appeared on Twilight’s face. “Like this,” she said before her horn lit up with purple light. She was briefly enveloped in her own aura, then vanished from view completely, leaving Rainbow Dash alone in the bedroom.
She blinked and looked around in utter confusion. “Uh… Twi? Where’d you go?”
Two eyes then appeared floating before her in mid-air. “There we go,” the voice of Twilight said.
“WAH!” Rainbow let out a very undignified shriek and flailed back in surprise, her wings spreading wide and one of her forelegs rising over her face. “WHAT THE HECK?!”
“Invisibility spell,” Twilight replied simply before ending the spell. The rest of her body became visible again with a slight shimmer. “Because of how light and vision work, you can’t turn the eyes invisible without going blind for the duration of the spell, but it makes moving around without being seen a lot easier.”
Rainbow blinked again, still looking a little grossed out. “...Huh. Okay. Uh… when did you learn to do that?”
“About the same time I learned the failsafe spell,” Twilight answered before stepping forward and putting on a look of determination. “Now… are you going to let me come, or are we shutting this operation down?”
Rainbow gradually relaxed, letting her wings fold back up to her sides. She looked unsure for several moments before a large, cocky grin split her face. “Heh… Killjoy. Climb on.”
“Ooh, haven’t heard that nickname in a while,” Twilight remarked teasingly before doing as instructed and clambering onto Rainbow’s back. Once she was settled, Rainbow strode towards the window and looked out towards Canterlot again.
“...You ready?” She asked, unfurling her wings and letting the breeze catch them. The many individual feathers on the two appendages gently swayed back and forth from the air gently moving into the room, catching Twilight’s eye. She watched them for a second, mesmerized by the movement.
“Yeah… go.”
Rainbow backed up until she was on the other end of the room, then broke into a full-speed gallop. Just as she was about to reach the window, she bent her legs and crouched low, her wings tensing and ready for take off. Then, Rainbow kicked off and away from the floor with a powerful flap of her wings.
The force of the flap created a gust of wind behind her that knocked the blankets off of the beds and tossed some loose parchment on the desk into the air, although neither Rainbow or Twilight were present to observe the carnage they had created in their exit. They were soaring high into the sky at almost sonic speeds.
Rainbow couldn’t help the small, delighted shout that tore itself out of her lungs at the familiar sensation of tearing through air at high speeds like this. It felt like it had been ages since she had last really cut loose and flew as fast as her wings could allow. Upon the jubilant pegasus' back, Twilight couldn't help the small smile that spread on her face.
She then glanced back at Ponyville, watching the small village disappear into the distance behind them as they shot for the city of Canterlot, high in the mountains above them.
Fun Fact: RAINBOW FINALLY F
CKING SAID IT!
Fun Fact 2: Little Choices is now ten chapters longer than Little Glimpses.
EDIT 12:10 AM on 3/30/2018: I went back and rewrote the last paragraph or two so that Rainbow Dash does not perform the sonic rainboom here. It made more sense in the originally planned version of the scene, which was during the day and not at all trying to be stealthy. But that was the old version, not the new one, so I went ahead and took that out.
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Canterlot high in the mountains. I see what you did there
8829076
I don't. What did I do?
8829092
"Canterlot HIGH"
Ten chapters longer than Little Glimpses...
Congrats!
8829108
I don't... get it-
OH! ...see, that was not an intentional reference... that's not even a reference, really.
Damn dude, congrats! That's quite the achievement!
Oof, someone's got to have noticed a sonic rainboom.
8829142
The best references are the accidental ones.
I am now curious how the MLP movie would've been like in this timeline.
this is not a smart plan.
...why would you do that when you're trying to go undetected? What part of a giant rainbow explosion is subtle and sneaky? One Pegasus flying in the middle of the night probably would get noticed, but if she does a Sonic Rainboom, then the Changelings are going to be on alert.
8829407
I'll address that in the next chapter.
8829424
I look forward to your explanation, then
I can't stop rereading it. T-T
But now that she's drawn closer to Twilight, it's gonna be a lot easier for Chrysalis to take advantage of this.
Good job on breaking your stealth instantly via rainboom.
8829434
Thinking on it, my explanation is an absolutely god-awful one, so... much as I hate to go back and do it, I'm gonna modify the ending of this chapter to write out the rainboom. =/ It made more sense with the original version of the scene, which was going to be at day before events made me rethink it.
Of course, telling the rest of the group that you're going to be away for some time, or even leaving a note so if someone else wakes up and finds you gone they don't get the idea that the Changelings kidnapped you, never crosses your minds.
I am also like Rainbow Dash who hates mushy things but when it comes to the fact that my favorite characters are in love Oh just F*ck it I can’t help myself
Oh...?
Oh......?
Haha, still not planning and following procedure. Silly Dash...
repetition
There are two kinds of covert entrances. One, no one sees you coming. Two, everyone sees you coming. A rainboom is a heck of a shock and awe adjective distraction to cover a stealth insertion.
Bigger issue. Who is controlling the sky? Chryssy indicated she can't, and Celestia and Kuna are in pods. I'd they've been allied to perform their duties, that's an avenue of attack worth exploring.
You know, I’m not usually one to read a twidash story, but I gotta say, this story is so freaking CUTE
9134002
Same. I much prefer Twipie but this is good
Their plan, was to wait a day, and travel to the Everfree forest, to figure out a better plan.