Chapter 6 - The Badlands Part 1
Twilight and Rainbow only managed to take a few steps before the shield collapsed.
“That’s weird.” Twilight tried conjuring up a new shield, yet nothing happened.
“What’s going on, Twi?" Rainbow looked at her expectantly. “What happened to your shield?”
“I don’t know! I can't get my magic to work anymore!” Twilight continued to try.
A suspicion sneaked up on Rainbow. She tried flapping her wings but wasn’t able to take off.
“Hey, Twi! Let’s move a few steps back and try again, ok?” she suggested.
The purple filly didn't know what Rainbow was trying to accomplish. Regardless, she followed her advice, which got her rewarded with a beautiful pink shield.
“How-“
“That must be why we crashed!” Rainbow exclaimed. She hovered above the ground and flew forwards. Again, her wings failed her.
“I have never encountered such a weird phenomenon before.” Twilight followed her lead, and just like before, her shield collapsed. The magic that had previously held it together flew away towards the Badlands.
“I guess we have to walk without the shield. Drats.” The pegasus's actions didn't match her words. It seemed more like not having magic was barely an inconvenience to her.
For a moment, Twilight contemplated turning back.
I guess not having magic isn't that bad. I know that our magic isn't restrained to Equestria, so it must be a local phenomenon I wasn’t aware of. We have already made it this far, and we shouldn't be turning back now just for that.
She sighed, “I suppose this means we will have to walk without the shield until we are out of reach of whatever is causing that.”
“We will be fine. You wouldn’t have been able to sustain it for long anyway.” Rainbow glanced at her wings. “You are a cheat, Twi. I thought we would become Alicorns. Instead, we get to play earth ponies.”
“Ha ha, very funny, Rainbow." By now, she was getting a feeling for Rainbow's humour.
“You are hurting me, Twi. Don’t you enjoy my jokes?” Rainbow gave her a feigned look of offence.
Twilight rolled her eyes, “Let’s go, Rainbow.”
Together they made their way towards the Badlands for a second time.
***
It didn’t sit right with her.
They had been going for about two hours. Empty bottles of water provided evidence of their struggle.
Rainbow always gets to tease me. Why is it so hard to think of a comeback?
It bothered her more than it should.
Not only that, but she also has a cool nickname for me, while I still have to call her Rainbow. There must be a good nickname for her as well!
Rainy? No, that's stupid.
Bow? No, that doesn’t fit either. It sounds more like a colt’s name.
What about her last name?
Dashie?
Yes, Dashie! It’s perfect!
Now Twilight just had to think of a way to get back at Rainbow for always teasing her.
***
She is thinking about something.
They had been going for about three hours, and during that time, Rainbow continued to glance at Twilight again and again. At first, she assumed the unicorn just didn’t want to talk. It was a reasonable assumption. After all, it was hot, they were marching through a barren wasteland, and maybe Twilight just needed some time for herself. The fact that they both grabbed some bottles from time to time was enough to ease her worries for the first two hours. Now, however, she was starting to get concerned.
It looks like she is in another world. Is she experiencing another vision?
Before Rainbow could test her theory, Twilight spoke up. “You know, Dashie, you didn’t have to lie. If you wanted to be my first kiss, you could have just asked instead of pretending to do CPR. If you want, we can kiss again right now.” Twilight had gotten closer to her, the unicorn's lips forming into a kissing shape.
Rainbow went white as a sheet of paper.
…
“…”
“You should see your face right now!” Twilight started laughing uncontrollably.
She got me, and she got me good. I wonder how long she needed to come up with that?
"Uncool, Twi. For a moment, I thought you were serious." She tried to look hurt, but after a few seconds, Rainbow, too, started giggling.
Is it true, though? Am I really her first kiss? Would that count?
Better not ask her, or she might get mad at me for stealing it.
Yet, there was another question on her mind. “Hey, Twi. What would you have done if I took you up on your offer?”
The purple filly stopped laughing, straightening herself out. “I don’t know, I didn’t plan for that. Why would you, though?”
Why would I?
The question hurt Rainbow’s brain. It was wrong on so many levels, and it was impossible to know what exactly Twilight was getting at. So, she decided to play it safe. "What do you mean by that?"
“Well, we barely know each other, right? And you were joking back in Dodge City, right? Also, we are still young, and we are both fillies.”
…
…
At least my first assumption was wrong, and she doesn’t have a secret self-worth problem.
No, there was only one pony with that problem among them.
Rainbow was contemplating whether or not she should add something to the last part of Twilight's statement.
“Is everything all right, Rainbow? Did I say something wrong?” Twilight looked at her, fearing that the joke had gone wrong.
Rainbow settled on a response. “And if I kissed you anyway?”
Twilight rubbed her head, letting the scenario play out in her head. “Would you really have been that committed to playing along? Just to call my bluff?”
Playing along? Am I missing something here?
Why am I even making such a big fuss about it? It doesn’t matter anyway. I should be grateful she isn’t teasing me about these things.
"Hey, look, there is a pony over there!" Twilight pointed towards the distance.
Indeed, a black pony was walking towards them, waving at them.
I can deal with this later.
They made their way towards the unknown pony, who turned out to be a black unicorn mare with no cutie mark.
“Hello, you two. What are you doing out here, all alone?” the mare asked.
Better not give anything away.
She answered before Twilight got a chance to do so herself. “Hi, I am Spectrum, and this is Ruby. We have gotten a bit lost.” It earned her a questioning look from Twilight.
"Nice to meet you. I am Chrysalis. Don’t worry, I have set up camp in a mountain over there, together with some other researchers. We can help you out.” She pointed towards the distance.
Can we really trust her?
But for Twilight, the situation was clear. This was their best bet at survival. “Thank you so much. Come, Spectrum.”
Together they followed Chrysalis to her camp.
***
"My princess, I have received a preliminary report about the situation." Raven was standing in front of the princess's throne. "A factory producing equipment for the guard, as well as the military, exploded. We believe it was due to an equipment overload caused by the sonic rainboom. They handled very sensitive spells and stored a huge amount of highly concentrated magical energy. Far more than what would have normally been allowed.”
Of course, this wasn’t an attack. Who would dare to attack me?
“From what we have gathered, no one died. However, we have reports of at least 32 injuries across Equestria, mostly Pegasi that lost control of their flight.” Raven continued.
I consider this a personal message for me. They run away, leaving a wave of destruction behind.
Raven cleared her throat to get her attention back. "Two ponies are in critical condition after their medical procedures were interrupted by the rainboom. But, on the bright side, aside from the factory explosion, we are unaware of any other serious property damage.“
I can only imagine how many broken plates etc., this caused. God, it will take so much work to prevent this from tarnishing Twilights and Rainbow's reputation.
Again, Raven cleared her throat. She wasn’t used to the princess not paying attention. “We are already working on fixing everything. Damages in total are estimated to be around 500.000 Bits.”
Celestia needed to act immediately, “I want everything fixed as soon as possible, and I want the best doctors treating the injured. Under no circumstances can we allow anypony to die from this or sustain any permanent injuries. Money isn't an issue. We will pay for any damages, no questions asked, understood?"
“Of course, Princess,” Raven replied.
“And I don’t want Twilight or Rainbow to be associated with this in any way. I don't care how it's done, but we have to come up with a story that either doesn't involve them or a story that doesn’t blame them in any way.” Celestia stopped for a moment, “Scratch my first thought. No one will believe that they weren’t involved in this. So, we will go with the second option and come up with a story that doesn't blame them in any way. We must ensure that the public doesn't hold any ill will towards them. If possible, I even want them to have sympathy for them. We will have to expand our narrative that Twilight and Rainbow are the victims in this."
“At once, Princess. Is there anything else I can do for you?” Raven didn’t know why Princess Celestia was willing to go this far for those fillies, but she wasn't willing to ask due to the princess's current mood. Maybe she could try asking Princess Cadence again later.
“I want my chariot prepared,” Celestia added. “I will be overseeing the search efforts personally. Inform Princess Cadence that she will be in charge while I am gone and make sure Fluttershy is waiting in my chariot.”
"Of course, Princess." meticulously, Raven noted everything down. Hopefully, Fluttershy would arrive on time.
Celestia smiled. It was good to know that there were still ponies she could rely upon. “Thank you, Raven. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“I am always happy to serve, my Princess.” Raven left to carry out her instructions.
Now that everything was sorted, Celestia went to fetch everything she needed for her trip.
You know what they say. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.
This time Twilight and Rainbow would not get away.
***
After some time, they reached the mountain, Chrysalis was talking about. The trip there was actually quite nice. Chrysalis had offered to let them ride on her back and assured them that they could refill their bottles there, which meant that the little fillies had begun drinking like crazy.
Still, on Chrysalis's back, they entered.
"Wow, it looks beautiful in here." Twilight was in awe. She, as well as Rainbow, expected a tiny dark cave. Instead, they were greeted by a large hall that wasn't dark at all. For one, the sun was able to shine through holes that the structure had, and in addition to that, there were glowing green cocoons that helped to illuminate the massive cave-like structure.
“I'm glad to hear that you like it. It isn’t much, but it is our home,” Chrysalis replied with a smile on her face.
They have stairs here and all those hallways. This looks more like a city than a mere cave! And those holes in the walls look like they are breathing. They are constantly moving, just like part of the columns.
Twilight could only hope that she would be allowed to look at some of the research they were conducting here. It had to be fascinating.
Chrysalis continued to carry them, navigating the cave with ease until she reached a corridor that stood out from the previous ones. This one had actual doors looking far more like a corridor one could encounter in Equestria.
Rainbow, on the other hoof, wasn't sharing Twilight's enthusiasm.
This stinks. Where are the other researchers? Where is their equipment? How did they build all this?
Chrysalis stopped to open a door.
They were greeted by a luxurious room. The walls, floor, and ceiling looked like they were made of diamonds. There was a fireplace, a bookshelf, a desk with a comfy chair, everything one could wish for. The most striking piece of furniture, however, was a huge bed that looked more like it belonged to royalty. If one were to question Twilight, she would have answered that Princess Celestia had obviously received the short end of the stick.
The little unicorn immediately ran inside, darting towards the bookshelf. Halfway through the room, however, Rainbow managed to grab her. “Ok, drop the act. What’s your game?” Rainbow turned to Chrysalis.
“What do you mean? Don’t you like it? If there is something that’s missing, I can fetch it.” Chrysalis tried to placate her worries.
The attempt to bribe her into silence ricocheted off Rainbow, “Do you think we are stupid? You claimed you set up a research camp. Does this look like a research camp to you?”
Chrysalis cursed herself. She really did think the fillies wouldn’t catch on. That the luxuries she gave them would be enough to keep them in check.
And seeing Twilight's reaction, it had nearly worked as well.
Oh, too bad. The show had to go on. Green flames engulfed Chrysalis. Where previously a black unicorn had been standing, there was now a giant bug-like pony.
Immediately Rainbow took a defensive stance in front of Twilight. “Bring it on!”
“Oh dear, there really isn’t a need for such hostilities." Chrysalis put her hoof up, trying to show peaceful intentions. “I am Queen Chrysalis, ruler of the Changelings. Please excuse my little ruse. I didn't want to scare you.”
“Changelings?” Twilight inquired.
“Oh, yes. We are a race of shapeshifting ponies.” The mare in front of them could taste Twilight's excitement in the air. "I am sure you have many questions, and I will be happy to answer them all later. For now, though, you should rest up. You had quite the hard trip after all.”
There is an easy way to test if she is truly genuine and doesn’t mean any harm.
“Thank you so much for your kind offer. Unfortunately, however, Ruby and I won’t be able to stay." Rainbow tried to walk past the Changeling Queen dragging Twilight along with her.
Chrysalis, however, had other plans using her magic to block their path. “Did I say you were free to leave, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle?”
This time, Twilight realized the full extent of their situation. “Your Majesty, we didn’t mean to offend. If you know our names, you must be aware of why it is paramount for us to leave as soon as possible.”
“Oh, trust me, I know. Princess Xenophobia wants you badly, which means you two are quite the valuable hostages.” She dropped her shield. “My offer still stands. You can enjoy your stay here and treat it as a vacation, or we can always cocoon you."
I can’t believe this! It was all for nought! She is going to sell us out towards Equestria!
Chrysalis treated their silence as a yes. “I am going to leave you two alone for now. We will have more than enough time for talks, after all.” Laughing, she left the room, shutting the door behind her.
Twilight went towards the giant bed, throwing herself on it. “I am sorry, Rainbow. I shouldn’t have been so trusting. Looks like we will be going back to Equestria after all.”
Not if I can help it.
“It's fine, Twi. You didn't know, and we are not going to let her get away with that. We will think of something.” Rainbow, too, went over and slumped down next to her.
“Are you tired as well, Dashie? All this heat and constant marching have really worn me down,” Twilight muttered.
Hearing the nickname the unicorn had chosen for her again reminded Rainbow of the conversation from earlier.
"Yeah, let's get some rest, and then we can plan,” she confirmed. “Hey, Twi. About our talk from earlier. You do know that two fillies can kiss each other and fall in love as well, right?” They were lying in bed, looking at each other.
“Rainbow, stop it. I got you, and you should let go and move on. I know how biology works,” Twilight answered, obviously thinking Rainbow was trying to trick her.
Does she really have no idea? How is that even possible? Did she live in a bunker?
“Twilight, I am not trying to get back at you, trick you or make a joke. I am 100% serious.” She tried to get through to her.
"Rainbow, I don't know why you would think that, and I can't believe I have to explain this to you. Only a mare and a stallion can have a foal and therefore make a family. I have read more than enough books to know about this. So, saying that two mares, two fillies or even two stallions or two colts could fall in love makes no sense." Twilight answered, fully convinced about her position.
Ok, she definitely believes that. I guess she is still relatively young and really doesn’t know any better. Maybe I should leave it at that.
Then again, having these kinds of talks is my responsibility now, as the older one of us two. Who else would tell her? Certainly not the bug queen.
“You are mixing up a bunch of things there. Did your parents never talk to you about this? What about school?” Rainbow tried to gauge her knowledge.
“Well,” Twilight tried to recall. “I think we were supposed to talk about this in school, but some parents prevented it."
Great. Just great. This must be the Canterlot stuck-up upper-class dad always complained about when reading the newspaper.
Twilight wasn’t finished, though. “And my parents usually relied on Cadence when it came to love stuff. She always just said that I could love whoever I want and that I should listen to my heart-"
“There! You can love whoever you want, and not just colts. The decision is up to you.” Rainbow tried to plead her case.
Twilight, however, disagreed. “I don’t think she meant that. She probably just assumed that I knew she meant colts.”
Now she is just grasping at straws. Damn you, Cadence, for not being more specific!
“Every book I read always depicted a stallion and a mare or a filly and a colt.” The purple filly tried to reason further.
"Twilight books have a tendency to be a bit outdated. Especially the ones in schools or libraries. I still remember those dusty books from flight camp.” The unicorn wanted to interrupt her, but Rainbow motioned for her to wait. “I know what you are probably going to say next. I also think the same parents who prevented those lessons are probably the ones who advocate for not stocking any books depicting same-sex couples and have prevented their distribution in the past."
“But why would they? And why do you know so much about this?” Twilight tried to wrap her head around the statement.
“There are ponies out there who are just really opposed to this kind of stuff. It's just the way it is.” she received a sceptical look. “Don’t look at me like that. I have no idea why that is the case, either. If you ask me, I think about it like the Cadence pony you mentioned. Everypony should just get to love whoever they want.” Rainbow sighed, “As to why I know so much about the issue and try to get you to understand it, do you see my mane and tail?” She waved her tail to emphasize her point.
“Sure, what about them? They look fine to me.” Twilight didn’t know what she was getting at.
“I am not surprised. Rainbow colours are, among other things, a symbol of same-sex relationships." Rainbow's voice fell. She really didn't want to talk about her experience regarding that. Still, it would be necessary to get her point across.
Finally, the purple filly realized where Rainbow was going, “Rainbow, I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to be insensitive about-”
The distance between them had increased significantly. "No, Twilight. I am not a fillyfooler." Bitterness grew within her. Twilight's actions were hurting far more than they should.
At least, I don't think I am. I have never fallen in love before.
“Twi, oftentimes ponies made fun of me, calling me gay and stuff. It really hurt, and I can only imagine how it would have been for somepony that really did have those feelings-”
“Oh, Dashie. That’s so sweet.” Slowly Twilight crawled back towards her original position. "You are right. Making fun of a pony for that is just mean."
Not going to lie, Twi. You are acting like a massive hypocrite.
“So, your mane and tail? Did you dye them?” Twilight inquired.
“What, no! I was born like that." Rainbow stopped before deciding to reveal another detail from her past. "You know, a few months ago, I was so fed up with the name-calling that I actually wanted to dye them. I had already bought the dye and had everything prepared. Last minute, however, I realized that it never was just the colour of my mane. Those ponies constantly making fun of you are just looking for an excuse. I bet if I had actually gone ahead, they would have found another reason or thing to make fun of me about.”
Hearing Rainbow's story was heart-wrenching. "Rainbow, once again, I am sorry you had to go through all that. Yet, I am still having a bit of trouble understanding this. According to my books, feelings are made in our brains, and we are naturally urged by our instincts to form a family. Therefore falling for the opposite gender just shouldn't be possible.”
Ok, that's it! If she refuses to acknowledge anything I have just said, then it's time to bring out the big guns!
Yet before she did that, she was still willing to give it one more try. “Twi, your books are wrong. Our lives aren’t dictated by instincts. Are you even listening to what you are saying? Is writing a book an instinct? Painting a picture? We are free ponies with free will. Love is part of that. Also, some ponies just feel that way and should have every right to. It's complicated. I don't know the full details either. If having a family is your issue, then what about adoption?” Rainbow was struggling to quench Twilight's thirst for knowledge and answers.
And once again, Twilight jumped on the opportunity to try and poke a hole in her arguments. “Adoption is not the same Rainbow-“
Fine! You asked for it!
Quickly she closed the distance between them, pressing her lips on Twilights, passionately kissing her. The purple filly was too stunned to pull back, and so it was Rainbow who had to break the kiss again after a few seconds.
"There, was that so bad? Now, if I really had feelings for you and you had feelings for me, we would be going out on a date next. After that, we would see where things would go from there. Eventually, one of us would propose to the other. We would hug each other, kiss, and then we would get married. And if you still wanted foals, we could adopt them, living happily ever after for the rest of our lives." She gave Twilight a glare, "Tell me, Twi, which part is it you have an issue with? What would be so outrageously unnatural about two ponies living a happy life?"
“...” The unicorn was just looking at her with a face that portrayed utter shock.
Maybe I have overdone it. We are both still young, and I guess she was probably just curious. I shouldn’t have lost my cool.
“Look, Twi, I have lost my temper there and-“
“You are right,” Twilight interrupted her.
"No, Twi, I was not right. I shouldn't have done that. For one, you were just curious, and I got angry for not having all those answers. Additionally, you are entitled to your opinion and beliefs. I shouldn't force you to change them.” Rainbow admitted in defeat.
I should have just kept quiet instead.
Twilight listened to her before laying her hoof on her. “Is a pony really entitled to his beliefs if those beliefs hurt other ponies? If they restrict others in their freedom? If they prevent them from getting together with the one they love? Rainbow, I was acting stupid. It doesn’t matter why ponies fall in love with other ponies of the same gender. What matters is that they do and should be allowed to do so in peace. I was just trying to stick to what I knew, completely disregarding your words, to prevent my image of the world from falling apart.”
"And you aren't just saying that to make me happy?" Rainbow questioned her sudden change of heart.
"No, Rainbow, I am not. I still have some questions, of course, but I am sure I will understand these things better when I am older.” Twilight assured her. “Rainbow, I want to thank you. As an important pony who fought against injustice once said, nothing is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” She looked at Rainbow with earnestness clearly recognizable.
“Geez, Twi. They told you about that? It must have been an oversight. You should report it, so they can remove those books as well as any other information on the topic they still have lying around.” Rainbow joked. It was not only good to know that they could finally move on towards lighter topics but also that she had genuinely succeeded in opening Twilight's eyes to some of the plights ponies were facing right in front of her.
“Hey! I still believe that it was a mere oversight. The princess would never censor any kind of information intentionally.” Twilight insisted.
Rainbow waved her off, “Sure, Twi, whatever helps you sleep at night.”
The unicorn pouted. The princess was a good pony, and it wasn't right for Rainbow to accuse her of such heinous things.
"That certainly was a heavy talk I didn't plan on having." Rainbow changed the subject.
“At least there is something we can agree on,” Twilight joked. Let’s finally get some sleep so that we have recovered when Chrysalis comes back."
“Sleep well, Twi,” Rainbow said.
“You too, Dashie” Twilight removed her hoof from her and grabbed the blanket.
Wait just a second. How come there is only one bed in the first place? Couldn’t they have prepared a second one?
Then again, who cares. There is more than enough place for both of us.
A tug on her right wing got her attention. Without her even noticing, her right wing had moved towards Twilight, who was now using it as a second blanket, cuddling in it.
I guess this is why I should care. Celestia, dammit.
She contemplated pulling her wing back or asking Twilight to let go.
She does look kind of cute like that. And that smile she is having.
Arrg! Now I can definitely not bring myself to take my wing back.
Although, Rainbow did have to admit that Twilight cuddling with her wing did feel really nice.
***
Princess Celestia entered her chariot, with Fluttershy already waiting for her in a corner.
"Hello, there, my little pony. I-“
“Celestia!”
“I am sorry, Fluttershy. I will be right back.” Celestia left the chariot again. An angry Cadence was already coming her way. Quickly she cast a silencing spell around them. Whatever issue the princess of love had, it was probably not one that should be discussed in public.
“You are just unbelievable! First, your guards dragged me away and kept me locked up for hours, claiming there was a security incident. Then I hear that you are just going to leave, leaving me in charge of damage control.” Cadence's screaming was becoming a way to frequent occurrence for Celestia's liking.
Once again, she tried to calm her down. "I am going out there to ensure Twilight's safe return. All necessary measures have already been taken. You merely need to make sure that-“
“And what you really mean by that is that I am not even in charge at all! You just need a glorified overseer that ensures the nobles won't try something while you leave a political vacuum behind. I won’t get to make any decisions at all. I just have to execute yours!” It looked like Cadence had trouble restraining herself from punching Celestia in the face.
This is really starting to feel familiar.
There wasn't any retort she could give to that. After all, it was the truth. “Candence, I-”
“And don’t get me started on Twilight. You are probably the one who drove her away in the first place with your stupid ponyhunt operation. Why else would she just suddenly decide to leave Equestria? If I had to guess, the vision just told her something about her fellow bearer, and she just wanted to go looking for her. Before Twilight left, I could feel some new feelings she had for an unknown pony.” The implications Cadence made weren't lost on Celestia.
What did I do to deserve this? Has Twilight made it her personal goal in life to get back at me?
"Cadence, I thought we agreed to let Twilight grow up with proper values-"
"Did we, now? Too bad we have different definitions.”
Too bad I can’t strangle you.
"Cadence, it is important for Twilight to-"
“Oh, don’t worry. I stuck to your rules, despite my better judgement. I never told Twilight anything that goes against your precious values. If she still falls in love with a mare, then it was just fated to be."
Who cares if I still need you. Interrupt me one more time, and I will bash your head in.
"Cadence, if that's the way it is, then it's fine. I might not be happy about it, but I won't meddle with Twilight's love life." Celestia assured her.
The risk of it going awry would be too great, anyway.
“And I will also have you know that I am entitled to my beliefs. That doesn’t mean I don’t listen. Remember that we passed an amendment to the Equality Bill?” Hopefully, it would be enough to shut Cadence up.
“Yeah, sure. I still remember how long it took me to convince you.” Cadence snapped back.
I should have just left you in your pitiful village, you ungrateful brat.
“Look, Cadence, I don’t know what you want from me,” an annoyed Celestia said.
“All I want from you is to act like a decent pony! Is that really so hard?”
Decent pony. I have dedicated my entire existence to my little ponies.
"It saddens me to hear that you seem to believe that I am not doing so already. Now if you will excuse me, I have more important matters to attend to.” Both mares turned around and went off in a huff.
I am definitely going to have to tell Sneak to monitor her more closely.
"Once again, I am sorry about that, Fluttershy. Unfortunately, some important government matters came up last minute.” Celestia signalled for her guards to take off. “I am sure you are wondering why I had you fetched.”
Fluttershy was eyeing her with an apprehensive look.
Great. Is every bearer against me now?
"I was told that you, too, were affected by the sonic rainboom and gained your cutie mark as a result. We believe that this caused you… to have a connection with Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash, which might be helpful in finding them.” Celestia was careful not to give too much away.
“What has the sonic rainboom to do with this? I thought they were under the influence of dark magic?” Fluttershy asked, trying to see if Bow had been right about his accusations.
What happened to the times were ponies just took my word without question?
“We are unsure about the details. Yes, Twilight is under the influence of dark magic, just like Rainbow now probably is. But haven't you wondered why Twilight sought Rainbow out in the first place? The reason for that is probably the connection formed by the sonic rainboom.” After a lifetime as a ruler, lying had become so easy it was second nature to her.
Fluttershy didn't respond. She was having serious trouble deciding whether the princess was indeed lying or not.
I guess silence is better than the constant bickering I have with Cadence.
She fetched a basket covered by a small blanket, checking up on Spike.
“Oh my. Is that a baby dragon?” Fluttershy whispered. “He is so cute! Can I pet him?”
“Indeed, his name is Spike. If you want, you can pet him. He isn’t a danger at all.”
The rest of their trip continued uneventfully, with Fluttershy being captivated by Spike.
***
Rainbow shot out of bed, waking up Twilight in the process.
“I am sorry for startling you. I tried knocking on the door, but you weren’t responding." A changeling, wearing armour, said. "The Queen is expecting you and -“ Disgust became visible on his face “- Oh man, you two reek. You do know that there is a bathroom right over there?" He pointed at a door, Twilight and Rainbow hadn't paid any attention to before. "Go wash quickly. The Queen will definitely not want to see you like this." He left the room.
Twilight looked at their bed and sniffed. The changeling was right. They were smelling, and not only that. The beautiful bed was now littered with sand and sweat stains. "I guess he is right. Let's go shower." She got up and went towards the door.
“Why, though? Just so the bug queen gets to interrogate us more comfortably? I say we go like we are,” Rainbow suggested.
“Dashie, don't be like that. Why would we want to make her mad? Now come with me." Twilight grabbed her hoof.
Wait, as in shower together?
“Twi, maybe you go first, and I will go afterwards?” Rainbow tried to remove her hoof.
“Come now, Dashie. By showering together, we will not only save time, but we will also preserve precious water. Since we are in the middle of a wasteland, we shouldn’t waste it unnecessarily,” Twilight lectured her.
Is she really just thinking about this from a scientific perspective? Sweet Celestia, I accepted a nerd as my partner in crime.
But Rainbow didn’t want to come off as uptight. “Yeah, you are right.” She let Twilight guide her to the bathroom.
Let’s not make a bigger deal out of this than it is.
They entered, which once again left them in awe. Everything was clattered in gold and diamonds.
“Hey, Twi. Do you think Chrysalis is letting us use her room?” Rainbow asked.
“I don’t think so. Why would she? Maybe it is a guest room for important delegates?” Twilight tried to come off with an explanation.
She went over to the shower. Sure enough, it looked like one in Equestria would look like.
Carefully, Twilight turned it on, which rewarded her with fresh water. “Fascinating. They really have installed a functioning water supply. With warm water no less.”
I have to admit, that is indeed impressive. I wonder where the water is coming from?
“I think that’s a good temperature. Come, Dashie.” Twilight motioned for her to step inside.
“Are you going to keep calling me that?” Rainbow stepped inside. They could feel the sensation of water slowly washing the sand and sweat away.
“Why not, don’t you like the nickname I chose," the anxiousness in Twilight’s voice was clearly audible.
It just doesn’t sound quite right.
"No, it's fine. It’s just…, you know….” Rainbow looked at her. Twilight’s expression made it clear that the unicorn had no idea what she was getting at. “It just… doesn’t sound as cool as Twi does. How about you call me RD. Yes, RD is a cool nickname. You should call me that."
“RD, really? Nope, not going to call you that. That sounds stupid. Dashie is clearly the superior choice of nickname.” Twilight pouted at the insinuation that the name she had carefully chosen was uncool.
Drats.
“Here, can you help me wash?” she handed Rainbow a bottle of shampoo. "Normally, I would use my magic."
She has to be doing this on purpose! No one could possibly be this oblivious! I bet it's revenge for earlier.
Rainbow grabbed the bottle and began massaging shampoo into Twilight's mane and tail.
Sweet Celestia, is it just me, or has it gotten hotter.
After what felt like an eternity, she finished.
“Thank you so much, Dashie. I would have needed ages without your help. Do you want me to help you too?” Twilight asked.
Definitely not.
“Yeah, sure," she replied.
Excuse me, brain? What just happened there?
Twilight didn’t look like she had any issues with the task. She grabbed the bottle and applied the shampoo, utterly oblivious to Rainbow's thoughts, while Rainbow tried to stay as motionless as possible.
After what felt like another eternity, Twilight stopped. “There, finished. Now let’s get that shampoo out of our manes. We shouldn't keep Queen Chrysalis waiting for too long.”
Never thought that being entirely socially inept had some benefits.
Rainbow had to admit, though, looking back, it wasn't a bad experience at all, unlike what she had expected.
Twilight turned the water off, and they stepped out again, each grabbing a towel.
"I have to say, she knows how to pick a shampoo. It smells amazing," Twilight stated.
“Sure. I will put it on the list. On the downside, we have the fact that she foalnapped us. On the plus side, her choice of shampoo." Rainbow got rewarded with a towel thrown in her face.
Heh, guess I deserved that.
A frantic knocking on the bathroom door got their attention. “Are you two finished? The Queen is waiting.”
It was time to see what Chrysalis wanted.
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11490210
I am so happy to hear you liked it. Sometimes we just need somebody that genuinely believes in us and takes us for who we are.
11493374
I wasn't considering corruption when writing the segment, but that could also be a possibility or contributing factor.
In this case, I was thinking about a mixture of lack of experience, lack of funds, and mismanagement beginning with the princess herself, with those factors leading to a severe lack of morale.
(The lack of funds was also implied with/a reference to the guard encounter in Ponyville, but I don't know if that was obvious enough)
Oh great now celestia is getting hysterical what next she starts going insane
Called it celestia is going insane she's making random assumptions with clouded judgement
I wouldn't be so sure about that twilight Celestia thinks you used dark magic which I highly doubt you did
Lies all lies damnit get it through your thick skull and tell the truth
Pffff
Homophobic Celestia, that's a first
Holy fuck Celestia…
Ok Twilight, get the Rainbow Laser!
11639438
I am afraid that that laser needs six pieces of compatible ammunition
11606199
Now she's evil she's even threatening to harm people in her mind like her niece I'm sorry but we need to blast her with the Elements of Harmony
Princess xenophobia