• Published 15th Oct 2012
  • 11,876 Views, 202 Comments

Rainbow Rambles - bats



Rainbow's not thought about Twilight romantically before, but why not give it a shot?

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Chapter 5

“No, no, no! That would never work; we’d just pick up the spell’s ambient effects again.” Twilight massaged the bridge of her muzzle with both forehooves. The once barren research room was a chaotic mass of half-written sheets of parchment, abandoned books, broken equipment, and shattered chalk-boards. The bookshelves overflowed with the refuse and it spilled out on the floor. The only parts of the room untouched by the mess were the work-table that stayed organized out of necessity and the curiously still-smoking crater in the back corner. Twilight eyed the corner balefully. The first experimental test performed three and a half weeks into her consultation had not turned out as planned and no one had the nerve to tell any of the servants about the destruction since. ’I should probably be worried that’s still smoking after three days.’ Twilight averted her eyes and went back to ignoring it.

Scribe thumped his head against the table, angling just enough to avoid embedding his horn in the wood. “We don’t know that it’ll be a problem, Twilight! Isn’t it enough that it won’t explode next time?” His mane’s usual curls had become snarled from the long hours and his eyes were webbed with red veins. Twilight knew she wasn’t looking much better and the two research assistants made Scribe look as handsome as ever. Vimbert, the elder of the two had suitcases under his eyes and Unimpressive seemed to be trying to lose all the hair from his mane as quickly as possible.

Twilight’s eye twitched. ‘Stop thinking of him as handsome!’ she admonished herself. “The preliminary readings we got before the explosion were clear. The magic in the room completely overwhelmed any trace of possible leyline readings. We have to work in countermeasures to keep the mapping apparatus from just getting bogged down again.”

Scribe snorted and shook his head. He glared at the pile of shattered chalkboards. The ‘mapping apparatus’ seemed to have a habit of vibrating into tiny shards whenever they attempted to block out local interference. “Ugh! When I cast the spell I can just look past the cloud around me and see the leylines!” Vimbert and Unimpressive looked back and forth between the white and lavender unicorns. Their bosses had been getting along famously since the start, but the tension had been mounting since the first attempt at replicating the spell in a controlled setting.

“That doesn’t matter!” Twilight snapped, her teeth grating together. “If we can’t replicate the spell with recording instruments, nopony in academia is gonna give two bits about it!” Twilight’s forehooves were on the table. Scribe’s hooves matched hers and soon their faces were inches from each other. The assistants both gulped audibly, swearing they could see actual daggers flying back and forth between the two unicorns’ eyes. For ten heated seconds the two cowered. A strange, choking sound escaped Scribe’s throat and broke the silence. His face contorted, eyes bulging as his chest heaved and he desperately attempted to keep from smiling. Twilight’s glare broke and she watched the stallion in confusion. She was about to ask if he was feeling okay when he fell onto the table howling with laughter. The assistants blinked.

“I’m sorry!” Scribe choked. Peals of mirth kept him from stringing any other words together. Twilight was bewildered, turning to the two assistants who backed away slowly. Unimpressive slipped on an upended stack of papers and sent Vimbert sprawling across the floor. Unimpressive started giggling helplessly and Vimbert joined in soon after. After staring at the three stallions rolling on the table and floor, Twilight couldn’t help but join in.

Tears streaming from her eyes, Twilight recovered first and steadied herself to take deep breaths. Her sides burned and she felt light-headed. Eventually the spasms subsided and she sat up. Scribe’s panting was interrupted in random intervals by small giggles. He caught sight of Twilight and barely managed to not go off again.

“Alright, I think we’re done for the week.” Scribe rubbed the tears from his eyes with a hoof. The assistants collected themselves and made their way from the room, still chuckling. Twilight hopped down from the table and surveyed the destruction.

“We should probably clear some of this mess…” Her horn glowed as she levitated the broken equipment off the floor and shelves. Scribe joined in and levitated the papers and books into a somewhat organized pattern in the now clear space. “Sorry for snapping, Scribe.”

The white stallion chuckled weakly. His sides were burning and a small hint of pain crossed his face as he did so. “I’m sorry, too. Still a little jumpy after that bang, I guess. You’re right though; no reason to do this at all if we don’t do it right.” Twilight grinned. Scribe’s face hurt, but he grinned back; that mare’s smiles were impossible to not reciprocate. “So, free for dinner?” He attempted to straighten his unkempt mane.

Twilight’s smile faltered. She had been accidentally dodging Scribe since she had agreed to a ‘next time’ the first week. ‘Why would he still want to pick my brain after the day we had today?’ a sliver of confusion ran through her mind. She dismissed the thought; she was too done in to be doing much analyzing. One of the problems was he kept asking on Friday. He should really be asking earlier in the week, when they were still in a state to talk shop. “Sorry, Scribe.”

Scribe hid his wince. He didn’t need to; the lavender mare’s attention had turned to the floating debris. She had begun balling up the free-floating pile into a blob. “Are your Fridays always busy?”

Twilight’s eyes widened. She put a hoof to her face. “Yeah, I’ve got company that comes in from Ponyville on the weekends. I probably should have told you that already, huh?” She regained her focus on the roughly sphere-shaped mound of garbage. Scribe’s spirits brightened and he let out a laugh that should have hurt his face and sides more than it did.

“Hey, that’s alright. How about Monday? Rain-check?” He smiled at Twilight, pleased to see her return one.

“Sure, I’ll probably be more refreshed after the weekend, anyway. I’ll see you Monday, Scribe.” The floating ball had been compressed down to the size of a watermelon and she cantered out of the room and up the stairs towards the castle proper with it floating behind her.

“Yeah, see you then, Twilight…” Scribe said quietly to the empty room, a contented grin playing on his face.

Twilight headed out through the servant’s exit at the back of the castle. The wind and snow had started up again and it immediately set her teeth to chattering. Hurrying over to the large bins she carefully lowered the compressed ball inside. When it was about a foot from the bottom, a cold breeze ran up the mare’s spine and shattered her concentration. The ball crashed down and exploded outwards, quickly overflowing the receptacle. Sighing crossly, Twilight levitated the parts that had fallen on the ground and tried to fit everything back in for a few minutes before giving up and shoving the remainder into a second bin. She galloped back inside and slammed the door. Teeth chattering and shivering, she hurried back to her suite and a thawing shower.

Warmed up and toweled off, Twilight sunk onto her bed. She glanced at the clock and got right back out of bed, letting a small sigh of disappointment escape through her nostrils. She swung open the closet door and blinked tiredly at the dress. ‘I wonder if Rainbow would mind a quieter sort of night…’ As she was musing, a knock sounded at the door. She turned from the closet and her horn glowed briefly. She was greeted by the sight of her cyan Pegasus, dressed to the nines with her hair up and…was that make-up? Twilight felt her legs turn to jelly. Rainbow smiled. “Hey, Twi’.”

The lavender mare eyed her lover, a glint of hunger in her eyes. The fatigue in her body retreated in a blind panic. “Hey, yourself. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind if we had a less formal night out than the usual Friday?” She slowly approached the door, her body tensing into a crouch. The pegasus didn’t seem to notice her change in stance.

Rainbow pouted. “But Twilight, I got all dressed up!” She flared her wings and turned to the side, as if Twilight hadn’t noticed her outfit. Rainbow’s flank, silhouetted by the dress, sent shivers up the unicorn’s spine.

“Mmm, that’s okay.” The unicorn’s eyes were half-lidded and she spoke in a purr. “I know just how we can get you out of that dress.” Suddenly, she pounced on her marefriend and in a flash and a crack they were teleported onto the bed. Rainbow only had time to gasp out ‘Twilight!’ before the door was magically slammed shut.

Rainbow set the coffee cup down, revealing a cocoa-dusted dollop of whipped cream on the tip of her muzzle. Twilight giggled and sipped her cappuccino demurely. The Pegasus’ ability to lick the cream from her face nearly caused Twilight to choke on her drink. Rainbow grinned wickedly at the redness that flared out on her marefriend’s face. “Don’t act like you’re surprised I could do that with my tongue, Twi’.” The unicorn coughed and sputtered, the blush deepening.

Twilight glanced around and was glad to find the late night coffee shop was empty, save the two freshly-showered and tousled-looking mares. Glad that the threat of being overheard was nonexistent, she grew bold. “I’m not surprised you can, Rainbow. I’m surprised you still have the strength to move your tongue at all.”

Rainbow’s smile deepened, a small amount of color reaching her cheeks. She chuckled lightly and shook her head. “I still can’t believe you can make me blush so easily, Twi’. I feel like a school filly with you sometimes. It’s a pretty freaky superpower.”

Twilight giggled. “Face it, Dash. You’re a hopeless romantic.” The pegasus rolled her eyes and took another gulp of her coffee.

“And you’re just hopeless, egghead.” She scooped a dollop of cream from her cup with a hoof and quickly deposited it on the lavender mare’s muzzle. Twilight squeaked and fell into another fit of giggles. The door to the shop chimed as a gust of frigid air made its way to the two and a muscular white unicorn entered. Rainbow gave him a quick once-over and turned back to her marefriend. Twilight glanced at the new arrival and her eyes lit up. Rainbow frowned and glanced back at the alabaster stallion, a distrusting look in her eyes.

“Scribe! Fancy seeing you here!” Scribe turned at the sound of his name and noticed the two mares sitting off to the right of the entrance. His face brightened and he hurried over to them.

“Twilight! What a nice surprise running into you.” Twilight beamed at him and turned towards the sky blue mare.

“Rainbow, this is Scriber Vim, I’m working with him on leyline research.” Rainbow’s scowl lessened and she offered the new arrival a small smile. “Scribe, this is Rainbow Dash. She’s my—”

The stallion barreled over the end of Twilight’s sentence . “Oh, so this is your standing Friday engagement!” He offered Rainbow a hoof which she took with some trepidation. “A pleasure to meet you. You are quite a lovely sight, Miss Rainbow Dash; I can see why Twilight always blows me off.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Uh, thanks, I guess…” Twilight grinned and sipped her coffee.

“Would you like to join us, Scribe?” He turned to Twilight and offered a small smile, but waved her off with a hoof.

“Afraid I can’t; just grabbing a quick drink to go. I will see you Monday, Twilight. And it was very nice meeting you Miss Dash.”

“Likewise.” Rainbow gave him another small smile, surprised that she felt relieved he had turned down her marefriend’s offer. After ordering a cappuccino, Scribe made his exit back out into the crisp night. The cyan mare raised her eyebrow again. “That, was Scribe?”

Twilight blinked. “Uh, yeah. What’s up, Rainbow?” The pegasus shook her head, a bewildered look plastered on her face.

“Nothing, just surprised is all. You didn’t tell me he was a beefcake.”

A rip of laughter was surprised out of the unicorn’s lips. “A beefcake?

Rainbow rolled her eyes, a smirk tugging at one corner of her mouth. “Yeah, Twi’, a beefcake. Don’t tell me you can’t see it; I’m gay and I’d probably let him rut me.” Twilight’s giggle-fit worsened and she nearly slipped from her chair.

“I’ll have you know Scribe is a perfect gentlecolt,” Twilight stated between little bursts of giggles. “I very much doubt he’d try to rut you on a first date.” Rainbow chuckled softly, a small voice of worry plaguing the back of her head. The conversation drifted away towards other topics as they finished their drinks and the voice left with the caffeinated dregs.

Rainbow grumbled half-heartedly as she flew through the icy morning air. She had some time to make up getting back to Ponyville and the faster speed caused her to take a bit more temperature punishment than she would have like. She was annoyed, but remembering why exactly she and Twilight had lingered so long as to make her late kept those feelings in check. She smirked despite her discomfort and sped up, streaking across the sky towards her destination.

“Hi Rainbow!” Cloud Kicker waved at the approaching blur of colors as it slowed and alighted next to her on the puffy cumulus.

“Heya, Cloud. Not late am I?” The two mares tapped hooves in their usual greeting. Over the past month, Cloud Kicker had kept an eye on her boss’ behavior like she’d been asked and was astounded to find that she rather liked this new Rainbow Dash.

“Nah, just on time. All we’ve got today is some cloud-cover movement. There’s a big ol’ cluster of ‘em fresh from Cloudsdale that need to be shifted around town.” Cloud Kicker pointed towards the large mound of fluffy white gathered up opposite Ponyville from the Everfree Forest. Rainbow gave a sharp nod.

“Piece a’ cake. Everypony already split into teams?” She lifted back off the cloud and hovered a few feet above it, the purple pegasus joining her.

“Yep, we got the central and north Ponyville.” The two took off towards their gathered material, Rainbow biting her lip and exhaling a piercing whistle, signaling work to start. The four teams of two got to work bucking, dragging, and shoving the marshmallowy blankets over their assigned spots. It was hard work, but Cloud was much happier to be working with Rainbow, rather than fixing her mistakes. “Hey Cloud?”

“Yeah, Rainbow?” The two heaved their current cloud out over town hall and smoothed it into place so it wouldn’t drift.

“I got a favor to ask. Mind if we leave a bit of open sky over the library?” They headed back to grab the next piece.

“I don’t see why not, but why d’you wanna leave it open?” Cloud Kicker raised an eyebrow. Rainbow’s eyes darted around and she rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof.

“Well…” She chuckled sheepishly. “I kinda have somethin’ I’m working on at the library for Hearth’s Warming Eve, and cloud cover’d get in the way.” Her sky blue cheeks took on a purple cast from a soft blush.

Cloud Kicker smirked. “Y’know, when you blush like that, your cheeks turn the same color as Twilight’s coat.” Rainbow choked and went a few shades redder. “That’s better, now you’re closer to Cheerilee’s coat.” Rainbow mock scowled at the purple pegasus’ laugh before joining in. The four teams cleared out the waiting pile in a few short hours and Ponyville was completely blanketed, save for a round hole over library. Rainbow bid farewell to her team and took off through the hole, a contented smile on her lips. A quick stop at her house to grab a saddlebag full of carefully saved bits, and she set off again. The work had warmed up her muscles, but was not strenuous enough to get her anywhere close to fatigue. Her flight to Cloudsdale was fast and stunt-laden despite the cold.

Touching down in the business district, the cyan pegasus couldn’t help but gaze around her hometown with fondness. Images flickered through her mind of her most recent visit winning the Best Young Flyers competition, which had served to color her older recollections. Cloudsdale had not been the most pleasant place for her to grow up, but the negative experiences were dulled to a soft gray while the happy memories were brightened. The colorful tapestry of nostalgia enveloped Rainbow and she set off at a bouncy trot with a contented smile on her face.

Finding a shop selling the right sort of goods, Rainbow went about her shopping while humming to herself. Her good cheer bled all over her thoughts and she found herself fantasizing about a certain unicorn’s reaction to her plans. The few other pegasus customers in the store noticed the sky blue mare with the goofy grin on her face seemed to be doing a bit more dancing than shopping and gave her a wide berth. After a much longer time than would be strictly necessary to have selected her purchases, Rainbow entered the queue. Rocking back and forth on her hooves, she daydreamed through the wait. Her concentration breaking when the shop runner said “R-Rainbow Dash? Is that you?”

The cyan mare snapped back to reality and took stock of the mare behind the counter. She had a soft peach coat and a flowing, strawberry red mane that framed her lovely face perfectly. Rainbow had no connection between the mare in front of her and any pony she knew, until her eyes settled on the mare’s cutie mark. A soft puff of white, very much like the one on her own flank, sailing in front of a yellow crescent. Rainbow’s eyes widened and she nearly sat down from the tremors in her legs. “C-Cloudy Moon?”

“So then Gamma threw the bucket of grapes into the cafeteria and it just had to land directly on my head. My coat and mane were stained for two weeks. And it was picture day, too.” Twilight’s raucous laughter interrupted the fork levitating towards her mouth. Scribe joined in with her. The two were sitting opposite each other in a small bistro and their volume attracted a few looks from other clientele until they both regained their composure.

“This was a good idea, Scribe.” Twilight smiled at the stallion and relieved the anticipating fork of its cargo. “It’s nice to spend time with you outside of work.” Scribe returned the smile. The lavender mare had been expecting a bit more shop-talk, but some relaxed socializing had been welcome. The two kept each other laughing with stories from their past. Scribe eventually compelled Twilight to relate some of her more adventurous tales involving dragons, Discord, and Nightmare Moon. The stallion’s awe made her feel a little uncomfortable, but he didn’t push anything enough to actually embarrass her. The meal was delicious and they lingered over every bite. An after-dinner coffee followed, and the two wandered back towards the castle still deep in conversation.

Twilight was thrilled. Her friends in Ponyville had become the most important mares in her life, but they were hard won through her social awkwardness. It had been much easier with Scribe. He was easy to talk to and the two had connected with little trouble. She saw a friendship report to the princess was in short order. The two unicorns arrived in front of Twilight’s suite.

“Thanks for Dinner, Scribe. I had a great time.” Scribe beamed, but an edge of nervousness had entered his face. Twilight’s brow knit together a little. “Did you have a good time?”

Scribe’s smile faltered and his nervousness grew. “Oh? Yes, of course I did! This was a very nice evening, Twilight. I’d like to do it again, if you would.” He glanced around, not looking directly at the mare. Twilight frowned in puzzlement. Before she could open her mouth to ask what was wrong, Scribe’s resolve firmed and he darted his head close until their lips met.

Twilight’s eyes widened in shock. ’Oh Celestia, this was a date! But, he met Rainbow! Did you tell him you were seeing Rainbow? WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL HIM YOU WERE SEEING RAINBOW?!’ She stood frozen for what felt like eternity while their lips were pressed. To her dismay, her body betrayed her; electricity ran through her and she felt a growing desire. Self-loathing coursed through her in response. Her mind and body were at war and she feared she might give in to the physical want. Tears threatened to escape, but a small, solid part of her being deep in her mind calmed her and the lust receded. As their lips parted, the sense of calm remained, growing in strength. Scribe met her eyes and his heart sunk.

“I’m sorry, that was too forward of me. I hope you forgive me, Twilight. I shouldn’t have rushed things.” He turned to leave, feeling angry at himself when a purple hoof caught his shoulder.

“No Scribe, I’m sorry.” He met her gaze again, seeing the same surprise and confusion, but it was also tinged with regret. Underneath the swirl of emotion he caught a glimpse of something else. A solid resolution that seemed to both calm him and break him at once. “I should have told you earlier, I thought you knew already.” She bit her lip and looked down. Scribe could see the guilt in her face, the guilt he’d put there. The stallion’s heart quaked. “I’m in a relationship with somepony else. You remember meeting Rainbow Dash?” She continued after receiving a slow nod. “She’s my marefriend.” She expelled a breath of air in anger and looked away again, rubbing the bridge of her muzzle with a hoof. “I’m sorry, really I am. I should have been clearer with you.” Scribe smiled weakly.

“Boy don’t I feel like a flank now. Can’t blame a pony for trying, I suppose.” He shook his head to clear it. “Let’s pretend this never happened. Friends?” He offered a hoof. Twilight took it in her own and shook it. After an awkward goodbye, Twilight entered her suite and slid to the ground against the door. The calming force seemed to give up all at once and she began shaking.

“Rainbow…” She cried into her hooves, addressing nothing in particular. “What do I tell her? What if she get’s mad at me for it? I can’t lose her over this, I… It wasn’t even my fault... H-He ki-kisse-” Her voice caught in her throat. The calm feeling eventually returning, this time however, the lavender mare recognized what it was. She took a deep breath, wiping her face with a hoof. Slowly, she picked herself up, going to lay down on her bed. Panic threatened to overtake her as she laid down, only the soothing calm of realization kept her together. “Thursday I’ll be back in Ponyville for the holidays,” she whispered into her pillow, doing her best to reassure herself. “Thursday I’ll see Rainbow again. Thursday, everything will be okay.” She closed her eyes and hoped with all her might that she wasn’t mistaken.

Author’s Note: Chapter five, with a bit less of a wait than between 3 and 4 as promised. Hope y’all enjoy!

Doctors Note: There is a reference to another fic in here, if you get the right fic there may be a prize for you.

The Ech Note: Why do you always get to have editor comments!? Screw you I actually have followers (no idea why either). See ya in the showers.

Doc: Yea, but mine has to do with the story, and we already decided on prize.

Ech: Your nude photos hardly count as a prize.

bats: Man, I miss out on all the fun editing... Stupid phone.

The Doctor: It’s all set for you Bats, whenever you are ready.

Ech: When stuff goes wrong, I get my ability to edit taken away - Doctor