> Under Our Wing
>  by Kodeake
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 1. Forever Yours
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Under Our Wing
Chapter 1
Forever Yours

Rainbow Dash stood proudly next to Twilight Sparkle. They stood side by side facing Princess Celestia, both of them garbed in beautiful, matching white dresses. Rainbow stole a quick glance at the unicorn standing next to her. Her indigo bangs rested above her eyes, while the back was done up in an elegant bun behind her head. She smiled at the gorgeous mare, Twilight returning the smile.

Rainbow switched her attention back to her own mane, examining the tips of her rainbow bangs hanging out over her forehead and the flowing mane falling over her shoulders that was tied at the end. She was never one for looking pretty, but Twilight had insisted she at least brush her mane. Then Rarity had gotten involved. Rainbow shuddered as she remembered the dress maker’s nearly crazed look when she had informed her that she was planning on only brushing her mane. Two and a half hours later she had nearly been late, but her mane had never been so beautiful. For Twilight, she would wear her mane like that every day.

“Do you, Rainbow Dash, take Twilight Sparkle as your lawfully wedded wife?” Rainbow was snapped back to reality by Celestia’s all important words. She opened her jaw uselessly for a second; her words getting stuck in her throat as reality came crashing down on her. Here she was, zoning out in the middle of her own wedding! She closed her mouth, took a deep breath through her nose, and smiled.

“I do.”

“And do you, Twilight Sparkle, take Rainbow Dash as your lawfully wedded wife?” Celestia asked, switching her attention over to the unicorn standing beside Rainbow.

“I do,” Twilight replied, looking over and grinning at the mare she was marrying.

“Then I now pronounce you wife and wife. You may now kiss the bride.” Celestia cheered, smiling as a giggle rippled through the crowd at the odd but necessary rephrasing of traditional wedding vows. The giggles shifted to adoring ‘aww’s as Rainbow leaned in and kissed Twilight. The crowd erupted in cheers, stamping their hooves on the ground and yelling words of congratulations. 

Twilight finally broke the passionate kiss and turned out to face the audience. She looked out over the relatively small group of close friends and family. Her four other friends and Spike were there, along with Rainbow’s family. There was also Shining Armour and Cadence, both of them stamping their hooves and grinning up at the newly weds. Twilight’s eyes scanned the crowed for a while longer until they fell upon two empty seats in the front row, the reserved tags still resting on the cushions. She strained her vision, trying to read the names of the ponies who had failed to show up, though she already had a pretty good idea.

She squinted, the names on the two cards becoming clear enough to read. “Twilight Velvet” to the left, directly next to the centre isle, and to its right was “Night Light”. Twilight felt a hint of moisture form in her eyes. Her own parents had failed to show up to her wedding. She felt the overwhelming desire to break down and sob right there on the wedding alter, but something stopped her. It was soft, yet she could feel strong, toned muscled beneath the downy feathers. Resting over her back was the cyan wing of rainbow Dash, the pegasus herself looking at Twilight with concern etched into her features.  

Twilight rubbed her eyes with the back of her hoof before standing, Rainbow rising with her. Together they walked down the centre isle, Twilight’s eyes lingering on the two empty seats in the front row before she passed them by. They trotted out of the small Ponyville church, Rainbow’s wing never once losing its grip on Twilight’s shoulders. Once they were outside Rainbow slipped her wing off of her wife’s back and lowered herself to the ground, inviting Twilight to get on her back. 

While traditionally they would have been taken away in a carriage, they had instead chosen to fly away from the church. Rainbow had said it would ‘look a lot cooler then some lousy carriage’, but Twilight knew that deep down Rainbow could be quite the romantic. She hopped up on her back, carefully avoiding the wings sticking out from two perfectly formed holes in the dress. With a powerful flap they were in the sky, heading towards the library to get ready for the reception.

As they flew Twilight allowed her thoughts to wander, taking her back through her memories of the past year. It was almost 14 months ago that they had gone on their first date. And 11 months since Twilight’s life had crumpled around her.

 “Please tell me this is a joke?” Twilight’s father, Night Light, nearly begged. He stood next to his wife, Twilight Velvet, as they regarded their daughter with pleading looks.

“No, dad, I would never joke about something like this. Rainbow and I are together.” Twilight said, wrapping a hoof around her marefriend’s cyan neck.

“It’s just…” Twilight Velvet stumbled over her own words, giving Night Light the chance to speak for her.

“It’s unnatural.” He supplied, stamping his hoof firmly on the ground. Twilight Velvet nodded her head in agreement. 

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, confused and a little surprised at her parent’s reaction. 

“He means it’s wrong. A mare cannot love another mare. Love is for a stallion and a mare only.” Twilight’s mother explained gently, trying to ease the blow as best she could.

“How do you know that? Why can’t a mare love another mare? I know I love Rainbow-”

“You do not love her.” Her father interrupted firmly, glaring at his daughter. 

“You. This is your fault!” He accused, switching his glare to the rainbow maned mare.

“What did you do to my daughter? This never would have happened without you!” He struggled to keep his voice down, stepping up to get in Rainbow’s face.

“I didn’t do anything.” Rainbow muttered out through her clenched jaw. She felt her anger begin to heat up in her chest as the stallion got more in her face.

“You did something! My daughter would never be one of you unless she was forced!” 

“I did nothing to force her hoof.” Rainbow repeated, grinding her teeth in an attempt to quell the rage growing in her gut.

“What did you do? Are you abusing her? Are you beating her?” His face was a crimson red as he yelled at the pegasus.

“I would never do that to Twilight!” Rainbow yelled defensively, her wings flaring open out of instinct. 

“Is it blackmail then?”

“Dad! She didn’t do anything! This was my choice!” Twilight yelled, trying to prevent the fight she could see on the horizon. They both ignored her comment.

“I. Did. Nothing.” Rainbow repeated, keeping her voice low, but still firm.

“Don’t lie to me, you dirty fillyfooler, Twilight would never affiliate herself with the likes of you!” 

That was the last straw. Rainbow pulled back her hoof, ready to punch him right in his beat red face, but stopped herself. What would Twilight think if she did that? No matter what he said, he was still her father. She never got a chance to find out, however, as a lavender hoof beat her to the chance, smacking him and snapping his head to the side. Twilight Velvet gasped in shock while Twilight stood above her father, seething with rage.

“Don’t you EVER call her that again!” She screamed as she glared down at her father, a red welt forming on his cheek.

“Get. Out.” He breathed quietly, turning his head back to face his daughter.

“Night Light-”Twilight Velvet tried, but was silenced by her husband.

“GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!” He shrieked, panting as his anger took control.

“You are not my daughter! You are nothing to me! You are nothing!” He screamed again. Twilight wilted under his stern glare. Her horn glowed her signature purple, enveloping her and Rainbow Dash in a magical aura.

“Goodbye, Night Light.” Twilight said sadly before casting her spell, the room filled with a bright flash and a pop. When the light dimmed down only Night Light and Twilight Velvet were left in the room. 

Twilight was brought out of her memory when Rainbow landed on the ground. She slipped off her wife’s back, taking in her surroundings. Instead of back to the library, Rainbow had brought her to a hill overlooking a valley outside of Ponyville. In the valley below a stream could be seen, cutting through the rich green of the grass. She looked back to Rainbow in confusion as the pegasus walked to the edge of the hill and sat down facing the valley.

“Rainbow? Why are we out here? We have a reception to go to.”

“You were thinking about them again, weren’t you?” Rainbow asked quietly, looking out toward the valley before them.

“It’s been eleven months, Rainbow. I guess I never really expected them to show up, but it would have been nice.” Twilight walked over and sat next to the pegasus. She received a wing draped over her shoulder as she did.

“Yeah, it would.” Rainbow trailed off as she wrapped her wing a little tighter around Twilight, bringing her right up against her fur. A hoof joined her wing, and Twilight laid her head on Rainbow’s shoulder. For a time they sat in silence as the sun slowly got closer to the horizon. Suddenly, Rainbow felt Twilight’s body start to shake, and a sob echoed into the valley. The fading sound was joined by another, and then another as Twilight cried into Rainbow’s shoulder, wrapping her hooves up and around the pegasus’s neck. 

Rainbow sat and held the unicorn as she cried. Whispering small words of comfort into her ear and rubbing her back in slow circular motions. She felt a wet spot form on her shoulder through her dress, but she didn’t care. Twilight was worth so much more then a single ruined dress. 

Eventually, the sobs grew quieter and less frequent, slowly petering out to quiet sniffling. Twilight lifted her head and wiped her eyes with the back of her hoof. Her face was still stained with tears, but she looked happier then she had. 

“You alright?” Rainbow asked as Twilight took a few deep breaths.

“I think so… now, at least. Thanks, Rainbow, I needed that.” She leaned in and gave the pegasus a quick kiss on the lips before she stood.

“So, reception?” She offered, Rainbow standing up as well. A shriek was torn from her lungs as Rainbow launched off the ground, spun 180 degrees above her, swooped down, and blasted off into the sky with Twilight in her forelegs. Twilight’s cries of terror shifted to laughing as Rainbow did a few loops in the air, barrel rolling and cork screwing towards Ponyville. Before either of them knew it Rainbow landed on the library’s balcony, both laughing as Rainbow set Twilight down and alighted next to her.

“My hair’s ruined, Rainbow!” Twilight jabbed playfully, still trying to suppress her giggles.

“So is mine, but cheering you up was worth it.” She grinned back at Twilight, motioning to the house.

“We don’t need to be too fancy for the reception, ya know.”

“I suppose.” Twilight relented, opening the balcony door with a flick of her horn, allowing bother herself and Rainbow into her bedroom. Twilight walked to her vanity, levitating a brush she began to brush her mane, hoping to at least get it to decent levels. She didn’t want to face Rarity without at least brushing it. Meanwhile, Rainbow had undertaken the surprisingly difficult task of getting out of her wedding dress. 

“Hey, Twi a little help here?” Twilight turned her head to look at what was probably the most pathetic display she had ever seen. On the floor was Rainbow Dash, writhing around as she tried to reach the zipper on the back of the dress. How Rarity thought that was a good idea, they would never know. Her wings were fully extended as she stretched her neck around. She managed to get the zipper in her teeth, only for her to roll over onto her stomach, the zipper slipping out of her grip. 

Twilight had to suppress a giggle as Rainbow tried to reach over her head with both hooves, getting up on two legs as she tried to stretch over her head. She grasped the zipper between her hooves, but lost her balance and stumbled back, falling to her flanks. Twilight couldn’t hold it in any longer as she burst out laughing, earning a scowl from the pegasus.

“Ha-ha, now are you gonna help me or not?” 

Twilight held in a small chuckle as she made her way over the pegasus and helped her stand up. With a quick glow of magic the zipper was down, and Rainbow squirmed out of her dress. She took a deep breath and expelled it slowly.

“Feels so good to be out of that thing!” She sighed happily, stretching out her back and legs. Twilight giggled and turned her magic to her own dress, grabbing the zipper and pulling it down. She slipped out of her own dress, folding it neatly and resting it on her bed to be put away later, doing the same with Rainbow’s.

“Shall we?” Twilight asked, motioning towards the balcony. Rainbow nodded and made her way out the door with Twilight. She leaned down to the ground, once again allowing Twilight to clamber onto her back. Once she was secure she squeezed the pegasus around the neck, informing her she was ready to go. Rainbow launched off the wood floor into the golden light of sunset, within seconds they arrived at Sugarcube Corner, where the reception was being held. 

They alighted down on the path in front of the pastry shop. Judging from the music poring out onto the street, Rainbow guessed the party has started without them. She felt Twilight slide off her back and walked up to the door. She reached a hoof up to open it, only for it to swing before she could touch it. Standing beyond the doorway stood Pinkie Pie with a deep scowl.

“You’re late.” She deadpanned, glaring at the newly wed couple.

“Uh, yeah, sorry ‘bout that Pinkie, we kinda-” Rainbow was cut off as a pink hoof grabbed both her and Twilight and pulled them inside. 

“We’ll need to party extra hard to make up for the time you missed. You two still need to have your first dance, then you need to cut the cake, and then…” Pinkie rambled on about all the things they needed to do, everything they had to do as a newly wed couple. Rainbow managed to pull herself out of Pinkie’s grip, slipping out of her arm and causing Pinkie to stop and look at her.

“Sounds great, Pinkie, but I’d like to spend some time with Twi first, if you don’t mind.” Pinkie stood for a second before nodding in understanding. 

“Alright, Dashie, just come find me when you want to start.” She chirped happily before bouncing through the crowd, disappearing somewhere in the bakery. Rainbow sighed and looked around her. The shop wasn’t as full as it had been at previous parties, but there was a fair amount of ponies crammed into the relatively small space. She spotted an unoccupied booth next to the window and motioned towards it, Twilight nodded, and together they made their way over to it. 

Rainbow slid into the booth, Twilight sliding in next to her. She slid right up next to Rainbow, leaning against her side and resting her head on Rainbow’s shoulder, careful to avoid stabbing her with her horn. Rainbow wrapped a hoof around her and drew her closer, pressing their coats together.

“What’s up?” Rainbow asked casually, looking out over the crowd, either sitting and eating or dancing to the music playing through the building. It was loud enough to be heard clearly, though not so loud as to make conversation anywhere in the building difficult.  

“Seriously? We just got married, and the best you can think of is ‘what’s up’?” Twilight asked through a snort of laughter, turning her head to face her wife.

“What would you prefer, ‘what is going on, oh gorgeous wife of mine’?” 

“Yes.” Twilight poked Rainbow playfully in the ribs, earning a jab to her own chest.

“Too bad, because that’s the last time I’m saying anything so… corny.” Both of them shared a laugh for a few seconds, eventually dimming down to a comfortable silence.

“So really, what’s up?” Rainbow asked again, a little more seriously then before. 

“Just thinking, Rainbow.” Twilight replied with an idle smile on her lips. 

“’Bout what?” 

“Honestly? Us. Everything we’ve done up to this point, even before we started dating.” She turned her head enough to steal a kiss from the pegasus next to her.

“Yeah, we’ve been through a lot, haven’t we? I mean, we’ve saved Equestria how many times?” Rainbow chuckled, looking off into the crowd.

“More times then I care to count.” Twilight agreed with a small laugh. For a while they sat in silence, looking out into the crowd. They shared the silence until a rather loud rumble emanated from Rainbow’s stomach, causing Twilight to giggle.

“I suppose it’s time to cut the cake?” Twilight offered, already sliding out of the booth.

-_-_-_-

Twilight trotted happily into the library, a sleeping purple and green dragon resting on her back. Behind her stumbled a half-asleep Rainbow Dash, eyelids dropping and steps slow and sluggish. Twilight turned to her with a look of amusement before disappearing up the stair well. Rainbow took the opportunity to lay back on the couch, grateful to be off her aching hooves. She glanced over to the wall clock that ticked and tocked merrily through the silent tree. Judging from where the hands were located, Rainbow deduced it was a little past eleven at night. She grimaced; not only had she been denied the ability to sleep in, she had also been kept from her daily napping schedule. Both those factors combined led to a very tired and grumpy pegasus.

Twilight came back down the stairs, grinning as she descended without the small dragon on her back. She looked over at the pegasus desperately resisting sleep on her couch. From the looks of her half-closed eyes, it was a fight she was losing. As she cantered over Rainbow curled her legs in closer to her body, allowing Twilight a place to sit on the couch.

“You look tired.” Twilight half mocked, smiling as Rainbow grumbled sleepily at her.

“Where would you get that idea?” She mumbled sarcastically, shooting a playful glare to her wife.

“Hmm… I just don’t know.” She crossed her forelegs over Rainbow’s flank and rested her chin on them. Rainbow smiled down at the mare laying on her before speaking.

“How are you not tired?”

“You forget I’m normally up much later then this studying.” Twilight wormed a little further up the pegasus’s body, resting her head on the side of her stomach with her hooves draped over Rainbow’s chest. 

“I suppose. Still, even you have to admit it’s been a tiring day.” Rainbow chuckled, reaching a hoof down to gently run over Twilight’s mane, smoothing it in the process. Twilight squeezed Rainbow’s chest and rubbed her cheek into her soft belly fur.

“It has.” She sighed, breathing in deeply, savouring the scent of her spouse. They lay together in silence for what felt like hours before Twilight moved again. Slowly, she crawled her way the rest of the way up Rainbow’s side, stopping when her head rested against Rainbow’s neck. Rainbow responded by unfurling a wing and wrapping it around Twilight in a makeshift blanket.

“I think today went perfectly.” Rainbow murmured, clearly fighting off the sleep her body and mind yearned for. Twilight responded by nuzzling her snout into Rainbow’s neck, sighing in contentment.

“I don’t think it could have gone any better.” Twilight affirmed, smiling into Rainbow’s fur. Once again silence fell over the room as the newly wed couple continued to embrace each other under the protective embrace of Rainbow’s feathered wing. 

Eventually, she felt Twilight wiggle under her wing. Looking down, she saw the unicorn trying to drag herself higher, but missing the traction to do so against the fabric of the couch. Smiling, Rainbow closed her wing and pulled the unicorn up the rest of the way. As soon as their faces were level Rainbow pushed forward with her muzzle and connected their lips in a kiss.  

Slowly, their kiss deepened, Twilight wrapping her hooves around Rainbow neck and the pegasus doing the same. Together they pushed deeper into the kiss, allowing their tongues to come together and entwine themselves in a slow, graceful dance. They held their passionate kiss for as long as their lungs would allow, eventually the need to breathe forced them apart. Together they separated, gazing lovingly into each others eyes as they panted lightly.

Once again Twilight leaned in to kiss her partner again, and once again she found herself pressing into Rainbow’s mouth, and the pegasus pressing back. Suddenly, Rainbow drew back with a sly smile on her lips. Twilight looked questioningly at the pegasus for a moment before she felt Rainbow roll off the couch. Twilight squeezed her eyes shut as she waited for her back to hit the ground, but the impact never came. Instead, when she opened her eyes, she found herself looking into two magenta orbs as Rainbow’s wings slowly lowered the two to the floor, with the pegasus on top this time.  

Rainbow took advantage of her new position by pinning Twilight to the floor with her hooves and pressing their muzzles together. Eventually Rainbow pulled back enough for Twilight to roll the both over, forcing the pegasus to the floor.

“You don’t seem tired anymore.” Twilight whispered throatily into Rainbow’s ear before nipping the tip between her teeth. A shudder ran down Rainbow’s spine at the sensation.

“You have that effect on me.”  Twilight giggled around the ear she still held between her teeth, making another shiver run down the cyan mare’s back. After a few more light nibbles Twilight released the ear and brought her head back down to be level with Rainbow’s. The pegasus reached a hoof to brush a stray strand of hair out of Twilight’s face. For another eternity they stared back into each other’s eyes, locking their eyes together for as long as they could. 

Suddenly, Rainbow flexed her wings and pressed her hooves against Twilight’s shoulders, rolling back over on top. As she leaned back down to rejoin their lips in a kiss Twilight flared her magic, and Rainbow found herself falling up to the ceiling. The sudden reversal of gravity disoriented Rainbow long enough for Twilight to claim her prize as she pressed down onto Rainbow’s mouth.

When Twilight next drew back she was met with a playful scowl. “No fair.” Rainbow whined half heartedly, earning as giggle and a quick peck from the lavender mare above her.

“I thought you liked it when I used my magic?” Twilight asked, slipping a seductive tone into her voice that caused Rainbow to blush. 

“Not when you… what did you do, exactly?” Rainbow looked around to confirm that she was, in fact, on the ceiling of the library as if it were the floor.

“Simple gravity reversal spell.” Twilight replied nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders.

“That’s awesome! What else can you do with it?” Rainbow asked enthusiastically, completely forgetting her minor annoyance with the unicorn’s trick.

“I’ll show you some other time, weren’t we in the middle of something?”

“Uh… right.” Rainbow grinned sheepishly, blushing a little. Twilight giggled and returned the gravity to normal, forcing Rainbow to start flapping her wings to keep them from slamming down on the floor. Rainbow angled her wings to carry them low enough to fit through the arch of the stair well, carrying them both up to the room they shared.

> 2. Honeymoon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Under Our Wing
Chapter 2
Honeymoon


Rainbow’s eyes fluttered open, the blinding light of Celestia’s sun streaming in through the partially-drawn blinds with the single minded goal to rouse her from sleep. As she moved to roll over and away from the sleep-intruding beam, she came face to face with a lavender muzzle and gently closed eyes. A subconscious smile spread across her lips as she squirmed a little closer to the mare beside to her, drawn to her presence like a moth to a flame.

Twilight murmured in her sleep, her hooves instinctively reaching out and wrapping around the nearest object. An object which just so happened to be Rainbow Dash. The pegasus grunted slightly as the sleeping unicorn pulled her closer, forcefully pressing Rainbow’s face into her soft chest. Twilight’s legs squeezed tightly, letting her prisoner know she had no intentions of letting go until she woke up.

Once Twilight was done fidgeting and relaxed with her new live-sized teddy bear, Rainbow allowed herself to release the breath she had been holding. Not wanting to wake Twilight up just yet, she allowed the impromptu cuddle session to continue, breathing in her lover’s unique smell. 

Twilight’s chest rose and fell at a gentle, steady pace. Pressing against Rainbow’s own belly every inhale and blowing across her muzzle with every exhale. The gentle, warm feeling generated by this almost hypnotic movement nearly lulled Rainbow back to blissful sleep, but something prevented her from accepting its gentle embrace. A tiny nagging at the back of her mind, trying to remind her of something she had long since forgotten in the bliss of her current position.

Careful not to disturb her soundly sleeping partner, Rainbow gently removed her head from Twilight’s death grip and craned it to look over the unicorn’s sleeping body and across the room. More specifically, the clock.

“GAH! Twi! Get up! We gotta get up!” Rainbow shouted suddenly, forcefully removing herself from Twilight’s grip and waking the unicorn as she jumped quickly out of bed.

“Mmmm Rainbow?” Twilight asked blearily, eyes opening slowly to reveal the pegasus dashing frantically around the room.

“Twi! We gotta get up! It’s almost noon!” Rainbow shouted again, stopping her mad dash to practically throw Twilight out of bed.

“What’s the rush? I think we can sleep in today,” Twilight yawned as she was dragged down the stairs to the main room of the library.

“We can’t! Cadence will be here soon!” Rainbow called from the kitchen, rapidly preparing two bowls of oats and honey.

“Cadence? Why would Cadence- oh Celestia it’s almost noon!” Twilight’s eyes snapped wide open as the realization hit her. Any notion of sleepiness was forgotten as she quickly went about helping Rainbow with breakfast before beginning to scarf it down.

“How long do we have?” Twilight asked between large bites of oats.

“About twenty minutes,” Rainbow answered, already putting her bowl into the sink.

“Good, I’ll go shower, you get the essentials. She said we wouldn’t need anything, but I still want a few books. There’s a list on the desk.” Twilight motioned to the previously mentioned desktop before teleporting up the stairs and into the bathroom for her shower. Rainbow grabbed the list and unrolled it as she heard the water turn on upstairs. She quickly located the first book listed before she realized that the list was still unrolling, forming a long paper trail from the desk to the bookshelf she stood at.

“Really?” She muttered in disbelief, watching as the parchment started doing laps around the library. Deciding it wasn’t worth it, she tossed the list to the side and grabbed the books she wanted to take, knowing full well Twilight wouldn’t mind being stuck with the Daring Do series again. The books were tossed haphazardly into her saddlebags just in time to see Twilight rush back down the stairs, brush still in her magically-dried mane.

“Did you get the… books…?” Twilight trailed off as she watched the list somehow roll up the stairs beside her.

“Yeah, just a few more to go,” Rainbow said sarcastically, watching as Twilight smiled sheepishly.

“Err… too long?”

“Ya think?” Rainbow asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Ah-heh,” Twilight chuckled nervously, horn lighting up along with the seemingly endless parchment before it disappeared with a pop, reappearing on the desk, once again rolled up.

“I hope you’re alright with the Daring Do books.”

“Well, there are still one or two I want to-”

Knock Knock Knock

“No time!” Rainbow snapped, grabbing Twilight and pulling her to the door. Making a quick stop to throw her saddlebags around her back, she arrived at the entrance to the old tree and pulled it open. On the other side stood Princess Cadence, behind her was an enclosed carriage hooked to two pegasus guards.

“Ready for your honeymoon?” Cadence asked cheerfully, grinning down at the recently married couple.

-_-_-_-

“Sooo…” Cadence started eagerly, grinning across the small space the carriage provided at Twilight and Rainbow. “How was last night?”

“Uh… you were at the wedding… and the reception…” Twilight answered wearily, eyeing her old foalsitter curiously. She heard Rainbow hold in a slight snicker next to her, but ignored it.

“No, I meant last night. As in, after the wedding.” Cadence repeated, her voice taking a suggestive undertone as Twilight's lit up a crimson red. Rainbow struggled to hold in her laughter.

“C-cadence!” Twilight sputtered, more than a little embarrassed as Cadence proceeded to giggle at her bright red blush.

“Relax, Twilight, I was only kidding.” Cadence laughed, though it did little to help Twilight's embarrassment. “Though I would like to remind you you're not the only one married in the family. When me and Shining got married, we spent almost an entire night-”

“CADENCE!” Twilight snapped, cheeks threatening to catch on fire as both her wife and Cadence burst into laughter.

“Yes?” She asked sweetly, smiling innocently at the increasingly-red unicorn. 

“I do not need to hear it. Especially about my brother!” Twilight hissed, getting nothing but more laughter from the other ponies in the carriage. Cheeks a deep burgundy, Twilight sunk down into her seat, trying to ignore the other passengers.

Rainbow, after finally calming her laughter, spoke up. “So where are we going for this, anyway?” 

Twilight finally looked back up, silently thanking her wife for the subject change. “Yeah, you never did tell us.”

“Oh, you'll love it! Ever since the Crystal Empire came back, there have been many expeditions to map out the surrounding area. One of these turned up a rather... scenic spot. So much so a couple entrepreneurs built a resort there,” Cadence beamed, picturing the resort in her mind, and remembering the last time she had been there with Shining Armour. 

“It's a system of individual cabins spread across a rather expansive area. There's a central village for any necessities you may want, but each cabin is far enough away that you don't have to worry about your privacy.” Cadence explained, eliciting smiles from both her passengers. After a moment, however, Twilight's switched to a frown.

“Wait, isn't the area around the Kingdom a wasteland? Last time we were there it was nothing but snow and ice.”

“It was, but that was while the area was still under the effects of Sombra's magic. After he was defeated and the crystal ponies could once again power the crystal heart, the power dispelled his corrupt magic from the area, returning it to to its natural state.”

“And what would that be?” Twilight asked curiously, making Cadence give her a mischievous smile.

“I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise now would I?”

“Aw, c'mon! At least tell us what to expect!” Rainbow protested, her sudden outburst startling both Cadence and Twilight.

“Well... I guess I could give you just one hint,” Cadence smirked, drawing a pleased smile from both her passengers. “Well... it's kinda like a-”

“We'll arrive in ten minutes,” a voice called from outside the carriage, ending Cadence's hint and replacing it with a pleased grin.

“You'll find out soon.”

“Cadence,” Twilight half whined, sticking her lip out in a pout. The older mare just giggled.

“I used to be your foalsitter, Twilight; that may work on your wife, but not me,” she laughed, drawing a frustrated sigh from Twilight as she slouched back in her seat.

“Now be patient; we'll be there soon.”

Before they knew it, ten minutes had passed and they felt the carriage land on the ground, slowly coming to a stop. Twilight immediately opened the door, quickly leaping out of the carriage and onto the hard stone road below them, Rainbow following close behind. With a wide smile she looked at her surroundings. What was once a winter wasteland was now the exact opposite; it looked almost tropical. 

The ground around the cobblestone path was a bight, rich green, swaying in the light breeze blowing over the area. The bright blue sky was speckled with small, fluffy clouds. In the distance on all sides were mountains, surrounding the area in towering walls of rock. At the base of the mountains were hills, each one seemingly taller then the last and covered in the same green grass that was all around them. In the center of it all was them, in a large valley between the hills at the bases of the mountains. 

But they were not the only things in the valley; on the other side of the carriage was a large building, similarly styled to those in Ponyville, but with a distinctive Crystal Empire look, the two styles mixed to give it a rustic but elegant feeling. It was at least two stories tall, speckled with windows of all sizes along its front. A simple door stood in the middle, a welcome sign hanging from a metal nail in the wood.

“Like it?” Cadence's self-satisfied voice drew Twilight away from the view around her and to the smiling alicorn next to Rainbow, who was staring at the area in a similar, dumfounded fashion. 

“It's...” Twilight trailed off, at a total loss for words as she looked back to the view around them.

“Beautiful,” Rainbow supplied, sounding almost in a daze as she turned in circles, taking in everything that could be seen before realizing what she had said. “I mean.. uh... it's alright.”

“Aw, is my Dashie going mushy?” Twilight teased. Rainbow stuck her tongue out at her. 

“No... it's just... I thought it was what you were going to say,” Rainbow huffed defensively as Twilight stifled her laugh with a hoof. Cadence didn't even try to hide her mirth.

“I'll take that as a yes. Anyway, this is the lobby. From here you'll find carriages to each of the individual cabin branches and from there you should be able to find a path to your cabin. I booked you the best cabin they have for your stay. I'd accompany you further, but I have business to attend to in the Empire. I trust you two will be fine?”  

Upon receiving eager nods from the newlyweds, Cadence smiled and climbed back into the carriage. “I'll be back in a week to pick you up,” she called before motioning for her pegasi guards to start the journey back to her home in the Empire. Taking a running start they jumped int he air, their wings keeping both them and their cargo aloft as they flew away from the resort and back to the Crystal Empire with its Princess in tow.

“One week...” Twilight muttered in disbelief, turning way from the retreating silhouette of the chariot and back to the scenery around her.

“This is gonna be awesome...”

-_-_-_-

“Twiiiiliiiight,” Rainbow groaned, earning a frustrated growl from the unicorn walking below her. “How much farther?”

“I don't know! The carriage driver said it would only be a twenty minute walk to the cabin, but do I look like I have a clock on me?”

“We've been walking for hours,” Rainbow whined again. Twilight gave a tired snort.

“No, I've been walking; you've been flying above my head and whining. Why don't you try doing something useful? Like fly up and see if you can spot the cabin?” Twilight suggested hopefully, motioning up to the blue sky above them. The sky, glowing a bright blue from the sun as it hit its zenith, was only visible through a tiny crack above them. On either side of them was a shear rock cliff, towering at least ten stories above them; looming over the couple as they walked to where their cabin was hopefully situated. 

“Fine,” Rainbow muttered in defeat, flapping her wings a little harder as she gained altitude, flying above the rocky walls beside them.

Unbeknownst to the pegasus above her, Twilight actually knew exactly how long they had been walking; 13 minutes. Of course, saying that would only make Rainbow whine more, so she kept it to herself. Instead, she focused on the path ahead of her. It was only about seven metres wide and covered with a thick layer of reddish-brown dirt above a hard rock layer. She guessed they were walking between two of the mountains forming the bowl the resort was situated in, though if the resort's main attraction was the fact that it was surrounded by mountains, it made little sense to go outside of them. 

“See it!?” Twilight shouted up to her pegasus wife, her voice echoing through the enclosed path as the sound bounced off the sturdy stone walls. 

“No,” came the echoed reply from above, followed shortly by Rainbow coming back down to her regular hovering height. “How much longer is this going to take?” Rainbow groaned as she resumed her steady pace next to Twilight... and her constant complaining.

“Relax, I'm sure it's not too much farther,” Twilight said, forcing a cheerful tone as she continued down the path. If that stallion had been right, she had another five minutes of this to suffer through.

Actually, she ended up suffering through only four minutes. As the time ticked by the narrow path gradually became wider, eventually opening into a large open space. It, much like the main resort, was surrounded on all sides by large mountains, the path they had just came through splitting between two of the smaller ones. 

The area in question was just a little smaller then the entirety of Ponyville which, to be fair, wasn't very big. However, what was large by normal standards was the 'cabin' in the middle of the clearing. The size alone would put most buildings to shame, even some of the homes in Canterlot. What it lacked in height (being only two stories tall) it more than made up for in shier size. It was styled like the lobby building; a mix between farm-town and Crystal Kingdom, with large windows extending down both stories of the structure. 

But the main attraction was not the cabin itself. No, what really drew their eyes and dropped their jaws was the area around them. On all sides of them were mountains, revealing the sky only through a small window above them. All around the clearing was the same grass which covered most of he resort, speckled with flowers neither Twilight nor Rainbow had ever seen before. They looked as if they were crystals; shimmering in the afternoon sun, not quite transparent, but not quite opaque. Jagged, yet beautiful shapes sprouting off similar green stems. Looking as hard as rock, but swaying and moving fluidly with the light breeze rolling through the valley.

To the left was a small creek, being fed from a waterfall coming from a hole high in the side of one of the mountains. The creek, in turn, carved it's way through the green grass, turning gently as it made its way between two other mountains on the opposite side of the clearing. The water rushing over the rocks sent a pleasant, almost rhythmic sound reverberating through the clearing, seeming to sync with the songs of various birds in the trees dotted about the grass.

“Whoa...” Dash breathed, eyes scanning the area around her. She landed silently on the ground, too shocked to continue flapping. Twilight remained silent, continuing to stare in awe, hooves glued to the ground as she tried to come to terms with what she was seeing. Even as Rainbow started making her way towards the building, Twilight remained stock still, not even fully comprehending the world around her.

“Hey, you coming or not?” Rainbow asked, taking notice of the fact that Twilight wasn't following. The unicorn remained silently, unaware Rainbow had spoken at all.

“Hey, Twi,” Rainbow called again, a little louder this time. However, it became apparent to her that Twilight had completely zoned out.

“Twilight!” Rainbow snapped, finally drawing the unicorn out of her thoughts.

Twilight shook her head roughly, her vision focusing on Rainbow, already halfway to the large building they would be staying in.

“Oh, right. Sorry.” Twilight smiled sheepishly, catching up to the pegasus and walking up to the cabin, eyes still glued to the scenery around her. 

“How much must this have cost?” Rainbow wondered aloud, stopping in front of the entrance. The door itself was a grand affair; intricately carved, a deep mahogany colour, handles encrusted with crystals. It was something Rarity would absolutely die to see, Rainbow noted humorously. 

“I don't know, and I don't think I want to,” Twilight admitted, reaching into her saddlebags with her magic and extracting a key given to them by the receptionist. Guided by a magical glow, it slid into the shimmering gold lock. With a turn and a click, the door was unlocked.

Not quite knowing what to expect inside if the outside looked like this, Twilight gently pushed the door open, the well-oiled hinges barely making a sound as it swung inside the building. The light from outside streamed through the open door and numerous windows, casting bright light into the front room of the cabin. 

Twilight stepped inside the door, followed closely by Rainbow as they craned their necks, examining the room around them. It was very similar to that of the Crystal Palace; most of the furniture was either made of crystals or styled to look like them, the walls were a deep blue stone, blending with the light blue floor. Twilight briefly noticed her reflection staring up at her from the perfectly polished tiles beneath her hooves. There were doors to her right and to her left, with a staircase leading up in front of her. The room itself was two stories high, the front door behind them flanked by two windows stretching all the way to the roof of the second story. 

“We're going to be staying... here?” Rainbow asked in shock, already starting to explore the area. She went through the door on her left, gasping as soon as she stepped into the next room. “This place is awesome!”

Twilight smiled, making her way up the stairs. The short staircase led her to a hall, both walls covered with doors. Unsure of where to start, she opened the first door on her right, stepping through into what had to be the biggest bedroom she had ever seen. In the middle of the back wall sat a bed large enough to hold two Celestia-sized ponies with room to spare. On either side stood a nightstand, each with a lamp and a single drawer. Large windows decorated the right wall, and a single door was on the left, presumably a closet, and knowing this place, a very, very large walk-in closet. 

The floor was covered in soft, blueish-grey carpeting, while the walls were painted a soothing light blue. The bed was circular, with more pillows then Twilight could count stacked at the edge against the wall. The base was framed by wood in the same style as the front door, decorated by detailed carvings and symbols. 

“Twi! They have a swimming pool out back!” Rainbow shouted from the first floor, her voice bouncing around the large, mostly-empty structure. 

For the next hour, Rainbow Dash and Twilight explored the cabin they were to spend the next week in. Each room seemingly more impressive then the last. It came with a fully stocked fridge and functioning kitchen, but also contained a menu should they wish to call and have a meal prepared and delivered to them. The house did indeed have a pool, lit by enchanted, glowing crystals from within, making the water glow even at night. It was clearly made for large groups of ponies; almost every room on the upper floor was another bedroom, most of them having a on-suit bathroom attached. 

One bedroom, however, was different then the rest. While most of them were carbon-copies of the others, the one at the end of the hall was at least twice the size of the others, and was fully furnished with bookshelves filled with common texts and sofas and chairs. It even had it's own mini-fridge, filled with a wide variety of drinks of various natures and cultures. 

Rainbow jumped into the air, landing on the incredibly-soft mattress with hardly a sound. She sunk into the plush comforter, seemingly being swallowed by the bed.

“This is seriously where we're staying?” Rainbow asked again, trying to convince herself it was all real as she sat up.

“I don't believe Cadence would get us.... this,” Twilight said, unsure of how to describe what they were in. Instead she simply gestured with her hoof wildly, motioning to... everything. 

“I know. How much did this even cost? I mean, it looks like it's made for a big business to host a party or something.”

“Certainly not just two newlyweds,” Twilight agreed with a nod, taking her saddlebags off her back and placing them on the floor. She drew Rainbow's over in a magical glow and filled the empty space on the bookshelf with the texts they had brought with them.

“Though I wish there was more room for books...” Twilight muttered, struggling to squeeze them all in alongside the book that were already there. Rainbow snorted a laugh.

“Leave it to the pony who lives in a library to want more books on her vacation.”

“Hey! You can never have too many books!” Twilight shot back, eliciting another giggle from her pegasus wife.

“Right right, sure you can't. You wouldn't be happy with all the books in the world, would you?” Rainbow asked mockingly.

“Actually, since a great deal of books and texts in general were destroyed, through either time or during a war, it's not even possible to own all the books in the world,” Twilight explained, wearing a very self-satisfied smile as Rainbow looked at her with a questioningly raised brow. “But no; I wouldn't,” she added after a second.

“Ha! I knew it!” Rainbow cheered, leaping off the bed and into the air, landing seconds later next to Twilight just as she pushed the final book into the shelf.

“Wow, they actually have quite a few books already,” she noted with a vague air of approval, noticing some rather good books among the already-present collection. 

“Great. But seriously; we're here for a reason. You are not allowed to spend the entire time reading.”

“I know, but it'll be nice to sit down with a good book from time to time. We do have a week, after all.”

“Right. Anyway, I didn't have time to shower this morning, and I really need one. So I'm gonna go do that,” Rainbow said, walking towards the door connecting the room to the bathroom.

“Alright, I'll be here-”

“Oh no, you'll be nowhere but in the shower with me. Let's go, Sparkles.” Rainbow said with a grin, motioning for Twilight to follow

“But I still have to unpack the rest of my stuff!” Twilight whined back, motioning to the saddlebags sitting beside her

“They'll be here when we're done.”

“But I want to do them now...” 

“Oh suck it up and get in the damn shower,” Rainbow barked, her scowl turning to a smile as Twilight sighed and stood from the floor. 

“I'll get you back for this,” Twilight muttered as she walked passed Rainbow into the bathroom.

“Oh I'm so sure,” Rainbow mocked, stepping into the large room behind the lavender mare with a subtle grin, closing the door behind her as she heard the water turn on.
> 3. Tomorrow
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Under Our Wing
Chapter 3
Tomorrow

The sun was just as bright as ever, rising high into the sky as the various clocks around the expansive house struck noon. The chiming of the large grandfather clock in one of the many sitting rooms tickled Twilight's flicking ears as she sat quietly in a lawn chair. The chair, originally located by the pool connected to the house, had been brought over and sat at the edge of the rivers rolling quietly through the valley. In her magic was a book, below her was the soft green grass and crystal flowers she had become accustomed to seeing, and all around her were the mountains. 

She could understand how this area might make some ponies feel caged in; surrounded on all sides by the large stone structures. But she got a very different feeling from them. Rather then trapping her inside, they trapped other ponies outside. They kept them out of her own personal paradise. They made the resort what it was, and without them it would have a very different feeling.

After three days, she had grown used to the size of the cabin they were staying in. It had been a little unnerving at first: To have such a large house all around you and have it be, for the most part, empty. But with time and exploration, she had come to accept it for what it was; a house. Sure, a beautiful, breathtaking house, but it was just a house. Very large, yes, but it was still just a cabin owned by the resort. In four more days she'd be back in her tree library with her pegasus wife and normalcy would once again return to her.

So why not enjoy it while it lasted? Rainbow certainly was; flying high in the air, doing tricks and stunts and twirls and loops. She wasn't training; she was having fun. She would never let the mountains surrounding them cage her in. As long as she had the sky, she had her freedom. And in many ways, that's all she needed. As long as she could fly, she could live. As long as she lived she would fly; that's just how Rainbow was.

Twilight smiled as the pegasus did another loop in the air, her Rainbow trail following and tracing every move she made high in the sky. The bright colours stood out against the crisp blue sky as she continued her flight. Even from her spot on the ground, Twilight could imagine the grin Rainbow must have been wearing as she turned into a nosedive, rocketing towards the ground before pulling up right at the last second.

Rainbow eventually slowed down high above the valley, nothing more then a cyan spec against the light blue sky, nearly invisible to eyes not used to looking for her. Twilight, however, was very adept at spotting her wife amongst the silky canvas of the daytime sky, and watched as she started slowly twirling to the ground in large, floaty loops. Her Rainbow trail was just a faint outline, showing that she was nowhere near her usual speed. Instead she took the time to relax, floating gently on the gentle winds rolling down the mountains. 

She came to a stop on the opposite side of the small river from Twilight, grinning happily as she waved . Twilight waved back, smiling as Rainbow jumped over the blue waters dividing the green grass, easily clearing the gap with the aid of her wings and landing silently on the other side. Twilight closed her book with a gentle thud, her bookmark sticking out the top as she set it on the ground next to her chair.

“Hey Twi, you know when lunch is getting here? I'm starving,” Rainbow asked, sitting down in the grass next to the unicorn as she glanced back at the house a good 60 yards behind them.

“It was supposed to be here around noon, and I heard the clocks chime a while ago. I wonder what's taking them so long...” Twilight wondered aloud. In the three days they had been there not once had anything been even a minute late. The resort clearly deserved it's reputation for perfect customer service.

“Whatever the reason, I hope they get here soon. Any longer and I might have to make myself something to eat,” Rainbow laughed as she adjusted her position, allowing the rest of her body to lay on the soft, smooth grass, though still keeping her head angled up and over to the unicorn lounging in the chair next to her. 

Twilight opened her mouth to reply, intending to tell Dash to be more patient, when she heard a sound. It was soft, carried to her ears only by the wind, but it was different from the usual near-perfect silence of the clearing. Apparently, Rainbow heard the sound as well, as she snapped her head up and around to the narrow path leading into their sanctuary. The sound repeated, growing clearer as the source came closer. Eventually it was loud enough to be recognized as voices. Just as the voices became distinguished enough for the words to be heard, three ponies came through the gap between the mountains. One a tall, grey stallion, and two young foals, dragging their hooves and following him begrudgingly.

“I'm guessing that's lunch,” Twilight noted, looking at the silver trolly the earth pony was pushing as she stood from the chair. Rainbow stood from the grass, and they made their way over.

“Finally! I thought we'd never get here! We've been walking forever!” One of the young foals whined, evidently a colt. His bright red coat mixed with his even-brighter yellow mane. He looked like a more vibrant unicorn version of Big Macintosh. 

“It's only been eighteen minutes since we got to Cabin Branch Five,” The other one corrected, a pegasus filly with a light purple coat and a blond mane similar to the other. The older stallion shared their blond mane, the hairs dipping down and covering his face as he rubbed the bridge of his nose with a hoof.

“Will you two be quiet? Honestly, I don't know how your mother puts up with you while I'm working,” he grumbled, lifting his head back up and spotting the two approaching mares. “Ah, hello ladies. My apologies for being late. Your lunch,” he said, pushing the trolly towards them. It had three covered dishes on it, two on the top and one on a lower shelf.

“It's no problem,” Twilight smiled, picking up the plates in a purple glow.

“Eighteen minutes? It may as well have been a year! It's so hot out and we- whoa...” The young colt trailed off, staring in shock at the plates floating next to Twilight's head. Twilight look at him curiously. The older stallion sighed.

“You...” he trailed off again, pointing to the plates in the air.

“Yes?” Twilight asked, motioning for him to continue. He didn't. Instead he continued to stare.

“You'll have to forgive my son, he's become quite obsessed with magic as of late. Not many unicorns work for the resort, so he's not used to seeing magic at all, and you're rather adept at levitating,” the stallion explained, tapping his son's shoulder to get his attention. “Come on, Neon, we shouldn't keep the guests any longer then we need to.”

“W-wait! Where did you learn magic?” The colt asked frantically, pushing away from his father and rushing up to Twilight, much to her surprise.

“Neon Bolt!” His father snapped, stamping a hoof on the ground, “we are not to distract the guests.”

“No, it's fine; I don't mind,” Twilight said, smiling at the stallion and allowing his scowl to lessen before turning back to the colt at her hooves. “I went to Celestia's school for Gifted Unicorns,”

“No way...” He fell back to his flank, looking up at the unicorn before him in nothing put pure admiration.

“Don't sell yourself short, Twi,” Rainbow spoke up, stepping forward and leaning down to the colt, “she was Celestia's personal student.”

“W-what? You're Twilight Sparkle? The Twilight Sparkle?” 

“Well, yeah; I am,” Twilight admitted with a blush. If she didn't know any better, she would have sworn the colt was about to explode.

“Oh my gosh! Miss Sparkle! I'm your biggest fan!” He gushed, much to the chargin of his father.

“Control yourself, Neon,” his father scolded sternly.

“But daaaaad,” Neon whined, “It's Twilight Sparkle!”

“Like she cares about you,” the filly piped up, presumably his sister. “She doesn't even know your name.”

“At least I can do some magic! You can't even fly yet!” He snapped, smiling proudly as she glared at him.

“Well at least I'll be good at flying! Mom can teach me. Who's gonna teach you?” The filly shot back defensively. 

“Somepony better at magic then mom is at flying!”

“Enough!” Their father shouted, ending the argument before it could get too heated. “We'll find somepony to teach you magic, Neon, and you'll be flying soon, Misty.”

“She still won't be as good as me!” Neon whined, eliciting a glare from the stallion.

“Oh you wish,” Misty snarled.

All the while, Twilight and Rainbow stood side by side watching the family bicker, food completely forgotten floating next to Twilight's head. Rainbow was struggling to hold in her snickers, while Twilight stood, half confused and half surprised.

“I apologize again for my children. Normally they stay at home with their mother when I make deliveries, but today she was called in to help with a storm rolling in over one of the cabin branches.”

“It's no problem, really,” Twilight smiled earnestly, allowing the stallion to sigh in relief.

“Thank you, Miss Sparkle.” He stooped low, giving a formal bow before standing straight.

“Just Twilight,” she giggled, “and you are?”

“Silver Hoof, these are my two children Neon Bolt and Misty Skies,” he explained with a gentle smile, watching as his children glared daggers at each other. 

“It's nice to meet you. This is my wife, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said, motioning to the pegasus floating upside down next to her head. Why Rainbow insisted on doing that in the middle of a conversation, Twilight would never know.

“Whoa whoa whoa, did you just say Rainbow Dash?” Misty suddenly spoke up, breaking her death glare with her brother to look up at the pegasus.

“The one and only,” Rainbow said proudly, flipping around and landing next to Twilight.

“No way! You're, like, the fastest pegasus ever!”

“Now look who can't control themselves,” Neon grumbled as his sister rushed up to her idol. His father stifled a chuckle.

“You two are quite the celebrities back in the Crystal Kingdom, you know,” Silver Hoof commented, watching as his daughter tried to reel herself in and regain the non-caring attitude that had been lost at the mention of Rainbow's name.

“You're from the Kingdom?” Twilight asked curiously. He nodded in affirmation.

“Along with most other ponies that work here.”

“Really? Then shouldn't you be, ya know, crystal ponies”? Rainbow asked, angling her head skeptically at him.

“Technically we are, but we only look like it when we're withing the city limits. It's like how you and the other elements reverted to normal when you left the city. We do the same, only we turn back as soon as we return, outsiders have to be around the Crystal Heart when it's powered.”

“Interesting, which means it's a hereditary gene...” Twilight mumbled, rubbing her chin thoughtfully as she examined the pony before her. “Do children born of one crystal pony and one outsider have this effect?”

“Uh... only if they are both conceived and born within the Kingdom. Anything else will result in them being a normal pony,” he explained cautiously, watching as the mare inspected him a little closer.

“Fascinating,” she mumbled, leaning even closer. The stallion leaned back, eyes glancing around nervously as Twilight scrutinized him.

“Your eyes aren't even the same outside the city...”

“Hey, don't go kissing anypony in front of me,” Rainbow laughed, snapping Twilight out of her thoughts. She quickly realized how close she was to the clearly uncomfortable stallion and quickly taking a few steps back.

“Oh gosh, sorry sorry sorry! I just got so focused and curious and it's so interesting and-”

“Please, Twilight, calm down,” he said gently. She smiled sheepishly, a light blush on her cheeks.

“Sorry.”

“It's quite alright, I assure you. But I'm afraid I have to be going. We have a few more deliveries to make today.”

“Right, of course. We'd hate to hold you up. Have a good day!” Twilight smiled, waving as the trio made their way back down the path and through the gap with the silver trolly, minus three platters.

“They were nice,” Twilight noted happily, turning and walking back towards the cabin with the platters of food floating next to her head.

“Always nice to meet a fan,” Rainbow agreed absent-mindedly, hovering in the air as she followed the silver plate floating in the air. “That smells delicious.”

“It does, doesn't it?” Twilight agreed, sniffing the alluring aroma of what was sure to be a delectable lunch, having been too distracted until now to fully appreciate the information her nose was sending to her brain. She felt one of the platters lose some weight, and instantly turned to glare at the pegasus next to her. Rainbow froze, the lid held in one hoof and her nose right next to the dish. 

“You can wait until we get inside,” Twilight scolded, snapping the lid back down, nearly catching Rainbow's nose between it and the dish. 

“Hey, watch it,” Rainbow whined, rubbing her nose with a hoof to make sure she had escaped unscathed. Once she was sure her nose was still in one piece, she continued following the swiftly-walking unicorn.

“Come on, just a bite? Please?” Rainbow pouted adorably. Unfortunately, Twilight was having none of it, as she angled her heady up like a snooty Canterlot unicorn and closed her eyes, walking away indignantly at a swift trot.

“No.”

“A nibble?” Rainbow nearly begged, salivating as a stray breeze blew the scent directly into her face.

“Nope.”

“A lick?” Putting all her effort and focus into one, final pout, Rainbow flew around in front of Twilight, forcing her to stop. Once she was sure she had her attention, Rainbow gave her the biggest, most pleading look she could muster.

Twilight faltered for a mere second before teleporting the pegasus to the side and continuing towards the house. 

“We're less then 30 yards from the house, Rainbow. You can wait until we get to the table.”

“Come on! It'll be like a picnic!” Rainbow shouted, racing to catch up to Twilight. However, the unicorn just shook her head and kept walking. Trump card played and out of options, Rainbow crossed her arms miserably and followed Twilight and a much more subdued pace to the cabin. 

An eternity later, at least to Rainbow's mind, she was finally sitting at a small table next to the outdoor pool. While normally they'd have eaten in the dining room, this particular cabin's version of a dining room more closely resembled and banquet hall. Eating outside by the pool not only allowed for a smaller table more suitable for only two ponies, but also afforded them with the ability to eat outside in the beautiful weather. 

Twilight opened the sliding patio doors, linking the kitchen to the pool, with two plates in her magic. Each one was piled high with delicious looking and smelling food. 

“Finally!” Rainbow exclaimed as Twilight set the food on the table, a plate in front of each of them.

“It's been less then four minutes since we got it, Rainbow. I swear, sometimes I think time passes more slowly for you then anypony else.” Twilight rolled her eyes as Rainbow ignored her and dove into the food, scarfing it down quickly and eagerly. 

With a slightly disturbed grimace at Rainbow's eating, Twilight began munching her own lunch, though much more slowly then her partner. It was simple; a veggie wrap with a side of salad and dressing, but the food at the resort always managed to surprise her. The chefs were certainly nothing to scoff at; even a simple dish like this had not only their own personal flare, but tasted as good as some of their best dishes. Though the resort did offer fancier foods befitting royalty, they also offered a wide variety of more common foods, catering to both the elite and the average patrons. 

Rainbow had been thankful; unlike most places in Canterlot they had been to, she actually knew what most of the menu was, which made ordering a lot easier. 

“Oh, that hit the spot,” Rainbow groaned happily, leaning back in her chair and away from a barren plate. If Twilight didn't know any better, she would have sworn her pegasus wife had licked the plate clean. Actually, she did know better, and knew that that was entirely possible, and probably true.

Twilight smiled and continued eating her own meal, having barely started on the food in front of her. “You're going to get sick if you keep eating like that.”

“I was hungry!” Rainbow shot back defensively. Twilight chuckled lightly and shook her head, focusing on her own delectable food.

“Sooo...” Rainbow started slowly. Twilight looked up from her plate just enough to give her a death glare; she knew exactly what Rainbow wanted. 

“Touch it and die.”

“Aw c'mon! You're not eating fast enough and I'm still hungry,” Rainbow whined.

“What are you, a black hole? You just ate enough for two ponies in less then ten minutes!”

“Heh, that's me; Rainbow Dash the Black Hole,” she proclaimed proudly, puffing her chest out and holding her head high. Twilight just raised an eyebrow as she suddenly deflated, giving her a sheepish smile and asking, “What's a black hole?”

“It's... never mind. You're not getting my food and that's final.”

“Awww...”

-_-_-_-

Rainbow yawned loudly, stretching her wings to their full span before tucking them neatly back against her sides. Her hoofsteps were silent on the plush carpet of the bedroom as she made her way across the darkened room to the bed. Twilight was already settled beneath the sheets, eyes barely open as she struggled to stay awake while Rainbow showered. It was a fight she was evidently losing, as her eyes drifted shut before snapping back to half-open, the shutting again. The silky sheets and soft mattress were much too comfortable to fight off sleep for long, especially when one was already tired from a long day.

As she crossed the room, Rainbow looked out past the bed and to the windows, giving a clear view of the valley around them. The moon was full, sitting almost directly in the center of the cloudless sky above them. It cast its silver glow down, reflecting off the shining grass and gently flowing waters of the waterfall in the cliff face. From their bedroom they could see almost all of the clearing they were situated in, the entire area bathed in the same iridescent glow.

“Dashie?” Twilight groaned groggily, struggling to lift her head from the pillows to look up at the pegasus just standing in the middle of the room.

“Coming,” Rainbow whispered, tearing her eyes away from the view outside and continuing across the room. The carpet brushed gently against the undersides of her hooves as she lifted them off the floor, only to set them down a few inches closer to her destination. Her eyes grew heavy at just the thought of the warm embrace of the bed and blankets, and the unicorn that would be next to her throughout the night.

Arriving next to he bed, she crawled in below the covers, sliding in between the mattress and the blankets. Lying on her back, she felt Twilight wrap her hooves around her barrel, a lavender head coming to rest against her upper chest. Bringing a hoof up from her side, she laid it across Twilight's head, running it down her mane in a long, sweeping stroke before bringing it back up to the top and repeating the motion slowly. 

“Four more days,” Twilight murmured, her eyes shut tightly as she used the pegasus as a pillow, practically purring as Dash continued petting her mane. Rainbow nodded in response, eyes trained on the textured ceiling above her, face contorted in thought. Her mind was whirring a mile a minute, and had been for the better part of the day. Thoughts and feeling clashing in her mind, neither side giving an inch to the enemy.

“You're cute when you're tired,” Rainbow noted with an absentminded chuckle. Twilight didn’t respond right away, instead opting to press herself further into Rainbow's side.

“Yeah, but so are you.”

“I don't do 'cute'; I do awesome and radical,” the pegasus snorted back defiantly, though her voice was quiet, betraying her tiredness. 

“Oh sure you do; you do it all them time,” Twilight snickered, jabbing her horn into Rainbow's side playfully.

“Nope; never done cute in my life, never will either.”

“Not even for me?”

Rainbow could practically hear the sarcastic pout in Twilight voice. She couldn't even fight the next words that came out of her mouth. “Fine, but only for you.”

Twilight giggled happily, squeezing her life-sized teddy-bear pegasus tightly. 

“Hey Twi?” Rainbow started slowly; the war had finally been won. It was not the side she had been rooting for.

“Hmm?” Twilight groaned, clearly losing the last of her will to fight against the sleep encroaching on her mind.

“Remember that family who brought us lunch?” Rainbow couldn't even believe she was talking about this, but the war was won, and the victor was reaping the spoils.

“Silver Hoof and his foals? Yeah, I remember, why?” Twilight asked curiously, holding off the sleep long enough to have this conversation. Rainbow's hoof slowed to a stop.

“Did you ever want that?” Rainbow waited silently for an answer. For a moment there was silence, then another. Then she felt Twilight let go of her side, shifting over in bed and sitting up, tossing the blanket to the end of the bed. Rainbow followed suit, sitting cross legged on top of the sheets.

“Do you?” Twilight asked curiously, all notion of sleep forgotten as she realized what exactly Rainbow wanted to talk about.

“Well...” Rainbow trailed off nervously, unsure of what exactly she should say. Averting her gaze down to the bed beneath her, she felt Twilight rest a gentle hoof over her own. “Kind of?” She admitted slowly, unsure of Twilight's reaction.

“I've never really thought about it, you know?” Twilight noted, looking up to the ceiling as she recalled memories from when she was still a filly. “Most other fillies used to dream about falling in love with a Prince and having kids and living in a castle. I never did. I fantasized about being a successful scientist, with all the respect of my peers and colleagues. I dreamed of joining the Circle of Mages that governs and controls most magical advancements and controls research grants. I imagined owning the world's biggest library, complete with every book ever written. I never thought about family.”

“So no,” Rainbow sighed, unsure of how exactly she should feel about this revelation. 

“I never said no,” Twilight corrected sharply, continuing before Rainbow could say anything else, “While it's true I never thought about it, I also never thought about having friends or a wife, either. A lot has changed for me, Rainbow, and I've changed a lot since then. But I still don't know about... that,” she concluded, watching as Rainbow's ears fell back against her head.

“Though if you don't mind me saying, I never pegged you as one to want that kind of thing, and you've certainly never said anything to me about it. Why are you suddenly interested?”

Rainbow looked up from the sheets, meeting Twilight's gaze and holding it for a time before finally speaking. “It's because of what happened between you and your parents,” she admitted quietly, almost in a whisper. Twilight frowned at the thought of her own parents, but pushed forward.

“Why would they make a difference?”

“The way they treated you, Twi. It's just... it made me so mad. No parent should ever say that kind of thing to their own kid. I just... I wanted to try doing it right. It was one of the things my parents used to joke about, always telling me they wanted grandchildren. I never thought much of it until I saw how you're parents treated you when you told them about me. The, the way you reacted when they didn't show up to the wedding I just... I don't know. I just feels like I have to do right by my own kid to make up for what they did to you.”

“Well, I see your point,” Twilight nodded thoughtfully, before yawning loudly and frowning, “But it's too late and I'm too tired to think about this now. Think we could talk about it tomorrow?”

“Yeah, that's alright,” Rainbow agreed, happy to have the conversation over with, at least for now.

“Good. It's been a long day, and I really need some sleep,” Twilight yawned again, emphasizing her statement as she laid back down on one of the generously fluffed pillows, Rainbow copying the motion as she pulled the blanket back over them with a gentle violet glow. 

“Me too,” Rainbow affirmed, shifting onto her side to face Twilight. The unicorn smiled, worming closer and pressing her face into Rainbow soft chest, rubbing her cheek into the warm pillow. Rainbow reflexively wrapped her hooves around lavender shoulders, holding Twilight close.

“We'll talk about it tomorrow,” Twilight promised sleepily, closing her eyes and sighing quietly as she finally allowed her mind to succumb to the sleep it had been pleading for. 

“Yeah. Tomorrow...”
> 4. Storm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Under Our Wing
Chapter Four
Storm

Twilight awoke with a muffled groan crossed with a sigh. Through her close eyelids she could feel light form the morning sun beaming onto her face through a window. 

“Dashie,” she groaned, rolling away from the light. “Go close the blinds; I want to sleep in.”

“Heh, I thought you didn't like sleeping in?” Rainbow quipped, though to Twilight's surprise it wasn't from in the same bed, the voice coming from elsewhere in the room. Begrudgingly, she opened her eyes. Sure enough, the pegasus was nowhere to be seen across the bed, but rather sitting at the window which allowed the incriminating light beam to pass through. 

“I thought you didn't like getting up early,” Twilight shot back sleepily, yawning and stretching, spreading out across the bed as her mind started waking up. 

Rainbow chuckled. “No, I don't. I just woke up a little while ago and... well, I couldn't get back to sleep.”

Frowning, Twilight pushed herself into a sitting position on the bed. “Is it about what we talked about last night? Is it bugging you?”

“No, no; nothing like that. I know we'll talk about it.” Rainbow's feathers bristled. “It's the air; there's one heck of a storm coming.”

“How bad?”

Rainbow stretched her wings out, feeling the air around her. “Pretty bad. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, but the resort better not try to send anypony to stop it. This feels completely different from the storms we get from the Everfree back in Ponyville.”

“It's probably residual corruption from when Sombra was in control. He's done a lot of damage to the environment. Still, I'm sure it's nothing to be concerned about,” Twilight mumbled, falling back down into her pillow and lifting a hoof. “Now close the blinds and get back here; I want to sleep in and you are not allowed to be up before me.”

Rainbow smiled and pulled the blinds down over the window, bathing the room in a cool shade of darkness before walking over to the bed. “What would happen if I ever did get up before you?” She asked, clambering beneath the covers.

“The world would probably end,” the unicorn answered blearily, hooking her hoof around Rainbow's barrel and dragging them closer together until she could rest her head on the pegasus's shoulder. “Now be a good pillow and shush.”

“I told you you're cute when you're tired,” Rainbow whispered, kissing the tip of Twilight's horn gently. The unicorn sighed in response. 

“What happened to being a good pillow?”

“I got bored; a pillow is not the most entertaining job in Equestria.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “And I thought we both agreed you were cute too?”

“Only for you,” Rainbow corrected. “You're just all around adorable to everypony. The only difference is that they know they can't have you.”

Giving a mischievous smile Twilight closed her eyes and asked, “And why not? If I'm so adorable surely I should share it with the world?”

“'Cuz you're my adorable egghead, and everypony knows if they try anything they'll have to answer to me,” Rainbow answered quietly. “And they know you'd vaporize them if they tried anything on me,” she added.

“Hmm... true. Now will you shush?”

Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah Twi, I'll shush now.”

Twilight reached up, patting Rainbow on the head. “That's a good pillow.”

-_-_-_-


The pouring rain was pounding against the glass window Twilight sat behind watching the storm rage outside. Thunder boomed through the valley while lighting illuminated the sky in bright, threatening flashes of white. The wind howled fiercely outside, as if begging to be let in. The sky was totally black, not a single shred of Celestia's sun shining through the depressing cloud cover. The downpour was so thick Twilight could barely see ten meters out the window, the rest covered in a haze created by the large droplets of water.

“Quite the storm,” Rainbow mentioned casually, making Twilight jump slightly as she entered silently from the kitchen she had been in. Rainbow chuckled at the unintentional scare, settling down next to the unicorn. They sat together in the spacious living room of the colossal house they occupied. 

“You said it would be this morning,” Twilight noted, leaning her head against her wife's shoulder.

Rainbow smiled. “And here I thought you were too sleepy to remember anything I said.”

“When am I ever too tired to remember something?” Twilight shot back. “I also remember promising to talk about something later, and it is later.

“Oh really?” Rainbow asked.

“What, you didn't think I forgot, did you?” Twilight asked accusingly.

Rainbow shook her head. “No, no, I just-” she was cut off by the sound of knocking temporarily overpowering the sound of the raging wind outside.

“Who'd be out in a storm like this?” Twilight asked as she stood and made her way to the door. Rainbow shrugged and followed. 

The door was shaking in its frame at the shier force of the winds outside, rattling as it was buffeted by rain. In a magical glow is was pulled open cautiously; only a tiny crack as Twilight peered through to see who it was. Instantly recognizing the ponies standing on the other side, she flung the door wide open, motioning hurriedly for the visitors to come in.

Rainbow watched from the door between the living area and the front hall as three ponies paraded into the house, the oldest wheeling a trolly filed with everything from candles and food to blankets and towels and sheets. Two young foals followed him, one a unicorn colt and the other a pegasus filly. The door was promptly slammed shut behind them under the control of Twilight's magic.

“Silver Hoof? What are you doing here in weather like this?” Twilight asked incredulously, magically drying herself from the water that had been blown inside when she opened the door.

The stallion shook most of the water out of his coat, brushing his sopping mane out of his face as he looked at her. “The resort asked us to make sure our guests were prepared for the storm; extra blankets and towels, some spare food and emergency candles in case you run out. We were hoping to get it done before the storm got here, but we ran out of time.”

Twilight frowned as she took towels from the cart and passed them to the three ponies in front of her. “How many more cabins do you have to go to?”

“None; this is the last. After this we can go home. The resort gave us the day off tomorrow in exchange for making the runs,” Silver Hoof explained, thanking Twilight as he took the towel from her magic and began drying himself, his children doing the same.

“You could stay here until the storm ends,” Rainbow offered casually, craning her neck and looking out the windows next to the door. “I don't know where you guys live, but it's at least a twenty minute walk back to the hub of this cabin branch, and that's in good weather.”

Silver Hoof shook his head quickly. “No, we couldn't impose on you any more than we already have.”

“None sense; we couldn't force you to go back out in weather like that. You're more then welcome to stay until the storm clears up,” Twilight assured, gather the used towels and placing them to the side to be laundered later. Silver Hoof still seemed uncertain, looking between Twilight and the storm raging outside. His foals, however, had already made up their mind.

“Really? We can stay here with you?” Neon Bolt asked excitedly, running up to Twilight and looking up at her in shock and awe. She giggled a little at the display. The pegasus filly was doing the same to Rainbow, giving her the same look as her brother was to Twilight.

“We'd have no problem with it; there's more than enough food. It's up to your father, though,” Twlight said, motioning to the still indecisive stallion standing at the door. The two foals rushed over to him, giving him the most pitiful, pleading eyes they could muster.

“Please?” They begged in unison, drawing out the word in long, high pitched whines.

“Well...” Silver Hoof trailed off, pawing at the ground nervously. “You're sure you're okay with it?” He asked again, glancing away from his children and to the two mares standing in front of them, both nodding lightly with a smile.

Silver Hoof switched his glance back out the window. In the time they had been talking, the rain had started coming down even harder then before, the sound of it pounding against the glass windows was nearly deafening. A crack of thunder tore through the sky, briefly illuminating the seemingly endless black abyss of clouds above them.

“Just until the storm clears,” he sighed, watching as his children cheered with excitement and scampered over to their respective idols.

“Oh my gosh I'm staying with Twilight Sparkle! This is so cool!” Neon gushed, practically vibrating as he looked at Twilight with wide, excited eyes.

“Please, Rainbow Dash is where it's at,” Misty shot back with her usual disinterested voice, though her facade of calmness was cracking just being near the pegasus she idolized.

“She can't do magic!” Neon shouted, standing defensively between his sister and Twilight.
Rainbow and Twilight shared an amused glance as Silver Hoof rubbed his face, sighing heavily.

-_-_-_-

“What was it like? Being the Princess’s student, I mean. It must have been so awesome!” Neon asked excitedly, bouncing in his chair across the large table from Twilight and Rainbow.

The storm was proving to be more severe than initially thought; it had been getting nothing but stronger throughout the day, and it was quickly decided that Silver Hoof and his family would be staying for dinner (after some hesitation on Silver Hoof's part, and some 'encouragement' from his children). While the resort had asked Silver Hoof himself the make sure their patrons were prepared for the storm, they had asked his wife to help with damage control during the storm, reducing as much of its power as possible.

“Honestly? Lonely,” Twilight answered solemnly, grabbing another forkful of salad and chewing thoughtfully. 

“Lonely?” Neon asked quizzically, “how could it be lonely? I bet all the other students were crazy about you!”

“Right, crazy,” Twilight muttered quietly. “Let's just say it wasn't what it was cracked up to be.”

While Neon Blitz continued to question Twilight about everything and anything she'd ever done involving magic, Rainbow was rapped up in her own conversation with Misty Skies. Apparently, the calm and collected filly had a soft side, one which was quickly exposed as being around her idol chipped away at her outer shell of self-proclaimed coolness. Rainbow got a sense of deja vu with how the filly acted, but quickly brushed it aside.

“You've met the Wonderbolts?” Misty gasped loudly, dinner forgotten as she stared wide-eyes at  Dash.

“Met? I've saved the Wonderbolts,” she proclaimed proudly, bolstering as much of her ego as she could.

The filly fell silent in shock.

Silver Hoof, meanwhile, sat quietly, his gaze transfixed out the window. The storm hadn't let up at all; the clouds were still so thick it could be mistaken for midnight. Not a single ray of light, from sun or moon, could penetrate the thick black blanket covering the sky. He dreaded having to walk home in the storm raging outside, but they would have to leave sooner or later.

“It's pretty bad out there, isn't it?” 

Silver Hoof jumped in his chair as a voice directed at him broke through. He turned, seeing Twilight looking out the same window, having finally convinced Neon to eat instead of keep talking. He nodded in response. “We should probably be leaving soon; the carriage service between this branch and the lobby closes soon.”

Twilight frowned. “In this weather? Are you sure?”

“We don't have much of a choice,” he sighed sadly, standing from his half-eaten meal, “Thank you for your hospitality.”

“Whoa whoa whoa,” Dash spoke up suddenly, putting her conversation (though Twilight would have called it bragging) with Misty on hold. “You're thinking of leaving in this weather?”

“We have to; we need to get home.”

“No offence, but I'm the head of the weather department back in my town, and not even I would go out in this weather unless I absolutely needed to,” Rainbow said, “A storm like this can seriously injure ponies, even if you're not in the air with the crazy wind currents.”

“As true as that may be, we don't have any other options,” Silver Hoof said firmly, motioning for his kids to follow him to the front door, which they did begrudgingly after a few moments of resistance. 

“You're more than welcome to stay the night; you said you didn't have to work tomorrow,” Twilight offered as she followed them to the front room.

“Thank you for the offer, but we can't impose on you any more than we already have,” he declined as politely as he could, even with the pleading stares of the children that he could see out of the corner of his eye. 

Twilight gave him an honest smile. “It's not an imposition at all; we have more than enough rooms and we're the ones asking you.”

Silver Hoof glanced nervously out the window at the raging storm then down to his children and their begging eyes. “Well...” He looked to the storm again, rain and wind pounding the window and door behind him. “If you're sure,” he relented with a sigh, much to the joy of his children. 

Twilight smiled kindly. “We wouldn't have it any other way.”

“Besides,” Rainbow added, “this place is awesome! It's got everything!”

Misty Skies and Neon Bolt cheered loudly, each imminently returning to their respective idols and once again battering them with questions. 

“Alright alright,” Twilight shouted above the noise. “Come on, let's see if we can find you three some rooms to sleep in tonight, hmm? I think there's couple rooms up on the third floor you can have.”

Rainbow Dash took tot he air, flying to the staircase and motioning for the family to follow. “Come on, guys! Just wait till you see the bedrooms in this place! They're incredible!”

Silver Hoof chuckled quietly as his children raced after the pegasus, chasing her up the stairs and around the corner to one of the many hallways on the second floor. “Thank you again, Twilight.”

Twilight shook her head as they both started up the steps as well. “There's really nothing to hank me for.”

“Still,” the stallion insisted. “Not many ponies would offer their cabin for simple workers like us, especially on their honeymoon.”

“Well then, I guess it was a good thing we were your lest check, isn't it?” Twilight joked with a smile. Silver Hoof started to reply, but cut himself off suddenly as he ran over tot he cart he'd brought with him and started rummaging around.

“Oh darn it, I know it was in here somewhere...” he muttered, rooting through towels and candles. 

Twilight quirked her head tot he side as she watched the stallion search. “Um... Silver Hoof? What's wrong?”

“Ah-ha!” He cried victoriously, pulling hi head back with an envelope secured in his teeth. “I knew I had it. We got some mail for you earlier today, but nopony wanted to take it in the storm. Since you were on my list of houses to check, I thought I'd bring it for you.”

“We got mail?” Twilight asked, a little surprised as she accepted the letter into her magic.

“Sorry, it must have slipped my mind with everything that happened,” the stallion admitted sheepishly, bowing his head. 

Twilight just chuckled. “Don't worry about it, at least I have it now. I wonder who sent it...” she trailed off as she examined the envelope, it had the address of their cabin on it, and the return address for somewhere in Ponyville. With a gentle flick of her horn the envelope was opened and a letter was extracted. 

-_-_-_-

“Your room's right there,” Rainbow said, pointing to the door on her left and looking to the small pegasus filly next to her. “And you're in the one next door,” she added, looking to the unicorn colt standing on the opposite side as his sister. 

They both ran to their respective rooms, opening the doors and dropping their jaws in sync. Rainbow chuckled at the response, watching as they slowly but surely made their way into the bedrooms and looked around in a level of shock and awe that could only be achieved by a child. 

“This is awesome!” Came the unified cry from both rooms. 

“It's all yours!” Rainbow called into the rooms, laughing as she turned and started towards her own bedroom.

“Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow paused as she heard the shriek from downstairs in the unmistakable voice of her wife. “Twi? You alright?” She called, even as she made her way at a quickened trot to where the voice had come from.

“Get down here, now!” Twilight yelled back, “There's something you need to see.”

As though sensing the urgency, the grandfather clock int he entrance hall struck 9 PM, the loud tolls of the bell echoing through the house as Rainbow raced down the halls. The clock stopped just as she reached the top of the stairs and jumped down them without a second though, fanning out her wings to catch herself just before she hit the floor. Twilight sat on her haunches, wide eyes transfixed on a piece of paper hovering in front of her. Silver Hoof was looking at her nervously. 

“What's going on, Twi?” Rainbow asked cautiously, slowly approaching the seemingly frozen unicorn. 

Twilight's head snapped up. “I-it's a letter from Rarity,” Twilight explained shakily. 

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Okay... and?”

“Just... read it,” Twilight insisted, flipping the paper around and passing it into Rainbow's hooves. 

Rainbow's eyes trailed back and forth across the page, slowly making their way down as a look of concern spread across her face. “WHAT!?” She shrieked as she read the final line, holding the paper tightly even as her hooves shook. “This... this can't be true! She'd never...”

“I didn't think so either...” Twilight admitted sadly. “She should be okay but...”

“Why?” Rainbow filled in the gap Twilight left behind. “There has to be something we don't know...”

Silver Hoof shuffled around awkwardly. “Um... excuse but... if you don't mind me asking-”

“We do mind,” Rainbow snapped, placing a hoof against her head. “Sorry... look, are the carriages still running to the lobby? We need to get home.”

Looking to the clock, Silver Hoof shook his head sadly. “I'm sorry but... they closed at 9”

“Then we'll fly, come on Twi,” Rainbow urged, stomping to the door before she was held back in a purple glow. She fought against it, but was ultimately powerless against her wife's magic. “What they hay, Twi? We can't just sit here and do nothing!”

“We can’t get back to Ponyville, either,” Twilight argued. “I know how you feel; I want to be back as soon as possible too, but without the carriage service and in this storm? There's no way we'd make it out.”

Rainbow stomped her hoof angrily as Twilight's magic released her. “Then what do you want to do, sit here and wait!?”

“What else can we do?”

“You seriously expect me to...” Rainbow trailed off as she looked at Twilight. “You expect me to sit around and do nothing!?” When Twilight nodded, Rainbow snorted derisively, turning and marching away down a hall. “Oh sure, let's just wait around here in our perfect little cabin!”

Twilight sighed, racing to catch up with her wife and calling after her. Eventually their voices faded into quiet mumbles, leaving Silver Hoof alone in the entryway with the discarded letter. 

He eyed the paper sceptically, biting his lip. “It's not yours,” he muttered to himself, even as he took a step forward. “You shouldn't read other pony's mail.”

He plucked the letter off the ground and held it in his hooves, his eyes scanning the page. 

Dearest Twilight and Rainbow Dash,

I apologize in advance for disturbing you two on your honeymoon, but I felt like this is something you should know. 

It's about Scootaloo; she's in the hospital. They have her in stable condition, and she's going to be okay, so don't panic. But what's worrying is what happened to her. While making her rounds and ensuring all her animals were okay, Fluttershy found Scootaloo at the bottom of Ghastly Gorge, as though she'd fallen in. 

We don't know how or why she was anywhere near the gorge, but the doctors have a theory.

They think she jumped.

-Rarity

> 5. Homeward
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Under Our Wing
Chapter 5
Homeward

“You know, it's impolite to read another pony's mail.”

Silver Hoof jumped, the letter falling from his hooves as his head snapped up. “S-sorry,” he muttered shamefully, bowing his head as Twilight collected the parchment into her magic and folded it.

“It's alright; with how we were acting I'd probably do the same,” she admitted, sliding the letter back into the envelope.

“What about-”

“Rainbow?” Twilight offered, smiling as the stallion nodded. “She'll be okay. She's stubborn but not completely illogical. Once she calms down a little I'll be able to talk her into waiting until the storm passes. She probably won't get much sleep tonight though...”

Silver Hoof nodded slowly, fiddling with his hooves awkwardly. “Sounds like she really cares about this Scootaloo.”

Twilight chuckled. “You could say that.”

A long stretch of silence filled the air as it became evident Twilight didn't want to say any more on the matter. Finally, Silver Hoof cleared his throat and started towards the stairs. “Well, I should probably go check on Neon and Misty.”

“I think Rainbow put them in the rooms at the end of the hall, just turn left from the top of the stairs. You can have any of the rooms down there.” Twilight called as the stallion reached the second floor landing. Giving his thanks he turned and hurried towards the end of the hall. 

Twilight sighed as soon as he was out of earshot, her smile falling as she too left the entryway, searching for the pegasus she'd managed to lose in the colossal house. Eventually, after checking more room than she cared to admit, she found Rainbow sitting in the dining room, staring out the patio doors into the storm raging through the quiet meadow their cabin was built in. The pegasus's ears perked up as Twilight entered the room. 

“It doesn't make any sense,” Rainbow muttered without turning away from the window. “It's not like her life was perfect, but... she's such a happy filly. Why would she have jumped? I swear if it had anything to do with those two snooty brats in her class...”

Sighing to herself quietly, Twilight came and sat next to her wife, leaning up against her. “We'll know more when we get back tomorrow, but I'm sure it's not like that. For now it's only a theory; unless Scootaloo tells them, they won't know what happened for sure.”

Rainbow slapped a hoof against the cold glass window, the hollow thunk was quickly swallowed by the howling winds. “If it weren't for this stupid storm I'd fly us back... but not even I could make it out of this, especially with a passenger...”

“We'll leave for home first thing in the morning, okay?” Twilight offered, standing and motioning for Rainbow to follow her. “Come on, let's get some sleep.”

Begrudgingly, Rainbow slowly turned away from the window and trudged alongside Twilight to their bedroom. “As soon as the storm stops, Twi. As soon as it lightens up enough that we can make it out.”

“Hmm?” Twilight tilted her head curiously.

“We're leaving,” Rainbow clarified. “As soon as possible, I'm flying us out to the main lobby and getting a carriage back to Ponyville.”

Twilight sighed as they reached their room. “You're not even going to try sleeping, are you?”

“I might oversleep.”

Groaning, Twilight watched as the pegasus went straight to their bedroom window rather than the bed. Looking between her two options, she eventually gave in and once again sat next to her wife. “Fine, have it your way. We'll leave as soon as we can.”

“Go get some sleep, Twi; I'll wake you up when the storm's calmed down,” Rainbow insisted, trying to shoo the unicorn away with her wing. Instead, Twilight grabbed the feathered appendage and curled it around herself like a blanket.

“You know I'll never get to sleep with you just sitting here like this. If you're staying up, I may as well join you.”

Rainbow sighed. “If this is your attempt to try and get me to sleep, it's not happening.”

“If that was your attempt to get me to sleep, it's not happening either,” Twilight shot back, chuckling quietly at the glare her wife gave her.

“Fine. We both know you'll be asleep in five minutes anyway.”

“Do we? Well I-” Twilight paused, yawning widely. When she saw the smirk Rainbow was wearing, her cheeks lit up a light red. “Shut up.”

“Told ya.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, resting her head against Rainbow's shoulder. “We'll see who's asleep in five minutes.” She yawned again, blinking and attempting to clear the haze from her mind. “We'll see.”

-_-_-_-

The quiet pitter-patter of raindrops on glass filled Twilight's ears as her mind returned to the waking world, slowly but surely. The wind still howled outside, but much quieter than it was when the storm started. 

“Fine, you were right,” Twilight grumbled to the mare she knew was just itching to say 'I told you so'. 

To her surprise, she got no snarky reply. Instead a low, guttural snore filled her ears. Her eyes opened and a victorious smirk appeared on her face as she saw the ceiling above her, the pair having fallen over in their sleep at some point during the night. She could feel the radiator that was Rainbow Dash next to her, the downy wing still wrapped securely around her back. 

Craning her neck, Twilight looked out the window to the storm. The rain had been reduced to that of a heavy drizzle, and the trees swayed in the wind rather than bent. If she looked out far enough towards the horizon, she could see the colours of dawn starting to peak through below the clouds. 

“Dashie~,” she called gently, turning her head around until she was met with Rainbow's sleeping face. Leaning forward, Twilight gently nuzzled her wife, watching as the pegasus stirred slowly in her sleep.

“The storm's almost over, Dashie, we can leave.”

Rainbow's eyelids pealed back slowly as she awoke, blinking blearily. She craned her neck, looking out the window, before shooting upright like somepony had lit her mane on fire. “Twi! Wake up! The storm's gone down! We can get back to Ponyville. Told you you'd fall asleep.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, stretching languidly before pushing herself onto her hooves and helping Rainbow do the same. “I'm going to ignore that comment. Come on, let's pack up and get going. I'll leave a note for Silver Hoof when he gets up.”

Giving a mock salute, Rainbow shot over to the bookcase and took the books that they'd brought with them, namely the Daring Do series, as well as a few other odds and ends from the dresser. She crammed them all into a pair of saddlebags and slung them over her shoulder. Throwing the bags over her back, she raced out of the room and found Twilight in the hallway, just finishing pinning a note to the wall opposite one of the doors, ensuring that somepony walking down the hall would see it.

“Ready?” Twilight asked, tugging on the paper a few times to make sure it would hold. At Rainbow's confirming nod, she lead the way towards the entryway of the house and through the front door once she'd double checked the contents of their bags, much to Rainbow's displeasure. By time they got out the door, the storm had died down to little more than a gentle sprinkle compared to what it used to be, and the wind was nothing more than a reminder of what had ravaged the valley not long ago. The sun was just barely peaking out over the horizon, and blue sky could be seen through small patches in the light grey clouds. 

“Let's go!” Rainbow urged, crouching down and motioning to her back. 

Twilight complied, clambering atop her wife and carefully avoiding her wings. Rainbow shifted as she adjusted to the already familiar weight, and without warning launched into the sky. “Which way's the lobby, Twi?” She asked over her shoulder.

Scanning the ground, Twilight pointed towards the path leading to their cabin with a hoof and traced it back towards the center of the cabin branch. “Go there; I remember seeing a map when we were dropped off.”

A couple powerful flaps later and the pair were rocketing through the sky towards the indicated direction. Just as the howling of the wind rushing past their ears set in, a flash and subsequent crack of lightning shot though the air just tens of meters a way, reminding them that though it may have died down, the storm was anything but over. 

“Careful!” Twilight shouted over the sound of the wind as another bolt of lightning lanced by them. The rain had nearly soaked her to the bone and her mane was plastered to her face. She was sure that Rainbow had fared no better.

“I'm trying,” Rainbow snapped without looking back. “It's not exactly easy to manoeuvre with the added weight of a passenger, alright?”

Twilight rolled her eyes, squeezing herself closer to the pegasus beneath her in both an effort to conserve the heat that the rain was rapidly sapping from her skin, and make it a little less awkward for Rainbow to fly. “Better?”

“A little. It's about as good as we're going to get for now. We should be able to find a carriage or chariot back home once we reached the lobby. It's not too bad out here.”

“Speak for yourself...” Twilight muttered, shaking her sopping bangs out of her eyes to little effect. Craning her neck and peering over Rainbow's shoulder , he ensured they were still following the path back to the hub of the cabin branch. Her eyes lit up as she spotted their destination on the horizon. 

Tapping Rainbow on the shoulder, she pointed towards a small hill with a large cabin built on it. A crescent shaped wall of mountains stood between them, the path cutting its way between two of them. 

“That's it?” Rainbow asked, tilting herself down towards the gap in the mountains as another bolt of lightning cracked behind them. 

“Yeah. Hopefully we can get a ride back to the lobby from there. Or at the very least rain jackets or something.”

“Aw c'mon, Twi,” Rainbow chuckled. “A little rain never hurt anypony.”

“You can't see my mane,” Twilight shot back. She felt Rainbow snicker beneath her.

“I like how your mane looks when it's wet.”

“Shut up and fly, Featherbrain. If we're lucky we can be in Ponyville before noon.”

-_-_-_-

Sliver Hoof yawned as the door to his temporary bedroom creaked open. The bright light of dawn shone through the large windows now that the storm had passed. He meandered out into the hall drowsily, checking into the rooms of his two children to ensure they were still asleep. After getting two matching snores, her wandered back into the hall, stopping when his eyes landed upon a piece of paper stuck to the wall. 

Silver Hoof,

Sorry to run off so suddenly, but we had to leave as soon as the storm would allow, and you already know why. With any luck we should be back in Ponyville before long. Don't feel like you need to leave as soon as you wake up though; go ahead an enjoy some breakfast on us if you want, since we're still technically renting the cabin. You said today was your day off, so use it; get your wife and stay in our cabin as long as you want. We'll be stopping on the way out to let them know we're checking out, but we'll tell them we aren't leaving until later today, so you go ahead and enjoy. If anypony asks, tell them Rainbow and I are out getting some things from the central village.

-Twilight Sparkle

Silver hoof smiled, folding the letter and placing it on a table set against the wall as he made his way towards the front room. His wife was no doubt worried about him already, and the longer he waited to go find her the more stressed she would get, especially since Neon and Misty were with him. As guilty as he felt about it, a day off in one of the resort's cabins sounded wonderful. 

His thoughts were derailed when he saw a letter laying on the floor in front of the door. His idle smile shifted to a frown as he trotted over and picked it up. As expected it was addressed to Twilight and Rainbow Dash. Glancing over his shoulder, he ensured he was indeed alone as he let his curiosity convince his hoof into opening the envelope and pulling out the letter. 

Dearest Twilight and Rainbow,

I hope you get my previous letter before this one, as they're being sent on the same day, but I'm afraid I have news that the two of you need to hear. Scootaloo just woke up in hospital, with some... troubling news. She has admitted to jumping into Ghastly Gorge, but there's even worse news. Though the filly herself is fine, and will make a full recovery, her reason for jumping is... something that needs to be explained face to face.

In my last letter I thought we could handle it without you for now but... please, Scootaloo needs you back here. I hate to request this of you, but we all need you back here to help with what's happening. I'll explain everything when you're home.

-Rarity

Silver Hoof bit his lip, reading over the letter again. If the clear skies were any indication,
the storm had been safe to fly in for quite some time, meaning Rainbow and Twilight were probably already leaving the territory of the Crystal Empire, if not almost back in Ponyville.

“Mmmm... dad?” Came a sleepy groan. Silver Hoof spun around, quickly folding the letter and hiding its contents as Misty Skies trotted slowly down the stairs. “Where's Rainbow Dash?”

“They went home,” Silver Hoof explained slowly, discretely slipping the letter onto a table and walking to meet his daughter at the bottom of the stairs. “Go get your brother for me, I have a surprise for both of you.”

Misty yawned, rubbing her eye with a hoof before nodding and plodding back up the stairs. 

Silver Hoof watched her go until she was around the corner before grabbing the letter off the table again and walking over to the window, looking out to the bright blue sky, freshly freed from its cloudy prison. 

“Good luck...”

-_-_-_-

Rainbow fidgeted restlessly in her seat, front hooves idly tapping together as she tried to find a comfortable way to sit in the back of their carriage. For the umpteenth time one of her legs poked Twilight, who was sitting patiently with a book levitating in front of her muzzle. Finally, she snapped.

“Can you sit still for ten seconds!?” Twilight barked, closing her book with a sharp thud and glaring daggers at her fidgety companion. 

“No,” Rainbow shot back, meeting Twilight's glare. “And I don't know how you can. You just sit there reading like there's nothing wrong. Do you even remember why we're going home early!?”

Twilight sighed, lowering her book into her lap. “Look, I know how worried you are – I am too – but you need to realize that there's nothing we can do until we actually get back to Ponyville. Just try to relax, okay?”

“Easy for you to say,” Rainbow huffed, crossing her forelegs and slouching back into her seat. 

Frowning, Twilight leaned over and opened the window of the carriage, poking her head out and calling to the two pegasi pulling them. “How much longer until Ponyville?”

“'Bout twenty minutes,” one of them grunted over his shoulder. Twilight smiled, nodding in thanks, before pulling her head back inside. 

“Only twenty minutes until we're home, Rainbow.”

“Would've been faster if you just let me fly us...”

Twilight rolled her eyes at the argument her wife had been using the entire trip. “No, it would've been slower because you would have gotten us lost; neither of us have a map, nor do we know how to get to Ponyville from the Crystal Empire.”

“We could have gotten a map,” Rainbow argued. 

“That's what I kept saying, but you insisted we didn't have time to search the Empire for a map, so we left without one.”

“Well...” Rainbow trailed of, at a loss for a good argument. “How hard could it be? The Empire is in the north, so we'd just fly south!”

Twilight shook her head slowly, a hoof held to the bridge of her nose. “That's... not how geography works. Just try and keep your mind off Scootaloo, okay? We can't do anything about it until we're home, and this is the fastest way to get home.”

“How am I supposed to not think about Scootaloo? You read the letter; you know what she tried to do!”

“I already told you, Rainbow; it's just a theory the doctors have to explain her injuries. There could still be other explanations. Unless Scootaloo tells them anything, we won't really know what happened. For now at least she's going to be okay, and that's what's important right now,” Twilight explained slowly. “Here, you brought all the Daring Do books, why don't you read one?”

Rainbow sighed, glancing over to the saddlebags filled with books. “I guess...”

“We're almost home, just try and distract yourself.” Twilight's horn lit up for a few moments as she brought forth one of the books from her bag, scanning the title before passing it to Rainbow. “Daring Do and the Griffon's Goblet, one of your favourites, right?”

Giving a large, theatrical sigh of acceptance, Rainbow grabbed the book out of the air and flipped it open to a random page. “Happy?” She muttered as her eyes wandered over the page, never actually reading what was printed there. 

“No, but until we get back to Ponyville it's the only thing we can do.” When Rainbow didn't answer, Twilight frowned and placed a gentle hoof on her shoulder. “Hey, you know Scootaloo's going to be okay, right? Even if she did... jump, we'll figure things out.”

“I know...” Rainbow mumbled, even as she shrugged off Twilight's hoof. Twilight watched her for a second before lifting her own book up and flipping to her page. 

For the rest of the trip the pair kept their eyes glued to their respective books, one reading and the other lost in their thoughts and their worries. The sun was high in the sky by time they got to Ponyville, and was beginning its decent from its apex when they felt the carriage touch down on the rough cobbled roads. Finally they were home, and before they had even come to a complete stop Rainbow burst through the door, forgoing the path as she flew straight towards a tall building atop a hill on the outskirts of Ponyville. Twilight wasn’t far behind her, slinging her saddlebags over her back and paying the drivers before lighting her horn and teleporting herself to the hospital. 

With a flash and a pop she appeared in the middle of the hospital's waiting room just as Rainbow burst through the doors. Together they rushed towards the receptionist. 

“Where is she!?” Rainbow barked, slamming her hooves down on her desk. 

The receptionist gave her a very bored, unamused stare. “Well I could sort through every female patient we have, listing them off one by one for you - which I would just love to do - or you could expedite the process and tell me who you're looking for,” she deadpanned, no small amount of sarcasm trickling into her voice.

“Scootaloo,” Rainbow clarified through grit teeth.

The mare behind the desk smiled sweetly. “See, was that so hard?” She asked before going to work shuffling through a folder, the smile falling from her face as she started muttering under her breath. 

“Well?” Rainbow pressed impatiently.

“How about you look through these hundreds of papers for a single name, hmm?” The receptionist shot back, not even lifting her gaze from her files.

“Why you- mmph”

“Now's not the time, Rainbow,” Twilight scolded, slowly removing her hoof from Rainbow's mouth.

“I found her,” the receptionist called. “But you can't see her yet, she's-”

“What!? Why not!?”

Rolling her eyes, the receptionist tucked her files back into her desk. “As I was about to say,” she shot a glare at the apparently very impatient pegasus. “She's currently in the operating room. She should be out in an hour or so, and once the anaesthesia wears off you'll be able to see her.”

Rainbow growled lowly. “Why is she being operated on? Rarity said she was going to be fine!”

“I am not at liberty to disclose a patient's medical information with somepony without the patient's express permission or the permission of their legal guardians,” the receptionist recited, as though quoting straight from a manual – which she probably was. 

Twilight sighed, forcefully dragging Rainbow away from the desk. “Come on, we'll just have to wait until Scootaloo's awake, then we can ask her ourselves.”

“Yeah, I guess. Still, I wish- Sweetie Belle?” Rainbow cut herself off as a familiar pearly white unicorn filly caught her eye. Sure enough, Sweetie Belle was sitting in a chair against the wall, head slumped back and quiet snores escaping her mouth. Next to her was Applebloom, also sound asleep.

Sharing a confused look, Rainbow and Twilight walked over to where they were sitting. Twilight gently nudged Sweetie's shoulder, eliciting a sleeping grumble as the filly woke up.

“Huh? Who – Twilight?” Sweetie Belle murmured, eyes blinking open slowly. “When did...” She paused, yawning and stretching languidly as she fully woke up. “When did you get back?”

“Just a few minutes ago,” Twilight explained. “Why are you here?”

“Scootaloo,” Sweetie said with a shrug. “They kicked us out of her room a while ago, said something about surgery...”

Twilight smiled kindly at the filly. “How long have you been here?”

“Since last night. As soon as we heard about Scootaloo we came and waited for her to wake up... she seemed really off though; all mopey looking. She wouldn't say a word to me or Applebloom. I don't know what happened though. Rarity came and was talking to the doctors, but she wouldn't tell me what was going on,” Sweetie explained.

“Where's Rarity now? We need to see her,” Rainbow asked impatiently, a hoof tapping against the ground. 

Sweetie Belle glanced around the front room, before shrugging. “I don't know... she, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were here before I fell asleep... but she must have left.”

“Just to get lunch, darling,” Rarity called as she trotted quickly through the front door, bringing with her a saddlebag. “Pinkie and Fluttershy had to leave, but they said they'd be back later tonight.

Rainbow bolted off the ground, hurrying over and hovering just in front of Rarity. “Tell me everything!”

Wearing a clearly forced smile, Rarity levitated a paper bag out of her saddlebags and passed it to Sweetie Belle. “There are some sandwiches in there for you and Applebloom, I have to talk to Twilight and Rainbow Dash for a minute, okay?”

“Okay!” Sweetie called, already digging through the bag.

“Let's go somewhere more... private...” Rarity trailed off, motioning for them to follow as she walked back out the front doors. Rainbow and Twilight shared an uneasy glance before complying. 

Rarity lead them out the doors and a little ways down the hill before turning off the road. When they were out of earshot from anypony who might be on their way to the hospital, she stopped. “Well, I must admit I didn't expect you two home until tonight; I only sent the second letter last night.”

“Second letter?” Twilight and Rainbow echoed in unison.

Rarity frowned. “Oh... so then you left before that... well, I suppose that's understandable. Still, that means I need to fill you two in on a little more information. First, Scootaloo woke up last night and... I'm afraid she admitted to jumping, but there is even worse news...”

“Worse news!” Rainbow shouted, “How can there be worse news than Scootaloo trying to...” she trailed off, unable to say it.

“Well... Rarity chewed her bottom lip nervously. “What's worse is why she... jumped... it's about her parents, you see-”

“What about her parents?” Rainbow's eye narrowed dangerously. “Did they do anything to her!?”

“What? No!” Rarity shook her head vigorously. “Good heavens no, nothing like that. It's... well... they were on business out in Manehattan and... the train they were coming home on derailed...

“They didn't survive.”
> 6. Written in Stone
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Under Our Wing
Chapter 6
Written in Stone


“WHAT!?”

Rarity bit her lip, glancing around nervously before looking back to the two equally shocked faces before her. “I'm afraid so... I only just found out about it last night. A couple guards came to the hospital looking for Scootaloo and they told me what happened.”

Twilight fell back to her haunches, eyes wide as she stared into some space only she was aware of. “I... I can't imagine...”

“When... when did this happen?” Rainbow asked, still numb from the news.

“The day before your wedding is when the train derailed. According the the guards they went to tell Scootaloo and... she ran away. They've been looking for her since, and you know what finally happened just yesterday... not that I can blame her, the poor thing...” Rarity explained solemnly. “Were either of you close with them?”

Rainbow shook her head slowly. “No.. no, not really. I mean I knew them; they had me look after Scoot's a few times when she was younger and they had to go out of town but... I never really knew them...”

Nodding her head, Twilight sniffled. “I only met them a few times but... to think they're just gone... how Scootaloo must have felt when they told her...”

“What's going to happen to her now?” Rainbow asked hesitantly, scared of the answer she suspected was the truth.

“She's still a filly, and she doesn't have any other relatives,” Rarity sighed sadly. “Once she's healed, they'll move her to an orphanage in Canterlot or Cloudsdale.”

Twilight stared wide eyes at the ground in front of her, locked in her own mind. Eventually, she asked, “How long until she's released from hospital?”

“I don't know; the doctors aren't allowed to tell me anything without permission, and Scootaloo's refusing to talk to anypony. The only thing she's said is that Sweetie Belle and Applebloom could go in, and that we shouldn't have saved her...” Rarity trailed off for a moment. “She barely even acknowledges her friends, but they won't leave her. I don't know what I'm supposed to do with them; they don't know about Scootaloo's parents yet, or what she did, and I don't want to be the one to tell them she'll be leaving Ponyville...”

“We have to do something!” Rainbow shouted angrily, stomping her hoof into the ground. “We can't just sit around and do nothing!”

Rarity sighed sadly. “What can we do? I'm worried about her too, but what she needs right now is a kind of help none of us can provide. All we can do for now is trust that wherever she gets placed, they get her to a psychiatrist, and hope that she doesn't try again.”

“There has to be something...” Rainbow trailed off, glancing back at the suddenly imposing form of the hospital. “I can't just... abandon her...”

Reaching out, Twilight placed a gentle hoof on the pegasus' shoulder. “You're not abandoning her, Rainbow; there's nothing you can do right now. When she wakes up we'll talk to her but... Rarity's right; she needs more than what we can give her.”

Rainbow didn't respond, instead opting to continue glaring at the dirt beneath her hooves. Rarity sighed sadly. “She's a strong filly, but this is... I don't know how she's going to make it.”

“She'll be out of it for a while,” Twilight said, shifting awkwardly. “We should probably go drop our stuff off, maybe get something to eat. Hopefully by time we get back she'll be awake and willing to talk to us.”

“I'm not leaving her.”

Twilight sighed, shaking her head. “I thought you'd say that. Here; give me your bags. I'll take them back and pick you up something to eat, alright?”

“I'm sorry I didn't grab something for you girls,” Rarity apologized guiltily. “I didn't think you'd be back until later tonight. I should have known you'd leave the first chance you got.”

“It's alright, Rarity,” Twilight assured as she levitated the bags from Rainbow's back. “I'll be back soon. And Rainbow?”

The pegasus grunted, already starting her way back up the hill to the hospital.

Twilight sighed, not even beginning to believe the words she was about to say. “We'll figure something out.”

“I... I know we will, Twi.” She looked over her shoulder, the tears gathering in her eyes telling more than the fractured smile on her lips. “We have to.”





“Ah, hello again, Rainbow Dash. It's been a while since you've been here.”

Rainbow's head snapped up from her pacing hooves, looking to the source of the voice. “Heya Doc.”

Doctor Stable frowned when he heard the hollow tone in the mare's voice. His eyes narrowed slightly. “Aren't you and Twilight supposed to be on a honeymoon or something?”

“We came back... for Scootaloo,” Rainbow answered slowly, turning so she was fully facing the stallion. “How is she?”

“Scootaloo?” He asked, slightly puzzled as he turned to the disinterested receptionist. “Why's Scootaloo in here?”

The mare blinked at him a few times before raising an eyebrow. She leaned forward over her desk, whispering; “She jumped into Ghastly Gorge. She should have just gotten out of surgery.”

The doctor's eyes widened. “She what!? Why was I not informed of this!?”

“You were busy; she's being looked after by Doctor...” she trailed off, glancing through her files a moment. “Doctor Cure.”

The brown stallion shook his head. “I'm never too busy to be informed of a foal getting injured in such a manner. We work a little differently than the Canterlot hospitals did, and as head Doctor in this hospital I am to be informed of every patient who comes through that door. Understood?”

The mare nodded swiftly. “O-of course, I didn't mean to-”

“It's fine, just make sure I'm informed from now on. You'll find very few things keep me too occupied to care about the ponies in this town. However, a more pressing matter is why Rainbow Dash is sitting out here if Scootaloo is no longer in surgery.”

“She's not a family member,” the receptionist said casually, shrugging her shoulders. “We need the patient's permission for visitors.”

Doctor Stable groaned, rolling his eyes. “This mare is, in every respect that truly matters, Scootaloo's older sister. Now I want you to personally show her to Scootaloo's room, and... actually, scratch that. I'll show her the way, and you're to have Scootaloo's file on my desk when I get back; as her GP I'd like to know exactly what happened.”

“Of course, Doctor. She's in room 314,” The mare said, already gathering files in her hooves.

The stallion nodded his approval, motioning with a hoof for Rainbow to follow him, an offer she accepted without hesitation. “I do apologize; she's pretty new around town, used to work up in Canterlot. Had I know what happened I'd have tended to Scootaloo personally.”

“Listen, Doc, I appreciate this, but Twi-”

“Will be shown up as soon as she arrives. I trust she'll be here shortly?”

Rainbow felt herself give a small smile. “Y-yeah... she just went to grab some things. But... about Scootaloo...”

“I'm sure she's going to be just fine, Rainbow Dash; there's nothing to worry about,” The doctor replied smoothly as he lead the way up a short flight of stairs.

“I... I dunno, Doc,” Rainbow said slowly, fidgeting awkwardly, her feathers bristling with an anxious energy. “Did you hear what happened to her?”

Doctor Stable sighed under his breath. “My receptionist tells me she jumped into Ghastly Gorge, but that can't be right. It's probably just a theory to explain what happened – Quick Cure does like to jump to conclusion a fair bit more than I can recommend in these situations - and when Scootaloo wakes up she'll explain how she fell in doing something to find her cutie mark. Isn't that always the reason with her?”

“No... according to Rarity she already woke up.” Rainbow bit her lip nervously as she was stopped in front of dark wooden door, the numbers '314' written on a copper plaque. “And said they shouldn't have saved her...”

“What?” The doctor's eyes grew wide and he staggered back as though somepony had just punched him in the gut. “Why would-”

Rainbow hung her head, biting back a sniffle. “It's her parents... they were on a train coming back from Manehattan when it derailed. They're both dead.”

The very air that filled the hall seemed to freeze as the words left her lips, as though the building itself were mourning the loss of life. Doctor Stable seemed at a loss as several long moments passed. Eventually he nodded slowly and motioned to the door. “This is her room... I... I have some calls to make. Please, excuse me.”

Rainbow watched him hurry down the hall, white coat fluttering behind him as he turned a corner. She looked back to the door looming over her, a chill running down her spine. Countless images swam through her mind as she imagined what might lay behind the door. A broken and battered body, kept alive only by machines, was the first thing Rainbow saw, and the very thing she feared most.

With a careful, trembling hoof, she pushed the door open. Silent thanks to the well-maintained hinges, it left in its wake an image Rainbow Dash did not expect, but was perhaps more terrifying than anything her mind could conjure up, simply because due to the reality of it.

In a small square room, air permeated with a sterile smell that stung at her nostrils, was a single bed covered in mint-green sheets that matched the drapes covering the room's one window. The floor was a simple linoleum pattern of white tiles, supporting only the bed and an adjacent nightstand. The light was out and the curtains were drawn, bathing the room in a foreboding darkness that only served to highlight a small figure in the bed as the light from the hall washed over it.

What little light made it through the window illuminated a purple tuft of scraggly mane poking out from beneath the light blanket. A lump beneath the covers rose and fell slowly, methodically – mechanically. For a moment Rainbow's heart seized, though she let out a small breath when she did not hear the tell-tale beeping of machinery. In fact, the room was silent save for the quiet, near-inaudible breaths of the filly in the bed who was, at the very least, living on her own strength.

“S-scoot's?” Rainbow called, her voice cracked and hoarse as though she'd not used it in days. The lump beneath the covered twitched, shifted, before falling still again as the blanket fell away slightly. Scootaloo's head, propped up on a pillow, rolled into a sliver of light falling from between the curtains, casting her face in stark contrast.  The filly's forehead was wrapped with white bandages, part of her mane having been shaved away, and one of her eyes was swollen. Rainbow stepped slowly into the room, coming to the foot of the bed.

For what felt like hours she just stood there, looking down at the filly before her and struggling to accept the reality of the station. Any minute now Scootaloo would jump out of the bed, a huge smile plastered on her face, and declare the entire thing a prank. Rainbow blinked, and her eyes focused away from her fantasy and back to cold, hard reality. Perhaps, the next time she closed her eyes, she'd open them and be staring up at the roof of her cabin the Crystal Empire, and everything would be a dream.

She blinked again, and again her hopes died, strangled like a flame in a jar.

“Rainbow?”

The pegasus jumped at the sudden voice, her head whipping around to find the source. Twilight stood hesitantly int he doorway, framed in dim the light from the hall.

Rainbow held a hoof to her lips, motioning for Twilight to come in. “She's still asleep,” she whispered.

Twilight nodded her understanding, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her. The light from the all was shut out, leaving the room even darker than it was before. The wafting aroma from a brown paper bag carried in Twilight's magic caught Rainbow's attention. She raised an eyebrow.

“It's called comfort food,” Twilight said with a roll of her eyes, taking out two individually wrapped hayburgers. “And right now... we could all use a little comfort.”

“It's weird... I saw them just a few weeks ago, before they left on their trip...” Rainbow ruffled her feathers and sat in one of a row of chairs against the wall. “And now I'll never see them again...”

A sigh thick with emotion was the unicorn's response as she too sat in a chair, passing one of the burgers to Rainbow and unwrapping her own. “I can't even begin to imagine how she must feel... I've never lost anypony like that. Even my grandparents are still around. If I lost both my parents like that... and at such a young age...”

“Somepony needs to tell Applebloom and Sweetie Belle...”

“They're still waiting in the lobby,” Twilight said, hesitantly glancing towards the door. “I wouldn't let them follow me up... not until Scootaloo's awake. They shouldn't see her like this.”

Rainbow gave a quite sound of agreement, sagging in her chair. Neither of them had touched the food, a fact Twilight noted with a frown. “I guess it's asking a bit much to feel like eating at a time like this.”

“She's a strong filly,” Rainbow said quietly, more to herself than the other mare in the room. “She'll get through this... somehow.”





Thunder shook the earth and lightning split the sky as pitch black clouds pelted the earth with rain. Wind howled in the trees like the shrieks of banshees in the distance. It was all but black outside, lit only by the frequent strikes of lightning that showed snapshots of the world, frozen in a single flash of light. In the middle of it all a lone filly sat, surrounded by the wailing trees and rumbling thunder, her tears hidden by the water pouring from her sopping purple mane. 

Her orange hooves sunk up to her knees in mud, though she could care less about her appearance. If she was being honest with herself, she could care less about most things. The pain had only grown stronger with her tears until she felt nothing but the all-consuming sorrow. 

So Scootaloo stood on shaking legs and frozen hooves, looking down into Ghastly Gorge. The darkness made the abyss seem endless, the wind blowing through the crevasse and making a moaning, groaning rumble. The earth itself sounded as hungry as her own growling stomach.

The filly's shoulders shook with her sobs, tears blurring her vision as she stepped up to the edge, her wings snapping open on instinct alone. Not like they'd help her if she fell; too small to even hover, and so water logged they'd speed up her decent rather than slow it down. No... if she fell in, it was as good as a death sentence. If the fall didn't get her, the rushing water she knew lay at the bottom would surely pull her under.

Yet she didn't step back. Instead, treading carefully on the mud slicked ground, Scootaloo walked forward as far as she could go, sitting back on her flank and letting her forehooves dangle over the seemingly infinite darkness below. From above, shining through a small hole in the clouds, a single ray of moonlight shone down on her like a spotlight. Suddenly she was on the stage at her school's talent show, standing tall and proud in front of the crowd alongside her two closest friends in the world.

Looking out across the sea of ponies Scootaloo's smile widened when she saw two faces, one an orange pegasus mare with a lemon-lime mane and the other an earth pony stallion with a purple mane and deep red coat. They grinned when she caught their eyes and waved.

A flash of lightning struck and brought reality crashing down on the filly as she looked down into the gorge. In the darkness she could swear she could see her parent's faces in the sliver of moonlight that shown down past her hooves. Blinking her eyes hard the images faded and her heart twisted painfully in her chest.

Scootaloo stood up, fanned her wings, and stepped forward...

Then hesitated as two other faces from her memory replayed in her mind.

“Sweetie Belle... Applebloom... I...” she sniffled loudly, backing away from the edge. She managed to get two more steps back before nature intervened in the form of of a massive gust of wind that caught in her wings, sending her tumbling forward. Her outstretched hooves stopped just short of the edge, and a sigh of relief escaped her lips before a low rumbling shook the ground. A rumbling that did not come from the sky.

The mud beneath Scootaloo's hooves fell away in an instant, the loosened dirt sliding frictionlessy into the gorge, and binging the filly in with it. Her lungs burned as she screamed, falling into the darkness even as her useless wings flapped with all their might. 

As the last spec of light from above was lost and she was sent tumbling alone into an impenetrable darkness, her screams stopped. She looked down, knowing that soon she'd hit the bottom and be swept away in the current, and her heart slowed. Once again in the darkness she saw two familiar faces looking at her, smiling at her, waiting for her.

Scootaloo's heart slowed, her breathing evened, and she closed her eyes.

And she waited.

And waited.

And waited.

A magenta eye peaked open. Still there was darkness, but her tail no longer fluttered in the rushing air. Her breath returned to her lungs as she realized she was no longer falling.

“Is... is it over?” She asked herself aloud, opening both eyes and looking around the blackness that consumed her vision.

“Yes, child, it is over. Though not how you expected.”

Scootaloo started at the familiar voice, whipping her head around. “Princess Luna... so I'm-”

“Dreaming, yes,” the princess answered with a solemn nod. With a wave of her horn a scene materialized around them. Scootaloo suddenly fund herself on a small hill overlooking Ponyville, a full moon hanging in the sky and the stars brighter than she'd ever before seen them. 

The filly's eyes brightened. “So then my parents aren't really-” She stopped dead when she saw the pained look on the alicorn's face. “No... please... please say it was all just a dream. I-it has to be a dream! Please...”

Luna sighed, falling back onto her flank and extending a wing to wrap around the filly even as she shied away from the contact. “I am truly sorry, Scootaloo, but this dream was more memory than imagination.”

More tears streamed down the filly's face as she forced herself out from under the wing. “No!” She screamed, “It's a nightmare. You're part of it too! It has to be... I gotta wake up.”

“Scootaloo...”

“Wake up!” She lifted her hoof and bit into her leg. “Wake up wake up wakeupwakeup!” By time she let goo her teeth had broke her skin and blood oozed down her foreleg.

“Scootaloo, please, you must-”

“You shouldn't have saved me!” Scootaloo shouted, glaring through her bleary eyes at the midnight princes. “I'd have woken up when I hit the ground! I'd be awake and and they'd be there and... and...”

Luna lit her horn, the wound vanishing from the filly's leg. “Please, Scootaloo, listen to me. I know it hurts – believe me I know – but you cannot let it consume you.”

“Why not!?” Scootaloo demanded, stamping her hooves into the grass beneath her as she remembered waking up in the hospital. “I just want to be happy... with my mom and my dad... why won't anypony let me be happy with them?! If Fluttershy hadn't found me-”

“You'd leave two heartbroken fillies without their friend. A mare without a sister. You'd cut short a life that is only just beginning,” Luna said, her voice firm with a gentle, soothing undertone. 

Scootaloo sniffled weakly, hanging her head and obscuring her eyes behind her bangs. “B-but... my parents...”

“Would want you to go on and be happy. You don't die for those you love; you live for them.” Luna sighed when the filly didn't respond. “The next year will be a trying time for you, child. At times it will seem as though all hope for a happy future is lost, but I urge you to not give up on living a full life.”

“Shut up; you don't know what it feels like... you don't know anything!”

Luna nodded. “Perhaps not... I will continue to watch over your dreams, young Scootaloo. We do not want a repeat of tonight. Now, there are some ponies waiting for you in the waking world. Please, take my advice.”

With a flash of light the princess of gone, leaving Scootaloo alone as the hill slowly faded back to blackness and a soft pressure formed beneath her. She shifted slightly, feeling a pillow beneath her head and a blanket atop her body.

“I think she's waking up!”

“Scootaloo? Hey... Scoot's...”

Scootaloo's eyes screwed shut tighter, praying that if she just fell back asleep she'd wake up in her own bed in her own room. When it didn't happen, she let out a short, strangled sob. “She shouldn't have saved me...”






> Good Night, Sweet Prince.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Under Our Wing
Chapter 7
???

“Hey, Scootaloo...” Rainbow trailed off awkwardly, watching as the filly shifted beneath the sheets, wrapping herself deeper in their embrace. “C'mon, Scoots; I know you're awake.”

“Am not...” Scootaloo argued, her voice near silent. “I can't be awake... not if they're really...”

Rainbow sighed. “I'm sorry, Scootaloo...”

The filly stopped tossing and turning, coming to rest with her back turned to the two mares in the room. “Good for you,” she muttered.

“Scootaloo, we-” Rainbow started, but was stopped as a purple glow snapped her muzzle shut. She looked back at Twilight, who merely shook her head slowly. Begrudgingly, the pegasus followed her lead and sat back in the chair, biting her tongue.

Taking a breath, Twilight forced her voice to even out. “How was surgery? Do you know what they were doing?”

Scootaloo snorted derisively, ignoring the question and instead opting to push her head further into her pillow.

Sighing to herself, Twilight leaned back in her chair, watching the bed with a pensive frown. Rainbow glanced over uncertainly, but the unicorn simply held a hoof to her lips, motioning for silence. Hesitantly, Rainbow nodded, though she remained visibly tense as the seconds ticked by in silence. 

The air grew thick with silence and, as much as she hated to admit it, Scootaloo didn't like it. She shifted, struggling to get comfortable, closing her eyes and praying for sleep. When that didn't work she grit her teeth. Eventually, a small voice came from beneath her covers; “I-it... was okay... they said something a-about... internal bleeding...”

Twilight allowed a small smile to spread her lips as she gave a victorious glance to Rainbow. “Everything went well then?”

Scootaloo nodded, rolling onto her back and staring up at the ceiling. “Y-yeah... the doctors were really nice...”

When silence once again descended upon the room, it was light, no longer stifling with tension. Even that grew on Scootaloo's nerves, however, and soon she was the one to start a conversation. “H-how... how was your honeymoon?”

“It was great, Scoots,” Rainbow answered slowly. “We had a massive cabin – more like a mansion, really – all to ourselves.”

Slowly, Scootaloo turned herself all the way over so she was looking directly at the two other ponies in her room. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow had to hold back a few tears as she saw the numerous bruises covering the filly's face, instead focusing on the question. “You should have seen it, Scoots; made almost entirely of crystal, just like the Crystal Empire itself. It was in this awesome valley, with a waterfall and river and everything! We even had a pool in the back!”

Scootaloo's eyes shone in awe, her mind conjuring an admittedly over-blown image of the cabin. “Did you have servants and everything?”

Chuckling, the older pegasus shook her head. “No, nothing like that. But the ponies who worked for the resort were really nice. We met this cool stallion and his kids. One of them might just give you a run for your money as my biggest fan, by the way.”

The filly rolled her eyes. “As if; nopony can be a bigger than than me, because I'm your...” she trailed off suddenly, the shine all but dying in her eyes. “Sister...”

“Oh, Scootaloo, we-”

The door swung open suddenly, cutting Twilight off mid-sentence as Doctor Stable strode in, clop board hovering in front of his muzzle. “Rainbow, Twilight,” he greeted distractedly, flipping a few patches before settling on the front one and finally lowering the board. He cleared his throat and settled his gaze on the filly in the bed. “Scootaloo.”

Scootaloo frowned at the doctor.

Noting her displeased look, the stallion lowered his head slightly. “I'm glad to see the surgery went well, and I must say; you're a very lucky filly.”

“Lucky?” She all but spat, her glare only hardening despite the tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

Either not noticing or not caring about her response, Doctor Stable continued, “Indeed. By all rights the fall into Ghastly Gorge should have killed you, and instead you get away with a concussion, a few cracked ribs, and a sprained wing as well as a minor gash on your head and other cuts and bruises.”

Scootaloo eyed the doctor carefully a moment before speaking. “That was the point,” she deadpanned. “I was supposed to die.”

In her chair, Rainbow bit her lip hard enough to draw blood in an effort to keep herself from crying, shifting in her chair. Twilight didn't even try to stop the tears at hearing the filly admit to such a thing.

“Really?” Doctor Stable asked, seemingly unfazed. “I don't think that's true, Scootaloo. Because you're a smart, strong filly. I don't believe for a moment you intended to jump when you went to the gorge. Do you want to know what I think?”

Scootaloo pursed her lips, averting her eyes from the doctor.

“I think it was an accident, Scootaloo. I think you went there to be alone – to think. And something happened.”

The filly sniffled and looked up to the doctor, meeting his eyes with her own, tear filled gaze. “H-how-”

The doctor held up his hoof, silencing her. When he lowered it, he offered only a kind smile. “I know you, Scootaloo, and I know you'd never, ever abandon your friends like that. Speaking of...” he trailed off and poked his head out the door. A moment later two other fillies came rushing into the room.

“Scootaloo!” They cried in unison, just barely holding back from hopping on the bed and tackling the pegasus.

“Sweetie... Apple Bloom... I...”

Doctor Stable smiled slightly and motioned subtly for Twilight and Rainbow to follow him. Hesitantly they left the fillies alone and the three stepped into the hallway, closing the door and taking a few steps down the hall to be sure they were out of earshot.

“Doc, how'd you know? That she didn't jump?” Rainbow asked, breaking the silence before it could grow too long.

The stallion sighed. “Princess Luna-”

“Can explain herself,” a regal voice cut in smoothly. “You have other patients, doctor. I trust you did as I said?”

“She admitted she didn't jump,” he said with a nod as all eyes turned to the Princess standing at the end of the hall. “But the poor filly was nearly in tears. Are you sure-”

Luna cut it again. “It is better to cry than to wish death upon one's self, no? But right now we have more pressing matters to deal with. Myself and the newly wed couple, specifically.”

With a hesitant nod and a sigh, Doctor Stable took the hint and turned away, calling over his shoulder, “Call me if Scootaloo needs anything.”

When the stallion disappeared around a corner, Luna focused her attention back on Rainbow Dash and Twilight, both still slightly shell shocked as the princess approached and stood before them. “You two... it is most unfortunate your honeymoon has ended in such a manor, but the situation cannot be helped. Right now Scootaloo needs you both, whether she will admit it or not.”

“Princess...” Rainbow started slowly, unsure of how exactly to go about asking her numerous question. “Why... why would Scootaloo lie? About.... about jumping?” she asked in a very small, almost timid voice. 

Luna simply frowned. “Why do we do anything when grieving? While it is true that, before she fell, she had no true intention of jumping, after the fact... she may have come to accept her death. Yearn for it, even, and that thought has stayed with her even now. I've seen her dreams, and though greatly exaggerated, they tell of what happened that night. But that is not what we need to talk about right now.”

The princess paused and lit her horn. A moment later a small, pink envelope was pulled from her flowing mane and passed into Twilight's magic. The unicorn read the cover and her eyes grew wide as her telekinetic hold faltered, the letter dropping to the ground. “This-”

“Is from her parents,” Luna answered as Rainbow picked up the letter in a wing. “Sent before they boarded the train, likely delayed in the mail. It arrived just this morning.”

Rainbow frowned at the letter in her hooves before carrying it over to the princess. “Just how do you know about all this?”

“I watch of the realm of dreams, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo's have been particularly troubled the past few days. I know only has much as her nightmares tell me, and I would hardly be able to call myself a Princess of Equestria if I did not seek to aid a filly who lost her parents.”

“Does Celestia know?” Twilight asked, glancing back towards the door that lead to Scootaloo's room. “I'd... like to talk with her about something.”

Luna nodded. “Yes, my sister is aware of Scootaloo's situation. But Scootaloo's parents were not the only ponies who lost their lives on that train, and she has her hooves full. However, whatever my sister can do for you, I can do my best to match myself.”

Offering a thankful smile, Twilight nodded slowly. “Thank you, Princess Luna, but... I need to talk to Rainbow Dash about it first and...” she trailed off, looking to the letter tucked in the pegasus's wing. “I'll send you a letter later.”

The night princess nodded, giving a knowing smile. “Very well, but don't take too long. I hear they were going to discharge her tomorrow afternoon once they know all went well with the surgery. Make sure she gets that letter; I don't know what's in it, but it should help her.”

“Thank you, Princess,” both Rainbow and Twilight called as the alicorn gave a curt nod before turning and walking down the hall a short distance. Her horn lit up, and in a blinding flash she disappeared.

Twilight shuffled her hooves awkwardly, her eyes fixed on the letter. “So I guess we'd better-”

Holding up a hoof, Rainbow stopped Twilight's sentence. “You said you needed to talk to me about something?”

“Yes but...” Twilight sighed. “It can wait a little while. We should go make sure Scootaloo's okay and... I still need to think about it.”

Rainbow nodded after a moment of silent debate. “Alright, just don't forget about it. And don't put it off,” she added quickly, offering a small smile. “Now lets go; Scoots looked pretty upset when Luna pulled us out.”

Twilight gave a small sound of agreement and together they walked swiftly back down the hall, pausing at the door before taking a breath as one and pushing it open. 



God that writing is awful compared to what I could do today. I'd also change quite a bit...... like a full-scale rewrite of this chapter, actually. Anyway, from here I was going to have Twilight obviously talk to Dash about adopting Scootaloo. Which would happen, also obviously. In the beginning Scootaloo would be mad; accusing them of trying to replace her parents. Scootaloo would get the letter, but we wouldn't find out what it said until much later in the story. Most of the chapters after this would focus on Scootaloo adjusting, the funeral of her parents being the tipping point to accepting Twilight and Rainbow. I had a really detailed plan for how that was going to go and honestly I was proud of it but for the life of me I can't remember how it was going to go. Anyway, Twilight at some point would suggest getting ice cream, which would make Scootaloo start sobbing. It is then revealed that the letter was her father promising that they'd go out for ice cream when they got back into town, as an apology for being gone so often. Yadda yadda, more adjusting as days go by and Scootaloo deals with holidays without her parents. Honestly I don't think even now I have the skill to properly write some of the emotional scenes. The story would end with Scootaloo getting ice cream with Twi and Dash. Believe it or not, one of the original plots for this story involved an anti-Celestia cult that would kidnap Twilight to get at Celestia and... yeah. It was going to be a little messy. Scootaloo was an orphan in that version, though.

However, this is the end of the line for Under Our Wing (The name is a reference to the name of the cult in the original version; Wings for the New Generation. I know I'm stupid). I'm so very sorry, everyone. I know a lot of people liked this story. But I just can't lie to myself anymore; it's not getting finished. So...

The End