> Invisible Wounds
>  by James Rye
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> ...are beautiful to look at.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	After the storm had finally deceased and its reign disappeared into nothingness, Twilight Sparkle dissolved her magical shield spell, which had protected herself and her friends. Not only her friends but also the unicorn Nova Blast, archmage of princess Celestia and well-known scientist.

The shield had kept them safe from the fallen rubble of the remains of the hideout of said scientist gone mad. All of them sans Rainbow Dash. Once the spell was gone, Twilight rushed into the debris of the destroyed villa. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity were right behind her, with Applejack as the last pony, who dragged Nova with her lasso behind her, accompanied with several "ow ow ow" sounds.

"Rainbow!" Twilight screamed as she searched for the body of her pegasus friend.

This is not how this was supposed to go. she thought while levitating big stones and wooden planks aside to find anything blue or rainbow-colored to see if her friend was well. Pinkie Pie was sniffing on the rubble like a dog, while Fluttershy was tearing up as she called out Rainbow's name again and again, but received no answer.

Rarity's white coat had turned grey, full of dust and dirt, but she paid it no mind as she rolled aside debris twice her size in hopes to find her courageous friend. Applejack kept the lamenting and bound doctor close to her, looking around frequently for any hint to where Rainbow could have fallen in this sudden storm, fearing the worst what could have happened to her reckless friend.

Why? Why did this have to happen? When did it go wrong? Why had she done this to save this? Please be okay, please don't be hurt! Rainbow! Twilight's desperate thoughts were flying around madly in her mind as she remembered why they had been here and have to search for Rainbow Dash in this display of magical destruction.

~~~~~

Celestia had called them for a new mission. A unicorn scientist had stolen a powerful artifact from the Archmage chambers and hidden it behind a barrier in his villa far away from Canterlot and Ponyville in the wildness. The royal guard and archmage circle was helpless, as the barrier around his land was formed with said artifact and couldn't be penetrated by them. The Elements of Harmony were needed to deal with it.

Thanks to it, the six ponies could enter the barrier without a problem, and encountered whatever the scientist threw at them to buy himself time to finish his machine to change the world. The artifact, called Solaris’ Tear, was one of the few artefacts Celestia and Luna had brought with them when they became princesses of Equestria.

Nopony knew its powers, and there were no records of it ever being used, not even by Celestia herself. However, after a thousand years she had allowed for her circle of archmages to study it in their chambers, as she believed their promises to find a way to make this become a helpful tool for everypony in Equestria. Nova Blast had been the pony leading those studies, and he became its thief for his own crazy plans.

Plans neither Celestia, nor Twilight, or anypony else had any idea about, but given the rock monsters, lighting arrows, and hypnotic fog inside the barrier it couldn't be a good plan. But Twilight and her friends overcame all obstacles, and stood ultimately before Nova Blast in his laboratory in the highest tower of his residence.

The scientist, once one of the highest archmages of Celestia's circle, now posessing an insane flicker in his bilious green eyes, laughed madly as the elements stood before him and his gigantic machine, nearly filling out the entire room. The roof had been opened, and the machine's antenna projected towards it, its steel-grey spear threatening the blue sky.

"It's over, Nova! Give the artefact up and surrender!" Twilight shouted as she gave the crazed pony before her a last chance to give up without a fight. But the pristine white stallion heard nothing of it as he laughed into her face.

"Over? No, silly student, this is not over at all! The new world, made by my hooves, begins NOW!" With that said, the black-maned scientist pushed a red button, and the machine started to work. It clattered, spluttered black smoke, and sprayed sparks of all colors, interrupted by the loud screaming of its creator, praising his works with cracking voice. Twilight's eyes became slit. as they had only one option left to stop him.

"Let's go, girls!"

"Ah say!"

"Certainly, darling."

"Okie-dokie!"

"O-okay..."

"About time, Twi!"

The Elements of Harmony flashed brightly, and hit the scientist and his machine with its rainbow-colored magical light. The shield bubble the archmage created was feeble against this might, and broke in an instance. After the light had faded the machine stood still, and the mad unicorn laid on the ground, unconscious. The six mares cheered, and hugged each other as they believed to have defeated another enemy of the peace of Equestria, and saved everypony from whatever plan this crazed stallion had planned.

Then the machine started to work again; or better said, it started to break down, as it shook and jogged and hissed, silencing their happy cheers and relieved expressions to be replaced by worry and fear. After a moment of shock, Twilight entered her mind of leadership, and quickly ordered everypony to get out, not without the machine creator in tow. She herself ran up to the machine, which started to glow in blazing golden color, and steamed out of every crack created by the magical overload of its content.

"What are you doing, Twilight!" Rainbow yelled as she noticed Twilight's absence from the rest of the gang. The others turned at her shout just to see a part of the ceiling crashing between them beyond the door, and Rainbow in the laboratory. The villa was shaken to its very foundations.

"Run, I'll fly Twilight out of here!" The girls nodded to Rainbow's order and started to run down the stairs to escape the fallen parts of the ceiling and shaking walls. Rainbow Dash flew towards Twilight, who was working with her magic on the machine. All her more subtle spells were forgotten as she ripped the machine open with pure force. Twilight tossed metal and bolts, wires and gems aside to open the stomach of the crude metallic monster till she found what she searched for in its deepest part.

There it was. A small golden jewel, embedded in silver and copper wires connecting it to gems of all sorts and colors. It was not bigger than a pearl, but certainly even more powerful than any alicorn amulet you could find in the world. Twilight grabbed it with her magic and tore it out of the machine's innards. It resulted in the shrill scream of a dying beast coming from the machine, robbed of its heart and soul. But it didn't go out quietly.

"It’s gonna explode!" Rainbow took immediate action as she saw the danger the two of them were in. She took Twilight into her arms in a tight embrace and flew as fast as she could through the open roof into the freedom and safety of the heavens. Yet it only delayed the inevitable.

The machine exploded into a storm of wind and magic, of lighting and black clouds, of stone and wood and metal and gems; and it all reached out to the flying pair, intending to drag them down to their demise. The villa collapsed, releasing a black tornado with blue and red lights coming out of its midst, and debris dancing in its whirl. It grew instantly, and its might touched Rainbow Dash, who felt the air being sucked in, tugging on her wings. But on top of being the fastest flier she was also the best weather pony of Equestria, so she beat her wings ever stronger, pressing her friend close to her chest, looking for a way to escape.

There she saw the others, safe behind the villa's walls, hiding from the storm's grip. Applejack held her hat while Rarity was in quiet despair, due to her mane getting messed up by the wind. Rainbow chuckled, and Twilight looked in surprise at her, as the horrific tornado was still in close sight of them, threatening to devour them alive.

"We're safe, Twi! I'll get us down to cover!" Rainbow flew down, aiming at the rest of their group with Twilight, pressing her face into her blue coat shield her eyes during the rapid fall towards the ground. Rainbow grinned, thinking how she could tease her friend about this little stunt, and how adorably she looked when she was scared.

Then her grin froze as her dive ended. Perplexed, she looked back on what had stopped her flight. Black smoke tendrils from the tornado had gotten hold of her tail, slowly creeping up towards her legs and wings, not letting go of her.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Twilight opened her eyes in response to Rainbow's frustrated shout and gasped at what she saw. She flared her horn to cut off those tendrils, yet her purple blasts went right through the smoke, leaving no damage to it. And they started to pull them into the growing tornado.

This is so unfair! Rainbow thought as she tried to win a hopeless battle of strengths. They had been just meters away from safety, and now she was grabbed by some abnormality of nature and couldn't get away anymore. On the ground behind the cover, Pinkie Pie pointed to their friends in danger. She saw Fluttershy put her hooves before her mouth to suppress her quiet scream and how Rarity stopped Applejack from attempting to leave the cover to help them somehow; though there was no way this stubborn earth pony could have helped them against this kind of storm. A purple flash appeared before Rainbow's eyes, and she blinked in confusion.

Rainbow felt a tug on her shoulders as purple hooves dragged her head closer to Twilight’s. Her friend, always the mare for a smart answer to all problems and questions, had a hopeless expression written all over her face, her mouth quivering, and eyes close to crying. Soon, Rainbow heard the reason why she looked like this.

"I tried to teleport us out of here, but it didn't work. It didn't work, Rainbow! We won't get away from it!" Twilight couldn't believe that they were at the mercy of an unnatural disaster, barred all means of escaping it; even her spells couldn't save them anymore. She pressed her lips tightly together and hid in the pegasus’ fuzzy coat as a small sob escaped her throat.

This little sob tugged at Rainbow's heart strings. It cleared her mind of frustration, and blew away the anger raging in her wings. All her power and skills she was so proud of were useless before this unholy might. She knew this for a fact, as even the mare in her arms, which she sometimes called the strongest unicorn in Equestria to tease her modesty, was left helpless. Rainbow's teeth gritted together in determination as she saw a way out.

Rainbow tilted upwards, exposing her back to the tornado only fifty metres away from them. Greedily, the tendrils latched onto the new defenseless areas while Rainbow pushed Twilight away from her chest with her front hooves. A chill ran through her blue fur, and Rainbow thought for a brief moment how warm Twilight had been in her arms and that she already missed it.

"Rainbow, wh-?" Rainbow didn't listen to Twilight's question; there was no time to expel her confusion, and if she knew what she was about to do, she would have stopped her anyway. And Rainbow wouldn't let that happen.

The storm's fingers crawled onto her shoulders and head, blackening her colors as her hind legs took aim for a rough treatment. Twilight's mouth stood open, watching how more and more the storm took possession of Rainbow. But the rose eyes before her showed no fear, only a soft glimmering of caring and her smile was one of accomplishment.

"I apologize in advance!" And before Twilight knew what her loyal friend meant, she was kicked in the guts and tossed away from the blue pegasus towards the wall where the rest of her friends hid.

"Sorry, Twi..." Rainbow whispered as she felt the final embrace of the black smoke around her body, dragging her slowly into the mouth of the machine's birth.

The others had never let the two out of their sight, even Fluttershy, though she wished this was all just a bad dream, couldn't tear her eyes away. The moment they saw Twilight being tossed towards them, all four stood up without any hesitation to catch their fallen friend. With their combined efforts they caught Twilight safely, and brought her down onto earth. The moment her hooves touched the ground, she jumped up to leap over the wall towards the storm holding Rainbow captive.

"Rainbow!"

But Applejack and Pinkie Pie held her back with all their strength while Rarity and Fluttershy pleaded her not to go. And they did rightly so, as the debris of the former villa started to fall down to the ground, destroying the little park around it and the remains of the wall. Twilight bit her tongue to avoid swearing as she cast a shield to protect her friends from the danger of the falling remains of the residence. All her friends but one.

The last Twilight saw of Rainbow Dash was a blue spot getting devoured by the blackness of the magical tornado. For the next minutes all the heroes of Equestria could do, was to huddle together and listen to the triumphant howling of the storm, interrupted only by the screams of agony and fear of their friend, caught inside it.

~~~~~~

Rainbow's world had been turned black. A stinky, endless kind of black which clung onto her body and nestled into her eyes and ears. She tried to beat her wings, but she could have waved her hooves trying to fly, as it had no effect whatsoever. The storm was screaming into her mind, tossing her around like a ball and tearing at her coat and limbs without care. Rainbow Dash screamed as loud as she could; she wanted to curse this Celestia damned tornado, but it ended in shrieks for help and scared cries.

She hated her helplessness. She was supposed to become the greatest Wonderbolt in history, and yet she was nothing but a plaything for an over-sized storm. Suddenly lightning danced over Rainbow's body, its bolts dancing over her wings and legs, leaving hot burning pain in their trails.

Rainbow's screams became shriller, filled with anguish and fright. Unable to see what was happening to her, she turned and writhed in her vulnerability to escape the bangs of pain. But the storm didn't stop. It went on faster and harder and stronger than ever. Slowly Rainbow felt her aching body give in and her mind shut down as the last of her strength was leaving her, taken by the cruel wind.

At least Twilight is safe. Rainbow thought with the tiniest smile she could afford with her dying strength. Then everything went into the deepest kind of blackness.

"Rainbow Dash. Wake up, Rainbow. Rainbow."

Finally they had found Rainbow Dash, beyond the remains of the wall behind the villa. With tears in her violet eyes, Twilight was over Rainbow's body, her trembling hooves carefully caressing her head and mane. Teardrops fell on a blue, dirtied chest which rose and sank ever so slightly, a sign their friend was alive. But if she was well was another question.

"Please, Rainbow. Please wake up. Wake up already, you stupid mare, so that I can tell you off for doing something so crazy, so stupid, so... so...so! You shouldn't, you, I- Oh please, please, please wake up. Rainbow!" Twilight's voice was wavering as guilt and fear threatened to overcome her mind. Fluttershy was crying on Rarity's shoulders who held a hoof to her muzzle to suppress the incoming sobs. Pinkie Pie's mane was straight like on the day of the birthday she thought everypony had not wanted to attend. Applejack hid her face with her hat, gritting her teeth as she wished there had been something she could have done to prevent what had happened.

"That's how you thank me for saving your life?" Everypony went silent at those whispered, hoarse words. They stared with wet eyes to the blue pegasus who opened her rose, mischievously glimmering eyes. Rainbow smiled widely at her five shocked friends, none of which returned the smile. She had been awake for a whole minute, but thought this was too good of a show to end too quickly. Now she wasn't so sure if she shouldn't have said something sooner. Apologetic, she grinned awkwardly as she sat up, waving a hoof to show that she was just fine. No wounds and injuries anywhere on her body. Not even a scratch had harmed her coat.

It was a miracle come true.

"Hey, gu-uff!"

Twilight had flung her hooves around Rainbow's neck and hugged her with all the strength she had, and to Rainbow's surprise, it sure was a lot for such a slender looking unicorn. And then four more mares jumped her into a group hug, bawling their eyes out, rejoicing about her recovery, and being all around super happy to see that she was well enough to play pranks on them.

"Guys! Ugh, seriously, guys! Your love is killing me! You'll end what the storm couldn't finish!" While Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity left the group hug, though reluctantly, Twilight remained in the same spot as before, her muzzle buried in Rainbow's shoulder.

"R-rainbow, I thought, we thought you-" Rainbow's grin turned into a sympathetic smile as she hugged the slightly trembling Twilight back; patting her back, and soothing the unicorn's worst fears.

"I know, Twilight, but believe me: I'm fine." slowly pulling Twilight away before she would leave a patch of mucus on her coat. Her violet eyes were a bit puffy, having recently cried, and so Rainbow wiped away another tear running its way down her purple fur. "And clean your face, Twi; you don't look cute at all that way." Twilight had to chuckle at her friend's deadpan last words to such an emotional scene.

"A-are you really o-okay, Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked timidly, quickly using her wing tips to wipe away her tears.

"Heh, of course I am, Fluttershy. It takes more than a weirdo tornado to take me down for good."

"Darn tootin'! Ah reckon nothing can kill ya, or your lack of manners for that, Rainbow. Next time, ya'll wake up faster before we all worry ourselves to death 'cause of ya." Applejack gave the pegasus a friendly slap to her rainbow-colored mane before she helped her back up onto her hooves. Rainbow returned the jab with a playful glare, knowing her cowgirl friend meant it in a good way.

"That was so awesome, Dashie! You were, like, a hero or something with that move and sacrifice, and we’re gonna throw such a big party to celebrate this adventure, and I’m gonna tell everypony in Ponyville about this, and then I'll..." Rarity shoved the bouncing and overly excited pink earth pony aside before she would speak a third ear hole into everypony's head. The fashionable mare then returned to the most glaring mishap left, besides her own mane and coat, that is.

"Oh my, you look overly dreadful, darling. Please, let me clean you up, dear." And with just a quick clean-up spell, the gang was left speechless to see what had been hidden beneath the dirt and dust had been hidden.

Rainbow Dash's wings were glistening in the sunlight, but not because of Rarity's superb skills in cleaning and make-up, but because of her wings.

Around a dozen and more of her feathers had turned silver, sprinkling her blue wings with spots of silver here and there. It was the purest, most wonderful shade of silver you could think of.

"So. Beautiful." Rainbow mouthed quietly, but everypony could hear her very well as the same thought ran through their heads.

"What happened to your wings? Was this because of the storm?" Twilight wondered loudly, while Rainbow touched her new feathers with her hooves, admiring them together with everypony else. Only Twilight looked worried by the beautiful new feature on her friend's wings.

"Maybe, who cares? I got silver feathers, Twi; that is so awesome! Can you imagine what I’m gonna look like at the Grand Galloping Gala with these girls here? Nopony will be able to look away from me; even the Wonderbolts will want to have a talk with me, just to see them up close! And then I can talk to them all evening long, and maybe even get a recommendation by Spitfire for the Wonderbolt academy. Oooh, I can't wait for next week! This will be the best evening ever!"

Everypony rolled their eyes at Rainbow's daydream but they let her have her fun. She deserved it after her heroic deed today. Twilight smiled with the rest of her friends. She was glad for Rainbow to be so happy about the new silver feathers in her feathering. But she couldn't help to not feel uneasy whenever she looked at them. *I really need to learn to relax a bit more and to worry less.*

"Okay, girls. I say, we deliver the artefact and Nova Blast to princess Celestia and then prepare for the Grand Galloping Gala. I see the guards and archmages are coming now that barrier has fallen. If we're lucky, we'll be home before dinner."

"I’ll go and fly up to them, and tell them to haul their lazy butts." True to her words, Rainbow beat her wings up and down to gain altitude and show off her new silvery feathers in the sunlight of a wonderful day.

 But her hooves didn't leave the ground.

Confused, she clapped the wings stronger and stronger while her friends looked just as confused as she did. Then she started to jump up and down like Fluttershy's bunny, Angel when he didn't get what he wanted.

The others were watching this with growing uneasiness until Pinkie started to chuckle and then broke out laughing, rolling on the floor watching Rainbow's hopping. She sat up, still shaken by the mirth of her laughter, having infected Applejack and Rarity as well with it as they understood that Rainbow was only playing them for fools just like before. Only Fluttershy and Twilight looked at Rainbow without any chuckle, smile or laughter; one with growing horror the other with growing suspicion.

"Ah, Dashie! You can stop with your chicken jokes, it's only funny for the first minute then it becomes an old hat real quick!" Pinkie advised her still flightless friend, grinning happily that her reckless prank partner had was humorous enough to make a fool out of herself rather than show off with her new, awesome looking wings.

Pinkie's stopped smiling, as she suddenly realized that this wasn't a typical behavior for Rainbow Dash to do at all. Applejack and Rarity as well had come to the same conclusion, looking at each other, wondering what exactly was wrong with their usually boastful friend. Twilight had an idea of what exactly it was wrong with her saviour.

Oh no, please don’t let this be what I think it is.

Rainbow finally stopped with her attempts to fly into the air. She turned around and looked at her friends, confusion, desperation, and fear clearly shown in her wide eyes.

"I- I can't fly?"



> ...leave your dreams and life in shards.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Once the elements of harmony were back in Canterlot, the royal doctors immediately took care of Rainbow Dash. Celestia was informed about the happenings of the mission while the guards locked Nova Blast away for interrogation. The princess listened with an unreadable expression. None of the ponies could tell what she thought while she looked at the golden jewel in her magical grasp as she heard about the weird storm, and Rainbow's inability to fly after surviving it. With a sigh, she let the jewel disappear in a flash and turned to the group of friends, missing only the blue pegasus.

"It seems I misjudged my own circle. Never would I have expected an archmage to steal my father's memento for a machine to feed energy to. A machine which seems to have been built with the intent of changing the very laws of how our world works. I do not want to imagine what Nova could have done with this power if you hadn't stopped him. Sadly, I fear that the last breath of his work has already affected your courageous friend."

"P-princess?" Fluttershy asked shakingly, "W-what will happen to Rainbow? Will she- will she..." Fluttershy's wavering voice died in an inaudible whisper. She couldn't finish her question, too scary was the thought of losing Rainbow Dash. The others showed signs of deep worry, as well: Rarity's mane and coat were still left untreated , Pinkie Pie sat quietly and without a smile beside her friends, Applejack had a grim and distant look in her green eyes. Even Twilight, who had told her about the unfolded events, had not looked into her mentor's direction, for once being content to look at her reflection in the brightly polished marble floor.

Celestia stood up from her throne and flew down to her brave little ponies, wrapping them under her large wings. The friends gasped as they felt the embrace of their ruler. It was gentle and lovingly, like a mother's embrace. They felt the warmth of the Princess of the Sun flood their hearts, and one by one they embraced each other. Celestia’s expression was one of care and deep compassion. They had been friends for such a short time, yet overcome so many obstacles, proving the strength of their friendship, so the many letters her student had sent to her had told her.

Maybe this is another test of their friendship, but then it's a very cruel one.

"No, dearest Fluttershy. You all can be sure that your friend will be healthy. The effects are... of other sorts." A knocking on the door ended the explanation before it could even start. A guard entered, informing the princess and her guests that the doctors had completed their checkup. The patient was ready for visitors. Celestia left the embrace while the ponies stayed in their group hug, excited to see Rainbow again, hoping for good news.

"Very well, I guess it's best if I explain everything once we meet up with Rainbow Dash. However, I need to speak with the doctors first. You should stay with your friend till I’ve heard everything about her diagnosis."

She left the throne room with the elements in tow. All of them stayed silent till they arrived at the medical chamber. Once the guard opened the door, the five ponies almost crashed into each other as they tried to get through at the same time.

"Rainbow!"

Rainbow stood on her bed, her wings spread out far. When she saw her friends enter the room, she jumped off of it, right into their open arms. The jump ended in a muddle of colorful ponies laying in a pile, laughing, ignoring the three useless beats of their friend's wings, which had done nothing to direct her jump.

"How ya feel, RD?" Applejack asked, worry clear in her voice.

"I'd feel better if I knew when I could go back flying." Rainbow sighed.

"What did the doctors say, Dashie?" Pinkie smiled awfully wide, even for the party-pony herself. Rainbow scratched the back of her head as she got off the pile, allowing her friends to sit up.

"Well, I dunno. They used some spells and weird instruments on me that I had never seen before. And none of them answered any of my questions, they just said I'd be told everything in time, and just now all of them had left. Then you guys came in. I'm so glad to see you all again." Rainbow wore a toothy smile, yet it didn't reach her eyes; those bore a look of fear and uncertainty. Twilight felt her heart ache to see this kind of smile on her friend and saviour's face.

Fluttershy rushed up to hug her childhood friend, as did Rarity, touched by Rainbow's display of bravery.

"This must be so awful for you, Rainbow." The white unicorn said, wiping away the tears welling up from her eyes. Rainbow returned the hug to the two of them, a more confident look returning to her expression.

"Eh, it's okay. Celestia's doctors are the best in the country, they can make me fly in ten seconds flat once they know what the problem is."

"I'm afraid, it's not that easy." Celestia's sudden appearance made the ponies jump, Rainbow was already in a half-bow before her mind registered what the princess had just said.

"Wh-what do you mean by that?"

"I have talked with the doctors. Their examinations all come to one result: Vulnera animus. You have been wounded, Rainbow Dash." Twilight's eye grew wide as she knew the meaning of those words while Rainbow and the others just looked confused.

"What do you mean by that, princess? Look at me, I'm fine. I don't even have scratches!"

Celestia looked sympathetically at Rainbow, who spread her wings and turned on the spot to show her flawless, aesthetic body. Her student was first to translate the diagnosis.

"Magical wounds. Also called invisible wounds, because you can't see them on the body." Twilight's friends looked at her and then back to the princess for confirmation of what they had heard.

"Indeed. Such wounds will only appear on your very essence, your soul and aura. Right now your being is in disarray, Rainbow Dash. While your wings are physically in top form, the magic in them has dissolved, leaving the limbs too weak to carry a full grown pegasus into the sky on their own." Twilight looked away, unwilling to listen to the princess’ explanation anymore; unwilling to see how Rainbow's face would contort once she understood what this will mean for her.

"Now hold on a second, princess. Ah know, ah'm bein’ a bit rude right now, but what do ya mean will all this hooey?"

"Yeah, what do I need magic for to fly? I could use my wings just fine before." Rainbow supported Applejack's demand for a simpler explanation. Celestia answered with a question of her own.

"Do you know why ponies are able to interact with nature in a way other races can't?"

"Eh, I might have missed that day in school, ehe." Pinkie admitted, an uneasy smile adorning her face. The others didn't smile at all; too horrifying were the implications they became aware of. Celestia cast a sideways glance toward her student, but she didn't look to be up for any explanation, so Celestia took the duty to inform her subjects about the workings of inherited magic in the pony tribes.

"A pony is more than just its body. A body hosts the soul every living being owns. And the interaction of body and soul in harmony creates the aura, which we know as magic, may that be earth pony, unicorn, or pegasus magic. Just like every earth pony needs its aura to feel the life of the plants and every unicorn to touch the magic inside them, so does every pegasus need their inherited magic to fly in the sky and interact with the weather. With your aura bleeding, your body and soul are in disharmony, unable to make use of the magic you were born with, thus you couldn't fly whenever you tried after this incident."

"Are you telling me, that I'm not a pegasus anymore?!" Rainbow's wings flared, anger burned in her at this insult. At least it felt like one to her. It implied that she was not a full pegasus anymore. She would not take that, even from the princess of Equestria.

"Rainbow, please calm down." Fluttershy quietly pleaded her hot-blooded friend, who snorted steam through her nostrils. Celestia waited until the blue pegasus had put her rage to rest before she continued. Since she could guess that actions spoke stronger than theories for Rainbow Dash, she went on with an example.

"Let me show you." With ease Celestia called a cloud forth in the room. It hovered slightly over the ground, a white fluffy cloud, just perfect for a comfortable nap.Something Rainbow wished she would wake up from and find out this all had been just a bad dream. Alas, she was in no dream and soon she had her proof for that, as Celestia pointed her to jump on said cloud. Rainbow took a small run-up and then jumped with full speed. as she was used to. onto the wonderful soft cloud.

And fell right through it onto the ground with her stomach.

"Uff?"

Rainbow looked up, confused. The cloud was right above her, a mere centimetre away from her head. What had once been her element, her everyday job, seemed to mock her now. Instantly she jumped up, this time she tried to climb onto the cloud, like a pegasi foal would, but her hooves fell right through the cloud. They hadn't found the natural connection Rainbow had felt since she could think. Her desperation rose as Rainbow tried again and again to land on the cloud. Nopony dared to stop her, each of them looked with growing dismay at what it meant to be magically wounded. Only Celestia and Twilight looked at it sadly, knowing the full truth from the start. But for Twilight it was much harder to endure, as each desperate attempt her friend took made her guts churn, reminding her for whose sake Rainbow had taken the injuries.

Then the cloud disappeared, leaving only a blue bundle of misery, clutching her head with her front hooves, tearful eyes opened wide, and mouthing quietly "no, no, no, no" without end. Fluttershy and Pinkie were immediately at her side, hugging her and stroking her mane, trying to comfort the injured pegasus, but Rainbow seemed to take no notice of it. Rarity and Applejack didn't move, too horrified by the realisation of what this would mean for the future of their dear friend.

"How come we had never heard of such ‘magical wounds’ before?" Rarity's question came choking as her tongue felt thick with sadness.

"It's due to the Memento of my father. This jewel is one of many that were created long ago, before even ponies existed to ensure that life would continue to exist on this world. The sun, moon, and star moving the magic in nature and in us, banishing magical wounds, the Elements of Harmony, all that and more is due to my father's work. It seemed Nova wanted to undo those laws in his own favor. He could have done anything, and made himself god of this world if he took all the magic from us and made himself the only being capable of performing magic. With this machine he could have even stopped the aging of his body, and much more."

"Wh-when will Rainbow be able to f-fly again?" Fluttershy asked the question on everypony's mind, none of which currently cared for ancient history, or the plans of a mad pony.

"Never again."

"Never again..." Rainbow repeated Celestia's answer, shocked. Something broke in her. Tears began to flow freely down her face. She didn't care anymore just how uncool she looked in front of her friends. She, Rainbow Dash, best and fastest flyer in Equestria, would never be able to feel the wind under her wings when she took off into the sky. She hid her face with her hooves as she sobbed loudly, joined by Fluttershy, Pinkie, Applejack and Rarity.

Twilight knew it was not her right to cheer her friend up, but she had to do something, say anything, to stop those terrible tears; each put a hole in her aching chest. Her tongue felt heavy, and her throat dry, as she tried to speak to Rainbow before her.

"Rainbow, I'm- I'm so-"

"Save it, Twi. That won't get my wings to work either." Rainbow barked. Fluttershy and Pinkie jerked at this angry bark, Twilight flinched, as well.

"Rainbow..." Applejack warned quietly, feeling the tension rise in the room. Celestia stayed quiet, curious as to how her student would handle this.

"There must be a way to help you! Maybe the archmages can find a way to treat you, or maybe Starswirl’s library has a book-" Twilight tried to reason with nothing but mere hope in her hooves, but Rainbow wouldn't have any of that. She moved out of Fluttershy and Pinkie's hug, till she stood eye to eye with Twilight, the pony she had saved; a pony who, unlike her, could still do everything she was used to.

"There isn't, Twilight! Get it in your egghead, I'm a cripple now! Even worse, I'm a perfectly healthy cripple! I will never fly again! I'll never nap on clouds again! I'll never work on my weather job again! I can't even enter my own house without falling right through it! And I surely will never become a Wonderbolt in my life!" Rainbow's loud shouts made Twilight step back every time she listed up what she wouldn't be able to do anymore. Now that she wasn't a pegasus anymore, she wasn't even an earth pony, she was just a pony with useless wings and nothing special to it. Her cutie mark, once her pride, boasting her skills and speed in flight, was pure mockery.

Rainbow was furious at Twilight, just because she had to play the hero and take the jewel, they had been trapped in the black tornado. Because the unicorn had been unable to escape on her own she had lost her dreams, her life, what made her herself; lost everything. Twilight was close to crying, feeling the hostility aimed at her, having nothing to counter it. The others wanted to step in before it got out of hoof, but were scared that one wrong word would hurt one or even both of them.

"There might be one." Celestia interrupted, deeming it best to step in before worse words had been spoken in pain. A possible solution to this problem would ease the tension for sure.

"What?" Both Twilight and Rainbow were perplexed by this silver lining on the horizon out of nowhere.

"Starswirl the bearded had experimented on these types of wounds before. Though I've never read his findings, as I was too preoccupied leading my subjects ,and I believed magical wounds to be an unimportant issue. This book might still be somewhere in the library, in it could be a cure to magical wounds."

Hope sparkled in RD's rose eyes; a small but real smile formed on her lips. Twilight felt a bang in her heart at this sight like a firework blazing in the night sky. She knew she had to do anything that might keep this smile alive if she wanted to see Rainbow happy again. It was her duty, her responsibility.

"I'll find it, and then we'll heal you, Rainbow!" Twilight promised, a hoof above her heart. She would even do a Pinkie promise if she had to. Her straight forward offer of help only earned her a scornful look from her hurt friend.

"You’d better! Trying to erase your mistake; are you really trying to help me, or do you just want to ease your guilt, heh?" Still feeling the anger boiling in her, Rainbow threw a jab at Twilight, wanting her to feel an ounce of the pain she felt right now. All her hopes lie on a centuries old book written by a mage who was more legend than a real pony for many today. And her friend had the gall to act like everything would be solved just like that.

But when her friends gasped and Rainbow saw Twilight's face, shocked, hurt, fighting to hold the tears back; she knew she had flown the cart straight into the horse apples.

Before she could say anything, Twilight ran out of the room, leaving an awkward silence behind her. Rainbow felt heavy stones in her stomach, she knew that Twilight had not wanted her to become injured, but she hadn't been able to control the wrath she felt inside her. No, not fine, she had hurt her friend to feel better and now she only felt worse, knowing she had hurt somepony who only wanted to help her. Her friends in the room stayed silent, aware there was no need to tell Rainbow off.

As Celestia moved towards the door to leave as well, Rainbow opened her mouth to say something, but Celestia shushed her with a flick of her wing.

"Do not worry, Rainbow. I know all too well what mistakes can be made when you're hurt. It's more important what you will do to erase those mistakes, then to continue to live with them. I know your loyalty lies with Twilight and your friends, trust them, they will help you in any way they can. I will have a guard prepare a cart to fly you to Ponyville." Noticing the protest Applejack and Rarity wanted to throw in, Celestia continued. "Don't concern yourselves with my student. I will take care of her, you take care of your wounded friend."

With that, the princess left to search for her student; she already had a hunch where her student might be. She had assumed correctly, as she found Twilight in the library in the Starswirl wing. The afternoon sun shone brightly on her faithful subject reading through books at a staggering pace, already having raised a small mountain of discarded books behind her.

Celestia joined Twilight in her search for the book with the cure, and Twilight didn't protest, as speaking would cost time, and she had no time if she wanted to help Rainbow. Her friend could hate her for the rest of her life, but she wanted to see her be happy, and if there was a spell to give this happiness back to the blue pegasus she would find it.

While Twilight's friends went home, the unicorn stayed in the library. She went through dozens, hundreds of books; every time hoping the next one would be the right one, just to put it away disappointed. Her mentor helped her greatly, ordering even tea and sandwiches despite them being forbidden in the library, but Twilight paid those rules no mind. Yet she took nothing of the offerings, as eating would cost too much time better spent on searching. Her mentor knew that her student would eat once she found the solution, or became too hungry to even think, so she let her be.

As evening drew near, Celestia left the library to lower the sun, and to raise the moon and stars, since Luna was still too weak to perform her old duties. A minute after her departure, Twilight found the book. It was small, red, and dirty, with two golden S' on the cover. Though it was written in old equestrian, it held no challenge for the diligent student, who had been fluent in this language since she was twelve. She skipped the chapters with the experiments, results and explanations and went straight to the chapter promising a "treatment" for the condition.

Her jaw fell, and her eyebrows rose to her horn as she read about the unconventional method of healing magical wounds. If she hadn't met Pinkie with her Pinkie sense she would have dismissed this spell as the ramblings of a geriatric unicorn, but this was an area of magic she had no expertise in, so she just accepted what Starswirl had written in his book.

Twilight took the tea and sandwiches and gulped them down in three quick bites. She left a note for the princess, informing her that she had found the cure and went back to Ponyville, as well as her thanks for helping her. When Celestia returned from her daily duty and read the letter, Twilight was already on the last train to Ponyville, reading the book.

When Twilight arrived late in the night in Ponyville, with Star Swirls’ book in her backpack, she was eager to run to Rainbow's house to tell her the good news. Halfway there, she had remembered that her friend couldn't be in her own house. She would have fallen through the clouds like she did in the castle. She was probably at one of her friends houses; hopefully asleep by now, though she doubted it. Twilight could see Rainbow lying awake in her bed, looking at her wings, touching them, gritting her teeth and hiding her face deep into the pillow to muffle her sobbing.

She felt the whiplash of guilt again, and shuddered at the terrible loss her dear friend must feel right now, grasping at the one straw of hope princess Celestia had given her. Twilight didn't want to imagine how she would have reacted if she had lost her magic; probably just as bad, if not worse. She walked back to her library and entered it. She found Spike sleeping on the couch in the living room. The little dragon had waited the whole time for Twilight to arrive to ask her how she was doing, after he had heard what had happened on the mission.

Twilight smiled at her faithful friend Spike. Carefully, she put him on her back, listening his quiet murmurs while she carried him into their bedroom. She put him into his bed and tucked the blanket over him, giving him a kiss on his forehead. He smiled in his sleep, which made Twilight smile as well. Seeing him sleeping so peacefully gave more spirit to her resolve to give Rainbow the same kind of peace in the near future. She did not want her friend to have to lay awake countless nights, always asking herself what would have gone differently if she hadn't saved Twilight by sacrificing herself.

Walking to her own bed, Twilight noticed a letter on her desk. Illuminating a light to read its contents, she saw that it was written in Pinkie’s handwriting, though it was missing the many little pictures and hand-drawn smiles that usually accompanied her letters. It showed how much Rainbow's injury had affected the usually so happy and carefree pony. Twilight felt her smile fade as she read the letter.



Hey Twilight!

We hope that you have returned from Canterlot and that you found what you searched for. If not then we will send a letter to Spike. The others worry that you will miss our intended meeting tomorrow to cheer Rainbow up, buuuuut I have a feeling that you will be there. It's my Pinkie Sense, you know.

We'll meet at 9 o'clock in Sugarcube corner for a yummy breakfast.

We'll see you there, Twilight! I know it!

Pinkie



Twilight put the letter away. She knew this was not just for Rainbow Dash, to give the reckless mare her dreams, and the life she knew back. She did this for herself and for her friends too. Their friendship would suffer if one of them could never be the same again. She would heal Rainbow no matter what it would cost her.

"Don't worry girls, I will fix this for sure." Twilight promised into the dark room.

"Mhm-hm-eh? Twalaight, yuure baaack?" slurred a rather sleepy Spike, who turned and tossed in his little bed, trying to wake up to get to the mare he had been worrying about all day long. Surprised and embarrassed that she woke up her tired friend, Twilight went quickly to Spike's side to put him back to sleep.

"Hush now, Spike. Everything's fine, I'm back, and tomorrow we will get something yummy for breakfast. Go back to sleep." She tried to assure him while Spike did his best to stand up from his bed, though he was a wobbling mess, ready to drop back into the dreamlands anytime. But even in his tiredness he felt something amiss with the mare who had hatched him.

"Nuh-uh. Nathin's faineee.Yuur sad..." And in a display of luck and clumsiness, Spike fell out of his bed, resulting in a hug around Twilight's leg. Once he felt contact, he pressed himself closer to her warm body to give her comfort.

Twilight tightened her lips and gulped the lump she felt growing in her throat down. She was so lucky to have him and her friends in her life. If a small sacrifice on her part could help to return everything to normal, she would gladly pay the price. She hugged Spike back and nuzzled his head, the soft scales tickling her snout.

"Spike?"

"Hmmm?"

"Would you like to cuddle tonight? I think I need somebody close to me to fall asleep today."

"Hm-hm."

"Thank you."

With Spike in one of her front legs, the unicorn entered her own bed, throwing the blanket over the two of them as they snuggled closer to each other, enjoying the warmth and comfort they provided each other. Twilight remembered how Rainbow had held onto her chest, yesterday.

She had felt safe and protected in her warm chest, hearing its strong heartbeats inside. Rainbow had risked everything to save her, now it was Twilight's turn to pay back the favor. Before she fell asleep, Spike quietly snoring between her arms, one last thought crossed her mind. A thought that followed her into her dreams, and that was also the first she would think of when she would wake up in a couple hours:

I'll make everything alright.

> ...reveal newly discovered feelings.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As Twilight had suspected, Rainbow spent the night by one of their friends. Applejack had invited her to sleep over and Rarity had the idea to hold a slumber party at the farm like she had done with Twilight and Applejack. The mention of Twilight's name casted a shadow across Rainbow's expression but the girls had done everything to keep her mind off her fight with Twilight, the loss of her pegasus abilities, and everything else.

Games, ghost stories, lots of food for which Applejack even brought out apple cider from her secret stash, Fluttershy gave her a massage, Pinkie had great music ready and even by the make-up round of Rarity Rainbow was with the rest of the party, laughing, grinning, joking and feeling empty inside all the time. She had just wanted to be alone, to have time to think, something she normally didn't do much and would leave it to egghead, to Twilight, whenever a plan was needed to save Equestria. Twilight had been the fast-thinking brain and she the speedy wings of the gang, but now, now she was nothing.

Those thoughts haunted Rainbow as she laid awake, finally alone with herself and her own demons. She couldn't sleep at all as she was too busy thinking about what had happened yesterday. About how it felt to be caught in the storm like a butterfly in a spider web. The fear and anguish she felt inside it. Her bottomless shock when she noticed that she couldn't fly anymore and the painful despair when she was told by the princess that she would never fly again in her life. But the most prominent thought was Twilight Sparkle. Her face when Rainbow had blamed her for everything that had happened to her. How her iris had shrunk, her lips quivered and her ears laid back with every anger she had thrown at her friend.

Rainbow felt terrible. She felt that annoying twitch in her wings again, a twitch telling her to fly, to soar in the sky, to let go of the earthly worries and enjoy the heavenly freedom between the clouds. But no matter how often she would beat her wings, trying to scratch that itching in the base of her wings, going through all her feathers to their very tips, it was not enough. Because she couldn't fly anymore.

There it was again, that feeling of her heart squashed to the size of a grape, her lungs burning as she breathed quicker and faster, close to hyperventilation, her stomach feeling empty as if she hadn't eaten for days. Thoughts terrorizing her mind, how the Wonderbolts will look at her just pitiful before they go to their tour of awesomeness. How behind her back everypony would whisper and talk about her, the pegasus who couldn't fly if her life depended on it. How she failed her friends because she was nothing special anymore. And then there was that Tartarus damned itch in her wings, constantly there, constantly reminding her why she felt so terrible. She looked at her wonderful wings any pegasi would be proud to have.

The moonlight let her wings sparkle brightly as her silver feathers reflected the light, illuminating her wings in a mystic shimmer. With sunlight they would blaze even more. Yesterday Rainbow had thought they were cool, now she just wanted to rip them out as they reminded her that she was no longer lord over her own wings. She put her wings under the bedclothes before she let herself get carried away.

If only Twilight will find that book. I promise I make never fun of her loving those as long as they get me back the sky! The mere mention of her friend's name she had shunned in Canterlot changed her insides, as if she had jumped from a hot into a cold bath. All her grief and sorrow she felt for her loss of her wings, her pegasus magic, it was gone. Replaced with a void that even consumed the itching and twitching of her wings, hold them still. In this emptiness she felt neither hot nor cold, just empty and lonely. Rainbow felt her eyes became moist, quickly she wiped them, not wanting to cry in her sleep.

I'm such a stupid featherbrain. Why did I blame her for this? I was the one who had decided to save her. I was happy to know that she was safe! Twilight must have already felt responsible for what had happened to me and all I did was to step on her when she wanted to help me.

Rainbow looked around the room on her mattress. Around her in a circle slept her friends. Applejack with her saw-like snoring, Rarity with her fancy eye mask, the curled up Fluttershy and the twitching and mumbling Pinkie Pie. But Twilight was missing amongst them. Rainbow looked through the open window, watching the moon and stars, and decided first thing she would do tomorrow was apologize to Twilight. Even if she had to travel to Canterlot per train if she hadn't come home, she would make sure to let Twilight know that she didn't hated her.

Even if she didn't find a way to heal my invisible wounds, I'll apologize to her. I don't want to lose her too. Nopony can expect me to handle both the loss of my wings and a friend like her.

Rainbow rolled on her stomach, satisfied that she had a goal tomorrow though she had the feeling that she wouldn't fall asleep for the rest of the night. A couple minutes later she slept like a stone.

She had a dream. A crying Twilight who moved away from her, further and further away and no matter how much Rainbow ran she couldn't catch up to her. In her panic to lose her friend out of sight she beat her wings up and down and suddenly took off into the sky. She was surprised, happy, and delirious with joy! She flew loopings, saltos ala Los Pegasus, corkscrews and just straight lines for all she wanted. Her friends would be so relieved that there was nothing wrong with her after all and Twilight could- Twilight!

Rainbow stopped her flight, remembering why she had wanted to fly in the first place. To catch up with the disappearing Twilight Sparkle. She looked around but there was no sight from her. For the rest of her dream, no matter in which direction she flew, no matter how loud she shouted her friend's name, she didn't found her anymore. She was gone.

Rainbow woke up, staring at the ceiling, her bedclothes tossed aside. She felt her cheeks to be damp and quickly dried it with the bedding though nopony was in the room besides her. She heard noises from below and the hoofsteps of somepony, given their lightness they must belong to Fluttershy, coming up to her room to call her for breakfast in the sugarcube corner as they had planned yesterday. A few test beats of her wings told Rainbow that she really had dreamed only about flying and that this was reality.

Better get used to only being able to fly in my dreams. Thought the pegasus sadly as she stood up by Fluttershy's arrival to accompany her to the others.

If anypony had noticed that she had cried in her sleep, they didn't spoke about it on her arrival and walk to Ponyville which Rainbow was thankful for. At the Sugarcube Corner Pinkie wanted to go and wake Twilight to have her on time for breakfast. But Rainbow intercepted that she wanted to bring Twilight along. The others changed uneasy looks which Rainbow rolled her eyes in reaction to. Did they really believe she would fight with Twilight even now? After she reassured them that she only wanted to apologize for being "kind of a jerk" yesterday, the rest of the gang was okay with her leaving them though Rainbow could feel that they were reluctant to let her out of their sights. Though it kind of annoyed her, she was also glad for it. She wouldn't had acted any differently if any of her friends had lost something irreplaceable to them. Probably wouldn't have left their sides even if they went to the toilet or something like that.

When Rainbow stood before Twilight's door, she suddenly wished though that one of her friends had done just that, accompany her. She didn't quite know what she should tell Twilight, she was never good at admitting to be at fault. And then was there this tiny voice in her head which still told her that it was all her friend's fault, that she was a flightless pegasus now who couldn't even sit on a cloud. Then she heard voices from inside the library.

"Quick, Twilight! We're late for breakfast! Step up your game already!"

"Don't rush me, Spike! Just let me get that stubborn bed hair down."

"You really should just invent a spell against bed hair, you know? You would save lots of time with that."

"Not a bad idea, but I'm already finished. Hop on, us awaits a... deli... cious..."

Twilight words died on her lips as she stared into rose eyes. Rainbow was directly in front of her! Before her house! While Twilight couldn't have waited to meet Rainbow again, she felt kind of unprepared now, like when princess Celestia had surprised her with a surprise test in her filly days she hadn't learned for at all and only wrote a B+.

"Hey.."

Twilight jerked a bit back at Rainbow's greeting, the image of her hateful scorn from yesterday still fresh in mind. She almost stepping away from the pegasus in her doorstep and only stopped doing so as she saw the hurt on her friend's eyes. Quickly she returned to her original stance and greeting Rainbow as well, however quietly it was.

"Hey, Rainbow..."

Awkward silence followed it, both ponies unsure what to say next. Spike knew from Rarity that there had been "some sorts of a small misunderstanding" though this way both couldn't look at each other and pawed on the ground, this was a bit more than just a misunderstanding. He already wanted to ask what was up when both ponies started to speak at the same time.

"I'm sorry!" "Thank you!"

"Huh?”  "Eh?"

"What are you-" "Why are you-?"

"You first." "You go ahead."

"No really, you-" "Look, you can-"

"Okay, enough! That's not funny anymore. Rainbow, you speak first whatever it is you want to apologize for. Afterwards, Twilight can be thankful for whatever it is she feels thankful for. And I go to Sugarcube Corner telling the others you will arrive in a couple minutes. Don't be too late or I will eat all the cinnamon buns myself." Both mares looked at the leaving dragon baby with blinking eyes. Then they turned at each other, Rainbow swallowed to wet her dry throat before she started again.

"Look, I- I wanted to apologize for what I have thrown in your face yesterday. I shouldn't have said what I had said. I'm sorry for that. You are a great friend and I just want you to know that I don't hate you. It would be horrible if I lose you too, so- so I- I..."

Twilight brilliant smile silenced Rainbow's apologetic mumbling. Twilight hugged her dazzled friend happily, already feeling what a great day this gonna be.

"You don't need to apologize, Rainbow. I know that you don't hate me and I would never leave your side. Especially not now." Rainbow nodded and hugged her friend back, feeling that this day won't be so bad after all. Then another twitch on her left wing reminded her why it wouldn't be a good day in the end. To keep her mind from those depressing thoughts clouding her current happiness, she stepped back from Twilight, wanting a distraction.

"What did you thank me for, Twi?" The unicorn blushed at Rainbow's question and turned her head slightly aside to not look directly at Rainbow.

"Well, I remembered that I never really thanked you for saving me yesterday."

"Geez, Twi. I would have done that for anypony."

"Yeah, I know." Twilight felt somehow weird though she knew this was a fact for Rainbow Dash's character to help everypony in need of it. She dismissed this weirdness for having not eaten enough.

"You know, I wouldn't have expected you back already. I thought for sure I had to catch a train after breakfast to find you somewhere in Canterlot."

"Oh, I came back because I got great news! I found the book with the cure!"

Rainbow's jaw hit the ground and her wings flared. Then like an excited filly she started to hop on the ground, her wings buzzed like a bee, repeating one word over and over again.

"Really? Really? Really really?"

"Really really." Twilight chuckled. Rainbow made a standing somersault and then rushed to Twilight to press her into her chest with a rib-crushing bearhug.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, Twilight! You're the best pony ever! Can you cast it on me right away? " Twilight had to rein the rampant Rainbow, her stomach grumbled loudly, still angry of having only a couple sandwiches and some tea since yesterday.

"It's a bit more complicated than that, but can't we talk about it over breakfast? The others surely would like to hear about it too."

"Okay, what are we waiting for? Let's race to the sugarcube corner. Ready, go!" And with that Rainbow sprinted, leaving a surprised Twilight eating her dust.

"Hey! That head start is unfair Rainbow!" Twilight yelled as she ran after her too fast to catch up friend.

Payback for the Running of the Leaves!" shouted Rainbow, determined to be the first at the goal to tell the others of Twilight's discovery. The Ponyville ponies watched the race with some interest, those who had to jump out of Rainbow's way with a bit anger. They all wondered briefly why Rainbow Dash didn't just flew to win the race, but they dismissed that thought quickly. It was not important after all.

~~~~~

After the lost match Twilight had to catch her breath first before she told everypony about her findings during breakfast. Needless to say that everypony was thrilled to bits once they heard the news from Rainbow. After they had listened to Twilight's explanations they had calmed down a bit though.

"So this is no immediate cure but a constant treatment?" Applejack asked while biting into a pretzel.

"Yes, this will need to get done daily though one day Rainbow's aura will have recovered on her own, binding her soul and body in harmony again. Then she will be able to fly as well as before."

"And you will "lend" Rainbow your own magic for that? I-is that dangerous?" Fluttershy asked timidly after she had licked some of her green tea.

"No, not really. It's like supporting somepony who can't walk properly till she can do so on her own." Twilight smiled very widely.

"And how does that spell work? I've never heard of stories where ponies could share their magic to heal another." Rarity's question was meet with some sips Twilight took from her teacup before she evaded the question.

"I not gonna bore you with the details, it's a pretty complicated spell even for me."

"But when will Dashie be able to fly again, Twilight? I need to plan for my "Congratulation to be a pegasus again, Rainbow Dash"-party for Dashie!" Pinkie had brought another tablet with yummy treats which everypony pounced on like starved out timberwolves. Munching on a daisy flower sandwich with mustard, Twilight thought about her friend's question. Especially since Rainbow had listened to her conversation with her friends with great interest.

"Well, I'm not so sure to be honest. I guess we have to test it first to see how effective it works on Rainbow to know when she can fly again."

"Then let's do this already! Cast your spell on me, Twi! Do it!" Rainbow exclaimed, puffing her chest and spreading her arms. Twilight swallowed up on her sandwich and coughed to get her windpipe free. Spike gave her a few slaps on the back as support.

"Th-thanks, Spike. Uh, I think it's better... if we do this at my home, Rainbow. I need... lots of concentration for this spell and it's a... very... time-consuming one too, so... yeah." Applejack raised her eyebrow at Twilight's stutter while Rarity wondered why Twilight was blushing so madly. Pinkie was bouncing in her place, giddily as ever. Fluttershy clapped her hooves together and smiled sweetly at Twilight and Rainbow.

"I'm so glad about those good news. If you're lucky you can fly with the Wonderbolts on the Grand Galloping Gala after all, Rainbow."

"You say it, Shy. Can't wait to show Spitfire and Soarin what my babies got in petto!" The circle of friends laughed at Rainbow flexing her wings, only one of the laughs had a hint of uncertainty, unnoticed by the rest.

Twilight gulped when she heard about the unanimous time limit. The book had said that the treatment would take months to accomplish a successful recovery. It had also advised to only share the magic of the unicorn to the patient only once every couple days as tests with daily treatment had shown signs of fatigue, headache and even loss of power in the magical control of the unicorn.

The test of Starswirl with Clover the Clever as the unicorn magic spender had ended after just three days and Clover recovered after a while from the symptoms. Also the unicorn didn't "lend" her magic as she had lied to Fluttershy. You "gave" it away. Like you would take off one of your legs to give it to the pony who had a bad one to walk with yours instead. There was no way she could tell her friends about that, they surely would want to stop her or treat Rainbow the slow way. But Twilight didn't wanted Rainbow to wait months till she could fly again. She would give her pegasus abilities back before the Grand Galloping Gala begun.

And the earlier she started with the treatment the better were the chances of success. Twilight munched down the rest of her sandwich and finished the rest of her juice in one gulp before she stood up from her place.

"Okay, that was a great meal, Pinkie. Thank you. Rainbow, do you want to come with me for your first treatment?"

"You really need to ask?"

"Okay, then let us go and prepare, right Twilight? What stuff do you need for the spell, I got a checklist ready to write down the-"

"No!" Spike and the others stared at her in surprise about her immediate and strong refusal of Spike's assistance, but Twilight would rather go back to magical kindergarten than explain why she didn't wanted Spike to watch how she "treated" Rainbow.

"Uhm, no, Spike, thank you. I can handle the spell on my own just fine."

"Ah thought that spell's complicated even for ya, Twi?" Applejack probed into her friend's argument, feeling more and more suspicious about her behaviour.

"Yes, but it's all mathematical stuff and such, I need no chalk or checklist or other ingredients for it. Also Rarity must be so behind her work line with everything that had happened recently. I bet she really could need a helpful assistant right now, right?"

"Indeed, I got lots of orders I need to work on the next days."

"I'll gladly help you, Rarity!" Spike had already forgotten about the new spell Twilight wanted to try out, if his fair lady called for help, he would gladly do anything for her.

"Great! It's decided then! Let's go, Rainbow!"

"Finally!"

And with that Twilight and Rainbow went out of the Sugarcube Corner, leaving behind a slightly confused group of friends and a heart-eyed dragon.

~~~~~

In the library Rainbow couldn't stand still and walked around, babbling in one go, excited about the possibility to fly again today while Twilight went from room to room to close every windows, pull the curtains before them and locked any door she could find. Something Rainbow was completely unaware of till the last window was shut.

"Oh Celestia, I can't tell you how relieved I am that I won't be a flightless pegasus for the rest of my life! I'm so happy I could just shout it all out... and... Why are you closing all the windows?"

"You'll thank me soon." Twilight said. She sat down on the couch and implied for her friend to sit down next to her. Rainbow shrugged at her friend's weird behaviour and jumped on the couch, bouncing on her arrival. Grinning she looked at the nervous Twilight, inpatient to get her treatment already.

"So? Will you cast the spell on me?"

"First, let me explain how the spell works." Rainbow made a face like a filly who had been promised sweet candy just to get vegetables instead.

"It's really important, so please listen well." After Twilight was sure that she got the pegasus attention she told her everything about the spell, especially about the details how Rainbow was supposed to get her needed magic out of Twilight to heal her invisible wounds.

Rainbow looked like a goldfish who had forgotten to breathe, while Twilight was busy rubbing her front hooves together and copy Big Macintosh's coat color in her face. Rainbow blinked, opened her mouth again, closed it, rubbed her face with her hoof, before she tried again to begin with the easiest question that came to her mind.

"What?"

Twilight breathed in and out, feeling that she to her embarrassment nervousness joined its company.

"To get my magic into your own aura, you... you need... to suck it out of my horn!"

Hearing Twilight's shout it was Rainbow's turn to get red hues on her cheeks coloring them in dark red. She was glad that Twilight had closed all the windows. No way had she wanted anypony to hear or see this embarrassing scene.

"Are you for real, Twi?" She asked, still not sure if her friend had just a struck of weird humor or if this really was the only way to heal her invisible wounds.

"Yes, I am! It's the only way to give you back your pegasus abilities. It was how Clover the Clever could treat Commander Hurricane's magical wounds and Starswirl documented the treatment. This spell will make my horn a gateway for my own aura, similar to when I normally use spells, but this way my magic will come out as some sort of fluid for you to swallow up and then my magic will get absorbed by your body which then will change it in time to fill the places where your own magic is missing."

That it took almost an entire year to heal Hurricane's invisible wounds kept Twilight to herself else her friend would never agree to a one week treatment. Though Rainbow's mind was stuck on another part on the fast-paced explanation from her friend.

"Okay, hold it. So I not only got to suck, but have to swallow as well? Is that some kinks of unicorns I wasn't aware of?" Twilight looked aghast at Rainbow.

"No, it's not! We unicorns normally don't feel much on our horns. That they are some erogenus zone is just a smut literature legend to raise the profits."

"Relax, I was just kidding." Rainbow laughed nonchalant, waving off Twilight's indignation. But in truth she felt as embarrassed as Twilight, thinking how she will have to use her mouth on the unicorn's horn to get her "medicine".

"Oh, okay. Then... you will do it?" Twilight asked, her expression worried if she had pushed too far and glowing embarrassed if Rainbow would agree to become her "patient" this way and what that role would include in the soon future. Rainbow looked around, her uneasiness clearly visible. Her tongue licked her dry lips and she gulped as she gathered the resolve to do one of the most awkward things in her life.

"Well, I will be honest that's the weirdest kind of medical treatment I have ever heard of. But then again I could imagine way worse stuff I would be ready to do than blow my friend's horn."

"Suck, not blow. You need to get my magic into you, not blow it onto me." Rainbow looked incredulous at Twilight who had taken her words literally, then she grinned mischievously.

"You're really a wallflower, aren't you?" Rainbow teased her blushing friend with wrinkling eyebrows and a dirty smile.

"Wh-what does my virginity got to do with this?!" Twilight defended herself blushingly, admitting her innocent inexperienced.

Rainbow chuckled. She felt much safer now, knowing that Twilight hasn't proposed it for some weird kinky unicorn stuff. If Twilight believed this would heal her, she would believe it too and do whatever is necessary to make this treatment a success. That was what she owed her friend after her offering of her own magic to get sucked out in such a way. Somehow it made Rainbow happy to know that Twilight would go so far for her health and happiness. She felt her cheeks heat up and quickly shook her head to get her mind back to what really counted now:
Sucking Twilight's horn dry! 

Celestia, even for me that sounded smutty.

"Okay, we do this. Let's just make this clear first, this is just medical treatment, nothing sexual." Rainbow crossed her front legs in an X form as she stated the "professionalism" they would use for this "treatment".

"Of course. Then I will cast the spell now." Twilight sighed, relieved that her friend hasn't run out of her home and instead believed her and wanted to go with her suggestion. Her nervousness vanished, to know that Rainbow trusted her so much that she would go with such a ridiculous possibility to gain her flight back, made her excited for the first "treatment" as well. She closed her eyes to concentrate more on the spell's instructions, forming her magic to easily command it to follow her order. The blazing purple on her horn intensified its bright, making Rainbow close her eyes, till the brightness suddenly disappeared.

The pegasus opened her eyes and saw Twilight's horn glowing. Not in the usual way when the magic was forming around her horn whenever the unicorn casted a spell. It glowed from the inside like a light bulb in a soft purple glow.

Rainbow bit on her lips to keep all the puns in check she could say with Twilight having a “light” on her head. They had agreed to do this professional and she would follow their agreement. Besides she would be the one to suck said lighted up horn pretty soon.

Twilight used her magic to bring a hoof mirror to her face to check how her glowing horn looked like. She hummed quietly as she felt a tingle in her horn when she used her magic.

"Interesting, I can still use magic, but it feels different, kind of pleasing now." Rainbow had a really hard time, not to burst out laughing, thinking that her friend was basically touching herself and didn't even noticed it. But she fought down her mirth, looking at the horn which would give her what she needed to fly again. Somehow it was fascinating to stare at this glowing horn. Despite her seeing such horns daily, she had never thought for once to suck on them, even when she had been with some unicorns together for some fun times. Two purple hooves went up, covering the horn Rainbow was so focused on.

"Would you mind not to stare so much on it? I-it's embarrassing." Twilight blushed as she felt her friend's stare intensify the tingle in her horn. Rainbow found Twilight's virgin reaction so adorable. Being embarrassed about her horn which she showed everyday was so cute and to think that she offered it for Rainbow's use only, made it all the more exciting for the experienced pegasus. 

She felt her mouth water as she noticed that she couldn't wait to feel what a unicorn's horn, Twilight's horn, tasted like or if they had any taste at all. But she wouldn't just jump her friend. First she was Rainbow Dash, jumping a virgin isn't cool and second Twilight was still slightly uncomfortable, much more than Rainbow, though it had been her idea to treat her friend this way.

Carefully Rainbow got closer to the horn and pushed Twilight's hooves away softly. Twilight's eyes darted everywhere, feeling her heart beat faster and her breath become quicker as she couldn't anticipate how her friend's mouth would feel on her horn. Though her maiden embarrassment and scientific curiosity fought each other to a ceasefire, there was this strange excitement Twilight couldn't quite explain as Rainbow's head disappeared from her sight and she felt it coming closer and closer to her horn. She closed her eyes, waiting for the first touch and how she would feel it.

Then Rainbow blew slightly on her horn causing Twi to twitch in surprise allowing shocked squeak to escape her throat.  Rainbow laughed quietly when Twilight looked angrily at the prankster to have played her expectations so misguidedly. This anger made Twilight braver and she leaned her head down, poked her horn a bit forward, closer to Rainbow's chin who stopped her laughs at Twilight's movement.

         "If you don't want to suck, go. If you want to, then suck on it already!"

"Whoa, careful. We got a pimp over here"

Before Twilight got give back a reply to Rainbow's retort the pegasus reached out with her hoof and touched Twilight's horn gingerly. Twilight gasped as the hoof, so much softer than she had expected, moved up and down. This sensation was new to Twilight, it couldn't compare with the times she had touched herself whenever she felt the needs a mare felt sometimes. Having somebody else touch you was so different, so exciting, and so good. Twilight pressed her lips together to not make a sound leave her mouth. She had promised that this would be just a professional treatment and she would not feel this way when her friend did this only to heal her magical wounds. 

But by Celestia! This feels so awesome!

Rainbow felt the smooth surface of Twilight's horn. It was strangely warm and pulsated softly under her touch. The grooves on the horn were small and lacked creases, the thoughts to move her tongue along and between those lines were more thrilling that Rainbow had expected them to be. She heard Twilight taking in sharp breaths through her nose and how her head and chest twitched under her touch every now and then. It didn't annoyed Rainbow that Twilight felt good under her touch. To the contrary, it made her want to go further.

After a few strokes, Rainbow couldn't wait any longer. She wet her lips, opened her mouth and raised her head over Twilight who had her eyes open in a mix of inpatient anticipation and scared curiosity as she watched Rainbow's face disappear from her sight.

Then she felt a lick on the tip of her horn.

Her body shook, her horn pulsated strongly and she felt her tail twitch. The Book had spoken of the horn being more sensitive but never of such sensations in touch Twilight felt now. When Rainbow gave it some more licks like a tasty lollipop Twi pressed her lips tightly together, determined to keep her moans down.  But she couldn't suppress the pleasant hums which upon hearing made Rainbow's wings twitch, this time because of a different reason than the need to fly. She felt her heartbeat quicken and her blood heat up. The pegasus retreated slightly to look down on the heavily breathing unicorn who looked up questioningly with glossy eyes and red shaded face. It made Rainbow lose all reservations she still had in the back of her head.

Suddenly she went in for the kill and took the first inches of Twilight's horn in her mouth. Rainbow sucked on it like with all her experience in mid and licked it's soft and round tip with fast-paced movements of her tongue, wetting it with the salvia. Twilight felt her body become warm as her horn seemed to become a hot iron right into her mind to shut it down, to stop thinking and to enjoy more and more what her friend did with her tongue. The unicorn's back arched backwards and Rainbow followed her movement, leaning now completely over Twilight on the couch. Twilight felt something bubble inside of her and Rainbow tasted for the first time the magic of her friend as some drops left her horn's tip kind of like the pre of stallion members.

Didn't the spell just turned her horn into a di- oh my goodness!

Rainbow's comparison vanished with Twilight's drops touching her tongue and ran down her throat with her spit in one go. Those magical drops were better than anything else she had tasted in her life. It was less of a taste and more of a feeling she got whenever another drop touched her taste buds. It reminded her of the first time she had flew, the first time she made a Sonic Rainboom and the first time she became friends with the other elements of harmony. It was happiness bottled in the form of her friend with her horn being its leaking cap. Rainbow hummed in delight to the delicious taste of her friend's magic which made Twilight moan loudly feeling the vibrations, not caring to keep her sounds in check.

More magical fluids of her aura left the tip of her horn. Hungrily Rainbow took more and more of Twilight's horn size, adoring how the horn flexed inside her mouth, warmed her spit as it ran down the rills onto Twilight's mane and how sturdy it felt under her rapid attacks with her tongue. She started to bob her head up and down, her nose hitting Twi's mane, wet with trails of her salvia. She took all of Twilight's horn, feeling it hit the entrance to her throat.

The aroused pegasus took a deep smell of Twilight's silky hair. Her friend smelled so good with the lavender shampoo and her natural scent mixing in Rainbow's nuzzle. It made Rainbow moan for the first time, rolling her tongue under the horn to tickle the thickest part at the base of her friend's alicorn member. Twilight moaned loudly in return at this stimulating experience to tickle some more magic out of her.

She was in delirium at this point of Rainbow's medical treatment. Uncontrolled with so many sensations hitting her mind, her hind legs thrashed around, hitting the small table next to the couch and made it fell down together with the wooden unicorn head statue on it. Both paid the noise no mind, too busy to enjoy taste and touch with each other.

Twilight's front legs curled up and she closed her eyes, her mouth opened wide, breathing quickly and loudly without a care in the world, feeling heavenly under Rainbow's body. Twilight's sounds were a sweet motivator for Rainbow to go faster and more meticulously with her tongue, to make sure her friend got as much joy as she felt right now.

"R-Rainbow!" Twilight cooed her friend's name for the first time since the treatment had begun. Rainbow's eyes went wide at the sound of her name in Twilight's melodious voice. Her wings flared widely as the deeply caring, almost lovingly tones pushed the pegasus beyond the excitement she had felt till now. 

She wanted to hear it more, to hear this sweet voice call out her name, to have those mellow sounds of Twilight mix with the dirty slurping and sucking of her own, filling the room, leaving nothing but them together in bliss. And Twilight supplied her friend's unspoken demand and moaned her name again and again, feeling Rainbow quicken her pace every time her name came over her purple lips.

Rainbow hold Twilight up to feel her soft body on her own, tender purple fur brushing against rough blue coat. She stroke her friend's straight mane and slender back with her front hooves as she sucked harder on Twilight's horn. Her flared wings went around Twilight to keep her steady for her mouth's access. Twilight sighed happily, feeling the pegasus's warmth. Her front legs went around Rainbow's back, below her wings, pressing herself closer to this strong and protective chest, their hearts beating in unison, her head hold still for Rainbow's easier use on her horn.

Rainbow felt Twilight's horn twitch strongly and Twilight's hug tightened. She went in for the finishing move, bobbing her head faster and faster, curling her tongue around the soft and smooth surface of her horn while Twilight chanted Rainbow's name in raising pitch. She loved to hear her name in this sexy yet helpless in joy voice of her friend. Twilight felt her magic bubble and raise inside her, ready to burst anytime. She tried to warn her friend, but all she could do was call out her name in urgency yet it was enough for Rainbow to know what would come next.

 Humming Twilight's name with her last bob, Rainbow licked the entire horn up and down, feeling the tip being caressed by the vibrations of her throat. Twilight blew her magical load and Rainbow holds her horn in place with her lips wrapped up around it tightly, gulping down every ounce of her friend's aura into her body. But it was too much of a treat and Rainbow's mouth filled with more magical fluid than she could swallow. She left the horn to gasp for breath after her last gulp to free her nuzzle. Spurts of Twilight's magic hit her open mouth, filling it again with its heavenly taste and covered her heated up face and rainbow-colored hair over and over again.

Twilight calmed down and her horn stopped to produce magical fluids. With an exhausted sigh she laid back on the couch with her in her friend's salvia covered horn, still glowing and twitching. Rainbow didn't let the spurts on her face go to waste and reached on them with her tongue and gathered the rest with her hooves, slurping the glistening, invisible mess with eyes closed in the joy of her culinary delight.

"You taste so wonderful, Twilight."

Then without any embarrassment she leant over her tired friend to lick her horn clean and suck the last magical drops out of it. Twilight moaned and embraced Rainbow, pulling her closer to her, not wanting to let go of this happiness she felt with her friend being next to her.

"Hmmm, Rainbow, you were so... amazing."

The praised hornsucker grinned proudly and cuddled into Twilight's embrace to hug her back, nuzzling her wet smile into her sweaty purple coat. She felt a happy accomplishment, she normally hadn't felt with anypony she had been together before. But then again, this was nothing sexual as she had promised her friend, so maybe this was just the happiness she felt to be a step closer to her old self. Yet somehow it left her unsatisfied when she remembered her promise to Twilight. But before she could ponder more about this weird feeling, her wings started to tickle and to itch. Her feathers grew hot and when Rainbow looked she saw her silver feathers glowing.

"T-Twilight! Something is happening!"

Carefully Twi let go of her friend, though she felt an opposition inside her to not feel Rainbow's warmth for a bit longer. She shoved those selfish thoughts away to focus on what was really important.

"Don't worry, it's just your body getting used to my aura inside it and changing it to fit yours. Once the glow's gone and you feel nothing out of normal again, we should do a test with your wings." Hopefully everything went alright, I don't want to see her disheartened expression if even this fails.

After the glow in her silver feathers had disappeared Rainbow spread her wings nervously. Carefully she beat her wings up and down. Hopefully everything went well, I don't want to see her disappointed face if this failed.

She beat faster and faster, determined to find any progress while Twilight watched her friend with growing fear. Suddenly Rainbow's hooves left the ground. She was airborne!

Though she only hovered a mere metre above the ground both Twilight and Rainbow gasped at this sudden jump in her pegasus abilities. Twilight jumped around her couch in joy to see her friend her flying again while Rainbow was close to crying and did her best to fight the tears down. Suddenly she felt her wings become weak, no they were strong as ever, but she still felt losing power in their beats as she fell on the ground onto her flank. Twilight stopped her happy circle jumps and looked shocked at Rainbow sniffling, her worst fear appearing in her mind again: She had failed her friend.

"Rainbow? Are you- I- I'm sor-" Suddenly the pegasus jumped from her position, lunged at Twilight and embraced her in a hug.

"Thank you, Twilight. This was only possible 'cause you're such an amazing friend." Rainbow whispered as she hid her tears in her friend's shoulder who felt her fear and worry vanish with no further mention. With a smile she returned the hug and nuzzled her cheek on Rainbow's neck, feeling the joyful feeling return her heart had hosted on the couch in their embrace before.

"I hope this means, that you will be healed soon. I want to see you show your tricks to the Wonderbolts next week." Rainbow moved her head from Twilight's shoulder, looking with still moist eyes from damping her friend's coat into violet eyes who looked surprised to be allowed to see the strong and cool athlete in such a state.

"Me too. I mean, that you'll see how amazing I can fly again all thanks to you, Twi. Only because of you I can become me again." Twilight blushed and cast her eyes down on Rainbow's chest, the chest she had desired to touch again, to be close to it again and hear its reassuring heartbeat again. The unicorn gulped at those thoughts, unbefitting of a helpful friend and quickly closed them away. She turned around for Rainbow unable to see the infighting of her feelings on her face.

"W-well, this was only the first treatment and it made you hover for less than a minute. We need many more sessions before the Grand Galloping Gala to make sure that you're back to your old form."

"Yeah, I guess." Rainbow agreed with her magic donor. Her wings twitched in happy anticipation to make Twilight moan her name in her sweet voice again. Rainbow jerked slightly and kept her traitorous thoughts under control, ashamed that she couldn't wait for the next donation not for its medical use but to feel Twilight's warmth and softness again.

"So, when should we meet again?" Rainbow asked after she made sure that her wings were pressed tightly on her body. Twilight had closed away her selfish thoughts and turned with a friendly smile to her friend.

"I'd say this evening, depending on the results we should increase the intake of your doses to three or four times per day. And for such many uses, I'd think it would be better if you... would stay over here for the next days." Twilight suggested, stroking her left front leg with her right hoof, feeling embarrassed at how much she hoped for her friend to say yes. Which Rainbow delivered promptly.

"Of course! I'd love to, I mean, we had planned anyway that I would sleep by the others till I found a house on the ground, but with you treating my invisible wounds I should stay with you till I'm fully healed." Though this was only half the truth for Rainbow's reason to stay at Twilight's place as the prospect of seeing Twilight's smile and hear her voice daily whenever she went to bed or woke up was too good to pass up. Her face heated up when she realised how much she had wanted Twilight to offer to her to stay over.

An awkward silence settled between the two ponies, trying to keep their embarrassment in check. To keep herself busy, Twilight decided to clean up their mess as that would hopefully stop herself thinking how Rainbow would share a room with her. And it would be easier if Rainbow was out of sight as well for a while.

"You should go up and take a shower while I clean up this mess before Spi-ah." Twilight's eyes grew to the size of plates and her iris shrunk to pinhead size as she saw an impossible to revoke proof from her traitorous body on the couch. She curled up into a fluffy purple ball, her tail whipping around her body and her hooves covering her red face. Rainbow moved at her side to look what made her friend so flustered to see the stains on the place she had gotten her treatment from Twilight. A sniff told what kind of stains those were and she understood Twilight's embarrassment all too well as her wings stood up in full attention. Thankfully her friend was too busy apologizing to notice Rainbow's wingboner.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It just felt so different and good and I- I couldn't control myself and I didn't even noticed that I- that I-" Rainbow stroke Twilight's back with one of her wings, as it was impossible to keep it to her sides. With the other she pointed towards the couch once Twilight had raised her head to look at her friend. When the unicorn followed the wing's direction, she noticed more stains a bit further down from the ones she had discovered. Her nostrils took in a deep breath and confirmed her suspicion as she could smell the sweet arousal of two mares mixed their salty sweat in the air. She would have to ventilate the room before Spike returned.

"Looks like we both are perverts, huh?" Rainbow joked, an uneasy smile adoring her lips as she couldn't believe herself how much she had enjoyed to suck on her friend's horn while at the same time she felt proud to see that she had given Twilight a great time as well.

"We can't tell the others about this." Twilight said as she stood up, feeling somehow better to know she wasn't the only one who had felt too good to keep her urges under control.

"You think I want to tell our friends that I came when I sucked your horn? Fat chance. Fluttershy would have a heart attack and Applejack would tease me till one of us kicks the bucket."

"Yeah and Pinkie would throw us a party for the whole town to know while Rarity would fancy this as a romantic development."

Both ponies blushed deeply and looked in another direction by Twilight's last words. To prevent another awkward silence to come between them, Twilight coughed and moved to the couch to start the cleaning process but before she could levitate anything, a hug from the side halted her. Rainbow had flung both hooves around her neck, her face behind Twilight's mane, hidden from Twilight's frozen view.

"I just want to let you know how happy I am that you gave me hope, Twi, a real chance to fly again. Once I've cleaned up, I will show the others the results we got thanks to you. They will be so happy for me, but all combined not as happy as I feel right now. Thank you, Twilight, thank you! Without you... I don't know what would have become of me, but I surely wouldn't have been the same pony as before."

Twilight was touched by the heartfelt thanks her friend had given her. She stroked gently the blue front leg around her neck with her hoof. Her lips parted into a felicitously smile, knowing she had done the right thing.

"Anytime, Rainbow. Though I think it's thanks to your skills that I could provide you with so much magic." Rainbow snorted with laughter, let go of Twilight and ran up the stairs quickly to not let Twilight see her smile stupidly with a face as red as a tomato with sunburn. Neither of the two had taken notice of the silver feathers turning purple at their rims yet, only after the next treatment this evening they would see and blush at their sight, not knowing yet that the next day’s their friends would make many light-hearted jokes about those feathers turning to the same color as Twilight's coat.

 Unaware of this soon future Twilight casted off the spell to make her horn turn into its less sensitive form again. The fallen pony head statute still laid where it had fallen thanks to her trashing. With light blushes on her cheeks remembering the wonderful sensations which had caused said trashing, she channeled her magic to levitate head and table up again.

"Ow!"

Twilight let the head fall after a sudden sting in her forehead. Her world started to turn around her and her legs felt weak and wobbled. She blinked confused as she supported herself on the couch while her other hoof kept her swaying head steady. After a few seconds the spook was over. Twilight breathed in and out, reminding herself that such symptoms were normal for the magical donor. If she continued to show such signs she would have to think up a harmless explanation for Rainbow.

Twilight stared at the mute statute head, focusing her magic on it again. This time it easily levitated up in the air same with the table standing up again. Twilight sighed relieved and shrugged this experience away. She wanted to leave the couch to get cleaning tools for it as she noticed a sparkle in the corner of her eye. Her curiosity caught and in hopes to find a silver feather to examine, Twilight turned her head. What she found was not a feather, but a hair of a mane or tail, silver nonetheless.

At that moment the puzzled Twilight did not know yet that this silver hair was only the first of many to come and the start of a terrible secret she would hide from Rainbow and her friends.
> ...are not to be taken lightly.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Rainbow! I'm cumming! I'm cummiiiiiiiing!"

As soon as she heard Twilight's warning, Rainbow stopped the movement of her head, sealed her lips around the midriff of Twilight's horn, and attacked the top of it with furious licks of her tongue. Groaning ecstatically, Twilight blasted another load of magical fluids into her friend's maw. With ease she gulped down spurt for spurt till the horn stopped twitching. Then she sucked the last drops out of the horn before she left it with a very satisfied expression on her face, cherishing the leftover taste in her mouth.

She took a tissue from the table next to the bed the two ponies laid in, and cleaned the unicorn's glowing horn, as Twilight was too exhausted to do it herself. She threw the used tissue away and pulled the blanket over herself and Twilight, snuggling closer to her, sighing happily and causing her friend to smile, as she too snuggled back.

“Why did you want me to say those words anyway, Rainbow?” Twilight asked curiously, closing her eyes as she enjoyed Rainbow’s warmth.

“Because for one, it gives me a nice warning, and for two, your sexy cries are always so adorable whenever I push you over the edge, Twi.” The unicorn nudged her friend with her elbow in the side, huffing playfully. The pegasus giggled at her cute reaction, pulling her closer to her chest and digging her snout into her silky mane to smell her luscious scent, prompting Twilight to giggle in return.

Five days have had gone by since Rainbow moved in with Twilight to receive her daily "medicine" from her. By now they were used to sleeping in the same bed and cuddling with each other after each treatment. It hadn't been easy, though. Besides getting used to living with each other, they had to make sure that Spike wouldn't see them whenever they had their horn-sucking sessions. While most of the time it had been easy to get Spike to leave for some errands, one time he had almost caught them, as he returned earlier than expected. Twilight and Rainbow had jumped into the closet, waiting with beating hearts and burning faces for him to leave the room. Because Spike took his time, Rainbow couldn't wait any longer and started to suck Twilight off in the closet.

The unicorn had been so scared that Spike would hear them and find them in such a position, in the closet no less; yet they were in luck, as the CMC came by and asked Spike to play with them, just when Spike had thought that he had heard Twilight somewhere. Rainbow apologized afterwards, but she added to her apologize that this had been the biggest treat Twilight had given her since the first time. It's why they had done it outside too, for testing as Twilight said, not because it gave them a kick by the chance to be caught in the act. Turned out that Twilight's arousal played a great deal in the size of the magical fluids she could produce. But they kept it at that one time as it was too dangerous for anypony or even their friends to see them.

Rainbow and Twilight usually had three sessions per day, in which Rainbow pleasured Twilight's horn to get her magical treatment and heal her invisible wounds. After five days her feathers had become almost completely purple, a fact which their friends had exploited greatly to make fun of them, only the middle length of the feathers had a silver shimmer. Rainbow was not as unhappy with this detail as Twilight had suspected, she even asserted that she liked this color more than the silver one, which Twilight was very happy to hear.

Rainbow's feathers weren't the only reason why their four friends teased them every now and then; they had also noticed that they behaved more and more like a couple over the past few days. The two ponies had gotten much closer in those five days, sharing more intimate and personal moments, than they had in the past months since they first became friends.

Twilight knew that Rainbow was an only child with only one parent left, her dad: a retired Wonderbolt who "was my first inspiration to become a great flyer, just like him." Rainbow knew of Twilight's family: her BBBFF, and that her dad worked as a magic engineer, and her mom the author who wrote the famous Daring Do series. A series which Twilight and Rainbow enjoyed in each other's company many times over the last days. Twilight had the suspicion that her magic had not only given power to Rainbow, but also some of her own behaviour and preferences, though that was hard to prove, and only a theory the unicorn didn't share with her pegasus friend. She was too happy to have a book buddy, even if she only liked to read and talk about Daring Do.

But reading sessions hadn’t been the only activity they had been doing together. Outside they were often seen together, training Rainbow's flight, who improved from a filly's level to that of Fluttershy’s rapidly, yet Rainbow had yet to reach her own level again. Besides the training, they went out for dinner, walks, and watched a movie together. And once Rainbow was strong enough to fly and carry a pony, they watched the stars on the clouds, after Twilight had cast the cloud walking spell on the both of them.

They spent time with their friends as well: playing games, meeting for lunch, and talking about Rainbow's progress. The others did wonder, though, since Twilight and Rainbow didn't want to have a sleepover at Twilight's home. They didn't know that it was because they didn’t want anyone observing their sessions, which was why they began sleeping together in the first place. In the second night Rainbow had stayed, while Spike was away for a sleep-over with the CMC, the pegasus had snuck in Twilight's bed and convinced her to give her a "midnight snack." After said snack, Rainbow was too full to go back to her own bed, and Twilight was too tired to chase her friend out. Rainbow then spooned Twilight, wrapping her wing and hooves around the purple mare, enjoying her warmth while Twilight appreciated the pegasus’ affection.

Not only at home when they were in private did they show signs of affection to each other. There had been occasions in public where some ponies or one of their friends stumbled over their actions. When they had left the cinema during late evening, Twilight shuddered at the sudden coldness. Rainbow pulled her wing over Twilight and held her so close to her that not even a grass stalk would have fit in between them. Though not many ponies were on the streets when Twilight and Rainbow returned home, those who saw them would later gossip about it; which would eventually reach Rarity' ears, who would tell the rest of the gang about this sensation.

And they could see those rumors for themselves happening right in front of them. During one of their meetings while eating some sweets from Pinkie and apple cakes from Applejack, Rainbow had been eating so messily that her mouth and cheeks had been filled with crumbs, sugar, and marmalade. Twilight berated her, and wiped her face clean with a tissue; yet there was a stubborn marmalade stain that didn't seem to want to leave Rainbow's blue fur. The orderly unicorn rolled her eyes, leaned forward, and licked Rainbow's cheek clean with a slip of her tongue. This action caused the rest to stare with wide eyes and jaws at the two while Rainbow had to fight both her blush and threatening wingboner. When Twilight asked why they had all seemed so shocked in her confusion, a general coughing occurred in the circle, and the topic was changed quickly.

Besides those events, both Twilight and Rainbow noticed some things about each other; quirks and perks they hadn't taken notice of before the incident.

Rainbow noticed that no matter how tired or busy Twilight was, she would always find the time to water the plants, feed Owlowiscious, and make sure that Spike was timely put to bed after having brushed his teeth and washed his hands. Twilight was surprised to find out that Rainbow could actually cook quite well, as every morning she got breakfast brought to her bed by her guest, and when they cooked together it was Rainbow who would give her tips Twilight hadn't found in her cooking book, but were useful nonetheless.

You would think that the bookish unicorn and the action-loving pegasus would sooner be buried beneath a fallen roof then become such close friends. Yet both enjoyed the other's company very much. Twilight saw another side of Rainbow, the mushy and adorable one who would blush whenever she nuzzled her after one of their sessions. Rainbow found out that Twilight could be quite mischievous and cunning whenever she paid the pegasus one of her pranks back. But most importantly, they noticed something about themselves and their own emotions: that they were drawn towards each other and felt an attraction which grew stronger everyday. An attraction which was no longer content with sucking and licking horns or snuggling afterwards. It carried a need for more, and this need was constantly in their minds, demanding gratification; as it had the day before.

Yesterday, Twilight and Rainbow had their home to themselves again, as Spike had gone off to a sleep-over at Rarity's place with the CMC. Though he had been grumpy, and curious as to why they wanted him out of the house so much, the prospect of sleeping under the same roof as his beloved Rarity was too good to pass up. And so the two ponies had settled down in a comfy position together under a blanket at the fireplace in the library. They drank hot chocolate, and talked about the funny rumors about the two of them, and how Rarity was thinking about adding some "couple’s item" to their dresses. While laughing they had come even closer to each other’s sides, feeling the heat of their bodies, and smelling the scent of creamy chocolate in each other’s breath.

Over time they had gotten used to nuzzling each other before the horn sucking sessions; some sort of friendly and caring affection, not too intimate but also not merely friendly. This time their nuzzling and strokes ended with their heads coming closer and closer, eyes half-lidded, their minds in disarray with emotional need. Their lips met in a kiss, lasting only a couple seconds and only pressing lips on lips. Twilight and Rainbow broke apart slowly, watching the other's reaction for any sign of opposition to what had just happened. They found much in each other's glossy eyes, but nothing that opposed to the act. And with this, they threw their worries and fear over board and embraced each other in a deep kiss - tasting their love, moaning and gigglingly happily. It was the start to a night in which so much more than just hornsucking would take place.

Twilight had not casted off the spell on her horn since that time, nor had she left the house with her glowing horn. Now it was afternoon, and Rainbow had just sucked on Twilight's horn for the fifth time - 2 times during their sweaty night together, another time after brunch on the kitchen table, and another time later when they had taken a shower together. More times in less than a day than they ever had done before.

Smells like we're in need of another shower again. Twilight thought with a grin, feeling the soft movements of Rainbow's chest on her back. The horn spell had been proven to be quite useful to Twilight to keep a secret from Rainbow. After the second time Rainbow had sucked Twilight's horn, this time with less awkwardness between them, Twilight had cast of the spell while Rainbow admired the purple hue along with her silver feathers. Everything that had happened that first time had repeated itself: Headache, pain inside and everywhere else in and on her body, a sting going through her mind like a knife through butter.

Thankfully, she had been composed well enough to convince Rainbow that her pained sound had been one of shock because she believed Rainbow would dislike those purple feather in her wings since she had found the silver ones so cool. To which Rainbow replied that purple was even cooler and she loved it very much, which gave Twilight the perfect opportunity to tease Rainbow and made her too busy blushing to think much longer about Twilight's pained squeak.

In the morning, Twilight noticed silver hair in her mane as she brushed it. While she could conceal them easily on the first day, she already knew it would be much harder to hide them in the days to come. So she bought dyes in secret, and hid them in the bathroom. She also bought medicine which she hid in various places in her home whenever she would need to cast off the spell of her glowing horn.

The next days Twilight would find a way to be alone after every session, in which she would press her teeth together and endured the pain while cancelling the spell. In the night, she would wait for Rainbow to fall asleep before she snuck out of their embrace. In the day she would motion her magically powered up friend to fly outside and show their friends the results. Other times, she would excuse herself to the bathroom, and activated the shower to muffle her groans of pain. The one time they had been outside Twilight had lied that she had to “go to the little fillies’ room,” to bite on her hoof in the bushes until the spell ended.

Twilight's aura had been strained every time Rainbow had received a load from it, the unicorn could feel it being stretched like gum. It hasn't popped yet, but she knew it would not be healthy if she kept this up for much longer. And then there was this slight problem that after the two times right after each other, Twilight had been too exhausted to cast off the spell and fell asleep. When she woke up, she didn't find a way to get Rainbow away from her, who had been at her side constantly, showering her with kisses.

And after the third time right after brunch, Twilight had been too scared to cast off the spell, fearing the results. A fear which had grown by the fourth and fifth time, yet she had denied to cast off her spell whenever Rainbow asked her why she still had it on. The unicorn excused it with the Grand Galloping Gala happening in two days, and that Rainbow would need as much magic as possible to have a chance to reach her old level and impress the Wonderbolts; an argument that their biggest fan could hardly argue against.

But now, Twilight was debating in her mind if she should come clean to Rainbow and call Celestia to help her with the on-going spell and it's built-up magical feedback, waiting to leave its marks on her aura.

"Twilight." Rainbow called her name, a wondrous tone in her voice.

"Hm?" Twilight was too distracted by her thoughts to pay this sound much attention, but when Rainbow gripped her chest stronger in growing excitement, the pegasus had her attention.

"Twilight, I think, I'm healed!" At this point Twilight turned around, looking with incredulity in rose eyes which swam in tears of joy and happiness.

“Really?!" Is it true? Is it over? Is Rainbow's aura really completely restored?

"Yes, my feathers didn't became hot, nor did my wings tickle like usual." Rainbow wanted to move in for a deep kiss to the pony she owed so much, everything, for all the deeds she had done for her. I would need more than a lifetime to pay her back in full. Without her, I would have never been the pegasus everypony had known me for. But Twilight moved her muzzle aside, causing Rainbow to miss her lips.

"Are you sure then? This doesn't have to mean that you're fully healed." Rainbow sat up and spread her wings for her selfless donor to see that all silver feathers had turned completely purple. This sight made Twilight sat up excited as well, flung her hooves around Rainbow to hug her while she rejoiced for the amazing news.

"Oh, Rainbow! You might have really recovered all of your aura!"

"Pff, "might"? I know just the right test to prove that Rainbow Dash, best flyer of Equestria, is back to her old form. I will do a Sonic Rainboom. Now!"

Twilight left the embrace to stare at Rainbow, not sure if she was serious, given that yesterday before dinner Rainbow could just fly with 8.9 wing power, hardly the speed to achieve something as impossible as a Sonic Rainboom. Then again, Rainbow had proven twice that she had done the impossible, if she felt ready to do it a third time, then Twilight didn't feel it would be right to argue against it. Plus, seeing Rainbow so confident and almost bursting with positive energy, made her own worries raise up in her mind. Rainbow noticed that something did not sit right with the pony before her.

"Twilight, what's the matter with you? Why do you look... so scared?" Twilight cringed when Rainbow caught her apparent fear. She looked up, still undecided if she should tell the mare her heart beat for or not. "I...I am scared, Rainbow. I..." But could she tell her now? What if Rainbow didn't succeed at her own test? What if she still needed some of the unicorn's magic to regain all of her aura till the time she could meet the Wonderbolts?

"I... I'm scared about us. About what will become of us, now that... that you don't need me anymore." A lie which wasn't entirely false. The two ponies hadn't talked about them and their relationship since this most passionate and wonderful night together. But while Twilight knew of Rainbow's dream to become a Wonderbolt, her own duties as the princess’ protegé, and of them being so close for such a short time; her entire being hoped with every fiber of her body and essence of her soul that Rainbow would be ready to give them a try. As a couple.

Rainbow smiled lovingly. She cupped Twilight's head gently and gave her a soft kiss. "Twilight, look outside when I fly. You will see your answer in the sky."

Twilight smiled and nodded in reply, glad to have kept her true fear a secret. I can deal with this myself. I can confess everything and apologize for my selfishness once it's proven that Rainbow's aura has healed.

Rainbow grinned, beat her wings to gain altitude and flew outside through the open balcony door. Twilight sighed and used her magic to bring forth the painkillers hidden under a secret stash under the bed. A glass of water and a couple pills against nausea would be enough to fight off the side-effects of the magic donor spell, or so she hoped.

She looked at her meds prepared so many times the last days. Maybe this time will truly be the last one. She closed her eyes and cancelled the spell, the glow in her horn disappeared.

In the tenth of a second, Twilight's aura was shredded.

Pain, pain was everything Twilight could feel. So much anguish that the only reason she didn't scream out was that her mind was blown with the cruel and horrific kinds of hurt she felt her soul and body being tortured under.

Her horn was under attack as if somepony tried to saw it off and hack it out with an ice pick at the same time.

Her mane and tail were on fire.

Her brain cooked in her aching skull, her eyes dried out, her tongue felt as though it was being stung by a thousand needles.

Her throat was choked by an invisible force, her lungs burned as if boiling oil had been pumped into them.

Her heart was ripped apart slowly with rusty talons.

Her bones were each crushed again and again by sledgehammers till only dust was left.

Her guts were freezing, expanded in size and exploded in frozen bits inside her body.

Twilight threw up. She vomited her brunch and bile on the wooden floor, her insides churning while her mind was in panic, trying to figure out what had happened to her, not able to grasp a single sane thought under the wrath of the pain she still felt inflicting her. Her panicked look gazed back at her in the mirror, seeing blood-shot eyes and dirtied lips for a second, and a streak of silver hair in her hair, looking beautiful and ridiculing at the same time. An intellectual, scientific voice used this as evidence to whisper that her body was fine, that she was not physically hurt, that this was all done to her soul, which broke her aura and thus hurt her body without any injury shown. But this thought did not calm her fear, as another wave of pain flooded her body.

Twilight rattled desperately, trying to gasp for air that kept pushing out of her lungs as her body winced and churned and trembled in the boiling sea of pain she had found herself in.

She heard ponies cheering outside, as Rainbow had gathered her friends and with them the other residents of Ponyville, who all wanted to see Rainbow Dash fly the Sonic Rainboom. They all had heard rumors about her inability to fly like she usually could, so they were curious as to how accurate the rumors had been. Hearing the shouts calling out Rainbow's name was like a beacon to the drowning Twilight. Her darting eyes set on the balcony, she staggered towards the sound, to the outside, to where Rainbow Dash would be.

Ba-bump

All Twilight could think about was to lean her aching head on Rainbow's chest.

Ba-bump

To feel her surprisingly tender hooves stroke her mane and back.

Ba-bump

To hear her husky voice call her name so lovingly that it warmed up everything inside Twilight.

Ba-bump

To tell her that she loved her more than anypony else under the sun and moon.

Ba-bump

Twilight had reached the balcony. She raised a hoof, reaching out to the pony whose love would surely sweep away all of the pain. So far away. "Rain-"

Ba-...

Rainbow Dash had waited patiently, flying steadily above the plaza which filled itself with hundreds of ponies with every passing minute. A worthy audience of her third Sonic Rainboom, yet the most important viewer hadn't shown up yet. The pegasus kept looking towards the library, waiting for her most beloved to enter the balcony. Everything inside her screamed to use those wings and fly, to show who's the best flyer in Equestria and why her name would go down in the annals of the Wonderbolts once she became part of them. Yet Rainbow silenced those voices with the simple thought of imagining Twilight's face. All of this meant nothing if she couldn't show Twilight her answer in the sky which meant so much to her, yet not as much as her friends and never as close as what she felt for this bookish unicorn.

The pegasus could see it: A bright future of her and Twilight being together. The fun conversations they would have in the evenings after the exciting adventures they survived everyday. The laughs and smiles, the hugs and kisses, the silent eye confession and the mouthed ones; even the fights and tears. All that Rainbow had seen in her future. She had seen it yesterday in the violet eyes of her soon-to-be lover and she was determined not to let this life escape her hooves.

Yes, such a life, this life with you, Twilight. I want it and we will get it. Together.

Her eyes caught sight of a purple spot on the balcony. She could even see how it raised a hoof, waving at her. Rainbow felt her heart soar, and as if it had been the starting signal she shot upwards into the sky. She flew as high and as fast as she could. It would have been easier to just fly towards the ground to gain more speed thanks to gravity, but for the kind of Sonic Rainboom she had in mind, she would need to create it while flying up.

She moved her hooves forward, feeling energy sparkle on their tips. The air rushed through her feathering and rustled her coat. Her heart beat in rapid strokes as blood and adrenaline rushed through her veins. Her insides were tingly with the happiness spreading out in every cell of her body. It felt so good to be able to fly again like she had been used to. And yet this was not the reason she enjoyed flying so much this time.

There it was, the familiar sound of crackling and sparking. Rainbow gave it her all and closed her eyes. A booming sound was heard behind her as she painted a rainbow-colored circle on a blue canvas, the sky. Her Sonic Rainboom had succeeded. Quickly, Rainbow made a sharp turn, losing speed by doing so, but regaining it quickly enough as she flew back towards the Sonic Rainboom. She focused on what she aimed for, the void circle in the center of her fantastic creation. Once she saw she was close enough to it, she flew a sharp turn down, then up with two waves following, repeating this figure over and over again.

When Rainbow felt her head become fuzzy from the constant movement, she flew away and slowed down to watch her masterpiece. A Sonic Rainboom, with a rainbow-colored heart inside its usually empty circle, an impossible trick made possible, which would be seen for quite a while before it vanished. More than long enough to be seen by and for the reason she had done and enjoyed this flight more than any other before in her life - her message to Twilight Sparkle.

There you have your answer, Twi. No way, she can’t see this one.

Everypony watched the Sonic Rainboom with its rainbow-colored heart inside it spread far on the sky, awed by the amazing view before they broke out in cheers. Rainbow's friends smiled joyfully, knowing that their friend had been fully healed and that everything had gone fine. Spike and the CMC jumped up and down, shouting Rainbow's name as loud as they could. Spike left them and ran to his home to congratulate Twilight on her success in healing Rainbow, and of course to prepare the letter they would send to the Princess right away, telling her of this amazing feat.

Only one did not saw this beautiful spectacle, though it had been done just for her. Twilight Sparkle laid on her balcony, eyes closed and body unmoving, silver hair glittering in the warming sunlight of a most wonderful day.

> ...can bring about marvelous miracles.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rainbow Dash flew down, basking in the shower of praise and cheers that greeted her arrival on the grounds of Ponyville. With a smug grin, she waved to the crowds, knowing that her fan-club would earn a couple dozen new members today. Though the reason she looked around waving, was to see from where Twilight would come running towards her. She could already see the purple unicorn push her way through the crowd, call out Rainbow's name, jump into her arms, and give her a deep kiss, sealing their love for life.

"Uh, Rainbow, gal? Everything alright with ya?"

"Huh?" Rainbow asked bewildered, her smug grin been turned into a dopey smile by her thoughts. She blushed as she realized that Applejack and the others had surrounded her, congratulating her on her recovery, and she hadn't taken notice of it at all, lost in her little daydream. "Oh, uhm, ye-yeah, I'm fine, AJ, just peachy."

"Are you sure, Dashie? You had a really spaced out look in your face! Kinda like whenever you peeked at Twilight or looked at her flank or when-"

"PInkie!" Rarity interrupted her shameless friend from turning Rainbow into a beet-red pegasus.

"What? You guys have noticed it too. Besides, weren't you the first one who suggested that Twilight might have a thing for Rainbow?" Now it was Rarity's turn to go red as a beet.

"I don't think Rainbow wants to talk about it now." Fluttershy translated Rainbow's shame for Pinkie who acknowledged it with a long "ooooh~".

Applejack nudged the pink pony in her shoulder. "Ya'll really need some common sense, Pinks."

"Nah, my Pinkie Sense is more fun. Oh. Oh! OH! Like just today I had a new combo and that five times now! Five! Times!" Rainbow looked aghast at the mention of a number she was very well aware of. "I don't know yet what it was about, buuuut given that I felt the first strokes at night and that the first two times came right after each other, I think this might mean that-"

"Help! Somepony help! Twilight! Twilight isn't moving! She needs help! Heeeeelp!"

Spike’s screams made everypony freeze in shock. as his cracking cries continued, the friends jolted towards the library. Spearheading the group was a blue pegasus whose body had acted immediately as soon as she heard Spike shout Twilight's name. All she could think of was that her lovely unicorn had been okay when she had left her, the fear and hesitation in Twilight's eyes when she had been about to tell her something and the same eyes looking full with love and care at her yesterday.

Twilight, please be okay!

Rainbow landed on the balcony, next to a lifeless Twilight as Spike cried over her motionless body. The pegasus felt her heart stop and her guts churn.

"Twilight?" Rainbow asked quietly, her voice shaking. When the unicorn didn't answer her, Rainbow fell on her side, hooves on the body, tears in her eyes and close to crying her heart out. "Twilight!"

"Out of the way!"

Fluttershy's commanding voice made Rainbow back aside while her canary-colored friend landed next to her, right away checking Twilight's breath with her ear and her heartbeat with her hooves. She felt them both, present but weak. Applejack was the next to arrive under the balcony.

"Rainbow! Fluttershy! How's Twi?"

"She's breathing! Get a doctor, Applejack, quick!" Fluttershy shouted back, making Applejack turn and run into the town for the hospital, passing Rarity and Pinkie, who didn't stop their sprint into the library.  Fluttershy turned to both Rainbow and Spike, stroking their back and head with her wings while her hooves moved on Twilight's body, searching for any injury she might have overlooked. "Hush now, everything’s gonna be fine. The doctor will be here soon and everything will turn out just fine."

Rainbow wordlessly pointed to Twilight's mane, her cheeks wet with tears. Fluttershy then took notice of the silver streak in Twilight's mane and tail. "Oh...my..."

Rarity and PInkie Pie bolted into the room towards the others outside the balcony. Quickly, the three of them grabbed Twilight and put her on the bed with Rainbow and Spike following them; like kicked puppies their teary eyes never leaving Twilight, hoping for a sign that she would wake up soon and laugh about what had happened. But she stayed silent and unmoving.

"I need some water and medicine for Twilight. If she’s fainted then she needs-" Before Fluttershy could finish her sentence Pinkie stood before her, holding a tablet with a glass of water and the medicine Fluttershy had been about to administer. "How-, no! Don't explain, Twilight's health comes first."

Pinkie agreed with Fluttershy's conclusion, though she saw herself needed at somepony else’s side. She walked up to Rainbow who sat besides the bed, staring at Twilight who looked unhurt and almost peacefully asleep. But the silver in her hair spoke of something different. Pink hooves wrapped the pegasus in a hug as her friend tried to comfort her. "Twilight's tough, Dash. You know that. She will wake up again."

"A-and what about herself? She- she is-, just look at her, Pinkie!" Rainbow cried, her friend also struggled to hold back her tears as they both comforted each other.
 
Rarity was comforting Spike, sitting down with him in her arms hiding his tear-stained face in her white coat, ignoring the snot and tears the little dragon baby sniffled into it. Carefully, she stroke the soft scales on his head, knowing that Spike had to do something useful for Twilight else he would blame himself for a long time afterwards.

"Spike? Listen to me, my brave dragon, we need to inform princess Celestia and you can send her a message the fastest. She will know a way to help Twilight, I'm sure of it. Can you do it?" Spike sniffled one last time, before he left Rarity's warm embrace and walked up to Twilight's desk, taking quill and parchment. He wrote the letter with Rarity's help, and his tears dropping on the parchment as he explained Twilight's state and that they need the princess here as soon as possible. A green fire breath later, the letter was gone. Rarity smiled proudly at her Spikey-Wikey, finally feeling her own sadness break the dam she had held it back with. Suddenly, they heard Twilight's front door open abruptly, almost smashed off of its hinges.

"Haff'vem dofftaff!" A muffled shout came from below, followed by a flashing sound of a certain spell. "Wohaffff!"

Princess Celestia had teleported into the library, heavily breathing and hardly over the fright from reading Spike's tear-filled letter just seconds ago. Quickly, she looked around, seeing Applejack with a doctor on her back and medical bag in mouth, staring at her.

"Where?" Applejack pointed up, knowing the full question already and the usually regal alicorn ran up the stairs into Twilight's room, grace and elegance abandon in her concern for her protegée's well-being. In it she saw Spike and the rest of Twilight's friends surround the unicorn's bed with her student in it; her chest rising ever so slightly, accompanied by a weak breath. Seeing the state Twilight was in, the princess stopped in the doorframe, her limbs were frozen in fear at the thought of what might become of her faithful student.

 Applejack pushed the princess in the door aside to allow the doctor she had abducted from his nap room to get back onto his own hooves. Celestia followed the farmer, instructing the doctor to examine Twilight Sparkle, though she already had an idea what had happened. The doctor took his medical utensils and examined Twilight, asking some questions regarding the health of his new patient in the past days.

Fluttershy could finally let go of the tears she had held back, and Applejack gave her a shoulder to cry into, praising her for her quick judgement and surprising initiative. Everyone in the room agreed with Applejack, while they were waiting for the doctor to end his examination and tell them the news. In the end the doctor could tell the princess and the others what they had assumed already. That there were no wounds or other signs of illnesses which could be responsible for the unicorn to be in such a state. And that he honestly didn't know what he could do to heal her.

The princess thanked him for his services, assuring him that she and her royal doctors would find a way to help her student recover from whatever sickness had befallen her. When the doctor had finally left, Celestia sat down next to Twilight's bed, stepping out of her golden hoof shoe, and touched Twilight's head carefully, caressing her mane. After a short while her hoof stopped stroking and it held up some streaks of her student's silver hair. With the doctor's physical results it was clear to them that Twilight had received the same invisible wounds Rainbow had.

"Spike, do you know where the book is that Twilight brought with her a few days ago?" Spike just nodded and let go of Twilight's right hoof to bring the princess a little book from a drawer in Twilight's desk. Celestia looked at the book, opened its contents, and skipped through the pages. Forgotten memories rose within her, reminding her why she had the hunch that this book would exist as she remembered the circumstances from almost a thousand years ago. Her eyes looked sadly at her student as she put the book away.

"I see. Rainbow Dash." Celestia turned her attention to the pegasus on the left side of the bed, holding and stroking Twilight's left hoof. "Has Twilight treated you everyday? How many times?"

"U-usually three times per day. But today we had a-around five." Rainbow told the princess, slightly trembling as she tried to keep her shaking under control to give clear answers.

"Did Twilight cast off the spell every time after each treatment?"

"Yes, she- she did it mostly when I was away, though, so I'm not too sure."

"And today she didn't cast the spell off." It was more of a statement than a question, but Rainbow answered with a nod nonetheless. Celestia sighed deeply, now bearing an idea what had happened to her student. She wondered why her student had gone so far to heal one of her friends. Why she, a pony that had always adhered strictly to set rules and guidelines, had broken them in order to quicken Rainbow's healing process and even endangered herself. A quiet voice broke her thoughts.

"U-uhm, princess? W-why is Twilight in the same state as Rainbow before?" Fluttershy asked timidly. The others, except Rainbow, who didn't let Twilight out of her sight, looked with similar questioning to the princess.

"Yes, I should explain everything. You see, my student used an old spell, made and tested by Starswirl the bearded to treat magical wounds. Though rarely, they still had happened back then due to dark magic being used in battles. This spell donates the aura of the caster to the receiver. The caster's magic will be absorbed by the receiver's aura, increasing the healing process of the invisible wounds. " Celestia kept it to herself how said magic would be received as that would only be a distraction in her explanation. "Donating magic can be quite taxing, just like donating blood. My student has a vast amount of magic so she didn't feel it much though. Normally the spell is kept activated for a couple days to aid the caster in his recovery as it gathers magic from its surroundings. But that part of the spell had to be added because of the magical feedback, which the unicorn's aura has to endure. It can be quite painful depending on the amount of magic donated. However, to increase the healing process my student donated several times per day, cancelling the spell after each use to keep the feedback to a minimum. But today, for some reason she had not ended the spell like usual, and received the full feedback of five donations accumulated, which was too much for her already weakened aura to endure. Thus she is in the same state as Rainbow Dash had been."

"This- this is my fault?" Everyone looked at a shocked Rainbow Dash who starred with guilt at the doll-like pony in the bed.

"No it isn't. My student decided that this was how she wanted to repay you for saving her from the magical storm. Yes, it was reckless of her, but that is by no means your fault, Rainbow." The blue pegasus wasn't listening to the princess though.

"This is my fault. If I hadn't kissed Twilight yesterday, if I just had left her alone long enough for her to be, if I just had been more observant of her the past few days, then she wouldn't be in this state. This is all my fault!" Rainbow hid her face in the blanket on the bed, holding up Twilight's hoof between her own. The others looked at her with wide eyes, surprised by what they had heard from Rainbow. Rarity was the first to recover and to step forward, addressing both Rainbow and the Princess.

"Blaming anypony won't help Twilight recover! I know Twilight would never blame you, so don't do it yourself, Rainbow! Princess, please cast the spell on me and I will give Twilight part of my magic!"

"A generous offer, fair Rarity, but my student isn't in the state to receive any magic anymore."

"But why? What could possibly be keeping me from donating my magic to Twilight?"

"Because you have to suck the horn to get the magic out of it, that's why." Rainbow's muffled explanation came from the bed. Rarity was left stunned and then blushed together with the others as they understood what this meant for the "treatments" of the past days between their two friends whenever they had talked about it in their meetings.

"And even if Twilight would be able to get her treatment from you, Rarity, her aura's hunger for magic would outweigh what you could offer to my student, endangering you too."

"Then you can donate magic to Twilight, princess! You move around the sun and moon everyday, you can help Twilight!"

"I'm afraid that's not possible, Spike. A long time ago, I tried to help a dear friend who had lost his power through this spell; which was supposed to be his masterpiece. But he couldn't keep my magic to himself, as it was too strong; too powerful and too diverse in its might for anypony to absorb. His body ended up rejecting all of my magic, leaving him more powerless than before. I cannot help my student." Celestia admitted her helplessness sadly.

She remembered the face of Starswirl the bearded, after her magic deprived his body of what little remained of his aura, leaving him with no magic whatsoever. The spell’s failure had caused his dire invisible injury, pushing him to ask her for this kind of embarrassing help, which she gladly gave to her old friend, just to end up dealing the final blow. Till his day of death he hadn't been able to cast a single spell anymore. The princess had intended for Twilight to someday in the future when she had grown wiser and stronger, to fulfill the spell Starswirl failed to, but now it looked like her student would never be able to cast a spell again. Celestia just wished for Twilight to wake up and smile adorably at her, like she had done so many times in the past. A loud stomp on the floor turned everyone's attention to the cause of it.

"So what? We all just put our hooves in our laps and do nothin'?" Applejack asked, clearly frustrated by the helplessness of their situation.

"Yeah! There must be a way to help Twilight! What about our elements? Can't they help Twilight somehow? Or the golden stone thingie we brought back last time? Or have the useless arch mages do something for once!" Pinkie shouted, echoing her friend's anger.

"That's it!" Celestia exclaimed, seeing a way to heal her faithful student.

"What? The useless old arch mages?" Ignoring Pinkie's insult to her circle of arch mages, Celestia closed her eyes for a moment, her horn flashed and cast the golden gem, hovering before her horn.

"No, my father's memento. Thanks to Nova's notes, my arch mages found out that this gem works solely on auras, that's why the storm destroyed the lifeless, magicless villa but kept Rainbow Dash physically unharmed, affecting only her aura." Pinkie opened her mouth to comment on the arch mages, perhaps not being quite so useless, but a glare from Applejack made her shut her mouth and continue listen to Celestia's idea. "With this powerful device, it should be possible to return the donated magic in Rainbow's aura to Twilight, healing all her invisible wounds."

"I-isn't that too ri-risky?" Fluttershy stared at it frightened, remembering the destruction this powerful gem had caused with the machine last week. The thought of this stone's magic being cast on Rainbow and Twilight scared her, fearing for their safety. A blue hoof pat her on her shoulder, she looked aside to see Rainbow standing next to her, wiping away the last tears, determination in her eyes.

"Worth it, Shy. Do it, princess!"

"Are you really sure? You might lose all of the magic you have gained so far and return to your flightless state. You're ready to risk that?

"Do you really need to ask?" Celestia shook her head, accepting rainbow's choice. Her horn channeled the magic to activate the stone on the two elements of loyalty and magic. Everypony and Spike hold their breath as the golden light of the gem shined upon Rainbow and Twilight. It seemed to pull something out of the two ponies, make something visible. A full white glimmer surrounded Rainbow's body, blue and rainbow-colored sparkles showed up in it every now and then. Her aura was whole and healthy as far as everypony could see. They all looked at Twilight and saw a grey, flickering shimmer around her body, glowing weakly with purple, pink, and dark-blue sparkles showing up only once in a while. A wounded aura as it was restored to its former state.

Rainbow and the others waited for something to happen, anything to happen. Then, the impatient pegasus beat her wings, not wanting to wait any longer for her love to wake up. And she flew a metee up in the air.

"What happened? No, why didn't anything happen! Twilight is still not awake and I still feel the same, not weaker or different at all! What's going on?"

Celestia stopped casting her spell on the stone, and the two auras disappeared. "It appears that your aura has already absorbed all of the magic Twilight has given you. There was no foreign aura in you to be returned to Twilight's."

Rainbow landed on her hooves, staring in disbelief at the princess. Spike started to cry again, with Fluttershy and Rarity coming to console him, though both were crying silently as well. Applejack hid her tears with her hat while Pinkie just looked at some point in the room, not really being there anymore. Even Celestia’s eyes moistened. She had hoped for this to be the way to get her student back, and now even the powerful gift of her father had failed her.

"Cast it on me."

Celestia blinked away the tears as she looked at the solemn Rainbow Dash, no fear or worries left in her expression. She didn't quite understand the pegasus' demand.

"Cast the spell Twilight had used on me, princess."

"But this spell only works on Unicorns." Celestia reminded the brash pegasus.

Rainbow spread her wings far for everypony to see the many purple feathers mixed in her blue ones. "Aren't those feathers proof that a part of her lives in me? I might not be a unicorn, but I carry the magic of a wonderful pony in me and I plan to return it to her."

"How do you plan to share your magic with Twilight in the state she is and without a horn to channel your magic?"

"Leave that problem to me, princess." Rainbow smirked confidently.

Knowing that her idea couldn't fail any more than her own, Celestia cast the magic sharing spell on Twilight's body. Unlike with Twilight, where the horn had shone brightly, with Rainbow her entire body had a dim glim laid softly on it. Everypony watched with bated breath, and praying hopes as Rainbow walked up to Twilight's bed, stroked her mane and cheek, softly, bowed forward and whispered something in her purple ear. With a sad smile, Rainbow took Twilight in her arms and pulled her up, holding her head steady with one of her hooves, before her muzzle moved forward to meet with Twilight's in a kiss. This melancholic scene made the others blush and choke with tears at the same time, feeling that there was no way that a fairytale kiss would wake up Rainbow's princess from her endless slumber.

Then, Rainbow's body started to shimmer a bit brighter and white glowing orbs left her body, leaving a white sparkling trail behind them as they surrounded her body; as well as Twilight’s, in her hooves. Twilight's body in turn started to glow in a dim light as well. orbs left her body as well, flying around the two of them, shining on them as little white suns. The orbs moved faster and faster, till the eyes of the witnesses of this unbelievable event couldn't follow them anymore. Then they all suddenly vanished together with the shimmer on the two ponies bodies.

Rainbow was still in her kiss with the motionless Twilight, moving her tongue carefully into the unicorn's mouth, tasting her, wanting her to wake up, to respond. And suddenly she felt it. A twitch against her tongue, another one, and another till she felt her tongue battle another for domination in Twilight's mouth. Purple hooves rose from the bed, embraced her back and neck, pulling her closer as cute little moans escaped two throats at the same time. Twilight's eyes wavered, blinked up and down like from a good, long sleep. The first thing she saw was Rainbow's face with half-lidded eyes full of tears, kissing her with a salty, yet happy smile. Then she saw her friends behind Rainbow's shoulder, The girls, Spike and the Princess all looked as though they had just seen a miracle. Rainbow's blue-purple wings continued to wrap around Twilight's back, while her hooves held her head steady, and stroked through her silky dark-blue hair with the purple and the cerulean streaks, their lips still sealed in a loving, but now also confused kiss.

"Gah!" Quickly, Twilight broke the kiss, embarrassed that the others had seen her so shamelessly kissing one of their friends before she could have told them about her love for Rainbow. Said Rainbow who sat before her on the bed, crying openly, not caring for anypony's opinion about her tears of relief and happiness. Before Twilight could do anything, the pegasus had jumped Twilight, almost crushing her in a desperate hug to confirm that she hadn't lost her mind and wasn't dreaming. But the Twilight in her arms felt real, real and warm, real and breathing, real and alive. Rainbow cried loudly with a perplexed Twilight, who hugged her back, not entirely sure what had just happened.

"Can anypony explain to me what's going on? Why are you all in my room? And why are you crying so much, Rainbow?"

"Can't you remember anything, Twilight?" Celestia answered Twilight's questions with one of her own, voice uncharacteristically shaking instead of being calm and collected like Twilight had grown accustomed to.

"Uhm, no. I wanted to cancel the spell and then, nothing. No, I-, I can remember something, pictures, feelings. I- I was away, in some dark and cold place, all- all alone and I was scared, so scared. And then I felt a wonderful warmth envelop me; tasted a soft sweetness inside me, saw a luminous light dispel the darkness around me and then... Then I heard a voice... Rainbow. I heard your voice, calling out for me!" Twilight remembered what recently had happened, slowly

"I love you, Twi."

Hearing the same words spoken by the same tone of love as she had before in the place her mind had been closed off, Twilight's eyes became teary. Her lips quivered and her ears laid back on her head as she hugged Rainbow and gave her a salty kiss of happiness as well, responding to her confession.

"I love you too, Rainbow."

Then the room exploded as four ponies, an alicorn, and a baby dragon raced to be the first to hug the two lovers. It ended in a big grouphug on Twilight's bed, with everybody laughing and crying and hugging at the same time. After a while of enjoying the happiness the presence of her love and her friends had brought to her, Twilight had to ask her mentor something.

"Princess, how come that Rainbow healed me completely with just a kiss and without any of the side effects?"

Celestia smiled her all-knowing little smile, she was the old regal princess again. "Just a kiss, my faithful student? Friendship is not the only emotion that powers the magic of ponies. Love is just as much a boost to spells as friendship and many other feelings. Before your magic was always a gift Rainbow would receive while leaving you with less power. However, it seems that this time when the spell was used your two souls resonated with each other perfectly, and you both gave and received magic from each other. So when your bodies connected, so did your auras as they became one as well, healing themselves in the process with only bliss as magical feedback."

Celestia stepped out of the group hug and channeled the stone again, showering the six ponies and the dragon with her father's memento's light, revealing their auras. They were all white and had sparkles in the color of their hair and coat in it, but only Twilight and Rainbow's auras were identical, as they shared now the very same sparkles in their auras.

"See? Nopony absorbed the magic or replaced it, you gave each other a part of yourself with the love between your hearts, resulting into the spell to work in a marvelous way, Starswirl would have never dreamed of."

The princess ended the spell and cast the stone away to its safe unknown place somewhere in Equestria. "Twilight, I will expect, beside your letters of friendship, some letters of love from you and Rainbow, as well; as you will delve deeper into your relationship. I'm glad that you two are well and everything ended fine. I'll see myself out and we'll meet again at the Grand Galloping Gala."

With the goodbyes of everyone in the room, she flew through the open balcony door back to her castle in Canterlot, leaving the group of friends in their shared, harmonious hug. Till a certain shameless pony had to disturb the peaceful harmony.

"So, Dashie, how did it feel to suck Twilight's horn? Was it good? Was it tasty? What did it taste like? What does magic taste like, I wonder? I bet like magic but then again, I don't know how magic tastes. Maybe I should lick Rarity's horn to find out if I can use it as ingredient in my bakings. Hey, Rarity! Lemme suck your horn! It's for the science of taste!"

"Don't you dare even think about touching my horn with your tongue, Pinkie! My horn stays virgin, thank you very much!"

Everypony broke out in laughter.

> ...epilogue.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Finally the day was here everypony had waited for: THE GRAND GALLOPING GALA!

The six mares stood in their dresses at the entrance to the Grand Galloping Gala; eyes and mouths wide in exceptional joy and excited happiness. Rarity had given the dresses of both Twilight and Rainbow a few revisions to determine if there was any way to give them a more “partner'y” look. Then she had the idea of using the simplest means for the greatest impression, and asked Rainbow for two of her feathers. Now both Twilight and Rainbow carried a feather around their necks just above their hearts on a necklace; Twilight a blue, and Rainbow a purple feather.

Rainbow had grown used to having purple feathers in her wings and Twilight to having a blue streak instead of a pink one in her hair, as had everypony else. Compared to where they were now, it wasn't anything important or worthy of mention. Right now, the ponies were all shaking in impatient anticipation. Twilight couldn't wait to speak with the princess again as she had much to talk about her friendship and love with Rainbow and the others. Rainbow felt her wings tingle at the thought of speaking with the Wonderbolts, letting them admire her unique wings and awesome abilities.

The others had their plans for this evening as well: Rarity wanted to go and find her prince Charming, Fluttershy wanted to befriend Celestia's animals in the park, Applejack wanted to make money by selling her apple products, and Pinkie Pie just wanted to party and have fun. Only Spike's plan was a bit different from theirs, and he was about to find out why it was never a good idea to have seven plans for one party.

"Yeah! This is gonna be the best night ever. You know why? Cause we're all gonna spend time at the Gala to... gether." Spike looked behind him to see the girls gone. Dejected, he looked to the ground. "Or not. Well, guess that means it's just me and some donuts at Pony Joe's place. With extra sprinkles!"

While Spike was pouting about the girls each spending their evening alone, Twilight and Rainbow had found a place for them to be alone for a quick exchange for some sensual kisses.

"Hmm, do you want to meet up somewhere private when you’ve finished talking with the Princess?"

"I'd love to, Rainbow. Aw, but what about the Wonderbolts?"

"Eh, while you talk to the Princess, I'll use my awesome social skills to make the Wonderbolts ask me to spend the entire evening with them. And then I will say that I have to go 'cause my beautiful girlfriend is waiting for some Dash time. Oh yeah, that will be so cool~"

"Dash time, really?" deadpanned Twilight, though her grin betrayed her thoughts. Rainbow responded with a smirk and nuzzled Twilight's cheek, whispering into her twitching ear.

"Well, it will be the most exciting time at the party, just with the two of us. Mostly because it's not like anything great will happen tonight anyway. Except with the Wonderbolts begging me to join their team, that is."

Twi chuckled and agreed, even the time spent talking with Princess Celestia would pale compared to what she and Rainbow would do in one of the royal closets. After another short kiss they left for their meetings with the Wonderbolts and Princess, thinking one thought together, also sharing it; unbeknownst to them, as their four friends were separated around the party:

This gonna be the best night ever!

They had no idea what kind of evening, and new lesson in friendship, they were in for.