Can Twilight Sparkle realize the true nature of her friendship with Rainbow Dash? The answer lies beyond a magic mirror...
Twilight Sparkle makes her maiden voyage to the human world! During her adventure, she meets a group of girls who inspire the same magic of friendship Twilight found long ago back home. In particular, she finds a familiar friend in one girl calling herself "Rainbow Dash."
But this Rainbow Dash has more than just friendship to offer the otherworldly princess. She also has her own outlook on life, and insights into her pony counterpart that Twilight would never have guessed... and will never forget.
Editing by nanashi_jones. Cover art by CViperfan. A deluxe-sized, from-scratch re-exploration of a previous concept.
Twilight Sparkle shuffled along the Crystal Castle's grand hallway, alone and lost in thought.
It had never occurred to her to look down the length of the entire hallway before, but as she did, she realized that it seemed to stretch infinitely. She idly wondered how many times Shining Armor had gotten lost upon making his home here. She considered herself fortunate that her guest suite was just a few more doors down.
She considered herself even more fortunate that inside the room would be an actual bed, and not a makeshift cot cobbled together from blankets and books. Her trip to the human world had been a fruitful one, but her sleeping arrangements were one part of it that she absolutely would not miss.
Twilight levitated her crown from her saddlebag, and examined it as she walked. Even given the respectable gold that made up the bulk of it, the lavender centerpiece jewel, the Element of Magic, still remained the crown's most dazzling aspect.
And yet, with her trip now behind her, it seemed so small and insignificant.
All that craziness... all that adventure... all that heartache... just for this.
She looked closer at the crown. She'd never realized how reflective its surface was until now. She took a closer look at the reflection itself, and noticed something.
Or rather, someone.
I've learned so much on the other side — far more than I bargained for. I wonder...
Putting the crown away, Twilight flapped her wings. As was usual when she tried, she managed to hover. But the moment she tried forward flight, she could barely control her movements. Her flight pattern zig-zagged, then...
"Wh-whoooaaa... oww!"
She hit the floor.
The crystal floor.
Pulling herself to a sitting position, she groaned more in annoyance than pain. Just as she regained her bearings, a voice piped up behind her.
"Hey. You alright?"
Twilight looked up. Rainbow Dash stood over her with a smile and an outstretched hoof.
Twilight groaned again. "How much of that did you see?"
"Well, there was the part where you tried the flying... aaaaand then the part where you kissed the ground." Rainbow chuckled. "Sorry, Twi. Totally didn't mean to. I was just looking for the bathroom."
"Oh. The closest one should be at the end of the hall. My room's on the way."
"Sweet, I'll come with." Rainbow Dash took off into a slow flight alongside Twilight. "Sooooo... you, uh, told us you had your wings over in the other world for a bit! How'd they work out for you there?"
Twilight rolled her eyes with a sardonic smile. "Outside of the parts where the girls and I were holding hands? Pretty much the same as what you just saw."
Rainbow shook her head. "Yeah, I was afraid of that. Alright, Twilight. I know you've told me you're really busy with all your princess stuff, but I'm officially tired of watching you crash-land all the time. Even Fluttershy doesn't do that."
"I know, I know." Twilight covered her eyes with a hoof.
Rainbow landed in front of Twilight, and pulled her hoof away. "Hey now, you don't gotta be embarrassed about it. I used to crash all the time, too." She paused, then added, "At least my parents said I did. I don't remember much about it. This was before I could talk."
Rainbow took Twilight's hoof in both of hers.
"But I really think it's time we did the flying lessons thing, Twi. Besides, I..."
An anxious look crossed Rainbow's face as she looked at Twilight with wide eyes.
"I haven't gotten to see you in a while, y'know? You keep zooming around with Princess Celestia and stuff while she tells all the territories who the new girl in Canterlot Castle is. I mean, yeah, everyone in Ponyville misses you, but..." Rainbow looked away.
Twilight averted her gaze in the opposite direction. "I know. We really should catch up."
"Exactly!" Rainbow's face lit up. "So what do you say? We can make it a weekend thing! I'm totally free starting this one."
Twilight studied Rainbow's face, using her past experiences as a guide.
She'd certainly seen Rainbow this happy before, but usually when she pulled off an awesome air stunt. Or after a day of weather-management that went particularly well.
She'd also seen Rainbow in the instructor's role during some of those days. She barked orders to oblivious Ponyville pegasi who were attempting to transport clouds, or control weather to Rainbow's strict specifics. At the end of those days, Twilight would often get an earful of complaints from Rainbow about how said pegasi just couldn't get it right.
Twilight noted all of this, then chose her answer as carefully as she could.
She shook her head.
---
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic x Equestria Girls:
"Rainbow Reflections"
Chapter 1: Everything Matters
by Bookish Delight, 2014-2015
All characters and referred properties belong to Hasbro.
---
"I'm sorry, Rainbow, but I can't make it this weekend. Princess Celestia's thinking of forming a space program, and she's tapped me to study the skies. There's an extraterrestrial phenomenon that I'll have to spend most of the weekend checking for."
Rainbow's expression scrunched for a few seconds, then went back to a hopeful, grasping smile.
"Okay, how about I join you? We've done the star-gazing thing before. Not quite my speed, but..."
Twilight shook her head again.
"It's something I'd need to be constantly watching for, and taking copious notes even when nothing's happening. I can't afford to miss a thing. Sorry."
Rainbow's face fell like a stone.
"N-nah, it's cool." She exhaled. "I know how it goes. A Sparkle's job is never done, and stuff."
She turned around and walked back in the direction to her room, passing Twilight in the process.
"Maybe you can get that Flash guy to join you. I hear royal guards make pretty good silent dates," she muttered.
Twilight did a double-take, and turned around sharply.
"W-what do you mean by that?"
Rainbow halted, caught. The distress didn’t last, as she whipped back just as sharply.
"What do you think I mean by that?" she snapped, puffing up her chest. "We all saw you turn into mush the second you ran into that Flash Whatsispony in the hallway. Doesn't take a Starswirl to put two and two together.
"I-I mean, it's bad enough I didn't get to go with you through that mirror," Rainbow said, stamping a hoof. "But now it sure looks like you wanna spend time with somepony you don't even know over... over somepony you do."
Rainbow looked at the ground.
"I get it. You do what you wanna. But if you don't want me around anymore, at least say so. It'll save both of us a whole bunch of time."
A pang hit Twilight's heart. She'd always known Rainbow Dash to be utterly unflappable. For her to respond like this...
"Rainbow..." Twilight approached the blue pegasus, doing her best to hide a creeping apprehension. "This isn't like you."
The blue pegasus tensed at Twilight's declaration. She looked left, she looked right, then back at Twilight, who wasn't giving her an inch.
"I... I know it's not!" She shook her head harshly. "I-I don't know why I said that, I know you're not like that, I..." Rainbow's voice cracked. "L-look, just forget I said anything in the first place, okay?"
She shot off, flying for her room.
"Rainbow, wait!"
Forgetting her flying inadequacies, Twilight took to the air, and quickly darted in front of Rainbow. The pegasus's frazzled look and drooped ears spoke volumes.
She hovered at Rainbow's level, gently grasping her friend's hooves. Initially Rainbow recoiled at the gesture, pulling back — but Twilight held on, meeting Rainbow's eyes in a silent plea for her to listen.
Rainbow relented. She looked down at her hooves, then up to Twilight, her cheeks flushed, her eyes wide and curious.
"W-what is it?" Rainbow stuttered.
"Rainbow," Twilight said, "I don't want to forget anything you say. Whether it's about how awesome you are, or about something you're having trouble putting into words. I like seeing that side of you. I like when you tell me things."
Rainbow's surprised look was back.
"You... y-you do?"
Twilight nodded. "Yes. I do."
A memory surfaced, unbidden, of the last time she'd been flying this close to Rainbow Dash. It hadn't been very long ago. Twilight just barely succeeded in holding back a blush.
"Rainbow," Twilight continued, the memory still fresh in her mind, "when you share what you're thinking, it's always a pleasant surprise. So I don't ever want you to feel like you can't."
She stared into Rainbow's eyes — eyes filled with uncertainty — then placed her hoof on Rainbow's cheek.
Just as when Twilight had touched her hooves, Rainbow recoiled at the contact.
"W-what are you doing, Twilight?" Rainbow blushed, her breaths audibly deepening as she spoke. "C-cut it out, it's... it's gettin' kind of weird."
Twilight yanked her hoof back. "O-oh my gosh, I'm sorry! I just wanted to..." Twilight searched for the right words, then gave up and went with the first ones that came to mind. "You just looked so sad. I wish I knew why. Then I could help my best friend."
Rainbow was silent for a few seconds... then her face softened.
"Nah, it's fine," she said, a smile slowly and shakily appearing on her lips. "I'm... I'm glad you still think of me like that. Sometimes I get worried though."
"Worried how?" Twilight asked.
"Worried like... well, you know..." Rainbow shrugged. "I know what it's like to have somepony I think about all the time. Somepony who I think might be on my level of awesome. And somepony I might get worried about if... if I don't know if they're doing alright or not."
Rainbow looked at Twilight, her eyes wide... then pulled away from her quickly, blushing. "W-which I know is totally dumb, but-"
"What? No, not at all!" Twilight shook her head, renewing her grip on Rainbow's hoof. "That's just being a good person! You may not always see that kind of connection when it comes, Rainbow, but it happens to everypony at some point in their lives. It's happened to me, too, and it's..."
Twilight took a deep breath.
"I'm still learning how to talk about it. And I'm still learning how to balance my new responsibilities with spending time with the ponies special to me. I'm not avoiding you, Rainbow, I promise — and I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. Can you forgive me?"
Rainbow looked back at Twilight, her body visibly relaxing.
"Y-yeah. Yeah, it's fine, Twilight." Rainbow took her own deep breath, followed by a shaking exhale. "We're... we're cool. But I..."
Rainbow's mouth opened, then closed, repeatedly. Sentences were stifled moments before they could start, until she shook her head and simply took off.
"...I gotta go get some air," Rainbow said, quickly. "G'night, Twilight. I'll talk to you later!"
In seconds, she was gone.
"Good night, Rainbow," Twilight said, but only the empty hallway heard her.
---
After another minute of walking, Twilight entered her guest room, and let out the biggest exhale in the history of Equestria. By her own anecdotal measuring, of course.
None of that had been easy.
Her heart twisted in guilt as she mentally reviewed the emotional wringer Rainbow had just gone through. The smiles, the sadness, the insecurity, all of it was written on her face, reflected in her movements, one after another.
And yet... they were all things Twilight had wanted to know, needed to know. For both their sakes.
She never even went to the bathroom, did she?
As she approached her bed, she floated a set of purple pajamas over from the nearby closet. She took her time getting into them, then crawled into bed.
Much to her frustration, sleep eluded her.
Twilight looked enviously over at Spike, who had retreated to his bed long earlier. She'd been jealous of his slumber abilities on more than one occasion, but never more so than tonight.
He wasn't even snoring — which left the room covered in an almost eerie silence.
Usually, Twilight loved silence. She could bask in it, soak in it, be one with it, think during it. Eventually, her mind would tire with the rest of her body, and she could finally sink into blissful unconsciousness.
If only any of that were possible tonight.
Twilight opened her nearby saddlebag with a spell, and levitated a small object in front of her — a tiny piece of metal crafted and painted in the shape and color of Rainbow's cutie mark.
But what if I'm wrong? Twilight thought to herself. What if... she’s wrong?
She rotated the object every which way, staring at it, as if it held all the secrets of life.
If only I could be completely sure.
As if responding to her thoughts, the aura of magic around the object glowed brighter.
Twilight's mind drifted further back.
And before long, she could hear Rainbow Dash's voice once again, clear as day.
After much fumbling with clasps and fasteners, and making sure her dress fit just right, Twilight Sparkle finally stepped out of one of Carousel Fashions's fitting rooms.
"Well... what do you think?"
The other girls gathered around her, joyful smiles appearing on their faces.
Rainbow Dash's palms went to her cheeks. "That. Looks. Awesome on you!' she said, with a squeal.
Fluttershy nodded. "Yes, what Rainbow, um, said. It looks... 'absolutely fabulous?'" She looked to Rarity nervously. When Rarity smiled and nodded, Fluttershy did the same in return. "Rarity, you've outdone yourself."
"Humble I may be, but I must absolutely agree in this case," Rarity said, stepping around a Twilight dressed in her Canterlot High Fall Formal ensemble. "The colors are all in place, the frills are perfectly spaced, the stripes match your hair and eyes perfectly, and... and just... oooooh!" Rarity trilled. "To think I had this lying around the store! Perhaps there's hope for me yet."
"Shucks, Rares, you're the only who didn't think you had in it you," Applejack said. "You'll get your business on the fast track in no time."
Whenever Rarity blushed, there was no hiding the occasion. "Thank you, Applejack. Coming from you, that means quite a lot."
"Now we just have to make sure we stay looking super-sweet for the dance!" Pinkie Pie said. "How much longer do we have, anyway?"
Rarity looked at the wall clock. "A few hours. Just enough time to make some last minute touches." She clapped her hands twice. "Alright, everyone, tailoring time is over. Now that we've all settled on our dresses, change out of them and use the bags provided. Take them home, fetch what you need to fetch, add what you need to add, freshen what you need to freshen, but be chop-chop about it! I'll be sending out the limo at precisely eight-thirty, so..." Rarity froze where she stood. "...oh, no."
"What? What?" Pinkie darted back and forth between the girls. "Where's the danger? Where's the fire? Where's the ice cream truck?!"
"No..." Rarity rapidly shook her head. "No, no, no, no, no!" Rarity ran over to Twilight, gripping her shoulders. "Twilight, you said you've been making yourself at home in the school library for the past couple of days, yes?"
Twilight nodded.
Rarity was frantic. "Well that just won't do at all! Especially if you're getting ready for this dance! One of us will simply have to take care of you in the interim. Naturally, I volunteer myself-"
"I'll take her," Rainbow Dash said.
---
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic x Equestria Girls:
"Rainbow Reflections"
Chapter 2: City Escape
by Bookish Delight, 2014-2015
All characters and referred properties belong to Hasbro.
---
The other girls hummed and nodded in acknowledgement — then froze partway. Silence fell over the room as everyone present who wasn't Rainbow Dash did a double-take.
Rarity was the first to recover. "Ah... Rainbow, dear?"
"Yeah?" said Rainbow, grabbing a dress bag and walking into the fitting room. "What's up?"
"I... hmm." Rarity put her fingers to her chin in a show of looking for the right words. "Rainbow, I will admit to being rather surprised yesterday, when you told us, out of the blue, that you would finally be attending one of these... how did you put it? 'Girly dances'?"
"Slow, boring girly dances," Rainbow replied. "The adjectives are important here."
Rarity rolled her eyes. "Yes, please forgive the oversight," she said, dryly. "But as I was saying: attendance is one thing, but now you're volunteering to help someone prepare? Don't take this the wrong way, but did I miss something?"
A chuckle wafted out of the fitting room.
"I'll take that as a compliment. Look, no offense, Rarity, but I've seen your room before. If it's still covered in clothing bits and magazines and all your other fashiony stuff? Twilight won't be able to take one step without tripping over something! I'm surprised you don't."
There was still no hiding a Rarity blush, not ever. "Not anymore, anyway," she muttered under her breath. "Fine, point made... wait. What about the ceiling fixtures you've always had in your room?" She pointed up. "Won't she bump her head on those?"
Rainbow walked out of the fitting room, back in her casual clothes and carrying her bagged dress. "Huh? Oh, the model planes! Yeah, I uh... I took all those down a year ago."
Rarity went from curious to serious. "Rainbow?"
Rainbow's mouth stretched into a smile. "Don't worry! I haven't given up the dream. I just..." Her eyes slowly shifted away from Rarity. "...keep myself honest, is all. Point is, my room's totally clear, and it'll have all the things she needs to get ready."
She walked over to Twilight, wrapped an arm over her shoulder and gave a small squeeze.
"Besides, I've spent less time with the Princess here than any of you, and that's totally not awesome in my book." Turning her head to Twilight, she added, "What do you say? Feel like filling me in on what I've missed since you got here?"
"I..." Twilight looked around, stopping at Rainbow's smiling face, and said, "Sure, I have no problem with that. Girls?"
The others cast glances among themselves, then shrugged.
"Well, that sounds like a right decent idea to the rest of us," Applejack said. "'Sides, what Rainbow wants, Rainbow, uh, usually gets," she added, with a sheepish blush and a smile.
"She doesn't live far from here, either," Rarity said, "which is good for me. Are you still in the high-rise?"
"Yep," Rainbow said. "West Canterlot District. Five-minute bus trip is all it takes."
"The bus?" Rarity gasped. "For goodness sakes, darling! After all the work we just put in, please make sure nothing untoward happens to your hair!"
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Yeesh." She gestured to Twilight, then the fitting room. "Come on, Twi. You should get dressed so we can get out of here."
Twilight giggled and gave a mock salute. "Sure thing, Soccer Queen."
She moved towards the room, but felt Rainbow Dash grab her hand in mid-stride.
"Hey. Twilight?"
Twilight looked back. "Huh?"
Rainbow cast her eyes towards the other girls, making sure they were preoccupied. Then she turned towards Twilight.
"There... there's more to me than soccer. I promise."
Twilight studied Rainbow's face. Coy and challenging... but also earnest. She'd seen it before, on her Rainbow, more than once. She never quite understood why whenever it happened.
However, she knew from experience that it was always best to respond in kind.
"I know," she said, gazing into Rainbow's eyes with a smile. "And I can't wait to find out what."
Rainbow's response was to slide her hand along Twilight's, fingers against fingers, with a slow, practiced grace, until they were finally apart.
Their eyes, however, never parted for a second.
"I was hoping you'd say that," Rainbow said, softly. "Go ahead and change. I'll be waiting."
---
Thirty minutes later, Twilight stepped off of a bus in a stumbling, zigzagging path, nearly dropping her dress as she did so. The dizziness had to stop eventually, Twilight told herself. It just had to.
Rainbow Dash followed — without the stumbling — and the bus roared away.
"I still don't know how you get around without these things. Or cars," Rainbow said, taking Twilight's dress from her.
"Trains. Very. Smooth. Trains," Twilight said, as her vision re-oriented. "Also, teleportation magic. Which I'm really starting to miss right now."
"Well, when that shows up in this world, I'll be first in line," Rainbow said. She gestured to a huge blue building standing in front of them. "Meanwhile, check it out! Welcome to Skycastle Apartments. Where only the most awesome people live."
Twilight craned her neck to look up the height of the structure. Its exterior paint was still clean and gleamed in the sunlight. "Wow," she said.
Rainbow chuckled. "None of these in your world either, huh?"
"We have some," Twilight said, "but only in the big cities, and none this tall being used for living quarters. It must hold a lot of poni-..." She stopped herself. "...uh, people."
Rainbow shrugged. "Holds enough, I guess." Rainbow looked around. "Speaking of which, where's your, uh, magical talking dog?" She paused. "Wow, I can't believe I said that out loud."
"Back at Rarity's. He told me he was 'very interested' in the differences between her boutique here and in my world, and wanted to study the place while 'helping her out'." Twilight paused as well. "Suddenly, I'm not sure letting him stay was the right decision."
Rainbow shrugged and chuckled. "Eh, guys are weird sometimes. Though technically he's still just a dog, right? How bad could things get?"
"I guess you're right," Twilight said, willing several destructive scenarios out of her mind as they invaded one by one. "Anyway, let's go."
The two went to the front door. Rainbow produced a small plastic card and swiped it through, unlocking the door. Both went inside, towards a small room Twilight could see at the end of the hallway.
"Elevators," Rainbow said. "You got 'em?"
Twilight nodded. "Though usually there's a unicorn inside to levitate them with magic."
"Whoa." Rainbow blinked. "Heh. Well, not needed here. Good ol' tech does it all."
Inside the elevator, Twilight counted 25 labeled buttons on the wall, just before seeing Rainbow press number 24. After a minute of standing still, and listening to the universal constant of elevator music, the doors opened, and the two girls stepped out.
They walked down a new hallway, until reaching a door with a symbol on the front that Twilight instantly recognized as Rainbow Dash's cutie mark. Rainbow Dash swiped her card again, and opened it wide.
"Here we are. Casa de Rainbow."
Twilight could only gape.
The walls were white, cleaner than the outside of the building. That cleanliness also stretched to the entire apartment. Once she and Rainbow took off their shoes, Twilight felt soft carpeting give way under her feet as she entered the living room.
In the center of the living room was a luxurious sofa, facing a wall along which sat a large, flat version of one of the "television" devices Twilight had seen in Canterlot High's AV room. In one corner she spied a desk with one of the "computers" she'd used in the school's library sitting at the far wall. In another corner, a fountain sat in solitude, spouting water that changed colors every few seconds, cycling through every hue in the rainbow.
Twilight toured the adjacent kitchen, and found it littered with several box-shaped appliances, as well as a slick black version of a traditional oven range.
It was only then, upon seeing so many devices up close, that she noticed that every single one of them, in either room, curiously and prominently bore a logo featuring a single violet star.
She looked at her skirt, then walked back to the television, which sported the largest version of the logo at its bottom. She looked at it, then back at her skirt again.
"Rainbow?" she called out.
Rainbow Dash walked over and joined her. "Yeah?"
Twilight showed her both stars. "Look familiar?"
"Hmmm. Yeah, I see whatcha mean." Rainbow's face scrunched in thought before she pointed to the star on the television. "Buuuuuuut that star's not connected to any 'Twilight Sparkle' we know."
"What makes you so sure?"
"First, because you're the only Twilight Sparkle any of us have ever heard of. If there is another you in this world..." Rainbow smiled at Twilight. "...then the world totally forgot to tell us. For our whole lives. And second?" She gestured around the room. "All of this stuff comes from Northstar Technologies, the biggest maker of gizmos in the world. They only set up shop in Equestrian City last year. Started buying out a bunch of stores. A few companies, too."
"Huh." Twilight's mind spun. "So, no connection, you think?"
Rainbow shook her head. "Nah. Believe me, Twilight, if you reminded me of them in any way..."
For a split second, Twilight could have sworn she saw Rainbow's face fall. In an eyeblink, however, her usual cheerful look was back.
"...well, I'd know. I'd know in a second." Rainbow snapped her fingers.
Twilight mused on this for a few moments. It made some sense. Large corporations and the narcissistic branding that came with them were hardly a foreign concept in Equestria. She looked at Rainbow once more, and decided to change the subject.
"Your apartment. It's so... shiny."
"Heh, yeah," Rainbow replied. "We have a housekeeper who comes in every week. Today was her day."
"Your parents must be super-rich to afford that."
Rainbow took on a sheepish look. "Ah, we're not really rich. Just well off. Money spoils ya. Like, the more I hear about that Diamond Tiara kid? The less I wanna be that loaded."
Twilight giggled, then looked around again. "Are they home?"
"Nope! Mom and Pop are on a trip to Prance. Business and stuff. They'll be back in a couple of days."
"What? They're not here to help for your big night?"
And there was the split-second face fall again. This time Twilight was certain she caught it before Rainbow willed it out of existence.
"I-it's... it's okay." Rainbow said. "I'm used to it. Besides, it's just a dance, right? I didn't even know I was going till the last minute. Not their fault."
She grabbed Twilight's arm, leading her through one of the living room's rear doors.
"Forget that, though. C'mon. Time I showed you my digs."
Twilight Sparkle stepped through a door, and once more into another world — only this one reminded her a lot more of home.
There were all the usual luxuries of modern life in Rainbow Dash's bedroom: a dresser-mirror combo, computer, television, and even a few stuffed animals.
But it was the overall decor that caught Twilight's attention.
The walls were sky blue, and littered with paintings of clouds. Looking up, she saw ceiling pegs — which Twilight figured had to be for the model planes that Rarity mentioned back at Carousel Fashions. But, just as Rainbow had said, the planes were, indeed, gone.
In their place were posters, laminated and strategically hung on hooks so that they appeared to be floating. Birds, pilots, caped superheroines — if it flew, then it flew in Rainbow's room.
Twilight gasped. "It... it's beautiful. If I squint, I can really imagine that I'm high in the sky."
"Then it's doing its job," Rainbow said, with a laugh. "So while we were all doing each other's hair you said there were other versions of us, right? So does that mean there's... there's another me? A me who's a pony?"
Twilight nodded. "Uh-huh! And you'll love this one: she's actually a pegasus."
The resulting squeal was loud enough for Twilight to cover her ears.
"A pegasus? Like... like with the wings? Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Rainbow spread her arms. "That's perfect! That's so me! That's the most awe-"
Rainbow's motions slowed. Her boisterous expression faded, and she lowered her arms.
"Heh, wow, yeah. That's... that's the coolest thing ever."
Rainbow's change in tone wasn't lost on Twilight. "Hey. Everything okay?"
"Uh-huh," Rainbow replied.
Rainbow walked to her bedroom window and opened it, revealing a far-reaching view of Canterlot District. As high up as they were, the buildings and shops were miniscule, and the cars looked like small insects. Even Canterlot High School could just barely be seen in the distance.
She gestured outside. "When we moved to this building, Mom and Dad wanted to get an apartment closer to the ground. I begged them to get one this high up."
Twilight's curiosity instantly kicked in. "Any, uh, particular reason?"
Rainbow buried her fingers in her hair. "Well..."
Hesitation. Twilight had seen this from her Rainbow as well, though only occasionally. Which meant she didn't have a standard reaction procedure for it.
So, she made one up on the spot.
She approached Rainbow Dash, and placed a hand on the other girl's shoulder. When Rainbow looked at her, Twilight smiled.
"You can tell me," Twilight said. "Even if I couldn't keep secrets — which I can — I have to go home tonight. And home's an entire world away for me."
Rainbow smiled back.
"I'm fine with telling you. I'd've told anyone who asked."
Rainbow's hand wrapped around Twilight's shoulder. Warmth flowed between them both.
"But hardly anyone asks. So yeah. I'm glad you did."
---
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic x Equestria Girls:
"Rainbow Reflections"
Chapter 3: Sky Blue World
by Bookish Delight, 2014-2015
All characters and referred properties belong to Hasbro.
---
"You ever have someplace where... where you just know you feel at home?" Rainbow asked.
Twilight nodded, and remained silent, listening.
"Well, I guess that's just always been the sky for me. On the ground, you gotta work to be awesome and the fastest, and stay that way. Which I'm cool with, sure."
Rainbow raised her arms and spun in place, gesturing around her room. "But up here? There's nothing in your way."
Twilight chuckled. "And even if there were, it couldn't stop you, right?" she asked, with a wink.
Rainbow froze for a moment as she parsed Twilight's words... then her smile went double-wide.
"Yeah! You totally get it!" she said, slamming her fist into her palm. "And that's why I've got stuff all planned out."
"'Planned out'?" Twilight echoed. She couldn't remember ever having heard those words out of her Rainbow.
"Yep." Rainbow Dash brought her thumb and middle finger close to each other in a universal gesture. "I'm this close to getting a sports scholarship to Wonderbolt Academy. It's the aviation college west of here, in Cloudsdale." Rainbow pointed to a poster advertising the university on the wall. "Figure I get in there by playing soccer, and study like crazy on the side. 'Cause there's no way I plan on losing out once I'm in the door."
"Wow," Twilight said. "That is a plan. It sounds like you really want this."
"'Course I do."
Rainbow Dash stuck her head out the window.
"'Cause I wanna fly."
Twilight followed Rainbow's lead, feeling a light breeze tousle her hair as soon as she did so. She looked to Rainbow, and saw her hair swaying in the breeze as well. Rarity would likely have had an aneurysm at the sight. Neither of them cared.
Rainbow turned to Twilight. "You feel that, right? Isn't it awesome up here?"
Twilight had to agree. At this height, the air was crisp and cool, and the sounds of the city were barely noticeable. It reminded Twilight of the first flights she'd attempted after becoming a princess.
Before the crashes, at any rate. The crashes always happened just as she was starting to have fun. It was nice not having to worry about that here.
They stood silently, enjoying the wind, until Rainbow gave a happy sigh, and pulled her head back inside. Twilight followed.
"I'm making sure I graduate a Wonderbolt," Rainbow said. "'Cause I'm tired of being stuck in one place while..." She trailed off, casting her gaze to a picture sitting on the nightstand near the bed.
Twilight followed the gaze. The only things it could fall on were a lamp, and a framed photograph. From what Twilight could see, the photograph was clearly of three blue humans standing together, but that was as much as she could make out from her current distance. She made a mental note of it, then turned back to Rainbow.
"There's a group of flyers in my world known as the Wonderbolts, too," Twilight said. "Our Rainbow already has ties to their Academy, and she's training to be one of them. It's been her lifelong dream."
"You're kidding!" Rainbow said, her face lighting up, much to Twilight's relief. "That's awesome! That means there's hope for me! Though..." She paused, then put her hand to her chin and 'hmm'ed in thought. "Now I wanna know stuff."
Twilight smiled. "I'll help in any way I can."
Rainbow grinned back. "Good. I was counting on that." She pointed to Twilight. "So, your Rainbow Dash. How'd she find out what her dream was in the first place? Why did she want to go to Wonderbolt Academy?"
"She pulled off an amazing flying stunt as a filly," Twilight said, "and ever since then she's just always wanted to live life doing what she's loved. She wants to be recognized as one of the the best."
The stunned look on Rainbow Dash's face was the last thing Twilight expected.
"Wow. She... she had it from the beginning." Rainbow's soft voice was laced with awe. "You have no idea how jealous I am."
Twilight shook her head. "Don't be." She looked around Rainbow's room. "Humans might not have wings, but from what I can see, you've always had the same flying spirit she's had."
Rainbow's confident look was back.
"You kidding? 'Course I have! When I was a kid, my parents always had to stop me from running around the house with my arms spread out, makin' plane noises. Led to a lot of park trips, though." She smiled as she reminisced. "Heck, there's this really old jet fighter game at Canterlot Arcade that I refuse to let 'em get rid of. It's always been about the sky for me.
"These days, though?" Rainbow stared into space. "I want to fly for another reason."
"Why's that?" Twilight asked.
Rainbow stepped forward, gently grasping Twilight's hands and looking straight at her.
Wide eyes, communicating genuine sentiment. Lips opening just a little bit, then closing, indecisively.
Twilight had only ever seen this look on her Rainbow once or twice in her life. The look of a Rainbow Dash about to take a chance. The look of a Rainbow Dash needing someone, anyone, to truly listen, to take what she had to say seriously.
Twilight looked straight back into Rainbow's eyes, probing, reassuring. You can tell me, Twilight thought, hoping that the unspoken message would get across.
It did.
"'Cause when I can fly?" Rainbow said. "Anywhere I want? It won't matter where the special people in my life go. I'll be able to follow them. And we'll never drift apart."
With no idea how to respond, Twilight simply firmed her hold on Rainbow's hands.
It seemed to be enough. Rainbow nodded slowly in return. A hush fell over the room for several moments.
Twilight noticed Rainbow staring at her intently, her mouth opening ever so slightly, as if about to say something, do something.
Instead Rainbow closed her mouth, gently biting her lower lip in the process. She dropped Twilight's hands, and walked to the other end of the room, gesturing for Twilight to follow.
"Ahhhh, I know when I'm makin' things weird. C'mon."
She plopped onto her bed, and patted the spot beside her, beckoning for Twilight to sit.
"Forget about me for a while. Tell me more about you. And your pony world. And the me with the wings. And the pony princess with the sparkly hair who looks like the principal? What's that about?"
Rainbow and Twilight shared a laugh. "Actually," said Twilight sheepishly, "your Principal Celestia threw me off too."
"She throws everyone off. Have you seen those legs? Her sister's, too! I keep wanting to ask them to be star kickers for my team!"
The two laughed again.
"Seriously, though," Rainbow said, grinning. "We've still got time. So I wanna hear everything."
At seven forty-five, Twilight emerged — this time from the nearby bathroom — wearing her Fall Formal gown. Rainbow Dash, already in her own outfit, gave a thumbs-up.
"You still look awesome," she said, gesturing for Twilight to come into her room.
"Thank you," Twilight replied, looking at Rainbow in her own dress. "And you look beautiful."
Rainbow froze at the compliment. "S-seriously?" she said, refusing to look at Twilight directly.
Twilight nodded. "Seriously seriously. It seems no matter what world I go to, Rainbow Dash loves to say she isn't really into 'girly' things at all." Twilight stepped closer. "But wouldn't you know it? Turns out no matter what world I go to, Rainbow Dash always makes for a pretty awesome girl."
"W-wow, thanks." A deep blush crossed Rainbow's cheeks. "I... I don't usually hear that kinda stuff."
Twilight smiled.
"I know."
---
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic x Equestria Girls:
"Rainbow Reflections"
Chapter 4: Sweetness and Passion
by Bookish Delight, 2014-2015
All characters and referred properties belong to Hasbro.
---
The two walked over to Rainbow's dresser, which had a stool in front of it. Twilight sat, and Rainbow Dash picked up one of her combs.
"All right, let's do this. I'm no Rarity, but I know she'll kill me if she sees even one strand out of place on one of her friends. Only exceptions are me and Pinkie Pie."
"Why you two?"
Rainbow snickered. "'Cause I don't care, and Pinkie Pie and orderly hair don't mix."
Twilight giggled as she felt the comb's teeth gently moving through her locks. "Sounds about right."
The two stood there with Rainbow combing Twilight in silence for a short while, until Rainbow piped up again. "Twi?"
Twilight meanwhile was doing her best not to fall asleep under Rainbow Dash's surprisingly soothing comb technique. "Hmmmm?"
"Don't tell anyone, but I like nights like this. When you're awesome twenty-four-seven, you kind of... forget to be other things sometimes. I think that's why I brought you up here. You reminded me of a lot of stuff."
Twilight kept her eyes open, watching Rainbow through the dresser's mounted mirror. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you only got here a few days ago, but since you did, you've been gluing together all my friendships! And I got to learn about an awesome world where I'm super-happy and already living my dream."
"You can still be and do all of that here, you know." Twilight grinned. "Nothing's stopping you. I'd say the sky's the limit, but..."
Rainbow gave a sheepish chuckle. "Yeah, starting to remember that. Which is all because of you, too. And 'cause of that..."
Rainbow trailed off, fidgeting with her comb in one hand before continuing.
"This whole time I've been trying to find the right words to tell you just how happy I am that you came here. But I think I've finally got it."
She tossed the comb onto her bed, walked in front of Twilight, stood her up, and took the violet girl's hands in hers. With a blush strong enough to tint her face close to Twilight's complexion, she placed her right hand on her friend's left cheek.
"I don't care if you're a human or a pony, Twilight. I like both. You're a pretty sweet girl, and I hope you know that. And that whole magic-and-mystery thing you've got going? That's cool no matter who you talk to. You're..."
Her last words were delivered in a voice laced with longingness.
"You're on my level of awesome. We've known each other for less than a day... but it really feels like we've been friends forever."
"Thanks," Twilight said, her own face flushing. "And I know how you feel. Sure, you remind me a lot of my Rainbow back home, but being around you, it's like I've made a new best friend all over again." Twilight quickly thought back to her very first visit to Ponyville, and giggled. "And in about the same amount of time, too."
At Twilight's words, Rainbow went silent, thoughtfulness written across her face. However, that thoughtfulness was soon replaced with a sly grin.
"'Best friend,' huh?" Rainbow exhaled. "Sheesh. Here I go again, being so jealous."
Twilight cocked her head. "Jealous? Why?"
"Duh. The pony me? I can't imagine what she goes through."
Twilight blinked. "I’m not following you."
A shocked look crossed Rainbow's face, and for once, Twilight found herself being studied. After a few seconds, Rainbow let out a slow gasp.
"Oh my gosh," she said, putting her hand to her mouth. "You... you really don't know. And I bet she's never told you, either." Rainbow sighed. "Not surprised, I guess."
"What? Tell me what? What don't I get-" Twilight said, before realizing that Rainbow's arms had encircled her neck. She froze, overloaded by far too many thoughts, far too many questions, rushing through her mind, all at once.
"I can't tell you straight out," Rainbow said, softly. "She's gotta. But maybe I can help move things along a bit."
Twilight was about to ask just where things were "moving along" to, but she never got the chance.
With an all-too-familiar speed that Twilight never had a chance of stopping, Rainbow Dash closed the small distance between their faces, placing a soft, closed-mouth kiss on Twilight's lips.
It lasted all of three seconds. For Twilight, it may as well have been three minutes. When it was over, her mind was spinning ten times faster than it had been during the bus ride. The thoughts refused to stop, and her ability to find just the right words were lost within their deluge.
"Rainbow, I-I... um..."
"Hah!" Rainbow Dash said, grinning in triumph. "Still the fastest. And now I can say I kissed tonight's Fall Formal Princess before anyone else."
She then leaned forward, and whispered in Twilight's ear.
"Not to mention a real princess. Your Dash never tried, did she?"
As Rainbow pulled back, a flabbergasted Twilight Sparkle stuttered her reply. "W-well, no, o-of course she hasn't! Why would she? We're best friends, not... not-"
A knowing smirk crossed Rainbow's lips. "Those her words? Or yours?"
"I..." Twilight stalled upon realizing that she had no concrete reply.
Rainbow's smile widened, her voice soft and frank. "Like I said, I've only known you for a day, and I'm into you." She winked. "And I already told ya' why. Not doin' it again."
Too curious — and flattered — to respond, Twilight remained mute.
"Your pony pal though? From all you've told me, she's known you for years while putting up with all your stuff about libraries and spells and stars that stay in one place in the sky. Spending time with you? Means she's had to slow down. Stay on the ground for however long it takes. And she's still cool with that."
"Forget about me, Twilight.Your Rainbow's feelings for you have been an open book for years. And I'm betting it's the only one you haven't read."
Twilight sat on the bed, her mind reeling as she did her best to grasp what she'd just heard.
Rainbow Dash? Her? When...? Why hadn't...?
Too many questions. Trying to answer them only brought more questions. Twilight did her best to funnel them towards clearly more knowledgeable parties so she didn't get a headache.
"I don't know, Rainbow Dash. This is just all so much, so... fast."
Rainbow Dash sat beside Twilight. "Hey, fast is what we do. It's in our name. Pretty sure your Dash and I aren't clones, but it sounds like there's enough of the same awesome in both of us for me to know what's up."
Twilight nodded back. "Yes, that makes sense. It's just..."
"You didn't see this coming?" Rainbow laughed. "That makes two of us! Kinda wish this world did have it's own Twilight. Maybe then I might've been prepared for you."
Twilight laughed in return, calming down in the process.
"If everything you say is true, though? If..." Twilight took a deep breath and clasped her hands. "If she really feels how you say she feels about me? Why haven't she and I ever talked about this? Why did she never bring it up?"
Rainbow "hmm"ed, grasping her knees with her hands, before speaking again. "Maaaaaaybe I can give you a cheat sheet, just this once."
"A cheat sheet?"
Rainbow tapped her temple with her index finger. "Top secret, back of the book. But it's for a good cause, so..."
Twilight's eyes went wide when she decoded Rainbow's gesture. "I'm all ears."
Rainbow's grin was back. "'Course you are. You're smart like that. So. You remember when you told me your Dash talks about herself a whole bunch?"
"Uh-huh." Twilight chuckled and nodded. "Usually about how awesome she is."
"Yep! Now, if your Dash really is all about her image and rep, and totally wants to be seen as the greatest flyer ever, then there's stuff that she's gonna want others to know about her, and never forget. Stuff she's sure about. Stuff she believes. And stuff she wants others to be sure about and believe. She'll talk about all that stuff... 'cause all that stuff is safe."
"Duh. The opposite. For me, it's anything I'm not totally sure about. Anything I don't really know how to put into words. Anything that makes me really look at myself for a long time without instantly seeing straight-up coolness. 'Cause that's..." Rainbow sighed, gripping her knees more firmly. "...that's hard."
Rainbow's eyes lidded, her gaze settling on the carpeting.
"Now imagine everyone's looking at you, picking apart every word you say, every move you make... all while you're still trying to figure yourself out."
Twilight clasped her hands tighter. "That is hard. I've been there myself."
"I bet. Anyway, that’s where she’s at. You? You’ve got two choices. You either wait for your Rainbow to decide to talk about stuff she's still trying to figure out... or you convince her that opening up to you is worth the risk. 'Cause otherwise, just being awesome? Never hurt anyone."
Rainbow turned, put her hands on Twilight's shoulders, and looked into her eyes, her expression the definition of sincerity.
"Especially not Rainbow Dash." She tilted her head. "You get me?"
"I do," Twilight said, wrapping her arms around her friend. "Thank you for sharing that, Rainbow. I know that had to be hard."
Rainbow hugged back.
"Yeah, lots of stuff in life is hard." She sniffled. "But hey, I'm me."
They sat alone in the room, in each other's arms, for as long as they could before Rainbow Dash's phone beeped.
"Whoa, fifteen minute warning," Rainbow said. "Limo will be here real soon."
The two parted, and when they did, Twilight noticed something. "Rainbow, your face!"
"Huh?" Rainbow darted to the mirror to see telltale streaks of ruined mascara running down to her cheeks. She gritted her teeth.
"Ugh!" she growled. "This is seriously why I don't do makeup." Rainbow wiped at her eyes. "I'll fix this stuff, you keep an eye out for Rarity."
Twilight walked towards the window. On the way, she passed the nightstand. Again, she saw the picture.
Curiosity got the better of her. After making sure Rainbow was still preoccupied, she picked up the picture, examining it closely.
This close up, she could now see that it depicted a much younger Rainbow Dash, flanked by a blue man and woman — parents, Twilight presumed — who had one hand each on Rainbow's shoulders. All three were smiling and waving without a care in the world.
The three of them were in a very large room, far larger than Rainbow's — it looked to be warehouse-size. Surrounding them were all sorts of flying machines and apparatuses hanging near the ceiling, as well as posters advertising different flight events.
Twilight's eyes were then drawn to one last thing, which she'd almost missed due to the angle the picture was taken at. The family had nearly obscured it.
However, she could now plainly see a giant painted symbol on the rear wall.
Twilight Sparkle leaned against the refreshment table on her palms, catching her breath.
The more she thought about her present state, the more confused she was.
Not one hour ago, she'd been battling for the fate of two worlds against a raging she-demon, and the whole time, she'd barely felt a thing. If anything, she'd been energized throughout the conflict.
A few dance numbers, however, were clearly too much for Twilight Sparkle, Magic Princess of Equestria, to handle. She would have rolled her eyes if she had the spare energy to at the moment.
Like any party consisting of Pinkie Pie on the design committee, the Canterlot High School Fall Formal was nothing to sneeze at — a bash where its attendants were encouraged to pig out and dance for as long as the festivities lasted.
Which Twilight was just fine with doing, up until the point where she found out that traditional pony dances — to say nothing of the silly jigs she was used to dancing because she knew she had no technique whatsoever — were far more strenuous to perform in a human's body. She had to excuse herself simply to keep from collapsing in a heap.
She forewent the punch, opting to pour herself some ice water instead. She took a sip, and instantly appreciated the decision. Water always was the best-tasting drink in the universe when one's body truly wished for it.
"Hey, Twilight!" a nearby voice called.
Twilight looked towards the voice and saw an orange girl with short purple hair standing next to her.
"Scootaloo, right?" she guessed.
The girl beamed, a full second before launching into a rapid fire torrent of words and gestures.
"Yep! Have you seen Rainbow Dash? I was really enjoying hanging out with her! She's the bestest ever, and I wish I could be around her more often, but she's always so busy with teams and stuff, but now she's here at the dance which is weird 'cause she doesn't like girly things, and now she can fly? What's that about? Can she teach me to fly? I-"
"I'm sorry, Scootaloo," Twilight said, shoving a cup of water into the other girl’s hand. "I haven't been checking. I'll go look around right now, though, okay?"
Scootaloo downed the water in one gulp. "Okay, thanks! I'm going to fight brainfreeze now." She scrunched her face.
Twilight stared. "Yes. You, uh, do that."
Twilight backed away, then scanned the gymnasium. She wandered around the edges of the dance floor, looking inward. People, streamers, balloons, more people, more streamers, even more streamers... Twilight chuckled and shook her head. Human world or not, this place could be a little too close to home sometimes.
During her walk, she spied the music booth. She waved courteously at the ivory-skinned disc jockey on duty, who gave a smiling nod and a wave back... then gestured for Twilight to come closer.
Once Twilight approached, she held up two albums. Twilight read their titles: TheThree Seasons and Midnight Electronica.
Twilight gasped, blushing deeply, which she desperately hoped went unnoticed amidst the music and colored strobes. Memories surfaced of herself and a pony colored very similarly to this DJ sharing a balcony in a concert hall, then dancing in a city square.
She willed the memories away — she had a mission, after all — and pointed to the latter record. The DJ changed the music, then gave a thumbs-up, bobbing her head to the beat.
Still slightly flushed, Twilight waved once more before continuing on her way.
She continued walking across the gym until she saw a familiar white-skinned figure twirling in place, amidst a gathered audience of onlookers. Twilight approached her. "Rarity?"
Rarity stopped mid-spin, the scarf that was in her hand falling limp. "Twilight? Is anything wrong, dear?"
"Have you seen Rainbow Dash?"
Rarity cradled her chin between her thumb and forefinger. "Now that you mention it, she excused herself right after our group picture. I thought it was to use the bathroom, but that was over an hour ago." Rarity looked above the crowd. "She was flying around the room the whole time, wasn't she?"
"I thought so too, but she was with Scootaloo all that time, and Scootaloo was the one who asked me to find her just a few minutes ago."
"Oh, my," said Rarity. "It's not like her to avoid the spotlight. Should we form a search party?"
"If we have to, I'll let you know, but I don't think it's that serious. Thanks, Rarity. You can go back to your... um... whatever it was you were doing." She cocked her head. "What are you doing?"
"I'm merely putting my latest design through its paces, darling!" Rarity said, sashaying to show off the movement of her dress. "Let's face it: if this outfit can survive a Pinkie Prom and maintain its style, then it should be good for any occasion!"
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "So you're technically working right now?"
"But of course! Fashion and fabulosity wait for no entrepreneur! Besides, there's no rule saying you can't work and play at the same time. As long as there's music, I'll keep on dancing."
Rarity tossed out her scarf, its other end whirling and catching around the waist of one of the hapless onlookers — a brown bespectacled boy whose face embodied total awkwardness.
"What is your name, dear?" Rarity asked him.
"T-T-T-T-Trenderhoof," the boy said. He appeared to be moments away from fainting.
"Well, then! Come, Trenderhoof! You're my partner this round..."
She yanked the scarf, pulling him in close, and grinned at him mischievously.
"...and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it."
Rarity's dancing resumed, with a hapless Trenderhoof in tow. Twilight shrugged and walked away.
With no sign of Rainbow in the gym, Twilight made her way to the doors. It would be much quieter out there. She'd be able to think better and come up with a plan.
Just as she headed for the door, a boy's voice came over the loudspeakers.
"Hey there, folks, just want to thank you again for pitching in to make the Fall Formal a success! And now, the moment I'm sure all you couples have been been waiting for!"
Twilight looked around. What moment could he possibly mean?
The lights shifted color, and the music went from fast beats to a much slower melody. Twilight looked at the dance floor. Flash Sentry was looking for her.
She understood.
Twilight sighed inwardly, now realizing what she was about to do.
I'm sorry, Flash. But I have to find someone very important to me.
She slipped out of the gym, ran through the halls, and exited Canterlot High school.
I hope you'll understand.
---
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic x Equestria Girls:
"Rainbow Reflections"
Chapter 5: The Freedom of Flight
by Bookish Delight, 2014-2015
All characters and referred properties belong to Hasbro.
---
Once outside, Twilight closed her eyes and concentrated. A bright purple aura covered her as she reached out to familiar magic.
The Elements of Harmony have touched six people in this world the most. Four of them are in the gym right now, one of them is in the principal's office, and the last...
Twilight's eyes snapped open. She gasped.
What... what's one doing so far from here?
Twilight redoubled her concentration efforts, zeroing in on the magical signature.
That's Loyalty, all right. West of here, and ultra-distant. Has she been... for more than an hour...?
She flapped her wings, attempting to head in the direction of the magic. She wobbled in midair, her flight still uneasy. Tiring of it, she stopped and hovered, thinking again.
If I link my transportation spell to the magical signature... I hope this works. It'll be weird to explain otherwise.
She placed two fingers to her forehead, concentrating one last time. The star atop her crown glowed, first dimly, then brighter, then blinding....
...and she blinked out of existence.
---
Twilight blinked back into existence amidst clouds. She looked around. More clouds. She looked up. Stars.
Then she looked down.
There were flashing lights everywhere, in all colors of the rainbow. Humongous... things flew below and above her. Things that certainly didn't look like ponies at all. They looked like large...
...machines? Machines that fly?
Twilight wandered the skies, searching for the Element of Loyalty's unique magical signature. The second she found it, she was almost overwhelmed. It was close.
Close enough that she heard a familiar voice in her head, much to her initial shock.
"Yeah, yeah! None of you can lay a finger on me!"
No doubt about who that was. Twilight surmised that linking herself directly to the Element of Loyalty's magical signature must have linked their minds as well. She made a note of this for future study, then headed towards the magic.
Soon, she was able to see Rainbow Dash, still with her wings, twirling and looping in midair with what looked like zero required effort. Twilight suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.
Which was good, because that was the moment Rainbow looked back and saw her. She was just barely visible in the distance.
"Oh, another one, huh?" Her voice echoed in Twilight's mind again. "You want me, you gotta catch me, just like all the rest!"
And Rainbow took off at top speed.
Twilight flew after her. "Rainbow!" she called out.
Rainbow didn't answer, lost in her joyful, speed-filled world.
"Rainbow!" Twilight called again.
If Rainbow heard Twilight, she didn't answer directly. "Sheesh, whoever you are, you'll never catch up to me at this rate!"
Twilight decided to fight fire with fire.
I can't catch up to you, Rainbow! she thought, projecting her own thoughts back. I... I've never been able to!
That got Rainbow's attention.
"Wha-? That voice!"
Rainbow slowed to a hover and turned around. "Twilight! Is that you?" she called out.
"Who did you think it was?" said Twilight, finally catching up.
"I..." Rainbow looked embarrassed as she approached. "I thought you were a bird. Or maybe a plane." She chuckled. "I've been buzzing both all night. But boy, am I glad you're here."
"That makes one of us... w-whoa!" Twilight said, erratically bobbing in midair.
"Whoa, are you having trouble? Hang on," Rainbow said, grasping Twilight's hands and propping her up. "Riiiiight. You said you just got these wings, didn't you? I mean, so did I, I guess, but figuring them out wasn't that hard."
This time Twilight did roll her eyes. "Gee, thanks."
Rainbow laughed. "Totally didn't mean it like that. But that's weird. I would've thought your Rainbow Dash would have offered to give you flying lessons or something."
Twilight looked down. "I... I keep telling her I'm busy."
Rainbow gave Twilight a sheepish look and snicker. "Welp, lesson learned. I ain't gotta say nothin' there."
Twilight sighed. "Guess not. So, why are you out here?" she asked.
"Why wouldn't I be out here?" Rainbow raised a fist skyward. "That party left me pumped! Who'd've thought a school dance could be that awesome?" She looked back at her wings. "But I didn't expect to get these babies halfway in. I'd been wanting to try 'em since I got 'em, and the school's a little cramped. For some reason Fluttershy wasn't much into flying, so..." Rainbow sighed. "Here I am. By myself. At least I was." She smiled at Twilight. "Thanks for coming."
"Think nothing of it." Twilight smiled back, then looked around. "That's the other thing, though — where is 'here?'"
"Heh. Glad you asked." Rainbow took out her smartphone, and gently pulled Twilight below the cloud layer.
What met Twilight's eyes when she descended was the cleanest, brightest city she'd ever seen. It was filled with white-painted buildings, of all shapes and sizes — some rectangular, some curved, all majestic.
The majority of those buildings, in turn, were covered in the same multi-hued lights she'd seen only hints of earlier, causing the entire cityscape to come alive in an explosion of color, and giving off soft rainbows of light that stretched up to even her and Rainbow’s present altitude.
Gleaming skyscrapers reached up to the clouds themselves, the occasional blimp and plane sharing space with them. Through the bright lights, it was all Twilight could do to make out cars speeding by on roads below, looking oddly mundane amidst the rest of the city's visuals, but no less colorful and energetic.
Rainbow gave Twilight her phone. Twilight looked at its screen, which showed a map, and a dot hovering over a name she recognized.
She gasped the second she read it. "Cloudsdale?"
"Bingo!" Rainbow's grin showed teeth. "Welcome to Cloudsdale District, Flight Capital of Equestrian City."
Twilight looked at Rainbow. "'District?' 'Equestrian City?' Still? Wasn't Canterlot a District, too?"
"Yep!" Rainbow spread her arms. "Equestrian City is, like, huge! Really, really huge. There's other cities in Equestrian City, it's that huge! And Cloudsdale's planes run back and forth across all of 'em. They go beyond, too," she added, with a wink.
Twilight let out a slow, awed exhale. The only magic she could sense for miles around was her and Rainbow's, yet to look at the sight below was to believe this world had indeed found several ways to get along just fine without it.
"This is amazing," she said.
"I know, right?" Rainbow said, just before grabbing Twilight's arm. "C'mon! Let's fly through it!"
"W-wait, w-w-what?" Twilight said, barely comprehending Rainbow's words before they were turned into action, and she was pulled forward. "Yikes!"
They flew above and below clouds. They touched rooftops, leaping from building to building. They flew past blimp cabins, with Rainbow waving to spooked travelers and officers before zooming away in an eyeblink.
All the time, Rainbow couldn't stop laughing. It was a loud, pleasing, joyful sound. For the first time since she'd met her, Twilight could see Rainbow not secretly worried about something.
If only she could say the same about herself. While she could appreciate how happy and free Rainbow looked at the moment, it was all she could do to hang on for dear life. Neon signs passed in a blur, traffic honked below, and the wind whipped past her ears, all combining to create sensory chaos.
"You see, Twi?" Rainbow's voice cut through the din. "Once you get flying down, it's as easy as running! And with both of those, you're always gonna feel the need for speed! It's a package deal!"
"But I haven't got flying down yet, Rainbow!" Twilight cried out in spite of herself. "This... this is too fast! I'm scared!"
Rainbow instantly halted, looking back at a Twilight who was gasping to catch her breath.
"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, Twilight," she said, instantly letting go of her friend's arm and embracing her. Her voice cracked as she spoke. "I-I got carried away, I've never been able to... I-I never meant-"
Twilight took the time to fully catch her breath and let her vision clear before responding. "No, Rainbow, it's alright," she said, shaking her head and hugging back. "I know what this must be like for you right now, and I'd never take that away that joy! I'm just... not quite your speed. I'm not sure I ever will be."
"Don't you say that. If anyone could catch up with me one day, it's you. You worked out everything else!" She held Twilight at arm's length. "But alright. For you, I'll slow down. A little. Until you get it."
At those words, Twilight’s eyes widened. "What's wrong?" Rainbow asked.
Twilight snapped out of it. "N-nothing, it's... I've heard my Rainbow say that to me more than once."
Rainbow's grin widened. "Ha! Told ya'. It's nothing to be sad about, though. It's not on you. It's a choice she made. Just like the one I'm makin' now."
Twilight sighed, calming down. "Speaking of which... you think we'd be able to make the choice to head back to Canterlot High? People back at the Fall Formal are getting worried. Maybe you could give me some pointers as we fly back there-"
Rainbow gasped. "Not yet! We can't go yet!"
"Why not?"
Rainbow looked around frantically. "There... there's someplace I gotta go. It's why I came out here in the first place!" She looked at her phone. "And it's totally not far from here, either."
"You mean head into the city? What if someone on the street notices two girls with wings? Bad enough we've romped on rooftops, and you've buzzed by who knows how many planes! You want people to find out who did all that?"
Rainbow placed her hands on Twilight's shoulders, meeting Twilight's gaze with a desperate one of her own.
"Please, Twilight. From what I've heard of this place, it's already deserted. But I've just gotta see it with my own eyes."
Twilight hesitated, then relented. With a long sigh, she said, "Okay, we'll figure it out. Lead the way."
Rainbow gave her own sigh of relief. "Thanks, Twilight. Thanks so much."
Rainbow led the way, maintaining a cruising speed that, gratefully, Twilight could follow.
Following the map on Rainbow's phone — which Twilight was told contained something called a "global positioning system" — it didn't take long for the two to reach Rainbow's destination.
Once they did, they descended from cloud cover. Sure enough, the area was deserted, and not nearly as well-kept as the city at large. Few people walked the littered streets, none of whom noticed the two girls. They flew over gates surrounding a large lot, then touched down in an open lot.
Rainbow looked around. Aside from the gates and a large warehouse, emptiness and decay greeted her everywhere.
"Oh, no," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "It really did close down. The news said they were going to make a bigger one, but this..."
Quick as a shot, Rainbow flew inside the warehouse. Twilight followed as fast as she could. Once inside, she concentrated, and her crown glowed, bathing the surroundings in violet light so both girls could get their bearings.
It also let the two see the room for what it truly was.
Rusted planes. Broken models. Some built to scale, some lifesize. Ripped pieces of posters and paraphernalia littered the walls amidst layers of dust and cobwebs. Only now did Twilight notice the building's dust and musty smell, and she cast a spell on herself and her friend to ward off any ill environmental effects.
Twilight looked around for Rainbow and found her standing, stock still, in front of a wall. She flew over and joined her. "Rainbow?" she ventured.
Rainbow sniffled.
"I don't care if they're building another one. This one was mine."
Twilight followed Rainbow’s gaze.
A room-sized relief of Rainbow Dash's cutie mark adorned the wall in front of them, cracked and broken.
---
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic x Equestria Girls:
"Rainbow Reflections"
Chapter 6: Life Lessons
by Bookish Delight, 2014-2015
All characters and referred properties belong to Hasbro.
---
"Oh my gosh," Twilight whispered upon seeing the dilapidated symbol.
"Yeah," Rainbow said, with a long sigh. "That's one way to put it."
Twilight put a comforting arm around Rainbow Dash's shoulder. "Rainbow, what... what is this place?"
She looked at Rainbow again. Once more the blue girl was wearing a wistful expression. Not only was she staring into space, but it looked almost as if she was staring through the wall in front of her.
"Y'know, your Rainbow's really lucky," Rainbow said, her voice soft. "She's got all her dreams laid out already. Heck, some of 'em were built into her. And on top of all of that, she's got you."
"Rainbow, please," said Twilight. "Don't put yourself down like that-"
Rainbow shook her head, cutting Twilight off.
"Nah, it's not like that. It's just that now that I have these wings, I finally get it. If I knew how to fly like I have been tonight, from that early, I'd still be going at super-speed. I'd never slow down, for anyone or anything. Sound familiar?"
Twilight gulped.
Rainbow turned to Twilight. "I hope I can meet your Rainbow someday. Betting she's got a lot to teach me. But I had my own awesome flight experience when I was young, too."
Twilight stayed silent, letting Rainbow gather her words.
"When I was little, my parents and I took a trip to Cloudsdale. It's a mountain city, so it takes a while to get here by any way but flying. It's not really a thing someone living in Canterlot can do all that often. I figured I'd love Cloudsdale, and I totally did... but I didn't know how much I'd love its Aviation Museum." Rainbow chuckled. "'Cause my folks kept that a surprise."
Twilight looked around, recalling the picture on Rainbow's nightstand. "And this was it?"
"Heh, yep." Rainbow nodded. "I climbed over all the planes, and went in all the sims, and learned about how all this stuff was made, and how flying worked, and about the Wonderbolts and their school, and even met one of 'em, and it was all kinds of sweet!"
Rainbow looked lost in her smile for a few precious moments before it faded.
"We took a bunch of pictures. Almost all of them are in the family album, but they let me keep and frame the one in my room. A picture of the happiest day of my life. The day when I knew what I wanted to do, who I wanted to be, more than anything."
She looked at Twilight, the forlorn expression having returned.
"I don't get days like that anymore."
Twilight shook her head. "Rainbow, that can't be true."
"It is!" Rainbow threw up her hands. "Those companies that I told you kept getting bought up? My parents worked for one of them. Now they work for NorthTech, and those guys’ve been running 'em ragged on business trips left and right! So even when they're home, they're too tired for us to do anything as a family. They can't make my soccer games, we haven't taken any trips... heck, we're lucky if we get a night of TV to ourselves!"
She took a deep breath.
"It's been like that for over a year now. Which was also when all the arguments happened with Applejack and the others, and we all split up. I joined a whole bunch of clubs. Tried to surround myself, tried to replace 'em. But it didn't help! And I... I didn't know what to do. I didn't know why the people I wanted to be around... why they didn't..."
Rainbow trailed off, and for several moments, Twilight could feel the desolate silence of the warehouse closing in on them.
Rainbow looked into Twilight's eyes, and Twilight could see Rainbow’s were watering more by the second. She took a deep breath, her next words escaping with a quiver.
"Twi? I... I-I'm awesome... right?"
Without hesitation, Twilight placed her hand on Rainbow's cheek. The tears were running freely now.
"Always and forever, Rainbow," Twilight whispered.
Rainbow gripped Twilight's raised arm. Twilight could feel Rainbow's whole body shake as her next words uttered in a weak whimper:
"Then... why does nobody want to be around me?"
Those were the last words to escape Rainbow's lips before she fell into Twilight's embrace, and silent sobs took over. Twilight lowered them both to the floor, cradling Rainbow, who poured out her sadness to an empty warehouse and a single friend.
---
Several minutes later, courtesy of one last transport spell from Twilight, she and Rainbow reappeared amidst the clouds hovering over Canterlot High School.
"Will you be okay?" Twilight asked, with a worried look.
"Yeah, it's out of my system." Rainbow looked away sheepishly and took a deep breath. "I'd, uh, ask you not to tell any of the other girls..."
Twilight placed a gentle finger on Rainbow's lips.
"...but we both know that won't be a problem," Twilight finished. "It's alright, Rainbow. Things will get better. I promise."
"They already have. You brought my friends back, remember? I'll..." Rainbow gave one last sniffle in spite of herself. "I'll take care of the rest. Now that you're about to go back, though, do me a favor?"
"What is it?"
"When you get back to your pony world? Pay attention to your Dash. Decide for yourself if I've been right about everything or not. The rest is totally up to you."
"I can do that." Twilight gave a pause for thought, then asked, "Can I consult the cheat sheet one last time?"
"Mmmmm..." Rainbow smiled. "Alright. One last time."
"If I pay attention, and then I do decide you've been right — about everything — what then?"
"Oh, is that all? That's easy."
Rainbow grasped Twilight's hands.
"Tell her how you feel. She's not gonna laugh at you, that kind of stuff's even tougher for her 'cause you're someone she respects. But she'll be glad you went for the direct approach, 'cause it's always faster, and it instantly lets her know that it's okay — that it's safe — to open up to you, too.
"Pretty sure she's dying to tell you everything I just did, and more. So give her the chance. And if you like what she's got to say?" Rainbow gave a sly smile. "Well... now you know what kissing her is like. You won't have to be afraid to try."
Rainbow looked up to meet Twilight's eyes. Twilight cupped Rainbow's cheek with her hand, watching her friend's usual confidence melt into blushing shyness.
"It's true," Twilight said, radiating her own confidence. "I'm not."
Twilight brought her face forward. Rainbow quickly understood, and accepted, the kiss. She wrapped her arms around Twilight, both girls enjoying the warmth of their bodies and affections as their lips slid against one another.
Several moments passed, and when the two finally parted, Rainbow lapped her tongue across Twilight's lips, quickly, but firmly, making sure the gesture couldn't be missed.
"Aaaaand class dismissed," Rainbow said, her smile having returned. She raised her eyebrows in realization. "Hey, you never did kiss Flash tonight, did you?"
Twilight winked. "He never convinced me it was worth the risk."
Both girls giggled, then turned when they heard Twilight's name being called. Looking down, they saw Spike, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie Pie, all waving up to them.
"Guess this is it, then." Twilight exhaled. "It's time I left."
"Looks like. Hang on a sec, though." She flew down and into the school, then returned a few seconds later.
"This is for her," Rainbow said, presenting Twilight with an envelope, and then a much smaller, metallic item. "Aaaaand this is for you."
Twilight looked at the items. The envelope was nondescript save for its sky blue color. A letter, Twilight surmised. She looked at the second item — a barrette in the shape of Rainbow's cutie mark.
"I had some time to write during the dance and all, so... yeah, there you go. And the barrette's from the Aviation Museum." Rainbow said. "I want you to have it."
"I'm flattered," Twilight said, "but wouldn't this be an important keepsake for you?"
"'Course it is," Rainbow said, "but I've always had two of 'em." She gazed into Twilight's eyes. "Now we'll have more connecting us than just memories."
Rainbow hovered closer, wrapping her arms around Twilight's shoulders.
"I learned a long time ago to value every moment you can with the people close to you. You gotta tell those people you love 'em, and want 'em to stay in your life, while they're actually around. 'Cause if you take them for granted, then..."
Rainbow gave an embarrassed shrug.
"...well, you might get me. So if I can help someone who's just like me learn that lesson the easy way, to say nothing of her best friend in the world, then it's all been worth it."
Rainbow pulled Twilight close, shifting into a tight hug.
"Stay awesome, Twi. Always and forever."
"Same to you, Rainbow," Twilight said, hugging back and resting her head on Rainbow's shoulder. "I'm going to miss you so much."
"I'll miss you too," Rainbow replied. "But I'll never forget you. Don't worry, though."
The two slowly descended to the Canterlot High statue, the base of which could already be seen shining with portal magic.
"All that happens from here is that I'll see you on the other side."
The words echoed in Twilight's mind as the light from the barrette faded. She placed it on the nightstand next to her, and looked up at the ceiling.
She still couldn't sleep.
Twilight dug into her saddlebag again, and floated Rainbow's letter in front of her, examining it much like she did the barrette. After a full minute of doing so, she made a decision.
She got out of bed, flew over Spike, and crashed. Swearing under her breath, she picked the letter back up. Good, it wasn't damaged. Ruffling her feathers, she elected to walk the rest of the way to Rainbow's room.
Questions plagued Twilight as she entered the hallway.
Would she still be too nervous from before? Am I too nervous from before?
She turned a corner, Rainbow’s door within sight.
What would I even say to her? 'Hi, Rainbow. I like you, and based on what someone from another universe who's you but also not you has told me, it seems you like me too. Wanna go out?' Sure, that'll go over just great.
She stopped near the door to Rainbow's room. The door itself was ajar.
Maybe I should just... play it by ear? 'Wing it'? Twilight rolled her eyes. Great, the one thing I'm terrible at.
She sighed.
But right now it's the best option I've got.
As she approached Rainbow's door, she could hear a rhythmic thumping sound. Brows furrowed, she quietly pushed the door open and went inside.
The room itself was empty, but the thumping came from the balcony. Twilight went further, cool air brushing around her, and took a look outside.
She gasped when she was treated to the sight of a ball bouncing up and down atop a familiar-looking silhouette.
An upright, flying, short-haired, human-looking silhouette.
---
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic x Equestria Girls:
"Rainbow Reflections"
Chapter 7: Supporting Each Other
by Bookish Delight, 2014-2015
All characters and referred properties belong to Hasbro.
---
"Rainbow?" Twilight asked, venturing forward. "Is... i-is that you?"
"Huh?" Rainbow Dash answered, sending the ball into the air again. "Oh, hey, Twilight!" she said, landing on all fours. "Something wrong?"
"Um..." Twilight rubbed her eyes. When her vision cleared, the blue pegasus she expected was standing right where she should have been. She stifled a sigh of relief. Maybe she was sleepier than she thought. "No, no, I'm fine. I think."
"Oh. Well, good-ow!"
The ball had returned from the air. And onto Rainbow’s head, sending her to the ground. Twilight gasped, running over. "Oh my gosh! Are you all right?"
With an annoyed groan, Rainbow picked herself up. "Yeah, Twi. It's just a ball." She chuckled. "I'll be fine."
"O-oh, yes, of course you would be." She eyed the ball. "What are you doing with it, though?"
Rainbow shrugged. "Eh. Got bored. Started walking around outside again. That's when I found an old hoofball in one of the side rooms." She scooped it up, rose back into the air, then bounced it up and down with her hooves. "Got me thinking — you know, this could be a pretty good training tool."
Rainbow gave the ball an extra-hard flip-kick, rocketing it vertically into the sky.
"Could really help the pegasi keep their balance and speed in the air. Ponyville doesn't have a team yet, right? I'm thinking maybe we should start one. What do you think?"
Twilight's face lit up. "Rainbow, I think that's a great idea!"
Rainbow's face lit up right back. "'Course you do. You always know a good idea when you see it. And I'm full of 'em."
Twilight suppressed a giggle.
"Hey, I saw that." Rainbow stretched out her hoof, catching the hoofball cleanly on its descent. "What should we call the team, though?" She put her hoof to her chin in thought. "The Rainbooms? Wait, no... something that sounds closer to 'Wonderbolts!'" Rainbow cackled. "They'd flip once they found out! They sponsor the Cloudsdale team, you know."
Twi didn't hold back her giggles this time. "Maybe you should actually form the team first, then worry about the finer details."
Rainbow set the hoofball down, and landed. "Yeah, you're right."
"Glad you agree. So..." Twilight hesitated. "...do you have a minute?"
"For you?" Rainbow replied. "Sure! What's up?"
Twilight inhaled deeply and silently. This was it. Just wing it. Wing everything.
"Oh, just a couple of things." She presented Rainbow with the envelope. "So, the other Rainbow you asked about earlier? This is from her to you." Twilight paused. "Um... from you to you? Ugh, I'm still trying to figure out how pronouns work with this stuff. Anyway, I promised not to look, so don't open it until I leave."
Rainbow took the envelope, looking at both sides. "Awesome. Do the princesses know about this?"
Twilight shook her head. "I'll leave it up to you to decide if you want to tell them what's in it. I trust your judgment."
"Got it." Rainbow put the letter on a small stand to the side. "Hey, Twilight? You never answered when I asked earlier. Probably 'cause all of us were grilling you, but... what was my other self like?"
Twilight could see herself back in the blue bedroom with all of the flight paraphernalia, clear as day.
"She was... let's just say you two had a lot in common. In similar but different ways."
"Hmmmm." Rainbow put her hoof to her chin. "Sorry, Twi. Wish I could say I follow you, but..."
"Well, for example? She couldn't fly. Outside of when my crown took over, I mean. But she still wanted to be a Wonderbolt. They have their own academy, in their own Cloudsdale. I saw the city with my own eyes."
"Wow!" Rainbow said. "Seriously? Is it as cool as ours?"
"In some ways, even cooler." Twilight winked. "Don't worry though. Your other self is all sorts of jealous about you too. Something about 'awesomeness stretching across universes'?"
Rainbow laughed. "Yep, that sounds like me, alright."
"To a T," Twilight said, laughing as well. "But she was also sweet and kind. And I, for one, am glad to know there are things that stay consistent no matter where Rainbow Dash is, or what she is."
Rainbow's face tinted crimson. "Twi, you're doing the thing again."
"The 'being weird'? I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay. Really." Rainbow looked away, her lips curling into the tiniest of smiles. "I... actually don't mind so much."
"There are other things I could tell you about her, but they'd take a long time to delve into," Twilight said. "I'll tell you them in time, I promise. But will what I just said work for now?"
"Yeah, absolutely!" Rainbow gave a boisterous nod. "Thanks heaps. I appreciate it."
Twilight exhaled and smiled, some of her nervousness fading. "I'm glad. Anyway, here's the other thing. I..."
This time it was Twilight's turn to look away shyly.
"I do think it's been a while since we spent some time together. I mean, you're right. There've been quests and villains and otherworldly adventures and this whole princess thing..."
"Y-yeah," Rainbow said. "And even when that stuff's not happening, you're always in your books." Rainbow's gaze met the ground. "And I guess I'm afraid to ever try and pull you out of those."
Twilight did a double-take. "Afraid? Really?"
"Hey, I've seen ponies try! The consequences are... kinda intense." Rainbow chuckled sheepishly, dusting her hoof along the ground.
Twilight opened her mouth to retort, but stopped. She had to admit that what Rainbow said had genuinely never crossed her mind before. She wondered how many other ponies were affected by the tunnel-vision she'd been prone to since she was a filly.
"I'll work on that," Twilight said. "I promise. Anyway, yes, we've been apart too long. I want to change that, and I know exactly how we can start."
"Oh yeah?" Rainbow said. "All ears."
Twilight fluttered her new wings. "Well, here's the thing. Every time I try to use these stupid new wings, it ends up nearly being the death of me. Seriously, you don't just give somepony brand new appendages they've never had before and expect them to be experts."
Rainbow laughed. "Yeah. I mean, I know they're part of the the whole Princess package, but if you're not already familiar with the basics..."
Twilight nodded, remembering the human Rainbow taking to her new wings like a duck to water. "I'm sure you know what I'm getting at, then."
"Sure. You need lessons, right?" Rainbow spread her own wings. "You came to the right mare! Well, more so than usual. I guess when we get back from the Crystal Empire, I'll meet you at your library and-"
"No!" Twilight shook her head quickly. "I-I mean, no, that's okay. Absolutely no library, and no books at all. We can meet in the clouds a little ways from Ponyville, away from other ponies. I don't want any distractions between us, so you can concentrate on helping me start flying for real — and what's more, I want speed lessons." She flashed a gentle smile, her eyes projecting a hint of challenge for good measure.
Rainbow barely withheld her elation at Twilight's request. "Really? You're serious? Just you and me, flyin' all day?"
Twilight gave a reassuring nod. "Uh-huh! Just you and me, flying all day. As many days as it takes. I want to know what it's like for you. So one day, I might have half a chance of keeping up."
This time, Rainbow utterly failed at holding back a squeal. "You've got yourself a deal!" she said, zooming towards Twilight and wrapping her in a huge hug.
For Twilight, the chilly night instantly became warmer. "Great. The weekend after next, then? I still have to do the stargazing thing, unfortunately. But after that, I'm all yours."
"Sweet!" Rainbow broke away, still tittering. "This is going to be so. Awesome."
Twilight giggled. "I'm counting on it. Well, I... guess that's it. Talk tomorrow?"
"Sure. Night, Twilight."
Twilight watched Rainbow turn her attention to the letter on the stand, then went to leave.
She got as far as the doorway. "Twilight?" she heard Rainbow say, in an almost pained voice.
Twilight turned around, a sudden pang in her heart. "Yes, Rainbow Dash?"
Rainbow shifted from side to side. "I... I just want to apologize again about earlier. You know, when I lost my head and stuff."
Twilight shook her head. "No apology necessary, Rainbow."
"No, I need to! 'Cause it's not just because of that! It's because..."
Twilight could see Rainbow visibly fighting for words. When she at last spoke, her voice was tinged with resignation.
"Look, I-I wanna get this out there before we do start spending more time with each other. You're my best friend, a-and I want you to know that I'm always gonna look out for you because of that. But... I know that also means there are some places I can't go. Some things I can't be."
"Rainbow?" Twilight stepped forward. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying, whoever you're into? Whoever you're with? You're... you're with. You're into. And it's cool by me. I can totally accept it. You being happy is always awesome."
Rainbow stepped forward, her eyes and smile as sad as her voice.
"And you know how much I like things that are awesome."
Twilight's heart twisted. Just looking at Rainbow, she could tell that the pegasus was doing all she could to hold back tears.
Enough was enough. Nothing would be gained from both of them being too scared to say anything. If Twilight would have to be the first, then so be it.
"I do know, Rainbow," Twilight replied. "And I'm glad you think so highly of me. However, there's a pretty big thing wrong with what you just said."
"H-huh?" Rainbow said. "W-what's that?"
Twilight's eyes twinkled in the moonlight. "I'm not 'with' anyone."
Rainbow's eyebrows shot up. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "Y-you're not?"
Twilight shook her head. "Never have been. Though that's not to say I've never thought about the prospect."
Twilight stepped forward again, until she was directly in front of Rainbow, and lidded her eyes with an inviting smile.
"If you know anyone who might be able to change that? Feel free to let me know. Keep in mind, though, that I have pretty high standards."
She took one step closer, leaned past Rainbow's face, and spoke softly in her ear.
"One might say I won't settle for anything less than pure awesome."
Twilight pulled back, and saw Rainbow's saddened look was completely wiped away. In its place was happiness and hope — as as well as a gigantic blush.
"I'll, uh, be sure to keep my eyes open," Rainbow Dash said, grinning ear to ear.
"I appreciate that. Good night, Rainbow," Twilight said, sauntering out of the room.
---
Once she was back in the hallway, Twilight let out her second huge sigh of the night. Only upon feeling the breeze in the large hallway of the castle did she realize how heated she'd been while talking to Rainbow.
Still, Twilight concluded, I think it's safe to say that went pretty well.
As Twilight returned to her room, she heard the rhythm of the hoofball again — this time at double speed.
Twilight woke to repeated rocking and shaking, with a hissing voice to accompany both.
"Twilight! Twilight!"
"H-huh?" Groaning, Twilight turned over, hoping against hope that she was still dreaming.
More shaking followed, however, dispelling the notion in seconds.
"Come ooooooon, Twilight." The hissing voice got a little louder. "Wake up already!"
Twilight groaned again and turned back over, opening her eyes halfway — just enough to barely see a blue pegasus smiling at her.
"Hey, sleepyhead," Rainbow Dash said.
Twilight's sleepiness turned to annoyance. "'Sleepyhead,' nothing! Princess Celestia's raising the sun outside!" Twilight pointed out of the window, where Celestia could clearly be seen doing exactly that. "Why are you waking me up at the crack of dawn?"
Rainbow's confident smile didn't waver.
"'Cause I wanna show you something awesome."
Twilight's annoyed look didn't budge either. "And this couldn't wait until after breakfast?"
Rainbow shook her head, and Twilight noticed that her expression was surprisingly... subdued.
"Everypony else'll be around you then," Rainbow replied. She stepped forward, looking directly into Twilight's eyes. "And while I like our friends too, what I've got isn't for them. It's just for you."
Twilight stared at Rainbow, still half-wondering if she was dreaming. She had never seen Rainbow look or sound like this — not even in her most vulnerable moments.
Curiosity overrode all other impulses with impunity. Twilight yawned, stretched, and said, "Twenty minutes."
"You got it," Rainbow Dash said. "Meet me outside!"
Rainbow flew out the room's balcony, laughing, and... was that a squeal Twilight heard as well?
Twilight plopped her head back on her pillow. If her curiosity hadn't completely taken her over before, it would have then. Had last night had more of an effect than she thought?
She got out of bed, preparing her cleanliness spells on the way to the mirror.
After all, any questions she had certainly weren't going to be answered lying down.
---
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic x Equestria Girls:
"Rainbow Reflections"
Last Story: Opening Hearts
by Bookish Delight, 2014-2015
All characters and referred properties belong to Hasbro.
---
Soon after Twilight walked out of the Crystal Castle's gates, she could hear Rainbow again.
"Twilight! Up here!"
Twilight looked up to see Rainbow Dash waving from above. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and flapped her wings, sending herself skyward. She headed towards Rainbow, who dipped down, grasped her hoof, and gently guided Twilight upward with a smile.
"Only till we can get you doing this for yourself," Rainbow Dash said. "Keep your wings in sync with mine, and keep your eyes on me. That should be enough to keep you from veering off."
Twilight smiled back. "Thanks, Rainbow."
Twilight saw a tint of red on Rainbow's cheeks for a split second before Rainbow looked away from Twilight and towards the clouds.
"Uh-huh."
With Rainbow leading the way, the two ponies flew on. Twilight was amazed at how deliberately Rainbow paced herself. Rainbow usually alternated between climbing and staying level, but this time she held back on her usual stunt flying.
Instead, Rainbow did slow, wide turns. She sometimes slowed down and took quick looks back, just long enough for Twilight to catch up before accelerating back to cruising speed.
Twilight greatly appreciated Rainbow's restraint. Usually when she flew, she lost sight of Rainbow almost immediately, but it never happened once here. Following the rest of Rainbow's advice, Twilight flew slow and steady, flapping her wings in tandem with the athletic pegasus.
Their flight continued until they arrived at a secluded cloud cluster high above the Crystal Empire. Once they both perched, Twilight gasped at the sight of a sparkling city, only sparsely populated with ponies at this early hour.
"I never thought to check the view from up here," she murmured.
Rainbow shrugged. "Till recently, there wasn't one, remember?"
Twilight considered Rainbow's statement. It had only been a short time since the Empire was saved and released from its invisibility spell. "Good point."
"I've been wanting to talk to Princess Cadance and your brother about that. There's all sorts of ways the Empire could be covered from the sky if they want to get some pegasi up here. Both for defense and weather management."
"That's a great idea, Rainbow!" Twilight said. "We should set up a meeting."
"Sure, we'll work it out. Anyway, think you'll be cool up here while I get things ready?"
Twilight nodded. "Yeah, sure! But... what are you getting ready?"
Rainbow Dash grinned, then was hard at work, zooming around the skies and pushing clouds in all directions. Still, she managed a reply as she worked.
"After we talked last night, I couldn't sleep, and Princess Luna asked me to hold off on the hoofball until morning. She was afraid the noise would wake ponies up."
Twilight giggled.
"So I went out flying. I went as I high as I could go. And the moon was out, and full, and all of its light was shining down on this place, and it got reflected everywhere! I looked at it, and it was..."
Rainbow stopped and flew in front of Twilight.
"...Twilight, I'm not even going to pretend it wasn’t the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. Plus, the last time we were here and we saved this place? All those crazy lights happened, and those were even more awesome!"
"I agree," said Twilight, her heart warming. "They were indeed beautiful. I wish I could have seen what you saw last night. But, I was kind of fast asleep."
"Good news for you, then!"
Rainbow flew to each cloud, and stuck her hoof into each one. A light spring rain fell from every cloud Rainbow hit.
"I saw all that light last night, everywhere, and I said to myself, 'Hey, I'm me. I'm Ponyville's weatherpony! I can totally do better.'"
Rainbow pushed one final cloud into place. Rain soon fell from it just like all the others.
"So I'm gonna do better."
As the rain fell, what few ponies were walking about the Crystal Empire in the daylight looked up, curious of the weather. Soon, a large and beautiful rainbow shone over the Empire in its entirety. Specks and lines of color appeared across select structures and parts of the ground, lending the surroundings a much more colorful view than before.
Twilight marveled at the sight. "You're right, Rainbow," she said, turning to turned to look at her friend. "This is beautiful. I'm so glad you-"
"No..." Rainbow flew amidst the clouds. She did not look nearly as happy as Twilight. In fact, she didn’t look happy at all. "No, no, no... this is all totally wrong!"
Rainbow pushed clouds around, kicked at them, adjusted the strength of the rainfall, but all to no avail. Growling in frustration, she bucked a nearby cloud hard, and a mini-thunderstorm flashed briefly.
She hovered in front of the small storm, looking absolutely defeated.
"I... I should have known I'd mess this up," Rainbow said, her voice cracking. "Stuff like this always happens when ponies are watching and it counts."
Twilight didn't reply. She was too busy studying the skies, the rain, and the rainbows that had kept moving about as Rainbow kept adjusting the clouds.
Rainbow squinted at her. “Twi, what’re you-”
"Eureka! Rainbow, you're amazing!” Twilight cheered, clopping her hooves together excitedly. “A total genius! I can't believe you were... wow."
Rainbow looked at Twilight, dumbfounded. "Amazing genius how? Sure, those rainbows were nice, but that wasn't what I was going for at all! I totally screwed up!"
"No, Rainbow, you didn't!” Twilight countered. “Everything checks out! Your math! your angles! They were perfect!"
The tiniest glimmer of hope appeared in Rainbow's eyes.
"Wait. You're saying you know what I was trying to do? And I was doing it right?"
By now, Twilight was all smiles.
"If this were anywhere else in Equestria, we wouldn't be having this conversation!” she said. "But Princess Celestia and I have talked about the Crystal Empire in great detail. This place has unique magical properties not seen anywhere else. If you really want to put on the show I know you were trying to put on, then there's only one place and one way to do it. Which is at the same place, and in the same way the Crystal Heart did!"
Twilight flew over to Rainbow, and grasped her hooves. Rainbow tensed briefly... then relaxed.
Rainbow’s hooves were warm. As warm as the smile Twilight hoped she was giving Rainbow.
"I don't think either of us alone measure up to a Crystal Heart,” Twilight said. “But... the two of us together might be the next best thing. If you're willing to try."
Rainbow's determined smile matched Twilight's pound for pound.
"I never 'try'," Rainbow said. "I get it done. So how do we make this happen?"
Twilight pointed. "Go ahead and move those clouds again."
Rainbow sprang into action. "Where do you need 'em?"
"All over the Empire."
Rainbow froze. "Wait. All over?"
"Yep! Everywhere except the Crystal Palace." Twilight rubbed her hooves together. "We've got special plans for it."
"You got it!" Rainbow exclaimed, and, once again, clouds were moved in all directions.
As the clouds were rearranged, rain fell across the Empire, covering buildings and, with the aid of the sun, causing rainbows to appear on homes, on the streets, everywhere one could see. By the time Rainbow Dash was finished, the view from above was kaleidoscopic.
Rainbow flew back and dusted her hooves, admiring her work. "Now that," she said, "is awesome."
"I concur," said Twilight. "And now for the final touch. But I'll need your help for this one too."
Rainbow blinked. "What do I gotta do?"
"Ordinary crystals will refract normal light just fine. But the Crystal Castle is another matter entirely. It needs powerful magic to produce a reaction. Magic brought from happiness, hope... and love."
Twilight perched and turned her sights towards the Crystal Castle.
"None of that comes easy. So even as a princess, I'll need all the help I can get." She took a deep breath, concentrating on the castle's peak. "Hold on to me, Rainbow. And just... think of what makes you happiest."
"Alright," Rainbow said, holding Twilight from behind. "I'll brace ya."
Twilight smiled. "Thanks."
She closed her eyes.
---
Normally when preparing spells, Twilight would concentrate to her fullest. This time, however, she let her mind go, let the gates loose, and let memory after memory flood her mind.
All the memories, all the days, reaching all the way back to when she and Rainbow had first met. She felt warmth fill her with each thought.
Flying through storms. Getting her butt kicked in soccer. Showing Rainbow through libraries. Stargazing at night. Preparing for a dance.
"You're a laugh, Twilight Sparkle. I can't wait to hang out some more."
"You don't learn this kind of thing by reading! You learn by doing! And I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure you're not a stranger."
"If you ever think I need to slow down, just tell me, and I'll do it. I left you hanging once... and I never want to do that again."
"The Fall Formal Princess should be someone with heart and determination. You proved that you've got 'em both."
"You're right, Twilight. I shouldn't knock something until I've tried it."
"You're on my level of awesome. We've known each other for less than a day... but it really feels like we've been friends forever."
Then, suddenly… Rainbow's voice in her mind.
"My happiest thoughts?"
New words she'd never heard before.
Twilight gasped.
"They're of you, Twilight. They've always been of you."
---
Twilight's eyes opened, her irises replaced with a sea of colors.
A rainbow-colored beam shot from her horn, zooming for the Crystal Castle. It swirled around the castle, bathing it in light, before striking the heart of its spire.
The effect was instant and dazzling.
Every hue in the visible spectrum spread across every single crystal in the city. The Crystal Empire was no longer speckled with color — it utterly bathed in it.
Stunned citizens poured out of their houses. Some shielded their eyes, some smartly wore sunglasses — but all stared, awed at the sight. Even the Princesses and the remaining Elements of Harmony joined in viewing the spectacle. Rarity looked especially ecstatic.
Twilight exhaled, then turned to Rainbow with a tired, but accomplished, smile.
"I guess we did it."
Rainbow looked amazed, but not at the colorful crystals on display. Her gaze was thoroughly transfixed on Twilight.
"You... you knew exactly what I wanted to do this whole time," Rainbow said. "You did get me."
"Rainbow, I've always gotten you," Twilight replied, slightly amused. "Well, no, okay, that's wrong. It took me a while, but eventually I learned who you are, and why that's great. It's not just because of the awesome things that you do, but the awesome pony that you are.
"Besides, I'm not the only one who clearly gets somepony." Twilight looked across the Empire. "Not everyone thinks of using the laws of science and magic just to impress a girl."
Rainbow froze. "Uh, that's... I mean, um, I..." She twiddled her hooves.
Twilight's grin went wider. "That was what you were trying to do, right?"
Rainbow huffed, then simply smiled and sighed, looking out at the Empire.
"Twi, there's... there's a lot of stuff I never would've been able to do if not for you, you know? I mean, sure, I couldn’t do stuff without other ponies too, but especially not you.
"I used to hate the idea that maybe I didn't have to do everything on my own. That maybe I could let other ponies pick up the slack. And that maybe being awesome twenty-three hours out of the day instead of twenty-four wasn't the end of the world. But you got me to be alright with that stuff.
"And once I was? So many things opened up! I could come down from my cloud and talk to the other ponies without getting bored. That always made 'em mad, though I wasn't tryin' to." Rainbow laughed. "Heck, if not for you, Ponyville would still have one weather pony instead of a weather team."
Twilight did a double-take. "Ponyville's weather team came about because of me?"
Rainbow blushed. "I figured if I worked with my flight crew all year round, they'd make less screw-ups and be easier to work with come Winter Wrap-Up. Y'know. Organization and stuff. And it worked out."
Twilight giggled. "Wow, you weren't kidding."
Rainbow shrugged. "Hey, what can I say? You get me thinking. And even when I screw up about it, you still take me seriously. Far as I'm concerned, you're on my level of awesome, Twilight."
She turned to Twilight, smiling wide. "And you know how much I like things that are awesome."
Twilight smiled right back. "How much?"
The slightest of tears could be seen under Rainbow's eyes.
"More than anything in the world."
Twilight spread her forelegs. Rainbow accepted the silent invitation, and the two fell into a welcome embrace. Twilight wrapped her forelegs around her friend, speaking softly in her ear.
"There've been so many things I haven't been able to do without you, either. Get outside of my library, smell the open air. See the world for what it is, and try to understand it. But most of all, to have confidence in myself... and in the ponies around me. You've always been a light in my life, Rainbow Dash. You taught me that there's as much magic in myself as there is in friendship."
She moved back to foreleg's length, looking straight at Rainbow.
"And you know how much I like magic."
Rainbow leaned in, grinning. "More than anything?"
With a serene smile, Twilight slowly nodded.
"In the world."
Twilight drew her face close to Rainbow's and decided, for once, to just stop thinking.
She closed the gap.
The moment their lips met, Twilight instantly felt warmer than she'd ever been in her life. That warmth only grew once she realized that Rainbow was returning the kiss.
She was right after all, Twilight thought.
Barely able to support herself, completely unable to think, Twilight sank lower into the cloud, pulling Rainbow with her. The two came to rest on their sides, still kissing, still holding one another, refusing to part in any way... until they needed to breathe.
As they slowly, reluctantly parted, Twilight gave a quick, firm lick to Rainbow's lips, turning Rainbow's face near-crimson in the process. Twilight smiled in satisfaction.
"I... I guess this means... we're a thing now," Rainbow said, in between gasps for breath.
"Looks like," said Twilight, gasping along with Rainbow.
Rainbow didn't reply at first, still staring at Twilight with an entranced smile. Then, suddenly, she put her hooves to her head.
"Augh, this is so annoying!"
Twilight's hooves quickly went to her Rainbow's in concern. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, it's just that this should've happened years ago! But do you know how hard it's been to say all the stuff I just did?"
Twilight chuckled sardonically. "Especially since I was none the wiser?"
Rainbow laughed. "I guess that didn't help much, but it wasn't all your fault. Besides, better late than never, right? At least now we know we make a pretty good team."
Twilight ran a hoof through Rainbow Dash's mane while looking at the rainbow that shone above them.
"We always did," Twilight said, before giving Rainbow another quick, and eagerly accepted, kiss.
This close to Rainbow, Twilight could feel her — stiff, nervous, but slowly relaxing. She could feel Rainbow’s heartbeat, her breathing. Twilight basked in her airy scent as she nestled against her soft coat. It was with a sort of heady joy that Twilight realized she didn't want to leave unless she positively needed to.
"Hey," Rainbow Dash said. "So, uh, I've been thinking."
Twilight giggled. "Dangerous. I speak from experience."
Rainbow giggled back. "You got that right. But seriously. Any day after we're done with flight lessons, we're both gonna be way hungry. How about we go out to eat after those? I know all sorts of killer places in Equestria to get our grub on." She gave her wings a tiny flap. "Happens when you're a world-famous flier."
Twilight mock-gasped. "Why, Rainbow Dash, are you asking me on a whole lot of dinner dates all at once?"
"Hey, you know me," Rainbow sad. "Fast and efficient."
"Well, in light of your initiative, I accept. That is, if you want to be seen in public dating royalty."
"Pfft." Rainbow waved a hoof. "Like I’d be seen dating anything less."
"Oh! So you were waiting for me to become a princess!"
Rainbow sputtered. "I-I, uh..."
Twilight simply laughed, giving Rainbow an extra squeeze. "Rainbow, I'm kidding."
Rainbow blushed in relief. "Yeah, well... sometimes it's hard to tell."
"I agree." Twilight winked. "And that habit's going to take a while to break. You'll just have to always share your true feelings whenever the mood strikes, and trust me from there."
"I guess I can give that a shot." The two rolled on to their stomachs, looking at the now bustling Crystal Empire. The storm had passed and the rainbows had faded, but they had already done their part.
"Hey, Twilight?"
"Yes, Rainbow Dash?"
"Do you think I might be able to visit my other self someday?"
Twilight "hmm"ed in thought. "I don't know. Maybe if we're lucky. Even if we somehow managed it, though, what would you say to her?"
"Before she and I go conquer the world with our awesome? Just one thing."
Twilight was about to ask what, but was cut short by Rainbow's hoof on her muzzle, a knowing nod and smile... and one last kiss.
"'Thanks'," Rainbow said.
The two snuggled together, enjoying the warmth of the morning.
