Hugs Are Lame
Rainbow’s wings rustled restlessly against her back, despite the dull ache that was only made worse every time they moved. She huffed, glaring out the window at the clouds passing her by, knowing full well it would have been a much shorter trip if she’d just flown. Should have been a much shorter trip.
“You should take the train, Dash,” she said mockingly. “Don’t strain your wings too much after training.”
She glanced over her shoulder, rolling her eyes. “What does Twilight know about my wings? I’m fine!” As though to prove her point to herself she spread her wings, wincing as a sharp pain lanced down her back.
“Okay fine, maybe I went a bit overboard. But I still could have flown back!”
Making a show of flopping back onto the bench, Rainbow covered her face with her hooves, groaning loudly. She glowered into the darkness, listening to the chugging of the engine and the steady clicking and clacking of the wheels. A month long summer training camp had sounded great when Spitfire suggested it - and it was - but Dash had found herself enjoying it less and less as the weeks stretched on.
It wasn’t like she was homesick, or anything. She just missed her own bed. Or rather, her usual bedmate. There had been a strict no visitors order put in place on account of the main Wonderbolts team being at the base as well to develop and practice a new routine. Which unfortunately also applied to Dash’s marefriend.
“Couldn’t even throw that Princess weight around for me, huh Twi?” Rainbow asked the empty train car. She peaked one eye open, as though expecting a response. When none came, she flipped over onto her stomach, once more looking out the window.
Her hoof was halfway to the latch before she decided against jumping out and flying the rest of the way. Twilight would have killed her. Besides, it wasn’t going to be that much longer. And she wasn’t that desperate to get home. No sir. She was just… bored. Bored of sitting around doing nothing, all alone…
“Augh! Hurry up you stupid train!” Rainbow shouted, jumping to her hooves to pace furiously up and down the aisle.
The more she thought about Twilight, the more she was forced to admit she was just the teeniest, tiniest bit homesick. If anything, it was more just that she missed her marefriend. Which was cool, right? It was cool to miss your marefriend. Especially one as awesome as Twilight. Right?
Rainbow stopped her pacing and frowned, scratching her chin. After a moment, she nodded. “Yeah, totally cool,” she answered herself aloud.
Her pacing resumed, more frantic than before, her hooves thumping against the wooden floor. She snorted. “Shoulda’ just let me fly home, Twi. I coulda’ been back by now.” After all, if she missed Twilight this much, then exactly how much did Twilight miss her? A lot more, was the obvious answer.
The alicorn was probably beside herself with excitement now that Rainbow was coming back. Dash chuckled, imagining the smile on Twilight’s face. No doubt she’d be all but tackled into a hug that would last far beyond what could be called cool. But that would be fine, since Rainbow had more than enough awesomeness to compensate.
Actually, all things considered a hug sounded pretty nice right about now. Even if they were lame.. She blushed as a pair of imaginary hooves wrapped around her neck.
The illusion was broken by the train’s whistle, and a speaker blared to life. “Next stop, Ponyville.”
Rainbow Dash had her bags and was at the door as soon as the announcement ended. She frowned. The train didn’t even seem to be slowing down at all. She pressed her cheek against the window, looking ahead. If she squinted, she could just about make out the edges of the farms surrounding Ponyville on the furthest hills.
“Next stop my left flank!” Rainbow cried, growling as the passing scenery reminded her of just how much faster she could fly. Again, she looked to the latched window, and a whine came from the back of her throat before she could stop it.
“I’m flying next time,” she muttered dejectedly, deflating with a sigh back onto a bench. Her muzzle scrunched up as she stared dejectedly at the floor. “Or you’re coming to meet me.”
Dash’s eyes widened slightly, before narrowing into a glare. “You can teleport! Come get me then teleport us back!” She tapped her forehead where a horn would have been. “What’s the point of all that Princess Magic if you aren’t even going to use it!?”
The train lurched, and the chugging of the engine slowed. Rainbow wiped the excited grin from her face just as fast as it appeared. “You owe me, egghead. Coulda’ made this so much easier on both of us.”
Another eternity later, the brakes squealed to life, and Rainbow was practically vibrating as she hopped from hoof to hoof at the door. Out the window she saw the station slide into view, and was thrown off balance as the train came to a halt, hissing loudly. The door opened and Rainbow all but dove out of the car, landing on the platform and swinging her head around as she searched through the few scattered ponies around.
It wasn’t hard to spot the purple alicorn, nor the four other mares with her.
“Twi-” Rainbow cut herself short, clearing her throat and forcing the smile from her face. She instead puffed out her chest and closed her eyes, awaiting the inevitable tackle-hug, smirking proudly. It was her grand return, after all, and she had a reputation to maintain.
“Rainbow!” She heard Twilight cry out, no doubt rushing over, hooves and wings outstretched. Any second now-...
“Welcome home!”
Rainbow braced herself…
Felt something soft and warm press against her cheek…
Then pull away.
“Welcome back, RD.”
Applejack? Wait, where was the tackling? The tearful reunion? The clinging hooves? The hugging? Where was the hugging!?
Rainbow opened her eyes, and found herself surrounded by her friends. Twilight was off to the side, smiling despite a slight blush on her cheeks. They all seemed to open their mouths at once and Rainbow’s senses were assaulted by the wall of noise.
“How was training?”
“Did you get promoted?”
“Are you going to be in any shows?”
“Did you bring back souvenirs?”
Dash’s ears laid flat against her head in a vain attempt to block it all out. She looked to Twilight hopefully, who seemed to get the message.
“Slow down, girls,” she said, holding out a wing that separated Rainbow from the rest of their friends. “She just got home and she’s probably exhausted. We’ll all have plenty of time to catch up at the party tonight, right?”
Her statement received a round of nods and mumbled agreements, and they all stepped back.
Rainbow smiled appreciatively, scratching the back of her neck. “Hey, guys. There’s a party tonight?”
“A welcome home party!” Pinkie supplied happily. “For you, silly!”
“Ah,” was all Rainbow could say. She chuckled. “Should have seen that coming, huh? I’ll see you all there, but Twi’s right - I’m pretty tired, so I’m gonna go nap.” A fake yawn was thrown in for effect, and they all seemed to accept the excuse, gradually separating and waving goodbye with promises to meet up at the party.
“Eight pm sharp!” Pinkie yelled, suddenly right in Rainbow’s face. She pointed at her own eyes, then Rainbow’s. “Be there, or I’ll bring the party to you,” she added in a threatening whisper, maintaining eye contact as she backed away.
Rainbow heaved a sigh of relief as Pinkie disappeared around a corner, leaving her alone with Twilight. Finally. It was time for that hug-
“Don’t worry; I won’t get in the way of your nap,” Twilight said with a giggle. “I’ve got some work to finish up before the party tonight, so I should be heading back. We’ll catch up soon. Welcome home, Dashie.”
“Wait!” Rainbow shouted without thinking, blushing as Twilight quirked her head to the side. She bit her lip, struggling to think of something less lame than asking for a hug. “C-could I, uh, crash at your place? There… aren’t any clouds around.”
Twilight looked up at the very-much cloudy sky. “Huh?”
“No good ones!” Rainbow corrected desperately. “Yeah, those are, uh, not the napping kind. Too… hard?”
After a moment, Twilight shrugged. “I don’t mind. Just try to keep the snoring down.”
“I don’t snore,” Rainbow growled, but she didn’t hesitate to fall in alongside the alicorn as they started off.
“Sure. Just like how you don’t admire yourself in the mirror.”
“It was one time.”
Twilight just laughed, shaking her head slightly. She smiled fondly at the pegasus. “I’m really happy you’re home,” she said.
“Heh, well y’know, I’m…” Rainbow trailed off, her ego-stroking dying on her tongue. “It’s good to be back,” she mumbled, looking away.
“Aww, you’re being mushy!” Twilight teased gently, playfully bumping their flanks together. “Just what did Spitfire do to you?”
“Nothing bad enough to make me go that soft. I’m made of tougher stuff.”
“Even you can be soft sometimes.”
Rainbow scoffed. “Not my style. That mushy, sappy junk? No thank you.”
“Yes, yes, I know; you don’t like ‘feelings’.” Twilight made sure her air-quotes were noticed. “No cutesy pet names, no sappy dates, and Celestia forbid I hug you.”
Rainbow winced. “W-well I mean-”
“Even if you’re just pretending to hate it. I know you love it,” Twilight said, giving the pegasus a pointed look as though daring her to deny it. She chuckled when Rainbow had to look away to hide her blush. “I know who you are under all that bravado.”
“Pfft, as if. Me? Wanting something as lame as a hug? Ha! Hahaha…” Dash’s forced laugh trailed off as she braced herself for the total lame-ness of a hug. But none came, and she was left wondering why, if Twilight knew her so well, she wasn’t currently being hugged. Instead, Twilight seemed quite content to not hug her, distracted by the greetings of random passers-by.
Their walk continued in silence, and Rainbow found herself glancing furtively at her marefriend periodically. Their meeting had not at all gone the way she’d anticipated. Notably, there wasn’t a lot of the hugging going on. Which was fine - she was totally cool with that. Hugging was lame, after all. Even if Twilight seemed to disagree. Not to mention she gave the best hugs. Her wings were just so big - they could wrap all the way around, and her feathers were so warm.
Rainbow realized she was staring at Twilight’s wings a second too late.
“What? Is something wrong with my wing?” Twilight frowned, spreading her wing in front of her. “I thought I had gotten the hang of preening? Are my feathers messy?”
“N-no, you’re fine.” Rainbow could feel her face burning as she forced herself to keep her eyes forward even as she drifted to the side. It wasn’t like she was trying to slide under Twilight’s wing, or anything. If Twilight’s wing just so happened to fall across her back, well… that wouldn’t have been her fault. But she wouldn’t want to disappoint her marefriend by rejecting such a show of affection.
Rainbow felt Twilight step away and tuck her wing back against her own side.
It took Rainbow biting her own tongue to keep from screaming in frustration.
The rest of the walk to the crystal tree castle thingy was uneventful. There was a significant lack of hugging, but otherwise uneventful.
“You know where the bedroom is,” Twilight muttered distractedly as she opened the doors. “I’ll be in the study. Do you want me to wake you up for the party or-”
Rainbow bit her lip. A bedroom on the opposite side of the castle from her marefriend wasn’t really the ideal location for a hug. “You know suddenly I’m not very tired. Did, uh, did you need some help, or-”
“Dash, you’re obviously exhausted. Go and sleep.”
“Twi I’m really not-”
“Is something going on?” Twilight asked suddenly, her concerned look making Rainbow wilt. “You’ve been acting weird.”
“Me? Weird? Pffft, naw. Why would you say that?” Rainbow forced out a chuckle, swinging around and pressing her side against Twilight’s. “Just, it’s great to be home, y’know?”
Twilight’s concerned expression didn’t let up. “A month is a long time.”
“Totally.” Rainbow refused to meet Twilight’s eyes as she kept their sides pressed together, her wings ruffling. “I, uh... I missed you,” she said slowly, brushing her feathers along Twilight’s encouragingly. She couldn’t possibly be this dense, right?
“I missed you too,” Twilight responded happily. “I guess even you get homesick sometimes, huh? If it would make you feel better, there’s a couch in the study you can come sleep on.”
Twilight stepped away, motioning for Rainbow to follow. The pegasus had to suppress a groan, hanging her head as she allowed herself to be led through the crystal corridors.
When they got to the small corner of the library Twilight called her study, the previously mentioned couch was pointed out, and Rainbow tossed her bags aside to flop down on it. She watched as Twilight sat down at the desk, and if she didn’t know any better she could have sworn she saw the alicorn’s mind get sucked entirely into her work.
Rainbow huffed, debating for a moment simply laying down and going to sleep. At this rate, there wasn’t even a friendly pat on the back coming her way, let alone a proper hug. And she was fine with that, right? Fine with putting it off even longer than the month she’d already gone without any contact with her marefriend. Fine with not hugging her marefriend. Fine with not being hugged. She was fine with all of that, right?
Right?
“No, I’m not!” Rainbow said aloud, the volume of her voice managing to startle Twilight and pull her out of her books.
“Rainbow?”
“I’m not okay with it!” Rainbow yelled. “Damn it, I don’t care if it’s lame. I-... I’m a mare, and a mare has needs. Right?”
Twilight blinked, beyond bewildered. “R-right?”
“Right. I’m a mare, and I-I have my needs. And I need you to hug me!”
“Wha-”
“Right now!”
Twilight realized she didn’t have a say in the matter and stood up, wrapping her hooves around Rainbow's shoulders. The pegasus tensed up for the briefest moment before all but melting into the embrace, burying her muzzle in the crook of Twilight’s neck.
“...”
“What was that?” Twilight asked.
“Wings!”
“Wings. Got it.” Twilight complied with the instructions and added her wings to mix, wrapping Rainbow in her impressive wingspan and incomparable warmth.
Rainbow sighed happily, clinging to the alicorn and listening to her breathing. Some part of her mind complained about how utterly lame she was being, but it was drowned out by the warmth and fuzziness Twilight’s hugs brought with them.
“Um-”
“Shut up, Twi,” Rainbow mumbled, tightening her grip. Finally, finally she had gotten what she’d wanted. She almost felt like crying from the relief, no longer caring to keep up a facade. The tension that had been building since the train - and probably even longer - was released, and Rainbow felt her exhaustion crash down on her, but she wasn’t about to let go at a time like this.
For several minutes they stayed like that, in each other’s hooves. Rainbow felt herself starting to doze off, having to fight to stay awake against the warmth of their embrace and the fog beginning to cloud her mind.
“Are you awake?” Twilight whispered gently.
Rainbow nodded into her shoulder, yawning.
The alicorn pulled away just enough for their eyes to meet. “Was this what you wanted the whole time?”
Again, Rainbow nodded, slightly more bashfully.
Twilight giggled as she pulled the pegasus tight against her chest. “Silly mare. You could have just asked for a hug.”
“‘S lame,” Rainbow mumbled blearly, unwilling or unable to remove her muzzle from Twilight’s shoulder.
“Dashie, I wouldn’t have judged you for asking. Especially after you were away for so long.”
“I missed you.”
Twilight giggled, pressing her lips to Rainbow’s cheek. “You said that already.”
Dash sighed. Yawned again. “I think I’m gonna take that nap now.”
“Okay.”
Twilight shifted, but Rainbow’s hooves held strong.
“Rainbow? I thought-”
“You’re not going anywhere,” she growled sleepily. “You made me work so hard for this. You owe me.”
Twilight tilted her head. “Dashie?”
The only response she got was a gentle snore. Twilight sighed, shaking her head exasperatedly.
“Honestly. It’s hardly my fault you were too embarrassed to ask for a hug.”
Despite her gripes, Twilight remained in the somewhat awkward position, listening to her partner’s gentle breathing.
Eventually, Rainbow would wake up and find herself in the same position she’d fallen asleep. Wrapped in the same warm embrace she’d fallen asleep in, and she’d be forced to admit that being hugged wasn’t so bad after all. But only if Twilight was the one hugging her.