A series of mini-stories featuring TwiDash based on song prompts. Heavily inspired by the TwiDash prompts given in the TwiDash group, expect little continuity.
A series of song-prompt based short stories featuring the romantic relationship between Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash. Each story will be no more than ~1,000 words.
The theme/mood/atmosphere of every chapter is influenced by the song prompt chosen.
All credit goes to the artists who wrote and performed the amazing songs that will be used at some point in this collection of stories. If you want to see a specific song used as a prompt, I'm open to any and all suggestions!
Wanna check out another song-inspired TwiDash collection? Yes? Thought so. I give you ssjgokillo's The TwiDash Playlist!
Twilight lay frozen in her bed. Eyes bloodshot, her mane a mess, she rolled over to look upon the source of her mental distress. Next to her lay Rainbow Dash, still snoring peacefully, oblivious to the storm of worry and, shall we say eccentric (panicked) thoughts rumbling through the lavender unicorn’s mind.
Twilight had gotten exactly 1.67 hours of actual sleep last night. In the middle of the night she awoke with a start as what had just happened the day prior finally hit home. Rainbow Dash, as always, remained ignorant to this and slept the night away without a care in the world. Oh how Twilight envied her marefriend for this.
That’s right. Marefriend. Her brand new marefriend as of yesterday. Now that she thought about it, it really wasn’t all that surprising. She and Rainbow had been spending a lot of time together recently. The two had been nearly inseparable for the last few months, always at each other’s side.
Rainbow joined Twilight at the library every day so they could read together. Afterwards they would go out for lunch and Twilight would continue her studies while watching Rainbow Dash practice. Then the two would normally go get supper together. Rainbow had even spent several nights at the library and would join Twilight and Spike for breakfast. This happened at least a couple times every week.
In a sense, they had already been dating for a while now. Twilight was surprised none of her friends had asked if she and Rainbow were an item.
It was only last night that Rainbow confessed her feelings for Twilight that she admitted to have been harboring for quite some time. And, to make matters worse, in a state of euphoria, Twilight said that she felt the same.
The look of joy on Rainbow’s face when Twilight said these words would have put Pinkie to shame. The two spent the night together, but this time as a couple. In the same bed. Twilight’s bed. What? NO! Nothing happened! They just shared a bed and cuddled like normal couples do! Sheesh! Get your minds out of the gutter guys.
But now that Twilight was awake and in a clear state of mind, the implications of what had just happened came to the forefront of her mind with all the subtlety of a backlit neon sign in Las Pegasus.
What would her parents think? What would her friends think? Would they approve or shun them for being ‘fillyfoolers?’ Oh Celestia I don’t think I can take this much stress…CELESTIA! What will she think?!
This was all too much. Twilight just wished that she could turn back the clock, go back to yesterday and stop this from happening. Twilight was feeling two things that she had never felt before, at least not this strongly…
Fear. Twilight Sparkle was scared. She was scared for the future. What if things didn’t work out between her and Dash? What would happen to their friendship? If there’s one thing she never wanted to lose it was that. Rainbow was her best friend, and her mind couldn’t help but wander to all of the times she spent with Rainbow Dash laughing, having fun, and never feeling so safe in her life.
But then on the other hoof…right now, looking at Rainbow Dash’s peaceful, sleeping form, she felt…love. She had never felt this way before. Sure she loved her parents, her brother, Princess Celestia, and her friends, but she had never felt anything so…right.
Then it all clicked. Through all of her fear and uncertainty, Twilight had buried what she came to realize. She loved Rainbow Dash. She was certain of this, more certain than anything she ever thought to know in her life. Waking up next to Rainbow, seeing Rainbow, being with Rainbow had all almost seemed like second nature to her. She thought ahead to a life where she would have this every morning.
She wanted that.
She looked once more at her marefriend, this time with a calmer, understanding look in her eye, and simply watched the cyan pegasus sleep. She really is pretty, Twilight thought, and adorable when asleep…
Rainbow yawned and stirred from her sleep. Blearily opening her eyes, she saw Twilight looking down at her and a small blush formed on her cheeks.
“H-hey Twi.”
Twilight simply smiled and gave Rainbow a small kiss on her nose and snuggled into the waiting embrace of the pegasus, causing Rainbow’s blush to only increase in intensity.
The future is going to be full of new challenges, and no matter what happens Twilight can never go back to the way things once were between her and Rainbow Dash.
But right now, she didn’t care. There was no going back, those memories of her and Rainbow as friends she could never repeat. It was time to move ahead.
Rainbow Dash sat on the end of her bed. Celestia’s setting sun lit up the sky in a breath-taking display of yellows, reds, violets, and oranges. Normally, Rainbow would be in the sky at this time, high above Ponyville basking in the beauty of such a sight.
Not today, however. Today, Rainbow sat deep in thought, paying little attention to the world around her. She barely remembered to feed Tank his supper before heading to the top floor of her cloud house and sealing herself in her room.
In her hooves, she held a picture. This wasn’t just any old picture made to sit on somepony’s mantelpiece. No, this was her most important picture. It was a picture of her and Twilight. It was taken by Scootaloo back when she was trying to get her cutie mark in journalism and happened upon Twilight and Rainbow reading together down by the lake. She took the picture but Twilight made her give it back to Rainbow.
Twilight thought that Rainbow would have the picture destroyed so nopony could question or challenge her awesomeness. She was, after all, still coming to terms with actually enjoying reading.
Little did she know Rainbow kept the picture and had it framed. Rainbow wasn’t only coming to terms with liking books, but also coming to terms with liking a certain librarian. She didn’t know where these feelings came from, and she couldn’t make them go away. Yet no matter what she thought of, no matter what she did, Rainbow could not bring herself to confess these feelings to Twilight.
Twilight, I love you.
Four words. Four simple words was all it would take. But she could not ever manage to make herself say them. And she hated it. She hated herself. Now it was too late, Twilight was gone, and she could never tell her. Where are you Twi? Are you okay?
A few weeks ago Twilight locked herself in her library. She would go days at a time without anypony having seen her. And with Spike off in Canterlot, nopony was there to make sure she was okay.
Whenever her friends would come visit, or as if anything was wrong, Twilight would turn them away, find some way to change the subject, or insist that everything was fine. Not even Rainbow tried to pry any further in fear of causing the unicorn to snap.
We were so stupid. Why didn’t any of us demand to know what was bugging her? Why didn’t I do that? Some kind of Element of Loyalty I am.
Then, just a few days ago, her friends finally decided it was time to storm the library, drag Twilight out if need be, and figure out what was wrong. When they reached the library, they found a single note nailed to the front door.
My Friends,
I’m truly sorry about this, but I have to leave Ponyville. Things have gotten out of hoof, and while I thought that I could handle things and deal with the situation, I was sorely mistaken. Now I have no choice but to leave. I doubt that I’ll ever come back. I love you all. Your former friend,
Twilight Sparkle
Needless to say her friends were devastated. Fluttershy hid behind her mane and started to silently cry, Rarity fainted on the spot, Pinkie deflated, and even Applejack started to tear up. Rainbow took to the sky, needing to escape from what she had just read.
The next day Rainbow returned to the library, more determined to find out what had happened to make Twilight up and leave without so much as a goodbye. She found Twilight’s journal in her bedside table, and in it, she read that Twilight had been suffering lately.
Something bad had happened with the High Council of Unicorns in Canterlot. After her use of dark magic to find the Crystal Heart and help save the Crystal Empire, the Council began to harass Twilight in fear of her potential for destruction. It had gotten to the point that they were able to prevent Twilight from ever becoming a part of the academic community and were sending investigators in.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why didn’t she tell us?!” Rainbow yelled to nopony, tears freely flowing down her cheeks. When she threw the journal against the wall, a smaller note fell out of it.
Rainbow Dash,
I left this note here because I knew you would come back to figure out why I left. I’m sorry Rainbow, sorry for everything. I just wanted to let you know that…I can’t even bring myself to write it. You mean so much to me, I can’t express it in words.
Remember, I’ll always be yours,
Twilight
Rainbow felt her heart break then and there. She could barely muster the will to fly back to her home, where she mechanically walked to her bed and opted to stare at her favourite picture.
Wiping her face, Rainbow picked up her saddlebag. She wasn’t going to leave Twilight like this. She loved her, and Twilight loved her back. The thought actually brought a small smile to her face.
I'm sorry Twi, I should have spoken up sooner. It doesn’t matter, though. I’m coming Twi’.
*Note: This chapter is a direct continuation of Chapter 2!* Song Prompt - "The Touch," Stan Bush
Twilight sat in a cheap hotel in Manehatten. Disgraced, shunned by the magical and academic community at large, and placed under suspicion, she didn’t have much of a choice. She looked at the precious few belongings she took with her. A couple books, a picture of her with all her friends, and a single cyan blue feather.
She still couldn’t believe that she actually found the courage to write that last note. In fact, the only reason she’s been able to keep going was because of the rainbow-maned pegasus that had somehow managed to steal her heart without her noticing.
Rainbow Dash…she must be worried sick about me. But I can’t face her now, not after the way I left without even saying goodbye…
Twilight sniffled as she moved to the room’s window to look at the sky of the setting sun.
Meanwhile far above the city, a rainbow-coloured blur flew through the skies of Equestria, trying to think of a plan to find her lavender-coated-crush. What? Do I still really think of her as just my ‘crush?’ No, this is way more important than some silly crush.
Just the image of Twilight was enough to keep Rainbow going. I'm the Rainbow Dash. No way I'm going to give up.
She thought for a moment as she flew.
I need to get her attention.
Rainbow flew higher and higher into the sky until the air was so thin she almost couldn’t breathe. Then, without warning she plummeted towards the ground below, gaining speed until the entire Equestrian sky was bathed in an explosion of rainbow across the entire darkening sky. A Sonic Rainboom performed at such heights was sure to be seen all across Equestria, even in a small motel at the edge of Manehatten.
Rainbow smiled as she flew towards a hill on the outskirts of Manehatten, her rainbow trail following in her wake, a clear marker for anypony who might be looking for her.
There, that should do it, Rainbow panted in exhaustion, I’ll keep this up every day until I find her.
Twilight looked up in wonder as the Rainboom blanketed the dusky sky. Rainbow Dash… She saw the rainbow trail end at a hill just outside of Manehatten.
She’s looking for me, but why? After the way I treated her, I thought she’d hate me, especially after what I said my journal.
Twilight thought and thought, her mind running in circles trying to decide what to do. Then, with a newfound look of determination in her eye, she steeled herself and ran out of the motel.
I’ll find her. No more thinking.
Even if it means this will be the last time I ever see her, even if it’s only for a few seconds, and even if we don’t even say anything to each other, it will be worth it.
Adrenaline surging throughout her body, Twilight picked up her pace and she galloped to the looming hill growing closer and closer with every step.
On that very hill the cyan pegasus waited. The same thoughts going through her head, she twitched her wings nervously as she had yet to calm down after performing such a massive Sonic Rainboom.
Rainbow sat and waited, ignoring her wings burning and yearning to take to the skies once more.
Twilight picked up her pace, ignoring the burning and screaming protests coming from her legs.
Twilight finally reached the hill, praying that she wasn’t too late, praying that she could at least tell Rainbow Dash that she was sorry. She climbed to the top and saw a familiar cyan-coated pegasus with a rainbow-mane flowing in the wind silhouetted in the almost set sun.
Panting, she called out to her, “R-Rainbow…”
Almost a whisper, Rainbow first thought she may have just been hearing things.
Putting a little more strength into her voice, Twilight called again, “R-rainbow Dash!”
Rainbow’s eyes went wide and she turned her head to see Twilight, eyes bloodshot, tear stains trailing down her cheeks, fur matted down from sweat and mane sticking out at odd angle. None of that mattered. At that moment, Twilight was the most beautiful thing Rainbow had ever seen.
“Twilight, I…” Rainbow started.
“I’m so sorry, Rainbow Dash! I-I’m sorry about everything. I just wanted to see you one last time…before I left, and I wanted to say that-mph!” Twilight was interrupted as a sea of cyan filled her vision and she felt something press up against her lips.
Rainbow Dash was kissing her! She poured all of her desire, her need, and her determination to not let Twilight go into the kiss. She refused to let Twilight leave.
Stunned, Twilight was frozen on the hilltop as the pegasus who had haunted her dreams kissed her. After a moment, Twilight let instinct take over as she returned the kiss with vigor, closing her eyes, she absorbed every sensation.
Her body felt like it was on fire everywhere Rainbow touched her, from her chest pressing up against hers to the cyan hoof running through her mane to their lips as the two began to struggle for air.
They broke the kiss. Gasping for breath, the two looked into each other’s eyes, both filled with love and adoration. Somehow, Rainbow was able to change Twilight's mind. Somehow, the reckless daredevil had wormed her way into Twilight's heart. Somehow, Twilight knew that everything was going to be okay.
Twilight sat on the balcony of her home at Golden Oaks Library. She looked towards the horizon, at the looming mass of darkness slowly approaching Ponyville. All was still and quiet; the deep breath before the plunge.
The weather team had scheduled a massive thunderstorm for the afternoon. It was supposed to be quite the lightshow according to some of her pegasi friends. She was originally looking forward to spending a quiet day at home, curled up in front of the fireplace reading a good book with Rainbow Dash.
But, as it turns out, Rainbow had other plans for the two of them. She insisted on taking Twilight out today. Despite all of Twilight’s inquiries and despite the oncoming storm, Dash would not be swayed.
“Would you at least tell me where we’re going if you insist on going out during a thunderstorm?” Twilight asked Dash as she prepared to leave for weather duty earlier that morning.
“Nope! It’s a surprise Twi’! I promise you’ll love it though, I’m gonna show you something I’ve never shared with anypony before,” she turned to give Twilight a quick kiss before leaving, “so try not to worry too much, okay? I would never do anything to put you in danger.”
She didn’t know whether it was the kiss, the promise of seeing something Rainbow had never shared with anypony else, or the simple sense of safety and security she felt around the reckless daredevil (in fact this was pretty ironic in hindsight), but Twilight gave in. She agreed to whatever it was Rainbow had in store for them.
Twilight watched Rainbow fly out the window that morning with that same sense of longing she always felt when watching the cyan pegasus take to the sky. She always loved going out flying with her. Twilight always felt safe in Rainbow’s capable hooves and knew she would never drop her. If there was one thing she wished she could do, Twilight wished she could fly with Rainbow all the time and share the joy and beauty that a pony could only ever see from up above.
Lost in thought, Twilight failed to see Rainbow Dash come in for a landing.
“Hey Twi’! You ready to go?”
Startled by her marefriend’s unnoticed appearance, Twilight jumped straight into the air with a loud ‘EEP!’ and landed sprawled out, legs splayed in all directions on the balcony.
Unable to contain herself at the sight of the scared unicorn, Rainbow collapsed as a fit of laughter overtook her, lying next to the librarian who was wearing an annoyed frown on her face. Rainbow’s laughter proved to be contagious, and soon Twilight was joining her with barely restrained giggles.
Recovering first, Rainbow apologized, “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to, heh heh, scare you like that Twi’.”
Standing up, Twilight shook her head, and addressed Rainbow, still giggling a little bit, “No problem. And yes, I’m all set to go. Will you tell me now where it is we’re going?”
“Aww, come on Twi, if I tell you now it’ll ruin the surprise!” Rainbow said tauntingly.
“What about the storm?! I shouldn’t have to tell you how dangerous it is to go flying when a thunderstorm is rolling into Ponyville!” Twilight exclaimed, more than a little worried. She turned her head away from Rainbow, her gaze downcast at the floor, “I…I’m scared, Rainbow. I don’t want anything to happen to either of us. I…I don’t think I could live if something happened to you…”
Rainbow stopped and walked up to Twilight. Suddenly very serious, she lifted Twilight’s chin with her hoof so the two faced each other once more.
“I promise nothing bad will happen. I love you, Twilight Sparkle, and I would never, ever, do anything reckless if it would hurt you.”
Twilight looked into Rainbow’s rose-coloured eyes and saw nothing but honesty, determination, and love. She couldn’t help but smile.
“Okay, Rainbow. Let’s go.”
Smiling ear-to-ear, Rainbow took to the air with a single flap of her wings. She swooped down and picked Twilight up in her strong fore-hooves. Clinging onto Rainbow for dear life, Twilight watched as the ground below quickly got further and further away as they flew high into the sky, higher than Rainbow had ever flown with Twilight before.
The sun had finished setting, and the first of Luna’s stars began to shine in the dark night Equestrian sky. This high up, Twilight looked at the stars in wonder as they shone with newfound brilliance past all of the light and noise of Ponyville below.
Rainbow saw Twilight staring slack-jawed at the sight above. She whispered in Twilight’s ear, “If you think that’s impressive, just wait and see. The real lightshow’s about to begin.”
Confused by what she meant, Twilight stopped her stargazing to see what Rainbow was talking about. She turned her head to the dark mass of billowing thunderstorm cloud below her.
Amazing, she flew us up above the thunderstorm. I should have had more faith. The weather should hardly disturb us up here…
Twilight’s inner praise of Rainbow Dash was silenced by the load roar of thunder. Rainbow flew them in a little closer to the thundercloud, and Twilight was simply awestruck by what she witnessed.
Lightning flashed and danced across the sky in a symphony of blues, whites, yellows, purples, and reds. Bolts arced across the sky, dashed in-between clouds, collided in a flurry of electric sparks. Twilight was so captivated by the sheer beauty of the storm that the booming thunder didn’t even disturb her.
The lightning crackled and crashed, it zapped and zoomed, and all the while Twilight couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by joy at the display before her and by the love she felt for the cyan pegasus who carried her up to see this performance of nature few would ever witness.
“It’s beautiful Rainbow Dash. It’s the second most beautiful thing I’ve seen.”
“Hey Rainbow, I was wondering…when you started to, you know, feel the way you do about me?” Twilight asked nervously from her pillow in front of the fireplace.
“Huh?” Rainbow Dash looked up from her book at her marefriend sitting across from her.
“Well, you know, when did you start seeing me as…more than just a friend? I guess what I’m trying to ask here is…” Twilight searched for the right way to phrase what she wanted to say, a small blush spreading across her muzzle as she traced her hoof across the floor, her eyes not quite meeting Rainbow’s. It was almost as if she was embarrassed to ask such a question.
“When I fell in love with you?” Rainbow suggested, a loving smile adorning her features as the still blushing unicorn looked up at her and slowly nodded.
“What does it matter, Twi’? We’re together now, aren’t we? And unless you want me to leave, I’m never gonna go off or abandon you. Hay, even if you ever wanted me to leave I probably wouldn’t go anyways. I love you, Twilight Sparkle. I may not be the smartest pony on the block, but I’d have to really be an idiot to not have figured that out by now. Is it really that important to know why?” Rainbow explained, closing her book and pushing it away to give Twilight her undivided attention.
Twilight looked down again, feeling a little selfish for pushing the matter, “It is to me, Rainbow… I love you too, I really do. In the world of magic and academia, there are a lot of unknowns. In life, there are even more. But this is the one thing that I feel I know without a doubt. It’s just…why me? What makes me so special out of all of the other mares in Equestria?”
“Twilight, I…” Rainbow started.
“Forget it,” Twilight interrupted, looking up and giving Rainbow a forced small smile, “I was just being silly. Let’s…let’s just get back to reading.”
Rainbow Dash could tell that this was upsetting her.
“What makes you so special? Come on, Twilight, look at you! You’re the smartest pony I know, you’re funny, caring, generous, and honestly the prettiest pony in Ponyville!” Rainbow exclaimed.
“Prettier than Rarity?” Twilight said disbelievingly.
“Rarity has to put in so much effort to make herself look all pretty and stuff, you’re just a natural at it, like with your magic,” Rainbow explained with a wink.
Twilight’s blush grew with the praise.
“I knew all of this within a day of meeting you. It took me a little while to figure out that I had a crush on you, and even longer to figure out that it wasn’t a simple crush, but that I had really fallen for you…” Rainbow continued in a small voice.
“I can’t quite put my hoof on when exactly I knew I was in love you. Somehow you just managed to worm your way into my heart without me noticing. But…I think…it was right after you saved me from Discord’s spell that I finally figured out my little crush wasn’t really so little,” Rainbow laughed a little, scratching the back of her head with her hoof.
Twilight’s blush had only grown while Rainbow was speaking, and it was quickly mirrored in intensity on Rainbow’s face.
“Rainbow…” Twilight whispered. She got up from her pillow to close the small gap between the two and lay down to give Rainbow a hug, “thank you.”
Rainbow chuckled a little, “Hey, don’t think you get off scot free here. When did you start to feel the same?”
Twilight’s eyes widened, “Umm, it’s really not that important.”
“That’s what I said! Come on! I told you,” Rainbow said playfully, still holding onto the warmth emanating from the lavender mare.
With a sigh, Twilight drew away from the hug, “Okay, you win.”
“I guess you could say that it was a really good thing that you knocked me over that day of the Summer Sun Celebration. Remember how before coming to Ponyville I was skeptical to see the value in friendship?” Twilight started to explain, closing her eyes as she recounted the tale.
“Heh heh, I think ‘skeptical’ is putting it kinda lightly.”
“Okay, fair enough. Well, I was even worse when it came to love. You managed to change my mind about that in less than 10 seconds of meeting you.”
“Huh?” a confused Rainbow Dash interjected.
“I knew from the first moment I saw you that you were the prettiest and most stunning mare that I’ve ever seen. Of course it took me a while of getting to know you that I really loved you. You’re confident, you never give up, you're loyal…I can’t even put into words how amazing you are,” Twilight said, a tear rolling down her cheek.
“Wow, Twilight, I had no idea,” Rainbow moved from her pillow to lie down next to her marefriend, “But why’d you say it was a good thing that I crashed into you? I mean, it wasn’t exactly the best way to meet a pony.”
Twilight drew in closer to Rainbow, wrapping her hooves around her midsection, “Because, if you had not crashed into me, covered me in mud, drenched me in water, and ruined my mane, I probably would have said something stupid. In fact, if you didn’t aggravate me so much that day I can probably tell you exactly what I would have said.”
Rainbow wrapped a wing around the unicorn, the light from the fire dancing across her features, “Oh really? And what would that be?”
Twilight looked into Rainbow’s eyes, and before drawing her into a kiss, said:
“Hello, I love you.”
The two stayed in each other’s embrace until sleep finally took them, their books (and dinner) forgotten.
Twilight sighed for the umpteenth time that night. It was late; well past midnight, but for some reason she just couldn’t find sleep. Actually, there really was no mystery as to why she couldn’t sleep. It was the absence of a certain rainbow-maned pony that Twilight had been dating for the past few months.
Twilight had been called to Canterlot a little over a week ago to help carry out some research on the magical leylines running through Canterlot and spreading like a spider’s web across the rest of Equestria.
She had asked Rainbow Dash if she wanted to come with her to Canterlot while Twilight was doing her research. Sadly, as much as the prismatic pegasus wanted to go with Twilight, her weather schedule would not permit taking three weeks off of active duty. Apparently, Rainbow had been taking a lot of time off just to be with Twilight, and the Weather Coordinator in Cloudsdale would not let Ponyville’s Weather Manager take any more time off.
Despite Rainbow’s protests, Twilight was eventually able to convince her that she’d only be gone for a few weeks.
…
Twilight was a moron.
She rolled over and began to stroke the side of the bed that Rainbow normally slept on.
The train whistle pierced through the silence that normally covered Ponyville like a blanked in the early morning. Normally ponies would still be asleep at this time, with the exception of a lavender-coated unicorn and a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane at the train station.
“Come on, Dashie, it’ll only be for three weeks. It’s not like I’m leaving forever,” Twilight tried to console her distraught marefriend.
“Only three weeks?! Twilight! That’s, like, twenty-one days without even getting the chance to see you or talk to you or anything!” Rainbow ranted while pacing back and forth on the train station platform.
“Rainbow, stop your pacing. You’re making me dizzy. And we won’t be completely cut-off from you. I promised I would write every day, didn’t I?” Twilight said, placing a hoof on her marefriend’s shoulder before pulling her into a hug.
Still agitated, Rainbow resisted a little at first before relenting and returning the hug, squeezing the unicorn.
“It’s just…I’m gonna sound totally uncool for saying this, but I’m really going to miss you. I know it’s not forever, but three whole weeks? That’s still a really long time to be away from you Twi’. I don’t want to sound clingy or anything…but I don’t know if I can take it,” Rainbow said, sniffling as a few tears welled up in her eyes.
Twilight pulled back and kissed the tears from her cheeks, “Hey now, there’s no need to cry.”
She placed her forehead against Rainbow’s, “I’m going to miss you too. I don’t want to go, but they need my help up there, and it’s my responsibility to do my best to help with this research. I’m still Celestia’s prized pupil, remember?”
“Yeah…” Rainbow said glumly.
“They say separation makes the heart grow fonder. Besides, I bet you the three weeks will come and go before you know it. And when I get back, I promise we’ll do something special. Whatever you want, okay?”
“Okay…fine. It doesn’t mean I’m not gonna miss you though. And I better get those letters every day!” Rainbow conceded.
Twilight giggled, “Only if you remember to write me back every single letter, okay? I’m really going to miss you too.”
The train whistle went off one last time, signalling it was about time for the train to pull out of the station.
“That’s my cue. Bye Rainbow, I lov…mph!” Twilight was interrupted as Rainbow pulled her into one last kiss before she boarded the train. Twilight’s eyes fluttered closed as she returned the kiss, wrapping her hooves around Rainbow’s neck to pull her in closer. Twilight considered not going at that moment, and she almost conceded. Almost.
Rainbow broke the kiss and looked into Twilight’s eyes, “See you in three weeks,” she smiled, placing a hoof on Twilight’s cheek.
“ALL ABOARD!”
“See you in three weeks Rainbow, I love you,” Twilight said before getting on the train.
As the train began to pull out of the station, Rainbow ran alongside it to keep Twilight in view for as long as possible.
“I love you too!” Rainbow called out.
“They say separation makes the heart grow fonder. Whoever said that should be locked up. Obviously they had no idea what they were talking about,” Twilight grumbled. Deciding that she had enough, Twilight forsook sleep and got to work.
The next morning Twilight marched into the office of the head of the research team.
“Ah, Miss Sparkle, how can I help you? We’re not scheduled to get to work for another couple hours, unless I’m mistaken,” the wizened grew unicorn stallion greeted.
“No, you’re not mistaken. I just wanted to stop by to say thank you for the opportunity and to say goodbye. I will be returning to Ponyville on the one-o’clock train today,” Twilight said with a tone of finality.
“B-b-b-but you can’t! We still have another week’s worth of research to compile, data to integrate, and reports to write!” the stallion sputtered.
“Check, check, and check,” Twilight said as she deposited the corresponding documents on the unicorn’s desk.
“I think you’ll find everything accounted for here. If you need any further assistance, I suggest you send me a letter and I will help in any way I can. From Ponyville. It was a pleasure working with you,” Twilight said as she strolled out of his office.
As she boarded the train, she couldn’t help but get excited.
Note: This chapter is directly related to Chapter 6!
In Ponyville, Rainbow Dash lay slumped on a cloud above Sweet Apple Acres. She let out another sigh. She’d been doing that a lot for the past week or so. In all honesty, Rainbow’s been keeping herself busy with clearing the skies of Ponyville, napping, and thinking about Twilight for the last several days.
Who knew she’d fallen so deep in love with Twilight that a week without her felt like an eternity? She felt empty, a strange sense of being hollow without Twilight around.
“Rainbow Dash!” a familiar voice called, “What in tarnation are you doing up there?!”
Heaving another sigh, Rainbow flipped off the cloud she was current occupying and glided down to greet her friend.
“Heya Applejack. I already finished up my weather duties for the day and was just taking a break,” Rainbow explained.
“Taking a break my Great Aunt Gala! You’ve been moping around ever since Twilight left for her research assignment!” Applejack accused.
“Hey! I do NOT mope!” Rainbow shouted in defense.
It was Applejack’s turn to sigh as she did her best to reign in her temper and suppress her annoyance at Rainbow’s antics of late, “Look sugarcube, I get that you miss her, I really do, but lying around all day missing her isn’t gonna make her come back any sooner. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen you practicing your stunts in a while. Why don’t you go do that? Take your mind off of Twilight?”
“No! You DON’T get it Applejack! That’s the problem! Nopony gets it! I’ve tried going out to practice my flying, but it doesn’t feel the same without Twilight there on the ground cheering me on! It just feels so…unnatural without her there. I can’t read the latest Daring Do book without her!” Rainbow fumed, her pent up frustration coming to the surface.
“Ya really love her, don’t you RD?” Applejack asked softly.
Collapsing on the ground, Rainbow covered her face with her hooves, “When did I get so sappy AJ? Ugh, I should hate it. I should hate feeling that I can’t do anything without another pony there. I’m the Rainbow Dash, for Celestia’s sake! The fastest flier in Equestria, the only pony to ever pull off the Sonic Rainboom! Since when am I this mushy?!”
“I don’t think I can answer that, sugarcube,” Applejack said, taking a seat next to her prismatic friend.
“The weird thing is…that I don’t hate it AJ. I don’t hate feeling this way about another pony. I don’t hate that I want, no, that I need to do these things with her by my side. I love it. And I love her. What I do hate is that she has to be gone for so long on this stupid research trip…”
Applejack nodded understandingly, “Well, maybe a walk through town might take your mind off of things? Maybe you should go visit the other girls. I bet ya Pinkie will be doing something interesting.”
“Yeah, I think I’ll do that. Thanks for listening AJ. But don’t think that this mushy stuff is gonna soften me up! I’m still the best athlete in Ponyville!” Rainbow proclaimed, puffing her chest out in pride.
“We’ll just have to wait and see for the next Running of the Leaves. Now get going before I have to kick your loitering flank off my farm,” Applejack retorted with a smirk.
“Yeah, yeah. Catch ya later!” Rainbow said as she took off.
Flying into town, Rainbow spotted a pink blur darting around town square.
“Hey Pinkie, what’s up?” she asked as she came in for a landing.
“Oh! Dashie! My knees wobbled, ears flapped, and tail twitched! That means somepony’s coming back to town!” Pinkie said excitedly, bouncing around the square.
“Really?! Ahem, uh, I mean, oh really? Who do you think it is?” Rainbow asked, trying and failing to hide her excitement.
*GASPS* “I LOVE guessing games! Hmmm,” Pinkie put a hoof to her chin, “Oh! Oh! Is it Doctor Hooves! No, Rosebud! Or is it Octavia?”
“Uhhh, never mind Pinkie. I think I know who it is. Gotta go, bye!” Rainbow said as she took off, making a beeline for the florists.
Twilight…she’s coming home early!
She couldn’t explain how she knew, or even why she thought so in the first place. Maybe she was just getting her hopes up, maybe she just missed Twilight too much, but for some reason she felt certain that it was Twilight.
She’s gonna get one heck of a welcome!
A few hours later…
Twilight stepped off of the train from Canterlot onto the Ponyville platform. As expected, nopony she knew was there to greet her.
Perfect.
Twilight smiled as she gathered her things and left for home. Shortly after, she arrived back at her library home, excited to see the surprise on Rainbow Dash’s face.
She opened the front door and announced her return with a “Guess who’s home?!” giggling all the while.
She was stunned, however, to find a large banner hanging from the ceiling that read ‘Welcome home Twilight!’ in large friendly writing.
Before she could contemplate what she was looking at she was tackled by a certain rainbow-maned pegasus.
“Twilight! Hahahaha! You’re home!” Rainbow shouted, wrapping Twilight up in an all-consuming hug, her smile threatening to break her face.
“R-rainbow?! What is this? How did you know I was coming home?” Twilight asked, baffled by her marefriend’s behaviour.
“Pinkie’s pinkie sense went off, and I don’t know how, but I knew you were coming home! Oh! And I got you these! Your favourite!”
Rainbow produced a bouquet of lilacs and roses from behind her back.
“Oh, Rainbow! They’re beautiful!” she said as she sniffed the flowers.
She put the flowers on the table and kissed Rainbow, “I missed you too much to stay away any longer.”
Twilight looked out to the darkening horizon from her place on the memorial hill by the Ponyville General Hospital. A small stream of tears flowed down her cheeks and she watched the sky turn from blue, to an array of golds, reds, purples, pinks, and oranges, and finally to that deep midnight blue signalling the end of the bright day and the beginning of the dark black night that followed.
She wore a sad smile as she recalled the events of the past several weeks. The multihued sky turning black served only to remind her of Rainbow Dash and everything that had happened.
It all started a little over a month ago now, when Rainbow received a letter about her application to the Wonderbolts. Twilight could recall every detail vividly of that day…
Twilight sat at her desk, scribbling away on some project assigned to her by the Princess. It was research on wing spell development and mechanics, a topic of interest to Twilight ever since she first attempted the spell on Rarity.
Rainbow burst through the open window (after the last few crashes which could have ended better, it was mutually agreed to be best to keep it open to minimize further damage to either Twilight’s home or her marefriend), tackling Twilight in a hug and forcing them both on the floor in a heap of hooves and feathers.
“Twilight! It came! It came!”
“Ow! Rainbow! Get your hoof out of my spleen please!” Twilight yelled in surprise.
“Oh! Heh-heh, sorry about that,” Rainbow got off Twilight and helped her to her hooves before kissing her on the cheek, “forgive me? I just got a little carried away there.”
Sighing and rolling her eyes, Twilight smiled, “I can’t seem to stay mad at you.”
“I can imagine it’d be hard when you have as awesome a marefriend as me,” Rainbow puffed her chest out in pride.
Giggling, Twilight asked, “So what came that’s so important you needed to tackle me to the ground?”
The smile all but vanished from Rainbow’s face, and it looked like she almost deflated a little, as her once confident demeanor was replaced by an uncharacteristically sheepish and nervous expression.
Pawing the ground with her hoof and breaking eye contact with Twilight, Rainbow mumbled out, “It’s a letter from the Wonderbolts, from Spitfire, about my application to join the team that you helped me send out…”
“Oh that’s great Rainbow! Have you read it? Did you get in?” Twilight asked excitedly.
“No…well, no I haven’t read it yet. I’m kinda nervous. It showed up early this morning, but all I can do is stare at it…Will you read it for me? Please?”
There was no chance in Tartarus that Twilight could turn down such a pleading look, especially from Rainbow and especially now. This was her dream, and even the smallest chance that it wouldn’t come true was terrifying for her.
“Of course I will,” Twilight smiled understandingly.
Rainbow looked uncertainly at Twilight, but when she did look in her eyes, all she could see was love and affection. Her resolve strengthened, she gave the letter to Twilight and closed her eyes as it was opened and Twilight began to read…
“Dear Rainbow Dash,
We appreciate your application to join the Wonderbolts. You are indeed one of the best fliers Equestria has ever seen, and we still remember and are grateful for you saving our lives last year. However…”
Twilight stopped reading as a look of horror flashed across her face and she raised her head with a look of…was that pity? No, it was despair.
Rainbow’s smile had been growing with every word until then.
“I am afraid that the Wonderbolts are not looking for any new members at this time, and we will not be for a long time to come.
Best wishes,
Spitfire.”
Silence filled the room, silent tears trailing down Rainbow’s face. Twilight couldn’t bring herself to say anything.
Rainbow was devastated, and although Twilight did everything in her power to be there for her marefriend, she could tell it wasn’t enough.
Things only got worse from there. Not with their relationship, in fact, after a couple weeks Rainbow started to get over the whole Wonderbolt fiasco. No, things went from worse to horrible when Twilight met her parents.
In short, her parents did not approve of Rainbow and Twilight’s relationship, and demanded that Rainbow break up with Twilight and find a ‘more suitable partner.’ They threatened to disown Rainbow if she didn’t comply.
Twilight expected Rainbow to do as they asked. They were her only parents after all, they brought her into the world and raised her. Twilight was surprised when Rainbow said no, and chose to stay with Twilight. It was the most meaningful thing anypony had ever done for Twilight, and she loved Rainbow more than she ever had at that moment.
However, all of Twilight’s love could do nothing to soften the blow. First her dreams, then her parents. Rainbow was devastated. She watched as her life slipped away from underneath her hooves with only Twilight to anchor her to reality.
Then, Rainbow got into an accident. A bad accident. The doctors said it would be a miracle if the surgery was successful. If it wasn’t, then she could never fly again. First her dreams, then her parents, and now her sky were all being taken from her.
Despite all of this, Rainbow never gave up.
And now, Twilight sat here on the hill, watching as her marefriend soared through the sky once more, tears of joy still flowing freely.
Rainbow came in for a soft landing, still recovering, and embraced Twilight under the dusk sky, kissing her like she never had before.
“Thank you,” Rainbow whispered in Twilight’s ear.
“For what?”
“For being there for me. I wouldn’t have made it through without you. You kept me going, and I love you.”
Rainbow Dash sat in the library-house of her marefriend, eyes wide as she gaped at the letter she found lying open on said pony’s desk.
She had come by for a surprise lunch with Twilight, but when she burst into the library, picnic basked in hoof, she was greeted by Spike. He said that Twilight got a letter from Princess Celestia and had to leave for Canterlot immediately. She then packed a bag and departed for the eleven o’clock train. It was now one o’clock. The train had come and gone with a certain lavender unicorn on it, and there was no way for Rainbow to catch it.
Spike had also mentioned that Twilight should be back sometime the next morning, so Rainbow asked if she could spend the night and surprise her when she would return home. Rainbow had spent the rest of the day lounging around the library, napping, and reading Daring Do.
She had just popped up to Twilight’s bedroom for a spare bookmark when she noticed the previously mentioned letter sitting open and inviting on Twilight’s desk, just begging, nay, praying for Rainbow Dash to read. Curiosity overcoming her, Rainbow closed the door and snuck over to read the letter that had dragged her marefriend away from a surprise lunch date.
To My Faithful and Most Dearest Student Twilight Sparkle,
I have just been informed that the High Council of Scholars and Magi have a recently vacated position amongst their ranks. I also happen to remember a certain young unicorn filly who dreamed of one day sitting on that Council ever since she began her studies with me.
I have sent a request for the High Council to see you as soon as it is possible. At the very mention of your name they shut down all other interviews and have all but began planning the acceptance ceremony. Needless to say, your reputation speaks for you!
Of course, you will have to leave your studies in Ponyville and return to Canterlot to be a part of this prestigious group.
I look forward to your return to Canterlot. I am very proud of you, my faithful student.
Fondest wishes,
Princess Celestia
Rainbow’s blood had run cold as she finished reading the letter. She could feel the tears begin to well up in her eyes as the realization of the situation began to sink in.
Twilight leaving Ponyville? No…she’s already gone. But she wouldn’t just leave without saying goodbye at least, would she?
The evidence around her spoke otherwise.
She must have been so excited that she left right away. She’s probably having tea with Celestia right now talking about her living arrangements…
Rainbow paced about the room for hours on end until her body finally gave up and she collapsed on Twilight’s bed, sniffling as the remnants of her tears continued their slow trail down her face, pooling into the blankets underneath her.
She inhaled deeply and sighed. The blankets and pillows still smelt of lavender, still smelt of Twilight.
What am I gonna do now? Was her last thought as she drifted into an uneasy sleep.
The next morning, Rainbow woke to the sound of the library door closing and hoofsteps pacing around in the living area downstairs. Instantly awake, she kicked the blankets off and ran downstairs, heart rising as she hoped to see a certain unicorn returning home…
And she was rewarded with the sight of Twilight Sparkle setting down her saddlebags and stretching, framed by the glow of the rising sun.
“Twilight!” Rainbow cried as she enveloped Twilight in an all-consuming hug, “you’re home!”
A little surprised, but nonetheless happy at the sudden appearance of her lover, Twilight returned the hug and giggled, “Of course I’m home Rainbow! Why wouldn’t I be?”
Releasing Twilight, Rainbow stepped back and scratched the back of her neck sheepishly with her hoof.
“Well, I came over yesterday for a totally awesome and unexpected picnic, but Spike said you went off to Canterlot after getting a letter from Princess Celestia, and then I found the letter open on your desk, and well, I thought…”
“Thought what Rainbow?” Twilight asked concerned, placing a reassuring hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder.
“Well, I thought that you were so excited about the whole council thing that you packed your bags and left…”
“What? Oh, Rainbow, no. I’d never leave you like that, at least not without saying goodbye,” she put her hoof under Rainbow’s chin to pull her face up to make her look in Twilight’s eyes.
She smiled lovingly and said, “In fact, the only reason I went to Canterlot right away was to tell Princess Celestia, and the Council, that I was honoured for their consideration but that I had to decline.”
Rainbow was pretty sure her jaw just hit the floor with an audible *thump.*
“Wha-? But why? I thought this was your dream!?”
“Maybe it was. But I couldn’t just leave Ponyville, leave the girls, and most importantly, I could never leave you behind. Can’t you see, Rainbow? I can’t really explain why, and I never knew that I could feel this way about another pony, but my only dream right now is to be with you. I don’t know how you did this to me, but I can’t imagine life without you in it.”
It was the sappiest thing Rainbow had ever heard another pony say to her in her life. Totally uncool.
…
Rainbow loved it. She hugged Twilight again, some tears still rolling down her cheek.
“Ya know, I was about to say the same to you. I was so scared when I found out you left that I wouldn’t see you again.”
Twilight nuzzled her, “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”
Note: This chapter is related to Chapter 4 ("Take To The Sky")
“Aww, c’mon Twilight! This is boring! What are we even doing out here anyways?” Rainbow moaned at her marefriend as they meandered through the fields of Ponyville. She hovered by Twilight, and with a disinterested gaze looked over the landscape.
It was late. The two mares had enjoyed a simple picnic spent in each other’s company as they watched the sunset together. Rainbow could still feel the warmth of Twilight’s coat pressed up against hers as they snuggled beneath the golds, crimsons, violets, and myriad of colours that painted the sky for just a moment in time; a fleeting glimpse of beauty that few ponies have ever witnessed.
Normally Rainbow Dash wasn’t the type for such sappy romantic stuff, but for Twilight it was more than worth it. The gleaming look of wonder in her eyes when they gazed at the sky melted Rainbow’s heart, and when Twilight shifted that gaze of wonder and love to her, Rainbow could feel her heart flutter about in her chest and she couldn’t help but love the lavender unicorn a little more.
After some time wrapped in each other’s embrace, Twilight asked Rainbow to follow her. When she asked why, Twilight giggled and whispered in her ear that it was a surprise. This got Rainbow Dash excited. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out what Twilight had in store for her.
That was over an hour ago. Now, Rainbow Dash was incredibly bored with how things were progressing.
“Twiliiiiiight!” Rainbow moaned again.
“We’re almost there Rainbow!” Twilight snipped, her marefriend’s impatience finally starting to get on her nerves. Sighing, she turned to face her pegasus companion, “Look, I promise that you’ll love it. I really want this night to be special for the both of us, especially after you took my flying last week, remember?” she finished with a smile and small blush adorning her features as she remembered the lightning show and what happened after.
Rainbow sported a similar blush and she looked down guiltily, “Alright Twi’. I trust you, and I promise to be a little more patient.”
Twilight smiled and leaned forward to kiss Rainbow lightly on the lips, “Thank you,” she whispered as she licked Rainbow’s nose. Rainbow’s blush only grew at the sign of affection. Not another word passed between the couple as Twilight led them to a small grass clearing near the Ponyville lake. The sun had set by now, and the moon’s soft glow bounced off the still water and lit the clearing up just enough for Rainbow to make out Twilight setting down her lantern. Twilight beckoned Rainbow to come over and sit with her.
“So...now that we’re here, will you finally tell me what’s going on?” Rainbow asked for what felt like the upteenth time that evening.
“You’ll see,” Twilight responded with a hint of mischievousness in her voice. She leaned in to nuzzle Rainbow’s neck, “We got here a little bit early, so we have to wait for a little bit. But I can tell you this, aside from meeting the girls and you,” she started, placing extra emphasis on the last word, now looking Rainbow Dash right in the eyes she could so easily get lost in, “this has always been my favourite thing about Ponyville. If I ever needed to clear my head, I would come here at this time. It was one of the first things I discovered after I moved here when I went stargazing a couple of nights after we saved Princess Luna.”
Rainbow Dash hated waiting. She was a pony of action! But for Twilight, she would slow down.
Twilight cleared her throat, her eyes looking everywhere now but at Rainbow Dash, and she began speaking again, “This...this is also the place that I realized that I, well, that I...”
Twilight stopped mid-sentence as she heard the faint sound of movement. She smiled as she saw a faint glow forming from around the pair.
“Realized what, Twi’?” Rainbow asked, hanging off of her marefriend’s every word.
“Shh, it’s starting,” Twilight said quietly, “Look.”
Rainbow turned her head to see a soft yellow glow of what must of been a thousand fireflies flitting about in the night air all around them. She watched in awe as they lit up the night, their light bouncing off of the lake before them and surrounding them in a heavenly aura. No words were exchanged between the two as they gazed upon the golden glow of the lightning bugs drifting around them, bringing with them a sense of serenity and peace. Rainbow had lived in Ponyville for years, but never had she suspected there was something so...magical to be found here.
She felt Twilight press her body against hers, and without looking instinctively wrapped a wing around the lavender unicorn and rested her head on Twilight’s, still spellbound by the wonder of nature before her.
“Twilight...this is...amazing,” was all she could think of to say. She felt the mare wrapped in her wing shake as she giggled softly to herself.
“I knew that you would.”
“Umm, just curious but what were you about to say back there?” Rainbow inquired, lifting her head to look Twilight in the eyes.
Twilight snuggled up closer to Rainbow and raised her head level to Rainbow’s, her confidence building as the fireflies surrounded them in their glow.
“This place is special to me because it’s my own little haven from the world. It’s also the place where I first realized that...that I love you, with all of my heart. There isn’t another pony I’d rather be with right now or ever.”
Rainbow smiled warmly as she kissed Twilight softly, “Me neither, Twi’, me neither.”
Taking a deep breath, Twilight ascended the stairs for the last time. The tears had stopped flowing long ago and she looked on with grim satisfaction that all of the pain was going to end.
“Twily, you can’t be serious. This is some kind of joke, right?! There’s no way my little sister could be one of those freaks!” Shining Armor shouted as he grasped at straws. His wife and Twilight’s sister-in-law wore a face of disgust.
Twilight ignored her brother and looked to the Princess of Love herself, “Cadance...please, you of all ponies has to understand...”
“I’m sorry Twilight, but there are right kinds of love and wrong kinds of love. I cannot support something like this,” she replied coolly, a few tears forming in the corner of her eyes.
Now an empty shell of her former self, Twilight took one last longing glance around her home. Though, as her thoughts plagued her mind, she decided that it was no longer a home for her. A home was a place a pony could go to and feel safe from the world, a place where their outside lives wouldn’t trouble them. The walls of words and stacks of books had failed to defend her this time. She wasn’t kidding anypony, this stopped being her home the minute she came out.
“B-b-but Princess! You can’t really mean that! Please tell me you can’t mean that! Studying with you is such an important part of my life! You’ve taught me since I was a little filly, you’ve practically raised me! You’re like a second mother to me!” Twilight pleaded, tears openly flowing, her eyes red and bloodshot as her former mentor towered above her with a look of disappointment that Twilight had only seen in her nightmares. No. This was worth that anything than her subconscious could conjure.
“There is nothing more to discuss, Twilight Sparkle. You understand, I cannot have a...fillyfooler as my prized student. You will vacate these premises immediately, and unless change is made, you shall not be allowed to return to the castle or make use of its services,” Celestia stated matter-of-factly, donning a mask of indifference over her before clear disapproval.
Spike was living in Canterlot at the castle with the princesses. He would be well taken care of. Ponyville could always find a new librarian to replace her, it’s not like it was a difficult job. The princesses had already shunned her, her parents had disowned her, and her friends had all turned their backs on her. Equestria wasn’t in any danger so they weren’t in need of her element. Nopony was going to miss her. Some ponies may be shocked at first, but she’d fade into memory as “that fillyfooling librarian” or “that purple unicorn” soon enough. And then she’d be forgotten. All of the cruel words, all of the mental agony and emotional abuse would end.
She looked herself over in the mirror at the top of the stairs. Her mane had been brushed neatly and shone, her coat was clean. She was determined to not look like the mess she had been for the past few weeks when ponies found her.
Then she turned to the right to face her liberation. A rope, tied in a hangman’s noose, hung from the rafters of the library. She secured her magic-dampening ring onto her horn. At the lack of oxygen she knew that her body would react and her magic would teleport her to safety in an act of self-preservation.
“Twilight, darling, you cannot be serious. A fillyfooler? How...uncouth,” Rarity stated, backing away from Twilight like she carried some contagious disease.
“No, not you too girls! Please, not you too!” Twilight cried out in desperation. Her mane was a mess, her coat stained from the number of tears she shed in the past few hours when she got a letter from her parents disowning her unless she straightened out.
“Twi’, you gotta understand. It just ain’t right for a mare to love other mares, it’s tradition! Besides, how can ya ever have foals with another mare?” Applejack said.
“There are spells for that! It doesn’t have to be a mare and a stallion anymore!” Twilight retorted, her despair getting the better of her as she tried to justify herself to her closest friends.
“I’m sorry Twilight, but that just isn’t natural,” Fluttershy said quietly.
“Pinkie Pie?” Twilight asked, turning to her friend who never failed to make things happier. She only looked down and turned away from Twilight in response. It was enough for Twilight to get the picture. Nopony wanted her around anymore. So that’s what she would give them.
She slipped her head through the noose. And after a moment’s hesitation, she jumped. Her eyes shut, she didn’t notice her front door open and a rainbow-maned pegasus enter.
“Hey Twilight, you home? I just ran into the girls and they said tha-TWILIGHT!” Rainbow screamed, seeing her friend attempting to hang herself. In a flash, she took to the air, catching Twilight as she fell, removing the rope from around her neck and putting her on the ground safely.
“Why did you stop me?!” Twilight shrieked, struggling against the cyan pony who held her in a tight embrace.
“What were you doing?!” Rainbows reply came from between gasps and sobs, “Don’t you dare try anything like that on me again, do you hear me Sparkle! Don’t you dare!”
“Why not?! Nopony cares! Everypony just wants me gone! I’m a freak!”
“...I care,” came Rainbow’s quiet response, “And you’re not a freak. You’re Twilight Sparkle, and fillyfooler or not, you’re one of the most special ponies I know.”
By now, Twilight’s body wracked with sobs as she cried into her only friend’s shoulder.
Rainbow sat on a cloud layer floating high up above the Everfree Forest. Up here she was alone, away from the eyes of everypony that lived around Ponyville. Up here she had her solitude, and didn’t have to worry about dealing with anypony. Up here nopony could find her.
Up here nopony would see her cry, because Rainbow Dash does not cry.
Sure she may crash every now and then, but she would always brush it off and get back into the air. The world was her oyster, and no way was some little crash going to stop her. She was undoubtedly unstoppable, and not even the combined powers of Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis, and Sombra could keep her from rising to the challenge.
She was the fastest pegasus in Ponyville if not all of Equestria, the only pony ever to pull off the legendary Sonic Rainboom, and a local hero admired by every foal in town. She could stare a manticore down without even flinching and would charge a full-grown dragon if it meant protecting her friends.
She even managed to muster up enough courage to ask Twilight Sparkle, personal protege of Princess Celestia, not to mention the Element of Magic, the Princess of Friendship, and her best friend, to be her marefriend. The best part? She said yes, and Rainbow Dash couldn’t have been happier.
Rainbow Dash was supposed to be unstoppable. There was no way in Tartarus she’d let anypony see her beaten.
The faint flapping of wings and a slight breeze alerted her to another pony’s presence. Whipping her head around, she was greeted with her beloved marefriend alighting down gracefully onto the cloudbank regarding her with a sad smile.
Sniffling, Rainbow did her best to put on a convincing smile. “H-hey Twi’, what’s up?”
Without saying a word, Twilight lunged forward and enveloped the pegasus in a tight embrace. Before Rainbow even knew what was happening, she was openly crying into the alicorn’s shoulder as Twilight whispered soothing words in her ear and rubbed her back in small circles. Rainbow didn’t know how long they stayed like that, but she knew she needed it. She needed to stop pretending for a while, but even alone she could never bring herself to let go of the mask she had grown oh so accustomed to wearing. Only Twilight could ever really get her to come out of her shell. It was one of the many things that made Rainbow love her.
Twilight wrapped a wing around Rainbow, and as the purple feathery appendage made contact she lifted her head to look Twilight in the eyes. Rainbow’s face was graced with a small smile as she saw only care and love in her eyes.
Rainbow chuckled slowly, “I thought I was supposed to be the cool one in this relationship and you the mushy one.”
Twilight rested her forehead against Rainbow’s and sighed. “I just heard from the girls and I knew you’d be up here somewhere. Rainbow, why didn’t you tell me?” she whispered with a touch of hurt in her voice at the end. “Don’t you trust me enough not to have to hide something like this?”
“No! Nothing like that. I guess I just...I just didn’t want you to see me cry, to see me weak. I’m Rainbow Dash, right? I don’t ever let anything beat me down.”
Twilight regarded her carefully, before smiling herself and leaning in to kiss Rainbow lightly, still caught in the embrace. “But you don’t need to hide anything from me, ever.” She turned to kiss away the tears still trailing down Rainbow’s cheeks. “I love you for you Dashie, and I would never think anything less of you for crying. Neither would anypony else.”
“I...I know, but I couldn’t face everypony after I got that letter. It’s just...what do I do now Twilight? Everything I’ve been working for since I was a filly is crashing down around me, and I don’t have anything left,” Rainbow explained, fresh tears forming in her eyes.
Twilight leaned in to nuzzle Rainbow’s neck, a nuzzle that she gratefully returned. “You still have me, and you always will. We’ll get through this together. It’s going to be okay, I promise.”
“B-but-” Rainbow started.
“Do you remember the first thing you told me when you were teaching me how to fly?” Twilight asked, interrupting Rainbow’s protest.
“Wha? What does that have to do with-”
“Do you remember what you told me?” Twilight asked again a little more forcefully.
Rainbow shut her eyes as she tried to remember her flying lessons with Twilight. Slowly, a smile tugged at the corners of her lips until she was grinning widely at the memory.
“Yeah, I remember.”
Rainbow felt Twilight squeeze her a little tightly as she recited the lesson. “Everypony crashes from time to time. Sometimes it’s easy to pick yourself back up and get back into the sky again. Though some crashes are worse than others. It’s okay to crash and burn every now-and-then as long as...”
“...as long as there’s somepony there to carry you out,” Rainbow finished. She recalled the old mantra from flight school. “If you can’t fly, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl. And if you can’t do that, find somepony to carry you.”
Still smiling, Rainbow pulled back to kiss Twilight, a few tears still trickling down her muzzle. “Thanks, and I’m sorry. I should have known to tell you right away.”
“It’s okay Rainbow. I promise we’ll get through this together.”
Rainbow believed her.
Around Twilight, Rainbow never had to pretend. There was never any fear of shame with her. And that’s why Rainbow Dash loved her.
*Special Challenge - Incorporate all the lyrics into the dialogue (hence, a couple oddities)*
The small campfire crackled and snapped in the warm autumn air. Little bands and flares of bright orange and molten red licked around the dried wood, slowly reducing it to ashes. Applejack prodded the wood, tending to the fire absentmindedly as she regarded the pony across her with a frown.
Rainbow Dash had turned up out of the blue earlier today asking to hang out. Applejack could tell that something was eating at her, but went against her better judgement and refrained from prying. She was actually more surprised than anything. Normally when Rainbow had a problem she would talk it out with Twilight, yet here she was, her gaze settled on a picture from the last Apple family reunion.
Something told Applejack her mind wasn’t on the picture though.
She had tried everything she could think of to get Rainbow talking, to let her know what was wrong. From a walk through the orchard to bucking some trees to even Applejack telling her about her family. Nothing was getting her to open up. They had stopped on Applejack’s great uncle Marshall Dylan (adopted). He was an odd pony with an even odder name, but an Apple all the same and a tough pony. Nopony thought twice about crossing him. Applejack had just finished telling Rainbow how he had walked out on a sweet young mare they all called Miss Kitty before an awkward silence fell between the two.
To fill the silence, Applejack slowly picked up her guitar and strummed a few chords. The soft music helped to break the mood that had fallen over the two as she waited for Rainbow to start. She'd done all she could, now it was Rainbow's turn.
“I bet you’ve never heard ole Marshall Dylan say ‘Miss Kitty have you ever thought of running away?’” Dash mumbled to the old photograph, her words almost lost to the strumming of the acoustic guitar. Applejack remained quiet, listening intently to what Dash had to say, her hooves lightly playing a simple tune. It was sad in a way, but reminded her of home. Her eyes never left the fire, but she could hear the distance in Rainbow’s voice, how empty it sounded.
Closing the album with a thump, Rainbow sighed. “He’d never say something like ‘settling down would you marry me, if I ask you twice and beg you pretty please.’ He’s a free spirit, nothing and nopony weighing him down...”
“Rainbow Dash, what’re you goin’ on about?”
“Hay, she’d have said yes in a New York minute.” Rainbow smiled wistfully, ignoring Applejack’s interruption. Her ears fell flat against her head as her eyes began to well up. “But they never tied the knot, his heart just wasn’t in it, y’know? He just stole a kiss as he rode away.” She sounded almost jealous, hanging her head low as she stared blankly at the cover of the album.
Applejack nodded, looking up through her bangs at Rainbow, watching her carefully. She was worried, but she would play along. “He never hung his hat up, at Kitty’s place. We all thought she was the one for him, but I guess some ponies just can’t stay put. I’d say you two have at least that much in common.”
Rainbow grimaced, pushing the album away. With a long, frustrated huff she raised her gaze to meet Applejack’s. One’s was full of concern for her friend but restrained while the other’s was full of confusion, despair, and guilt.
“Y’know Applejack... I shoulda been a cowboy.”
Applejack almost lost her rhythm. Her brow scrunched in confusion, she raised an eyebrow at Rainbow. “You wanna repeat that, sugarcube?”
“I shoulda learned to rope and ride.” She blinked and averted her eyes, a frown tugging at the corner of her lips. “Like in the stories, wearing my six-shooter, riding my pony, on a cattle drive. Err, at least like how that saying goes.” She coughed embarrassedly before continuing. “Stealing a young girl’s heart, just like Gene and Roy. Singin’ those campfire songs... Oh, I shoulda been a cowboy.”
“You’ve been reading a lot of Westerns lately, haven’t ya RD?” Applejack smirked and shook her head. “I’d also wager you were snuggled up on that sofa with Twi’ too. I’m happy things have been going so well between the two of you, by the way.”
Rainbow’s expression darkened and she gave Applejack a stern glare before her eyes filled with despair, a window through the mask she wore hardly anypony ever saw in her.
“Things have been going well, haven’t they Rainbow?”
Ignoring her, Rainbow shuffled closer to the fire as if a sudden coldness had fallen over her. “I might have had a sidekick with a funny name too. Running wild through the hills chasing Jesse James.” She threw her hooves up into the air, expression lightening at the prospect of adventure. “Ending up on the brink of danger! Riding shotgun for the Texas Rangers!”
Applejack nodded slowly, chewing over her words before she spoke them. “My uncle used to say, ‘Go west young man, haven’t you been told, California’s full of whisky, women and gold.’”
“Think about it, sleeping out all night beneath the desert stars with a dream in my eye and a prayer in my heart.” Her face fell, desperation and despair coming off in waves. Every word she spoke carried with it such misery Applejack had to force herself to stay put and not go over to comfort her. “I shoulda been a cowboy. I shoulda learned to rope and ride. Wearing my six-shooter, riding my pony on a cattle drive. Stealing a young girl’s heart just like Gene and Roy. Singing those campfire songs... I shoulda been a cowboy.”
Rainbow fell silent, falling back on her haunches. Her wings hung limply at her side as she scuffed at the dirt beneath her.
“Rainbow... what happened?”
“Twilight...” she started, her voice catching in her throat. “Twilight... asked me to marry her.”
A train whistle sounded in the distance, disturbing the peaceful silence that had fallen between the two ponies that basked in the warmth of the mid-afternoon sun. The remnants of a picnic, a half-finished glass of lemonade and crusts of a sandwich, lay on a blanket that fluttered in the breeze.
A book, pages yellowed at the edges with age, and a pair of flight goggles with worn leather straps lay forgotten on the sun-bathed hill, far away from the bustling streets of Canterlot and the ponies of Ponyville.
Here all was quiet. Here nothing else mattered. Not the Wonderbolts, not the Princesses, not Discord or changelings or even the troubles of everyday life.
Here they could be at peace. Here they could be together, at least for a little while.
They lay together in the shade of an oak tree, sky blue wings draped over lavender fur. Locks of blue, red, yellow, and orange tangled with indigo as their tails swept over each other. No words passed between the two, and none were needed. An unspoken agreement passed between the two to just be in each other’s presence. Everything else could wait.
Between Rainbow Dash’s Wonderbolt training at the academy and Twilight’s new duties as a princess, their time together was rare. And like any rarity, it was treasured. As time went on, more dates were pushed back, more rain checks were made, and the two saw less and less of each other with the promise of the next time. They would tell each other they would figure it out. They would find some way to spend more time with each other, to fill the emptiness they felt when they were apart.
Right now, even that could wait. They were together. That’s all that mattered. In a few hours it would have to end, and they would have to return to their lives. These thoughts were the furthest things from their minds. For now, this was enough.
They had found it completely by accident, of course. Flying together one day, they happened to stumble onto it. A small clearing, far away from everything, hidden away from the responsibilities of their lives. Soon enough, they had started to go there to simply be together, to escape for a few short hours that never seemed long enough after they had passed.
This was their place, away from everything and anything that would pull them apart. Nopony could find them here.
Coming to this place had become a sort of routine for the two. They would meet up, fly with a picnic lunch to their secret spot without telling anypony, and spend the entire day together. They would eat together, talk together, laugh together, go flying, and read together. No matter how it started, it would always end the same, with the two just lying together. It was simple, and it was perfect. It was their own little vacation from life.
The grass swayed softly, the blades tickling the underbellies of the two as the leaves rustled in the breeze. Sunlight streamed in between the branches, warming their fur. The weather, as always, was perfect on their little outing.
Twilight shuffled closer to Rainbow Dash, wrapping her hooves around her neck and snuggling into the embrace. A small, content smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she raised her head to meet Rainbow’s gaze with her own. In her eyes, Twilight saw warmth, comfort, happiness, and that familiar fire that drove Rainbow Dash forward. The same fire that drew Twilight to her, like a moth to a flame.
Rainbow saw the same happiness and warmth she felt mirrored in Twilight’s eyes, as well as that spark, that drive to learn more. It was the same spark that Rainbow had fallen in love with, the same spark that drove Twilight to her. With her wing wrapped around Twilight, she felt... complete. She didn't need to ask Twilight if she felt the same. She was forever hers and Rainbow was forever Twilight’s, an unspoken promise cherished by both of them. They didn't need a ceremony or rings to prove that.
And in a few hours, it would all have to end. In a few hours, they would have to leave this place, leave the embrace of the other, and go their separate ways until time allowed them to be together again.
Again, none of it mattered. Here, time had no meaning to either of them. Here, everything was still.
Twilight Velvet stood in the bridal preparation room with a contemplative, faraway look in her eyes. She tipped her head to the side, staring outside at the blue sky. It promised an open future, full of possibilities for her daughter—for her Twilight Sparkle—and her soon-to-be wife. A robin flitted past the window, chirping merrily in the summer afternoon. Velvet’s gaze drifted downwards and fell on her daughter. Sunlight poured in and bathed her in a golden glow as her dress caught the rays of sun and twinkled brightly.
Twilight Velvet’s breath caught in her throat as tears began to fill her eyes. She raised a hoof to her mouth, blinking away the wetness.
There will be plenty of time to cry later.
Velvet lowered her hoof, a melancholic smile in its place. She watched as Twilight ran a brush through her mane in front of the vanity. Freshly washed and carefully dried, it was already glittering in the sunlight, but she brushed it all the same. With each stroke Velvet felt an odd, unexplainable sense of guilt tug at her heart. She felt it before on the day of Shining Armor’s wedding but today it was much more real. She had insisted that Twilight’s bridesmaids—all wonderful ponies—wait for Twilight outside. Velvet insisted that she get to spend these precious few hours alone with her daughter.
It was silly to think so, but it felt as if she was losing Twilight forever. Though Velvet knew Twilight would always write and visit—and even though she had moved out years ago for her studies—this was the final step. In a few hours, Twilight would truly be out of her life. She reached for a handkerchief as her eyes threatened to water again. Velvet regarded Twilight in a new light. It was peculiar, even after becoming Celestia’s student, moving to Ponyville, and becoming a princess, Twilight Sparkle had never stopped being Twilight Velvet’s little girl. But now, in these minutes before her wedding, Velvet had finally come to the realization every parent dreads.
At some point over the years, Twilight Sparkle had grown up.
Velvet let out a gentle sigh, her legs shaking weakly. Where have the years gone? Wasn’t it just a few years ago when Twilight was accepted into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns? Velvet could remember it as if it were. In her mind’s eye, a much younger Twilight Sparkle was bouncing ecstatically in the library, crying a chorus of ‘yes, yes, yes!’ while Velvet and her husband stood proudly in the doorway. And hasn’t it only been a few months since Twilight announced that she was moving to Ponyville to be with her friends? Velvet’s heart soared that day. Twilight had finally made friends, and now here she was... betrothed and about to marry a wonderful mare.
That was another memory Velvet cherished. She would never forget the letter Twilight had sent her, retelling how she and one of her friends, Rainbow Dash, had gotten together. Many months later, they were engaged, and after weeks of planning, here she was. It was almost cruel how quickly time seemed to be slipping through her hooves.
It was hard for her to see. Powerless to do anything but watch, Twilight Velvet stood with a sad but proud smile, her eyes trained on her daughter. A part of Twilight Velvet’s mind wanted so dearly to have her little filly back, to turn back the clock and watch those years wind by another time. Where part of her mind wanted to see a small filly clutching her Smartypants doll, she found herself instead staring at a fully-grown mare, beautiful, brilliant, and... trembling?
Twilight Velvet shook off the melancholy that shrouded her thoughts as her motherly instincts took hold. In an instant, she was at her daughter’s side, her hoof softly stroking locks of indigo mane. She guided Twilight Sparkle’s gaze to hers with her other hoof. In her eyes, Velvet saw a tremble of fear and a shadow of uncertainty that seemingly dulled the excited spark that filled her eyes only hours ago.
Velvet’s features softened as she brought her hoof to Twilight’s cheek. Twilight looked just as Velvet remembered herself on the day of her own wedding: nervous, frightened, and second-guessing herself. The air of apprehension though was trumped by a well of love, one that Velvet could see behind the uncertainty in Twilight’s eyes.
If there was one thing Twilight Velvet was sure of on her wedding day, it was that she loved Night Light with all her heart. And if there was one thing she was sure of today, it was that Twilight Sparkle loved Rainbow Dash the same way.
“You look wonderful,” Twilight Velvet said, breaking the silence that had filled the room. She moved to stand behind Twilight, looking over her in the vanity mirror. Her face brightened with a reassuring smile. “Now, it’s almost time. Are you ready?”
Twilight Sparkle bit her lip and fiddled with the hem of her dress. She looked from the mirror to the blue feather that was delicately braided into her mane. Twilight sucked in a quick breath and steeled her resolve. The veil of doubt that fogged her eyes had lifted, and Velvet beamed as a loving warmth took its place.
Wordlessly, Twilight nodded, and after a quick hug and kiss on the cheek, turned to leave the room. Twilight Velvet made to follow, but hesitated and placed a hoof over her chest. Her eyes began to glisten with tears ready to fall, but she banished such thoughts away.
There would be plenty of time to cry later. Time during the ceremony when Twilight and Rainbow would recite their vows. Time when Twilight and Rainbow would be on their honeymoon. Time when they would be living their lives together.
For now, Twilight needed her mother, and for her daughter, Twilight Velvet would be strong.
Twilight panted breathlessly as the music swelled to a crescendo. The cascade of voices rose, echoing and reverberating through the concert hall. She could scarcely hear a single thing around her beyond the chorus of voices and her heart pounding in her ear.
She stumbled back against the wall and nearly tripped over her elegant dress as the force pushed her back. A small voice warned her to be more careful; Rarity had spent a sleepless night perfecting this dress for Twilight’s date tonight.
A date that Twilight would say was going quite well.
The voices sped up and instruments rose to a fevered pitch. The orchestra’s climax was fast approaching. Twilight rose up to her hind hooves and was pressed against the wall of her private box. Her hooves flew through multi-hued mane and she felt her partner’s hooves roaming her sides.
The walls were vibrating in time with the performance. Twilight buried her muzzle in cyan fur, inhaling the scent of her date’s strawberry body wash. She felt hot puffs of breath upon her ear and a voice lost in the music. She blushed at the closeness of the affair and tried to focus on the music, but to no avail.
Part of her felt guilty; Princess Celestia had sent tickets to see the Royal Canterlot Orchestra after a personal request. Twilight had the whole evening planned out. The morning was spent in the library, enjoying some quiet time with Rainbow. Then, after an afternoon train ride, they had a wonderful dinner in the comfort of Donut Joe’s. Next, after a little convincing on Twilight’s part, they had gone to see the Orchestra. After a romantic evening spent listening to the best orchestra in Equestria, they would go for an evening flight before returning to the library for a night spent in each other’s embrace.
A perfect way to celebrate their six month anniversary.
Twilight felt Rainbow nip at her neck and she stopped caring. She clumsily stumbled further into the box and away from prying eyes, her hooves catching on the hem of her dress. She felt Rainbow cup her cutie mark and squeeze. Twilight let out a moan lost in the din of voices. The peak of the performance was almost upon them and the entire audience was enraptured by the very best of Canterlot’s musicians.
Twilight, however, was more enraptured by Rainbow’s eyes gazing lovingly into her own.
Concealed by shadow and muffled by the music, Twilight captured Rainbow’s lips in a heated kiss. Sparks danced between their lips and Twilight pulled Rainbow closer. Her hooves circled Rainbow’s back and stroked her spread wings while Rainbow’s hooves rubbed, kneaded, and caressed everywhere they could, leaving trails of warmth in their wake.
Rainbow pressed her chest against Twilight’s, forcing her further up against the wall. Their kiss broke and left the two panting heatedly. Rainbow’s roaming hooves had finally found the straps of Twilight’s dress and struggled to undo them. Twilight nipped Rainbow’s ear while Rainbow’s hooves fumbled to liberate Twilight of her gown.
Twilight slipped free of her dress, shuddering as her fur met the cool night air. With a flash of her horn, she was quick to free Rainbow from hers as well. The two dresses lay forgotten on the floor as Twilight pulled Rainbow further back and in for another kiss.
The small part of her mind that wasn’t caught up in the embrace scolded her. Rarity was going to be furious, and she imagined her screams would be as loud as the voices of the orchestra.
Twilight felt a pair of strong, soft wings envelop her and once more she stopped caring. Rarity’s screams and the performance could wait. All that mattered was her and the pegasus in her hooves.
Her hoof slipped, and the two tumbled over onto the felt-carpeted floor. Twilight lay pinned beneath Rainbow Dash, her hooves circled around her lover’s neck. As Rainbow cupped Twilight’s cheek and stared into her eyes, Twilight blushed again. She was delighted to see an equally violent blush worn by Rainbow.
The orchestra had finished their performance, and within seconds the concert hall was filled with the sound of hooves stomping from the roaring applause of the audience. Rainbow and Twilight were both panting now and each lost in the other’s hypnotic gaze.
Twilight leaned in and nuzzled Rainbow’s cheek, wanting to make this tender moment last as long as it could. Rainbow returned the nuzzle and, in a low, breathless whisper, said, “I love you.”
Pulling away, Twilight stared dumbstruck at Rainbow for a moment before leaving a quick, tender kiss on Rainbow’s cheek.
“I love you too.”
Rainbow brought a hoof to her cheek and met Twilight’s gaze. In her eyes, Twilight saw love, warmth, and a fire that Twilight felt kindling in her own eyes. Rainbow darted down and recaptured Twilight’s lips.
The orchestra began their next song. The thrum of violins, cellos, clarinets, pianos, and a myriad of other instruments filled the hall. Voices rose and fell in time with the wave of the conductor’s baton. The sound of music echoed around, drawing the attention of every pony in the audience.
The only music Twilight heard that night was the music of her and Rainbow. The performance long forgotten in the background.
“You can’t be serious,” Rainbow said for the upteenth time. She folded her hooves across her chest and looked at Twilight with the most deadpan stare she could muster, with a hint of pleading thrown in for good measure. It almost never failed.
“For the last time, Rainbow, I’m very serious,” Twilight said with a tired voice. She levitated a brush through her hair and stared at Rainbow’s reflection in her vanity’s mirror.
Rainbow scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you keep on saying that, but c’mon Twi. Really?”
“Yes, Rainbow.” Twilight replaced her hairbrush on the vanity and looked over her shoulder at Rainbow Dash. Her lips were pulled in a thin line and it was with a note of annoyance in her voice that she said, “I said we’d go, so we’re going. Now, will you get ready, please?”
Rainbow groaned and fell back onto the bed, drawing a sigh from Twilight. Rainbow could see the bright red of the Sweet Apple Acres barn sticking out among the apple trees from the window of Twilight’s room. A colourful banner was hung across the barn doors, and if Rainbow squinted her eyes she could just make out the specks of a couple ponies on the barn roof fiddling with light fixtures.
She chewed the inside of her cheek, trying to find some way to weasel out of what was to come. “This is a prank, isn’t it?” Rainbow asked after a moment. She lifted her head and smirked at Twilight. “Yeah, that’s what this is. You’re just setting me up for a laugh!”
“Rainbow, you’re being ridiculous.”
“Exactly what a would-be prankster would want me to think!” Rainbow leaped from the bed with a victorious yell. Her hooves landed on the crystal floor with a click mere inches from Twilight. “You can’t prank a prankster, Twi. Especially not one as awesome as I am.”
Twilight sighed again and rolled her eyes, but Rainbow knew she had caught her out. Her smirk turned into an outright cocky grin and she prodded Twilight’s chest. “Ha! I knew it! So, who got you in on this? Was it Pinkie? Is she trying to get me back for the icing prank? I bet—”
Rainbow’s was cut off by a purple hoof delicately placed over her lips. “Rainbow, this isn’t a prank. If you don’t want to go, then just say so,” Twilight said with a tone of finality. Rainbow’s face fell as Twilight lowered her hoof and turned back to her vanity. “I won’t stop you from not going, but I was really looking forward to tonight with you.”
Twilight ran the brush through her mane a few more times before levitating a straw cowpony hat onto her head. Rainbow, in the meantime, gawked at her marefriend. Her throat bobbed uselessly and she opened her mouth to speak several times only to close it repeatedly.
Twilight turned back to Rainbow and lightly kissed her cheek. “If you really don’t want to go, then I guess I’ll see you later tonight.” Rainbow continued to gape as Twilight turned and trotted towards the bedroom door. It wasn’t until she registered how glassy Twilight’s eyes were that Rainbow jumped into action.
“Wait!” Rainbow bolted to the front of the door and stood facing Twilight. “If... if you really wanna go, then I guess...” Rainbow sighed. “I guess I’ll go too,” she said, her voice laden with reluctance.
“You will?” Twilight asked, her eyes lighting up in excitement.
Rainbow swallowed and nodded stiffly. “Yeah. What kind of marefriend would I be if I let you go to a dance on your own?” She forced a smirk, but found that the words came easier as a smile grew on Twilight’s face.
“Yes!” Twilight cheered, wrapping Rainbow up in a bonecrushing hug. “Oh, thank you, Rainbow! I know you don’t really want to go, but it means so much to me that you will!” She released Rainbow, and before Rainbow had a chance to breathe she was suddenly staring at the rim of a cowpony hat hovering between her and Twilight.
Rainbow inwardly cringed as she slowly placed the hat over her head. She could just make out her blurry reflection in the crystal walls. Rainbow wanted nothing more than to throw the hat off and fly somewhere where the sound of country tunes couldn’t reach her. She thought of how the night was likely to unfold, and Rainbow felt a pang for her sure to be damaged reputation.
Rainbow turned to march out of the bedroom, ready to get the night over and done with. She had hardly taken a step before she was pulled out of her thoughts by a pair of lips pressed against her own. The pair of lips pulled away, and Rainbow was left to gape once again at Twilight as the alicorn smiled warmly at Rainbow.
“I promise I’ll make it up to you when we get back,” Twilight said, her eyes lidded and her voice barely above a whisper.
Rainbow felt a smile tugging at her lips despite herself and she sighed again. “Line dancing? Really?”
“Yes, really.” Twilight giggled. “Come on, it won’t be that bad. You might even have fun!”
“Twilight, do you have any idea how lame dancing is? Especially line dancing? It’s like... It’s...” Rainbow waved a hoof around, as if trying to grasp something she couldn’t see. “I don’t even have the words for how lame it is! That’s how lame it is!”
“I’m sure you’ll survive.” Twilight sidled up next to Rainbow and draped a wing over her. Rainbow felt warm. “Just focus on the pony you’ll be dancing next to instead, okay?”
“You know I’d only do this for you, right?”
Twilight smiled as the pair walked out of the castle and towards Sweet Apple Acres. “I know, and I wouldn’t want to do-si-do with anypony besides you, Rainbow.”
I wanted to say that I’m sorry. Sorry that I’ve never had the courage to say this to your face, sorry for pretending for so long, and sorry that you’ll probably never read this. I’m sorry for being such a coward and hiding this letter. I know how much you’d hate that.
But you don’t even know what I’m sorry for, do you?
No, you don’t, and if my past attempts at this are any clue, you probably won’t ever will. I wouldn’t be surprised if I incinerated this letter as soon as I finish writing it, but I need to get this off of my chest. Even if it’s only in words scribbled on a piece of parchment, that’ll do for now. If I can pretend, for even just a few minutes, that one day you’ll read this and understand, then I can be happy, even if it’s just for those few minutes.
Where should I start? I’m not even sure. I could start at the beginning, when this all started; when my heart started to flutter in my chest whenever I heard your voice, when my cheeks started to flush with every hug, when I would do almost anything just to see you smile.
No, when I would do anything just to see you smile. And I still would.
But I don’t even know how to tell that story, because I don’t know exactly when it all started. At some point along the way, somehow, I fell head over hooves for you. And that’s what I’m sorry for. I’m sorry that I never told you, and never gave you the chance to find out if you felt the same way about me.
Part of me is hopeful that if you read this letter, you’ll give me a chance. You never leave anypony hanging, right? But at the same time, I know you don’t feel that way about me. How do I know? Well, you’re a horrible liar. That, and nothing’s ever stopped you from going out and taking something that you really wanted. If you really wanted to ask me out, or even steal a kiss from me under the mistletoe on Hearth’s Warming Eve, you would have without a second thought.
But you never did. You were happy just being friends, best friends even. It made you smile, which made me smile. Every time we got together to go on an adventure, or to read the newest Daring Do book, or even just to spend time together, I wanted to tell you, but you were happy, and I didn’t want to ruin that on the chance that you might reject me. Or if you did decide to give me a chance, and things didn’t work out between us.
I know exactly what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that even if we broke up, we’d still be friends. Things would be awkward, but we’d get back to the way things were before.
Well, you’re wrong. Things couldn’t go back to the way they were before. Ponies just can’t go back to the “way things were” after undertaking something so... life-changing, important, and intimate. I mean, I could never go back to my life before I met you and the girls, and I can never go back to life with you girls before I was made a princess. What I feel for you, and what we might have, is too important to risk what we already have. Why fix something that isn’t broken, right?
I was so close to telling you the day you got accepted into the Wonderbolts. I had come up with a checklist to create the perfect romantic setting, after some rather extensive research I might add.
Everything was going to be perfect. I decided that the risk would be worth a chance to wake up in your hooves every morning, to fall asleep with your face being the last thing that I’d see. I was just going to meet you for lunch when you came bursting through my window with a letter in your hooves and the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on your face.
The letter was your acceptance letter, and I was the first pony you told. I’ve never seen you so happy before, and when you’re happy, it’s quite contagious. We celebrated, then called the girls over right away. Then, I realized that you were going to have to move to Cloudsdale. I was heartbroken, but I wouldn’t ruin the most important day of your life.
So, I did what I always did: I pretended everything was okay. It hurt, but when I saw your smile, I told myself that it was worth it to see you happy. And I’m still convinced that it’s worth it. If I never tell you any of this, just knowing that you’re happy somewhere living your dream, then I’ll be happy.
If you asked me to do it all again, then I would lie again.
For you, for your smile.
Forever yours, even though you’ll never know it,
Twilight Sparkle
Rainbow’s hooves fumbled as she read the letter. Her eyes, widened with shock and realization, met Twilight’s horrified gaze. The envelope, formerly tucked away in Twilight’s bedstand, lay on the floor between them.
Rainbow dropped the letter, and without words, walked over to Twilight. Twilight flinched away before her eyes widened again when Rainbow pulled her into a tight embrace.
“You idiot,” Rainbow said, her voice trembling. “Didn’t you ever think about how much your smile meant to me?”
“R-Rainbow?”
“All this time?”
Twilight said nothing but Rainbow felt her nod against her chest. Rainbow sighed before smiling earnestly. “Then I guess we’d better start working on getting you to smile.”
Twilight’s next words were silenced by a pair of soft, strong lips pressing against her own.
