Nightly Rendezvous

by ssjgokillo

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Romance, Slice of Life, Twilight Sparkle
Length: 10832

On a hilltop right outside Ponyville, two ponies find solace from their crazy days while talking to one another.

The night after they defeated Nightmare Moon and rescued Princess Luna, Rainbow Dash finds Twilight on a hilltop outside Ponyville, staring up at Canterlot. Afterwards, the two find themselves returning to that same hilltop night after night, discussing their crazy adventures, and the things they've never shared with anypony else.

My entry for the 3.5 Twidash Competition.

Cover art made by me using vectors from the MLP Vector Club

Published 2013-10-16 19:30:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-10-16 19:30:02 UTC

Nightly Rendezvous

Night had fallen over the peaceful land of Equestria. For the first time in one thousand years the moon was raised, not by Princess Celestia, but by her recently returned sister, Princess Luna. The ponies of Ponyville had been so excited by the prospect that, although they had gone without sleep for the Summer Sun Celebration, they had stayed up to witness the moon ascending in the sky.

Rainbow Dash had been one of the ponies to wait for the moon to rise. She couldn’t be sure, but the moon looked brighter to her this night. Though, she figured, that it could simply be a trick on her sleep deprived mind. After all, she had gone over 24 hours without sleep. She had not even had time for a nap, thanks to the adventure to stop Nightmare Moon, and then the party to celebrate Princess Luna’s return.

So it was a very sleepy pegasus who winged her way home. Any other night she might have flown longer. Nighttime flying was some of the best flying there was. She had the skies all to herself, and she loved the feeling of the crisp night air on her wings. Tonight however, all she could think about was going home and passing out.

Rainbow Dash finally spotted her cloud home, floating above the outskirts of Ponyville. It was the one annoying thing about living inside a cloud, it tended to float around. Thankfully it had never gone very far from Ponyville, though she supposed she could always sleep in one of the trees at Sweet Apple Acres if it ever did.

She began to make her way towards her house, too tired to make the mad dash she normally would towards her bed. As she flew towards the cloud home, a blotch of color caught her eye. Something purple, and glowing, on a hilltop below her house. She blinked, trying to make sure that her tired eyes were not playing tricks on her. It seemed they weren’t, as she still saw the form of her newest friend, Twilight Sparkle, on the hilltop.

And from the sound of it, Twilight was crying.

Sleep was pushed to the back of Rainbow’s mind for the moment. Something was wrong with one of her friends, and as she had told Twilight just the night before, she’d never leave her friends hanging.

So despite the fatigue she was feeling, Rainbow Dash angled her way down towards the hill Twilight was on. She landed on the soft grass, hearing it rustle under her hooves. Twilight however, was so caught up in whatever was going on, that she hadn’t even noticed Rainbow Dash’s appearance.

“Heya Twilight, what’s up?” Rainbow Dash said, after it was apparent that Twilight hadn’t noticed her.

Twilight actually jumped into the air at the sound of Rainbow Dash’s voice. She turned and looked at Rainbow Dash, who felt her heart sink at the sight. The fur all around Twilight’s eyes was matted with tears, which were still falling from Twilight’s muzzle, shining as they captured the moonlight before hitting the ground.

Twilight quickly turned away from Rainbow Dash and rubbed at her eyes with a foreleg. “Wha-What are you doing here Rainbow Dash?” she asked, trying to make her voice sound normal.

Rainbow sat down on the ground, not attempting to get any closer as Twilight tried to compose herself. “I was just heading back home to finally get some sleep. What’re you doing out here Twilight, and why are you crying?”

Twilight turned back around to face Rainbow Dash, a retort dying on her lips. She could still feel the tear tracks in the fur around her eyes, it would be obvious to anypony that she had been crying. “I…” she trailed off, not quite sure what she should day.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and huffed in annoyance. “Come on Twilight,” she said, “There’s obviously something wrong, and I’m not leaving until you tell me what it is. Just spill it so I can go home and get some sleep.” Rainbow almost regretted the harsh way that came out, especially when she saw Twilight bow her head.

“It’s nothing Rainbow Dash. You can go ahead and go home, you must be pretty tired after everything that’s happened.” Twilight said.

“I already told you Twilight, I’m not leaving while you’re all… busted up about whatever it is. So what’s the deal?” Rainbow Dash watched as Twilight shook her head. The purple unicorn then turned to stare off into the distance. Rainbow Dash turned to see what the unicorn was staring at. It was pretty easy to tell. The gleaming form of Canterlot Castle, still visible even in the dark.

Twilight stared at the castle, silent for a few moments. She took a deep breath, and began to tell Rainbow what had made her so upset. “It’s a combination of things I guess. I still feel overwhelmed about the whole Elements of Harmony thing. Then Nightmare Moon… and before I knew it I was told that I’m getting to stay in Ponyville with you girls to study friendship.”

Twilight turned back to look at Rainbow Dash. She could feel tears forming in her eyes again, but they didn’t spill over this time. “And it’s not that I’m not grateful. I can’t wait to see what I can learn from all of you. But I’ve never lived anywhere besides Canterlot. It’s where my parents are, it’s where I was raised. Aside from you and the other girls, I know nothing about Ponyville.”

“And then… I couldn’t help but think. Why did Princess Celestia order me to stay here? Was it really just so I could stay with my new friends? I mean, Canterlot isn’t that far away from Ponyville, so it wouldn’t be that hard to visit. And I’m the Princess’s personal student! How will she be able to teach me, or check my progress, if I’m not with her in Canterlot?”

The tears in her eyes finally spilled over, but she swallowed the sob that almost came with them. She looked Rainbow Dash in the eyes, even as she cried. “Did I disappoint her by not finding the Elements of Harmony sooner? Is she just fed up with the silly bookworm who just studies all day? Does she just want to get rid of me as quietly as possible?” Twilight’s voice cracked with anguish.

Rainbow’s eyes flew wide open as Twilight began to break down. This… this was way out of her depth. She figured Twilight might be bummed out about something, but this was a full blown emotional crisis. Rainbow Dash was horrible at this kind of thing! She could already feel her wings twitching, her instincts telling her to fly off and let somepony else take care of the distraught unicorn.

But that wasn’t the way Rainbow Dash did things. Even if she wasn’t comfortable with it, she would help her friend, even if she wasn’t quite the best pony for the job.

Which is something she quickly realized with her first response. “That’s a load of horsefeathers!” She winced at the harsh tone of her own voice, and felt a pang of guilt as Twilight actually recoiled from it. There was no going back now, she decided to push on. “I was watching when Celestia flew in after we stopped Nightmare Moon. Do you know what I saw Twilight?”

Twilight shook her head, but Rainbow had already continued on. “Pride. She was looking at you like a mother looks at a pony who just graduated flight school with honors. She may have hidden it with her whole “regal” act, but the way she looked at you…. she couldn’t have been more proud of you Twilight. There’s no way the Princess was trying to get rid of you, she just thought you were ready to be on your own.”

Twilight felt her heart lighten at that. She’d tried telling herself the same thing, but hearing it from somepony else made it seem real. Princess Celestia had never really tried to mislead her. If she said that Twilight should stay in Ponyville to study the magic of friendship, then it was simply because that is what she believed to be the best thing for her.

She sniffled a bit, but dried her eyes with one of her forelegs. “T-Thanks Rainbow Dash. I guess I am being a bit silly.”

Rainbow felt the tension leave her body as a small smile appeared on Twilight’s face. She had been worried that she might have just made matters worse. “No sweat Twilight! You know me, I’d never-”

“Leave your friends hanging.” Twilight interrupted, giggling at the annoyed look that crossed Rainbow Dash’s face.

Rainbow Dash made a face at Twilight, which only caused the unicorn to laugh harder. Rainbow Dash gave her own smile, glad to see her friend out of the dumps. “Well it’s true! And don’t worry too much about the whole ‘being homesick’ thing. I was even a little homesick when I first moved here.” Rainbow narrowed her eyes, and looked around as if to make sure there was nopony else on the hilltop. “But, uh, if you tell anypony else I said that, I’m gonna deny it.”

Twilight nodded her head, pretending to be serious even though she was still laughing. It was just like Rainbow Dash to not want to display any kind of weakness to anypony. Still, it made her curious. “You were homesick when you first moved here too?”

In the blink of an eye Rainbow had crossed the distance between the two and covered Twilight’s mouth with a hoof. She looked around suspiciously, as though she expected somepony to be hiding in the grass, waiting to hear some kind of gossip about Ponyville’s fastest flyer. “Shhhh! Not so loud!”

After assuring herself that there was nopony else around, she lowered her hoof and nodded at Twilight. “Yeah. I mean, I was born and raised in Cloudsdale y’know? I never really thought about living anyplace so close to the ground before. Probably never would have left Cloudsdale if it wasn’t for Fluttershy.”

“Fluttershy?” Twilight asked, “Is she the reason you moved to Ponyville?”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “It’s a long story,” She said, though a look of guilt that crossed her face told Twilight that there was probably more there, “But basically one day when we were fillies, Fluttershy came down to the ground and discovered her special talent was working with animals. So a couple years later, she surprises everypony by up and moving all by herself to Ponyville.”

“Why would that surprise everypony?” Twilight asked.

“Heh, can’t you guess? When Fluttershy was younger, she was even shyer than she is now. She never really left the house on her own because she was worried about having to deal with other ponies. So when we heard that timid little Fluttershy was going to live on the ground all alone, we thought it was a prank.” Rainbow Dash shook her head, trying to clear the memories from it.

“So you came here after Fluttershy moved to Ponyvlle? Seems like a big change.” Twilight said. She could sympathize with Rainbow Dash. After all, she had come to Ponyville, and would now be living there, at the behest of her mentor.

“Well yeah. I mean, I know Fluttershy can take care of herself, but I was a little worried. At first I figured I’d just fly down here and make sure she got settled in okay, and to let everypony else know that if they messed with Fluttershy, they would answer to me. But after I got here, Fluttershy was so happy to see me I just couldn’t think of not staying. Plus Pinkie Pie threw me an awesome welcome party.” Rainbow Dash grinned as she thought about her first day in Ponyville.

She shook her head once again, trying to keep herself from getting sidetracked. “But yeah, when I first started living here it was hard. Fluttershy let me stay with her in her cottage, but it wasn’t the same as sleeping in the clouds. I started to miss the little things about Cloudsdale. My favorite restaurants, the flight school obstacle course, the Cloudesium… but then I got used to living down here. I still had to build myself my own cloud home though. I couldn’t stand sleeping on the ground. Though Applejack’s trees do make a nice napping spot.”

Twilight thought about everything Rainbow Dash had told her. This wasn’t even as big a change for her as it had been for Rainbow Dash. Aside from her parent’s home and her room in the castle, the only place she’d really miss in Canterlot was the library, and here in Ponyville she’d be living in a library! This wasn’t the end of the world, even if it felt like a tornado had just uprooted her whole life. She even had some great new friends to help her adjust. Like the one who had helped her now.

“Thanks Rainbow Dash. Really.” Twilight said, smiling warmly at the pegasus.

“No-yawn-No problem Twilight.” Rainbow said, her eyes starting to droop again now that the “crisis” had been handled.

Twilight laughed a little, though she understood how Rainbow Dash felt. After everything that had happened, plus that little breakdown she’d had, she was also feeling like she was ready to just pass out. “You can go ahead and go home Rainbow Dash. You look like you’re about ready to fall over.”

Rainbow Dash nodded. That was exactly what she felt like. Still… “Are you gonna be okay now?” She asked.

Twilight nodded. “I’ll be fine, thanks to you.” she gave Rainbow Dash a grateful smile, though it was interrupted by a yawn of her own. “Eheh… I guess I’m a little worn out too.”

Rainbow Dash smiled. Normally, she’d make a claim about how everypony would be alright if they hung around somepony as cool as her. Right now though, she just really wanted to go to sleep. “Heh, alright then Twilight. I’ll see you around!” With that, she gave a flap of her wings and launched herself into the air. She soared towards her home in the clouds, glancing back one time to watch as Twilight began making her way back to her own home.

As she flew into her house and flopped onto her bed, she couldn’t help but give a small smile. Sure, she wasn’t good with all the emotional stuff, but she’d helped a friend in need. With that thought, Rainbow Dash quickly drifted off to dream of Wonderbolts and racing.

Twilight gave a sigh of relief as she finally exited Sugarcube Corner. The party that Pinkie had originally thrown to help Gilda the griffon “turn her frown upside down”, had changed into a “we don’t need a reason, we’re going to party all night!” party. As was the norm whenever Pinkie Pie threw a party, everypony was having a good time.

Everypony, that is, except Rainbow Dash. At some point during the party the prismatic pegasus had just disappeared. Nopony had seen her leave, but she definitely wasn’t in Sugarcube Corner anymore. Twilight had been looking for her, wanting to make sure that the pegasus was okay after the blowout with her friend.

So Twilight began to wander around Ponyville, looking for any sign of her missing friend. It was one of the few times where she envied her winged friends. It would be much easier to search for somepony from the sky. She could go around the entire town in half the time it would take her on foot. Rainbow Dash could probably do it in a fraction of even that.

Still, she wasn’t without her own advantages as a unicorn. She wasn’t the Element of Magic for nothing. She had a spell she had designed with Princess Celestia, to help her locate Spike when he was a hatchling. He had a habit of crawling off whenever Twilight got too involved with her studies, so she had needed a quick way to find him. There were only two problems with the spell. The first, was that she had to have a good idea about the pony (or in some cases, dragon) she was trying to find. She couldn’t find somepony that she didn’t know very well. Second, the spell was a bit awkward to use.

She focussed on an image of Rainbow Dash in her mind, calling up with it any memories she could think about. As she did, she began to channel magic through her horn. Once she had built up enough of an image in her mind, she chanted the words. “Point me.”

Twilight was instantly spun around as her horn was seized by a magical force, searching for Rainbow Dash. She spun around twice before her horn jerked her back the other way. Twilight fell to the ground with a grunt, unable to keep her balance from the sudden stop. Still, her horn was glowing, that meant the spell had managed to locate Rainbow Dash, and was pointing her in the right direction. She just hoped that she’d be able to find the pegasus without having to cast the spell again… and that nopony saw her cast it this time.

She quickly got back on her hooves and began walking in the direction her spell had indicated. She passed by Town Hall, continued on passed the marketplace, and even passed the library she called home. It was when she had hit the outskirts of Ponyville that she began to wonder if maybe she had missed Rainbow Dash.

She sighed in annoyance, and once again cast the locator spell. For the second time that night her body was forcefully spun around by the horn. It was five rotations this time, before her horn came to a sudden stop. Twilight’s vision spun as she tried to focus, barely able to make out that her horn was still pointing outside of Ponyville. She took a moment to get her dizziness under control, before she continued down the path out of town.

As she walked the path, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu. The area was beginning to look familiar the further she went. It didn’t take her long to realize why. This was the way she had gone when she had visited that hilltop to look at Canterlot, the night after Nightmare Moon’s defeat.

Sure enough, she soon found herself climbing the same hill. She could once again see Rainbow Dash’s cloud house floating above it. Maybe Rainbow Dash had simply been tired and went home to sleep?

That idea was nixed when she crested the top of the hill. There was Rainbow Dash, sitting in the moonlight. She wasn’t crying, like Twilight had been that night. She also wasn’t staring at Canterlot. Rainbow’s gaze was trained in a different direction, at something in the sky.

“Rainbow?” Twilight said, to announce her presence to the pegasus. Rainbow’s body jerked in surprise, but she didn’t jump. She probably wouldn’t even acknowledge that she had been startled, Twilight mused.

“Heya Twilight! What’s up?” Rainbow Dash asked, standing up and stretching her legs. She looked… normal. Twilight had figured that maybe Rainbow had needed to get away because she was upset over what had happened with Gilda, but perhaps that wasn’t the case.

But then, if that wasn’t what was going on, then why was Rainbow Dash sitting out here all alone?

“Are you alright Rainbow Dash? You just kind of disappeared from Pinkie’s party.” Twilight asked.

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Eh, I was just getting a little bored. I can only win at pin the tail on the pony so many times before it gets boring ya know?”

“Uh huh. Are you sure there’s nothing bothering you Rainbow? You left without saying anything. And… well, with what happened earlier…” Twilight tried to find a way to bring the matter up delicately.

“You mean with Gilda?” Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes as she said the griffon’s name. Her wings bristled, and she looked like she might bare her teeth. Yet, for all that, Twilight could still see her ears droop.

“Um, yes.” Twilight said, deciding the direct approach would probably be the best way to deal with the issue, at least with Rainbow Dash. “I mean, she was an old friend of yours right? It couldn’t have been easy to have her just leave like that.”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “Pfft, yeah right! Easiest choice I’ve ever made honestly, I can’t believe she turned out to be such a jerk.” Rainbow Dash sat back down. “I’m better off without her anyways.” She said, though her voice held none of its usual bravado.

Twilight opened her mouth to say something something comforting, but immediately shut it. Rainbow Dash didn’t want pity, she wouldn’t even accept it. The pegasus was too proud to admit that she was hurting over the loss of her friend.

So Twilight switched tactics. “How did you guys meet?” She asked.

Rainbow seemed confused by the sudden question. “What?”

“Gilda and you. How did you meet? I mean, griffons aren’t exactly common in Equestria.” Twilight said.

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight suspiciously for a moment, wondering where the sudden curiosity had come from. She shrugged her shoulders, and decided it wouldn’t hurt anything to tell her the story.

“We met when I went to Junior Speedsters Flight Camp. It was the year after I’d gotten my cutie mark actually. Fluttershy had had enough flying with Summer Flight Camp, so I was on my own at this one. Which was probably for the best, only the best flyers really make it at Junior Speedsters Flight camp.” Rainbow said.

Twilight nodded, and sat down across from Rainbow as she continued her story. “Gilda was there as part of an exchange program. She traded places with some pegasus who got to attend a griffon aerial combat school.” Rainbow Dash grinned at the memory. “I heard she didn’t even make it a week before she was begging to come home. Apparently now she’s one of the Royal Guards though, so I guess it paid off.”

“Anyways, Gilda and I realized right off the bat that we were really the only competition the other had. The rest of the pegasi weren’t bad, but they couldn’t keep up with us. Pretty soon we were turning everything into a competition between us. Of course, I won most of them.” Rainbow Dash smiled smugly. “Of course, the other pegasi couldn’t handle our awesomeness, so most of the time we just hung out with each other.”

From what Twilight knew about both Rainbow Dash and Gilda, she highly doubted it was an aversion to “awesomeness” that kept the other pegasi away, but she decided not to voice her opinion on the subject. Instead, she said, “Sounds like the two of you were pretty close.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, her eyes were on Twilight but her vision was in the past. “Yeah. We really pushed each other. It was nice having somepony else around who shared my love of flying. Fluttershy always tried, but her heart was never really in it, and I hated to push her. Gilda got that part of me. She even told me once that she’d be the first griffon in the Wonderbolts.”

That was something Twilight could understand. Not the Wonderbolts thing, but the part about having someone who really understood you. She’d often wished that she had known another unicorn that shared her passion for magic, and studying. To think of all the magical breakthroughs they could make together!

“After Junior Speedster Flight camp was over, we tried to keep in touch. A couple letters here and there, but it just wasn’t the same you know? I really missed hanging out with her…” Rainbow Dash trailed off. Her ears had once again pressed flat against her head, and though Twilight would never mention it, she could see the tears gathering in her eyes. “When she showed up today, I was really hoping…”

“You were hoping it would be just like old times?” Twilight offered, as Rainbow Dash seemed to struggle with what she wanted to say. Rainbow Dash nodded.

“Yeah! And it was, until Gilda went all grumpy griffon on everypony. Did you know she even roared at Fluttershy? Fluttershy of all ponies?! Who could do that to somepony like her? And then the way she acted at the part Pinkie threw for her… and then telling me that I had to choose between her and all of you girls…” Rainbow Dash stood up and began pacing angrily, her tail whipping back and forth and her wings twitching in irritation. “Like that was ever a choice!” She finally said, stomping a hoof on the ground.

Twilight watched her friend for a moment before she decided to speak. “You know, it doesn’t have to be that way right?”

Once again that night, Rainbow Dash felt herself looking at Twilight in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You and Gilda. This doesn’t have to be the end. I mean, she was pretty rude to everypony, and downright mean to Fluttershy. But that doesn’t mean your friendship has to be over. Give yourselves both time to calm down, then maybe send her a letter again? Who knows, maybe one day you can be friends again.” Twilight said.

Rainbow Dash stared at Twilight before scoffing. “Yeah right, like I would ever want to be friends with that lame-o again!”

Twilight looked Rainbow Dash in the eyes. Rainbow found herself unable to look away from Twilight’s piercing gaze, the purple in them seeming to glow in the moonlight. “Don’t you?” Twilight asked simply.

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to retort, to tell Twilight that there was no way. To tell her that she didn’t even care what happened to Gilda after the stunt she had pulled today. But she couldn’t. Because Twilight was right. Despite everything that had happened, Gilda had been her friend. Was it really alright to let that friendship die because of one bad experience?

“...She’d have to apologize to everypony first…” Rainbow Dash mumbled.

Twilight nodded. “Sounds fair.” She said, before standing up. She groaned as she felt her joints pop after sitting on the cold ground for so long. “Well, it’s getting kind of late. I think I should probably head home.”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Yeah, same here, today’s been kind of hectic.” She then smiled teasingly at Twilight. “But then again, it seems like everyday has been kind of hectic since you moved to town.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Right, I’m just a trouble magnet.” She said sarcastically. She turned, and began to trot down the path back towards town. “Have a good night Rainbow!” She called as she left.

“You too Twilight!” Rainbow Dash said, her wings flapping as she hovered over the ground and watched the unicorn depart. “And thanks! Y’know, for hanging out with me and stuff!”

Twilight waved back in response, and Rainbow Dash flew up to her cloud home. She didn’t immediately go inside however, opting instead to watch the figure of her unicorn friend as she made her way back to town.

It was a few days later that Rainbow Dash found herself heading to that hilltop once again. The citizens of Ponyville had decided to throw an impromptu celebration after Twilight had taken care of the rampaging Ursa Minor. After all, it wasn’t every day that a single unicorn stopped a creature that powerful.

Twilight had declined to participate though, stating that the spells she had used to lull the Ursa to sleep and to carry it back into the Everfree Forest were really tiring. Everypony had accepted the excuse, after all the sheer magic that shone from Twilight’s horn had lit up half the town. So as snacks and music were being brought out, Twilight trotted away, supposedly to her home to rest.

Rainbow Dash had only waited until she thought she could get away without anypony noticing before she took to the sky. She would bet her autographed Spitfire poster that Twilight wasn’t heading home at all. The unicorn had been pretty shaken up over the encounter with the Ursa, and her fear that everypony would hate her for her natural talents. Nope, Rainbow Dash was sure that Twilight had gone somewhere else.

She gave herself a mental pat on the back as she spied the unicorn, once again sitting on that same hilltop.

Twilight wasn’t crying this time, but she did look gloomy. She was just staring up at the sky, maybe gazing at the stars.

She didn’t jump with Rainbow Dash landed next to her. Instead she turned and gave Rainbow a small smile. “We seem to keep coming back here, huh?” She said.

Rainbow Dash nodded and sat down beside her. “It’s a cool enough hill I guess. But I betcha didn’t come here to admire the scenery, right?”

Twilight nodded. “I just wanted to get away and think for a little bit. Which, no offense to everypony else, is kind of hard to do when everypony is cheering and dancing.”

Rainbow Dash gave a grin and nodded. The ponies in Ponyville sure could live it up. The two fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying the night air and the canvas of sky that Princess Luna had painted.

“Sooo, whatcha thinking about?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“A lot of things. You know, Trixie went to the same school I did?” Twilight said.

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight in surprise. “Really? That loudmouth?”

It was a testament to their friendship that Twilight didn’t comment on that coming from Rainbow Dash. She simply nodded. “I hadn’t even thought about it when we first saw her. I really didn’t socialize with many of the other students, and I only attended a few of the classes that they attended. Most of my studies were with Princess Celestia, or special tutors. I never met her personally, but there were rumors about a talented unicorn whose special talent was stage magic, who always referred to herself in the third person.”

“That sounds like the Lame and Pitiful Trixie alright.” Rainbow Dash could just imagine the obnoxious magician as a filly, running her mouth at the teacher for not calling her by her “Great and Powerful” title.

“Rainbow Dash…” Twilight chided, though she smiled at the comment. “Anyways, I was just thinking… it would’ve been nice if I could’ve talked about magic with her. I’m sure she would’ve had some interesting spells and theories to share.”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You wanted to hang out with that jerk?”

“Well… a little I guess. I’ve just never had a friend I could talk to about magic. I mean, Spike helps me practice spells, and he’s always really excited about it. But he doesn’t really understand it, he just thinks it’s cool.” Twilight sighed. “I just thought it would be nice to have somepony else to really share that with.”

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth, prepared to say that was a stupid idea. She stopped herself though, remembering the conversation she had with Twilight on this same hilltop, about how she had enjoyed having a friend who liked flying as much as she did.

“I… guess that makes sense.” Rainbow winced, as though saying the words actually hurt her.

“I’m just glad you and the rest of the girls weren’t upset with my magic. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I was freaking out when I began to take care of the Ursa.” Twilight said.

“That was so awesome! Seriously Twilight, I knew you were like, super smart with the magic and everything, but the way you put it all those spell together… it was amazing!” Rainbow Dash realized she was practically gushing over Twilight’s accomplishment at this point, and pulled back with a cough. She looked away, not noticing that Twilight’s face had turned red from her praise. “I mean, I probably could’ve handled it myself, but the way you did it was cool too.”

“Oh? What were you going to do? Fly around it until it got dizzy?” Twilight asked teasingly.

“No! Well… maybe! But that totally would have worked!” As Twilight began to giggle, Rainbow Dash huffed and looked away.

“Sorry, sorry. I’m sure your plan would have worked Rainbow, as long as the Ursa didn’t catch you.” Twilight said, still laughing slightly.

“Yeah yeah, whatever.” Rainbow Dash pretended to be upset for a few more moments, before smiling back at the unicorn. The two sat once again in silence, Twilight staring up at the sky while Rainbow Dash let her mind wander.

“Hey, Twilight…” Rainbow Dash said, gaining Twilight’s attention. “I know that I’m not like, the smartest pony around or anything. But if you ever do want somepony to talk to about magic and junk…” Rainbow Dash trailed off, once again refusing to look at Twilight.

“Really Rainbow Dash? You’d be willing to talk about magic with me?” Twilight couldn’t keep the surprised tone out of her voice.

“Sure, I guess. I mean, I probably won’t understand what you’re talking about half the time, but if it makes you feel better to have somepony to talk to…” This was exactly why Rainbow Dash hated these kinds of mushy moments. She was never really sure what to say, or how to act.

“I appreciate it Rainbow Dash. And, you know, the same goes for you. If you ever want to talk about flying, I’d love to listen.” Twilight said.

Rainbow Dash smiled at that, turning to face Twilight once more. Both ponies then looked back up at the sky, enjoying the view only slightly less than each other’s company.

“...and then, Spitfire took the rest of the pie, and dumped it on Soarin’s head! He looked upset for a moment, but then he began licking it off and the other Wonderbolts just laughed!” Rainbow Dash was laughing herself, as she regaled Twilight with the story of her day with the Wonderbolts.

The two had once again found themselves on the hilltop. It was something that had become a habit for both of them. It was never something they talked about. They just both accepted it, and would show up after the crazy events of their days. Somehow, they always knew when the other would be there, and would show up shortly after. It was almost therapeutic, a place where they could relax away from the insanity that was life in Ponyville. It was also just a good way to spend time with a friend, something both Twilight and Rainbow Dash began to appreciate more and more.

Twilight had arrived at the hilltop first, knowing that Rainbow Dash would show up as soon as she was done hanging out with the Wonderbolts. That gave Twilight plenty of time to just sit and enjoy the scenery. And to think about the events of the day.

She never doubted Rainbow Dash would win the Best Young Flyer Competition. She’d seen her fly enough times to know that the only pegasi who were better than her were already in the Wonderbolts. She just hadn’t expected Rainbow’s performance to be so… spectacular. Pinkie Pie’s description of the Sonic Rainboom did not even begin to do it justice. The wave of colors that shot across the sky, the glittering rainbow that arced out behind Rainbow Dash.

There was definitely a reason why it was legendary. When Rainbow Dash had broken that barrier, when she had heard the boom and saw the colors, it had felt like she was filled to the brim with magic. Like she could have cast the wing spell on all her friends and still have energy left over.

It felt so familiar, she just couldn’t figure out why.

Despite how amazing the Sonic Rainboom had been, Twilight felt a little disappointed. Rainbow Dash had really been suffering during the competition, and Twilight had been unable to help. She wished she could have said something to the pegasus, help dispel some of her anxieties. Instead, Rainbow Dash had suffered in relative silence while they had watched the rest of the competition.

“Cloudsdale to Unicorn, you still in there Twilight?”

Twilight gave a shriek and jumped to her hooves. She immediately blushed and willed her racing heart to calm down as she saw Rainbow Dash rolling on the ground before her. Apparently she had been thinking a little too hard, and had failed to notice the pegasus’s approach.

Rainbow Dash was still wearing the crown she’d received for winning the competition. It was currently sitting slightly askew on her head, though that may have been from the fact that she was rolling around on her back, still laughing at Twilight’s reaction. She finally began to calm down, giving a few gasping laughs while Twilight playfully glared at her. “S-Sorry Twilight. I called your name a few times, but you were totally zoned out.”

“Sorry about that, I was just caught up in my thoughts.” Twilight said, her body finally starting to settle down. “So how was your day with the Wonderbolts?”

“It was totally awesome!” Rainbow Dash shouted, rolling off her back and back onto her hooves. “First we went to the Wonderbolt Academy, and they showed me the facilities and stuff. They said I’d still have to apply for the next term, but that with my skills I’d be a shoo-in!”

Twilight sat next to Rainbow Dash, as the pegasus began to tell her about the day she spent with her idols.

Some time (and a rather hilarious and animated story about diner food fights) later, Rainbow Dash wrapped up her story. She sat there and basked in the knowledge of what she had achieved today. It wasn’t lost on Twilight either. Rainbow Dash looked almost like she was glowing with excitement, and happiness.

“So I take it you had fun then?” Twilight asked, though she knew full well what the answer was.

“Did I ever! This has seriously got to be the Best, Day, EVER!” Rainbow Dash jumped in the air and did a quick loop in excitement, before landing and sitting down next to Twilight.

Twilight smiled at how excited her friend was, even as guilt gnawed at the back of her mind. She had to say something. “Rainbow Dash… I’m sorry.”

The look on Rainbow Dash’s face quickly morphed from excitement to confusion. “Sorry? For what?”

“I… we should have been there more for you. During the competition I mean. It was obvious you were really worried about it, and then we left you to handle it all on your own. I feel like I let you down.”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at Twilight. “Really? Cause the way I see it, you made it so that all of my friends could come and cheer me on. You went out of your way to find a spell, and then cast it, just to make sure I’d have ponies in my corner during this whole thing.”

“You did everything a friend could ask for, and you’re upset because you couldn’t do more?” Rainbow playfully rubbed a hoof on top of Twilight’s head, mussing her mane. “You goof. Seriously Twilight, you have no idea how much it meant for me to have all of you there. Besides, there’s not much you could have done for me. I was really just psyching myself out.” Rainbow looked up at the moon that was beginning to climb up into the sky. “I kept thinking of it as a competition, instead of just flying it. If I had just done that, I wouldn’t have had any problems.”

Twilight used her magic to straighten her mane. “Well, for what it’s worth Rainbow, you were amazing.”

Rainbow blushed. The look of admiration Twilight gave her made her feel restless for some reason. She tried her go to response, to say that of course she was amazing, she was Rainbow Dash! Instead, she simply said, “Thanks.”

Silence stretched between the two. Twilight simply sat and enjoyed the company of the pegasus. Rainbow Dash on the other hand, felt her thoughts flying around her head like they were trying to perform their own Rainboom.

Twilight noticed the nervous twitching of Rainbow Dash’s wings. Mainly because they kept tickling her sides. “Is something wrong Rainbow?”

Rainbow Dash jolted slightly at Twilight’s question. Was there something wrong? She wasn’t even sure. A few moments ago she’d been at almost Pinkie Pie levels of happiness. Now, she felt like she should be pacing. Or making a quick get away, and she didn’t know what she was trying to get away from. It wasn’t like the anxiety she had felt during the competition. She didn’t even know how to explain it.

“N-Nope, nothing wrong here!” Rainbow Dash gave a nervous chuckle. She then gave a very loud, and obviously fake yawn. “Boy, I’m tired. I think I’m going to call it a night, I’m feeling pretty worn out.”

Twilight stared at Rainbow Dash, confused by the pegasus’s sudden change in demeanor. “Uhh, okay? I guess I’ll see you later then?” Twilight said.

“Yup! Sounds good, I’ll talk to you later Twilight!” Rainbow Dash said, her voice coming out quicker than normal, and changing pitch slightly. She spread her wings, and quickly took to the air, her flight uncharacteristically jerky.

Twilight watched in concern as Rainbow flew off, wondering what had upset her friend. They had shared a lot on this hilltop, but she wouldn’t invade Rainbow’s privacy. If Rainbow wanted to talk about it, then she’d talk about it.

Twilight began walking down the hill, trotting along the familiar path back to Ponyville. She had only taken a few steps, when she felt a breeze wash over her and heard hooves touch down on the ground behind her. She turned around to see Rainbow Dash once again. The pegasus’s pupils were dilated, but she took a deep breath that seemed to calm herself down.

“Uhhh… hey! I just wanted to ask.. er, I mean, to say thanks! Yeah! I wanted to say thanks again for everything you did today. It really did mean a lot to me.” Rainbow Dash smiled weakly at Twilight.

“It was my pleasure Rainbow Dash.” Twilight said. “Though, I think next time I’ll cast the wing spell on myself, just to keep any accidents from happening.” Twilight’s expression brightened at that idea. “Oh! We could even go flying together! That’d be pretty fun don’t you think?”

The thought of Twilight, with wings, flying through the sky with her, made the squirming sensation in Rainbow Dash’s stomach intensify. “Yeah, that sounds great Twilight.” She said. “I-uh… I better be going!” Once again the pegasus took to the skies, quickly flying to her cloud home while she tried to figure out why she was feeling so weird.

Twilight walked home, musing all the while about the sensation of flight, and what it would be like to fly beside Rainbow Dash.

A month had passed since the Best Young Flyer Competition. Rainbow Dash and Twilight had continued to spend their time on the hilltop, though now it was more to enjoy each other’s company than to talk about their misadventures.. They still talked about them, just not as often. Though Rainbow Dash was still upset that Twilight had gone off into the Everfree Forest alone. Sure, Fluttershy had saved her from her stone imprisonment, but any number of other things could have happened to the unicorn in there.

This time they actually walked from Ponyville together. They were still surprised by the revelation they’d shared with their friends earlier in the day. The fact that they all were connected in how they got their cutie marks. All thanks to Rainbow’s Sonic Rainboom.

Well, Twilight was surprised by it. Rainbow Dash was still laughing about the letter Twilight had written to Princess Celestia. “Seriously, ‘Maybe you and your future best friends are all looking at the same rainbow’? Where did you come up with that?”

“Ugh, not you too! I thought it was a poetic way to end the letter.” Twilight groaned. It wasn’t enough that Spike had to make fun of her for it, now Rainbow Dash was giving her grief over it. Some ponies (and dragons) just didn’t have any taste for good writing..

“So have you and the other girls been staring at my rainbow?” Rainbow Dash asked, motioning to her cutie mark while she waggled her eyebrows.

Twilight felt her face heat up at what Rainbow was implying, even as her eyes were drawn to the rainbow-colored lightning bolt. She quickly averted her eyes, but not before Rainbow Dash could laugh at her for looking. “You’re impossible, you know that right?” She said.

“Awww, c’mon Twilight, you know you love me!” Rainbow Dash said as she ruffled Twilight’s mane, a gesture that was becoming more and more common from her.

Twilight once again fixed her mane. “It’s still just amazing though.” She said, ignoring Rainbow Dash’s comment. “I mean, to think that six ponies cutie marks were all discovered on the same day, at around the same time, because of the same event! I don’t know if that’s ever happened in the entire history of Equestria!”

“Is it really that big of a deal Twilight? I mean, it’s cool and all, but we probably would’ve still gotten our cutie marks either way.” Rainbow Dash asked. She sat down on the hilltop, the cool grass tickling her skin.

“It’s more than just that Rainbow. Think about it!” Twilight said. She sat down right next to Rainbow Dash, closer than the two had ever been before. They were so close, they could feel the body heat coming off each other. “What if your Sonic Rainboom is what bound us together. What if it’s what made us capable of using the Elements of Harmony?”

“Uhh… is that even possible? I thought the Elements worked for us because of who we are, ya know, like our personalities and stuff.”

“I don’t know! It’s just interesting to think about really. I will say this though, there is definitely something special about your Sonic Rainboom. When you performed it during the Best Young Flyer Competition, I felt like I was overflowing with magic. I didn’t recognize it at the time, but it was the same feeling I had the day I got my cutie mark. Something about your Rainboom literally fills me with more arcane energy than I know what to do with! That’s why I went into that magical overload as a filly.” Twilight’s voice sounded like it might also be overflowing with energy.

“Besides,” She said as her mind worked over the possible hypotheses, “What if your being able to do the Sonic Rainboom was predestined? That would mean we were all destined since birth to meet each other and become friends! If you hadn’t been able to do it, then we may have never even met!”

Rainbow Dash scoffed at the notion. “Like I would ever let a stupid thing like destiny keep me away from you.” She said, before realizing exactly what she had said. “And the other girls!” She added quickly.

Twilight smiled at Rainbow Dash, and leaned against her without realizing it. “If I ever thought there was a pony that could beat destiny, it’d be you Rainbow.” She said with a relaxed sigh.

Rainbow Dash blushed at the praise, and leaned back against Twilight. That feeling was coming back, as it always did when she was around Twilight, but this time it didn’t make Rainbow Dash want to run away. Instead, she simply enjoyed the warmth she felt.

Nothing else was said, they’d already shared their thoughts and memories earlier that day. Instead, the two simply sat there, gazing at the stars on their little hilltop away from the world. They eventually fell asleep together on that hilltop, Rainbow Dash covering Twilight with one of her wings.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash bid their friends goodnight as everypony left the train station and began to head home. The night had started out as a complete disaster, but had ended up as a cherished memory for all six of them. Even if their manes were messy, and their dresses torn and stained.

One thing was for sure, they weren’t the only ones who would never forget that Grand Galloping Gala.

After their pit stop at Pony Joe’s doughnut shop, everypony had decided to catch the last train back to Ponyville, rather than spend the night in Canterlot. Though Rarity had been tempted to stay when Princess Celestia had offered a suite in the castle, the thought of staying under the same roof as Prince Blueblood ultimately convinced her that returning home was the better option.

So everypony had headed their separate ways. Except Twilight and Rainbow Dash. The two mares made the trek out of town and to their hilltop without incident. By this point they were fairly certain they could make the trip with their eyes closed, though neither one was keen to test that idea.

Once they reached the top of the hill, the two simply collapsed against each other, as if the strings that had been holding them up the entire night had finally been cut.

“What a night huh?” Rainbow Dash said. Twilight simply gave an unladylike grunt in response. “My thoughts exactly!” Rainbow Dash laughed, causing Twilight to smile.

“I can’t believe what a disaster that turned out to be!” Twilight said. She gave a little coo in delight as the cold grass began to relax her worn muscles. “I’m glad the Princess was happy with it, but still! I hope nopony got hurt after we left.”

“Nah, the Wonderbolts probably took care of it. They wouldn’t have left anypony get hurt.” Rainbow Dash said.

Twilight nodded. That made sense. And even if the Wonderbolts hadn’t been able to keep everypony safe, there was no way Princess Celestia would have let anypony (or the animals) get hurt. “So I take it your night with the Wonderbolts wasn’t all you’d hoped it would be?” she asked.

“Nah. I mean, the Wonderbolts were cool, but I didn’t really get to hang with them ya know? They were always surrounded by other ponies. But it’s not a big deal. I already spent an entire day with them after all.” Rainbow Dash said. She kicked off the golden shoes she wore and ran her hooves along the ground.

“It was the same thing for me with the Princess.” Twilight said. “We were so busy greeting ponies all night, I barely got to speak with her at all.”

Rainbow nodded, before poking Twilight in the side. “But you know, I don’t think you really need an excuse like the Gala to go talk with the Princess. I’d bet all you really have to do is go visit her.”

Twilight gaped at Rainbow Dash. “But-But she’s the princess! She’s always so busy with everything, and she has so many important ponies to talk to! I couldn’t ask her to make time just to talk to me!”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Seriously Twilight, I doubt you’d have to ask. From what I’ve seen, the princess likes to spend time with you.”

“M-Maybe…” Twilight blushed, but gave Rainbow Dash a small smile.

“Definitely. After all, who wouldn’t want to hang out with the second most awesome mare in Ponyville?”

Twilight grinned at Rainbow Dash. “Oh? I’m only the second most awesome mare? Then who’s the first?”

“Can’t you guess?” Rainbow Dash flashed a cocky smile, and buffed a forehoof against her chest.

Twilight gave a sound of deep thought, as if she were concentrating on the question. “Is it… Applejack?” She asked, a sly grin on her face.

“Applejack?! No way! I’m like.. at least 20% cooler than she is!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. The serious look on her face fell away when she heard Twilight begin to giggle next to her. “Oh, you think you’re funny huh? Well how do you like this?!” Rainbow Dash flourished her wings, and began to rain tickling feathers down on Twilight’s sides.

Twilight gave a gasp for breath as her body began to writhe. She laughed and laughed as Rainbow Dash continued her relentless assault. “R-Rainbow… pffffhahahaha, c-cut it out!” She desperately tried to say in between laughs. When it became apparent that Rainbow Dash was not going to stop, Twilight began her counterattack. Using every last bit of focus she had, she cast a spell. Two streams of light arced from her horn, connecting with Rainbow Dash’s sides before dancing up and down them.

Rainbow Dash froze in her attempt at tickle torture, before she fell to the ground. She began laughing just as hard as Twilight had been, as the lights felt like hundreds of tiny feathers, tickling at her sides. Twilight kept Rainbow Dash on the ground writhing in mirth until the pegasus had tears of laughter streaming down her face.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked at each other, before laughing a bit more. Their faces were flushed and their chests heaving to recapture the air. Both of their manes were messy, and they were pretty sure Rarity would be yelling at them for getting grass stains on their dresses.

The two mares fell silent as they let their thoughts wander. They thought about the events of the night, and the lessons they had learned. About plans that had gone awry, and friendships that had made the night bearable.

“Hey Twilight,” Rainbow Dash broke the silence as she sat up, “Aside from not getting to talk to Princess Celestia as much as you wanted to, is there anything else you regret about the way tonight went?”

Twilight thought about it. The only thing she had really wanted to do was talk to the princess, and maybe hang out with her friends at the Gala.

“I can’t think of anything.” She said. It didn’t go unnoticed to here when Rainbow Dash flinched, and her ears pressed flat against her head. “Why? Was there something you regret? Aside from not getting to spend time with the Wonderbolts?” She asked.

Rainbow Dash didn’t answer immediately. She stared up at the familiar view of Luna’s night, while Twilight waited for an answer. “Actually, there is.” Rainbow Dash said as she stood up off the ground. She began to pace back and forth in front of Twilight, and her wings began to ruffle and twitch with nervousness. “I actually had something I wanted to do tonight. I had thought it’d be the best night to do it, but then I got so caught up trying to impress the Wonderbolts, I kinda lost sight of it.”

“Oh.” Twilight said simply, watching as her friend continued her nervous pacing. “I’m sorry Rainbow. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Rainbow Dash froze, facing away from Twilight. The unicorn was afraid that she had done something wrong for a moment, before Rainbow Dash turned back to face her, with a small, hopeful smile on her face. “Actually, there is!”

The pegasus trotted over to where Twilight lay in the grass. Twilight sat up, wondering what was on her friend’s mind. Her eyes went wide as Rainbow stopped before her, and bowed. “Twilight Sparkle… may I have this dance?”

Twilight stared at Rainbow Dash, whose body was still quivering nervously. She felt a million different things at once. She wanted to run away, she felt like her stomach was doing backflips, she wanted to throw her forelegs around Rainbow Dash.

Instead, she simply said, “B-But, there’s no music.”

Rainbow stood back up and gave her a deadpan look. “Way to kill the mood there, Twilight.” She said, before smiling. “C’mon, just imagine that there’s music. It’ll be fun.” Rainbow Dash still had that half-hopeful, half-nervous look on her face.

Twilight felt her body shiver, which had nothing to do with the cool night air. She nodded, and the two mares reared up, wrapping their forelegs around each other and leaning against their partner for balance.

They started simply by swaying together. Rainbow Dash following some imaginary beat in her mind, with Twilight following her lead. They soon began moving. Small, hesitant steps in any direction. Neither one had of them had much experience with dancing. They didn’t do anything extravagant, mainly just swayed in a circle as they leaned against each other.

The two continued their dance, the bright light of the moon spilling down upon the hilltop, with the night sky as a backdrop. Soon, they both relaxed into the other’s embrace. They smiled at each other, and their dance lost is nervous, jerky movements. They were moving smoothly, as one, as they danced from what side of the hilltop to the next.

Neither could say exactly how long they danced for. Time passed without their notice, unable to intrude upon the world the two had created for themselves. Unfortunately, neither had much practice standing on their hind legs, and were still tired from the events of the evening. So, although they both wished the moment could have last forever, they eventually came to a stop, and rested back on all four hooves.

The smile on Rainbow Dash’s face was radiant. It made Twilight wonder if her own smile made her face glow like Rainbow’s was. The two stepped forward, and nuzzled against the others neck. They could feel the other’s hot breath on their fur, and each gave a little shiver from the sensation.

They sat down, as close to each other as they could possibly be. Rainbow Dash made sure of this by wrapping one of her wings around Twilight and pulling her close until their fur was rubbing against each other. Not that Twilight had any complaint, as she leaned her head against Rainbow Dash’s shoulder.

“So… what brought that on?” Twilight asked. She didn’t want to spoil the mood, but she could still feel that nervous squirming sensation, the clenching of her gut and the shivers her body made whenever Rainbow’s fur rubbed against her. She just had to know.

“I…” Rainbow began. She stopped, and opened and closed her mouth a couple times, trying to figure out how to say what she wanted to convey. “Look, I’m no good with the mushy stuff.” She said finally, “But I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I… really like you Twilight. You’re fun to hang around, and you’re like the smartest pony ever! And you… you get me okay? I mean, I never really thought about it before, but after all this time we’ve spent up here, I don’t think there’s anypony else in the entire world who knows me better.”

Twilight felt Rainbow’s wing twitch again. She could actually feel Rainbows pulse as her heart beat faster. “I’ve been feeling this way for a while now. I figured I’d ask you for a dance at the Gala, and maybe… you know, see if you were interested. But then all the stuff with the Wonderbolts happened, and then we left the Gala early…”

Twilight nodded, though her mind was almost overheating as she tried to process what Rainbow Dash had told her. Rainbow Dash had a crush… on her! It was unbelievable, inconceivable, it was…

Perfect.

In a moment of clarity, Twilight dispelled the anxiety attack she could feel start to build. Sure, this was big, but it also made sense to her. Like a book that expanded on a theory she already knew by heart. Because what Rainbow Dash had said, was also true for Twilight. She didn’t think even the princess knew her as well as Rainbow Dash did by now.

So Twilight didn’t freak out. She didn’t begin making a list of books about what to do in romantic situations that she’d need to study. She didn’t even consider writing the princess to ask for advice. Instead, she simply pulled her head away from Rainbow Dash’s shoulder, and gave her a peck on the cheek.

She was a bit startled, when Rainbow Dash’s wings flew into the air, missing the warmth they had provided.

Rainbow Dash’s face was a bright red, and she lift a hoof up to touch her cheek, staring at Twilight with wide eyes.

Twilight smiled at her. A small, demure smile. “I think, that I am interested.” She said simply, nuzzling against Rainbow Dash’s neck.

Rainbow’s body froze as Twilight’s words washed over her. Then, she exploded into action. She shot into the air and began spinning and looping around, almost squealing with excitement.

Twilight watched her in amusement. The nervous feeling in her gut had lessened, but her heart felt like it might burst. She’d never felt this way before. And she didn’t know if it would actually work out between Rainbow Dash and her. But she knew she was willing… no, that she wanted to try.

And once Rainbow Dash finally calmed down, the two cuddled next to each other, and once again enjoyed the peace and serenity they had found, on a little hilltop outside of Ponyville.

The End

…

Okay fine, have an epilogue

A small hilltop on the outskirts of Ponyville was bustling with activity. It seemed like the entire town had gathered on the hilltop, which was now decorated with white posts bedecked in ribbons of blue and lavender. Everypony was dressed in their nicest clothes. Even the lone griffon in attendance had agreed to wear something special for the occasion.

A small gazebo had been built at the top, with the assembled ponies gathered around. Beneath it, stood both the princesses of Equestria. Both Luna and Celestia smiled fondly at the ponies gathered, and even more so at the two ponies who stood before them.

Both Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash were dressed in the finest white dresses Rarity could make. The seamstress had actually bemoaned the fact that now whatever wedding dress she made for herself someday would pale in comparison.

Princess Celestia cleared her throat, which surprisingly was enough to get the gathered ponies, griffon, and dragon to settle down and be quiet. She waited a moment to make sure everypony was ready, before she began to speak.

“My little ponies. We are gathered here on this most wondrous of days, to bear witness to the joining of two hearts. The marriage of Twilight Sparkle, and Rainbow Dash.”

The two mares smiled lovingly at each other, hardly noticing anything around them, simply lost in the presence of each other.

When the two had decided to get married, they knew it was going to be a big step in their lives. It would change things, even if only slightly.

So they had both agreed, there was only one place they could really get married.

Las Pegasus!

Nah. Had you going there for a second huh?

No, the two knew there was only one place where they could truthfully being a life changing journey together.

A small hill near Ponyville.

Author's Note

Nightly Rendezvous drinking game! Down a shot every time you read the word hilltop, outskirt, or Ponyville!

But seriously, don't do that.

So this is what I'd finally decided to write for the 3.5 Twidash Competition. I'd honestly been trying to come up with a good story idea since the contest was announced. Originally I had thought of doing something based off the episode Look Before You Sleep, where Rarity and Applejack find out that Twilight has (surprise, surprise) never been on a date before, and try to hook her up with somepony.

Then I had thought of writing a story where Rarity had just finished her newest romance novel, After the Storm. A story about a studious weather pegasus and a unicorn who wished to break the ground speed record. She would begin to draw parallels between Twilight and Rainbow Dash, and begin trying to set them up to realize they're "true feelings" for each other.

But nothing really clicked the way I wanted it to. Then I had an idea. What if I think of the "storm" (for the contest prompt) as just the events of their lives. I mean, living in Ponyville seems to be fairly crazy. So what if, instead of an actual storm, the story was about Rainbow Dash and Twilight dealing with the crazy stuff that happens to them. By finding a place where the could simply relax, and unwind?

Thus, the Powerpuff Girls were born! Or maybe it was just this story. I get the two confused sometimes.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading through it. If there's any mistakes, I do apologize. Just point them out and I'll fix them (though I think that'll have to wait until after the contest is over).

Thanks for reading!