Rainbows in the Night Sky

Chapters

Disconnect
Rekindle
Uncertainty
Secrets
Mishaps
The Reasons Why
Before the Storm
The Reasons Why Not
Disowned
Social Norms
Family
Big Brother
Bump in the Road
A Father's Love
A Daughter’s Remorse
What the Future May Hold
Choices
Resolve
Small Things
At Dawn
Confession

Disconnect

Rainbows in the Night Sky

Chapter 2: Disconnect

Rainbow Dash slammed down into her bed, back first. She simply stared at her cloud ceiling for a while. The trip home had been a blur—actually, everything since Twilight told her she was pregnant with her foal had been a blur. It all happened so quickly, Rainbow Dash couldn’t have coped with it even if she tried. Everything was distant, like it was all so far away she couldn’t hope to catch up. It was all slipping through her hooves, no matter how desperately she tried to hold onto it. She held her hoof out, looking at it quizzically for a moment.

“Why do I feel like this?” she asked herself. “I’m Rainbow Dash, the coolest, most in control pony ever...So why can’t I get control over this?” Dash slid her hooves up behind her head. Her eyes glazed over as she gazed past the fluffy texture of her ceiling, silently. The soft buzz of silence filled the room, a sound that could only be heard when no one was around. She hated this sound, it was lonely.

The pegasus let out a frustrated sigh as she let her mind wander. Dash couldn’t help but feel like she was sinking. No matter how much she tried to swim up, she only fell further down. She didn’t know what to do, how to react, what to feel—so she lay there. It was all she could do just to keep from getting overwhelmed by it all. But try as she might, it wasn’t any use; she couldn’t stop from feeling like she was drowning. Her mind was abuzz with thoughts and concepts she never pictured herself thinking. Thoughts of foals, marriage, adulthood, it all came crashing down, suffocating her.

“Foals are something old ponies worry about...” she muttered, “I’m still young—still in my prime! There’s way too much to do! I can’t be stuck with a kid...” she added with another sigh. Rainbow Dash shuddered just thinking about having a foal. Images of hospitals, pain, and doctors filled her head. For her, kids were a hassle she did not want to deal with, at least in this stage of her life.

“Scoots is a big enough pain for me, I can’t have a kid...” That was the lie she told herself, but inside she knew she simply wasn’t ready. It wouldn’t be fair for her child; she was too immature, too reckless, too stubborn, too impatient to have a foal. “The exact opposite of Twilight,” she thought.

With that thought, an image of Twilight smiling hung in her mind. The unicorn’s smiling face as she explained something Rainbow Dash didn’t understand; her frown when Rainbow Dash did something stupid; her eyes when Rainbow Dash kissed her for the first time outside the library that night. Every possible expression Twilight ever made—Dash could see in her mind like a freshly snapped picture. Twilight scolding her; Twilight caring for her; Twilight being there by her side. She could feel her heart pounding inside her chest just imagining the librarian.

“It’s yours, Dash.” Twilight’s words from earlier echoed in her mind. Memories from their night together were resurfacing. She could see the dark bedroom, feel the soft sheets, and smell the sweet scent of her friend‘s sweat. Her heart fluttered just reminiscing over that wonderful night. She sighed once more, remembering that it was because of that night she was in this mess.

Just thinking about it, she realized how little sense it made. “How could I even be the dad?” she muttered to herself. When Twilight said it was her, she believed her. But how could she be sure that Twilight was sure, or that she wasn’t lying? Twilight might just be trying to rope Dash into playing dad for some kid she got knocked up with. Dash immediately pushed that thought from her mind. Twilight wasn’t that kind of pony, and Dash knew that without a shadow of a doubt.

Twilight had to be completely smashed to loosen up for one of her best friends. Dash laughed to herself as she remembered how drunk Twilight was. There wasn’t any way some stranger could smooth talk his way into Twilight’s bed in only three weeks. That also made the assumption that Twilight swung both ways. Thinking about it, Rainbow Dash realized Twilight really had never shown an interest in any stallion. And after the night she had spent with her, she found it hard to believe that Twilight would go for a stallion. Besides, she knew Twilight better than that. Twilight wouldn’t lie to Dash about something like this; if Twilight said she was the only one she had slept with, then Dash didn’t have a reason to doubt her.

This was all because Twilight used that spell. She wouldn’t be in this mess if Twilight hadn’t given her a dick in the first place. She flipped over and buried her face in her pillow. Silently, Dash cursed magic for being so weird. She almost cursed Twilight by association, but she stopped herself before the thought even finished forming in her head. But it was already too late; her heart sank immediately as if she had actually said it aloud. Just imagining Twilight struggling with this, and Dash placing blame only on her, even for a moment made her hate herself. This wasn’t Twilight’s fault; Dash had to share the blame. She could have told Twilight no, she could have left, she could have pulled out—there were too many things that she had control of for her to say Twilight was solely to blame. She slammed her hoof into her bed.

It wasn’t fair for her to say this was all Twilight’s fault. The image of her friend crying still hung fresh in her mind. Tears dripping down her cheeks, her strained face, her choked sobs—it hurt to remember it all. Her heart felt like it had been crushed inside her chest just thinking about Twilight crying like that. She hated it, and she hated herself for being the cause of Twilight’s pain. She pulled herself from her pillow, hitting the mattress once more. “Stupid,” she muttered to herself.

When Twilight confessed feelings for her, Rainbow Dash felt her heart soar. She could have done two sonic rainbooms back to back just hearing those words. But instead of accepting those words like she wanted to, she ran. She ran away leaving her friend—the pony she loved—hurting. She left her on the edge, unsure of what was to come. She left her crying. She left her to walk back to the library, alone, in pain, with a terrible burden that Rainbow Dash left her with. She failed Twilight.

Rainbow Dash sat up in her bed. Her eyes drifted to the window. “I’m an idiot...” she muttered to herself.

Twilight lay in her bed, staring at the wooden ceiling in her bedroom. The unicorn’s eyes idly drifted around, counting the rings in the wood. She was acutely aware that by keeping her mind working, it shouldn’t drift to more depressing matters. Yet, by the time she reached three-hundred, she was realizing the futility in her endeavor. Worrisome thoughts popped into her mind for brief moments in between numbers, seeping into those moments of mental silence.

Twilight honestly couldn’t tell how long she had been lying there. She knew it was night, and already the rain was falling down outside, but that was meaningless to her. The pitter-patter of raindrops tapping against the window turned to white noise—in fact, it wasn’t even registering as noise at all. Her eyes slowly fell upon the window. The pitch black abyss outside felt cold, but understanding. From when Rainbow Dash left till now felt like the longest single moment of her life. It could have been hours, days, or mere seconds since then. Twilight honestly didn’t know, but it didn’t matter. She had scared away Rainbow Dash—her foal’s father—the pony she loved.

Each passing instance of time dragged, but also flew by too fast to comprehend. Just lying there, she felt like a ghost, completely separate from her world. She was adrift on a sea of blackness, only able to see everything from afar. It was like she could only observe, unable to interact with what was around her. Everything was distant, or moving too fast, or maybe too far gone for her to catch it—whatever this sensation was, she didn’t like it. Loneliness couldn’t describe the depths forming in her heart. Slowly, a chilling ache pulsed with every beat of her heart. She was utterly alone.

Her eyes closed for a brief moment, and a lone blue feather fluttered down from the sky. Looking up, the sun was still barely visible through the clouds, the chill in the air, the wind against her face. She could still see the passing streets, the nameless ponies, the unending sea of houses as they walked. Then, without so much as a goodbye, she would leave in a rush. In a blur, she had taken to the sky. That lone blue feather would fall again, and the images and sensations would repeat. The still fresh image of Rainbow Dash flying away burned at her mind. The sound of the pegasus’s wings flapping still hung in the air, as if Twilight had just heard it.

“If only I hadn’t been so worked up...” Twilight muttered, pulling herself out from the insistent memory. The building water in her eyes peaked, forming small clear orbs; she didn’t care to wipe them away. All she knew was that she needed to talk to her—Twilight needed to know what Rainbow Dash wanted. Did she want to hide this? Did she want to give it up for adoption? Or did she want to take more drastic measures? Twilight’s body began to shake as the questions continued to pour in. Staring at the trailing drops of water on her window, the liquid hanging in her eyes finally fell.

“Twilight?” a soft voice called from the foot of her bed.

Twilight didn’t need to look, she already knew who it was. “Spike, can you do me a favor?” she asked with a trembling voice.

He didn‘t respond right away. He waited for a moment to build his courage. “You want me to leave you alone, don’t you...” he said, trailing off.

“No, I think I just need a hug right now...” Twilight looked over her shoulder with puffy, tear-filled eyes. The little dragon’s eyes went wide at the site of his caregiver crying. He hesitated, too surprised to respond for a moment before he finally gave Twilight a soft nod. Slowly, he climbed into bed with her. As he climbed onto her bed, Twilight rolled to face him. She pulled Spike in, wrapping her forelegs around him. He in turn, wrapped his arms around Twilight, squeezing her tightly. Twilight let out a sharp sob, and began to cry.

“I don’t know what to do, Spike,” she said in between sobs. “I’m going to have a foal, and Rainbow Dash is the dad, but she needed time to think, and...”

“J-just calm down, Twilight. I-I’m sure Rainbow Dash’ll—Wait, You’re having a foal? And Rainbow Dash is the dad? B-but how?”

“It’s complicated...don’t worry about that right now...” Twilight said, wiping her eyes. She let out a small sniffle. “What am I going to do, Spike?”

Spike’s thought process came to a dead stop. He didn’t know the first thing about relationships, foals, or anything Twilight was going through. He honestly didn’t know what advice to offer her. He looked up at Twilight. Her eyes were squeezed closed with tears streaming out from them, and she was sobbing uncontrollably. Just seeing her like that made his heart ache.

“I-I really don’t know, Twilight. M-maybe you could ask one of your friends for advice?” he offered, still holding onto her tightly.

“I can’t, Spike...You and Rainbow Dash are the only ones who can know for now...” Twilight muttered, wiping her eyes again. Twilight realized she made a mistake when she saw him so confused and conflicted. With a sigh, she hugged him tighter. “I really shouldn’t have put this all on you, you are still a baby dragon after all. This is probably too mature for you...”

“I’m mature,” Spike said in protest.

“This is grown-up stuff, Spike. You don‘t understand about these kind of things yet.” Twilight gave him a soft smile as she stroked his head in a loving manner.

“Well, maybe you just need to give Rainbow Dash some time. She isn’t the type of pony who would just abandon you.”

Twilight pondered that thought for a moment before a small smile made its way on her face. “You’re right…She is the Element of Loyalty after all.” Twilight nuzzled Spike’s cheek.

“And I might not know too much about foals, but I know two ponies have to love each other to make one.” Spike smiled at Twilight.

“Usually,” she said. Her eyes weighed heavy for a moment as she looked off to the side. She stared off in the distance, lost in her thoughts for a moment.

“And I know you like Rainbow Dash a lot too...”

Twilight sat silent for a moment before she finally spoke. “Spike, I think I would like to be alone after all.”

Spike let out a small sigh. He pulled away from his caregiver, sliding down the sheets as he did so. Twilight may have had a smile on her face, but clearly she wasn’t feeling any better. He could see small pools of liquid holding at the base of her eyes. Her lip was quivering slightly as she held her smile. She was on the verge of crying again, and Spike knew it. For a moment, he thought he had actually managed to cheer her up.

Quietly, Spike nodded to her. With another sigh, he climbed down off the bed. “I think I’ll sleep downstairs tonight, Twilight,” Spike added, grabbing his basket-bed as he spoke.

“Thanks, Spike,” Twilight said softly. He didn’t acknowledge her, but somehow, she knew he heard her.

Hours had passed, and Spike had not disturbed Twilight since he went downstairs. The library had long since been dark, telling Twilight that Spike had gone to bed for the night. An occasional flash of lightning was the only source of light for the room, offering momentary glimpses of the unicorn’s book-filled bedroom.

Twilight still lay on her bed, continuing to stare at the darkness outside her window. The once tempest winds and torrential rains had long since died off to a quiet shower, gently tapping against the tree and windows. While the rain may have calmed, her heart had not. Thoughts of Rainbow Dash still filled her mind. The fear of an unfavorable reply stayed close to her thoughts. She could picture Dash shaking her head, and mouthing the words. Each time that image came forth, Twilight’s heart seized.

“What am I going to do if she rejects me?” she asked herself. Just thinking about trying to raise a foal on her own made her heart seize again. She placed her hoof on her stomach for a moment. “What will everypony say when they find out?” she asked herself softly. “They’ll probably hate me...” Another sharp pain shot from her chest, making her limbs go stiff.

Suddenly Twilight shook her head, and sat up in her bed. She stared across the dark bedroom. “I have too much to worry about. I can’t think about the more distant future, I need to limit it to one day at a time.” She pressed her hoof to her temple and let out a sigh. Softly, she ground into the soft spot, massaging away her pain.

“If only I hadn’t yelled at her, maybe things wouldn’t be like this.” Twilight could still hear herself yelling that she was pregnant in the town square. The eyes of every pony around her still burned into her mind. The look of complete shock in Dash’s face stayed in her mind for a moment. The hushed murmurs still echoed in her mind, inaudible, but Twilight’s imagination still filled in the blanks.

“At least everypony doesn’t know it’s hers...” Twilight said, trying to reassure herself. She gave a weak smile to the pitch-black room, hoping if she did, it would make her feel better. She fell back onto the bed, closing her eyes as she did so. The soft mattress welcomed her back, letting her sink into its surface easily.

“She did say she had feelings for me too...” Her heart loosened in her chest; no longer did it feel like it was being strangled. For a brief moment, Twilight dared to hope for the best, but that hope was immediately struck down when she imagined Rainbow Dash flying away once more. That fearful look in the pegasus’s eyes before they parted ways sent distress surging through the unicorn’s brain. Just thinking about it made tears come to her eyes again.

But before Twilight could begin to cry, she was interrupted by a soft tapping at her window. It was louder than the rain and had an actual rhythm, so the soft rapping wasn’t the weather playing tricks on her. Her ears perked up to make sure she simply wasn’t hearing things, and again she heard a soft knock on the glass. Twilight wiped the tears from her eyes before narrowing them at the darkness to form a clear picture. It didn‘t seem to help; all she could see was pitch black of night.

Reluctantly, she climbed out from her mattress’s soft embrace. The unicorn’s horn lit up, illuminating her room in a soft purple glow. She looked down to see the floor littered with small stacks of books, a veritable obstacle course. Twilight slowly crept across the floor. Each step she made carefully so she wouldn’t trip and wake Spike downstairs. As she approached the window, she thought her mind might have been playing tricks on her after all. There was no one outside her window. All she could see was the outline of houses below.

Twilight’s horn dimmed a bit as she turned around. With a small, dejected sigh, she started tiphoofing back to bed. She felt her heart deflate; for a brief moment she had hoped it was Rainbow Dash at her window. But just as she dismissed the tapping as a trick of her mind, she heard it again. The sudden knock against the glass, this time louder than it was before, made her jump. With a misplaced step, she slipped on a book, kicking it across the room, and toppling other piles it collided with. Twilight stumbled backwards, falling back first into her bedroom wall with a loud thud.

She shook her head a bit before looking towards the steps leading downstairs. She waited for a light to click on, and a sleepy voice to call up to her. But after a few moments, there was no light, or small voice. Twilight breathed a small sigh of relief. Her vision suddenly snapped back at the window. Twilight glared at it, though her anger was more directed at who, or whatever was outside causing the noise. With a hushed groan, the edges lit up with Twilight’s magic.

Twilight pried the window open, and as soon as she did, a shadowy figure darted in from the rainstorm. Instinctively, the glow of Twilight’s magic intensified as she readied a spell. However, once she saw a dripping blue pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane, her horn dimmed.

“R-Rainbow Dash?” she exclaimed. Suddenly she pressed her hooves to her mouth.

“Took you long enough to let me in! I thought I was going to freeze to death out there!” The pegasus flicked her mane to the side, sending water flying across the room.

Rainbow Dash was soaked from head to tail. Water slid down her feathers, pooling into droplets on the tips of her wings. Twilight watched as drops fell to the floor. The sight of the drenched pegasus standing in her bedroom made her laugh a bit to herself. Dash was standing with her legs apart, her wings held out, her head drooped, all so the rain would drip off her. But just as she was about to shake the excess water off of her, a towel dropped onto Dash’s head.

She looked out from under the towel to see Twilight smiling at her. Suddenly the towel started rubbing her down, guided by the unicorn’s magic.

“What are you doing here?” Twilight finally asked after she finished drying her friend off as best as she could.

Rainbow Dash shook her head violently a few times. When she stopped, she looked at Twilight with a cocky grin. Her mane was now perfectly styled—at least by Rainbow Dash’s standards. “I...uh...needed to talk to you...” she said, scratching the back of her head nervously.

“Look, I-I don’t know what I was thinking today. I-I wasn’t expecting anything from you, so you don’t have to help raise it, or pay foal support or anything like—” Twilight was met with a hoof in her mouth.

“Twi, let me say something before you burst into an apology. I came to say that we need to talk about this more. I mean, earlier today you surprised me with the whole ‘I’m pregnant’ thing, so we really couldn’t talk things out.” She pulled her hoof from Twilight’s mouth. “Now that I’ve had a bit to let the idea settle, we can actually talk about it, sound good?”

“Y-yeah...”

“Twilight?” A small voice came from downstairs. Twilight looked to the stairs before she motioned for Rainbow Dash to stay quiet. All the noise had managed to rouse her young assistant.

“Y-yeah, Spike?” she asked.

“Are you still up?” he asked. His voice was growing louder, he was actually coming up stairs.

“Y-yeah, I’m going to bed now, Spike. I-I’ll see you in the morning.” Spike seeing the pony she had been crying about all day up here with her would be too much to explain. Not to mention the awkward questions the little dragon would probably have for the two of them. This wasn’t something she wanted to deal with right now, especially with far more pressing matters at hoof.

The small footsteps coming up the stairs came to a halt. After a small pause they started heading back down stairs. “Alright, see you in the morning...and I hope you feel better too...”

Twilight breathed a small sigh of relief. “I’ll try, Spike.” Twilight smiled to herself.

“So I’m guessing we can’t talk here?” Dash asked, keeping her voice down.

“Where else would we go?” Twilight asked.

“Umm, if you don’t mind using that cloud walking spell, we could go to my house.” Dash shrugged her shoulders a bit at the offer.

Author's Note

If you have not read the previous chapters after 1/18/2014, there have been extensive rewrites. I would recommend rereading.

Rekindle

Rainbows in the Night Sky

Chapter 3: Rekindle

Twilight stood there with an unamused look, water dripping off her body. After a moment of brooding, she shook her head violently. Most of the water trapped in her soaked mane came loose as she shook her head. A barrage of water droplets flew through the air, landing on Rainbow Dash and the cloud floor. Twilight let out a low grumble when she took notice of Rainbow Dash trying not to laugh. “Is this your idea of payback?”

“You knew it was raining outside when you decided to come,” Dash said playfully.

“I did, but that really wasn’t at the top of my list of things to worry about…” Twilight replied. “It also didn’t help that you snatched me up off the ground after I cast the spell, and brought me up here without any kind of warning.” She stood there, shaking slightly from the chill of the night air against her soaked fur.

“You’re shivering…” Rainbow Dash remarked.

Before Twilight could even respond, the pegasus had vanished inside her house, leaving Twilight alone on the balcony. She took a look around the fluffy terrace, finding it odd. The balcony was large, about as big as Twilight’s room in fact. The walls were sculpted to look like old architecture from the pre-classical era, matching pillars from that time perfectly. Except the building material was cloud instead of stone like she had seen.

Now that Twilight took a look at Rainbow Dash’s house, the whole theme seemed to be the old building style she had seen in books. Thinking back, even Cloudsdale kept with this theme. Big archways, sculpted pillars, and vaulted ceilings persisted through the design of the house. Everything about it just felt so grand.

Inside the doorway she disappeared through was Dash’s bedroom—clearly marked by the Wonderbolts posters she had on the walls. It was almost sad how much they completely clashed with the classical architecture her cloud home was modeled after. But Twilight hadn’t expected anything less from her friend’s bedroom. She smiled a bit to herself.

“I think this is the first time you’ve been up here,” the pegasus said, reappearing through the doorway. Over her back she had a towel, and one draped over her head. She slid the one on her back off, and hoofed it to Twilight.

“I think it is too. Little hard to stop by for a visit when you need a spell and a balloon to get here.” Twilight chuckled a bit. She took the towel in her magic, and dried her dripping mane. The soft fabric felt good against her fur. It felt warm and welcoming to her as it freed her from her chilly, wet torment.

“So what do you think?” she asked with a tilt of her head.

“I’ve seen the outside before.” Twilight laughed a bit.

“I’m not talking about my house. Turn around.” Rainbow Dash Walked up to Twilight and guided the unicorn so she would turn to face out to Ponyville.

The view from the veranda quite literally took her breath away. Twilight’s eyes went wide as she walked cautiously to the railing. She stepped carefully, almost scared that what she was seeing would disappear if she approached too quickly. In an instant the worries of her mind fell by the wayside. She timidly placed her hoof on the cloud banister, truly able to grasp the beauty she was seeing now that it filled her view.

This was the first time Twilight had seen above the rain clouds before. It was almost magical how the night sky hung delicately above the cloud line. It was so serene and beautiful—ghost-like when compared to the ground below. The pale glow of the full moon gave a sense of peace as it cast its silvery light onto the tops of each cloud. Stars twinkled in the sky—though a sight she was accustomed to—she now felt so close to them, like she was equal to their impossible height.

Twilight’s eyes fell downward. Under the storm clouds, the rain was falling onto a darkened Ponyville. It was almost like watching two worlds at once. Two worlds unable to touch one another, separated by a thin veil of clouds. Solemn darkness, filled with turbulent storms, and above, serene peace, filled with calming, gentle light.

Dash took a few steps towards Twilight, a confident smile resting on her face. She placed a hoof over her friend, pulling her in close. “I thought you’d like this. Kinda hit me when we got up here, and I was hoping me getting some towels wouldn’t ruin it for you.”

“Oh my goodness,” Twilight said only a little louder than a whisper. “Dash, do you see this every night it rains?” Twilight asked turning her head, but still keeping her eyes focused on Ponyville.

“Pretty much.”

“It’s beautiful…” Twilight remarked.

“Why don’t we sit down out here so we can watch it then?” Rainbow suggested, rubbing the towel furiously against her mane. When she took the towel off her head, she shook back and forth a few times. After a few tosses of her mane, it was resting on her head in the same rough way it usually looked.

“We’re supposed to be talking, not just sitting here enjoying the sights.” Twilight sighed. A sudden rush of all the worries that had slipped her mind came rushing back. “And we have a lot to talk about too…” Twilight muttered.

“Yeah…” Rainbow Dash looked to the floor. The two stood silent for a moment, neither knowing where to start. Twilight stared off into the distance, looking past the beauty before her. Seconds turned to minutes without a single word said between them.

Finally, Twilight swallowed down the lump hanging in her throat, and opened her mouth to speak. “I should probably start by apologizing.” Twilight paused for a short breath. “I’m sorry, Rainbow Da—”

“Stop…Twilight, you don’t need to say you’re sorry. This is as much my fault as it is yours,” the pegasus interrupted. She let out a sigh, turning away from her friend’s gaze. She stared out at the distant ground for a moment. Her wings fidgeted as she carefully chose her words. “You might’ve cast the spell, but I could’ve done a lot of things to stop this. I could’ve pulled out, I could’ve used a condom or something, I don’t know…It’s not fair to say this was all on you though…”

Twilight wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow Dash pulling her in for a hug. “I was so worried you would hate me,” she said trying to hold back her tears.

“I don’t hate you, Twi. I told you that earlier today.” Rainbow Dash tentatively placed a foreleg around Twilight, hugging her back. Both of their fur still felt a little damp to the touch, but it still felt nice. Their body heat warmed one another from the cold rain and night air they had just run through, what seemed like only a few minutes ago.

“I was still scared you would, though…” Twilight pulled away. her cheeks flushed a little red as she tried to cover a small sniffle. “I was scared that maybe while you were thinking, you came to the conclusion that I ruined your life…”

“No, it’s just…I couldn’t even begin to grasp what you were telling me earlier today. I mean, I’m a mare…You coming up and telling me I got you pregnant just…didn’t register it was so unexpected. I had to go through and let the idea sink in a bit before we really started talking about it.” Rainbow Dash let out a small chuckle. “Can’t say it’s sunk in anymore than earlier today though…”

“It is a lot to take in. We’re going to have a filly together after all…” Twilight sounded distant. Her eyes glazed over as she sunk into her depressing thoughts once more.

“How do you know we’re going to have a filly? You got a spell that can tell if it’s a filly or colt?” Dash asked, pulling Twilight back to the conversation.

“No.” She shook her head, dismissing the notion as ridiculous. “Even magic can’t tell this early. But there wasn’t a stallion involved, so it will be a filly. That’s how this spell works.” Twilight frowned a bit.

“Kind of hard to imagine me as a mom…or a…dad?”

“Whichever you prefer. You sired her, so I suppose that would technically make you the dad, but since you’re a female, a case could be made for you being her mother as well.” Twilight explained, though it seemed to go over the pegasus’s head. She stepped next to Dash and lied down on the ground, motioning for her to join her.

“Dad I guess will do…” she said lying down next to her friend.

The two lay silent for a moment. Rainbow Dash found herself staring at the night sky, while Twilight looked to the puffy floor. Her hoof tapped silently against the soft material as she contemplated. “You know…there are other options…” Twilight said, interrupting the silence.

“What do you mean? Like adoption?” The remark pulled Dash’s attention from her stargazing.

“There’s that, but there are also more drastic measures…” Twilight refused to look up from the floor.

“You mean like…an abortion?”

Twilight silently nodded. Her eyes weighed heavy just thinking about it.

Rainbow Dash found herself looking to the stars again. Silence filled the air between the two of them once more. Twilight sat quietly, waiting for her friend to answer. She knew that this was the most drastic measure possible—an option she, herself didn‘t want to resort to. But if Rainbow Dash wanted it, she wouldn’t disagree. This wasn‘t a decision she could or would make alone. She knew from the start that whatever Rainbow Dash wanted to do, she would go with. This was how she would make it up to her friend for her carelessness.

Rainbow Dash finally looked back to Twilight. “No…I don’t think I’m okay with that…” she said softly. Her voice held a heavy weight inside it.

“I was hoping you would say that…” Twilight sighed a bit in relief.

“It just doesn’t sit right with me…”

“What are we going to do then?” Twilight asked. Her head weakly looked back to Dash. Tears started to build in her eyes. Uncertainty, fear, disappointment in herself all boiled up inside her, ready to burst.

“We could give it a shot…” Dash suggested.

“R-raise a foal? The two of us?”

“We got time, don’t we? I mean we should at least try to make this work.”

Twilight felt Rainbow Dash brush up against her. Her body tensed instinctively for a moment, not expecting the subtle touch of another pony. She relaxed after a moment, even leaning slightly into her friend. Her body was warm, and was a welcomed sensation compared to the cold air. “I don’t know…”

“Don’t tell me you lied when you said you liked me earlier.” A small frown crept across Dash’s face.

Twilight shook her head quickly. “No, I-I do like you…but…I’m scared…if this doesn’t work out…I don’t want to lose you as a friend.” Twilight’s voice became soft as she spoke.

“Twi, I think because we’re good friends, we have a shot at making this work.” Rainbow Dash leaned into Twilight, staring deep into her dark purple eyes. “Besides, you’re mature enough to raise a foal, and…I’ll be there too…” Dash cracked a smile.

“Please, I have enough to worry about without the thought of you raising a foal.” Twilight laughed a bit. She was joined by Rainbow Dash laughing as well.

“It’s a lot to worry about…but I think we can do it,” Rainbow Dash said after their laughter died down.

The two looked into one another’s eyes. Twilight’s cheeks slowly turned red when she realized how close they were. Their muzzles were only a few inches apart. Her friend’s dark rosy eyes pulled her in though, closing the gap between them. The pegasus’s eyes drifted closed as Twilight came closer, her lips parting slightly for the impending kiss. But just as they were about to meet, Twilight turned her head away from her friend.

“W-we really shouldn’t be doing this…” she muttered, trying to hide her flustered state.

“Why not?” Rainbow Dash protested.

“B-because! I…I’m…”

“Because you’re pregnant? It’s mine, Twilight, so that’s a stupid reason for us not to kiss. We’ve done more than this already.” She sighed while shaking her head.

“This isn’t right…I feel like I’m taking advantage of you!” Twilight protested.

“How?”

“Because…I feel like this is all a guilt trip on my part. I love you, Rainbow Dash, I have for a while now, but I didn’t want us to be together just because I’m pregnant!”

“Twilight, I don’t just want to be with you because you’re pregnant. I want to be with you because I like you too!” The athlete’s cheeks flared red. “I have for a while…Ever since I first met you. I tried to play it cool, but I screwed that up. Then with the whole Nightmare Moon thing, I was able to be your friend. After getting to know you, I realized you were smart, you seemed to always have an answer for my problems, and just a cool pony…a little weird, but cool in your own way. You liked to watch me do my tricks, and I liked to hang out with you. I was happy, but I always wanted to tell you that I like you. And maybe…we could be a bit more than just friends.”

Twilight lay there silent for a minute, not really sure what to say. The same red on Dash’s cheeks was on Twilight’s as well. “You really think I’m cool?” she asked quietly.

“Yeah. A bit of a nerd, but a cool nerd.” The pegasus gave her a confident smile.

“Thanks,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes. She took a deep breath before she began to speak again. “When I said I liked watching you perform, I told you I liked to because it reminded me of The Wonderbolts shows back in Canterlot. That wasn’t exactly the truth…I actually liked watching you. The way you flew through the air—you always made everything look so easy.” Twilight smiled at Dash.

“I only make it look easy because you’re watching me.” The two looked at one another for a while in silence. Twilight’s eyes held a meek happiness, while Rainbow Dash’s held a more seductive smugness. A small crackle of thunder off in the distance felt like the crackle of a flame inside them, sparking something they had not felt in weeks.

“Dash?” Twilight asked timidly.

“Yeah?”

“Would you…be my marefriend?” Twilight averted her eyes as the word “marefriend” left her lips, but quickly shot her gaze back to meet her friend’s gaze.

The pegasus didn’t reply. She only slowly leaned into Twilight, placing her lips on the unicorn’s. She kissed her innocently, not parting her lips as they met. She guided Twilight’s muzzle downward with her own, until their kiss broke. Gently, she pressed her forehead to Twilight’s, holding her eyes close as a smile rested on her face. “Yes.”

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “I can’t believe this is happening,” she said with a nervous chuckle. “It’s almost like a dream.”

“Do you want me to give you a nip so you know it isn’t?” Dash asked playfully.

“No, knowing my luck, it probably is, and I’d rather not wake up,” Twilight said with a small yawn.

Rainbow Dash didn’t respond. She only leaned into her new marefriend’s side, giving the slightly shaking unicorn some warmth. Her wing extended out, covering Twilight of them like a feathery blanket. Just as she was about to rest her head against her mare’s, she found Twilight resting her head on her neck in less than a second. Rainbow Dash gave a small, content smile as she looked out at the storm still hovering above Ponyville. The rain was softer now, thunder sounding less often, all telltale signs the storm was coming to an end.

“You’ve been worrying about this, haven’t you,” she said to the mare resting against her body. She felt a small nod against her fur.

“Longer than you know…” Twilight muttered softly, her voice hung heavy with fatigue.

“Well, maybe you could use a bit of stress relief.” Without any warning, she slid away from Twilight. The poor unicorn didn’t have a chance to react, and she quickly found herself tumbling onto her side. She looked up to see the outline of a certain pegasus looming over her with a confident smile.

“What did you have in mind?” she asked, almost fearful of the answer.

“A little something to take your mind off things. Listen, Twi…about that night…” Rainbow Dash placed her hoof on Twilight’s chest.

Twilight rolled onto her back, as Dash idly traced circles with her hoof in her fur. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately…”

Her eyes fell down to her hoof as she played with Twilight’s fur. “Good, because I was hoping to do something like that tonight.” When her eyes shot back to Twilight’s, she rolled her tongue across her lips slowly.

Twilight let out a little gulp of anticipation. She wasn’t sure how having a serious discussion about their future turned into something like this, but she wasn’t exactly opposed to the idea. What memories she had of that night had been fresh in her mind for the past week. Images of Rainbow Dash sweating as she loomed above her—much like she was now—had been plaguing her since that wonderful night. Even as she brooded over her recent mistakes those few memories she managed to keep in her drunken haze had never been far from her thoughts.

The silvery light of the full moon outlined the pegasus perfectly. The stars stood out, twinkling against the night as her backdrop. They were fully exposed to the elements, and to any pegasus pony who would happen to fly up this high, but it was dead quiet. This wasn’t just any balcony, it was a soft, pillowy veranda high above the countryside of Ponyville. Out from under the blanket of storm clouds, it was a beautiful evening. The sky was positively stunning, the awe-inspiring juxtaposed cityscape sat in front of them, and it was a wonderfully serene night. It could only be described as romantic, now that Twilight had enough mental clarity to see it.

Weakly, she nodded to Dash. The pegasus’s eyes drifted half closed in a playful way as she lowered her muzzle to Twilight’s. The twos’ lips met, and immediately set a fire inside the unicorn. Her heart, having been weighed down with worry for so long, suddenly felt lighter than air. For the moment, she was back in her bedroom on that fateful night, indulging in her friend once more.

Rainbow Dash pressed her body to Twilight’s, siding her foreleg behind the unicorn’s back. She pulled her in, forcing their lips together even more. Both ponies lips parted, allowing one another’s tongue to invade their mouth. A familiar dance occurred as Twilight’s and Rainbow Dash’s tongues both played with one another. Echoes of the previous night they spent together ran through their heads as they kissed.

Twilight found her hooves around Rainbow Dash. She pulled Dash in as close as she could, stroking her untamed mane as she squeezed her tight. Feeling the pegasus in her forelegs confirmed it—this wasn’t a dream, and she certainly wasn’t going to forget this in a drunken haze. Twilight would finally have Rainbow Dash as she wanted her. Her hoof carelessly bumped the base of Rainbow Dash’s wing, making the pegasus shiver for a moment.

“Did that hurt?” she asked with concern. She felt Dash shake her head.

“No, they’re a little sore from working all day. I had to clear the sky yesterday, and today we had to move in some rain clouds, so I had a bit of a workout with them.” Dash buried her muzzle into Twilight’s neck.

“Let me make it better then,” Twilight replied with a predatory smile. Her horn lit up, illuminating the two of them in a soft purple glow. Her magic settled around Rainbow Dash’s wings, causing them to twitch slightly until they grew accustomed to the touch.

“What are you doing?” Dash asked, looking up from Twilight’s neck, though her muzzle was still pressed firmly against the librarian’s fur. She kissed her mare’s lavender fur fervently, as if she would never get the chance again. A warm smell clung to her fur, unconcealed by perfume or soap—Twilight’s scent. Her lover’s natural smell filled her lungs, making her heart feel as though it was floating for a brief moment.

“Just helping you out a bit.” Twilight’s gentle tone rang softly in her ear, causing it to twitch as her breath brushed against her fur.

Suddenly, Dash’s wings snapped stiff outward as a wonderful relaxing pulse pushed down on her sore muscles. Slowly, as Twilight‘s magic worked, her wings fell limp from the magical massage. All the stress built into her muscles was wonderfully kneaded away. Her body followed suit, and soon she was reduced to putty in Twilight’s hooves. She couldn’t stop herself from shuddering as any soreness she felt receded—melting away into utter bliss.

“Twi, you might be my new go-to pony for a massage…” Rainbow Dash said contently.

“So I take it you’re feeling better?” Twilight asked with a small giggle in her voice.

“Much.” She slid up and placed her lips on Twilight’s. As her tongue found its way into Twilight’s mouth, her hoof glided down her lover’s side, until it was on the unicorn’s cutie mark. Gently, she brushed her hoof along Twilight’s fur, blindly tracing a circle on her haunch. Her mare let out a soft whimper when Dash started pressing down into her skin, rubbing in circles around the main star in Twilight’s cutie mark.

Twilight could feel her hind legs getting weak. She let out a soft groan, and the purple light of her magic faded. “Rainbow Dash…” she said, pulling away from Dash’s kiss. A small line of spittle connected the two.

“Yeah?”

“I…can’t wait anymore. I want you…” Twilight released her tight hold on the pegasus, her forelegs falling limp to the ground as she let go.

Dash didn’t reply. She only smiled down at Twilight, giving her a confident smile as she turned her body. She buried her head between Twilight’s hind legs, and placing her own hind legs over Twilight’s head, giving the unicorn full view of her marehood. A few lines of lubricant could be seen on her dark, exposed flesh, shimmering from the light of the moon overhead.

A vague sense of familiarity came to Twilight’s mind as she stared at the glistening slit before her. Memories from her hazy night she had before with the pegasus came flooding back. The thick scent of Rainbow Dash’s arousal smelled so familiar, echoing in her mind that she had done this before, no matter how much it felt like the first time. She brought her mouth to her lover’s petals, and as her tongue probed the pegasus’s folds, the taste the juices left lingering on her tongue, too, felt nostalgic.

Her heart raced from her dream-like memories now coming to life once more. All these distant images and sensations she barely remembered were filled in with the present, revitalizing her memories of that night. She could taste her lover once more, smell her thick, wonderful scent, feel her warm body against her. Those vague memories she had were finding themselves grounded in reality, not just a simple hallucination she imagined. A sudden jolt ran through her as Rainbow Dash licked her clit.

Lust took over Twilight, and conscious thought was pushed aside for carnal need. Her tongue plunged into Rainbow Dash’s pussy, lapping up her juices fervently. Her walls squeezed Twilight’s tongue as the unicorn invaded her folds. She licked from Dash‘s swollen clit, up the pegasus’s slit, before starting again at her sensitive nub.

“Not bad. You’re a lot better at this when you’re sober,” Dash said. Her hind legs shook slightly as Twilight licked her. She quickly dove back into Twilight’s marehood. Her mouth wrapped around Twilight’s stiff nub, sucking on it slightly. She ran the sensitive flesh over her teeth, before nibbling at it carefully.

Twilight gasped from a sharp jolt of pleasure shooting through her body. Her lover’s suckling intensified almost to the point it was painful. But before she could open her mouth to protest, an intense wave of ecstasy washed over her, forcing a moan to slip past her lips instead. Rainbow Dash was licking her drooling sex like she would never get the chance again. Dash’s mouth was replaced by her hoof, lovingly stroking Twilight’s clit.

“If you keep that up, you’re going to make me cum,” Twilight said with a hint of anger in her voice. She refused to let herself finish before Dash; she desperately wanted to see her marefriend writhe in orgasmic bliss first. Her horn sparked to life in protest, preparing a spell that would quickly drive her lover to climax. The purple magical aura snaked away from Twilight’s horn, forming a long, thick appendage. Her magic invaded Rainbow Dash’s loins, like a snake working its way inside her. In an instant, the pegasus’s entire body went stiff—her wings snapping out straight before folding back against her body.

“W-what the hay did you do?” she asked with a shaky voice.

“Just making you catch up a bit.” Twilight snickered to herself. She placed her lips around her lover’s swollen nub, licking it the gentle, but attentive care it deserved.

Dash’s body stiffened again from the onslaught to her senses. She felt a warmth, hotter than even a stallion‘s member, fill her. The magic pulsed with what felt like electricity surging through her body. Every nerve ending went crazy as Twilight’s magic filled her marehood.

In an instant, everything fell into a lust-filled haze. Her body didn’t want to respond, and try as she might, she could only lie there, at the mercy of Twilight. This was the second time she had been with the unicorn, and the second time her mind had been blown by how crazy sex had gotten. Deep inside her pussy, warm, pulsing, vibrations filled her, sending ripples of mind-numbing pleasure through her entire being. Lazily she looked down at Twilight’s quivering sex. She had a vague feeling that should be giving it her attention. Suddenly, Twilight bucked her hips, pulling Dash back to reality. She shook her head to snap herself back to her senses.

With a renewed vigor, she placed her lips around Twilight’s clit once more. Her hoof carefully, but forcefully stroked her lover’s slit from top to bottom. A sudden deep, almost pained groan came from the mare under her, yet Twilight’s juices simply didn’t stop flowing. The thick smell of sex filled the air around them, as both ponies started to sweat. Rainbow Dash could feel her body teetering on the edge, but she refused to let her body cum—Twilight wasn’t there yet, and she knew that.

“A-almost…” Twilight whimpered as if she read Dash’s mind.

The pegasus suckled harder at Twilight’s nub, licking it as she held it in her mouth. Her hoof, already covered in Twilight’s juices, seemed like a blur as it pleasured the unicorn. Rainbow Dash whimpered herself, her own body crying to her, begging for release. Finally, Twilight’s hips bucked, her hind legs twitching as well. This was it.

“I-I’m cumming!” Twilight cried out. A purple glow filled the balcony as the unicorn’s horn glowed vibrantly. Both mares’ bodies tensed in an instant as a flood of mind-numbing bliss filled them. As Twilight continued to cry out, and the magic from her horn growing brighter, Rainbow Dash only twitched slightly. The pegasus mare simply whimpered quietly to herself as the intense pleasure washed over her.

Slowly, as their sensations died down, Twilight’s magic glow became softer, until it finally died down all together. Rainbow Dash could feel the unicorn panting under her. She smiled contently, slowly turning herself around to face Twilight again. She held her dripping hoof up for the librarian to see.

“This is all from you,” she said teasingly.

“S-sorry.”

“Instead of saying you’re sorry—” She placed the her soaked hoof to Twilight’s muzzle. “—why don’t you clean me off instead.”

Twilight’s eyes grew wide for a moment. She looked to Rainbow Dash, and then back to the dripping hoof in front of her. Slowly, her tongue slid out of her mouth, and reluctantly, she licked her lover’s hoof. Her own flavor filled her mouth, making her blush from the demeaning act.

Twilight shot her an angry look, after she finished licking her juices off the pegasus’s hoof. “You’re awful for making me do that…”

“I didn’t think you’d actually do it.” Dash leaned down, pressing her lips to Twilight. Twilight returned the kiss. Her hard expression softened as soon as she felt Dash’s lips against hers.

As the two broke away from one another, their eyes held a content fatigue. Twilight glanced to the side, and without so much as a word, Rainbow Dash nodded. She slid off Twilight’s body, lying next to her. Twilight flipped herself over, and pressed herself against Rainbow Dash. Her head rested against the pegasus as her eyes drifted closed.

“You know, I’m happy,” Rainbow Dash remarked.

“I am too,” Twilight replied.

“I seriously can’t believe we’re here…going out. After what happened the morning after our little drunk night together, I never thought we’d be going out.”

“What? When you left without saying a word?” Twilight sat up, immediately looking to Rainbow Dash.

“Well, after what happened, I kind of thought that I should just leave…”

“I was just a bit surprised, waking up next to you. I mean, I was happy after I calmed down, but by then you were gone…”

“I only left because you bolted out of the bed and ran to the bathroom. I went to check on you, and heard you mumbling to yourself. So, I just thought it was best for me to go…”

“I was hung over, Rainbow Dash…and surprised, did I mention that? The mumbling was just me just trying to get things straight in my head. I was happy to see you there, but I was just a little embarrassed. I didn’t know what I did that night, or what I said, so I was a little confused.” Twilight looked away, trying to hide her shame. “I was going to talk it over with you when I got out of the bathroom, but by then you were gone. And since you left, I thought it was just a drunken one night stand to you. That’s why I didn‘t try and pursue anything,” Twilight added.

“So…wow…I feel stupid…” Dash mumbled.

“I guess it really doesn’t matter now,” Twilight said with a small chuckle. “It all worked out in the end, right?” Twilight placed her head back on Rainbow Dash.

“Yeah, I guess.” The pegasus stretched her wing out over Twilight, pulling her in close, and keeping her warm. She placed her head on top of Twilight’s. As the two watched the night sky, their eyes grew heavy with fatigue. The storm in the distance was a thing of the past, with the clouds cleared by the night weather team.

“I love you, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight muttered mid yawn as she drifted off to sleep.

“I love you too, Twi,” Rainbow Dash replied with the same sleepy tone as her marefriend. As the night weather team finished their cloud clean up duty above Ponyville, the two mares fell asleep, nuzzling each other after a long night. As Rainbow Dash’s consciousness faded off into sleep, over Ponyville a faint, monochrome rainbow could be seen glittering from the moonlight.

Author's Note

edit: Fixed some grammar issues

If you have not read the previous chapters after 1/18/2014, there have been extensive rewrites. I would recommend rereading.

Uncertainty

Rainbows in the Night Sky
Chapter 4: Uncertainty

The sun shown down on Twilight’s face, quietly rousing the mare from her slumber. Slowly, she blinked herself awake. Her head was resting on a soft pillowy surface, much softer than her bed. She lazily glanced around, noticing quickly that she wasn’t in her bedroom. The fresh morning air, the bright morning sunshine, and the blue sky greeted her instead. Twilight lifted her head to see she was on a cloud balcony, next to Rainbow Dash, who was still asleep.

After a moment, she remembered the series of events that led her to this situation. Her confession yesterday, the emotional train wreck that had been the aftermath, and the subsequent discussion with her friend. She paused for a moment, mentally striking that last word from her mind, and replacing it with “marefriend”. A content smile spread across Twilight’s face as she corrected herself. Her heart fluttered just thinking it.

She looked over at the unconscious pegasus next to her, still boasting that smile. Rainbow Dash had her head on the floor, her mouth slightly open, and a small line of drool leading down her chin. Twilight couldn’t help but mentally remark how cute she looked when she was asleep. The carefree expression on her face as she slept was utterly priceless to the unicorn.

“Twi...” the sleeping pegasus muttered as she slept. Twilight smiled again after she realized she was still asleep.

Taking a look at the rising sun, Twilight decided it was about time to get up. She could use a good stretch to get the morning stiffness out of her muscles, especially after the intense night she had. But as she went to stand up, she noticed Rainbow Dash had a wing placed over her like a blanket. Her movements caused Rainbow Dash’s face to strain slightly, and a small whimper to leave the pegasus’s mouth. Twilight quietly snickered to herself, and decided she had better not disturb her lover just yet.

But, just as was about to lie her head back down, it suddenly hit her that she forgot someone rather important. Twilight’s heart seized when she remembered a certain purple dragon back at the library. She looked back to the glaring morning sun, realizing Spike would be awake soon. With all the trouble she caused him yesterday, she didn’t want to even imagine him waking up with her gone.

Twilight looked down at the sleeping mare next to her, and it became apparent to her she would have to wake her. Using her muzzle, she gently nudged Rainbow Dash to wake the sleeping pegasus. After a few pushes, all her efforts seemed to rouse from the slumbering pony was a soft groan. Twilight let out a sigh, and rolled her eyes. Twilight whispered into Dash’s ear to get her up, but again, all she got from her lover was some dreamy murmurs. Twilight let out another sigh, though now she sounded slightly annoyed. Finally, she said her name as loud as her normal talking voice, combined with a small nudge to Rainbow Dash’s side. The sleeping mare’s eyes slowly fluttered open.

“Oh, morning, Twi,” she said as she took her wing off the unicorn. As she folded it at her side, she let out a small yawn. Dash rocked her head back and forth, letting out some popping sounds from her neck. Her half-closed eyes didn’t really seem to focus on anything in particular as she lazily looked around the balcony.

“Good morning, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight replied. The librarian was already on all fours, and stretching her back. “Or should I say Dashie? I was thinking that I need a pet name for you too.” Twilight gave her a playful smile.

Dash’s eyes shot open wide for a moment. “Dashie?”

“Rainbow Dash seems a little too formal for us now that we’re together, and you call me Twi for short. So, I thought perhaps you should get a pet name too.”

“I-I guess...” The pegasus’s cheeks went red. “Just not in public...it’s a little embarrassing...”

“It’s cute,” Twilight replied.

“Yeah, it’s embarrassingly cute. Anyway, did you want to get some breakfast or something?” Rainbow Dash asked followed by another yawn. Twilight loved how cute the pegasus was when she was half awake. Her mane was a bit more of a mess than usual, and her voice was softer and less rough sounding. But what Twilight found most adorable about her lover was how she could barely fend off going back to sleep. As they spoke, she was already struggling with lying her head back down on the cloud floor.

“No, I have to get home to Spike,” Twilight said with a soft smile.

“Oh...” Dash seemed a little sad. “We did just kind of leave him last night, didn’t we...”

“Yeah, I really don’t want him to freak out when he wakes up.” Twilight found herself looking at the floor. “So, look, I’m really happy how last night ended up.” Twilight’s face turned red with a little embarrassed at the thought of what they did the previous night. Things escalated quickly from a simple discussion to sex. She was actually a bit astonished at how a little romance in the air can really send things spinning out of control.

“Y-Yeah, I didn’t know sex with a unicorn was so...crazy...Well, I take that back. I knew a little bit,” Dash said with a small chuckle. Thoughts of their previous sexual encounter came to mind. She couldn’t say she was completely oblivious to how insane things could get with a unicorn.

“Well, we can be a little more...detail oriented than most other ponies,” Twilight replied with a small giggle. Their eyes met with an amorous gaze. The two stared into one another’s eyes for a moment with content smiles resting on their faces. Dash’s rose colored eyes looked like they were ablaze in the early morning light, while Twilight’s felt calm and relaxed like the moon.

Finally Dash let out another yawn. She was still having a bit of trouble keeping her eyes opened, which only made Twilight smile more. She shook her head, trying not to laugh.

“What?”

“Nothing, it’s just you really don’t do mornings, do you...”

Rainbow Dash only shook her head. Her eyes fell closed for a lot longer than a blink before she opened them again. “Nah, mornings are way too early.”

“Well, since mornings are too early for you, how about we do lunch instead of breakfast?” she suggested.

Rainbow Dash nodded her head lazily. “Sounds good,” Her eyes were drifting closed as they spoke.

“Just stop by the library when you finally decide to get up.” Twilight giggled to herself as Rainbow Dash‘s head fell back down to the floor.

“Yeah...” she said sleepily. “You need a ride down?” Her ears perked a bit as she spoke.

“No, I should be fine. I can teleport down as long as I can see where I’m going to land. Getting up here would be a different story, though.” Twilight turned to the railing. She could see Ponyville sitting quietly in the distance. The warm, orange morning light felt refreshing compared to cold gloominess of yesterday.

She looked back to Rainbow Dash, who was now on her side. The pegasus was still looking up at Twilight with half closed eyes. Twilight walked up to the tired mare, and placed a kiss on her forehead. “See you later today,” Twilight said before disappearing in a purple flash of light.

“Show off,” Dash muttered to herself with a small smile. Once Twilight was gone, she finally let her eyes drift closed.

As Twilight walked through Ponyville, the town was just beginning to wake up. Ponies were slowly making their way out of their houses, on their way to their jobs or to do errands. The air smelt of a warm breeze carrying away the scent of rain that had fallen in the town only a few hours ago. For the first time in a week she wasn’t worried. Everything seemed so perfect in Ponyville.

Twilight found herself standing in front of the Golden Oaks Library. She was home after her confusing, albeit rather enjoyable night. Yet, before opening the door to go inside, she felt a need to glance up at the sky. She knew it was already close to eight—the position of the sun told her that much—so there was a chance Spike was awake.

It was a toss-up. Spike would either be awake, and pacing around the library in a frenzy. Or, he would be asleep, and be none the wiser about Twilight leaving last night. She looked to her side at a small paper bag she held in her magic. Luckily, on her way home, she had stopped by Sugarcube Corner for two of their fresh baked muffins. A good way to apologize for worrying the poor dragon in her absence if he was awake.

Without anymore stalling, Twilight opened the library door. Immediately she saw Spike pacing around the library in a frantic mess. As soon as he realized the door had opened, he shot a fearful glance at her. Twilight had been right with her first theory. She gave the small dragon a smile.

“Twilight! Where have you been! I-I went upstairs to check on you, but you were gone!”

“Sorry about that, Spike. I had something to take care of.” Twilight stepped into the library, closing the door behind her.

“Something to take care of? What’re you talking about? I was about to go to the cops!”

Twilight laughed to herself slightly as she walked further into the library. With a small glance over at the paper bag she held in her magic, Twilight lowered the paper bag so Spike could see inside. “Rainbow Dash came over last night after you went to bed, so we left to go talk about things.”

“Talk about things?” He now sounded more confused than angry.

“Things that are a little too adult for you to understand, Spike. Anyway, would you like a muffin? They’re fresh baked.”

Spike reached his claw into the bag. He kept a skeptical eye on Twilight as he fished out a blueberry muffin. “So, you talked about things, and now you’re in a better mood?” Spike asked.

“Let’s just say we had a very long discussion.” Twilight couldn’t help but giggle to herself. Spike continued to stare at her with the same suspicious gaze as the other muffin appeared from the bag, wrapped in a magenta aura. Twilight held it in her magic, bring it to her mouth to take a bite before strolling into the kitchen. Spike’s gaze followed the mare, now looking more confused than skeptical. As she passed, she deposited the bag in the garbage can on her way to the sink.

“Well, at least you’re feeling better. You were moping around here the past couple of days, and I was getting really worried. Especially after last night...” Spike followed Twilight into the kitchen. He leaned against the doorframe as he took a bite of the muffin. His suspicious look worked its way back into his eyes as he watched Twilight hum to herself happily.

“Yes, well, I am feeling much better today.” Twilight filled a glass with water. “And I’m sorry about last night. I was...a little distraught...” Twilight laughed nervously to herself, knowing that was an understatement.

Spike stood there silently as Twilight took a sip of her water. There was something distinctly different about her from the past few days that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Slowly the wheels in the dragon’s head started turning. The difference between Twilight last night and this morning was a complete one-eighty, and knowing that Rainbow Dash was involved shed a little bit of light on the matter. A mental picture began to form as to what Twilight and Rainbow Dash discussed last night. “So...Twilight...” Spike started before he took a bite of his muffin.

“What is it?” she asked.

Spike chewed for a few moments before he swallowed. “What did you two talk about that’s gotten you in such a good mood?” He shot her a sly smile.

Twilight looked over at the little dragon, barely able to hide her own smile. “I told you, some things that you’re a little too young to understand.”

She tried to play coy by dancing around the issue, but Spike wasn’t falling for it. He chuckled a bit with a condescending nature in his laugh. “No, that would be all that weird stuff that was making you upset last night and for the past few days. What’s gotten you so happy all of a sudden?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “That obvious?”

He nodded his head. “It’s pretty obvious, Twilight.” He took another bite of his muffin, chewing it quickly before swallowing it down. “You were moping around here the past few days, and yesterday you were pretty much inconsolable. So, what happened?”

“More adult things.” Twilight’s cheeks flashed red for a moment as her thoughts shifted to their activities the previous night. A smile crept across her face. Twilight was failing pretty hard at hiding her excitement. “You probably wouldn’t understand.”

“Come on, Twilight. I may not know what all you two did to get into this mess, but I‘m not oblivious when it comes to love. I know you had a crush on her for a while. You two are actually together now, aren’t you! After seeing you last night, and this morning you‘re a brand new pony! It all fits together!”

Twilight‘s small smile cracked further on her face. “Well, no sense in hiding it.” Twilight laughed a bit, unable to hold back her grin. “We started dating last night.” Twilight used her magic to set her glass of water down on the kitchen counter. “And, we’re going to lunch later today as a kind of first date.”

“So you two really are an item now, huh?”

“Yeah.” Twilight couldn’t hide her excitement even if she wanted to. “Can you believe it?”

“Congrats, Twilight.” Spike said turning around. He walked back into the living room, leaving Twilight in the kitchen. “Just make sure you take a shower before you go, because it’s been a few days.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, hearing him snicker from the living room. “Thanks, Spike,” she said sarcastically. She stared at the empty doorway for a while before levitating her glass of water to her mouth. Quickly, Twilight drank the rest of her glass of water, and finished her muffin.

After she was done with her breakfast, she headed up stairs to do as Spike suggested, and clean herself up. When she looked in the mirror, Twilight’s face flushed red with embarrassment. Her mane was a wreck with stray strands of hair sticking up, her fur looked like it hadn’t been washed in days, and she knew she probably smelled. Especially after last night with what her and Rainbow Dash did. “I can’t believe I went to Sugarcube Corner looking like this...” Twilight muttered, placing her hoof over her eyes to hide her shame from her reflection.

Twilight used her magic to turn on the faucet in shower. Immediately the water shot out of the shower head, and a few moments later a layer of steam began to rise from behind the shower curtain. She quickly slipped inside to shower, careful not to let the steam out. The hot water hit her fur, burning slightly, but also feeling good. “Oh, Celestia, this is what I needed after being out all night...”

She stood there for a moment letting the hot water wash over her. The nearly scalding water soaked her down to her skin, making her shudder slightly. The cloud of steam sitting in the shower filled her lungs as she breathed, making her shower feel more like a visit to the spa. Her eyes drifted closed, and her thoughts shifted to Rainbow Dash once more.

She felt positively giddy just knowing that her and Rainbow Dash were finally dating. It was something she had dreamed about long before their night together, going back to shortly after she moved to Ponyville. The confidence she had attracted Twilight. She was so opposite to her in every way. Impulsive, confident, always in control, and that’s why she admired her. It wasn’t a sexual attraction at first, more like admiration for an aspiration; she wanted to be more like Rainbow Dash.

But as they spent more time together, she came to see the pegasus in a different light. As they grew as friends, she felt something change inside her. She came to see that she and Rainbow Dash weren’t as opposite as she thought. Personality wise they were as different as night and day, but they shared interests. Twilight enjoyed watching Rainbow Dash do her stunts, and Rainbow Dash would accompany Twilight on her field trips to study whichever phenomena the librarian was interested in at the time.

It didn’t seem like much, but as she watched Rainbow Dash soar through the air she found herself being more amazed with how Rainbow Dash looked rather than how cool the trick was. She couldn’t say when exactly, but she noticed it a more than a few months ago that she actually liked her pegasus friend. Twilight slowly came to realize that she liked her more than just a friend—she liked her as a mare.

The fact that they were together now was unbelievable to her. Yet, she couldn’t help but be reminded as to why they were together in the first place. Twilight sighed. She placed her hoof over her stomach as she once again reminisced over the events of that night. Her smile slowly faded, replaced with worry once more. “How long can we keep you a secret?” she asked the little filly in her belly.

There was no response but she wasn’t expecting one. The pitter-patter of water spraying against her and the wall were the only sounds, blocking out even her own thoughts. There was no answer that she could conceive of, so silence fell. As happy as she was that Rainbow Dash had accepted her feelings, and that the two of them would try and forge a relationship for the filly growing inside her, she knew that there was much ahead of her. A world that would not accept her, or what she had done.

Author's Note

If you have not read the previous chapters after 1/18/2014, there have been extensive rewrites. I would recommend rereading.

Secrets

Rainbows in the Night Sky
Chapter 5: Secrets

Days had passed, and Twilight once again found herself waking to the gentle caress of the sun’s glow warming her face. The smell of spring air came wafting in from her open window, rousing her further. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open only to be met with a blinding beam of light shining in through her bedroom window. Twilight let out a soft groan, squeezing her eyes closed once more. She shifted her body so the light wasn’t blinding her.

The clock on her nightstand read eight o’clock—past time for her to wake up, but try as she might, she couldn’t pull herself from her bed. Her body felt too heavy to even move. Lying there, she couldn’t really find a reason to actually get herself out of bed. She had some work to do, but that wasn’t urgent. She had to meet Rainbow Dash for lunch again, but today, she was picking Twilight up at the library rather than meeting her like she had been.

A small, sleepy smile worked its way onto Twilight’s face as she closed her eyes. She was still giddy over the fact that she and Rainbow Dash were dating. It had only been two short days since their night at Rainbow Dash's house, but these past two days they had spent together were wonderful. They had met for lunch every day, and Dash had been coming over for dinner too. Of course Dash would stay after dinner so the two of them could spend some quality time together, usually until late, when the pegasus would finally leave to go home.

Twilight was worried the time she and Rainbow Dash spent together would be awkward, but in all honesty, things hadn’t changed much between them. They had found themselves talking about the same things, and doing the same activities. They still sat around talking with one another, reading books, and planning new tricks for Rainbow Dash to try, but now they weren’t doing those activities as mere friends.

As Twilight lied there, thinking about it, she realized the two of them had feelings for one another for a long time. They had always done these things together, so dating has only made things less awkward for them since they no longer had to hide their pent up feelings. Simply put, Twilight didn’t need to be reserved, or feel awkward around Rainbow Dash. She could sit next to her, hug her, or even kiss her if she wanted—which she often did.

Twilight let out a soft, content sigh, feeling the sun's warming rays heat her fur. The past few days had been absolutely wonderful—everything Twilight had wanted ever since she realized her feelings.

“You up, Twilight?” she heard from across the room.

“Yeah, good morning, Spike,” she said with a yawn.

“What do you want for breakfast?” he asked, climbing out from his basket.

“I’m a little tired of oatmeal. How about we have eggs and toast. That should be simple enough, right?” Twilight asked, though her head was still lying on her pillow.

“Oatmeal would be easier...” Spike griped just loud enough for Twilight to hear. Suddenly he stopped just before the first step downstairs. “Wait, you don’t even like eggs.” The dragon shot a confused glance back to Twilight.

“I know...” Twilight said with a bit of a puzzled look herself. “They just sound good right about now though...”

“Alright then...I guess I can make you some eggs if you want. We do keep some for cooking after all.” He started walking down stairs as he spoke, growing quieter as he left the room.

Twilight took a deep breath in anticipation for what was to come. This was her least favorite part of sleeping in—getting out of bed. Slowly, she forced herself up and out from under her covers. But as soon as she was up, her body moved into an involuntarily stretch after a long night. She stretched out her forelegs, back, and then finally her hind legs, making her shudder slightly. After a small yawn, she was ready for the day.

Twilight made her way over to her bedroom window as she levitated over her hairbrush. She ran the brush through her mane as she looked out onto the town. Ponyville was already awake—shops already opened, and ponies already in the streets. She looked to the sky, a little hopeful for a glimpse of a certain cyan pegasus hard at work, but she was met with no such view. Above, she did see the weather team clearing the clouds from the overcast sky they had yesterday, which meant today would be sunny. Perfect for her lunch date with her marefriend.

“Twilight, breakfast should be done soon. You wanted your eggs sunny-side up, right?” Spike called up from downstairs.

“Umm, I guess that will be okay,” she replied.

After she put her brush back down on her dresser, she trotted downstairs. Spike was standing in a little apron in front of the stove. He held a frying pan close over a plate as he tried to use a spatula to get the eggs out of the pan as neatly as possible.

“Do you need help with that?” Twilight asked from behind him.

“No, I’m just trying not to break the yolks.” He sounded very determined as he meticulously lifted one of Twilight’s eggs. Carefully he set it down on the pan. Next began the arduous task of getting the spatula out from under the egg.

Twilight couldn‘t help but giggle to herself a bit. Her horn sparked, and her magic gave enough room under the egg for Spike to pull the spatula out with ease. “Let me help.”

“I could have gotten it,” he muttered with a touch of resentment.

“No reason to fuss with it,” Twilight replied with a smile.

The next egg went much easier with the same teamwork they used on the first. Twilight levitated her toast over from the toaster, and placed it on her plate. Next she levitated both hers and Spike’s breakfast to the kitchen table. Spike grabbed a chair and the two of them sat down for their meal. As she sat down, Twilight levitated over a news paper Spike brought in before he started cooking.

Twilight looked down at the egg on her plate, contemplating whether it looked appetizing after all. She used her magic to poke her toast into the center, soaking some of the gooey yellow yolk into the bread. When she took a bite, she had an odd sense of not being too pleased with the taste, but she also felt that it was just what she wanted. The longer it sat on her tongue, the more accustomed she became to the flavor. In fact, she could probably actually enjoy her breakfast.

“Hey, Spike?” Twilight asked after she swallowed. She turned her attention to the morning newspaper as she ate her breakfast.

“Yeah?”

“Did you pick up the ink and scrolls I asked you to yesterday?”

Spike only sat there, silently eating his breakfast. Twilight shifted the paper to the side, peering out from the edge. His eyes stayed firmly glued to his breakfast, refusing to look up and meet Twilight’s gaze. “Spike?” she asked with a more authoritative tone.

“I...forgot...” he muttered.

“Would you please go out and get some after breakfast? I can’t get any work done until I have some scrolls, and ink to write on those scrolls with.”

“I’ll go after breakfast...”

“Thank you.” She took another bite. She did much the same with the toast, though this time she cut a small piece of the egg white and placed it on the toast as well. After she finished swallowing. “I know Rarity has been rather busy designing a new dress line for a client in Manehatten. Perhaps she could use some stationary as well.” Twilight hinted with a sly smile.

Spike’s eyes suddenly lit up, but he coughed and forced himself to look a bit more serious. “I could stop by and see if she needs anything,” he replied, trying to play it off as though he wasn’t excited.

“I’m sure Rarity would be very appreciative,” Twilight said as she went back to the newspaper.

After breakfast, and Spike had left for his errands, Twilight decided she should get ready herself. She had finished reading the morning paper, finding little of interest in the town news. Mostly it was hearsay or articles pertaining to rather mundane matters. Twilight tossed the paper into the garbage, and headed upstairs. With Spike gone for a few hours, the work she needed to get done put on hold, and Rainbow Dash coming over to get her for lunch, she had some time to get ready.

After an extended shower, Twilight left the bathroom in a puff of steam. She breathed deep, and let out a refreshed sigh as she used a towel to dry her still wet mane. She levitated over her hair brush, and started brushing her mane until it laid in its usual perfectly straight style. When she finished, she placed the brush back on her dresser. As she looked around her room, her eyes fell upon a book sitting on her nightstand. She took a step towards her bed, just starting to consider reading it until Rainbow Dash came over to get her, but she was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Twilight turned, curious as to who would knock at a public library. “Coming,” she called out as she trotted down the stairs.

The only pony that she could imagine coming over was Rainbow Dash, but Twilight knew she wouldn’t knock. Twilight stood in front of the door for a moment, not sure what to expect. For a brief moment she worried something had happened to her pegasus lover, but she pushed that out of her mind quickly. She opted for a happier, more probable scenario of Dash getting off work early.

However, when Twilight opened the door, she saw not her lover, but her four friends Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. Behind the four mares, a certain purple dragon was poking his head out with a nervous smile. Twilight looked at them confused for a moment. “O-Oh, hello girls...” the librarian said with a bit of surprise.

“Hello, Twilight,” Rarity said with her usual prim and proper tone. “May we come in?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. For some reason, she didn‘t like where this was going. She felt like she was being backed into a corner. “Sure, but I’m going to be leaving soon...”

Her friends filed into the library. Rarity’s magic pulled the door closed behind the group after they were all inside. “There is a rather concerning rumor going around town,” Rarity’s lady-like nature cracked with concern filling her voice.

“W-What rumor would that be?” she asked her friends timidly, knowing full well what they had heard. Just walking around town the past few days she had seen ponies whispering around her.

“W-Well...P-Ponies are saying that...you’re...umm...pregnant...” Fluttershy muttered, still avoiding looking at Twilight.

“I-I wonder where they heard that from...” Twilight laughed nervously.

“We would have dismissed the rumors entirely, that was until I heard it straight from the horse’s—or in this case—dragon’s mouth.” Rarity brushed her mane out of her face.“Little Spikey-wikey here told me that it was true.”

Twilight’s eyes went wide as she looked at the little dragon, now cowering. “S-Spike!” she yelled in disbelief.

“S-Sorry, Twilight. With how happy you’ve been the past couple of days, I didn’t know I was supposed to keep it a secret still...”

“Secret means secret, Spike! That would mean that I would tell ponies first!”

“I didn’t tell them everything! I didn’t want to spoil your news completely...” he whimpered.

Applejack stepped between Spike and Twilight. “Now don’t go takin’ it all out on Spike here,” Applejack chimed in. “The town’s already buzzin’ with the news, so it ain’t like he started it.”

Twilight had herself to blame for that one. She was still haunted by the embarrassment of yelling it at the top of her lungs in the town square to get Rainbow Dash’s attention. “Did Spike tell all of you girls?” Twilight asked, calming down a little bit.

“Well—” Pinkie said before taking a deep breath, “—I heard from Mrs. Cake, who hear from Ditzy Do, who heard from Cheerilee, who heard from Aloe when she was at the spa, who heard from Berry Punch—” The pink pony was cut off by Applejack stuffing a hoof into her mouth.

The farmer rolled her eyes. “Ya wanna give us the short version there, Pinkie Pie?” she asked, with the bubbly mare still going on under her hoof.

The party pony held up her own hoof, telling the others to wait a second as she continued to talk into Applejack’s hoof. After a second Pinkie gave a ‘go ahead’ nod for the farmer to pull the hoof out of her mouth. “Who heard from Blue Bonnet that YOU are pregnant! It‘s so exciting! Another little foal to play with!” she said with a small jump into the air.

“So, just about the whole town knows?” Twilight asked fearfully. “I haven’t even told anypony yet...”Twilight’s body tensed from her little lie. “Well, one pony...” she said shrinking down a bit. Twilight decided to leave out the part that she yelled it at the top of her lungs in the town square too.

“That one pony you told must have some loose lips,” Pinkie replied with a giggle.

“As I said, I heard from Spike,” Rarity added. “But after he told me, I gathered everypony, and they told me that they too had been hearing rumors.”

“We...umm...got a bit worried about you...” Fluttershy added.

“Well, I guess there’s no point in hiding it anymore...” Twilight sighed. “It’s true, I’m...having a foal.”

“S-Sorry, Twilight...” He stepped up to her, holding his claws behind his back as he fidgeted.

“I can’t really be too mad at you for telling them, Spike,” she said leaning down to nuzzle him. He relaxed once he realized he wasn’t in trouble.

“He had only told us because he thought we should know, though he didn’t give any specifics,” Rarity added.

Twilight nodded to her. She couldn’t really deny that she had brought this upon herself by telling Spike to go to Rarity’s. She also hadn’t really told him to continue keeping this a secret, and now that she thought about it, he very well could have dismissed the original notion since she was so distraught. As far as Spike was concerned, she probably wanted to keep it a secret because her and Rainbow Dash weren’t in a relationship.

“We all came because we were worried about ya, Twilight,” Applejack said with a small frown. “We ain’t ever seen ya with a stallion, so we all kinda got a bit concerned. I mean, do ya even know who the dad is? Y-Ya weren’t...uhh...” Applejack trailed off, unable to bring herself to say it.

Rarity looked at the farmer, sharing her troubled look. “No pony forced themselves on you, did they?” she asked, finishing Applejack’s question.

“No, no pony raped me.” Twilight shook her head at the absurdity. Her friends all breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness, I don‘t know what I would do if one of my best friends had been assaulted.” Rarity placed her hoof on her forehead.

“Do you know who the father is?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes, we’ve spoken about the...situation...” Twilight’s eyes darted around nervously. This had been the part she was truly dreading. A pregnancy out of nowhere, and the absence of a stallion in her life would of course draw some suspicion. She could always say some stallion in town got her pregnant when they were drunk at Pinkie’s party, but that wouldn’t be right, also lying would only complicate the situation further.

She knew she shouldn’t lie, yet Twilight couldn’t bring herself to tell her friends the truth. They wouldn’t know how to react. It would be like telling Rainbow Dash all over again; her friends wouldn’t be able to even comprehend—well, with the exception of one in the room. Twilight looked at Rarity, who was looking at Twilight expectantly. Her heart tensed, and a feeling of shame washed over her.

“So, you’ve talked?” Pinkie asked. “Cool! Who is it? I hope he’s nice! Do we know him?” Pinkie jumped up and down as she asked Twilight.

“Pinkie, this is serious,” AJ said in mid facehoof. “Calm down, would ya?”

The party pony shook her head back and forth spastically. “Can’t! Too excited!”

“Relax, darling,” Rarity placed a hoof on Pinkie’s should, stopping her from bouncing again. “Twilight, don’t just keep us in the dark. You said you spoke to the father, so who is he?” Rarity turned her attention back to Twilight.

“W-Who is he?” Twilight’s body tensed.

“Yeah, do we know ‘em?” Applejack asked, growing a bit impatient.

“U-Umm, well, I suppose you could say that...” she muttered.

“Well, whose foal is it?” Rarity pressured Twilight for an answer.

The librarian turned her head away from her friends. That feeling like she was being backed into a corner had come to fruition. “T-That’s a secret...” Twilight muttered, avoiding eye contact.

Immediately Rarity’s eyebrow raised. “We’re your best friends, and you can’t even tell us?” she asked sounding a bit hurt.

“W-Well, it’s...umm—”

“Hey, Twi,” The familiar scratchy voice of Rainbow Dash suddenly grabbed everyone’s attention.

“D-Dash—” Twilight placed her hoof over her mouth to stop herself from calling her marefriend by her pet name. Her eyes shot over to her friends who were all looking in Rainbow Dash’s direction.

With all eyes suddenly on her, the pegasus couldn’t help but feel like she was interrupting something. She slowly looked over her friends as she entered the room, seeing a mixture of expressions on their faces ranging from hurt to beaming. “So, what’s going on?” she asked feeling out the conversation before she got too deep.

“Dash! We were looking everywhere for you!” Pinkie popped up in front of Rainbow Dash, grabbing a hold on her by the shoulders. “Well maybe not everywhere—we didn’t check Quills and Sofas. OH MY GOSH! Were you buying a new sofa?” Applejack let out a frustrated sigh as Pinkie spoke. “Wait, not important, did you hear Twilight is pregnant?” Pinkie asked jumping up into the air.

“Oh, you guys heard about that?” she asked rubbing the back of her head in an embarrassed sort of way.

“R-Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said with a nervous laugh. “Great timing! We should probably get going!” Twilight walked over to her marefriend, forcing Pinkie out of the way, and pushing Dash towards the door. Rainbow Dash looked back at her a bit confused.

“Hold on now, ya were just about ta tell us who the dad is!” Twilight’s whole body went stiff as soon as Applejack interrupted her.

“Dad?” Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack and then back to Twilight. The unicorn shook her head softly, screaming at her with her eyes not to say a word. She gave a soft nod.

“Yes, the father of Twilight’s foal,” Rarity said softly, taking notice of Twilight and Rainbow Dash’s little back and forth.

“O-Oh yeah, the father...of her foal...” she said with a small cough at the end.

“A-Actually girls, if you’ll excuse us for a bit, I need to talk to Rainbow Dash in private.” The other ponies in the room gave the two a suspicious look.

“You two are hiding something aren’t you,” Rarity said, narrowing her eyes.

“W-Why would you say that! I just needed to...to...give Rainbow Dash this book!” she said grabbing a random book off the shelf behind her.

“What?” Everyone, including Dash asked, surprised. That was probably the least believable excuse she could have come up with; it wasn‘t even a book Rainbow Dash would even consider reading. However with a small sigh she went along with it.

“Y-Yeah, I’ve always wanted to read—” she looked over to see what Twilight grabbed, “—A Brief History of Equestria: Volume 4.” The pegasus didn‘t even try to hide her apathy.

“You see? Well, I had best give it to her...in private,” Twilight stressed the last bit as she pushed Rainbow Dash out the door. “Spike, don’t tell them anything while I’m gone!” she said sternly to the baby dragon before using her magic to close the door behind them.

“Those two are definitely hiding somethin’...” Applejack muttered.

“Like what? Like a surprise party?” Pinkie said popping up behind Applejack, and giving the other earth pony mare a start. She turned to the pink pony and let out an annoyed grumble.

Twilight shoved the pegasus out the door, slamming it behind her. “What’s the big idea Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked, landing on her back. Slowly she climbed back onto all fours looking at her marefriend like she was crazy.

“I panicked!” Twilight said pacing back and forth. Just from walking back and forth, she felt weak. She began breathing heavily, like she had been running a marathon. “Oh my gosh, is this really happening?” She said, trying to slow her breath purposefully, whilst muttering a mantra of ‘calm down Twilight’ to herself.

“Panicked? About what? You could have just told them! It‘s not like we really need to keep it a secret.”

“Y-Yes we do!” Twilight yelled.

“Why? And since when?”

“S-Since forever! You didn’t tell anypony did you?” she asked accusingly.

“No, hasn’t really come up. Why do we have to keep it a secret?”

“B-Because—” Twilight stopped herself for saying another word. She plopped down on the ground.

“What’s going on, Twi?” Rainbow Dash walked up and placed a wing around her lover, trying to comfort the frazzled mare.

“No pony would understand, Dashie,” Twilight said, leaning her head onto her marefriend’s shoulder.

“Look, it’s fine. They’re our friends, There’s no way they’d freak out,” she said trying to cheer up the unicorn.

“No way they would freak out? Who wouldn’t freak out! I’m pregnant from another mare! It’s not exactly normal!” the unicorn said still breathing heavily. After a moment her breath slowed a bit. “I’m sorry,” Twilight said after she calmed herself down.

Rainbow Dash placed her head on top of Twilight’s “It’s alright, I was a little freaked out when you told me a few days ago, but they’ll get over it, just like I did.”

“I’m just nervous. I mean I’m pregnant with my best friend’s foal. Oh, and did I mention my best friend is another mare? Mares don’t get other mares pregnant! I don’t even know how ponies will react.” She could feel herself getting worked up again, so she took a deep breath to calm herself down.

There was a long pause as the two sat there. “Would anypony even believe it? I mean, it even sounds crazy when I say it.” Her marefriend let out a little chuckle.

“Come on, Twi, you‘re worrying about this too much. It’ll be fine”

“No, it really won’t...No pony can know you’re the dad, Dashie—especially not Rarity.” Twilight nuzzled into her lover’s neck.

A sudden gasp interrupted the two. Twilight’s heart froze solid. She had heard that over-dramatic gasp before, when she first came to Ponyville. Slowly, the two mares turned their heads back to an open window behind them. Pinkie Pie had her head sticking out, her eyes wide, and her mouth hanging open.

“H-How much did you hear?” Dash asked.

The library’s front door burst open on the other side of Twilight and Rainbow Dash. “G-Get in here, now!” Rarity said poking her head out through the door.

Twilight slowly looked at Rainbow Dash with pure dread. If Dash had to compare it, it was as if Twilight had just learned that Discord, and Chrysalis had all teamed up and killed Celestia. She felt a little helpless, like she could do much for her unicorn lover. Slowly she felt Twilight stand up next to her, and head into the library.

“W-What the hay is goin’ on, you two?” Applejack asked. She looked almost scared she was so confused.

“W-Well...” Twilight started to speak, but she lost her nerve. Her body shivered uncontrollably, and she couldn’t even look her friends in the eye. Slowly, her eyes pinched closed as she wished herself anywhere but here.

Rainbow looked at her marefriend with concern. Seeing Twilight like that upset her. She looked back at her friends with a defiant look. “I’m the dad, alright? Twilight’s foal is my foal.” Rainbow Dash kept her eyes firmly glued on Rarity, seeing the dressmaker’s eyes go wide for a moment in disbelief.

“Beg yer pardon?” she asked still in complete disbelief.

“Me—I’m the father!” she repeated.

“Y-Ya do know two mares can’t make a foal, right, RD?” Applejack asked for confirmation.

Twilight slowly opened her eyes to see everyone now focused on Rainbow Dash.

“So, Rainbow Dash is the dad? But that’s silly, we all know two mares can’t make a foal!” Pinkie laughed to herself.

“It’s true, Pinkie...” Twilight replied with her face visibly turning red. “Rainbow Dash is the father...”

“Seriously, Twi, was it that hard to just tell them?” the pegasus said standing next to her marefriend. She gave her a playful bump. “They’re handling it just fine."

Twilight buried her face in the her lover's neck in a bid for affection, and hiding her shame. It worked a little in both counts, as she didn’t have to look at her friends, and her lover placed a hoof on her head, stroking her mane. “That’s not what I’m worried about...” she muttered quietly.

“T-Twilight Sparkle!” Rarity yelled, both shocked, and upset. “Y-You—”

Applejack help up a hoof in front of Rarity, stopping her mid sentence. “Hold on now, Rarity, let’s calm down an let ’em explain.”

Rarity glared at Applejack. She realized when she saw the seriousness in the farmer’s eyes she composed herself. She let out a small sigh before flicking her mane out of her face with a snap of her neck. “I-I suppose I should...let them explain.” She glared slightly at Twilight. “And she does have a lot of explaining to do.” she said in a low voice.

Applejack nodded, and turned her attention back to Twilight. “Now, how the hay does that even work?”

“I-I’ve known Rainbow Dash my whole life, and I can say for sure that she...isn’t a he...” Fluttershy said quietly from behind her friends.

“It’s a long story,” Rainbow Dash said shaking her head a bit.

“Well, we’re not exactly going anywhere,” Rarity responded.

Twilight pulled away from Rainbow Dash, regaining her composure. With a long drawn out sigh, she agreed. “Fine. I suppose you all do deserve to know...You‘re my best friends, and this is kind of a big thing in our lives, so I—we—should tell you how it happened.” Twilight glanced over to Rainbow Dash giving her a weak smile. Her marefriend nodded approvingly.

Twilight’s attention then turned to the youngest member in the room. “However, Spike, this isn’t appropriate for little dragons. Why don’t you go outside for a while.”

“Aww, Twilight, I’m old enough for this stuff!” he protested.

Twilight simply shook her head.

“She’s right, Spike. This is...adult talk...” Rarity said to him.

The dragon kicked his leg out in protest. With Rarity telling him too, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to stay. Slowly, without further argument, he walked out the front door, sulking as he did so.

Twilight and the others kept an eye on the door to make sure it was closed. Next Twilight looked over at the open windows that had gotten her into this mess and closed those with her magic. Once the door closed, and the windows were shut tight, Twilight and Rainbow Dash started their story. “It all started at Pinkie’s party about 3 weeks ago...”

Author's Note

Somepony's got some 'splainin to do

If you have not read the previous chapters after 1/18/2014, there have been extensive rewrites. I would recommend rereading.

Mishaps

Rainbows in the Night Sky
Chapter 6: Mishaps

Pinkie’s party had been going since the early afternoon, but by this point, it was getting dark and the party was winding down for the night. Some of the younger partygoers had left, leaving a group of bored adults remaining. Just as it looked like the party was over, Pinkie disappeared into the basement in a pink blur. When she returned, she had her forelegs full of hard ciders, beer, and just about any alcohol a pony could imagine.

Seeing the liquor piqued the interest of many attending. Before they knew it, alcohol had made its way around the room, and though things started off family friendly that day, it quickly became an adults only affair. Suddenly, it seemed the partygoers caught a second wind with a bit of social lubricant in their hooves, and before long, things picked up right where they left off.

That was for everyone except Twilight. She wasn’t one for these kind of parties as they usually never offered much to keep her attention. Ponies often acted like fools once alcohol entered the equation, and Twilight simply didn‘t find that entertaining. A bunch of drunk ponies acting foolish was just not her idea of fun. With the darkening sky, and alcohol thrown into the mix, Twilight had thought it best for her to head home.

Spike was out of town assisting the princess, so the librarian could read as late as she wanted to without the worry of disturbing her little companion. That was more her kind of night, rather than drinking herself into a stupor. Shortly after the alcohol started being ingested, she bid a farewell to her friends, and started towards the door—that was until Pinkie stopped her.

“You can’t go! We’re just getting started, silly filly!” Pinkie said shoving a bottle into Twilight’s hoof.

“Pinkie, I don’t usually drink...” she said looking down at the bottle skeptically.

“It’s a party, Twilight, just relax, and try to have some fun,” Applejack said after she took a drink from the bottle of cider in her hoof.

“See? Even Applejack’s having fun tonight!” The party pony giggled slightly, wrapping her foreleg around Twilight.

Twilight looked down at the bottle in her hoof once more, unsure whether to take a drink or not. She took a moment to carefully weigh her options. She didn’t particularly care for drinking, but she also didn’t have plans for the night, or the next day. It wasn’t as though she was the only one drinking either. This was a good chance for her to step out of her comfort zone and let loose a bit. But after she heard a bottle smash and a table fall over, Twilight made up her mind. With a roll of her eyes, she decided to just leave.

However, just as she was about to set the bottle down, and say goodbye to her friends, a certain pony she had missed that day strolled through in the door.

“Hey, Pinkie! Beer me!” Rainbow Dash called over to the party pony. Pinkie responded by quickly tossing a bottle through the air at the pegasus. Dash was airborne in the blink of an eye, and caught the bottle mid flip with little effort. After a few flaps of her wings, she landed next to her friends. In one swift motion, she used a bottle opener in Pinkie’s hoof to crack the beer open and bring it to her lips.

“How’s it goin’ guys?” Rainbow Dash asked after a swig of her beer.

“Nice moves, RD!” Applejack said giving the pegasus a hoof bump.

“Now it’s a party!” Pinkie yelled. As if waiting for a signal from the hostess, the music kicked on. Ponies flooded the makeshift dance floor, and burst into dance. On the perimeter of the room, a few ponies talked and mingled with one another. The alcohol let some ponies let their mane down as a few explicit words caught Twilight’s ears. It wasn’t often she heard the ponies of her town being so crude. Just about everyone had a drink in their hoof, ready to throw their cares away for the night.

Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and a few other ponies that were around the group of friends started joking around with each other. Twilight on the other hoof stood there silent. Her heart was still racing a bit from when Rainbow Dash landed next to her. The pegasus’s small aerial display for whatever reason entranced her more than they usually had. She thought she had come to terms with her little crush on the mare, but lately it was getting serious. Every stunt she watched Rainbow Dash do made her heart race; she couldn’t help but feel nervous around the rainbow-maned pony—worried she would somehow make herself look like a fool.

“Hey, Twi, you in there? Equestria to Twilight Sparkle!” Dash said waving her hoof in front of the librarian’s face, snapping her out of her stupor.

“W-What?” she asked, shaking her head slightly.

“Pinkie was just saying you were thinking about heading out? You aren’t leaving yet are you? Come on, the night’s still young!” The little coaxing from Rainbow Dash made Twilight half smile.

The unicorn let out a small laugh. “I can stay for a little bit longer, I suppose...” She glanced back down at the bottle in her hoof. After a moment she took a swig of the faintly sweet, but strong beverage.

What seemed like the blink of an eye and twelve drinks later, Twilight was wobbling in place. Applejack had left to go play some beer pong, and Pinkie was tearing it up on the dance floor with a small group of ponies to some beats the DJ was playing. This left Rainbow Dash and Twilight with a few ponies Twilight didn’t know offhoof. The usually keen librarian was too drunk to even notice Dash was only on her third drink of the night. After Twilight polished off another cider she looked over at Rainbow Dash, who just finished talking to someone, and was now finishing her drink.

“Hey, Dash,” Twilight said with a slight laugh. The pegasus glanced over to see Twilight giving her a flirtatious smile.

“What’s up, Twi?” Dash asked, raising one eyebrow to her friend. If she hadn‘t know Twilight better, she would have thought the librarian was drunk with the way she was wobbling in place. It looked like she could barely stand on all fours. “There’s no way Twilight is that much of a lightweight, right?” Dash remarked under her breath.

“You know, you were so cool when you did that earlier,” Twilight said with another drunken giggle.

“You’re going to have to be a little more specific, Twi. I’m cool pretty much all the time,” the pegasus boasted as she proudly put her hoof to her puffed out chest.

“When you came in here, silly.” No sooner had she said that, she lost her balance. Twilight stumbled forward into Rainbow Dash’s side, resting there for a moment. The feeling of Twilight not just touching her, but rubbing against her as she tried to regain her balance elicited a bit of a blush from the pegasus. Finally, after a moment of struggling, Twilight managed to get her hooves back under her.

“You okay?” Dash asked her clearly drunk friend.

“Yeah.” Twilight gave her a dopey nod, accompanied by another drunken giggle. After a few seconds drunk pony blinked a few times, before focusing her eyes.

“You know, Dash...you’re really cute,” she said in a serious tone for her drunken stupor

“Twi, you’re drunk...” Dash sighed.

“And you’re sexy,” the drunk mare said with a seductive grin, eliciting a nervous smile from Rainbow Dash.

After a very short debate in her mind, Rainbow Dash decided to return Twilight’s flirtatious comment. “You’re sexier.” Rainbow Dash couldn’t help laughing to herself a bit. “Maybe I’m drunk too,” she muttered under her breath. She quickly realized that she wouldn’t have said that to Twilight if she had been sober.

“Oh? I don’t think you know how sexy you are,” Twilight said stumbling closer to the pegasus. The drunk pony looked like she was about to place a kiss on Dash’s lips, which made her instantly nervous. She didn’t want ponies starting rumors about her and Twilight, especially since Twilight was completely smashed.

Rainbow Dash wasn’t a stranger to rumors, and how they spread. Ponies might say she was taking advantage of the poor, drunk filly. She didn’t want that kind of rumor spreading around Ponyville, and especially not about Twilight. Rumors about her didn’t bother her much, she was used to it being an all-star athlete, and as big of a show off as she was. She honestly didn’t care if ponies talked about her, but the thought of them talking about Twilight made her sick.

Rainbow Dash wasn’t a stranger to being the subject of rumors—and not rumors concerning fillyfooling either. In Cloudsdale, there had been a stupid rumor about her and a filly she went to flight school with. When she was back in town for a weekend, they had met up for some drinks. The filly hugged Rainbow Dash in public—that‘s as far as it went—but the next thing she knew ponies were saying she fucks fillies.

Honestly, it wasn’t too far from the truth, so she couldn’t be too upset. But Rainbow Dash didn’t just fuck fillies. The athlete never really cared whether it was a stallion or a mare; it was more about the connection she felt. Which is pretty embarrassing for a pony that pride herself on coolness like Rainbow Dash. If anyone found out she was such a sap, she could kiss her reputation as a super-cool athlete goodbye. It would be embarrassing, far more embarrassing than a rumor saying she was a fillyfooler. So, she never paid such rumors much mind, since there were worse things that could be said about her.

Besides, she couldn't lie to herself. She felt that connection with Twilight. So, she couldn’t help but wonder if it really mattered if there were rumors about her and the librarian. She was the mare Rainbow Dash had been fantasizing about since she met the lavender beauty. She had been trying to spend more time with her over the past few months to see if things might blossom on their own, but they hadn’t. Whether Twilight took notice or not didn’t matter, there wasn‘t anything else she would rather do than spend time with Twilight. Yet, all that time they spent together wasn‘t what gave her the opportunity. Here they were, with Twilight clearly flirting with her. This could be her one chance.

“H-Hey Twi, why don’t we get you home.” The idea stopped the drunk mare in her tracks.

“Hm? Why?” she asked, thrown back by the sudden diversion.

“The scene’s getting a little stale here, if you know what I mean,” Dash said glancing around seeing if anyone was looking their way. She felt her chest tighten as she scanned the room. She knew she shouldn’t do what she was about to, but this could be it—her one chance. Rainbow Dash leaned in to whisper something in Twilight’s ear.

“I don’t think I can fly home tonight. I’m a little too drunk...m-mind if I crash at your place?” she whispered, nervously. The liquored-up pony backed up a bit, giving Dash a drunken nod as she did so. With another uncontrollable giggle, she started stumbling towards the door. Dash let the drunk librarian walk ahead a bit before dashing over to Pinkie Pie.

“I’m going to walk Twilight home, since she’s completely wasted,” Rainbow Dash said to the party mare. Pinkie laughed a bit and remarked that she had never seen the unicorn so drunk before. With a wave Dash rushed for the exit, catching up to a stumbling Twilight, already heading home without her.

“Hey, did you plan on leaving me behind?” she asked teasingly.

“There you are, you know...I was just thinking how sexy you are,” Twilight said with another giggle as she leaned on Rainbow Dash shoulder. The pegasus let out a worried sigh, as that tightness in her chest continued. She couldn’t stop from feeling like she was taking advantage of her drunk friend. But, she also wanted this more than anything in her whole life—possibly even more than being a Wonderbolt.

“I shouldn’t tell you this, but what the hay...I’m horny,” Twilight mumbled while nuzzling the pegasus’s neck. With a loud gulp Dash knew she was about to get just what she wished for.

“Oh my goodness, was I really that drunk?” Twilight buried her head in her foreleg, trying to hide herself from the sheer embarrassment. Dash nodded with a small laugh.

“I remember you bein’ mighty tipsy by the end of the night,” Applejack said, with a small snicker.

“And why wasn’t I invited to this party?” Rarity interjected.

“If I recall you were busy filling a big order, so I didn’t think you would want to come! But then again everypony needs to relax, and unwind, which parties are really good for you know? So I wasn’t sure if I should invite you because I thought you might be too busy, but then again maybe you needed a break and wanted to relax for a bit. I couldn’t decide, and by that time the party had already started!” Everyone stared at Pinkie, letting out irritated sighs as she rambled on.

“Pinkie, we’re kinda in the middle of a story...” Rainbow Dash said, interrupting her.

“Oh, right!”

“That doesn’t really explain how Twilight got pregnant...” Fluttershy quietly tried to reel the conversation back on track.

“We’re getting to that...”

Twilight toppled over onto her bed giving her pegasus lover an inviting look. With a audible gulp, Rainbow Dash followed the drunken mare onto the bed, leaning into her as she did so. Cautiously, she placed her lips on those of her liquored-up lover. The pegasus couldn’t say Twilight was good at this—she was sloppy, unpracticed, and tasted of alcohol—but Rainbow Dash didn’t care. She finally had the mare she had been dreaming about for so long right here in her hooves.

The two fumbled in the dark for a moment before Dash finally found her way on top of the drunken pony. As they lie there, she found herself only able to stare into the unicorn’s eyes. She was completely entranced by Twilight’s half focused gaze. She found herself inching closer, almost as if she was being pulled in by those eyes. Twilight stopped her drunken giggling, and her eyes now revealed a burning lust deep within them. The two met with their lips, in a feverish bout of lust.

The two ponies ran their hooves aimlessly over each other’s bodies, taking in one another’s shape. As their kiss intensified, Dash faintly realized just how much she wanted this. Being here, with Twilight felt so very right to her. She couldn’t stop her hooves from touching over every inch of the unicorn’s form. Her shoulders, her back, her hips, her rump, she wanted to know every little facet of Twilight’s body.

After another moment of an intense, lust-fueled kissing, the two broke away from one another, gasping for air. Rainbow Dash went to lift her head at the same time Twilight lowered her’s, causing the pegasus to hit her nose on Twilight’s horn. The unicorn let out a sharp gasp of pain.

“Careful, that’s sensitive,” she mumbled as she buried herself in Dash’s neck, kissing her soft fur.

“Tell that to my nose,” Dash said jokingly. She let out a content sigh from her friend kissing at her neck. She let Twilight have her way for a moment, simply enjoying the unicorn’s affection. She couldn’t help but moan softly at each little kiss her drunken lover placed on her neck. Each small peck sent what felt like sparks surging through the pegasus’s body. The tingling sensation shot up from where Twilight kissed, up to the tip of her wing, and then down to her hooves.

Unable to take it anymore, Rainbow Dash pushed her lover deep into the bed, stopping her loving assault in its tracks. The inebriated pony looked up at her lover, befuddled and still wanting.

“I can’t take it anymore, Twi. I want you now,” she said as she moved her head to Twilight’s nethers. As she did so she lifted her own hindquarters over Twilight’s face, giving the unicorn the opportunity to return the favor she was about to perform. Rainbow Dash stared down at Twilight’s soaking wet lips in awe. Before her sat the gates she had fantasized about for so long. The wonderfully think scent made her heart race. With another audible gulp, she lowered her muzzle to the delectable folds before her.

Suddenly with out any warning, Twilight began licking the pegasus’s sex with reckless abandon. Her tongue laid flat as though she were licking ice-cream or something. Twilight traced from the mare’s swollen clit, through her folds, all the way to the end of her slit, leaving a small line of her saliva and the mare’s own juices connecting them. The unsuspecting pegasus let out several sharp gasps. Her whole body shuddered uncontrollably with each sloppy stroke of the unicorn tongue on her sensitive sex.

“I can’t let Twilight do all the work,” she muttered to herself, snapping out of her stupor. The smell of horny mare made her remembered why she got into that position in the first place. Rainbow Dash returned the favor to her awaiting lover’s sopping wet sex. Each stroke of her tongue was to explore the unicorn’s soft flesh, and savor her unique flavor. Slow, purposeful licks made the Twilight’s legs shiver from each exploratory prod of Dash‘s tongue. The pegasus found herself spurred on by the drunk mare’s cute reactions and delightful lusty cries.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but crack a smile to herself when she noticed Twilight’s legs still fidgeting below her. A series of muffled moans could be heard coming from her lover. Her twitching hind legs grew more spastic with each stroke of the athlete’s tongue. Then, with one final lick, a sharp cry rang out from the unicorn. Dash suddenly felt Twilight’s whole body go stiff. As the pony below her climaxed, the room glowed a faint magenta—from what Dash guessed was the unicorn’s magic sparking up.

“Did you just cum, Twi?” she asked her panting lover. No response came until the glow faded from the room. Finally, Twilight pulled her dripping muzzle out from between the pegasus’s legs.

“Yeah...” she replied, tiredly. Rainbow Dash rolled off of Twilight to lay next to her lover. “Sorry...It’s been a while...I guess I’m a little more sensitive then usual...” the drunken pony apologized, feeling a little embarrassed for her premature climax.

Rainbow Dash looked back at her, a little disappointed. Twilight could see that, clearly, Dash hadn’t finished, and seeing her lover with such a dissatisfied look was upsetting to say the least. Even in her drunken state, Twilight was one that aimed to please. Twilight pondered for a moment as best she could through the liquor-induced mental fog. If Rainbow Dash wanted more, then she too wanted to continue. That much was certain to her, but licking wouldn’t be enough anymore. Twilight—although not experienced in the bedroom—knew of a few tricks unicorns had to make things interesting. That’s when Twilight had a devilishly brilliant idea.

“Hang on, I’ve got an idea!” Twilight said, jumping up to a sitting position.

Before Rainbow Dash could even react, Twilight’s horn was glowing. Suddenly, her groin had the same bright magenta glow as Twilight’s horn. The pegasus sat up as well, unsure of what was going on. A weird sensation spread through her lower body, filling her nether region with a numbing sensation. It felt, warm—actually, really warm—almost like she was on fire down there. Rainbow Dash though to try and brush the sensation away with her hooves but she couldn’t move them. Then, a tightness appeared. The mare had to ask herself if she had she ever felt ‘tight’ down there before. As the sensation grew, she thought that maybe it wasn’t tightness she was feeling, she felt hard. When the magical glow between her legs dissipated, the pegasus saw something that shouldn’t be there staring back at her.

“W-W-W-W-W-W-What the hell is this?” she yelled while back peddling clear off the bed, “W-What did you do to me Twilight? Oh sweet Celestia, am I a stallion?” Rainbow Dash cried out in a panic.

Twilight laughed uncontrollably. “No, silly. I just gave you the tool to get the job done,” the drunken mare said turning her hindquarters to the pegasus. With a seductive smile, the unicorn lifted her tail, exposing her dripping petals to her lover. “Now, why don’t you try that bad boy out,” she added in a seductive tone.

“S-So you two...” Applejack interrupted. Twilight and Rainbow Dash both nodded, their faces flushed with red with embarrassment. Neither of the two ponies could keep eye contact with the rest of their friends.

“Wow, that’s just crazy!” Pinkie commented.

“Twilight, you didn’t...” Rarity said covering her mouth with her hoof. Her usually white face was turning a light shade of red at this point.

“I did,” she said hanging her head low, “It was stupid, I know.”

“Well I suppose it was just a bit of fun’s all, Rarity.” The cowpony laughed, trying to hide her nervousness. She rubbed her hoof against the back of her head, and averted her eyes. As Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked around, they could see Applejack wasn’t the only pony uncomfortable with the story. Fluttershy barely looked up from the floor, and was trying her best to hide behind her flowing mane.

“You shouldn’t be so critical,” Fluttershy muttered in her usual soft voice.

“If only you knew the implications...“ Rarity muttered under her breath, causing Applejack to raise an eyebrow at what she had said. “P-Please continue your story you two,” Rarity said spurring Twilight and Rainbow Dash to go on.

Rainbow Dash cautiously mounted Twilight. Both mares breathed heavily, their senses dulled from lust; the only thing running through their heads now was carnal desire. She clumsily rubbed her new appendage against the lower mare’s slick entrance. Her loins and hind legs tingled with every little brush against the tip of her new member. These new sensations were beyond anything she had ever felt. Rainbow Dash was too aroused to think straight, or even really comprehend what she was about to do. Her first thrust missed her target entirely, causing Twilight to laugh a bit.

“Need some help back there?” Twilight asked jokingly.

“Give me a sec, alright! It’s not like I was born with one of these things,” Rainbow Dash replied with mild irritation. The burning need in her new stallionhood felt like it would overtake her mind. She absolutely needed to get this thing inside Twilight, or else she might go crazy. Her second thrust poked Twilight in her rear end, causing the pegasus to let out a frustrated groan. Every passing second her stiff rod felt cold, and wanting. She had to get it inside Twilight—now. With her third thrust, a slick, euphoric warmth enveloped her new extension, and a sharp gasp escaped from the lower mare. Dash finally hit home.

She could only stand there, buried to the hilt inside her friend. This warm, wet, squeezing, sticky—she had never felt anything like this before. Her new member felt like it would melt inside her lover. She could feel Twilight’s walls twitch around her entire length, massaging it perfectly. She couldn’t even put into words all of the sensations filling her—she now understood why stallions always wanted to rut, it felt incredible.

Twilight cried out below her lover as she felt the throbbing member stab her. It utterly filled her insides to the brim with its girth, leaving her speechless. Each pulse of the rod inside her felt like a second heart, replacing her own heartbeat. Her sex felt like it was on fire—stretched wide from her solicited intruder. Her poor marehood stung slightly as it tried to adjust to her pegasus lover’s size. Twilight drunkenly laughed to herself as the pain subsided. Even in her drunken haze, she still couldn’t believe they were doing this.

“You okay, Twi?” she heard from just behind her ear. Rainbow Dash placed her head on the librarian’s neck, rubbing against her as she did so in a loving way. Twilight looked back at Rainbow Dash, feeling her heart swell from how attentive the mare inside her was.

“Yeah, it’s just that you’re so big...” Twilight responded.

“R-Really?” Rainbow Dash asked sounding a bit surprised. “I’m bigger than any stallion you’ve had before, huh?” she said with a chuckle. Her ego being stroked along with the new sensations she was feeling gave her a mild high.

“Well, you’re the first. So, I don’t really have a stallion to compare you to other than a toy I used a while back,” the unicorn said, lowering her head.

“Wait, what? You‘re a virgin?”

“Yeah—well, was—I was a virgin,” Twilight replied, plainly. She reached her foreleg back, and placed it on Dash’s side. On her face sat a small, content smile.

“Well, I’d better make sure you enjoy this then, since it‘s your first time,” Rainbow Dash said whispering into Twilight’s ear. The lustful sound in her voice drove the unicorn crazy. She pushed back into her lover’s hips, prompting her to start moving.

Dash placed her hooves on either of Twilight’s flanks. She pulled away from the unicorn, causing her lover to give a lustful groan as she did so. Just as she was about to pull her length out entirely, she thrust back in. Her lover jumped from the sudden plunge, giving a sharp gasp of pleasure from the feeling of being filled once more. A tingle flowed through her body as Dash began rhythmically pumping into her, from her horn all the way down to her hooves.

“Oh, Celestia! Dash, fuck me!” Twilight’s voice was shacking in unison with Rainbow Dash’s thrusts. Each time she plunged inside the librarian’s tight hole, her voice rose in volume and pitch. To get a better grip on her lover, Rainbow Dash slid her hooves from unicorn’s flanks, up her back, over her shoulders, and hugging the librarian’s neck. The change in position made Twilight look back at her lover.

“Damn, Twilight you’re squeezing me so hard!“ Rainbow Dash said breathing heavily. Twilight was far too gone at this point to respond. Dash had never seen her friend like this. She was a beautiful wreck, completely absorbed in the act. Her mane was a rough, her fur was a sweat-saturated mess, and a little messy from their activities. How wonderfully unkempt the usually tight-laced librarian looked turned Rainbow Dash on more than anything. Seeing Twilight completely let go was just too much for her.

She picked up her pace, ramming into the drunken, lust-crazed pony harder. Each slap of their hips made Twilight moan, and each time she pulled out made her whimper for more. Dash couldn’t get enough of this side of Twilight. The carnal craving in the her eyes as she ravaged her was just too delicious. She pressed her lips onto the unicorn’s while she continued her assault.

The librarian’s slick flesh felt like it was made specifically for Rainbow Dash’s new member, her perfectly sculpted walls fit amazingly around the tool. Each time she plunged her dick into the horny unicorn, she could feel her length being expertly squeezed, and massaged. When she pulled out, she felt her friend’s drooling sex sucking her back in, begging her not to go. It didn’t take long for a burning heat to build inside her loins.

“Oh Celestia, I’m going to cum, Twilight!” Dash said in between breaths.

“Do it!” her lover cried out. Without any hesitation, Rainbow Dash buried herself deep inside her friend as a feeling of pure ecstasy flowed forth from her loins. The utter euphoria of sexual release washed over her entire body, numbing her senses. Just when she thought it couldn’t get any better, she felt something squirting out of the tip of her new body part. Her whole body froze, she couldn’t of pulled out if she wanted to.

Dash’s voice quivered as the pleasure subsided. Both ponies collapsed down onto the bed, Rainbow Dash still inside Twilight. The room suddenly got darker as the glow from Twilight’s horn subsided from her orgasm. After a few moments of just laying there, Rainbow Dash pulled her member out of Twilight, leaving a trail of semen dripping from her folds. The pegasus mare rolled over onto her back, still panting from the crazed sex. Those sensations still lingered in her mind, as if she could still feel them around her dick.

“That was awesome,” Dash said, still trying to find her breath.

“Mmm, I think somepony’s still good for another round,” the unicorn said, as she struggled to get up on her forelegs. Dash glanced down to see her member still rock hard, and throbbing slightly, which made her blush a bit. Twilight gave the pegasus a sly smile as she climbed on top of her. With one hoof she lined up Dash’s dick.

“Oh wow, another round?” she said, placing her hooves on the librarian’s beautifully sculpted haunches. With a thrust of her pelvis, and a pull with her hooves, she dove back into Twilight once more. The unicorn let out a sharp moan as the thick member entered her once more.

“Oh Celestia, That feels so good!” she said, falling forward onto her lover. The two ponies rested for a moment, enjoying the feeling of one another. Rainbow Dash could feel Twilight’s marehood quivering around her, and Twilight could feel Dash throbbing inside her. Twilight lazily looked Dash into the eyes, staring deeply into them for a moment.

“I like it better like this,” said the drunken pony.

“And why’s that?” her lover asked, as she moved her hooves from Twilight’s flank to her back, hugging the unicorn, tightly.

“Because, I can kiss you better in this position.” Suddenly, Twilight placed her lips on Rainbow Dash’s. The pegasus’s eyes shot open in surprise for a brief second, before they narrowed, and finally closed. When their lips met, Rainbow Dash felt a sense of pure bliss overcome her. Twilight was kissing her, and she was inside the her deepest part where no other pony had ever been. Rainbow Dash felt like she now knew every inch of Twilight. Parts of her body that Twilight had never shown anyone else, Rainbow Dash was now intimately familiar with. It was the most wonderful feeling she had ever felt in her entire life.

Twilight broke their kiss, giving her lover a devilish grin. Rainbow Dash could only smile back, already privy to what she was planning. With a small nod, she told Twilight to do whatever she wished. Still with that smile, the librarian lifted her hips, and then slammed back down on her lover’s member. The pegasus felt a shockwave of pleasure shoot through her body, as her still sensitive dick was stroked by her lover’s slick flesh.

“Oh, Celestia!” Twilight said rubbing her muzzle on Rainbow Dash’s neck, affectionately. The pegasus stroked her lover’s mane as Twilight moaned softly into the her neck. Rainbow Dash’s sweet scent wafted into the unicorn’s nostrils sending chills through her body. She felt almost intoxicated by her lover’s smell, as it made her slightly dizzy with its wonderful fragrance.

“Hey, Twi...” Twilight looked into her dark pink eyes with a dazed look. “Can you move some more?” she asked, timidly. A smile crept across the drunken unicorn’s face. With a small nod she started moving her hips.

Instantly both ponies felt a surge pleasure. Their post-orgasm sensitivity had yet to fade. Her lover could only hold on to her haunches as Twilight rocked her hips. The soft movements, combined with the velvety flesh stroking her member was too much for the pegasus. Her entire body felt numb, completely at the disposal of her unicorn lover—she could barely breath let alone move.

“What’s the matter, Dash?” Twilight asked as a slightly sadistic grin came across her face. She had never seen the tom-coltish pegasus like this before. Her hoof was pressed to her lower lip, with a pained expression in her eyes. As drunk as Twilight was, this would be one of the memories she would cherish from this night. The sight of a vulnerable, and very girlish Rainbow Dash, in orgasmic bliss.

Twilight leaned in, kissing her adorable lover. Rainbow Dash eagerly returned the affection, wrapping her forelegs around the unicorn, holding her close. Without breaking their passionate kiss, Twilight picked up the pace, causing both mares to cry out slightly into each other’s mouth.

Each stroke of Dash’s member caused the pegasus to shudder in pleasure, and each time Twilight plunged Dash’s dick inside herself, her body would shake. As the twin waves of pleasure shot through their bodies, they turned into moans. They broke their kiss after a moment. The two ponies couldn’t take it anymore. Both mares felt a familiar sensation boiling up within them.

Suddenly a feeling of pure ecstasy shot through Rainbow Dash. Her whole body tensed, and a breathless moan escaped her lips. Again, a few spurts shot from her new addition into Twilight, filling the mare with her seed once more. The burning liquid filling her sent the unicorn over the edge once it hit her waiting womb. Her walls tightened around the intruding member, milking it of its potent seed. The tightening walls made Rainbow Dash whimper a bit as the sensation became too much to bear.

As both their orgasms subsided, the squeezing grip on Rainbow Dash loosened. The Two ponies lay there, basking in the—for the moment, quite literal—afterglow of a drunken, lust-fueled night. As the light from Twilight’s horn faded, she rolled off of her lover, and plopped down onto the bed next to her. Her heart felt content for the moment as she laid next to the pegasus. He foreleg wrapped around Rainbow Dash, keeping her close—close enough to keep herself high on Dash’s scent.

“That was so awesome,” Rainbow Dash said, turning to face her drunken lover. Twilight only cuddled up next to her, and quickly fell asleep; the physical stress, and liquor finally taking their toll on the librarian. Rainbow Dash smiled at her. She gave her a kiss on the forehead, before letting herself drift off into a well-deserved sleep.

The room was awkwardly silent. No one wanted to make the first comment on the story the two lovers just told them. Eyes darted around the room, as none of the mares wanted to make eye contact. Finally after a few moments, the silence became unbearable, and a few uneasy glances later. Applejack was the first to pony to say anything.

“Well, uh, sounds like y’all had a crazy night after ya left the party,” she said rubbing her hoof against the back of her head. Her efforts to break the ice seemed to work as there was an almost silent sigh of relief among everyone.

“I can’t believe you two have been dating for three weeks, and you haven’t told us!” Pinkie Pie said suddenly jumping into the conversation. “How could you keep that a secret from us!”

“Well...we haven’t been dating for three weeks. We actually, just started a few days ago,” Twilight said nervously.

“What? Y’all went and...uh...did all that,” Applejack said with an uneasy look, “and ya didn’t even start datin’ after? I thought ya told us y’all liked each other,” she said in disbelief.

“There was a bit of a misunderstanding the next morning.” Rainbow Dash rubbed her hoof against the back of her head. Her eyes focused on the floor, unable to look at her friends. “Anyway, things were complicated, but we worked them out, and now we’re dating.”

Applejack let out a sigh. “Uh-huh...well, no matter how I look at it, it ain’t natural.” Applejack shook her head back and forth, in a manor very reminiscent of her older brother.

“Hang on just a minute! I love Twilight! I don’t care if it’s natural or not, she’s the coolest pony in Ponyville!” Rainbow Dash took a step forward defending their love. Twilight started to well up with tears at the statement.

“That‘s right, if they love each other, there is nothing wrong with it,” Fluttershy said, stepping into the conversation. Her usual kind eyes were replaced with a more serious look.

Pinkie Pie jumped in as well, and pointed an accusing hoof at Applejack. “You shouldn’t judge somepony else just because you think they’re different, Applejack! I thought you knew better than that!” she added.

“It ain’t about love ‘er not. It’s about two mares bringin’ a foal inta this here world of ours!” Applejack stomped her hoof.

“Does it matter that they’re both mares?” Fluttershy asked standing her ground, which was rather uncharacteristic of the shy pony.

“It does!”

“And why is that? Two mares can give just as much love to a foal as a mare and a stallion!” Pinkie Pie said backing her up.

“It’s a stallion and a mare, not two mares! It makes a difference!” Applejack said stepping forward.

“Why does it make a difference!” the party pony said getting nose to nose with the farmer.

“Because it just does!”

“Listen you three! I don’t care what difference it does, or doesn’t make! It’s happening, and there’s nothing you can do about it!” Rainbow Dash said getting in the two ponies faces.

“It’s only happenin’ because of some magic Twilight used. It just ain‘t natural.” Applejack turned her head away from the Pinkie and Rainbow Dash. Anyone who knew Applejack knew that she wasn’t going to budge on the stance easily. She could be incredibly stubborn from time to time, and her friends were well aware of that.

“It may not be natural, but they do say that love finds a way,” Fluttershy summarized, back to her usual mild tone. She gave a gentle smile to Twilight and Rainbow Dash, showing she supported the two of them. After a moment, Applejack looked at Pinkie, and Fluttershy, not quite sure how to respond. Her eyes then found their way to Rarity.

“An' where do you stand on this whole mess, Rarity?” the farmer asked.

“Against it of course!” Her eyes darted away from her friends. “I’m sorry, that was terribly rude of me. I-It’s a tad much to take in if you understand what I am saying...” Rarity nervously brushed her mane out of her face. “Twilight, this is...how could you?“ she asked her friend with pleading eyes, looking for a better answer than ‘I was drunk’.

Twilight offered her nothing in return. She only averted her eyes, unable to meet her friend’s beseeching gaze.

“I-I...” Rarity stared, but trailed off once again. “This is...” she stammered, unable to put her thoughts into polite words. “Twilight, you know what this means...” she muttered, her eyes cringing as though she were on the verge of tears.

Rarity looked up at her friends, all staring at her with confused looks. “Perhaps, I had best not say anything after all, I might say something I will regret...You will have to excuse me, I...must be going,” she said quickly moving to the door. Before anyone could stop her, she was already outside.

Silence fell over the room before everyone turned their eyes to Twilight. The unicorn let out a heartbroken, but not surprised sigh. Her head hung low, and she was on the verge of tears. Seeing her friends argue over this was tearing her apart. Rarity was another mess, but she understood that one. She would have to talk to the white unicorn later to sort things out.

Twilight’s friends looked at the crestfallen pony, not sure what to say to her. Rarity, the one who they were hoping would settle the argument, ran off in a rather flustered state. There was something neither of the unicorns were telling the others, and that bothered them. Whatever it was, it was causing Twilight a great deal of pain. She had a sadness about her that just seemed to infect those around her. Seeing her friend in such a sad state struck a cord with the farmer. Applejack looked around the room, before giving a small sigh.

“I may not understand it, and I may not agree with it,” she said walking up to Twilight, “but they’re right.” She placed a hoof on the librarian’s shoulder. The other three ponies in the room gave Applejack a puzzled look.

“As long as y’all are happy, I’m happy for ya,” she said with a smile. “Rainbow Dash, you’d best be puttin’ a ring on that hoof now,” Applejack added with a sly smile.

Twilight cheered up a bit with Applejack’s blessing. “Actually unicorns put wedding bands on their horn,” she said with a small smile.

“Really? Pegasi wear them at the base of their wings,” Fluttershy said staring back at her unfurled wing.

“Wait a minute! I’ve never seen a unicorn with a ring on their horn!” Pinkie Pie walked up to Twilight, giving the unicorn a suspicious look. The librarian gave a bit of a nervous smile.

“Well, it’s only for the ceremony, we don’t usually wear them after because it might interfere with us using magic. There’s an old ponies' tale about wedding rings fusing to horns when you use magic. So no one really wears them anymore,” she said with a small chuckle, and an embarrassed glance away from her prying friend.

There was a small silence that fell over the room as Pinkie backed away, seeming satisfied with the reason. All the talk about how the different races wore their wedding rings was a nice distraction, but everyone knew someone would have to talk to Rarity. She rushed out in a fuss, and was definitely not okay with the situation like the rest of her friends.

“So who’s going to be the one to talk to Rarity?” Fluttershy asked timidly.

“I will,” Twilight said, walking towards the door. Her friends gave her a concerned look.

“Twilight...” Rainbow Dash stepped forward to stop her, but Twilight shook her head.

“This is something I have to do. I’m the only one who can calm her down...” Everyone started to object, but once they saw how determined she was, the gave in. Rainbow Dash reluctantly gave her a small nod. “It’s complicated, and I can’t really explain it right now, but I’m the one that needs to talk to Rarity,” Twilight said giving her friends a reassuring smile. “I’ll be back soon.”

Author's Note

After writing, and editing, and rewriting, and re-editing, and re-rewriting, and re-re-editing, and then taking a few days off, and not looking at it and then re-editing some more. I finally am at a place I feel happy with this chapter. There's clop and some foreshadowing for the next chapter, and also a good amount of insight into how Rainbow Dash and Twilight feel about each other.

I would like to point out that they didn't tell their friends exactly what happened in as much detail as you read. That's mostly for your pleasure.

If you have not read the previous chapters after 1/18/2014, there have been extensive rewrites. I would recommend rereading.

The Reasons Why

Rainbows in the Night Sky
Chapter 7: The Reasons Why

Twilight rushed out of the library, almost tripping over a certain baby dragon who was just outside the door. He barely noticed the unicorn coming to a screeching halt as he paced, anxiously. After a second he stopped, and rubbed his hands together in a nervous fashion. His big green eyes looked up at her full of uncertainty, before going back to staring down at the ground. A small, constant, almost inaudible mumble came from the little dragon; it sounded more like a grumble than words. It didn’t take Twilight too long to surmise what was worrying her little companion.

“Spike, where did Rarity run off to?” There was a small sense of urgency in her voice as she questioned the young dragon, though her query only seemed to upset him more. He glanced back and forth, debating whether or not to tell her something. There was a pause in his constant stream of mumbles, and then he paced back and forth a bit more. Finally he took a sharp breath to steady his nerves.

“S-She ran off, Twilight! She said something about you breaking a...t-ta-taboo?” The young dragon struggled on the last word. He wasn’t too sure of the meaning, nor if he was saying it right. “She seemed upset,” he added with tears forming in his eyes.

Seeing her little dragon in such a distraught state stopped Twilight’s urgent pursuit for a moment. She couldn’t very well leave him there like that. He was confused, and most of all worried. With a soft smile, she sat down and pulled him in close. As she pulled him in, he wrapped his little arms around her torso, squeezing her tightly.

“W-What’s going on Twilight? She sounded mad at you, but why?” His voice was shaky, and tears fell from his eyes. Spike buried his face deep into her lavender fur, sobbing softly. Twilight stroked his spiky head with a motherly affection, trying to calm him.

“It’s a long story Spike, but Rarity isn’t quite thinking straight at the moment. So, how about we go talk to her, and get this whole mess set right, alright?” She placed her hoof to his chin, pulling it up so he would look her in the eyes. With a small nod, the dragon wiped his tears. The unicorn stood up, giving the dragon some space so he could regain his composure. After a second, his tears stopped, and his breathing became steady again. With a small smile, she lowered herself enough so the little dragon could climb onto her back.

“Let’s go see Rarity, okay?” She tried to sound as upbeat as possible, though she knew this was going to be anything but a cheery visit. She told her friends that she would take care of this, but she really didn’t have the slightest clue on how she was going to do it.

“Why is she so mad at you, Twilight?” he asked again.

“Because, Spike, I’m having Rainbow Dash’s foal. I haven’t really told you, but two mares don’t usually have a foal together, that’s between a mare and a stallion.”

“I know that, but don’t understand why she’s so upset. You didn’t do anything bad did you, Twilight?”

“No...well, a little bit...” she said nervously. Twilight knew what she did was wrong, even taboo, but that was a reason to rush out of the library without talking things over. Rarity was freaking out, just like she knew she would, but Twilight had to talk to her before she did something drastic. Hopefully she could talk some sense into the unicorn.

“I’ll explain when we get to Rarity’s,” she said to her companion.

He replied with a simple nod. He wasn’t really sure what was going on, so there wasn’t a reason for him to refuse Twilight. Besides, he was worried about Rarity, and also Rarity and Twilight’s friendship.

As the two approached Rarity’s shop, they came across a rather confused Sweetie Belle leaving the building. She still had her eyes, firmly focused on the door she just walked out of, as if she wasn’t sure what had just happened to her. After a few blind steps forward, she came to a stop, and plopped down on the ground. Almost like she was telling the world ‘time out’ until she figured out what happened. The sudden approach of Twilight, caught the filly’s attention, snapping the puzzled pony back to reality.

“Hello, Sweetie Belle.” The elder unicorn tried to force a normal sounding greeting, which forcing it only made it sound strange. The confused filly slowly made eye contact with her, at a complete loss for words. Her mouth hung slightly agape as she still tried to wrap her head around what was happening inside the dress maker’s shop.

Twilight knew right away what had caused the young filly to be so confused. With a slight nod to Spike, he hopped down from Twilight’s back. Twilight sat down across from Sweetie Belle, giving her a moment to get a grip on what had happened.

“T-Twilight, I’m not sure if you want to go in there.”

“What happened?”

“Well, I was minding my own business when she threw open the door, and yelled at me to get out. She told me she had work to do, and I was in her way,” Sweetie Belle paused for a moment, still in disbelief, “which is weird because I was in the guest room coloring, so I really wasn’t in her way or anything. I know I wasn’t drawing on anything important, or using her stuff, so she shouldn’t have been mad at me...” Twilight let out a small sigh, placing a hoof on the young pony’s shoulder.

“I’m getting a little tired of saying this today,” Twilight muttered to herself, “ it’s complicated, Sweetie Belle...” she said to the little filly.

“What is?” the innocent unicorn asked, looking up at the librarian with big, naive eyes.

“Well, it’s partially...well really entirely my fault that your sister is acting this way. I just need to talk to her so she will calm down.” Sweetie Belle stared at the older pony for a minute, before shrugging her shoulders. She really didn’t need an explanation past ‘her sister’s a nutcase’. It still wasn’t any less weird though, Rarity was usually acting nuts for a reason, usually a trivial one, but still a reason, and this time there didn’t seem to be one.

“Why don’t you go find Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo, so you three can go play,” she playfully suggested to the young unicorn. Still with a confused look, Sweetie Belle sat up.

“I guess...I’m supposed to meet them today anyway,” the little unicorn said walking off.

“Well, this is it...” Twilight turned her head to spike. “Wait out here until things calm down a bit. It might get a little...crazy.” With a small nod, Spike agreed. Twilight let out an audible gulp as she walked to the door. Her mind couldn’t have prepared her for what she was about to see.

With a knock, Twilight entered into the boutique. A frazzled Rarity stood across the room levitating fabric, needles, thread, and designs frantically across her workspace. Her usually well-taken-care-of mane was, by Twilight’s standards, a slight mess, though by Rarity‘s it would be an utter disaster. Her eyes were slightly bloodshot, and an almost insane smile sat on her face. The white unicorn was trying to hard to bury herself in work, to forget about the story she had heard today.

“R-Rarity?” Twilight asked, taking another step into the designer’s workspace. Suddenly everything that was flying around the room came to a halt, as Rarity’s red, slightly tear soaked eyes snapped to Twilight.

“Twilight! Darling, what brings you here?” she asked in an almost maniacal tone. The unsettling smile still sitting on her face.

“Rarity really had lost it...” was about to slip past Twilight’s lips as she looked around the workshop, but she stopped herself.

“A-About earlier...”

“Whatever do you mean, Twilight? What “earlier” would you be referring to?” Slowly the objects held in place by the faint blue magical aura, began to fall. “Would it be the “earlier” when you hid the fact that you were pregnant?” The pace at which the tools, and materials fell increased as the designer’s voice grew louder, and more agitated.

“Or the “earlier” when you tried to hide who the father was?” As the final object fell, Rarity’s voice reached its peak of agitation, and volume.

“Or the “earlier” when you were hiding the fact that you used a forbidden spell!” Her eyebrows furled in anger from her friend’s deceit. After a moment, she took a deep breath, to regain her composure. As she exhaled, her normal, dignified look returned, and slowly a needle, thread, and a piece of fabric levitated into the air from where the fell onto the floor. The designer returned to her work as silence fell over the room.

Twilight suddenly didn’t feel like talking, but she realized she couldn’t just stand there silent. As much as she didn’t want to talk, she had to talk her friend down. “A-All of those I suppose...Rarity, I wanted to apologize—”

“Apologize? Twilight Sparkle, you broke an unspoken rule amongst unicorns to never use that spell!” Rarity screamed at the librarian, throwing her materials off to the side. Her lady like demeanor evaporated in an instant. Twilight had accidentally pushed her friend over the edge.

“I-I know that! Don’t you think I realize how stupid that was!” Twilight took a step forward, yelling back at the designer. “I was drunk—I wasn’t thinking...” After she realized she was yelling, she shrunk down a bit, lowering her head. She didn’t come to argue. She came to try and clear the air between them.

“Drunk? Do you really think it can be written off so easily?” Rarity walked towards her friend, anger still in her voice. Her horn sparked, emitting a bright blue aura. The same blue aura appeared around dress designs tacked to the wall, which began to fall to the ground, mannequins wobbled, the whole shop shook, and the usual order of the boutique fell into chaos.

“Rarity, please calm down!” Twilight pleaded with her friend, taking a defensive stance in anticipation for what might come. Rarity continued to walk towards her. The designer’s eyes filled with tears up as they narrowed at Twilight.

“Calm down? One of my most trusted friends tried to hide the dirtiest of deeds from me, and you expect me to calm down?” Her voice cracked under the strain.

Twilight could understand that Rarity felt utterly betrayed. Twilight was upstanding unicorn, one that she was proud to call her friend; a sweet, smart filly, who would help anyone in need, and certainly wouldn‘t do anything wrong—at least not on purpose. Yet here she stood, having broken a fundamental unicorn taboo. Her friend had officially committed social suicide, and could drag down her other friend with her.

Rarity couldn’t understand what would possess Twilight to do such a thing. Just what in Equestria could make her use that spell. The shame that would befall Twilight would be unfathomable. Her whole life would be subject to scrutiny. No unicorn would dare talk to her, and the sheer strangeness of her foal having two biological mothers would surely be off putting to any earth pony or pegasus. The gossip that would come, and rejection to follow would be unbearable. Rarity couldn’t stand the thought of Twilight going through that.

Twilight closed her eyes tightly, waiting for Rarity to hit her with something. She had made a decision when she walked in not to use magic. Twilight was by far better at magic, but the last thing she wanted to do was hurt Rarity. Her body tensed, as she could feel the distraught pony get closer. Just when she thought the blow was coming, instead, she felt her body being gently squeezed in a hug.

“Twilight, why, oh why didn’t you just come talk to me about this? I don’t want to see you shunned for some silly mistake! You’re one of my closest friends...” Rarity was in tears. The shaking, and rumbling from her magic stopped, the moment she embraced her friend.

“Rarity...” Twilight wrapped a foreleg around her friend.

“This has to have been hard on you...” the designer added.

“Well, you running off didn’t really help things,” Twilight chuckled a bit.

“Well, dear, that was just my initial reaction. It was quite a shock. I couldn’t really find words to express my feelings...” She paused for a moment. “But, society be damned, I cannot treat you like some sort of monster for what you did. You’re not some stranger, I know you. I couldn‘t bring myself to shun you, darling.” Tears continued to roll down the designer’s cheek.

After a moment Rarity pulled away from Twilight, wiping her eyes with her hoof as she did so. She felt a little embarrassed, and ashamed that she directed her anger towards her friend.

“I don’t know how could let myself get so upset...” Rarity continued.

“It’s just what you’re expected to do...”

“It’s not excusable,” Rarity replied. “Rainbow Dash and yourself are two consenting adults, so...I...suppose if you two wish to have a filly then...I shouldn’t object...” Rarity forced a small smile. “Although, it is...you two do know there are other options right?” she asked.

“W-We talked about it, and we’re against it...” Twilight replied looking down at the ground.

“I-I see, well...if this is what you two want...I shall support you.”

“Thank you, Rarity.” Twilight wrapped a foreleg around Rarity.

“Just try to understand, I was more upset for you than anything, dear...” Rarity couldn’t look Twilight in the eyes after what she did. Her friend placed a hoof on her shoulder, and that small gesture is all it took to bring a smile to Rarity’s face. With a small sniffle, she laughed slightly, still in disbelief over her own actions.

It was strange for Twilight to see her friend—who was usually so well kept—in such a mess. Her mane in disarray, her eyes had a tinge of red, and were slightly puffy from the tears, but most surprising was that her appearance was the furthest thing from Rarity’s mind. She was so engrossed in the moment, she didn’t even care. Her tantrum had just been a default response, so Twilight could really blame her. In fact, Rarity had been more upset for Twilight rather than at her. A smile grew on Twilight’s face when she realized this.

“I-Is it clear?” The two unicorns looked towards the door to see Spike poking his head in. The little dragon glanced around the shop to see if it was safe. He looked a little shaken up from the tremors, and commotion that were coming from the boutique until a moment ago. Rarity forced a smile on her face to cover up that she had been crying, once she saw the frightened dragon. Twilight motioned for him to join them.

“Rarity, I wanted to say I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. I mean, I should have told you girls after I found out. You especially, since you know what kind of trouble I could be in—” Rarity cut Twilight off with a hoof.

“I will hear no more of that. It’s all water under the bridge.” She gave a soft smile to her friend. “I just hope that you are willing to forgive me for how I acted.” Twilight gave her a nod without a second thought.

“About Rainbow Dash, and I as well...”

“Again, no more of that. As long as the two of you are happy, it’s fine with me. I’ll even keep it a secret if I must.”

Twilight couldn’t help but feel a heartfelt tear come to her eye. Without missing a beat, she wrapped her forelegs around her friend once more, squeezing her tightly. “Thank you so much Rarity.”

“Of course dear, what are friends for.” Rarity broke the hug, looking down at Spike. “And I’m sorry for scaring you so much, Spike.” She said placing a small kiss on his forehead. The little dragon felt like he was floating for a moment when those lips touched his forehead. Hearts replaced the iris of his eyes for a moment, as a dopy smile slid across his face.

“I do have to ask you though, Twilight. Where did you even learn that spell? I mean any book it could be found in these days, has the...um...sterilization...written into it.”

“The Canterlot Library,” she said with a small blush, “it was in an old section, buried in the back. I found a really dusty old book called Sensual Magic of the Unicorn Tribe: First Edition, if I recall it was printed roughly 2500 years ago... ”

“Well, that explains it...” she said with a small cough. “In any case, how is Rainbow Dash handling this matter?” the designer tried to get the conversation to a little less awkward place.

“She’s handling it I suppose—”

“Hold on a second, why were you even freaking out, Rarity?” Spike suddenly snapped back to reality from his dazed state, interrupting Twilight. The two mares looked at each other, then back at the dragon.

“I-It’s complicated...” Twilight said lowering her head. She was really starting to feel bad that she had to keep saying that today, but there was so much going on, it was too hectic to explain everything.

“Now, now, Twilight. You really should explain it to him, though do try and keep it...err...PG,” Rarity said with a small, awkward smile.

Twilight sighed a bit, dreading the day she would have to have this conversation with the little dragon. The birds and the bees are an awkward subject for anyone to cover, and here she was, giving it to him about two mares, and a spell. She was just hoping he wouldn’t have too many in depth questions.

“Well, you see, Spike. Many years ago, before Princess Celestia and Princess Luna ruled Equestria, there were the three tribes of ponies—”

“I heard this story at Hearth’s Warming Eve,” the dragon said with an unenthusiastic tone.

“Well then, I’ll skip ahead a bit...There was a point when the unicorn tribe was having a bit of a population crisis. So, with their magic, they created a spell that...um...” Twilight paused for a moment, carefully picking the appropriate phrasing for the young dragon, “let two mares make a foal without the help of a stallion.” Spike nodded his head, following her story so far. “The problem with this spell was there was no chance for the foal to be a colt, so only little fillies were born.”

“Wait, how does a mare and a stallion make a foal?” The dragon asked. That was the question Twilight had been dreading.

“Umm...You see, Spike. When a mare and a stallion love each other very much...they, umm...”

“Let’s just save that for when you’re a little older, okay?” Rarity jumped in, “It’s not too important to the story.” Spike didn’t look too pleased with her misdirection, but he reluctantly nodded.

“So, the spell would have been needed for the unicorn tribe to survive,” Rarity continued, helping the explanation along, “it very well could have doomed the whole unicorn race. That’s why they forbid ponies from using it.” She gave Twilight a small glare. The librarian could only respond with an embarrassed smile.

“Hold on, so that’s what this is about? Well, unicorns are doing fine now, why does it matter if Twilight used the spell?” he asked the two.

“Spike, unicorns may be doing fine now, but there is still a deep social stigma carried by that spell. If word gets out that Twilight got pregnant with it, then her life could very well be over.”

“S-Sti-Stigma?”

“It means ponies wouldn’t like me anymore, Spike...”

“She would be shunned by every unicorn in Equestria,“ Rarity added.

Twilight felt terrible suddenly having the severity of her situation laid bare before her. It did weigh heavy on her at first, but with the stress of her pregnancy, then her telling Rainbow Dash, and the two of them started dating, the taboo of the situation was pushed to the back of her mind. She tried her best to not think about it, hoping it would never come up, but that was futile. Twilight knew that from the start, but she still hoped. Now, after telling her friends, it was really starting to sink in. She would have to tell her parents, and her brother. Word will get out eventually, especially if she gives birth to a little pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane.

“How am I going to tell my parents...” Twilight voiced her inner thoughts. Her other friends didn’t understand the ridicule she may suffer if anyone found out she used this spell, and she doubted they could. Earth ponies and pegasi didn’t have this kind of stigma. It was something uniquely unicorn. She could very well be shunned by everyone in Canterlot, and quite possibly everyone in Equestria. Twilight wasn’t exactly a nobody. She was well known, and not just in Ponyville, but everywhere. Princess Celestia’s protégé and bearer of the Element of Magic, pregnant with another mare’s foal by way of a forbidden spell. She could hear the gossip now.

“Come now, Twilight. I’m sure your parents will be understanding.” Rarity tried to cheer her up, but Twilight knew it wouldn’t be so easy.

Twilight’s parents, while supportive and loving, held her on too high of a pedestal. There was no way they would just accept this without question. They took so much pride in their daughter, and their son for that matter. Any small blemish on either one of their children might just shatter their perfect image of them. Twilight could see her mother crying now, and that solemn disappointed look her father would give her on rare occasions. Not to mention the terrible shame that would befall them from her little mistake. Ponies might start harassing, or shunning them by association. She didn’t want her mom and dad to go through that. Then there was Shining Armor. He was married to Princess Cadence. They could be targeted too. Each thought that ran through Twilight’s head was worse than the last, and started to make her panic.

“I don’t know how they’ll handle this...they might disown me, or worse...and I don’t even want to think about what Shining Armor will say...”

“You don’t give your parents enough credit, Twilight,” Spike chimed in. “They love you, and I doubt they’ll disown you over this.”

Rarity nodded in agreement. “You do tend to overreact when it comes to these sort of things.”

Twilight sighed a bit, but realized they were right. Her parents loved her, and no matter what they wouldn’t reject her for this. Besides they’re getting that granddaughter they had always wanted. Twilight perked up a bit believing things would turn out fine—at least until she had to tell Shining Armor.

“I still want to keep this a secret, so aside from you two, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, nopony else is supposed to know about this, alright?” Twilight spoke in a hushed voice, stressing the secrecy of the matter.

“W-We’re not supposed to tell anypony else?” Spike said with an audible gulp.

“Nopony else,” Twilight said stressing the finality of her words.

“T-That might be a problem...” Spike said, putting his hands behind his back, and looking down at the floor. The little dragon fidgeted for a moment, before looking back at the Twilight.

“What do you mean?”

“I-I may have...told Sweetie Belle when she came back to get something after you went inside...” Twilight froze after what the dragon said for a few moments. Her heart felt like it had stopped mid beat.

“You...what?” she screamed finally after being frozen for a few moments. Her whole world just crumbled around her into tiny pieces. The more ponies that knew, the harder it would be to keep them quiet. “I-It’s okay, I just have to go talk to Sweetie Belle outside...” Twilight mumbled as she frantically walked to the door.

“That might be a problem too, s-she ran off to go play with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.” Spike sunk down after delivering more bad news to the librarian.

“Spike, what did you tell her exactly?” Twilight came to a stop, turning her head back towards her companion. She had an unusually calm tone, with a small smile on her face.

“T-That you were pregnant,” he paused for a moment, “and that it was Rainbow Dash’s...” The little dragon shrunk down a bit more, squeezing his eyes closed in anticipation for Twilight to snap.

“Well then, I will just have to find Sweetie Belle, and tell her not to tell anypony.” Twilight trotted off towards the door, with a rather cheery tone.

“Twilight, dear, Sweetie Belle has probably already told her friends.” Rarity took a few steps after her.

“Then, I will tell those fillies not to tell anypony.” She didn’t miss a beat. Her voice still rang with an eerie cheeriness that frightened the other two.

“Twilight, if those three know, then half of Ponyville most likely knows by now,” Rarity said, trying to catch up to her friend. “They don’t exactly keep secrets that well...” she continued.

“Then I will tell half of Ponyville not to tell anypony!” Twilight turned around, her pupils had shrunk down to the size of a pea. Her whole head twitched occasionally, with an half blink she didn‘t seem to be able to control. Her chest heaved from the heavy breathing, and there was a slight whistle as the air rushed past her clenched teeth. Twilight’s face had a rather unsettling smile stretching across, which made Spike shake.

“T-Twilight...” Rarity said putting a hoof on the broken pony.

“I-I’m sorry, when you told everypony in the library, I thought it was okay to tell ponies now...” the dragon blurted out.

“Spike, would you be a dear, and go tell my sister and her friends to not tell anypony.” the designer said as she wrapped a foreleg around Twilight. Spike stood there for a moment, in shock, before he agreed, and quickly ran out the door after Sweetie Belle.

“N-Nopony else can know, Rarity...nopony else...” Twilight repeated, in the midst of the biggest panic attack of her entire life. She breathed quick, and deeply, trying to catch her breath. Slowly her clenched jaw relaxed, and Twilight fell forward, gasping for air.

“Come now, just relax...” Rarity said, trying to calm her down. “The ponies of Ponyville are very understanding,” she said rubbing her hoof along Twilight’s back.

“Nopony else, Rarity!” Twilight finally yelled, burying her face into the designer’s chest, with deep, long, drawn out sobs quickly following.

As Spike ran out the door he bumped into a familiar group of four ponies. Rainbow Dash looked down at him, lending him a hoof to help him up. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack, gathered around the little dragon, voicing their concern for him. After a second, he rubbed his head, and graciously took the extended hoof.

“What’s the rush, Spike?” Pinkie asked after he got on his feet.

“Don’t tell me Twilight an’ Rarity are still fightin’...” Applejack seemed worried.

“No, they’re fine...well, kind of fine...” Spike looked back at the door, his mind still dwelling on Twilight.

“How can they be kind of fine?” Pinkie posed with a quizzical look.

“Well, Rarity and Twilight made up, but I told Sweetie Belle that Rainbow Dash was the father and, and I wasn‘t supposed to tell anypony, now she‘s off playing with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, and they‘re gonna tell everypony they see...and...and what am I going to do?” The panicked dragon took a deep breath after he finished. Spike explained the situation in a rather chaotic order, leaving some of the details rushed over, so the group of four struggled to keep up with what he was trying to tell them. Somehow though, they managed to get the gist of it.

“So, we just have to tell Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scoots not to tell anypony, right?” Rainbow Dash summarized. Spike gave her an exhausted nod, as he breathed heavily.

“Well then, what are we waiting for!” Pinkie said with a small jump.

“We don’t know where they are...” Fluttershy spoke up.

“I recall my sister sayin’ somethin’ about them havin’ a meetin’ ta get their cutie marks today. They’re probably at the tree house.” The farmer pondered aloud for a moment. After a second of remembering the conversation with her sister, she gave a reaffirming nod. Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie took the hint, and turned to walk to Sweet Apple Acres, but Rainbow Dash only stared at the door to Rarity’s shop.

“You guys go on ahead, I need to see how Twilight‘s handling this,” Rainbow Dash said, taking a step towards the boutique. It was obvious the Dash was worried about her marefiend, and her friends knew that Twilight probably needed her now more than anything. Her friends gave an understanding nod, and let the pegasus go see her lover without question.

The pegasus knocked on the door, which after a moment lit up with a light blue magical aura, and slowly opened. Rainbow Dash was greeted with the sight of Twilight crying into Rarity’s chest, as the other unicorn reassured her.

“Rainbow Dash, it’s you!” Rarity said, surprised, “Come in, come in!” She motioned with her free hoof, telling the pegasus to enter.

At the mention of her marefriend’s name Twilight pulled herself out from Rarity’s bosom. Her eyes were bloodshot, puffy, and streams of fresh tears flowed down her cheeks. She was a mess if Rainbow Dash had ever seen on, but the pegasus didn’t care about that. Her winged lover gave her a small smile, which calmed her heart for a moment.

“Dashie!” Twilight said galloping into the pegasus’s awaiting forelegs. She hit her lover’s chest, and began sobbing deeply once more. She squeezed the pegasus tightly, as she rubbed her tears into Dash’s fur. The librarian’s long deep sobs seemed to echo through Rainbow Dash’s chest.

She could only smile down at Twilight. She didn’t mind being soaked in her tears, or the strange tickle from the vibrations going through her chest, she only wanted to see Twilight. She stroked her lover’s mane gently, trying to calm the distraught librarian down.

“Are you okay?” she asked after a moment. The unicorn shook her head, without taking it out from the sanctuary of her marefriend’s chest. Dash gave a soft, empty smile, but her eyes betrayed the pain of seeing Twilight like this. She wanted to do something for her, anything. However, she knew that all she could do was support Twilight.

“So, Spike kinda told us what’s up, but he didn’t really explain it too well,” she said, looking to Rarity to fill in the gaps.

The other unicorn nodded. “What parts would you like to know?”

“Why you freaked out for one, and why can’t anypony know that it’s my foal?”

“Well, they’re both kind of the same question...” she paused for a moment. “It was quite a lot to handle, that‘s why I rushed out of the library...” Rarity said, looking a little ashamed of herself.

“Obviously, how do you think I took it when she told me,” Rainbow Dash said callously. “But seriously, even Applejack’s okay with us being together, what‘s your problem.”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I don’t have anything against the two of you being together. I was upset because of some social norms, and...well, conditioning that we unicorns are taught when we are younger...”

“Uh-huh...” Rainbow Dash looked at her, expecting more explanation.

“You see, the spell Twilight used has a bit of a notorious reputation. A long time ago unicorn population was dwindling, and that uncouth spell was...created to combat that issue, if you will.” The unicorn’s cheeks flushed red as she danced around the more colorful explanation. “However, only fillies can be conceived with that spell, and that could have doomed the unicorn race to extinction. So we decided to strongly discouraged its use by...excommunicating anypony who used it.”

“So, what’s that mean for Twilight?”

“It means she will be shunned if word gets out. Unicorns can be very finicky, Rainbow Dash; we tend not to associate with ponies that go against the grain.”

“So, are you’re going to shun her too?” The pegasus’s eyes narrowed as her voice showed a small tinge of anger. “That’s not fair!”

“I don’t plan on shunning Twilight, Rainbow Dash. Please, she is my friend after all. However, after hearing that she used that spell, it was hard to bear. I was just so distraught, so I ran...”

“Ever the drama queen, huh?” Rainbow Dash replied, rolling her eyes.

“Dashie...nopony can know...” Twilight looked up into her marefriend’s eyes, her own still filled with tears. The pegasus continued to stroke her mane, giving her lover a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry, Twilight. I won’t let anypony hurt you, okay?” Twilight buried her face back into Rainbow Dash’s chest, her sobs becoming less frequent. It was hard for the pegasus to just sit back and watch Twilight cry, but what else could she do. She had to leave the rest to Spike, and her friends to take care of.

Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo were in the Cutie Mark Crusader’s clubhouse, talking about the activities that they were planning. Scootaloo had just arrived a few minutes before, and was packing some bags. Apple Bloom was gathering some excavation equipment. Just as the two were about to finish up, Sweetie Belle burst in the clubhouse door. The sudden noise from the door swing open, startled the two fillies, causing them to drop their bags they were packing, spilling everything onto the floor. The other two crusaders looked at one another, then back to the excited unicorn with some mild irritation. She seemed oblivious to their stares as she boasted a smile ear to ear; she looked positively ecstatic.

“What’s up Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo asked.

“Did ya bring the shovel?” Apple Bloom added.

“Forget the shovel, I’ve got some big news!” The two fillies stopped repacking their bags, waiting for their friend to tell them the big news. Sweetie Belle couldn’t stop bouncing in place, still worked up about what she heard. Her eyes beamed with excitement, unable to contain her enthusiasm.

“Well? Spit it out!” Scootaloo demanded.

“I just heard that Twilight is having a foal!” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked at one another with uninterested eyes, before shrugging their shoulders.

“So?” the young pegasus said, her voice told how apathetic she was.

“So, you’ll never guess who the daddy is!” the unicorn filly said with another small jump of excitement.

“Umm, Dr. Hooves?” Apple Bloom guessed. Suddenly the orange filly next to her fell on the floor, laughing at her friend’s guess. She squeezed her sides as she rolled around for a moment, utterly absorbed in her laughter. When she finally calmed down enough to stand back up, she looked at Apple Bloom with condescending eyes.

“Please, he's a time traveler. Do you really think he’d have a foal with just any old pony?” the young pegasus scoffed at her friend’s answer, still trying to suppress a small laugh.

“That’s just a rumor Snips and Snails started, Scoots! He ain’t a time traveler!” the earth pony defended.

“I’ve seen him duck into his time machine and everythi—”

“It’s not Dr. Hooves!” Sweetie Belle interrupted with a stomp of her hoof. The little unicorn filly was getting frustrated with her friends going off topic.

“I dunno, just tell us.” Neither of the two filles seemed to care about Sweetie Belle’s story to begin with, as they went back to gathering some of the materials for today’s adventure.

“It’s Rainbow Dash!” Sweetie Belle said with another bounce. Her two friends dropped what they were doing, staring at each other, then at the unicorn in utter disbelief.

“T-Twilight an' Rainbow Dash?” the earth pony asked her friend as she raised an eyebrow. Sweetie Belle responded with a nod. “T-That don’t even make any sense Sweetie Belle.” Apple Bloom remained skeptical.

“Yeah, didn’t your mom and dad ever tell you that two mares can’t make a foal!” Scootaloo said walking over to her friend. “Besides, Rainbow Dash is too cool for a bookworm like Twilight!” she added, placing a hoof on the unicorn’s back, patting her in a condescending manner.

“It’s true, I heard it from Spike!” Scootaloo‘s hoof stopped moving, as she stared off, blankly.

“Spike woundn’t lie about somethin’ like that...” Apple Bloom said, with Scootaloo nodding in agreement. “Still don’t make any sense though,” the earth pony added.

“Sure it does! I heard my mom say once that there’s a spell unicorns can use that lets them make a foal with another mare!” the little unicorn said, excitedly. “Though she didn’t make it sound like such a good thing...” Her mood dipped a little with the last bit.

The other two fillies looked at her, not quite sure what to think. The more the idea sat though, the more excited the two felt. Apple Bloom looked forward to a new filly to play with, and Scootaloo was excited that Dash was having a kid. After a second of pondering, Apple Bloom perked up.

“Let’s go tell my sister!” Apple Bloom suddenly shouted, utterly ecstatic at the prospect of telling her sister, “She’s Twilight’s friend, she’ll wanna hear this!” the young filly said, rushing over to her two friends. With a nod the other two agreed, eager smiles stretching across their faces.

“Come on girls, let’s go ta the farm!” Apple Bloom ran out the clubhouse door, followed closely by Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. As the three crusaders left view of their tree house, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Spike could be seen walking up to the fort.

“Apple Bloom?” the orange mare called up at the empty clubhouse. After she didn’t hear a reply, she climbed the ladder up the tree, calling her younger sister’s name once more as she did so. When she looked inside the clubhouse, and didn’t see any of the three fillies, she let out a small sigh. The mare tipped up her hat, and scratched her head with her hoof.

“Where the hay did those three get off to?” she pondered aloud to herself.

“Maybe they went to the farm?” Fluttershy said, floating behind the farmer.

“Couldn’t hurt ta go an’ have a gander...” the earth pony said, climbing down the ladder.

“I’m so dead if we don’t find those two,” Spike said, slumping over.

“Come on, now. Cheer up, sugarcube. It ain’t all that bad.” Applejack placed a hoof on the dragon’s shoulder. “I bet they just headed ta the farm for some refreshments.”

At the farm, the three fillies, ran around looking for Applejack, to tell her the big news, but the farmer was nowhere to be found. They checked the apple orchard, the barn, behind the house, but they couldn’t find Applejack. Finally, as the three, wandered around the front of the house, they saw Big McIntosh talking to Cheerilee by the front gate. The three glanced at each other, deciding they might as well tell someone. With a cheerful nod from all three fillies, they eagerly ran up to the stallion and mare.

“Big Mac, Big Mac!” Apple Bloom called as she ran to her big brother. The frantic little fillies caught the two’s attention, putting an end to their conversation.

“Hello, girls,” their teacher said with a chipper smile, “I was just talking to Big Mac here about the weather. He says it’s been perfect for apple bucking.” She had a small laugh, thinking back on how pointless their conversation had been.

“Hello, Ms. Cheerilee!” the three fillies greeted their teacher, before turning to Big Mac.

“Big Mac, did ya hear Twilight’s having a foal?” Apple Bloom had an unusual excitement in her voice. Her brother didn’t share in that excitement however, as his eyes remained half closed. The towering stallion shook his head, giving her a ‘nope’ as he did so. Their teacher on the other hoof, flushed red with embarrassment, having heard the rumor.

“Well, she is! An’ did ya hear who the dad is?” she asked rhetorically, giving the stallion a sly smile.

“Eenope,” he replied, his eyes still half closed.

“I heard from a very reliable source that the daddy is Rainbow Dash!” Sweetie Belle continued the excitement of her friend. The two older ponies looked at each other, and couldn’t help but give a small laugh.

“Girls, I don’t know how to tell you this, but two mares can’t have a foal together.” The teacher chuckled in a slightly condescending manor at her students’ innocent view of the world. Even Big Mac had a small smirk on his face.

“We know that, but a unicorn can make it happen!” Sweetie Belle stomped her hoof at the two older ponies’ dismissive attitude.

“Oh, Sweetie Belle. Unicorn magic doesn’t work that way,” her teacher continued dismissing the little filly.

“It does so, I heard my mom talking about it!” Her remark stopped Cheerilee for a moment, as she thought about it. The teacher didn’t recall hearing about unicorn’s having that kind of spell before. After a moment she glanced at Big Mac.

“Have you heard of that before Big Mac?” she asked the stallion.

“Eenope,” he replied shaking his head slightly.

As soon as the stallion said that, a grey pegasus mare made a crash landing next to the two elder ponies. Cheerilee jumped back slightly, spooked by the accident, while Big Mac had no reaction at all.

“I just don’t know why that keeps happening...” she said, looking up at Big Mac with a walleyed gaze. Suddenly she snapped up, handing the stallion some mail.

“Big Mac, just the pony I was looking for!” the pegasus said happily.

“Are you alright, Ditzy?” the school teacher asked, glancing over the mare’s body to see if she was injured.

“Yeah, I’m used to it.”

“Hey Ditzy!” The young pegasus ran next to the mailmare, giving her a sly smile. “Did you hear, Twilight Sparkle is having a foal?” The bubbly mare gave her a nod.

“Of course, pretty much all of Ponyville knows that already,” she replied, with a bubbly laugh.

“Well, do ya know who the dad is?” Scootaloo could tell she piqued the grey mare’s interest. Ditzy leaned down to the younger pegasus’s level, lending her an ear.

“Let’s hear it,” she said eagerly awaiting the juicy gossip.

“We heard from a reliable source that the dad is Rainbow Dash!” The young filly said jumping up into the air, her wings buzzing as she did so.

“No way!” the mail pony said taking a step back in disbelief.

“Now, girls. It’s not good to start rumors!” Cheerilee scolded.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed, his usually apathetic eyes narrowed, hinting his disapproval.

“It’s not a rumor, it’s true! Spike told me!” the young unicorn protested.

“Spike did?” The teacher was shocked to hear that Spike would say something like that. He wasn’t the kind to spread rumors, let alone one about his closest friend. Maybe what the three fillies were saying was the truth.

“So, did Twilight use that one spell?” Ditzy Doo asked.

“You know about the spell, Ditzy?” the small unicorn asked.

“I get around a lot, so I’ve heard about it.” The older pegasus raised her hoof to her chest in pride. She would have looked cool, if she didn’t lose her balance in the process. Ditzy tumbled over, landing on her side. The mare again question rhetorically why that kept happening to her as she did so.

“Well, I had best get going, I’ve got more mail to deliver,” she stated as she got back on all fours. With a small wave of her hoof, causing her to wobble a bit more, she slowly took off into the air. As she faded into the distance, the remaining ponies voiced their concerns for the clumsy mare.

“There ya are, Apple Bloom!” Applejack’s familiar voice called out from behind her. Her elder sister, and her three friends came walking up to the three fillies, and Big Mac.

“Howdy, Ms. Cheerilee,” Applejack said with a tip of her hat.

“Hello, Applejack,” the teacher returned the greeting with a warm smile. “I was just about to leave actually, I’ll see you around, Big Mac,” she said turning to walk away. Her eyes looked down at the small dragon next to the three mares, eliciting a small flash of red in her cheeks.

“A-And I will see you girls at school tomorrow,” she added before leaving the farm. As the group of ponies watched the teacher walk away, Spike tugged on Applejack’s tail slightly, reminding the farmer why they came.

“Oh, yeah!” Apple Bloom suddenly spoke up before her sister could say anything. “Applejack, you’ll never guess what I heard!” the little filly said with glee. Her elder sister shook her head, dampening her spirit.

“About what you heard today, Apple Bloom. An’ this goes fer all of ya,” the farmer said turning her attention to the other two fillies as well. “Don’t go tellin’ nopony about Twilight, alright?” The crusaders looked at Applejack with a puzzled look.

“Why not?” Scootaloo was the first to ask.

“Yeah, a foal’s a good thing isn’t it?” Sweetie Belle added.

“A foal’s a good thing, that’s true, but Twilight doesn’t want anypony knowin’ about who the father is, okay?”

“Why?” Pinkie suddenly asked, eliciting a glare from Applejack.

“Don’t matter, just don’t go tellin’ anypony,” she said, returning her attention back to the fillies.

“Please, Apple Bloom don’t tell anypony!” Spike pleased with her.

“That might be a tiny bit of a problem.” The stallion took a step toward’s the elder of the two sisters. “They already told Cheerilee, an’ Ditzy Doo, along with myself.” There was a long pause from everyone.

“Uh-oh...”

The sun was setting in the sky, casting a deep red glow over Ponyville. The door to the Golden Oaks Library opened slowly, revealing an exhausted Twilight Sparkle being guided in by a crestfallen Rainbow Dash. The unicorn’s head hung low, her cheeks still soaked from tears.

The pegasus next to her had a deep sadness in her eyes after walking her marefriend home. It hurt Dash to see Twilight like this, but what hurt her more was her inability to do anything about it. She was the kind of mare who couldn’t just sit around and let Twilight feel better on her own, she wanted to do something for her. When she had asked Twilight at Rarity’s if there was anything she could do, Twilight only shook her head. She looked over at the depressed unicorn, seeing her tumble over into a bookshelf. Unable to even pick herself up, she just lay there.

“Twilight, let’s get you something to eat,” the pegasus said, trying to brighten the mood a bit as she walked to the kitchen, “I feel kinda bad since we missed our lunch date today.”

“I’m fine, I just want to go to bed,” the librarian muttered, slowly sliding along the bookcases. Sluggishly she made her way towards the stairway, fighting the urge to just fall down right there. Her day had taken its toll, and all Twilight could think to do to remedy the situation was go to sleep.

“Come on, Twilight you have to eat something...” Dash protested, as she watched her marefriend struggle to the stairs. The sight made her feel even worse than when she walked her home.

Twilight remained silent, refusing to answer Rainbow Dash. As she took her first step onto the stairs, she weakly fell into the wall again. With a sigh, her pegasus lover went to her side, helping her up the stairs.

“I just want to go to sleep, maybe when I wake up, today will have just been a dream...” Twilight’s eyes weighed heavy, her voice told of a broken spirit. Rainbow Dash stayed close to her, knowing that life hit the unicorn hard today, and all the stress she was under couldn’t have been good for the foal either.

“Don’t worry Twilight, I’m sure Spike and the others got to Sweetie Belle before she told anypony.” She was still trying to remain positive for Twilight’s sake. Her lover turned her head away, too absorbed in her pessimism to cheer up.

“After today, I just want to go to sleep...” she replied, rubbing the cheek on Rainbow Dash’s. The pegasus returned her lover’s affection, silently agreeing with her, as she walked her to her bed. This defeatist attitude of her’s was pulling on Dash’s heart strings hard.

Twilight plopped down into the mattress, burying herself under the sheets. With out even thinking about it, she turned her back to Rainbow Dash, which seemed like a hint to the pegasus to leave. With a heavy heart and a sigh, the athlete turned to leave, but was stopped by a tug on her tail. When she turned her head, she saw a magenta aura around her tail. She followed the line of magic from her tail to Twilight, who’s horn was glowing the same color.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Twilight asked, her voice was shaking slightly.

Rainbow Dash stared at the librarian, who was peaking over her shoulder as she lay on the bed. She couldn’t help but be a little confused at the conflicting signals the unicorn was sending her way. Did she want her to stay or not?

“Didn’t you want to be alone?” she asked to be sure.

“No, I want you right here...don’t think you can leave me alone tonight...” She took her eyes off Dash, burying them deep in the corner of the room as her cheeks glowed with a tinge of red. She realized it had to be hard to understand where she was coming from, but Twilight wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted either. She just knew that the thought of being alone was too much, and the only thing that made her feel better was being next to Rainbow Dash.

What she said didn’t sound fair to the pegasus. Rainbow Dash had always been there for Twilight, even before they started dating, and now Twilight made it sound like she was abandoning her. With a small shake of her head, she pushed those kind of thoughts out of her mind. She knew that Twilight had a rough day, and probably didn’t mean it that way.

“Well, when you put it like that...” She walked back to the bed, crawling under the sheets with Twilight.

A small content smile spread across the unicorn’s face as she curled up next to Rainbow Dash. Her body heat was just the remedy she needed right now. She didn’t notice it when she was confronted by her friends, or when she was crying her eyes out at Rarity’s, or even on the way home. But it was when Dash was about to leave that it really hit her, Twilight felt her heart sink with a sense of complete loneliness. It was Rainbow Dash being there, next to her that made things seem like they would be alright. It didn’t matter who found out, or how ponies treated her, things would be just fine as long as she had her marefriend there by her side. Seeing that smile grow on Twilight’s face put the pegasus’s heart at ease.

“Don’t think I wanted to have sex tonight, or anything like that. I just really needed you here with me.” Twilight’s eyes drifted shut to the symphony of her lover’s heartbeat.

“That’s fine, I just really wanted to be here with you,” Rainbow Dash replied contently.

She had been stressing over what she could do; it felt like she was watching Twilight from a distance, unable to help at all. When the librarian tried to handle things on her own, they only seemed to get worse, quickly snowballing out of control. In the end, she just buried herself in her tears, expecting Dash to be there for her. It was an unfair expectation, but she didn’t mind that. What hurt the pegasus more, was her own inability to do anything to fix this whole mess.

Even when Rainbow Dash tried to be supportive at Rarity’s, it was too passive for the head-strong pony. Rainbow Dash felt down right useless. She didn’t want to just be there for Twilight, she wanted to take care of her problems. But just now when she saw that content smile on Twilight’s face as the lavender beauty was drifting off to sleep, she knew that’s what she had to do. She just needed to be there for her, to be that pillar of support. She had to be the strong foundation that Twilight built herself upon, at least until Twilight finished dealing with this. Though she wasn’t happy about it, she knew she had to accept it.

She wrapped a foreleg around her marefriend. The two were tired from their emotional roller coaster of a day, and they found a sense of peace in each other’s embrace. As the sun set in the sky, both ponies surrendered to sleep’s sweet embrace, unaware what the future would hold.

Author's Note

This chapter's done, though I'm not too sure about it. I'm personally in a good place with the chapter, but my hang up is I feel like I might be imposing on the characters too much, especially towards the end. I also considered splitting this into two chapters, but decided against it, since I have plans for the next chapter.

Also things are getting serious now too.

If you have not read the previous chapters after 1/18/2014, there have been extensive rewrites. I would recommend rereading.

Before the Storm

Rainbows in the Night Sky
Chapter 8: Before the Storm

The sun softly caressed Twilight’s face, gently rousing the unicorn from her slumber. After a few, quick blinks, she was able to stave off the urge to close her eyes and drift back to sleep. Her head however, felt far too heavy to lift off the pillow, so she resigned herself to simply lie there and rest for a while longer. She was still deep in a lazy morning daze, and her body refused to respond to any commands she gave. All she could do was stare out the window next to the bed, and watch the sun rise. The scenery was truly beautiful to watch, as the sun made its ascent in the morning sky, casting its soft, orange glow upon the trees. Twilight could almost watch the shadows recede as time passed.

The birds sang beautifully that morning, almost like a sweet siren song beckoning the unicorn out from her covers. Begrudgingly she heeded their calls, but as she tried to crawl out from under the sheets, she noticed a cyan hoof resting on her chest. She had only been faintly aware of the warmth pressed against her back, and didn’t think anything of it until that moment. Seeing that hoof reminded her that Rainbow Dash slept over last night. Her lover’s hoof brought a content smile to her face. Twilight laid her head down once more, and closed her eyes, attempting to get back to sleeps sweet embrace.

“You awake, Twi?” She heard a soft, groggy voice ask from behind her.

“I guess,” she replied, giving up on her plan to go back to sleep. Twilight let out a small yawn, feeling her desire to return to sleep fading.

“You feeling better?” Dash asked.

It hadn’t occurred to Twilight that the fatigue in her voice could be misconstrued as depression. She wanted to tell Rainbow Dash that she did feel better after a good night’s sleep but, she couldn’t do that in good conscious without actually feeling better. When she woke up, Twilight hadn’t thought about how she felt, or last night’s events—she didn‘t want to. After a long night’s rest, she had finally managed to push her stress and fears from her mind. Deep inside though, she knew that she couldn’t bury those feelings forever.

So Twilight contemplated it for a moment, trying to decide if she really felt better, or not. Images of yesterdays inquisition, Rarity’s little scene, and then Sweetie Belle finding out, all those scenes replayed in her mind. It didn’t take much for her to realize that really didn’t feel better. The whole situation yesterday made her sick just thinking about it. The stress was enough to make her want to throw up.

Actually she really did feel nauseous.

Without any notice, Twilight jumped out of bed, throwing sheets, and Rainbow Dash’s hoof off of her. She darted out of the bedroom faster than Rainbow Dash could clear a cloudy sky. All that was left was a cloud of dust, and the shrinking sound of hooves running down the hall. A few seconds after Twilight vanished, a loud slam could be heard echoing through the library.

Rainbow Dash looked at the vacant spot on the bed, and then to the doorway. Watching Twilight run out, left the pegasus confused. However, once she heard the echoing slam of the bathroom door, and a muffled ‘bleh’ sound shortly following, she realized why. The athlete rolled her eyes, as a picture quickly formed as to what was going on. “You know, this is the second time this has happened...” she called out. This time though, she wasn’t going to just walk out without saying anything. She crossed her forelegs, and waited in bed for Twilight to return from her little trip. She only had to wait a few minutes for her lavender lover to come back. Her eyes followed the unicorn as she stepped gingerly, trying not to upset her stomach again.

“That’s the second time that’s happened...” the pegasus repeated rather irritated, but there was still a hint of a sulk in her tone. Twilight responded to her accusation with a puzzled look.

“That’s the second time you ran out of bed on me to go throw up...” Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but pout slightly. Her forlegs tightened in their grip, and she solidified her crossed posture. Her lips poked out slightly, selling the fact that she was upset.

“S-Sorry...” Twilight’s head sunk down a bit, remembering how she reacted the morning after she and Dash got together for the first time. “That time was morning sickness...I think...”

“You think?” Rainbow Dash raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“I wouldn’t know, I’ve never been pregnant before, which means I’ve never had morning sickness. It could also very well have been stress related. Either way, it wasn’t because of you.” She crawled back into bed next to her marefriend, giving her a small kiss on the cheek.

“...Please tell me you brushed after you threw up.” Rainbow Dash had a disgusted look on her face.

“Of course I did.” Twilight rolled her eyes at the stupid remark.

“Thank Celestia,” Dash said with a sigh of relief. She leaned over, closing in on Twilight to give her a kiss of her own.

“Cele?- CELESTIA!” Twilight jumped out of bed again, pushing Rainbow Dash back once more. “Oh sweet Celestia, I forgot I have to tell Celestia! Oh how could I be so foalish!” As soon as she hit the floor, Twilight began pacing back and forth. She had the same stressed look that plagued her yesterday spreading across her face.

Rainbow Dash shook her head, after being tossed aside. She rolled her eyes, and let out a groan after seeing what Twilight was doing. Now she was more irritated than sulking. “Twilight...” the pegasus said trying to snap the panicking unicorn back to reality. Her words didn’t get through to Twilight at all. The panicking librarian was far too lost in her worry to hear the outside world.

“How could I forget to add the princess to my list of ponies to tell. How will she even react...oh no, what if she banishes me, or throws me in prison, or worse!”

“Twilight!” Dash called again.

“I could be publicly denounced, banished, and THEN sent to prison!” The more she paced the more irritated Rainbow Dash became. A visible vein starting to throb on the pegasus’s forehead after being continually ignored.

“TWILIGHT!” she finally yelled, reaching her breaking point.

“What?” Twilight almost jumped out of her skin when Rainbow Dash yelled at her.

“Calm down, there’s nothing you can do about it right now. Just come back to bed, okay?”

“B-But-”

“No buts, just get back to bed. There’s nothing you can do about it right now! Stressing out about this won’t solve anything, you‘re just getting yourself worked up!” Reluctantly, Twilight nodded her head, accepting Rainbow Dash’s demand.

Slowly, the realization that Rainbow Dash was right sunk in. She recognized that there really wasn‘t any point stressing over it; she wasn’t going to go to Canterlot that very instant and tell Princess Celestia, so why work herself up over it. Looking at it from Rainbow Dash’s perspective as well, the pegasus didn’t want to see her marefriend stressing over it either, so all the stress wasn’t doing either of the two ponies any good.

With a deep breath to settle herself, she crawled back into bed with her athletic lover. Once she hit the pillowy surface, she tumbled into lover, burying herself in Dash’s lean, but muscular chest once more. Unlike yesterday though, this was a show of affection, as opposed to using her as an escape. She lovingly nuzzled against her marefriend, enjoying her warmth, and smell. It hadn’t occurred to Twilight how nice Rainbow Dash smelled, if she had to describe it, she smelled like the sky. A deep warmth rose in her chest, when the fragrance of clouds, fresh air, and the mare’s own sweet scent came flooding into her nose. Twilight wasn’t sure what a cloud smelled like, but that’s just the impression she got. There was a subtle ruggedness in the wonderful scent, coupled with a touch of femininity. Twilight chuckled as she realized how perfectly it matched Rainbow Dash’s tom-coltish personality.

The sudden bid for affection drove the pegasus mad with how cute Twilight was acting. She wrapped a hoof around the mare, now on top of her, holding her tight. She planted a small kiss on her head, soaking in Twilight for a moment. She continued to return Twilight’s affection by stroking the unicorn’s mane, gently as she embraced her. “Things’ve gotten crazy, huh...” Dash commented with a soft smile.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I dunno, the way we’re acting, it feels like we’ve been dating for months, but it’s been less than a week.” she had a small chuckle in her voice, expressing her disbelief.

“...Does it bother you that things are moving so fast?” Twilight asked, resting her head against her lover’s chest, listening to her heart beat, while she waited for a response.

“Not really,” she replied. “If it bothered me, you’d know. Besides, we've been friends for a while, so it's not like we're complete strangers. We can skip a few steps, you know?”

The two laid in silence for a moment, simply enjoying each other. Through the content silence, Twilight faintly became aware of the chatter outside, as Ponyville was waking up. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand next to the bed, which read seven o’clock.

“You know, I just want to say thanks...what would I do without you?” she mused.

“Probably go crazy,” Dash replied bluntly.

“You’re probably right,” she said, sitting up. “How about we get some breakfast?” She quickly changed the subject, to which Rainbow Dash nodded eagerly.

“I’m starved,” the pegasus said, jumping up out of the bed quicker than Twilight could even set one hoof on the floor.

“Me too, I haven’t eaten since yesterday morning.”

“Spike, time to—” She stopped mid sentence when she noticed Spike wasn’t in his bed. “Did Spike not come home last night?”

“He was with Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy last I saw him. He probably stayed with one of them.” It took Twilight a moment to acknowledge what the other mare said. She stared at his little bed, that was still a mess from the previous day, feeling guilty suddenly.

“I need to go find him!” she said rushing towards the stairs.

“Twilight, Spike will be fine till after you get something to eat.” Dash put out a hoof to stop her, but it wasn’t necessary.

Twilight staggered a few steps on her trembling legs, before regaining her balance. Her stomach let out a long, deep rumble, telling her she absolutely had to eat. She couldn’t help but feel a little pathetic, and embarrassed that her legs actually tried to give out on her in hunger. With a drawn out sigh, she knew she needed food, but Spike needed her too. She sat down on the floor for a moment, trying to force her body to work with her.

“Ugh, I can’t believe this, I’m pathetic,” Twilight muttered. She glanced back at the little empty bed, feeling the guilt weigh on her again. What kind of mother would she be if she didn’t even notice Spike wasn’t there last night. Sure, she was a little emotionally unstable, but that baby dragon counts on her, and soon a little filly will to.

Twilight climbed back onto her hooves, narrowing her eyes in protest at her own weakness as she did so. She took a step to leave, but she was met with a stern glare from Rainbow Dash. A glare that said over Dash’s dead body would she let Twilight leave without eating. Almost on cue, her stomach let out another deep rumble, that sapped the strength from her legs once more.

“I’ll go find him after breakfast,” Twilight said reluctantly, surrendering to Rainbow Dash.

“I’ll go with you,” Dash replied, rubbing her nose on Twilight’s. The small loving gesture made Twilight smile. That small physical contact immediately made her feel better.

“Is it really alright to miss work for that?”

Rainbow Dash gave a nod. “Yeah, after that storm a few days back, and the bit of cloudy weather we had the past few days, we’re scheduled to be sunny for the rest of the week. So I’m pretty much free.”

Twilight motioned towards the stairs, leading the pegasus into the kitchen. As Twilight rounded the corner, her horn sparked with a magical glow, as did a cabinet door across the room. With a small tug of her head, the door opened, and a bag of pancake mix levitated over to her.

“How do pancakes sound?” she asked.

“Sounds good,” Dash replied, taking a seat at the table.

As Twilight levitated a bowl over, and the other necessary ingredients, there was a knock on the library door. The unicorn let out an agitated sigh, not quite sure whether to ask Dash to get the door, or to take care of the pancakes. As she debated, another knock came from the door.

“The sign on the door clearly says the library opens at nine o’clock!” she said rolling her eyes. With a quick glance at Rainbow Dash, she motioned for her to finish the prep work.

“What kind of pony doesn’t read a sign clearly labeled “hours of operation”, I mean it’s right there, at eye level!” she grumbled to herself as she walked to the door.

“Hello, how can I help you?” she asked, masking her irritation, as the door engulfed in a magical glow from her horn. When it opened, she didn’t see an eager pony looking for knowledge, instead, she saw her friends, save for Rarity. A small purple dragon stood behind the group of ponies, trying to make himself as small as possible to hide from Twilight.

“Oh, it’s you girls, come in,” she said with a small smile.

“Twilight, we have somethin’ important ta tell ya. I think y’all should sit a spell, sugarcube,” Applejack said before even stepping foot in the library. It didn’t take a genius to figure out she was about to break some bad news. Twilight’s cheery appearance vanished quickly, as she solemnly motioned for her friends to come in.

“Spike, I’m glad you’re home,” Twilight said. She put on a warm smile for her little assistant. The baby dragon lowered his head, trying his best to avoid Twilight’s gaze. “What’s the matter, Spike?” Twilight asked, seeing he was avoiding her.

“Well you see—” Pinkie started to say, but was interrupted.

“Stop right there!” Rainbow Dash interrupted, poking her head out of the kitchen. “Before you guys go and say something to upset Twilight again, let her eat first. She hasn’t had anything since yesterday.” The other mares looked at one another, and then gave a nod in agreement.

“No, hold on, did something happen, Spike?” Twilight insisted, probing the uncomfortable dragon. As she took a step towards him, he shirked her advances, running past her. He quickly bolted up the stairs, leaving Twilight even more concerned than she had been this morning.

“I’ve never seen Spike act like that, what’s wrong with him?” she asked.

“He’ll be fine, he just needs a little bit of rest. But you on the other hoof, need to eat. After all you’ve got a little foal in your belly that hasn’t gotten any food since yesterday,” Fluttershy said, guiding Twilight to the kitchen. The usually shy pegasus was being uncharacteristically assertive, and down right motherly. The cream-colored mare’s years of tending to the animals had given her a maternal tone, that was gentle, yet forceful. When Twilight heard that tone, she knew there was no going against her.

Once in the kitchen, Fluttershy took over making breakfast from Rainbow Dash, letting her sit down next to Twilight. The athletic mare let out a sigh of relief after being forced out of her cooking duty, by her long-time friend. Fluttershy gave a quick sweep of the kitchen, she found a pan and a spatula for the flapjacks. As she sparked the rarely used stove top, the shy pegasus hummed a soft tune to herself.

“So, Twilight, um...Rarity clued us all in about just how much trouble y’all are in for. I just wanted ta let ya know, we’re all here for ya.” Applejack’s sympathy was met with a stern glare from Rainbow Dash.

“What part of later didn’t you get, Applejack?” she added to her glare.

“Look, I’m just showin’ my support, alright!”

“Enough!” Twilight placed a hoof against her forehead, trying to rub away a headache that was forming. “Don’t worry so much Rainbow Dash, I’m not some fragile emotional creature that will snap at the mere mention of my own problems.” There was an awkward silence that fell over the room. The only one still carrying on was Fluttershy, who seemed oblivious to the conversation happening around her. She simply continued humming her soft tune, while preparing breakfast.

“So, How are you two holding up?” Pinkie asked innocently, breaking the uncomfortable silence that fell over the room.

“Fine I guess,” Rainbow dash muttered.

“Don’t sulk just because I got angry,” Twilight wrapped a hoof around Dash, bringing her in for a loving embrace. The pegasus cuddled up next to Twilight, enjoying their closeness. As she sat in the warm embrace, a small devious smile grew on her face. Suddenly she snatched a quick kiss from the unsuspecting librarian’s lips. Twilight’s cheeks flushed instinctively, as she fought the urge to turn away in embarrassment. Rainbow Dash flashed her a pair of big puppy dog eyes before Twilight could scold her, stopping the unicorn dead in her tracks. The cute little display forced Twilight to give up on scolding, and instead, she returned her quick kiss to her.

“Y’all seem pretty...err...” Applejack struggled for a moment, trying to find the right word. “...smitten,” she said pulling her hat down over her eyes, as she tried to find something more interesting outside the kitchen window. She really was just trying her best not to look at Twilight and Rainbow Dash directly, feeling way too uncomfortable by their little displays of affection.

“You’re really having trouble with the whole mare-on-mare action aren’t ya, Applejack,” Pinkie commented, laughing slightly. She lifted up Applejack’s hat, peeking under it. Her nose, pressed against her cowpony friend’s. The sudden intruder into her personal space forced Applejack to take a step back.

“I thought you said you were fine with this, Applejack?” Twilight asked.

“I am fine with it, but I just need some time ta get used to it s’all.” Applejack pushed the probing pink mare out of her face. After a stern glare, she put her hat back in front of her eyes.

Before long Fluttershy set down a plate of pancakes in front of Twilight, followed by a stick of butter, and a bottle of syrup. “I’m just happy to see everyone getting along,” she added, giving Applejack a sweet smile.

“Hey, where’s mine?” Rainbow Dash protested.

“It’s coming, I was just getting Twilight hers first.”

As Rainbow Dash slumped down in her chair to sulk, she was met with a gentle nudge from the pony next to her. She looked up to see a morsel of pancake wrapped in an envelope of magic, levitating towards her mouth. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, and opened her mouth, letting the bite-sized piece float in. After her first chomp into the pillowy bite, she smiled at Twilight, who was also chewing on a piece.

“It’s a little weird eating with magic,” the pegasus commented after she swallowed. Twilight only shrugged her shoulders, since she was used to it. She had been doing it almost all her life at this point, so it didn‘t bother her in the slightest. But it did bother Applejack a bit. She wasn’t used to her friends acting so lovey-dovey in front of her.

“It’s kinda of a shock that y’all are...err-uh...fillyfoolers...I mean, RD, I’ve seen y’all eyeballin’ Big Macintosh plenty of times before,” Applejack tried her best not to look at her two friends at the table.

“Come on AJ, I’m not a fillyfooler,” Rainbow Dash defended.

“Uh-huh, an’ what do y’all call what yer doin’?”

“I think most ponies would call eating breakfast,” Pinkie said with a hoof to her chin, pondering other possibilities.

“Not what I was talkin’ about there, Pinkie,” Applejack replied, mid facehoof.

“What do you find so wrong with two ponies in love?” Fluttershy asked, while cooking.

“N-Nothin’ I guess, just gonna take some time ta get used to. I mean seein’ ‘em kissin’ an’ such just seems a l’il weird ta me.”

“I don’t see what the big deal is. Maybe if I kissed a mare, it would seem less awkward?” Pinkie said sliding up behind Fluttershy, but a magenta glow stopped her dead in her tracks. She was met with the other three mares shaking their heads at her, mouthing the word “No”. Pinkie stopped in her pouncing position, staring at her friends for a moment. She was actively debating whether to go through with it or not, until she was interrupted.

“My two friends are goin’ out with one another, kinda hard to just accept all of a sudden.” Applejack replied, continuing the conversation in hopes to get Pinkie to quit. The distraction seemed to work, since Pinkie walked back to stand next to Applejack. Her face bore a slight look of defeat.

Fluttershy turned around, luckily, she was none the wiser about the terrible situation she had been dangerously close to. She placed another plate of pancakes on the table, this time in front of Rainbow Dash, who eagerly dug into the feast set before her like it was her last meal.

“Oh my goodness, Rainbow Dash, control yourself,” Twilight said completely flabbergasted, but the pegasus only rolling her eyes at her. After a small pause, still in disgust, Twilight took the last bite of her pancakes. Her horn lit when she willed over a napkin to her mouth. As she wiped her mouth of any syrupy morsels that might remain, she levitated the plate across the kitchen to the sink.

“Alright, I’m finished,” Twilight said, lowering the napkin. “Now tell me, what is wrong with Spike?”

“Well...” Applejack started, “It turns out that we didn’t get ta Sweetie Belle in time last night. By the time we found her, she an’ her friends already told Cheerilee, an’ Ditzy Doo...”

“Ditzy? She’s the biggest blabbermouth of anypony in Ponyville!” Rainbow Dash yelled as chunks of half-chewed pancake flew across the table. Everyone, including Applejack, stared in disgust at her apparent lack of etiquette. After a quick swallow, she apologized.

“Anyhow, Cheerilee, and Ditzy were gone by the time we caught up ta Sweetie Belle. So we had Fluttershy an’ Pinkie chase after Ditzy, while me an’ Spike ran after Cheerilee—”

“Spike and I...” Twilight interrupted. “Sorry, continue.”

“By the time we caught up ta Cheerilee, she had already gone, an’ told a few ponies...”

“Oh, oh! And by the time me and Fluttershy caught up to Ditzy she had already told like fifteen ponies! She clearly won the pony telling contest, if there was a pony telling contest that is,” Pinkie said with inappropriate enthusiasm.

“Fluttershy and I...” Twilight corrected again. “And so, what you’re telling me is...”

“We tried to do some damage control. I even went and got Rarity to help, but it was too late. By now the entire town knows,” Fluttershy mumbled in a hushed, apologetic tone. As soon as she finished everyone braced for Twilight to lose it again, and burst into tears. Surprisingly though she didn’t.

“And Spike was out most of the night, trying to get it all under control. He really thinks that you’re upset with him, since he couldn’t stop word from getting out, Twilight.” Fluttershy added, hiding behind her mane.

“I need to go talk to him...” The librarian calmly pushed her chair out, and walked past her friends.

“Twilight, wait!” Rainbow Dash chased after her. “I’m with you on this,” she reminded her marefriend.

“We’ll all jus’ sit tight here, ” Applejack spoke up. “Seems like this is kind of a private matter.” Twilight gave her friends a nod, before she walked upstairs to her bedroom, Rainbow Dash following close behind.

When she took a step into her room, she saw Spike curled up in his bed. He was pressed deep into the small pillow of a mattress, with his little blanket pulled over himself. She couldn’t see any part of the little dragon, but she knew his back was facing them. Twilight stopped halfway between his bed, and the door; she found herself unable to move anymore as conscious weighed on her after seeing her number one assistant so depressed. She plopped down on her hindquarters, taking a seat, while she waited to see if he would say something. Sadly he did not.

After a small sigh, Twilight decided to get the ball rolling. “Spike, would you tell me what’s the matter?”

He didn’t respond, instead he only pulled the blanket around him into a tighter ball. It was almost like he was trying to make a protective cocoon around himself.

“Spike, please talk to me. I know that word got out, so you don‘t have to go over that part.” She only heard silence again.

“Spike...” Twilight tried again, but he refused to speak to her. He only buried himself deeper in his blanket.

“Spike, come on, talk to us,” Rainbow Dash piped up, from the doorway.

“No, because she’s mad at me,” Spike said with a small sniffle. His long awaited response caused the two mares to look at one another with slightly confused looks.

“I’m not mad, Spike,” Twilight reassured her assistant softly.

“You are, I know you are...” A distinct sniffling could be heard coming from under the blanket, his voice was shaking as well.

“Spike, get up this instant or else I will be mad.” Twilight suddenly spoke with a strong sense of authority that caused the dragon to rouse from his make-shift cocoon. Her voice, though commanding, was still rather soft spoken, and held a calm ring to it. His head poked out from the fluffy mass her was coiled in at her command. Cautiously, Spike sat up from his bed, looking at Twilight with anxious eyes. The little dragon was greeted with a stern look from his caregiver, coupled with a small, discontent frown.

“Get out of bed, and come here,” Twilight demanded. Her assistant slowly crawled from his small bed. As he did so, Rainbow Dash took this time to stand by Twilight’s side. Spike timidly walked up to Twilight and Rainbow Dash, feeling much like a child who was in trouble. The situation reaffirmed his fear that Twilight was indeed mad at him, but as he approached, he noticed her eyes becoming softer. Finally as he stood in front of his maternal figure, with her looking down at him. The growing softness in her look really detracted from her imposing demeanor when he started his journey towards her.

Suddenly Twilight wrapped a hoof around the surprised dragon, Squeezing him tightly in a hug. As she gently squeezed him into her chest, her tight grip around him let loose a metaphorical dam in Spike. He couldn’t hold back the tears from flowing from his eyes. The young dragon eagerly returned Twilight’s hug, wrapping his small arms around his foster parent. Suddenly another hoof appeared on his shoulder, this one was light blue. “I’m not mad, I was worried about you,” she said in a reassuring voice.

“She was really worried, Spike.” Dash added, keeping up with Twilight’s soft tone. “She was about to run out looking for you this morning, but I had to stop her. She almost collapsed from hunger, since she didn’t eat for a whole day!” For the last part Rainbow Dash gave Twilight a stern look. Twilight responded with an innocent smile.

“Anyway, I’m not mad at you, Spike, so there’s no need to beat yourself up,” Twilight slowly stroked the small dragon’s head, comforting him. As her hoof ran over his scally head, he calmed down slightly. His deep sobs, turning into soft sniffles over time. With one final sob into her chest, Spike looked up at Twilight and Dash. The two mares smiled down at him, telling him one last time that they weren’t mad. The two reassuring ponies brought a relieved smile to Spike’s face.

“Thanks for making me feel better,” he said, wiping his eyes.

“Happy to help,” Dash replied, playfully rubbing her hoof into the top of his head. The gesture seemed to lose a little meaning to Dash, as she usually did it to Scootaloo to mess up her mane, but Spike didn’t have a mane to mess. Spike still got the good-humored meaning behind it, regardless.

“Why don’t you go downstairs, I’m sure Fluttershy would be more than happy to whip up some pancakes for you.” Twilight added. Spike responded with an eager, cheerful nod, before running down stairs. The two mares looked at each other, sharing a mutual laugh after seeing the young dragon back to his usual self. After Spike disappeared down the stairway, Rainbow Dash, started to follow after him, but before she could take more than a few steps, she felt a strong tug at her tail. When she turned her head, she noticed Twilight staring at her, her eyes a looking a little shy, and her horn was aglow with magical energy.

“Thanks for helping me with Spike,” Twilight said, giving up a small smile. The pegasus turned herself to face Twilight, giving her a confident smile in return.

“It was nothing,” Dash said dismissively.

“It wasn’t. He wouldn’t even speak to me. Usually when he’s like that, I have to physically make him look at me to get him to talk.” Twilight sounded a little distant, as she remembered the few occasions when Spike was upset with her. Suddenly she felt a little embarrassed about thanking Dash over something so small, but at the same time, she knew this was a major step for their relationship. Rainbow Dash rose up to a parental role for a moment.

“Well I figured I should help out a bit,” the pegasus replied. “I mean since you and I are dating, then I should help out, right?” Dash paused for a moment. “I not overstepping my bounds, am I?” Twilight responded by shaking her head. Twilight laughed a bit since Dash had been thinking the same thing she had been.

“I don’t think so,” Twilight said before planting a kiss on Dash’s lips. “If you want to help out, I welcome it. Now, let’s get back down stairs.” Twilight motioned towards the door.

“Hold on, Twilight.” Rainbow Dash stopped Twilight. “Since we’ve got a bit of alone time, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“What is it?” Twilight ask.

“ It’s been bugging me since last night, so I have to get this off my chest,” she paused for a moment, trying to find the right way to word what she wanted to say. Dash took a deep breath before she proceeded.

“I’m not too used to the whole supporting role, you know...”

Twilight hesitated for a moment, not too sure where Dash was going with this.

“I know this is your problem, and I just have to help you through it, but that’s hard for me. I don’t want to just sit back and comfort you while you deal with this, I want to take care of it for you!” Dash's frustration built as she continued to explain. “I want to fix it, not just be there...does that make sense?” It was a struggle for the pegasus to tell Twilight how she felt. The words didn’t really want to come, so she had to force them. She wanted Twilight to know that she wanted to be more than just a support, she wanted to be the pony Twilight would rely on to solve her problems.

“I know you do,” Twilight responded, looking a bit sad. “You’re that kind of pony, Dashie. That’s why I love you. You’re like a super hero who just swoops in and saves the day.” She brushed up against her marefriend, as she spoke. A shiver rolled through the other mare, when Twilight’s body touched her’s. “But you can’t, not this time. I have to handle this on my own, because this is my mess that I dragged you into.” Twilight dropped her cute act, her eyes now burned with seriousness, and passion.

“I don’t feel like you dragged me into anything, I’m dating you because I want to. And another thing I want, is to see you happy, that’s why I’ll beat up anypony who tries to mess with you, okay!” She puffed out her chest, acting tough. Thinking about the whole mess yesterday, and the thought of Twilight so depressed still hung fresh in tom-coltish mare’s mind. She never wanted to see Twilight hurt like that again, and she wouldn’t let anyone do it to her either.

Twilight rolled her eyes at the brash statement. “Anyway, I know you weren’t able to take care of me like you wanted to last night, but believe me, you were there for me in just the right way.” Twilight nuzzled against Rainbow Dash once more. “But I know I can’t just sit here and mope either. I’m done with that.” A small grin grew on Twilight’s face. “That’s not good for me, you, or our little bundle of joy.” Twilight nudged her marefriend, giving her a sly look. Rainbow Dash gave Twilight a smile back, before nuzzling her neck. “So how about we go back down stairs?” the unicorn suggested. Her winged lover replied with an eager nod, happy to see Twilight acting like her old self once again.

“It’s good to see you back to normal,” Dash commented, planting a small kiss on her mare‘s cheek.

“Well, I decided that you were right in what you said this morning. There really isn’t a point in stressing over this. News is already out, so I should just deal with it as it comes.”

Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement. “I know this isn’t your usual thing, but try and just live in the moment for a bit. It’ll cut down on your stress.”

That was an odd bit of wisdom that made sense to Twilight. She always worried, and stressed over everything in her life, but she couldn’t do that right now. Stress wasn’t something the growing foal inside her needed. She would need to let things go, and try not to internalize so much. Worrying wouldn’t accomplish anything here, since everyone already knew. Things were already out of hoof, she might as well relax while she can. It’s almost like the calm before the storm in a way.

“I might have to study up on the whole “living in the moment” approach,” Twilight teased.

Author's Note

It took a while to get this chapter out, mostly because I got a little stuck with it. But I've moved passed that, and I have a plan for the rest of the story. Another reason this chapter took me so long was it was actually a lot longer, but I decided to take the second half of this chapter and put it into chapter 7.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

If you have not read the previous chapters after 1/18/2014, there have been extensive rewrites. I would recommend rereading.

The Reasons Why Not

Rainbows in the Night Sky
Chapter 9: The Reasons Why Not

It had been a week since word had gotten out about Twilight’s condition. Not too surprisingly most of the ponies around town took the news as nothing more than idle gossip. It was as Twilight suspected, the earth ponies, and pegasi didn’t really believe it. After all, how could they—A mare doesn’t get another mare pregnant, that much was obvious.

At least it was obvious to the earth pony and pegasi populations. The unicorn population on the other hoof was a different story. She noticed a lot of them were more distant than usual. The few times throughout the week she walked down the street, she could hear their hushed whispers as she passed. When she walked by, she could feel their eyes on her, watching her every move. When she tried to talked to them, she would get little more than pleasantries from most.

The behavior wasn’t outright shunning though. Many of the unicorns would still talk to Twilight if she engaged them in a conversation, though they seemed detached or cold. Yet compared to what Twilight was expecting, it honestly wasn’t bad. She half expected an angry mob of fanatical unicorns to show up on her doorstep, and drive her out of town. Fortunately for her, that expectation did not come to pass.

The sun was just rising, causing Twilight to break from her morning musings. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she was greeted with was Rainbow Dash’s face filling her field of vision. The pegasus was out cold, her mouth slightly agape, her hair was a far more ragged mess than usual, and she snored a little bit—not enough to be disturbing, just enough to let you know she was out cold. Twilight couldn’t help but smile. No matter how many times she saw it, it simply made her happy to see Dash sleeping so peacefully.

Her bedmate had been sleeping over at her house since they told their friends about the two of them. There wasn’t any discussion on the matter, but Twilight didn’t mind. Occasionally Rainbow Dash would leave for her own house just to grab a few things, but she was essentially sleeping at Twilight’s for the foreseeable future. This also meant that she had officially made herself comfortable in Twilight’s home, and more specifically, her bed—which was made for one. It was a little cramped, but that didn’t bother the unicorn so much. On the contrary, she actually enjoyed sleeping with the pegasus next to her.

Twilight gently rubbed the tip of her nose against Rainbow Dash’s neck, trying to rouse her unusually heavy-sleeping marefriend. As soon as she nudged, she knew her efforts had been in vain. She should have known immediately that her slumbering mate was far too out of it to wake from a simple nudge. That’s when Twilight got a devilishly brilliant idea.

Her horn lit with its familiar glow, which morphed into a long, slender, magical appendage. Slowly the magical limb slinked around the sleeping pegasus, working its way to her nose. Twilight couldn’t help but let out a small giggle before suppressing her laughter. She willed the snake-like magical tentacle to carefully tickle Rainbow Dash’s nose. The small, soft tickles elicited a twitch of Dash’s ear, and a pained look from the slumbering mare. With a few more itch-inducing strokes of Twilight’s magic, Rainbow Dash finally brought her hoof up to scratch the annoyance. Twilight desperately held in her laughter, when she saw her marefriend’s face contort from the tickling.

Unfortunately for the sleeping Rainbow Dash, her hoof passed right through Twilight’s magic, allowing the small snake-like limb to continue tickling her in her sleep. Finally it was too much, and she shook herself awake, desperately rubbing her nose. Her eyes opened just in time to see the glow from Twilight’s horn fading. Twilight gave her an innocent look, with a precious smile.

“Good morning,” Twilight said, still trying to hold back her laughter.

“Don’t mess with me while I’m sleeping,” Dash said groggily. “It’s not cool.”

“But you were just so cute, I couldn’t resist,” Twilight murmured as she planted a kiss on her neck. Her lover responded by moving her head, allowing her easier access. Each little peck from Twilight elicited a small, sensual moan from Rainbow Dash. Her lover moved up her neck, before skipping over to her lips.

“I’m not cute,” Dash muttered before Twilight sealed her lips with her own.

Just as the two were really starting to enjoy their morning passion, something suddenly struck Twilight. Her shot back, her eyes wide-open as a familiar sensation started taking hold. She covered her mouth with a hoof before muttering something that Dash didn’t quite make out. Before she could even ask her marefriend what was wrong, she jumped out of bed, and raced to the bathroom.

“Way to kill the mood,” Rainbow Dash muttered to herself. This had become a common occurrence over the past week. Each morning Twilight would wake Rainbow Dash up, engage her in a passionate kiss, just to rush out of the room, and throw up.

“Ugh, again?” A small, groggy voice came from the other side of the room.

“Yeah. She’ll be back soon, Spike. Why don’t you go back to sleep.” Rainbow Dash rolled over from her side, so that she was sitting on her legs.

“No thanks, I might as well just get up,” he said with a yawn. The next thing Rainbow Dash heard from the little dragon was a clash of pots down stairs, as he started breakfast.

A moment later, Twilight returned, looking a little exhausted. These morning fits were starting to wear on her nerves, but she also knew there was nothing she could do about them. They were natural, and hopefully would end soon.

“The first thing we’re going to talk about is your behavior when you get out here little missy,” Twilight said looking back at her belly. When she turned her head back forward, she noticed was Rainbow Dash picking at her feather’s with her mouth on the bed.

“What are you doing?” she asked returning to bed.

“Preening,” said Rainbow Dash in a muffled voice, since she refused to pull herself away from her grooming.

“I didn’t know you did that...” Twilight thought for a moment. In a mental flash, she vaguely remembered reading that pegasi did in fact preen their wings like birds did. She laughed a bit realizing how random that little fact was. “Well, I never seen you do it at least,” Twilight stood next to the bed, unable to climb back in, due to the outstretched wing.

“I do it every day, sometimes twice. I gotta keep these babies in tip-top condition.”

Twilight stared at Rainbow Dash’s wings, almost in awe of their beauty. She did keep them in excellent shape, but what else would you expect from an all-star flier. It’s no different than a pitcher in the unicorn baseball leagues taking care of his horn, or Applejack making sure her hooves were trimmed and ready for bucking.

“Did you...want some help?” Twilight asked, trying to be helpful. A look of confusion spread across Dash’s face.

“Umm...I guess you could...are you sure you want to?”

“Well, now I don’t know...” Twilight said, sounding a bit unsure herself now. “Is this supposed to be an activity that you do by yourself?” The reaction she got made her hesitant.

“It doesn’t have to be, my dad used to help me with it when I was younger.”

“So it’s a parent–child activity, not something a couple would do...that’s kind of awkward. Sorry I asked,” Twilight said a little embarrassed.

“Couples do it too, I’ve just never had anypony offer. It’s not as social among pegasi as it is among birds,” Rainbow Dash explained before digging back in between her feathers. She picked for a few moments before resurfacing from the fluffy mass. She extended her newly cleaned wing, admiring her handiwork.

“Twilight! We’re out of apples!” Spike called from the bottom of the stairs. “How can I make apple-stuffed french toast if we’re out of apples?”

“Don’t worry about it, Spike. I’ll go to the market and get some.” Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Wait, you’ll go to the market?” A troubled expression came across Rainbow Dash’s face.

“Yes, me. I can’t just stay in the library for the rest of my life. Besides, staying cooped up in here isn’t putting any rumors to rest—and by the way, neither is you leaving my house every morning.” Twilight placed a sarcastically accusing hoof on her marefiend’s chest, and laughed slightly.

“Speaking of leaving, I got to get to work today. I’ll see you around dinner, alright?” Rainbow Dash said, still picking at her wings. After a quick glance over her work, a satisfied smile spread across her face. With a quick flap, she took off into the air, before gently setting back down onto the ground.

“Flashy as always.” Twilight gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Don’t forget, Rarity is watching Spike for us tonight, so hurry back,” Twilight added with seductive tone to her whisper, as she eyed over here pegasus lover. Dash’s cheeks flashed a rosy hue for a brief moment at the possibilities in store. She let her mind wonder a bit, before she finally shook her head, to loosen any sensual thoughts.

“I-I’ll see you around dinner.” Rainbow Dash said, walking past Twilight.

“Have a good day, love you.” Twilight said, as the pegasus walked down the stairs.

“See you tonight,” she called back up.

After she heard the door close, Twilight decided it was about time to get herself ready to head out as well. She headed downstairs first, poking her head in the kitchen in passing. The sight of Spike sitting at the table looking really bored stopped her in her tracks.

“Sorry, I forgot we were out of apples.” Twilight looked at him, giving him a slightly embarrassed grin came over her.

“So then, oatmeal again?” he asked rhetorically with a touch of annoyance. Twilight gave him a nod, which he rolled his eyes at. After a second he got up out of his chair, and started getting breakfast ready.

“I’ll pick up some apples from Applejack today at the market, alright? We can have your apple-stuffed french toast tomorrow when you get back from Rarity’s.”

“Well don’t forget that we need milk, butter, eggs, bread, lettuce-” Twilight tapped her foot, growing aggravated as he continued listing.

“Okay, enough. I have a shopping list, so you don’t need to remind me.”

It was midmorning by the time Twilight left the library. The market was crowded with ponies rushing around to finish their morning chores. The daily rush of the Ponyville market gave the sleepy little town a rare sense of hustle and bustle. It left Twilight with a sense that she was almost standing still among the buzzing crowd—a feeling she hadn’t felt since she left Canterlot. The only static thing in the mass of ponies were the lines at each stall, and even those were moving with ponies getting in and leaving them.

Twilight levitated her list from her bag, checking what she needed. Written down were mostly the essential things she needed, and hidden inside was a box of gem cookies, which Spike tried to sneak in. Twilight shook her head slightly as she crossed that one off; Spike was still grounded from last week. As she read through the items she failed to notice a pony in front of her. Her body came to an abrupt stop, with a small thud from bumping into somepony. When she lowered her list to see who it was, and apologize, she saw a unicorn looking at her like she was an alien or something.

“Sorry about that,” Twilight muttered quietly, unable to look at the yellow mare in the eyes. The feeling of utter contempt in the other unicorn’s gaze reminded Twilight of her situation. She glared for a few more seconds before turning her nose up at the librarian, and walking away. By far that had been the most blatant display of shunning Twilight had felt since word got out. As the other mare left, Twilight reminded herself not to let it bother her. She had her friends, and Rainbow Dash, who cared if a few unicorns didn’t like her.

Twilight scanned the crowd, looking for what she needed, but as she did, she noticed a few other unicorns staring at her—though they didn’t seem upset, more conflicted. After they realized they had been caught staring, they all quickly returned to what they were doing. It was almost comical seeing an entire group scramble to be inconspicuous, though the humor was lost on Twilight. She let out a sigh, feeling even more alienated.

The longest line in the lively marketplace was her destination, Applejack’s stand. Even though Applejack was Twilight’s friend, she wasn’t going to take advantage of that to cut in front of all the ponies ahead of her. She took a spot at the end of the line, and waited like the rest. Unfortunately, ahead of her was the unicorn that had turned her nose up at Twilight not even a minute before.

Twilight couldn’t say she knew the mare, though she did seem a little familiar. She had probably seen her in passing from time to time, but they had never spoke. As Twilight inspected her, the unicorn noticed her from the corner of her eye. Once she realized who it was she quickly snapped her neck back to face front. Twilight wanted to let out a sigh in frustration, but she couldn’t, that would mean that the mare in front of her would have won.

Before long, the line had moved, and she was at the front. The unicorn mare in front of her, that gave her the dirty look purchased her apples. When she turned to leave, she flashed Twilight a quick glare before trotting off somewhere. Twilight stepped towards the counter, feeling confused, and a little upset. “Howdy there, Twilight! I Didn’t think you’d be out an’ about just yet.” Applejack said with a bright smile. Twilight nodded meekly to acknowledge her friend‘s greeting.

“Hello, Applejack. Could I please have a bag of apples?” She was still distracted by the way that mare had treated her. She knew she shouldn’t let it weigh on her, but she didn’t even know that mare. Why would she be so mean to somepony she didn’t even know?

“Somethin’ botherin’ ya, sugarcube?” Applejack placed the bag on the counter of her stall. Twilight tossed her some bits before stepping out of line.

“Well, I haven’t really been out of my house in the past week, as you know. I did go to Sugarcube Corner and I saw ponies in the library, but today was the first time I’ve really had any actual interaction with ponies since last week.” Twilight sat down next to her friend, watching her sell her goods as she explained her woes. “Today some unicorn I didn’t even know gave me the most hurtful look.” Her friend placed a hoof on her shoulder for a moment.

“Come on now, Sugarcube, don’t let it get ta ya. ”

“I should expect it, but still.”

“Ya said not all unicorns were treatin’ ya so bad, if I recall,” Applejack offered, getting back to work.

“They haven’t been the most friendly either. When I went to Sugarcube Corner two days ago, Amethyst Star was giving me some dirty looks as well.”

“Yeah, but some’re still talkin’ ta ya. That’s a lot more than ya were expectin’,” Applejack said with a smile. Twilight nodded to her friend, conceding to her logic.

“That’s true. When I talked to Lyra, she was nice enough, but it still bothers me,” Twilight said, moping a bit.

“They say everypony gets theirs, right? Those that’re bein’ mean ta ya’ll get what’s comin’ to ‘em. Bein’ a nasty nelly ain’t never done nothin’ for nopony,” Applejack accented her words by lifting Twilight’s chin up to look at her. “I best be getting’ back ta work now. I’ll see y’all later tonight.”

“Applejack, that‘s a quadruple negative, that would mean that it has done something for somepo—” Twilight stopped herself, suddenly realizing what Applejack had said. “Wait, tonight?” Twilight asked, seeming a bit confused.

“Ya did remember we was fixin’ ta plan a foal shower for you and Rainbow Dash tonight, right?” Applejack looked into Twilight’s eyes with a bit of concern.

“That was tonight? Umm, any chance we can reschedule? I have Rarity watching Spike, and—how did you convince Rarity to not be there for the planning of a foal shower?” Twilight gave her friend a suspicious look, to which Applejack laughed.

“She don’t know yet, that’s how. We’re just pickin’ a place and some other stuff. Some bein’ the key word there, and we don’t need miss fussy-saddle makin’ things complicated just yet,” Applejack added with a laugh.

Twilight nodded, seeing her logic. If Rarity came, then it would take them hours just to settle on a location. “You are letting her in on the planning later on though, right? She would kill you girls if you didn’t.”

“Of course, but we need ta get things settled first before we let her come in, and fuss over every li’l detail. I best be gettin’ back ta work, I‘ll see y‘all tonight.”

“About tonight—it’s just that Rainbow Dash and I had plans tonight...”

“Won’t take but a bit, then y’all can get at whatever business y’all had planned,” There was a small cough, drawing Applejack’s attention back to the growing line of ponies in front of her stall. Twilight took the hint, and bid farewell to her friend. There were a few more things she needed on her list before she could head home.

Twilight opened the door to the Golden Oaks Library, carrying more than a few bags full of groceries in her magic. “Spike, I’m home!” Twilight called into the empty library. The dragon poked his head out from the kitchen after he heard her call.

“There you are, Twilight.” He said scampering out of the kitchen with a smile on his face. He snatched two of the bags Twilight was carrying. “You’ve got a visitor.”

“Visitor?” Twilight pondered for a moment about who would visit her in the middle of the day. She was snapped out of her musings by a grey pegasus mare strolling out of her kitchen. Her misaligned eyes held a sense of regret as she walked out. When she looked at Twilight, she gave a weak smile.

“H-Hello, Twilight,” she said meekly.

“Oh, umm, hello.” Twilight was taken a bit off guard at the stranger coming out of her kitchen. She set the bags of foodstuff down on the library floor.

“I’m not sure if we’ve actually met, my name is Ditzy Doo,” the pegasus said, mustering a smile.

“Nice to meet you, Ditzy,” Twilight said, trying to be friendly.

“You’re probably mad at me about spreading that rumor about you and Rainbow Dash. I wanted to stop by and say I’m sorry. It was a terrible thing for me to do. I didn‘t know how unicorns felt about that spell when I told ponies about you.” Ditzy lowered her head.

Twilight looked at the other mare’s crestfallen expression, realizing that she was sincere. She could tell by the look in her eyes that Ditzy was truly remorseful, and she wanted to make it up to Twilight. The sentiment put a small smile on Twilight’s face. She wasn’t one to hold a grudge, especially against a stranger seeking forgiveness.

“Well since you didn’t know, I can’t really blame you, can I...” Twilight’s smile grew a bit larger, as she took a step towards Ditzy. “A foal is some rather big news, and I know you were just excited about telling ponies.”

“It’s huge news! I mean Twilight Sparkle, the pony who saved this town—Celestia knows how many times—and Rainbow Dash, the all-star athlete having a foal together!” Ditzy perked up as she explained. Her excitement was short-lived however, as she quickly remembered she was apologizing. “I didn’t know you didn’t want news out about it though. I heard about the spell you used before, but I didn’t know it was such a bad thing...”

“Not many ponies aside of unicorns do. You didn’t mean any harm, so I can forgive you, Ditzy. After all you’re here apologizing, that means a lot to me.” Twilight placed a hoof on the clumsy mare’s shoulder.

“Really? Thank you, Twilight!” Ditzy placed a hoof on Twilight’s hoof. “I’m really am sorry about all the trouble I caused you.”

“Well, word getting out happened a little sooner than I wanted, but ponies would have found out eventually.” Twilight laughed a bit, though her eyes betrayed her true feelings about her predicament.

“You’re taking this better than I thought you would’ve,” Spike interrupted the two when he poked his head out from the kitchen. Twilight glanced over to see he had finished carrying the groceries into the kitchen all by himself.

“Well, just like somepony I know—” Twilight narrowed her eyes at Spike a bit. “she didn’t know to keep it a secret.”

Spike let out a nervous chuckle, as he rubbed the back of his head. “I wonder who that could’ve been,” he said timidly.

“Thank you for being so understanding, Twilight. And again, I really am sorry.” Ditzy apologized again before walking to the door.

“Thank you for apologizing, Ditzy, it takes a big pony to do that.”

“I had best get back to work, the mail won’t deliver itself,” she said with a small chuckle. As she turned to the door, one of her front hooves failed to move. Before she could react, she was already falling flat on her face. Twilight rushed to her side, just as she let out a small groan.

“Are you okay?” Twilight asked, scanning over the clumsy mare’s body for injury.

“Yeah, I’m used to it,” she replied, shacking off her daze. Slowly she climbed back onto all four legs, her eyes swiveling a bit before settling back into their usual, misaligned resting places. “Bye, Twilight,” she said, pressing her hoof to her face, and rubbing it back and forth against her nose. After a few more rubs, she opened the door, and left.

“What a strange pony...” Twilight commented after she closed the door behind Ditzy.

Spike looked up at her. “She seemed nice enough.”

“A little clumsy, maybe.” Twilight laughed a bit. The two stood there, staring at the door for a moment. “How about we get some lunch,” Twilight suggested, breaking the silence.

“Sounds good,” Spike replied while wondering towards the kitchen.

“After that, we can go over my checklist for getting you ready to spend the night at Rarity’s.”

“Come on, Twilight, do we really need a checklist for that?” Spike protested.

“Of course we do, Spike,” she replied with a laugh. “Not using a checklist is like brushing your teeth without a toothbrush.”

“I don’t think a checklist is as necessary as a toothbrush, Twilight.” The dragon sighed.

“Let’s just have lunch, and let me take care of packing, okay?” Twilight patted Spike on the head. The small dragon shrugged his shoulders.

Rarity was busy working on the last dress in an order she had to fill. Her horn was abuzz as she ran fabric through her sewing machine. The designer had her eyes narrowed as the cloth passed under the needle, her jaw was slightly clenched, and a lone bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. Just as she was about to pass the final piece through the machine, a loud bang disrupted her. She couldn’t stop herself from jumping at the sudden noise. The bang made her workspace shake a bit as well, sending her cloth astray, and ruining her hard work. She took a deep breath before glaring down at side of her desk.

Her sister sat next to the counter she was working at, looking incredibly bored. The young unicorn was repeatedly hitting the back of her head against the wooden surface behind her. Each thud from her sister’s head hitting the counter made Rarity wince. Her brow furled in irritation as the assault from her sister continued to wear on her nerves. Finally after a particularly loud thud, Rarity slammed her hooves on the counter.

“Sweetie Belle, stop with that!” she said, trying to keep her composure.

“Well you grounded me, so what do you expect me to do?” the younger unicorn muttered, sulking as she sat there.

“I expect you to act a bit civilized, and not hit your head against a counter. Besides I’ve told you about gossiping, that‘s why you‘re grounded,” Rarity retorted as she returned to her work.

“It’s still not fair. You’re not my mom...” Sweetie Belle crossed her forelegs as she put a scowl on her face.

“I may not be your mom, but while Mother and Father are visiting Las Pegasus for another week, you are my responsibility. That means that it is up to me to make sure that you do not go spreading terrible rumors—especially about a close friend of mine!” Rarity brushed her perfectly-styled mane out of her face.

“Twilight said it was okay! I don’t see why I have to be grounded...”

“Sweetie Belle, I don’t think you realize the position you put Twilight in...” Rarity pressed her hoof to her temple, and slowly massaged away a building headache. Her attempt at calming herself was abruptly interrupted by a loud crash. Suddenly the door to Rarity’s boutique swung open, causing both ponies to jump a bit. When glances shot towards the intrusion, they saw Spike standing in the doorway, completely out of breath.

“R-Rarity...” he said trying to catch his breath.

“Spike? What‘s the matter?” The designer put down her fabric, and rushed over to the little dragon’s side. It didn’t take a genius to figure out he was upset about something.

“Y-You gotta help Twilight...We were on our way here, and then a bunch of unicorns came up to her outside of the library and started demanding she leaves Ponyville!”

“What? Is she alright? Did they hurt her?” Rarity’s eyes went wide.

“I don’t know! They were just talking when I left to come get you, but they might’ve done something by now!” he explained, still panting.

Rarity glanced back at Sweetie Belle. “Stay put Sweetie Belle, I will be back in a moment!”

Twilight quickly found herself out of space. She had been pushed back until her rear brushed up against the bark of the library behind her. Her eyes shot around, trying to find an escape, but she was cut off on all sides. The group of about fifteen unicorns had surrounded her in a semi-circle.

Her eyes ran over the crowd. A few faces stood out, one being the mare she saw in the market earlier that day. She was giving Twilight a mean glare again, which was shared by another unicorn next to her. But unlike the mare from the market, Twilight knew the unicorn standing next to her, it was Amethyst Star.

“Listen here, Twilight. We want you out of town,” Amethyst said bluntly. A few unicorns of the group nodded in agreement, while the rest simply stood silent. Twilight could see most of the unicorns didn’t share Amethyst’s contempt; most looked reluctant, not upset. Twilight could tell from their eyes they weren‘t one-hundred percent committed—that meant she could convince them.

“Just because of a spell?” Twilight’s kept a close eye on the not-so-committed unicorns, gauging their reactions. Many of them averted their gaze from her.

“It’s how this works! You broke a taboo, at least you could have the decency to leave town.” Amethyst took a step towards Twilight, puffing out her chest as she did so. A commotion was starting to stir as other ponies of Ponyville began to take notice of the gathering around the library.

“I still don’t see why I would have to leave town. That doesn’t make any sense. If you‘re all going to shun me that’s fine, but I shouldn‘t have to leave Ponyville!” Twilight protested, taking a defiant step towards Amethyst.

“So you’re not denying it then?” the mare asked, turning a cocky grin back to her supporters.

“Even if I did, you’ve all already made up your minds.” Twilight looked back to the unicorns behind Amethyst.

“What’s going on?” a voice asked from outside the semicircle. Twilight could see the townsponies gathering around the crowd of unicorns. Their little spectacle wasn’t unnoticed, how could it be. A group of fifteen or so ponies gathering around another, yelling accusations at her? Of course it would draw attention.

“So you really are pregnant with Rainbow Dash’s foal?” another unicorn asked, timidly.

Twilight could see many in the mob were waiting for her answer. Now was the moment of truth, the moment she would have to tell everypony herself. “...Yes,” she said with a sigh. A few surprised glances shot around the semicircle. “But I don’t see why that means I have to be thrown out of town, or even shunned for that matter!” Twilight defended.

Amethyst rolled her eyes. “You know all the trouble that spell brings!” Amethyst yelled back.

“What trouble? What harm has it done? All I have done is bring another foal into this world, what is wrong with that?” Twilight asked.

“Shut up! Everypony knows nothing good can come from that spell!!” the mare Twilight saw in the market earlier that day joined Amethyst’s side.

“Twilight!” Another voice called out, this time one Twilight recognized. Applejack pushed her way through the crowd with Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. “What the hay’re y’all doin’ ta Twilight?” she demanded.

“Stay out of this Applejack, this is a unicorn problem.” Another unicorns stepped forth from the crowd.

“Faraday, y’all’er pickin’ on one’a my best friends, I ain’t just gonna sit by an’ let y’all get away with it!”

“You wouldn’t understand, Applejack. Twilight broke one of our race’s major taboos!” she protested.

Just as Applejack was about to open her mouth, she felt a hoof on her shoulder. “Applejack...” Twilight shook her head. “Let me handle this.” Applejack paused for a moment, unsure how to proceed. She didn’t want to let Twilight go through this, but she could see the determination in Twilight’s eyes. Finally, she gave her a reluctant nod, to which Twilight smile.

“What proof do we have that this spell is so bad?” Twilight asked the angry mob, taking a step towards them as she did so. A silence filled the air with the mob of unicorns pondering her question. Twilight found many of the unicorns shooting glances to one another.

“That spell almost wiped out our race!” a voice called from the back of the mob.

“I heard fillies born from it are cursed...” one said in a much lower voice to another beside her.

“I’ve heard that they’re diseased and bring nothing but trouble.”

“I just think it’s wrong for two mares to have a foal. Why else would there be stallions?” Before long it all devolved into indistinguishable chatter. The mob was abuzz with ponies sharing their fears. But one thing Twilight kept hearing was that not one of them stated a fact. Each thing the ponies said was rumor or opinion.

“Hold on, no pony can actually say why this spell is so detrimental? No pony here can tell me why this spell is taboo in the first place?” Twilight asked, interrupting the mob. As her eyes scanned the group, she found most ponies avoiding eye contact. “If not a single pony here can say something that isn’t based off hearsay, then why would you drive me out of town? We have no proof that this spell is the terrible blight we‘ve been told.”

“You think generations of unicorns would just keep lying to their kids just to keep a taboo going?” Amethyst said with a laugh. “Obviously a long time ago there was a reason for it to be deemed a blight. Our race nearly died out! That’s reason enough it shouldn’t be used!”

“And how did this spell cause it?” Twilight asked. Amethyst tried to speak but she was at a loss for words. She couldn‘t answer that question, and looking around the mob of unicorns, no pony could. Every unicorn stood silent, trying not to make eye contact with Twilight.

“If two ponies want to have a foal, there shouldn’t be any reason they can’t,” Fluttershy said softly as the crowd fell silent for a moment. “Love is all that should matter, right?”

“Fluttershy’s right!” A voice called out from beyond the semicircle. A pale sea green unicorn pushed through the crowd. She walked passed the glaring group on unicorns, and stood next to Twilight. The mare’s eyes brimmed with purpose as she looked at her fellow ponies. “It’s because of this stupid taboo that me and Bon Bon can’t have a foal!” she protested.

“You can’t be serious, Lyra,” one of the unicorns said, rolling her eyes.

“I am serious! It’s not like anypony here doesn’t know we’re a couple. It’s stupid that just because we’re two mares we’re not allowed have a foal—even though we have the ability!” she asked.

“It’s taboo, Lyra!” another unicorn yelled at her.

“And I’m saying that taboo is stupid! Just look at Twilight, she doesn’t look like she’s about to end the world!” Her eyes darted over the crowd, watching many of the unicorns suddenly look ashamed of themselves. “I’m not afraid to say it, I love Bon Bon. But as much as we love each other, it’s this stupid taboo that stops us from having a foal of our own.”

“Exactly! Loves all that matters, right?” Pinkie jumped in, wrapping her foreleg around Lyra‘s neck in a half hug..

“If Twilight or Lyra likes a pony, I don’t see why we all have ta say they can’t have a foal of their own.” Applejack placed a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. She looked out into the crowd again. “An’ that goes fer anypony here. Heck, Twilight told me a week ago, an’ sure I was a bit confused ‘n’ scared at first, but now I don‘t see what the big deal is. Two ponies havin’ a foal together, that’s a reason ta celebrate!”

Many of the unicorns nodded in agreement. “Well...it is taboo, but...how did it almost wipe out our race?” asked a unicorn to another. Shoulders shrugged around the inquiring pony as no pony knew the answer.

“It’s just a foal, how much harm could it do?” another asked.

Amethyst could see the crowd swaying out of her favor. She stomped her hoof in protest. “No, hold on! After all the trouble you’ve caused for this town, Twilight, you don’t just get off scot-free!” Amethyst protested.

“Trouble?” Twilight asked.

“It’s because of you, all this crazy stuff happens here!” the mare next to her agreed.

“Lemon Hearts, Twilight’s saved this town more times than I care ta count! How can y’all act like it’s her fault?” Applejack asked, defending her friend.

“Because most of those times were either caused by her or one of you, her friends!” Lemon Hearts pointed a hoof.

“An’ what’s that gotta do with her havin’ a l’il filly?” Applejack asked back. But before Lemon Hearts could answer there was a shrill cry that interrupted them.

“Amethyst Star!” A voice echoed from above. Everypony struggled to look up at the source of the voice, but the sun was too bright to see. All they could see was a blur rocketing towards the crowd. The earth shook when a grey pegasus slammed down into the ground. Ditzy Doo looked up at the crowd of unicorns. The usually bubbly mare’s eyes were narrowed with an intensity that would have sent chills up any pony’s spine.

The walled-eyed mare focused her piercing gaze on the unicorn leading the mob against Twilight. Upon seeing that burning look in Ditzy’s eyes, Lemon Hearts quietly took a step back away from the focus on the angered mare‘s attenion. The pegasus stormed towards Amethyst Star with thunderous hoof-steps. The crowd stood silent until Ditzy came nose to nose with the unicorn. Amethyst only rolled her eyes at the pegasus stomping towards her.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Ditzy demanded from her.

“Get out of here, Ditzy,” the unicorn said dismissively.

“No! You leave Twilight alone this instant! As your mother I can’t let you harass a pony for no good reason!” Ditzy’s voice contained an almost primal growl no pony had ever heard from her before.

“Step-mother!” Amethyst corrected, meeting the glaring mare’s gaze. “Just because you married my dad doesn’t mean you can boss me around!” The two’s argument drew a small giggle from the crowd. Amethyst snapped her head to the ponies who laughed. She glared at them for a moment, her cheeks flashing a tinge red as she did so. Her jaw muscles visibly tightened under her skin as she clenched her teeth. She let out a low groan when she turned away from giggling ponies.

“As long as you live under our roof, you have to listen to our rules, alright? I hope you’re not filling Dinky’s head with this kind of intolerance!” she yelled.

“Dinky‘s too young to know about this kind of stuff! Besides, weren’t you the one who went and blabbed to everypony?” Amethyst looked back at ditzy with a cocky grin creeping onto her face.

“That is neither here nor there! Besides I’ve apologized for that! You on the other hand are coming home, this instant!” Ditzy walked up to Amethyst’s side, and gave the young mare a nudge.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded as she was pushed off. She looked down at Ditzy in complete disbelief over what she was doing.

“I told you, you’re going home!” Ditzy yelled back, still pushing her daughter with her head.

Amethyst shot her gaze up at Lemon Hearts, who only smiled weakly. Her mouth fell slack a bit in shock. It didn’t take long for her eyes to narrow at the other unicorn. Her glare spoke volumes to Lemon Hearts—saying “I’m so going to get you back for this, you traitor!”

“Fine! I get it! I’ll go home, alright!” Amethyst pushed Ditzy back, trying to regain what little dignity she had left. She flashed an angry glare at Lemon Hearts again, and then one over to Twilight before she stormed off.

A few snickers came from the crowd as they watched Amethyst Star leave. But they quickly remembered why they were gathered in the first place. They looked back at Twilight, lacking much of the conviction they had with their ringleader absent.

“Are you all really going to ask Twilight to leave town? After all she’s done for us? I didn‘t know the ponies of Ponyville were so subborn!” Ditzy turned her attention to the mob. The unicorns shot some more unsure glances to one another. One slowly shook their head, which led to another, and another. With Amethyst gone, they really didn’t see a point in perusing the issue anymore. A few unicorns broke away, leaving to go about their business once more. Lemon Hearts had been among those to disappear when she had the chance.

“I think you all owe Twilight an Apology!” Lyra yelled at the dispersing crowd of unicorns.

A few looked up weakly at Twilight, reflecting on what they had just done. “Twilight, we’re sorry...I guess we never really thought about why it’s a taboo,” one of the unicorns said.

“I accept you apology, just try not to get sucked up into something like this again,” The unicorns nodded their heads before leaving the librarian in peace.

“Twilight, I am really sorry for the way she acted. I feel like my family is just causing problems for you now,” Ditzy said walking up to Twilight.

“I want to say it’s alright, Ditzy, but...I don’t know if it is...I suppose I should be angry at her for gathering up a mob to throw me out of town, but...I really don’t know how I feel about this whole mess.” Twilight scratched her head with a confused look.

“If it helps...she’s just a little jealous of you. She feels like you’ve stolen her thunder after Winter Wrap-up last year.”

“It still don’t give her a free pass here,” Applejack said.

“Sorry, it has to be her biological mother. She filled her head with a bunch of stuck-up nonsense from Canterlot.” Ditzy shook her head slightly.

“I’m from Canterlot...” Twilight replied.

Ditzy’s eyes went wide. “I-I didn’t mean you were stuck up, just...”

“It’s fine, Ditzy. Canterlot’s culture is different from Ponyville. I know what you mean.” Twilight nodded to the mailmare.

“I didn’t think the ponies of Ponyville were so stuck up...” Applejack added.

“At least most of the unicorns didn’t seem too upset with Twilight by the end of that whole mess,” Fluttershy chimed in with a bit of good news.

“I guess as long as she isn’t trying to get me thrown out of town, I don’t really care what Amethyst Star thinks...” Twilight said with a sigh.

“Thank you, Twilight. She’s just a little...brash,” Ditzy said with a small awkward smile.

“Hey, Twilight?” Lyra asked approaching the librarian. “Would you...maybe be able to teach me that spell sometime?” she asked with a bit of red showing on her cheeks. “I...um...”

“She and Bon Bon want to have a filly too!” Pinkie said with her usual enthusiasm.

“Are you sure, Lyra? Even after what you saw how ponies treated me today?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, very sure.”

“I guess I can teach you, just...maybe some other day?” Twilight asked, to which Lyra nodded her head.

“Whenever you can is fine. Anyway I should probably be going.” the unicorn said taking a few steps back from the group. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“I should probably go see if Amethyst actually went home...” Ditzy said looking off in the direction Amethyst Star walked in. “Again, I’m sorry, Twilight.”

“Don’t worry about it Ditzy.” Twilight gave her a small smile.

“Well, goodbye,” she said taking off into the air.

“I didn’t know she could be so scary when she needed to be...” Fluttershy said softly as she watched Ditzy fly away.

“Me neither,” Applejack agreed with a small chuckle. “She sure put Amethyst Star in her place.”

“Twilight!” A familiar voice cried out. Everypony looked up to see Rarity charging at them with Spike on her back. “Are you okay?” she asked stopping just in front of Twilight.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Twilight said with a small chuckle. “Thanks to some help from Ditzy and Lyra,” Twilight added.

“So, they’re not going to kick you out of town, Twilight?” Spike asked holding back some tears.

“No, they’re not, Spike.” Twilight gave the little dragon a smile. He let out a relieved sigh as he wiped the forming tears from his eyes.

“Thank goodness, and here I thought I would have to come in here and stop a public lynching with the way Spike described it,” Rarity said with a sigh as well. She looked at Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. “So, how did you three hear about this mess?” she asked.

“Oh, we were on our way here to plan Twilight’s foal shower!” Pinkie said, wrapping a foreleg around Twilight’s neck. Applejack slammed her hoof to her forehead. The farm pony braced herself for a storm she knew was coming.

“You were what? Without me?” Rarity gasped. “How could you! Without my expertise, how do you expect to decorate? Or even what colors to use? Oh Celestia, we need to think of a location. We need to think about size, room layout, what furnishings to use, interior colors! We will need a place that will let us repaint!” Rarity suddenly felt a hoof shoved over he mouth.

“Rarity...later...” Applejack said with a somber tone.

“Twilight!” Another voice called out from above. Before anypony could react, Rainbow Dash slammed into the ground next to Rarity in an utter panic. “I-I heard what happened, and I rushed home! Are you okay?” She asked. She instantly grabbing her marefriend in a hug, and squeezed her tight.

Twilight laughed a bit from being pulled into a hug so suddenly. “I’m fine, Rainbow Dash. We’re all fine.” She wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow Dash, hugging her back.

“Looks like Ditzy, Lyra, ‘n’ Twilight persuaded some of the more stubborn unicorns in town ta just look past this whole mess. Well, at least the ones who’ll go along with just about anythin’. I‘m sure word’ll spread, an’ things’ll turn out just fine.” Applejack gave a small laugh. “So I don’t think Twilight’ll be leavin’ town anytime soon.”

“Good, I was worried I’d have to knock some heads,” Rainbow Dash said jokingly. Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Oh please, Rainbow Dash, that would have only hurt Twilight’s cause, and maybe gotten you thrown out too,” Rarity replied.

“Yeah, but they still would’ve deserved it for what they did to Twilight,” Spike said.

Twilight shook her head at Spike disapprovingly. “If you looked at their faces, many of them really didn’t want to kick me out. Most of them were just going along with Amethyst Star, probably because they had just assumed this is what they were supposed to do.”

"Well, I can’t say I’m upset I wasn’t needed for this fiasco,” Rarity said with a high-class tone. “I’m just glad that this whole mess was sorted out.”

“I still have to tell my parents, my brother, and the princess...” Twilight sighed.

“Let‘s worry about that later, okay?” Dash said, nuzzling Twilight’s neck.

“Plus, I’m going to have so many questions to answer tomorrow...” Twilight said with a grimace.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “First you wanted them to talk to you, now you don’t? Make up your mind! Questions are better than ponies not talking to you, right?”

Twilight nodded, seeing Rainbow’s point. “I just wish things were back to normal.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “I believe we should be going, I can’t leave Sweetie Belle alone for too long or she starts...getting into things...” A chill rolled down Rarity’s spine as she thought about the mess her sister could cause. “Come along, Spike.” She motioned for the dragon to follow.

Just as the dragon was about to trot after Rarity, Twilight grabbed his tail with her magic. “Spike, your bag?” she reminded him.

“Oh, right,” she said with a small chuckle. Twilight levitated his small bag out from the library door and into Spike’s hands.

“Be safe, alright?” she said with a small smile.

“And have fun.” Dash added, giving Twilight a small nudge on the shoulder.

“Oh, yes, and have fun,” Twilight repeated.

After Spike and Rarity left for the Carousel Boutique, Applejack tipped her hat back. “I suppose we can plan the foal shower some other day. After all, we got ten months before y’alls bundle’a joy’s due.”

“So we’re just gonna leave?” Pinkie sounded a bit sad.

“After today, I can’t say I’d be much in the mood ta plan a foal shower if I was Twilight.” Applejack turned to head home. “I’ll see y’all tomorrow, maybe then we can pick a day ta get this thing sorted out.”

“I guess I should be going too,” Fluttershy said, already floating in the air.

“Yeah, yeah, me too...” Pinkie looked on the verge of tears. “Oh! I know! Twilight, I’ll bake you a cake tomorrow, since you’re feeling better!” Pinkie’s attitude did a complete one-eighty. She popped up right in front of Twilight’s face holding her hoof.

Twilight laughed a bit. “Sounds good, Pinkie.”

“You can have some too, Rainbow Dash!” She said beaming at the pegasus as well.

Rainbow Dash nodded her head. “Alright, Pinkie.” She gave a small chuckle.

“Alright then, it’s a Pinkie promise! See you girls tomorrow!” she said as she bounced off to Sugarcube Corner.

“That pony is crazy,” Twilight remarked.

“Tell me about it. So what do you want to do?” Rainbow Dash turned to Twilight.

“It’s a little early to get started on our evening plans.” Twilight’s face turned a bit red as she flashed her marefriend a seductive glance. “So how about we just relax for a bit. I’m a little tired after today.”

“Sounds good, I could use a nap.” Rainbow Dash brushed up against Twilight. She pulled the unicorn in close with her wing. Then, without so much as a glance to see if anypony was watching, she kissed Twilight on the lips. The two shared their mutual lip lock for a moment before breaking away.

“Not that kind of nap,” Twilight said with a small giggle.

Author's Note

Been a while since there was an update for this story. I'm still moving forward with it, just slowly. Next chapter will contain clop, I swear.

If you have not read the previous chapters after 1/18/2014, there have been extensive rewrites. I would recommend rereading.

Disowned

Rainbows in the Night Sky

Chapter 11: Disowned

Rainbow Dash sighed heavily. She placed her foreleg on the windowsill next to her, and rested her face against her hoof. The train car bounced as it chugged down the track, making for a bumpy ride. Her foreleg, and subsequently her head bounced with each bump, only adding to her irritation. The pegasus watched as the scenery passed by lazily. The trees farther away seemed to move at a snail’s pace, while those closer to the tracks raced by in the blink of an eye. It was pretty accurately describing her situation she thought. Looking back, this trip thus far was short, but in the moment, it was dragging on forever.

Normally, Rainbow Dash would just take a nap to pass the time on a boring train ride, but she couldn’t for this trip. A quick sigh from her companion broke her mental silence, and reminded her why she couldn’t just fall asleep. She glanced over at Twilight sitting next to her out of the corner of her eye. Just looking at the dejected unicorn made her want to roll her eyes. Instead she opted to return to looking out the window, only to be interrupted again with another quick, heartwrenching sigh.

Dash couldn’t take it anymore. She groaned obnoxiously, and snapped her head to the librarian. “Twi, stop it!” she growled. “I’m not going to sit here, and listen to you sigh the whole way, okay?” Without any warning, she grabbed the unicorn, and pulled her into her side in a half hug. “Now just sit there, and stop worrying.”

Twilight pushed back against Dash. “I-I can’t!” she yelled.

“You can!” Dash yelled back, continuing to hold her tightly, making sure she was as close to her as possibly.

“How can I be calm! We’re on our way to Canterlot to tell my parents!” Twilight put her hooves on Dash, pushing back as hard as she could.

“Yeah, and?” Dash wrapped her other foreleg around Twilight, needing more strength to overpower the unicorn. It was a strange, amusing struggle the two had. Twilight was pushing away from Rainbow Dash as the pegasus fought to pull her in for a hug. Anyone watching would have burst into laughter in seconds. “Ponyville’s been taking this whole thing fine, I think your mom and dad will too!”

“You don’t know that!” Twilight protested, fighting a losing battle against the physically stronger pegasus.

“Twilight! Stop it!” Dash finally overpowered the librarian, pulling her in close to her chest. She held her like a filly holding a stuffed animal, far too tightly, and jealously. “There’s no point in worrying about “what ifs”, alright?”

“But…my mom and dad...and the princess…” Twilight continued to protest, but Dash wouldn’t have it.

“Don’t worry about it until something bad happens!” Dash let go with one of her forelegs, but still held Twilight close as she went back to staring out the window. A small scowl still sat on her face from their little tift.

“But…” Twilight muttered.

“No buts, just be glad we’re the only ones in this car because we have to look ridiculous after what just happened.” Dash looked around at the other empty seats.

Twilight sighed again, causing Dash to glare at her. The pegasus wasn’t upset that Twilight was sighing. She was only upset because the unicorn had been like this for the past week—constant sighing and moping all over what might come. It was like that night Dash brought Twilight home from Rarity’s, but this time, nothing had happened yet.

It had already been a month since the mob confronted Twilight outside the library, and that whole mess was sorted out. But after that whole ordeal, they both decided that they would take a few weeks to let things calm down before Twilight brought on the next wave of stress into her life. Their families and loved ones outside of Ponyville would have to wait, or Twilight very well might have had a heart attack from all the worrying.

The plan was going great, until a week ago when Twilight decided she was ready to tell her family. Being that Twilight was—well, she was Twilight—she thought it would be best to kill two birds with one stone. First she sent off a letter to the princess to ask when would be a good time for a personal visit. She didn’t have to wait long for a reply. Immediately after she got the princess’s letter, she sent of a second letter to her parents, telling them she had something important to discuss on the same day. That was what had brought the two of them onto the train. Today was the day Twilight would tell her parents, and Celestia.

“I hope Spike is doing alright with Fluttershy…” Twilight said, changing the subject.

“If it’s not one thing it’s another…” Dash thought to herself. “I’m sure he’s fine. But, I bet the little guy would rather be with Rarity.” Dash chuckled slightly.

“Too bad she had a fashion show in Manehatten. She’s been working on her new dress line for so long, she couldn’t miss her show just to watch Spike.” Twilight placed her head on Dash’s shoulder.

“We couldn’t exactly bring him along with us either.”

“Yeah…” Twilight glanced out the window next to Dash. The two watched the passing scenery for a few minutes in complete silence, simply enjoying their time together before Twilight finally said, “Why can’t this be easy?”

“Because none of it’s been easy so far.” Dash slide her foreleg down lower, resting it on Twilight’s side. He hoof gently stroked her marefriend’s belly, making Twilight smile. “Look, it doesn’t matter. All I know is that I’m happy, and you’re happy, and that’s all that matters, right?”

“Yeah.” There was no hesitation in Twilight’s voice. She was happy. Being with Rainbow Dash made her happy, and her parents, or even Celestia wouldn’t change that. She only hoped that her family and mentor would accept their foal.

“Your mom and dad will see that, and it’ll all work out.” Dash placed her head on Twilight’s. It was as if she had read her marefriend’s mind. “I mean, even Amethyst Star apologized for what she did, I’m sure your parents—who love you—will see it our way too.”

“You're right…If somepony who didn’t even know me that well could change her mind, I’m sure my family will…” Twilight let out another sigh, though this one was more a content sigh than that of worry. “I just hope you’ve got an explanation for my father on how you wooed me—so to speak,” Twilight said, teasingly.

“What?”

“He’s really protective of me.” A sly smile cracked on her face.

“You’re joking right? He’s not going to be mad is he?”

“Who knows,” she replied.

“You’re just teasing, right?” Dash asked, a growing concern in her voice.

“You’ll have to see.”

“We don’t have to meet the princess till sundown, so let’s go get my parents over with before we go to the hotel.” Twilight said as she stepped off the train. The platform was pretty empty, save for another passenger, and the conductor. She stopped a few steps outside of the train, turning to her marefriend as she followed behind.

“Didn’t you have a house when you lived here?” Dash asked.

“I lived at the library for research reasons, like I do now. When I moved to Ponyville, that meant I moved out of there. So I’m certain another pony probably lives there now.”

“And you don’t want to stay with your parents, do you…” the pegasus confirmed, stepping next to Twilight.

“We’re going to be here for a week, I don’t want to impose…Besides, I don’t know if I’ll be allowed after we tell them.”

“It’ll be fine, Twi.” Dash playfully nudged the unicorn, trying to catch her before she fell into a worry-filled slump.

“Right…”

“Think positively.” Dash walked ahead, motioning for Twilight to follow. “So where do your folks live?” She paused looking around at her surroundings for a moment.

“How about you just follow me, alright?” Twilight couldn’t help but laugh to herself. Dash looked a little embarrassed as her marefriend took the lead.

As they came closer to the tall buildings, they saw the hustle and bustle of the capital pickup. Ponies all around, most of which were unicorns, all going about their daily lives. Some sat around, or lazily walked the streets, while others were in a rush. Dash couldn’t help but notice the ones acting more leisurely clearly were the more well off ponies. Many of them wore clothes, not nearly as fancy, but still reminiscent of those she saw at The Gala. The other ponies weren’t dressed nearly as nice, and those were the working class ones.

It wasn’t her first time in Canterlot, but it was the first time this had caught her attention. She let out a low ‘hmm’ as she contemplated.

“What is it?” Twilight asked.

“I never realized how many ponies here actually wear clothes. It’s kind of rare in Ponyville, or even Cloudsdale.”

Twilight frowned a bit. “Most of them are higher class, or nobles” she muttered.

Dash looked at these fancier dressed unicorns with a new contempt. These would probably be the same ponies to chastise her marefriend if word got out about her condition. “It’s a good thing you’re not really showing than, or things might get a bit messy…” Dash said quietly.

“What do you mean by “not really showing”? Are you saying I’m getting fat?” Twilight raised an eyebrow, looking a little offended.

“You know what I mean.” Dash gave her a playful nudge. It took her a moment to realize where they were, and immediately she took a step away from Twilight. “I probably shouldn’t do that here…” Dash muttered quietly.

Twilight gave her a puzzled look. “It’s fine, most of the ponies in Canterlot wouldn’t care if two mares are together…just if one gets the other pregnant…” Twilight frowned a bit.

Dash brushed up against Twilight’s side, stopping her from moping again. “Stop…Let’s just get to your parents so we can get this whole mess out of the way, alright?”

“We still have to tell the princess…”

“Trust me, you’ll cheer up once you hear your mom and dad are okay with it.”

“I suppose…” Twilight leaned into Rainbow Dash as they walked.

Dash was still worried about two mares showing their affection so openly, but as they continued walking, she noticed Twilight was right. No one was even giving them a second glance even though they were hanging on one another. As her eyes scanned the crowd around them, she noticed quite a few same-sex couples throughout the city, mostly mares. “Is being gay common around here?” she asked as they walked past a white unicorn hanging on a brownish-grey earth pony mare.

“Bisexuality is pretty common among unicorns.”

“Hm…And here I got picked on for liking fillies…” Dash mused.

Twilight took a deep breath. They stood in front of a rather unassuming house, similar to the houses next to it—similar to the houses all along the block for that matter. Dash glanced around at the surrounding homes, finding them not similar, but the exact same. Then she glanced back at the house Twilight stopped in front of, silently wondering how Twilight could tell this was her parent’s house. It was a two story, white house, with a small front yard. A little white gate separated the property from the sidewalk. This neighborhood looked perfect—eerily so in fact.

“Looks nice…” she muttered.

“It’s government housing. My dad works for the courts. Everypony in this neighborhood works for the government in some way or another, that’s why we’re so close to the castle.” Twilight glanced over at the imposing Canterlot castle, towering over the small cluster of homes.

“So that’s why they all look the same.”

“It’s easier to build from a set plan rather than design an entire neighborhood of customized homes.” Twilight used her magic to open the gate. “I…want you to wait out here for a second.”

“Why?”

“I want to talk to them alone for a minute before I introduce you properly.” Dash gave her a concerned look, that only made Twilight sigh. “I’m not going to tell them without you, I just want to try and relax them a little before they meet you, alright?”

She stared at her marefriend for a moment before finally nodding. “Fine…”

Twilight turned to the door. Just as she raised her hoof to knock, she felt her heart seize in terror, like she was about to enter the bowels of hell itself. She was here. She was actually here, and going to tell her parents. The unicorn closed her eyes, shutting out that fear for a second. This is something she had to do; she couldn’t run away. Twilight forced her hoof forward, and knocked. Then, she used her magic to open the door.

Inside the house was almost as plain as the outside. White walls, with their only adornment being a plethora of pictures. She didn’t even have to look at the photos to see who they were of, she already knew. Pictures of herself, her brother, and her extended family as well. She glanced at picture on the stand right inside the doorway. It was from the wedding. She saw her brother, her new sister-in-law, her mom, dad, and herself, all smiling happily. Twilight sighed, feeling as though she was about to break that harmony in her family.

“Mom, Dad?” she called out into the house.

Her mom poked her head out from the kitchen. “Twilight, welcome home.”

The older mare came towards Twilight from the end of the hallway she was standing in. “Hi, Mom.” Twilight immediately wrapped her mom in a hug, much to her surprise. “Where’s Dad?”

“He’s in the living room. Night Light? Aren’t you going to answer your daughter when she comes home for a visit?” she called into the next room.

“Sorry, I was just going over this case.” Twilight’s father appeared in the doorway between the hall and the room to their right after a second. “Welcome home, Twilight,” he replied with a smile.

Twilight quickly wrapped her forelegs around her dad in a hug as well. “Hi, Dad.”

“H-Hi,” he said, taken a bit off guard by his daughter’s sudden affection.

“So, how was the trip?”

“It was fine.”

“We’re glad you came for a visit. We don’t hear from you much, now that you live in Ponyville.”

“Or now that you’re a famous hero. Too big to talk to your parents now?” her mother teased with a small, sly smile.

“S-Sorry.” She chuckled nervously. “I’ve been rather busy since I moved there…”

“We don’t hold it against you dear, in fact, we’re both proud of you. You’re busy with assignments from the princess, and saving the world more than a few times. It’s just been so quiet since you moved to Ponyville, and after the wedding, we don’t hear from your brother too much since he’s away in the Crystal Empire and all.” Her mother’s teasing smile faded into a plain smile, just happy to see her daughter.

“I’ll try to stay in touch more…” Twilight trailed off, realizing she might not be able to keep that promise. After she told her parents, they might not want to hear from her again.

“So, what did you want to talk to us about. Your letter seemed a little urgent.”

“O-Oh...well, actually, I did come by for a reason…” Twilight looked down at the floor for a moment, her cheeks going a bit red. “This is the first time I’ve brought somepony home to meet my parents…” Twilight was a little slow to realize that. Suddenly she felt nervous for a whole other reason.

Her parents both looked at one another with a strange mixture of intrigue and insight, as though they knew the conversation they might be having, just not the specifics. Both smiled at one another and then to Twilight. “Oh, and what might that be, dear?” her mother asked.

“T-There’s somepony I would like you to meet.” Her parents immediately shot each other a knowing glance with a small laugh. Twilight turned around, and cracked the door open. With a motion of her hoof outside the door, she turned back around to her parents. “Mom, Dad…this is Rainbow Dash.” Twilight opened the door with her magic, revealing the pegasus. “She’s…my marefriend…”

Dash stepped inside, looking a little embarrassed herself. “Nice to meet you,” she said softly.

Twilight’s parents both looked mildly surprised by the pony standing in front of them. “It’s nice to meet you, Miss Dash,” Twilight’s mother said.

“This is a bit of a surprise, Twilight. We never thought you would go for—”

“Night Light, be civil!” the older mare snapped at her husband.

“Well, it’s true.”

Dash looked over to see Twilight pressing her hoof to her face in shame. “I get that it’s a pretty big shock to see your daughter bring home another mare, but—” she started say, trying to make the situation less awkward, but was interrupted.

“Oh, no it’s not that,” Twilight’s dad said. “While that is also a bit of a surprise, it’s more…” He turned to his wife.

“We never thought our daughter would…bring home a pegasus. We always assumed it would be a unicorn that would catch her eye, considering her interest in magic. Not that we have something against pegasi, or anything.”

“Mom!” Twilight’s face was beet red.

“S-Sorry, dear.” Twilight’s mom motioned for everyone to enter the living room. “Would you like to take a seat? Can I get you anything to drink, Miss Dash?”

“No thanks,” she replied following Twilight’s dad into the living room.

“Between you and Shining Armor, I’m starting to think my children have cloud fever.” Twilight’s dad laughed at his own poor joke.

“Dad…” Twilight groaned.

“It’s fine, Twi. Don’t worry about it.” Dash nudged her playfully.

“So, Miss Dash, how long have you and my daughter been dating? If I recall, you were at the wedding, but she didn’t introduce you to us back then…” Twilight’s dad asked, raising an eyebrow as he did.

Dash couldn’t help but smile, noticing how similar Twilight was to her dad. “We’ve only been together the last two months. We’ve been friends for a while though, so we’re pretty close.”

“I thought I recognized you, you were the pony that did that beautiful display just after the ceremony, correct?” Twilight’s mother asked.

“Yeah, the sonic rainboom.” Dash nodded with a smile. “So you guys are really okay with your daughter dating another mare?” Dash asked, watching Twilight’s mom and dad sit on a couch across the room from them.

“One of the main concerns with same-sex relationships is children—or lack there of. We don’t exactly have to worry about grandchildren, since Shining married, and Twilight is her own mare, capable of making her own decisions.” Twilight’s dad looked at his wife, seeing her nod in agreement.

“S-Speaking of grandchildren…” Twilight’s entire body stiffened as she readied her nerves. “I have something else to tell you both.”

“What is it, Twilight?” her mother asked.

Twilight took a deep breath. Just as she opened her mouth, she felt Dash’s hoof on her own. She looked over at her marefriend, smiling weakly. “You two are going to be grandparents.” Twilight looked back up at her mother and father.

The two shot each other a confused look before looking back at their daughter. “Did Shining tell you he’s having a foal before he told us or something?”

“N-No mom…I’m the one having a foal…” Twilight watched as he parent’s eyes went wide for a moment. “A-And the father…is Rainbow Dash…”

Her parents stared awkwardly at the two of them for a moment. Then longer than a moment, until finally minutes had passed. Twilight could feel the tension in the room build as the silence went on. Her heart beat faster and faster until she thought she might have a heart attack then and there. She saw the look on her mother’s face slowly shift from confused, to scared, to almost dread. “M-Mo—”

“Is this a joke?” her mother asked, glancing back and forth between Dash and Twilight. “If this is, it’s not funny, Twilight.”

“It’s not a joke, Mom…”

“Twilight…where did you learn that spell?” her dad finally asked with a soft, solemn tone.

“I-I found an old book in the Canterlot Library a few years back…”

“And you just thought you should give it a shot?” her mother asked in utter disbelief.

“N-No! I-I…”

“Oh Luna, my daughter is a monster…” her mother finally said, covering her mouth with her hoof.

“M-Mom! Listen, I’m…I’m not a monster…” Twilight stood up off the couch she was sitting on.

“This is a bit hard to say as we’ve raised you to value life, but…have you looked at other options?” Night Light refused to look his daughter in the eyes.

“We’ve talked about it, and we’re both against it.” Twilight looked back at Rainbow Dash. Her marefriend nodded in agreement as she stood up next to her.

“As your father, I will strongly urge you to reconsider that decision, Twilight. The ramifications of this could have dire consequences.”

“Strongly urge her to reconsider? Night Light, you tell your daughter right now to get that—” Her mother paused for a moment, actively debating whether to finish her thought. After a second of stammering, she finally thrusting an accusing hoof at Twilight, “—that thing out of her!”

Twilight’s heart stopped in her chest. “Mom…” she muttered weakly.

“Velvet, calm down.” He looked at his wife with the same serious eyes. “This needs to be handled with care.”

“Calm down? I-I can’t calm down! Do you realize your daughter is going to be an outcast? What will ponies say about her? About us? You could lose your job! This is the type of incident that can ruin a family!” Twilight’s mom jumped off the couch she was sitting on, and glared down at her husband.

“Mom, listen—” Twilight started to speak again, but was cut off.

“I don’t want to hear it, Twilight!” Twilight Velvet slammed her hoof down on the floor. “Look, we’ve supported you, we’ve tried our best to let you be your own mare, and give you everything you could want, but…”

Finally Twilight’s dad stood up off the couch as well. “What your mother is trying to say, is that we can’t condone this. That spell is forbidden for a reason, and I know your mother and you have had a conversation as to why this isn’t allowed. That is why you need to reflect on this decision some more.”

“That’s the thing, Dad. Mom and I have had a conversation, but nothing makes sense about it…There’s no concrete evidence for why this is wrong. You’re the one who told me to always look for evidence, but there isn’t any with this—just silly superstitions.” Twilight looked at the ground.

Rainbow Dash looked back and forth between Twilight and her parents. Neither side was looking at the other. they all had their gazes fixed at the floor. “I might not get the whole taboo behind this thing, but I do know that—”

“You be quiet!” Twilight’s mom said, cutting Dash off. “This is your fault, I just know it. You talked my daughter into doing this! Twilight isn’t the type of girl who would break a rule like this! You had to have tricked her into this!”

“Tricked her?” Dash was taken back by that baseless accusation.

“Hey now!” Twilight stood up in defence of her marefriend. “I made the mistake, Mom, not Rainbow Dash!”

“Mistake?” That word caught her father’s attention.

Twilight swallowed hard, carefully deciding what she should divulge. She looked at her father after a moment. “Yes, this didn’t all pan out the way we wanted, and this is the product of a night full of poor choices, but we’ve managed to pull something from it.”

“This wasn’t planned?” Night Light asked, looking at the two of them with concerned eyes.

“Not exactly. Alcohol may have been involved, and—”

“Y-You were drinking?” Twilight’s mom gasped.

“I am of legal age, Mom…And I don’t do so often, or in excess, but…that night was a little outside the norm for me…”

“I-I…” her mother struggled to even speak. “I-I can’t handle this…” she finally managed to say. “Night…you fix this.” She quickly raced out of the living room and up the stairs.

“M-Mom!” Twilight tried to stop her by placing a hoof on her shoulder as she passed, but her mom put up a small shield blocking her daughter’s hoof.

“Twilight…” she said, stopping in the doorway. “You are not welcome in this house until you make the right decision.” She sounded cold, spite-filled, and completely unlike anything Twilight had ever heard out of her mother.

“Velvet!” Twilight’s dad called after his wife.

Twilight’s heart dropped in her chest having heard her mother’s harsh words. “Mom…”

The older mare didn’t even so much as turn around. She headed up stairs without so much as another word, leaving her husband dumbfounded, and Dash bewildered. Twilight on the other hoof was completely devastated. Her mom, usually such a kind, and caring pony had just effectively disowned her.

“Twilight…I think your mother is right…You need to re-evaluate your choice in this matter, and I hope you can come to the right decision. If word gets out about this, your will be disgraced, and with your position, that would reflect poorly on not only you, but those close to you. On yourself, Miss Dash, your brother, us, and even the princess.” He looked back at the floor.

“Hold on!” Dash took a step towards Twilight’s dad, defiantly. “Don’t I get a say in this? It’s my foal too! And besides, Twilight wants to keep it!” Dash taking a step towards the stallion drew his attention.

Night Light glared at the pegasus. “This has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with our daughter’s future!” he snapped.

“I think you mean our future!” Dash took another defiant step. “I love Twilight, alright! I’m not scared to admit that, and I won’t let anypony, even her mom and dad tell her what to do, and especially if she doesn’t want to! We both care about each other a lot, and I’m not just some pony that waltzed into her life and knocked her up! Twilight was my best friend before we started dating, and I’ve loved her since before I even knew I loved her!”

Night Light stared at Dash for a moment, taken back that someone would even consider standing up to him when it came to this matter. This was a unicorn affair, and what a pegasus thought on it had little relevance. He opened his mouth to tell this mare that, but she spoke up again before he could even respond.

“You guys are going to have a granddaughter, and that’s way more important than some silly superstition, or taboo. Your daughter is happy with her choice, and I’m happy with it too, not because I wanted a foal or anything, but because I love Twilight!” Dash made no effort to hide the glare in her eyes. She looked at Twilight’s father with utter contempt. “I can’t believe you would disown your daughter over something so stupid!”

He was the one right in this situation, yet here this crazed mare was, defending their deed—no, defending his daughter. The daughter he cared so much for. He opened his mouth again to speak, but it wasn’t his voice that came out, it was Twilight’s. “They’re right, Dash...let’s go…” Twilight muttered from behind the pegasus.

“W-What? Twi, you can’t be serious!”

“Let’s go…” she said again, slowly walking towards the doorway. “I’m sorry, Dad…Tell Mom I’m sorry too…” she said softly.

Dash watched Twilight leave the living room, her head hung low as she walked. The pegasus glanced back at Night Light before following her marefriend. “It was nice to meet you,” she said before leaving the room.

Dash could hear Twilight’s father following behind them, seemingly seeing the two of them out of the house. As they left, she heard the hoofsteps come to a stop at the front door. Twilight paused looking back at the front door for a moment before lowering her head again. Dash glanced back at Twilight’s dad once more seeing the same solemn look he had given Twilight through the whole conversation. It wasn’t easy to read; she couldn’t tell if he was upset, sympathetic, or callous.

She shook her head, expressing her disapproval before the two of them left down the cobblestone road. She didn’t hear the door close, but she wasn’t listening for it. All she cared about was Twilight. It was a worse case scenario. Her family had completely blown it out of proportion as far as Dash was concerned. It was a foal, something they should be celebrating, but instead they shamed their daughter, and disowned her before Dash’s eyes. She looked over at Twilight, fighting the urge to start crying in the unicorn’s place.

Dash placed a lone wing over Twilight. Her marefriend glanced up at her, giving a small, weak smile. She leaned into Dash as she walked, affectionately rubbing her head against her.

“Thanks, Dashie…” Twilight muttered, holding back her own tears.

“I’m sorry, Twi…” was all she could say. What else could be said?

There was a sudden poof sound, and a flash of light in front of the two of them. They both looked to the source, seeing Twilight’s dad blocking their path. The unicorn stallion took a few steps towards Dash staring her down as he approached. “Rainbow Dash…” he said plainly.

“I had this speech prepared for a colt, but I’ll have to improvise a bit…You’ve made your intentions clear a moment ago, and I’m aware what you two have been doing judging by Twilight’s condition. I will say this though, if you so much as make my daughter cry, I’ll make you pay for that, alright? She’s my little girl, and I won’t let anypony hurt her…even my own wife…or myself…” He turned to look at Twilight. as soon as he looked at his daughter, his unreadable expression vanished. Now, the stallion’s emotions were as plain as day on his face. Night Light was struggling just from seeing his daughter so distraught—struggling at seeing his little girl so hurt.

Dash raised an eyebrow to the stallion. “What?”

“Dad?”

“Twilight, seeing how Rainbow Dash stood up for you, and seeing her conviction really moved me. I know her feelings for you are real. So, if…this is what makes you happy…if keeping her foal is what you want…then I shouldn’t stand in the way of your happiness.”

“But…what about Mom? What about what everypony will think?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to your mother about this. Until then I would suggest staying away from the house. You know how she can get.”

“I never seen Mom this upset before though…”

“You weren’t around when she found out Shining went into the army.” He cracked a small smile. His smile faded after a brief moment, returning to the sympathetic look he had before. “She’s not mad…she’s confused, and hurt…”

“I know…she was saying some things she really didn’t mean…” Twilight added.

“She loves you, Twilight. She doesn’t want you to go through the hardships this will put on you.”

“I know…I’ve already been through a few of them. Word is already out in Ponyville, but I don’t think it will stay there for long. I wanted to be the ones to tell you, not some rumor.”

“I fear it will only get worse for you…” He glanced back to Rainbow Dash. “You’ve been a strong emotional support for her through this, haven’t you. I can tell by how you stood up for her immediately with absolutely no hesitation. That’s the type of pony I always wanted my Twilight to be with, somepony who would support her no matter what.”

“I am the Element of Loyalty, you know. I love Twilight, so I wouldn’t back down so easy.” Dash boasted a confident smile. One that offered no reluctance, or room for negotiation.

Night Light looked back at Twilight, giving her a small smile. He walked over, and gave her a quick hug. “I love you, Twily.”

“Dad…” Her cheeks flushed a shade of red. “You’re embarrassing me…” She let out a small sniffle, still fighting the urge to cry.

“I had best give your mother some time to calm down before I try to reason with her.” He said taking a few steps back. “At least it will allow me to get some work done,” he said with a small chuckle.

“Dad!” Twilight called out, standing up straight as she did. He turned to her. “Thank you…” she said with a smile. He only smiled back before he disappeared in a flash of light.

Author's Note

Well if her parents flipped their shit this much, how will Celestia react?

Social Norms

Rainbows in the Night Sky

Chapter 12: Social Norms

Twilight tossed herself down onto the bed inside their hotel room. She gave a loud sigh, letting her body go limp on the queen-size bed. That talk with her parents was probably the single worst event in her entire life. Even now, her mother’s harsh words still echoed in her mind making her feel sick. Twilight stared at the ceiling with a ragged look. “That could have gone better…” she muttered.

Rainbow Dash only stared at her for a moment before walking over the the bed herself. She looked down at Twilight with sympathetic eyes, and a half frown on her face. “Well, at least your Dad’s okay with it. One out of two ain’t bad, right?” she said, trying to cheer her lover up.

“One out of three…” Twilight corrected. “Four, actually, if you count my brother…”

Dash sighed heavily. “You always have to spoil everything.” She climbed onto the bed with Twilight. Before the mare could even protest, she pushed her onto her side so she could grab ahold of her in a hug from behind. Twilight groaned weakly in protest, but she didn’t do anything else to tell Dash no. “You’re a glass half empty kind of mare, aren’t you.”

“I thought you knew that…” Twilight said softly, closing her eyes.

“I kinda did. Look, your dad’ll talk to your mom, and everything will work out, Twi,” she said, nuzzling into her marefriend’s neck. The unicorn’s warm scent filled her nostrils, making her heart flutter. She didn’t know what she could do for Twilight, but lying there felt like the right choice. Being close, and holding the unicorn always seemed to cheer her up, or at the very least comfort her when she was stressed.

Twilight pushed back into Dash, trying to be as close to the mare as possible. Dash smiled, happy to see Twilight understood what she was doing. “I hope so, Dashie,” she replied tiredly.

“You know, after meeting him, I didn’t realize just how much you’re like your dad…”

Twilight sighed heavily. “I wish. I’m not like him…Dad’s always in control of his emotions, and he always knows what to do…” Twilight said with a tinge of disappointment in her voice.

The pegasus’s smile faded in an instant. She laid there with her muzzle resting on Twilight’s neck as she thought what to say. “Yeah, I said you’re a lot like him, not exactly like him,” she replied finally. “You always know what to do too,” Dash said sweetly into Twilight’s ear.

“I don’t know what to do in this situation…” Twilight still held that self disappointment in her voice. “I also get worked up like my mom does…You were lucky enough to see one of her legendary freakouts today.”

“Yeah…” Dash muttered, not sure what else to say.

"Well, how do I compare? Do I live up to her?” Twilight asked sarcastically.

“I’d say you’re worse. She didn’t hypnotize the whole town into fighting over a doll.” Dash continued to nuzzle her marefriend’s neck without missing a beat.

“Thanks…” Twilight said plainly, clearly taking offense.

“I’m teasing,” Dash replied, pulling Twilight in close to her chest so she couldn’t squirm away.

“I don’t want to be teased…” She sounded like a child arguing with a parent.

Dash gave another half frown. “I’m just trying to—”

“I know…you’re trying to make me feel better…” Twilight rolled over to face the pegasus, and wrapped her forelegs around her. “I don’t need jokes though…You just being here helps…” Twilight said, placing her muzzle on top of Dash’s head. She could smell the pegasus’s scent trapped perfectly inside her ruffled mane. The warm smell calmed her aching heart, making Twilight close her eyes again.

“You know I don’t like that answer…”

“I know you don’t…” Twilight’s ears fell flat. “Dashie, if I knew what would make me feel better, I would let you do it. Trust me, I would, but I don’t know…” Twilight sighed again.

“I know this all sucks, Twi, but I feel like things will work out. I just have a feeling.” She squeezed the unicorn tightly to her.

“A feeling?” she asked skeptically.

“Yeah, a feeling. I feel like no matter what, your mom will be fine with it, and so will the princess!”

“The princess…” Twilight muttered. Her heart sank again, knowing the time to tell her was drawing ever closer. After how her parents reacted, she honestly didn’t want to tell the princess. Silently she cursed herself for scheduling the two meetings on the same day.

“She knows everything, and she’s super understanding, Twilight. I’m sure she’s not going to be too peeved at you.”

Twilight let the idea sink in for a moment before she let out a laugh. “I think you might actually be right there.” Twilight moaned softly, feeling Rainbow Dash kiss her neck.

“What time do we have to meet the princess?” she asked, nuzzling into Twilight’s neck.

“We need to leave in an hour and a half.” Twilight squeezed the pegasus close to her.

“I think I got just the thing for you. For the next hour and a half, I’ll just lay here, and nuzzle you, and kiss you, and tell you how awesome you are. That’ll make you feel better, won’t it?” Dash playfully suggested.

“We’re just going to lie here, cuddling for an hour and a half, and the whole time you’re going to whisper how much you love me?” Twilight asked, a small bit of Dash’s playfulness rubbing off on her. “I think that would make me feel a little better. I could use a bit of a self-esteem boost after today.” Twilight bent her neck, letting Dash kiss her more.

“Then that’s what I’ll do…”

The sun was setting, and Twilight and Rainbow Dash stood outside of Celestia’s chamber doors. Just standing there, she felt like she was going to have a heart attack. With how things went with her mom earlier today, she was scared to death over how Celestia would react. She looked back at her marefriend, pleading for Rainbow Dash to let her change her mind, but the pegasus shook her head. Twilight stared at her for another moment, clearly nervous about the impending meeting. Her eyes pleaded again, but this time Rainbow Dash silently told Twilight continue. A small motion of the pegasus’s hoof told her to open the door. Reluctantly, Twilight nodded.

Slowly, she lifted her hoof, and lightly tapped on the door. Her soft, gentle rapping couldn’t have possibly alerted the princess, but Twilight stood motionless at the door regardless. She glanced back over at Rainbow Dash, finding the pegasus now standing next to her. She gave Twilight a deadpan look, raising her hoof to knock in her stead. Twilight shook her head, on the cusp of saying something, but Dash knocked more forcefully, cutting her off.

“She didn’t hear that, Twi,” she said sternly.

“You don’t know that. Now she’s going to think we’re—” the door suddenly opened, cutting Twilight off. The golden aura surrounding the handles told them who exactly had willed it opened. Twilight swallowed hard, taking the first step inside.

Inside the rather large chamber, the princess was sitting on a big, plush pillow by an unused fireplace. Next to her sat a stack of scrolls, most likely issues that had yet to be addressed. Glancing around, Twilight quickly noticed a lack of the usual guards around the princess. She breathed a small sigh of relief—partially for the lack of an audience, and also for the informal atmosphere.

“Princess?” she asked, grabbing the ruler’s attention.

“Twilight, I thought that was you. Good evening.” Celestia looked up from a piece of paper she had been reading with a smile. “And to you too, Rainbow Dash. I wasn’t expecting Twilight to bring company.”

Dash shot Twilight a glance that screamed I thought I told you to tell her I was coming. Twilight only smiled weakly. “Good evening, Princess,” they both said, turning back to Celestia with a small bow.

“How are you two doing?” she asked with a calming, gentle tone. Just hearing her voice, Twilight’s body relaxed a bit. Celestia always had this effect on her though. She had a thousand years of practice at making herself feel approachable, and putting ponies at ease.

“W-We’re fine,” Twilight said, looking over at Rainbow Dash. The pegasus nodded to her, spurring Twilight forward.

“You don’t sound fine,” Celestia said, pulling Twilight’s attention back to her.

“E-Excuse me?” She sounded like a filly caught sneaking a cookie.

“I’ve known you for a long time, Twilight. I can tell when you’re feeling stressed.” The princess motioned for the two ponies to join her, which the did. Twilight and Rainbow Dash lied down across from the princess on the floor. “In your letter you mentioned that you had something to discuss, could that be what’s bothering you?”

“Well…yes…” Twilight found herself looking at the floor.

“And I suppose Rainbow Dash figures into this dilemma of yours too.”

Dash nodded to the princess.

“Well, Twilight, you can always talk to me.” Celestia used her magic to roll the scroll she was reading, and placed it atop the pile next to her. Next, she glanced at the cold fireplace. Her horn sparked, and a small flame lit on the logs. The small flame pulsed brighter, and hotter, until it finally engulfed the wood. She turned back to her two subjects lying across from her. “I’ll do my best to offer you advice in whatever way I can.”

“This isn’t so much a matter of guidance, Princess. I…I have a personal issue I need to discuss with you…”

Celestia tilted her head to the side as she looked at her student. “Personal issue?” She glanced over to see Rainbow Dash looking up at her with nervous eyes. “Are you two having an argument?”

“N-No…quite the opposite in fact…P-Princess…Rainbow Dash and I are…” As Twilight spoke, her voice drifted off, quieter and quieter. Celestia had to lean in closer to her student to hear what she was saying. “We’re, umm…romantically involved.” Twilight’s cheeks burned red with embarrassment over admitting such an intimate detail of her life to her mentor.

“Romantically involved?” Celestia looked at Rainbow Dash.

Dash gave Celestia a soft nod. “Yes, Princess, me and Twilight are dating…”

“How long have you two been seeing one another?” Celestia asked. Her expression was unreadable, like it always was. The only hint to her emotions was a lack of her usual smile.

“It’s been about a month and a half…” the pegasus replied.

Celestia looked back at Twilight. The unicorn wasn’t looking at Celestia, instead, she was focused on the floor. The princess sighed softly. “This is a bit troubling, Twilight.”

Twilight felt her heart stop in her chest. Her whole body began to shake uncontrollably. The princess was calm, but Twilight just knew she was upset. She hadn’t even told her the real news yet, and Celestia was already angry. “I-I’m sorry…” she said softly. Her voice was shaking just from uttering the small phrase.

“Hold on, you don’t have to be sorry, Twi.” Dash placed her hoof on Twilight’s.

“I must say, I am disappointed in you…” Celestia let out a small sigh, and shook her head.

“W-What?” Twilight couldn’t even look up at her mentor. She said she was disappointed, and that hurt Twilight beyond anything else the princess could have said. Tremors rolled down Twilight’s hoof, making Rainbow Dash look at her with concern.

The pegasus’s eyes shot to Celestia. “Princess, Twilight and I love each other,” Dash explained, trying to keep calm. “I-I don’t think she did anything wrong!” Against her better judgement, Dash’s anger started to seep into her voice. Twilight’s parents, and now her teacher—her entire support system seemed to be abandoning her, and Dash couldn’t bear to see her marefriend subject to that agony.

“Rainbow Dash, there are reasons why I am disappointed—”

“No! I-I can’t take it anymore!” Dash stood up. “Why can’t anypony accept Twilight’s feelings? We both love each other, so what’s it matter if we’re both mares!” Dash glared at Celestia, though the large alicorn wasn’t the least bit fazed.

“I understand that the two of you are in love, Rainbow Dash, but it’s not your love that concerns me,” Celestia calmly explained. “The Elements of Harmony exist with a very delicate balance, and with so many enemies from old returning, I fear we will need the Elements now more than ever.” Celestia looked out a large window in her chamber, finding the moon rising already in the night sky. She continued to stare for a moment longer, and memories of her sister’s incident surfaced in her mind. “Love between you two could disrupt that balance, and that is a cause for concern,” she uttered finally.

“Wait, what?” Dash sat back down, confused.

“But..,wouldn’t love be stronger than friendship?” Twilight asked, lifting her gaze to meet the Princess.

“Could you say that you hold the same feelings for your other friends that you do for Rainbow Dash now, Twilight?” Twilight stared at the princess for a moment, contemplating if that had been a real question. After Celestia didn’t answer for her, she shook her head. “It’s not for certain that the Elements would fall out of balance, but it’s a possibility—a worse case scenario if you will.” She turned back to face the smaller ponies sitting in front of her.

“So, we might not be the Elements of Harmony anymore?” Dash asked, a small tinge of fear in her voice.

“As I said before, it is a possibility, Rainbow Dash. what I am disappointed in, is Twilight’s lack of foresight, not her choice.” Twilight looked back at the floor, her ears falling flat in shame. Celestia observed the young unicorn for a short while before speaking again. “Though, I do not blame her.” The princess’s words pulled Twilight’s attention back to her. “The heart has a mind of its own, and you do not always get a say in what it decides.”The princess have a small smile.

She was disappointed, but not mad. Twilight felt herself begin to hope. The princess was right, Twilight couldn’t rationalize her feelings for Rainbow Dash, no matter how much she tried. The pegasus had swooped into Twilight’s heart, and stole it without her even noticing. But she also knew something deep down inside. Just because she had these feelings, it didn’t mean she and Rainbow Dash were no longer friends. Nothing had changed between them, her feelings had only grown—they’ve matured into a new stage.

Twilight looked down at Dash’s hoof, resting on her own once more. She thought about how Dash had been there for her through this whole ordeal. Since she had told her, Rainbow Dash had stayed by her side, taking responsibility. Slowly, she looked up into her lover’s eyes. As she stared into the dark rose-color, she felt an echo from something inside her. This something was never gone, and would occasionally remind her of its presence, and that was just what she needed right now. A small smile worked itself onto her face, and she leaned into Rainbow Dash’s side.

“Princess…I don’t think there’s a need for worry,” Twilight said, looking back to Celestia.

The ruler tilted her head slightly. “And why is that, Twilight?”

“Because, Rainbow Dash and I are still best friends…” Twilight sat up proudly. “I can still feel the Element of Magic inside me, so my attunement has not been lost. And with how Rainbow Dash has stood by my side, she is still the Element of Loyalty.”

“Yeah! We’re friends, but we’re also a little bit more now…” Dash smiled back at Twilight, almost as if she had read the unicorn’s mind, she finished her marefriend’s thought.

Celestia’s smile grew more genuine as she looked at the two ponies before her. “I have known you far too long for you to lie to me, Twilight. That is why I can tell you’re being honest right now. Just looking at the both of you, I can see that you care for one another deeply.”

“I love Twilight with all my heart.” Dash leaned into the unicorn.

“And I love you too, Rainbow Dash…” Twilight added.

“If you two can both feel your elements still inside you, then that means the bond is still strong.” The princess grew serious for a moment. “It is a cause for concern though, and be mindful of it in the future. If you ever feel as though you may have lost your elements, do not hesitate to contact me.”

“Of course,” Twilight replied promptly. She looked over at Rainbow Dash expecting her to say something to affirm her statement but the pegasus motioned for Twilight to tell Celestia something more. She shook her head slightly, feeling the fear from her mother’s explosion stabbing at her once again.

Dash rolled her eyes. “Princess…umm…that wasn’t all we had to tell you, though…” Dash looked at Twilight, this time she gave a more firm motion for the unicorn to say what she had to say.

Twilight gave a reluctant nod. “Princess, I’m...umm…pregnant…and Rainbow Dash is the father…”

“That’s wonderful news, Twilight. Though, I must say, that is a rather old spell. Wherever did you learn it?” There wasn’t even a hint of scolding, or disgust in her tone. In fact, Celestia sounded genuinely elated for the two of them. Twilight and Dash both looked at one another, a little surprised by the princess’s reaction.

“In the Canterlot Library a few years ago. It was buried in the historical section. The book was covered in a thick layer of dust, so it didn’t seem like anypony had read it in ages.”

“Curious…I haven’t heard of anypony using that spell in many years, I thought it may have disappeared. I may have to see if that book is still around, and have it relocated to the royal archives.”

“Princess, aren’t you mad at Twilight?” Dash asked finally.

“Mad?” she paused for a moment, giving the pegasus a confused look. “I don’t see why I should be. I’m quite happy to see my student growing up and taking on the joys of motherhood.”

“B-But…Rainbow Dash is the father…” Twilight added timidly.

“Yes, I heard you the first time.” Celestia tilted her head to the side, examining Twilight’s face for a moment. “Are ponies still worried about that controversy concerning that spell after all of these years?” she asked finally.

“Controversy? T-That spell is considered a taboo, Princess. I’m not sure there is a controversy…”

“A taboo? I can’t say I’ve had anypony bring these issues to my attention.” Celestia placed her hoof to her chin. “We are talking about the female procreation spell, correct?”

“Y-Yeah…” Twilight replied. “I’ve heard that ponies are shunned because of it, and when ponies in Ponyville found out, they wanted me to leave town…”

“That’s terrible. If I recall, there was a movement to ban the spell among unicorns, but that was thousands of years ago. I haven’t heard much about it since then.”

“You didn’t know that ponies were being excommunicated because of a spell? I don’t mean to sound rude, Princess, but how?”

“I don’t meddle in the social affairs of ponies, Twilight. My job is to keep Equestria safe, and to make sure that the country as a whole is thriving. Running the country is enough of a hoofful, especially by myself for the last one-thousand years, I can’t look into every injustice out there. That’s why the courts were established.”

“Well, clearly that’s not working.” Dash rolled her eyes.

“Why were ponies trying to force you out of Ponyville, Twilight?” Celestia asked with a, nurturing, almost motherly tone.

“No pony could really tell me. They all had different answers for what they’ve heard. I myself heard that unicorns almost went extinct because of this spell, but now that I think about it, that doesn’t seem to logical…”

“Extinct was far from the truth.” Celestia looked out at the moon hovering in the sky once more, this time as though she was looking into the past rather than her memories. “It was a long time ago. As you may have guessed, the spell was originally created to combat a decreasing birthrate among unicorns. The reason for that was because an unusually low number of colts were being born in the tribe. With there being so few stallions, many mares found the companionship of other mares, either out of loneliness or maybe settling.”

“I suppose that would make sense…” Twilight nodded.

“Well, yeah, or otherwise the spell wouldn’t of been an issue, right?” Dash remarked. Celestia looked back to the two ponies sitting before her. she nodded to Dash, letting the pegasus know she was correct.

“What you may not know is that unicorns were monogamous. They were the only race that were such back then. This wasn’t a practice they could change easily. It was a deeply held unicorn belief that they should bond their magic together in a marriage ceremony. This had the effect of rendering a stallion infertile to any mare he was not betrothed to, and the same for the mare to any other stallion. Of course this fell out of practice once the races started intermarrying. A unicorn and an earth pony or pegasus couldn’t bond their magic, so the practice was replaced with a ring like the other races used to symbolize matrimony.”

“So, stallions couldn’t just get a bunch of mares pregnant if they were married? Well, why didn’t they just stay single?” Dash asked looking at Twilight, and then to Celestia.

“In that book I read, it said that unicorns back then held marriage with a very high regard. Sex was to be saved for marriage. If the ceremony was binding two ponies magic, then sex would be binding their bodies together,” Twilight explained.

“That’s correct, Twilight. Unicorns these days are a far cry from their conservative roots.” Celestia laughed slightly, making Twilight blush. “No need to be so shy, I am well aware of the reputation that unicorns have.” Her mentor’s remark only made Twilight’s cheeks turn more red.

“Getting back to the topic at hoof, however, due to a lack of a stallion during conception, the foals born from that spell were always female, which only escalated their problem. Unicorn society was—at the time at least—a patriarchy. The royal family had yet to be established, so the tribe was led by a council of stallions. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say they felt threatened by this spell. They had some debate, if I recall, but it seems they spread rumors about that spell to scare mares away from using it.”

“Wow…” Dash looked down at the floor. “So, they made it up?”

“They couldn’t make the spell outright illegal, they would have had a revolt. Mares were using the spell, and many would have been pregnant at the time. It would also be the same as invalidating many marriages that had taken place. Bisexuality became common during these times, and the council knew better than to alienate a large portion of their population. Instead, they spread rumors, which could have evolved into ponies being shunned for its use.”

“Well, what saved them then?” Dash asked.

“I can’t say.” Celestia looked down in a bit of frustration. “My sister and I had other matters to attend to at that time, and by the time we returned, the issue was resolved.”

“That story...really explains a lot about unicorns…” Twilight scratched her head.

“History can be a useful tool when trying to understand the present. Anyway, Twilight, I hope that answered some of your concerns with that spell.”

“So it’s not evil, or bad…just…it was labeled that way?” Dash asked for confirmation.

“That would be correct, Rainbow Dash.”

“Twi, that means it’s alright! We can tell your mom, and no pony will want to kick you out of Ponyville!”

“Dashie, who would believe me?” Twilight asked, stopping her marefriend in her tracks. “We can’t just overturn two-thousand years of taboo by telling everypony it’s alright.” Twilight’s head fell down so she was looking at the floor. “Besides, we’ve already been doing that…” Twilight muttered in a soft, sad voice.

Celestia looked upon her student with the slightest hint of pain. She watched as Rainbow Dash placed her hoof on the unicorn’s once more. “Twilight Sparkle, raise your head,” Celestia commanded with a firm, but caring tone. The unicorn obeyed her teacher, albeit reluctantly. Celestia stood up, and walked over to Twilight. She looked down at her student, a gentle smile on her face that instantly relaxed the smaller pony.

“What you and Rainbow Dash have is a joyous occasion.” Celestia looked over at Rainbow Dash, letting the pegasus know that she too was involved in this speech. “Do not let anypony try and tell you otherwise. While it was a risk, I am proud that you two have deepened your relationship. A foal is always something to be proud of, Twilight."

Her mentor’s kind words breathed new life into Twilight. For the first time since she became pregnant, she felt like a weight had been lifted from her chest. Finally, she had a pony she relied on—one of the authority figures in her life validating her decision. “Thank you so much, Princess.” Twilight felt a lone tear roll down her cheek.

“You’re welcome. When the two of you decide that news about this should be made public, I will personally stand behind you.”

“Is that good enough for you, Twi?” Dash asked, giving her marefriend a small nudge.

“Yes, thank you so much, Princess.”

“Now then, if you two no longer have anymore big news to tell me, why don’t we have a normal visit. I could use a break from work to talk with friends.” The princess laughed slightly to herself, eliciting smiles from the other two ponies in the room.

“That would be wonderful,” Twilight replied.

“That went well,” Dash said as she and Twilight strolled out of Canterlot Castle.

“As well as a visit about my sex life could go with the ruler of all of Equestria…” Twilight sighed heavily. As they walked down the road from the castle, she leaned into Dash’s side.

“Always something to worry about, huh…Look, she’s on your side, Twi. What else do you want?” She placed her head on Twilight’s as they walked.

“For this to not be happening…” Twilight replied dryly.

“So you don’t want to have my foal?” Dash pushed away from Twilight, making the unicorn stumble a bit.

“No…Trust me, after the month we’ve had together, I’m happy this happened, but…I just wish it didn’t have to be such an issue…” Twilight explained.

Dash breathed a sigh of relief. “Good, I thought you might be trying to tell me something…” she stepped next to Twilight’s side again as they walked, and the unicorn placed her head on Dash’s shoulder once more.

“No, I’m happy.”

“Good…because I’m happy too.” Dash placed her head on Twilight’s as they walked. “So, since you grew up in Canterlot, you should know a good place to get some dinner, right?”

“I suppose…”

Dash pulled her head from Twilight’s in an instant. “Awesome! Let’s go somewhere romantic! Like for a date! Ya know, since we don’t have to worry about Spike tonight.” Dash gave a sly smile to Twilight.

“Any romantic restaurant in Canterlot we would have needed to put in a reservation about a month ago.”

“It doesn’t have to be super fancy. Besides, we got a week here. I’m sure we can fit in a date night.” Dash put her head back on Twilight’s.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t help us for dinner tonight…”

Family

Rainbows in the Night Sky

Chapter 13: Family

Twilight lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling in her hotel room. She had been up for a few minutes now, but she was still too tired to actually get up and move about. She and Dash had been in Canterlot for a week already, and today was their last day before leaving. The two ponies would have to go back to Ponyville tomorrow, and Twilight had still not heard from her mother at all. Her father contacted them once, but it was short. He only told Twilight to just wait a while until he could talk some sense into her mom.

She sighed, trying to push thoughts of her mom freaking out from her mind. She didn’t want her mom to hate her, but she also knew how stubborn she could be. Even though Twilight had apparently done nothing wrong, her mom was still raised around a social construct, and that had far more sway than logic most times. Ponies in Ponyville may have been persuaded, but they didn’t have a strong conviction in the first place. Twilight’s mom on the other hoof grew up in the heart of unicorn society. The ponies here wouldn’t be swayed easily when a belief held for over two-thousand years was challenged.

Twilight sighed again, though it wasn’t from self-pity or worry. In fact, if she had to say, it was almost frustration. This whole week in Canterlot, Dash had been telling her not to worry, and she was trying her best not to. Her dad said he would handle the whole issue with her mom, but Twilight still had that nagging feeling in the back of her mind. As much as she wanted to just ignore it, she still found herself thinking about her mom yelling at her. She hated that she couldn’t stop thinking about it, but it wasn’t easy. With the things her mom said, anyone would have a hard time not stressing over them, especially since she knew her mom wasn’t angry. Her dad told her it was because she was scared for Twilight, much like Rarity had been, but that only frustrated her more.

“You up?” Dash muttered, pulling Twilight from her thoughts.

“Yeah…” Twilight looked over to see her lover looking at her with half opened, sleepy eyes.

“I thought so, you’ve been sighing…You having trouble sleeping here?” Dash asked, pulling Twilight into her embrace. Twilight didn’t cooperate much, she laid as stiff as a board as Dash dragged her over. “You’re always up when I get up…”

“A little bit. I prefer to sleep in my own bed…” Twilight told a half truth. It wasn’t the entire reason she wasn’t sleeping well, but it was part of it.

“That’s not all that’s bugging you though…”

“You know exactly what’s bugging me…I just wish I could stop worrying about it…” Twilight sighed again.

“I know. She’s your mom, you want her to be okay with this.” Dash nuzzled into Twilight’s neck, loosening the unicorn’s rigid posture. “But, speaking of our bed…we should probably get a bigger one…” Dash said mid yawn.

Twilight stopped, mentally remarking at how bad of a segue that was. She rolled her eyes, deciding to go along with her lover’s topic. “I like my bed…” Twilight defended.

“It’s too small.” Dash continued nuzzling Twilight.

“That’s because it’s built for one pony,” she stressed.

“And we’re two ponies,” she retorted.

“You said our bed though...it’s not ours, it’s mine…” Twilight climbed on top of Dash, pinning the pegasus down into the mattress. She gave Dash a serious look, which confused the pegasus.

Dash honestly didn’t know what had gotten into Twilight this morning, but it was starting to bother her. “So am I just sleeping in your bed then?” she asked, a little offended by what Twilight was implying.

“Yes you are,” Twilight said plainly. “That’s why we should go find a bed for us,” Twilight replied slyly as she slipped down, and placed a kiss on Dash’s neck.

Dash cracked a small, relieved smile. “Tricky little filly.” Dash squeezed Twilight tightly. “So when we get back to Ponyville, you want to find a bed? Maybe we could get a cloud bed…” She yawned again, making Twilight giggle a bit.

“I can’t sleep on clouds,” Twilight reminded her.

Dash groaned. “Right…” she muttered, remembering her marefriend wasn’t a pegasus, and couldn’t walk on clouds without magical aid. “Well, just use that cloud walking spell…”

“Every day?” Twilight stopped kissing Dash’s neck, and raised an eyebrow at her lover.

“Sure, clouds are way more comfy.”

“That’s a little unreasonable, especially if I forget…I might end up falling on my back…or worse my stomach…”

“T-True…” Dash conceded. “Well, let’s just get a queen-size bed then like this one at least.”

“Fine, we’re going to need it eventually, I guess…Can’t stay in my tiny bed forever.” Twilight fell limp on Dash’s chest, listening to the athletic mare breathe. The soft, rhythmic sound was relaxing, and soon she found worries to be the farthest thing from her mind.

“Can’t say I won’t miss being so close to you though…” Dash whispered with her hoof gently stroking Twilight’s back.

“Sleeping right next to each other, all cuddled up close under a nice warm blanket…” Twilight said fondly, smiling as she did.

“And able to touch and kiss you whenever I want…” Dash whispered in her ear. Dash carefully slid her hoof down further towards Twilight’s flank, eliciting a small, soft moan from the unicorn.

“Careful, Dashie. My hormones have been out of control lately, and I might just pounce you if you keep that up.” Twilight sat up from her lover’s chest, giving the pegasus a predatory smile.

“I’m well aware of that. You’ve been wanting it like crazy the past few weeks. If you weren’t worrying about your parents, or Celestia, you wanted me to buck you. Hell, I’m surprised you’ve been able to keep it under control here in Canterlot.” Dash pressed her muzzle to Twilight’s rubbing the tip of hers against the unicorn’s nose.

“Barely. You and my dad told me to not worry about my mom, so all I’ve had left popping into my mind is…”

“Is?” Dash asked, coyly.

“Guess…” Twilight teased.

“Hm…” she said, feigning deep thought. “Could it be…me?”

Twilight let out a soft, sensual giggle. “Correct. Should I show you what you won?” Twilight asked, keeping with her playful tease.

“Please do.” Dash pressed her lips to Twilight’s. As soon as their lips met, Twilight started fondling her body. The gentle, but firm caress of her lover’s hooves against her skin lit a fire inside Rainbow Dash. She rolled over so that she was on top of the unicorn, pinning her down into the mattress before finally breaking her lips away.

“You’re so cute,” Dash said with a sultry voice.

“No, you are,” Twilight replied, giving Dash the same flirtatious tone back.

Dash smirked as she looked into Twilight’s eyes. Just looking at her made the pegasus feel lighter than air. She could do anything after looking into Twilight’s eyes. “How about I help you take your mind off some stuff for a bit, alright?”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

Dash slid down Twilight’s body, making sure her fur brushed up against her lover’s as she moved. Twilight let out a low, drawn out moan from her partner’s soft, careful caress. When the pegasus finally laid between her hind legs, she shook her hips on instinct, begging Dash for attention. Her face was flushed with heat; she could hardly believe she want Dash so badly this early. Only a moment ago, she had been exhausted, but now, all she could think about was sex.

“When did I become so sex starved?” she asked herself mentally. But she already knew the answer to that question.

Dash licked her lips in anticipation, finding her marefriend already showing signs of arousal. As she moved her muzzle down to between Twilight’s legs, the thick scent of a horny mare filled her lungs. A bit of wetness seeped out from between Twilight’s folds. Dash couldn’t help but smile.

Twilight had been so horny lately because of her condition, she was actually able to keep up with Dash’s labido, which was a surprise to the pegasus. Twilight hadn’t been showing much interest in sex until recently, leading Dash to believe she wasn’t as sexually active as her. So Twilight always wanting sex didn’t seem like such a bad thing for her, especially since Dash was the one who wanted it more often.

Besides, this was something she could do for Twilight to take her mind off the mare’s worries. This was a way she could be there for Twilight. This was how she could make Twilight feel good, and she would jump at that with any chance she got. With that thought hanging in her mind, she rubbed her cheek lovingly against Twilight’s thigh.

“Dashie…” Twilight muttered lustfully. Her body was aching for her marefriend’s touch. She needed Rainbow Dash to touch her, to make love to her, or else she might go insane.

“You’re so beautiful, Twi.” The athletic pony then placed her lips on her marefriend’s waiting sex. the unicorn’s whole body tensed for a moment, before falling limp around Rainbow Dash. Her hind legs, her torso, everything just lay on the bed for Dash to have her way with. Her lover’s slick juices flowed into her mouth as she meticulously licked her sensitive flesh. Twilight let out a sharp gasp in pleasure as her tongue touched her petals. She couldn’t get enough of her lover’s moans, and subtle, strained movements as they made love.

Twilight placed her foreleg over her eyes, blocking out everything from her mind except the sensations radiating from between her legs. A familiar lust-fueled haze clouded her mind once more. All that filled her thoughts was Rainbow Dash pleasuring her. Her mind honed in on her fantasies with her lover, making them real inside her head as she fantasized about what she was doing to her.

She pulled her foreleg from over her eyes. “I might as well be masturbating if I’m not going to actually interact…” she thought. Twilight crawled backwards, propping herself up on Dash’s pillow. When she looked down, she could see a pleased look in the pegasus’s eyes.

Just then, Dash slid up to Twilight’s clit, sucking on it hard. The unicorn gasped with a mixture of pleasure and pain from the sudden assault. An almost electric jolt ran through her, down her hind legs, and up her body, but at the same time, she thought Dash might honestly rip her sensitive nub right off. “C-Careful!” Twilight hissed at the pegasus.

“Too much?”

“Too much…” Twilight breathed a small sigh of relief.

“I’ll be a bit more gentle then.” Dash gave a small giggle as she placed her lips back on Twilight’s nethers. She immediately put her tongue back to work pleasuring her marefriend. Twilight’s sensitive walls quivered around her tongue as she licked up her lover’s slit. A steady flow of the unicorn’s juices flowed from sex, leaving her taste hanging on Dash’s tastebuds.

The raw flavor filled her mouth, pooling as her tongue glided up Twilight’s slit once more. She paused at her lover’s clit, pulling her tongue back into her mouth. Without any hesitation, she swallowed Twilight’s love juices. As the thick liquid slid down her throat, she felt her own sex ignite with passion. She slid her forehoof down between her hind legs, and began touching herself as she pleasured her lover.

She wrapped her lips around Twilight’s clit once more, this time, gently suckling on the sensitive nub. Twilight let out a low, pleased moan, telling Dash she was doing a good job. Her tongue flicked Twilight in her mouth, stroking her swollen flesh lovingly. As she continued licking her lover’s clit, her free hoof slid up to Twilight’s teat, gently kneading her small mounds.

“D-Dashie…” Twilight murmured. She watched as her marefriend, attentively serviced her. The wonderful way Dash’s tongue gently caressed her needing sex was almost enough to make her cum then and there. A sudden jolt of pleasure shot up, inching her closer to the edge. Her hoof found its way to her mouth, blocking her voice in an effort to keep herself quiet.

“S-Stop, Dash!” Twilight pushed Rainbow Dash away from her, interrupting the pegasus.

Dash looked up at Twilight with a confused look. “Why did you stop me? I thought you were close?”

“I was…too close, actually…I don’t want you to lick me though…” Twilight was panting as she spoke. Her body was screaming at her for stopping her lover’s affection, but she wanted more from Rainbow Dash.

“What do you want me to do then?”

“I…umm…want to use that spell…” Twilight’s face flushed red—more red than it was.

“That spell?” Dash asked, legitimately confused for a moment. But as she thought, it hit her what spell Twilight was talking about. “You mean that spell?”

Twilight only nodded.

“Are you sure?” Dash asked, climbing back onto all fours. She shook off some of her own juices from her soaked hoof.

“You’re not going to get me pregnant again, so why not?”

“I guess…I can’t say I don’t think about it sometimes…” Dash’s face lit up like it was on fire. “Maybe I’ll actually be sober enough to enjoy it this time…” she added after a small pause.

Twilight didn’t respond. The room was suddenly cast in a magenta glow as her magic began to work. A swirling mass of sparkling energy formed around Dash’s hind end. The pegasus gulped, vaguely remembering some of the sensations that were about to come. She fought the urge to pinch her eyes closed; she wanted to see this time.

The swirling magical energy collapsed onto Dash’s crotch, just below her teats. Suddenly a rush of nostalgia came when all of the sensations came erupting forth. She felt the tightness, and finally the hardness of her new member as it grew from her loins. It was quite the spectacle to behold. A mass of flesh actually sprouted from her body, slowly forming into the shape of a stallion’s dick. there was a lack of a sheath, but it was temporary so she didn’t really care. Behind her new dick, she noticed two orbs of flesh form, which she assumed were her balls.

“Wow…” she remarked when Twilight’s magic died down. “I am pretty hung, aren’t I…” She couldn’t help but laugh a bit.

“Take a good look. It’s what you’d look like as a stallion.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty neat, isn’t it.”

“So…does it work this time around? Like…the cum?” She asked, giving her new member a tentative stroke with her hoof. Her body tingled in pleasure from the small touch.

“No—the last thing we need is for you to get yourself pregnant somehow.”

“I’m not going to stick it in myself, Twi…” She gave a deadpan expression.

“I’d rather not even have the possibility available.”

She stared at her marefriend for a moment before shrugging. “I guess that makes sense…”

“Good. Now, come over here, and buck me.” Twilight gave Dash a seductive smile, reminding the pegasus why she was there. She looked down at Twilight, seeing the unicorn spreading her legs for her. She took a step towards Twilight, placing her hooves on either side of Twilight’s head. Slowly, she leaned down to kiss the mare. Their lips met, and instantly they were back to their lust-fueled passion.

Twilight inhaled sharply when she felt Dash press her dick to her aching sex. She moaned approvingly, begging her lover to put it in. Slowly, the pegasus leaned into Twilight, sliding her dick into the unicorn’s tight slit. Their kiss immediately broke as she felt her marefriend enter her. Twilight placed her forehead to Dash’s, careful not to poke her lover. “Oh Celestia...this is just what I wanted…” she muttered.

“Buck, you’re so tight…” Dash said with a strained voice.

“It’s only my second time,” Twilight replied, lustfully.

Dash was finally engulfed by her lover’s warm, welcoming, pussy. She let out a satisfied sigh, letting Twilight gently massage her dick as the mare tried to get used to Dash’s girth. “I forgot how good this feels…It feels like we were made for each other, Twi…”

Twilight moaned in agreement as slid down to Dash’s neck, kissing her. “I love you…”

“I love you too, Twi.” She slowly started to pull her member out of Twilight’s nethers, making sure she could feel every inch of of the unicorn’s strained sex as she withdrew. Both mares couldn’t help but let out soft moans from the overwhelming pleasure as their bodies rubbed one another. Dash paused just before her dick popped free of Twilight’s confines, and she looked down into the unicorn’s eyes.

“I was really close when you stopped...I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold out.” Twilight wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow Dash’s neck in a hug.

“Just cum when you want to, alright?”

“Alright…” Twilight said weakly before Dash pushed back inside her. The feeling of her lover’s thick member filling her once again was divine. Twilight’s whole body shuddered in delight just from Dash’s dick sliding inside her. The slow, purposeful thrust sent wave after wave of pure bliss rolling through Twilight’s body. Her mind slipped back into a lusty haze as her attention focused on her sex.

Dash smiled, seeing Twilight lost in pleasure. The unicorn’s mouth hung slightly agape as she continued staring into Dash’s eyes. She was practically begging Dash to kiss her as they made love—to which Dash happily obliged. She placed her lips on Twilight’s right has she hilted herself inside her marefriend.

Twilight gave a soft moan of approval, telling Dash that she was ready. She pulled her hips all the way back, and began to thrust into Twilight. The pregnant mare whined in pleasure from the sudden assault to her senses. In an instant, sex was all the filled her mind, drowning out any worries or concerns she might have had. All there was in her world for that moment was herself and Rainbow Dash.

Their kiss broke, and Twilight fell back into Dash’s pillow. She pushed herself as far back into the mattress as she could, pulling her lover down with her. The pegasus’s strong legs were all that held up against Twilight’s tugging. The unicorn was too absorbed in her pleasure to realize what she was doing, but Dash didn’t care. As long as Twilight was enjoying this, she too was enjoying it.

A jolt of pleasure shot through her body, making her moan a bit herself. That little shot of pleasure hinting to her building orgasm reminded her that she wasn’t exactly getting the short end of the stick here. She smiled as she steadily bucked her hips into Twilight. It was a constant struggle to not rut her mare like crazy, but she knew she couldn’t. If she was too rough with Twilight, she might hurt her, or worse. She glanced down at Twilight’s belly.

“She’ll be fine…” Twilight whispered.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, as long as we don’t do anything too crazy.” Twilight slipped her hooves around Dash’s cheeks, and forced her to look her in the eyes.

“That’s not the only reason I’m going slow though…” Dash muttered. Her eyes pinching closed as a another stray jolt ran through her body. “I’m really close already…”

“Me too…I’ve been holding back for you…”

“Well then, let’s cum together…” Dash placed her lips on Twilight’s. As they kissed, she slammed her hips into Twilight’s a few more times, pushing herself over the edge. She pressed her hips as close to Twilight’s as she could, and a familiar ecstasy washed over her body. Twilight also let out a muffled cry in her embrace. As her orgasm took her, she felt a distinct sense of release. From the tip of her dick, a few spurts pour into her marefriend, before she finally collapsed next to the unicorn.

Twilight was panting, completely exhausted. “That was amazing…” she muttered breathlessly.

“I thought you said it didn’t work…” Dash remarked, feeling a final shot shoot out of her dick. The cum boiled up from her flared head, falling down onto her chest as she lay there.

“The semen doesn’t, it still releases it though…” Twilight explained. She rolled over onto her side, scooping Dash’s stray drops of cum off her chest and onto her hoof. She brought it to eye level, and gave the inert seed a skeptical glance before tentatively sticking her tongue out to it. As soon as it hit her tastebuds, her face scrunched in disgust at the flavor.

“I could’ve told you it was gross,” Dash said, placing her foreleg around Twilight, and pulling her in for a hug.

Twilight wrapped her foreleg around Dash in return, snuggling up next to her marefriend. “That was amazing.”

“Yeah, I am pretty great, aren’t I…” Dash placed her other hoof behind her head as she stared up at the ceiling.

“Modest as always,” Twilight replied with a roll of her eyes.

“So, how long’s it take for this thing to go away?”

“An hour, maybe two. Why, did you want another round?” Twilight teased.

“Not really...Unless you want to?”

“Not really…I think too much activity might be bad for her.” Twilight placed her hoof on her belly. She stared down with a strange mixture of content and worry. She was happy for her foal, but at the same time, she worried about her—like any mother would.

Dash pulled her hoof from behind her head, and placed it on Twilight’s. “I’m sure she’s fine, Twi.”

“I hope so…It hasn’t exactly been a stress free pregnancy, and during some key developmental stages too…”

“I think just about every pregnancy has stress. You’ve been trying to take it easy too, so don’t get too down.”

“I suppose…” Twilight stared at her belly for a bit longer. her hoof started gently caressing her barely bulging torso.

“Should we think of a name for her?” Dash asked as she watched Twilight’s hoof.

“It’s a little early. We don’t even know if she’s a pegasus or a unicorn yet. She could even be an earth pony for all we know…”

“Well, my family’s been in Cloudsdale for as long as I’ve known—like, longer than a few generations back.”

“My family has been entirely unicorn for centuries, so I suppose that rules out earth pony.” She sighed contently, snuggling up next to Rainbow Dash as she did. “I still want to wait though. I feel like it’s kind of wrong to name her before she’s born. What if her name doesn’t suit her, then we would have to think of a new one anyway.”

“I can see that…I guess we can just wait.” Dash rubbed her cheek against Twilight’s head, holding her tightly.

A sudden knock at the door to their hotel room startled the two of them. “Who is it?” Twilight asked looking towards the door.

“It’s your father, Twilight. I’ve come to tell you something.” Twilight froze solid. She looked over at Rainbow Dash with a look of pure dread that only made the pegasus shake her head.

She gave Twilight a confused look, not sure why she was so scared. “What?” she whispered.

“L-Look at the room! It’s a mess! A-And we’re a mess!” Twilight placed her hoof on her head, trying to pat down her messy mane. When she felt it keep popping back up from where she patted it down, she really started to panic. Finally, she jumped up from the bed. Just as she was about to rush off to the bathroom to comb her mane, she felt something leak from her sex. Twilight winced when she realized it was her lover’s cum starting to leak out of her pussy. She glanced back at her hind end with bright red cheeks.

Dash couldn’t help but snicker as she still lay there, watching Twilight get embarrassed. The unicorn immediately shot a look at Rainbow Dash that screamed for her to open the door.

“What do you want me to do?” Dash asked.

“Is everything okay in there?” Twilight’s dad called from behind the door again.

“Everything’s fine!” Twilight answered nervously. “I-I was just about to take a shower. Rainbow Dash will answer the door! Just tell her everything!” Twilight rushed into the bathroom without even giving her marefriend a chance to argue.

“Thanks, Twi…” she muttered to herself as she started to climb out of bed. As she rolled out of bed, she felt a sharp pain that made her want to throw up. Her legs pressed together when she moved to get up out of bed, which she immediately regretted. The pegasus couldn’t help but whimper, realizing she was still under the effects of that spell Twilight cast. Now she would have to answer the door with a dick hanging between her legs. Dash slowly hobbled to the door, keeping her tail close to her back so no one could see her temporary set of balls hanging.

“H-Hey,” Dash said clumsily as she opened the door.

Twilight’s dad raised an eyebrow as he looked at the pegasus. Her mane was a complete mess, her fur looked like she had just got done working out, and her eyes showed that she was still exhausted. The stallion’s eyes pinched closed for a second as a certain smell he wished he didn’t smell came wafting into his nose from their bedroom. “Right…” he muttered to himself.

Dash smiled at him awkwardly, knowing instantly that he figured out what they had been doing. “S-Sorry…” she said suddenly.

“It’s…alright…I know it’s not the first time between you two…” he replied with a disgruntled sigh. “I would like Twilight and yourself to come to my home for dinner this evening.”

“Tonight?”

“Yes. You two are still in Canterlot until tomorrow, correct?”

“Y-Yeah! We’ll be there!”

“Good.” Twilight's dad gave a single nod.

“S-So, how’s she taking it?” Dash asked, looking back towards the bathroom door to see if Twilight was standing there, listening. Instead she heard the sounds of the shower drifting into the hotel room. A bit to her relief, Twilight decided to actually hop in while she was in there.

“Velvet? She’s calmed down some, but I don’t think this will be easy. I hope you two have something to tell her to change her mind, because I haven’t come up with anything this week…” Twilight’s dad looked to the side in frustration.

“We do. We talked to the princess, and she explained the whole thing. We would’ve told you, but you didn’t want to hear from us until you calmed Twi’s mom down…”

“That’s fine, I can wait until dinner to hear what you have to say with my wife.” He looked back at Dash, the slightest hint of relief on his face. “So you spoke with Princess Celestia about this?” He placed his hoof to his chin. “I suppose that makes sense, she is rather important to Twilight. Though it seems a little unorthodox to bother the princess for something so…private.”

“She was cool with it.” Dash smiled.

“That’s good. Well, I told Velvet that I would only be gone for a moment, so we will see you around seven o’clock—sharp.” He glanced down at Dash’s hind legs, pinching his eyes closed again when he caught a glimpse of what was back there.

“See you then,” Dash said, just about to close the door.

“Just make sure that—” he pointed down between Dash’s legs, blocking the mare from close the door entirely, “—is taken care of before you come.”

Dash immediately blushed. “Y-Yeah…”

After Twilight’s dad left, Dash went back to lay on the bed. She let out a small sigh, trying to picture how tonight would go. She wasn’t good at imagining things like Twilight was, but she tried regardless. After a few minutes, Twilight emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her head. “What did my dad want?”

Dash sat up. “We’re going to their place for dinner. Seven o’clock sharp” Dash stressed while rolling her eyes.

“Dinner? With my mom?” A bit of worry worked its way into Twilight’s voice.

“Yeah, you can tell her what the princess told you, and everything will be great.”

“Logically speaking it would, but…not much about this situation is logical.” Twilight sighed as she walked over to the large window in the room. “I hope she understands…”

“Why wouldn’t she...and if she doesn’t what’ll you do?”

“Nothing. If she doesn’t understand, she will eventually. Time will take care of it. My mom generally listens to logic, but nothing about this whole issue has been logical, so logic might not work…”

Dash got up off the bed, and walked over to Twilight. She placed her hoof around the unicorn as they looked out at the city. “Trust me, Twi. Things’ll work out.”

“You keep saying that, but so far you’re one for two on that prediction.” Twilight teased, leaning into her lover’s side.

“Well it’s about to be two for two, alright?” Dash looked down at her with a cocky grin. She didn’t know why, but for some reason, Rainbow Dash felt good about tonight.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash stood outside of her family’s house once again. It hadn’t changed since they left it last, but neither of them expected it to. For some reason however, it didn’t feel the same as when Twilight’s mom kicked them out. It felt hostile to them, like it knew they weren’t welcome.

Twilight continued to stare at the plain white walls, dreading what was inside. “How are we going to explain this?” she muttered to her marefriend.

“Just say what the princess told you, and it’ll be fine!” Dash wrapped her hoof around Twilight’s neck, pulling her in for a hug.

“I hope so…” Twilight proceeded to lift her hoof up, and knock of the door. This time, she didn’t enter after knocking; she waited for someone to answer the door for her.

The handle lit up in yellow aura, relaxing Twilight’s heart for a moment. When the door opened, her father stood on the other side, motioning for the two of them to come inside. “Welcome home, Twilight,” he said loud enough for his wife to hear.

The two took a step into the house, finding that it too hadn’t changed much. Twilight glanced around, and did notice there was a small change though. All the picture of her had been taken down, or flipped over so the couldn’t be seen.

“She would cry every time she saw your picture,” her dad said, taking notice of his daughter’s wandering eyes. It hurt her deep down, but she knew her mother could be emotional. Knowing that, she found some solace that it wasn’t out of spite, but sorrow that they were hidden.

Twilight’s father led them into the dining room, where Twilight’s mother sat. As soon as they entered, she notice her mom quickly avert her eyes, unable to even look at her daughter. Fresh tear stains were still on her cheeks, and her eyes were a little puffy. She had been crying just before they came over.

“Velvet, your daughter is here,” Night Light said, pleasantly.

“H-Hi, Mom…”

“Hello,” she replied coldly.

Twilight glanced back to see Dash had a scowl on her face once she heard her mom’s tone. The pegasus was ready to jump to Twilight’s defense again if she needed to. Twilight nudged her marefriend to grab her attention, and promptly mouthed the word no. Dash rolled her eyes, and gave a small nod. The last thing Twilight needed was her marefriend blowing up at her mom. That may have worked with her dad, but it wouldn’t with her mom—Twilight knew that. If anything, Dash yelling would just provoke her mom, and it would turn into a screaming match.

The couple walked in and took a seat on the opposite side of the table. Night Light walked in behind them, and took a seat next to his wife. Once he was seated, the room quickly fell into an awkward silence. Dash was essential on a gag order, Twilight didn’t want to be the first one to speak, and her mom refused to speak.

After a few moments of simply sitting there like a statue, his eyes closed, almost as though he was expecting something. Whatever he was waiting for didn’t come, and after a few more moments of silence, he placed his hoof on his wife’s shoulder. “Twilight Velvet, speak to your daughter,” he said in an authoritative tone.

“Night, do not speak to me like a foal.” The older mare finally looked over at the two sitting across from her.

“If you’re going to act like a little filly, then I will speak to you as such.” He slowly opened his eyes, glancing to his wife for a second before looking to his guests.

“Mom…”

“Twilight, I just…” She fought the urge to say something nasty. Twilight watched as a mental war was waged inside her mom’s head over what she should say. “I want to know why…” she said, finally. Twilight could see she was now fighting the urge to cry again.

Be it habit, or instinct, Twilight found herself looking down at the table. She knew she shouldn’t just avoid eye contact like she usually did when pressed for answers she didn’t know, but this was her default response. She swallowed, trying to build her nerves. Twilight had to face this, and staying quiet wasn’t the way to do that. She fought her instincts and raised her head to look at her mom. “Because, Mom, I love Rainbow Dash.”

Immediately, her mother clenched her jaw. That clearly wasn’t the answer she was looking for, though Twilight honestly didn’t think there was an answer out there that could satisfy her mother. “C-Couldn’t you have just…gotten married like normal ponies? Why…” She swallowed, holding back her tears for a second. “Why did you have to have a foal?”

Twilight looked to Rainbow Dash, seeing the pegasus really fighting the urge to explode at her mother. Silently she thanked the pegasus for keeping a lid on her anger for a bit while she handled this. She turned back to her mom, staring at her with pleading eyes. “Mom, it’s natural for two ponies who care about one another to have a foal. You and dad did it, so I should have the right to as well.”

“With another mare, Twilight!” her mother snapped. Twilight winced, but she wasn’t perturbed. Her mom took a deep breath, getting her composure back. “I’m sorry, I’m trying to keep civil here.”

“I’ve talked to Princess Celestia about this whole taboo thing…”

“You involved the princess in on our family’s shame? Great…” Velvet covered her face with her hoof.

“Listen, this is important,” Dash said, trying to remain calm. It took every ounce of her willpower to not call Twilight’s mom a stubborn blockhead.

Twilight shot a glare at Dash before continuing. “Mom, she told me that there’s no reason for this to be a taboo.”

“The princess did?” Night Light asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, she said that the spell didn’t almost cause the extinction of the unicorn race. The stallions who were in power back then felt threatened by the rising mare population, and then claimed it was dangerous just to make ponies stop using it.”

Night Light stared at Twilight for a moment, a slight look of disbelief breaking through his unreadable expression. “The princess told you that a long standing, unspoken rule among unicorns was built on a lie?” he asked, raising his eyebrow again.

“Yes, Dad. The princess didn’t even know that the spell was a taboo until I told her. She explained to me that its use was a controversy centuries ago, but then it just disappeared. Apparently unicorns back then labeled this spell as evil so they could stay in power.”

Night Light looked at his wife. Velvet’s eyes were wide, almost horrified at her daughter’s revelation. Finally she looked over at her husband. The couple stared at one another for a few seconds before they looked back at Twilight and Rainbow Dash. “And Celestia told you this?” he asked to be sure.

“Yeah, so it doesn’t matter,” Dash spoke up, crossing her forelegs.

“Dash!” Twilight nudged her again.

“Well it doesn’t…” she muttered.

“If anypony would know it would be the princess…” Night Light said glancing back to his wife.

“T-That’s true…We’ve raised you better than to lie to us about this, Twilight…So, if you are—”

“I’m not,” she said, cutting off her mom. “Princess Celestia even said she would publicly back me when word gets out about my condition.” She spoke with such conviction that there wasn’t any room for her parents to doubt her. The two older ponies nodded to one another.

“So then…there’s no reason for us to worry, or be concerned over your condition?” she asked to be sure.

“No. there’s no medical issues, or other catastrophic problems that could come up…well, other than the usual.” Twilight looked over at Rainbow Dash and gave a weak smile.

“So then, she’s going to be a normal foal…”

“Yeah.” Twilight was waiting. She knew her mom was slowly accepting it, which filled her with hope. Dash had been right earlier when she said that her mom would come around. Deep down, Twilight felt like it would too, but the realist in her found it hard to accept. Her parents loved her, and even their negative reaction was proof of that. Her mother had cried for her, and had worried about her the entire time.

“If the princess is okay with it, and she’s told you the truth, then…” She struggled for a moment. Velvet slowly stood up from her seat. the older mare walked around the table, and without any warning she wrapped her forelegs around Twilight in a hug. Immediately she burst into tears, crying for her daughter. “I’m sorry, dear!” she cried, holding Twilight tightly.

“It’s okay, Mom, I didn’t know either.” Twilight placed her hoof gently on her mother’s foreleg.

“No, dear, I really am sorry! I was acting like a foal!” She wiped her eyes, and went back to squeezing her daughter in a hug.

“Mom, it’s okay! I forgive you…” Twilight couldn’t help but laugh a bit.

“Velvet, you’re embarrassing her in front of her marefriend,” Night Light said abruptly. After he said that, Twilight felt her mother’s forelegs slip down from holding her. Velvet returned to her seat, her cheeks a little red.

“I believe I also owe an apology to you too, Miss Dash.”

“You don’t need to be so formal. You can just call me Rainbow Dash,” Rainbow Dash replied. After seeing Twilight’s mom’s heartfelt apology, she relaxed quite a bit. She wasn’t angry anymore seeing that Twilight’s mother realized her mistake.

“Well then...I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash.”

“Apology accepted.”

“So…I’m going to be a grandmother then…” She said looking to her husband. There was a small smile on her face, almost in disbelief.

“Yeah,” Twilight said with a small smile working its way onto her face. The idea was slowly sinking in after all of this time. She was going to be a mother, and her mother was going to be a grandmother. After two months, Twilight was slowly coming to terms with that. She had been so worried about what she had done, that she didn’t have time to think about her future. Inside, it felt like her heart was about to explode from the sheer happiness it filled her with.

She was actually going to be a mother, and now that her mother, her father, and her teacher were alright with her choice, she felt peace for the first time since she found out that she was pregnant.

Big Brother

Rainbows in the Night Sky

Chapter 14: Big Brother

Twilight placed her foreleg on the windowsill, and rest her head against her hoof. The trees passed by as the train they were on chugged along the tracks in an almost hypnotic way. It was an uneventful end to a far too eventful trip—the perfect end as far as Twilight was concerned. As she watched, she could feel her eyes growing heavier and heavier, beckoning her to sleep. But just as she was about to give into that urge, a small moan drew her attention away from the hypnotic scenery.

She glanced down at her marefriend lying next to her on the bench. Dash was using her side as a pillow, and looked utterly adorable as she slept there. Twilight slid her hoof down, and brushed her the sleeping pegasus’s mane out of her face. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Rainbow Dash was brash, cocky, and would jump to her defense at the drop if a hat, but when she was asleep, she was just too cute to ignore. Twilight cherished that sleeping face more than anything.

Twilight lazily looked back to the window. This trip had been mentally exhausting for her, and the first thing she wanted to do when she got home was take a nap on her own bed. She could already tell that she would have a restful nap. After all, for the first time since she found out about her condition, she was genuinely relaxed. These past months had been so stressful for her, she hadn’t gotten a truly restful night’s sleep. But now that her family in Canterlot knew, and was fine with her relationship with Dash, she was finally able to have some peace of mind.

Well, she still had to tell her brother, but after the week she had, she knew he could wait. Her mom had her on edge all week, so she was already planning on waiting a while before she told her brother. She wasn’t nearly as worried about him as she had been about her parents either. Shining was her big brother best friend forever, so he would understand—at least she hoped. But all that mattered now was that she had some validation for her choice.

Looking back at this past week, she really was amazed how her parents handled it. Her mom may have been reluctant to accept it at first, but she came around. Her mom opened up when she initially told her what Celestia had said. Then after dinner, Twilight explained the whole story. Once her mom and dad heard everything the princess had told her, they accepted the idea. By the end of the night, her mom was truly excited that she was going to have a granddaughter, an idea Twilight was getting excited about herself the more she thought about it.

Twilight glanced back to her marefriend who was still sleeping. Aside from quieting her parents’ fears about her unborn foal, they had a chance to really meet Rainbow Dash. She smiled, remembering the previous night. The pegasus had really won over her parents by telling them about their last two months together. It had been a nice evening once the tension had been defused, and she knew by the end of the night, her parents liked Rainbow Dash. It wasn’t her objective for Dash to win over her parents, but she couldn’t say she was disappointed.

Twilight sighed thinking about the task ahead. Now that her parents were fine with her situation, and had met her marefriend, she would have to introduce her to Shining Armor and Cadance. Twilight only hoped that they would have the same impression as her parents when it came time for them to hear about her relationship.

“The train will be arriving at Ponyville in fifteen minutes!” the conductor said poking his head into the mostly empty car.

Twilight looked back out the window, seeing the sleepy little town appearing in the distance. They were finally home.

Rainbow Dash took the first step off the train. She let out a small groan as she looked around the empty platform. Her neck and just about everything else was stiff from the long train ride. Her back, her wings, everything ached. Slowly, she rocked her head back and forth, making a few popping sounds as she did so. Next, she stretched her back out giving another groan as she did. “Trains suck for a nap…” she muttered.

“They’re not for sleeping,” Twilight reminded her with a small giggle. As soon as she stepped out of the train, she gave a stretch herself. Sitting so her lover would have a fairly comfy pillow put a bit of strain on her own back, but she didn’t mind much.

“Yeah, I guess…” Dash yawned. After she finished, she looked back at Twilight noticing something about her marefriend. She had been vaguely aware of it since last night, but after they got back in Ponyville, Dash really took notice. Twilight was smiling, and not because she was caught up in the moment, but genuinely smiling. That had been something Dash missed over the past two months. “You’re in a better mood,” she casually mentioned, grabbing Twilight’s attention.

“Well, of course I am. My mom and dad are okay with this whole situation now, and the princess was fine with it too. What wouldn’t I have to be happy about?”

“That’s true. I’m glad to see you’re back to your old self after that trip.” Dash took a few steps forward, stretching her legs as she moved.

“I’m happy to be back to my old self. I don’t feel so worried about telling my brother now since my mom and dad took it so well. Then again, they only took it so well, after I told them what the princess said.” Twilight walked up next to Dash, noticing the pegasus shooting her a worried glance. Dash was waiting to see if Twilight would get depressed like she had in the past, but she couldn’t—not after how well her visit to Canterlot had ended. “Anyway, I figure we’ll wait a few more weeks to tell Shining Armor. Give myself a bit of time to recharge if you know what I mean,” she added cheerfully.

“Sounds good.”

“Now, we just need to pick up Spike, and then we can go home.” Twilight quickly switched the topic to let Dash know she wasn’t going to get moapy again.

“About that…” Dash’s wings twitched anxiously. “Can you get Spike by yourself? I need hit the sky for a bit. I’ve been itching to get up and do some flying.”

Twilight looked at her for a moment, confused. “I suppose,” she said. “You really haven’t had a chance to fly since we left for Canterlot.” She gave a small laugh.

“Yeah, and it’s killing me!” Dash remarked with a small laugh.

“Well, go, and get it worked out of your system,” she teased.

“Thanks, Twi.” Rainbow Dash leaned in and planted a quick kiss on Twilight’s lips. “You’re the best.”

“I’ll see you at home when you’re done.” The pegasus gave a nod as she unfurled her wings. With a powerful flap she took off into the sky leaving a rainbow streak behind her. As Twilight watched her go, she let out a small, amourous sigh. She loved watching Rainbow Dash fly, but a heavy tug on her eyelids pulled her from her trance. After her long trip, she was feeling a strong urge to take a nap.

She looked in the direction of the Everfree forest. “Now I just need to go get Spike so I can go home and get a bit of sleep before Dash comes home…and then somepony’s got to make dinner…” she muttered to herself, mentally laying out a plan to accomplish everything that needed to be done still today.

Twilight walked slowly up to the humble cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville. As she approached, a plethora of woodland creatures skittered about around the small dwelling, mostly trying to avoid the unicorn’s path. When Twilight got to the door, she gave a soft knock.

Slowly the door cracked, and Fluttershy barely peeked from the other side. “Oh, Twilight. I didn’t know you were home already.” Seeing it was her friend, she opened the door all the way.

“We just got back a few minutes ago.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. If I had known, I would have brought Spike to the library for you.” The shy pegasus frowned a bit, and lowered her head.

“It’s fine, we didn’t know what time we would be back,” Twilight casually reminded her.

Fluttershy looked up from her slump. Her eyes looked around Twilight, noticing the librarian was alone. “Where’s Rainbow Dash?” she asked.

“Out flying. She didn’t have much of a chance to in Canterlot, so she said she needed to get out for a bit.” Suddenly the image of Rainbow Dash do laps around Ponyville came to mind.

“That sounds like her.” Fluttershy opened the door further, inviting Twilight inside.

“Thanks so much for watching Spike while we were gone.” Twilight accepted the shy pony’s offer, and entered the small cottage. Inside was a clean mess, which struck Twilight as an odd description, but there wasn’t any other way to describe it. Fluttershy kept her home relatively clean, but the abundance of creatures made it difficult to keep the house in true order.

“Oh it’s no problem at all, Twilight,” she replied. “Spike!” Fluttershy turned, and called out into the house with a gentle tone. It only took him a moment to emerge from the other room, rubbing the back of his head. “Oh, what happened?” she asked with motherly concern.

“Nothing, just Angel knocked a book off the table and it hit me in the head,” he muttered grumpily as he continued rubbing.

“I’m sorry, he’s a hoofful sometimes.”

“Don’t worry about it, Fluttershy. He’s been a lot better after this week we’ve had together.” The little dragon looked over to see Twilight standing next to Fluttershy.

“Oh you’re back!” he exclaimed.

Twilight smiled when Spike ran up to give her a hug. “Yes, I’m back. Did you have fun?” she asked, wrapping a foreleg around her assistant.

“Yeah…” he said, trying to hide an obvious lie. Spike looked over at Fluttershy, seeing the quiet pegasus heading into the kitchen. She was humming a soft tune, telling Spike she didn’t hear him. He breathed a small sigh of relief feeling like he dodged a bullet. “So, how was your trip?”

“It was fine. My mom and dad took a little convincing, but everything worked out,” Twilight replied.

“That’s wonderful news.” Fluttershy said setting down a kettle on the stove.

“We told you they would be fine with it, Twilight.” Spike’s voice held an condescending air to it that only made Twilight laugh.

“Would either of you like some lemongrass tea?” Fluttershy offered them.

“I’m sorry, I’ll have to take a raincheck, Fluttershy. I’m exhausted after our trip, and I could really use a nap.” Twilight placed her hoof to her mouth, holding off a yawn.

“Oh, I understand. If you ever need me to watch Spike again, I would be more than happy to.”

Spike muttered something under his breath that even Twilight didn’t catch, but she knew it wasn’t nice by how he was acting. “Go grab your things, Spike, and we can get going.” The dragon gave a nod as he ran off into the other room.

“How did Princess Celestia handle the news?” Fluttershy asked, placing a mug on the counter for herself.

“Very well. Better than I could have anticipated, actually. She...umm…told me she would publicly support me when news gets out about my condition. With how respected Princess Celestia is, I don’t think anypony would try to kick me out of Ponyville once that happens.” She chuckled to herself.

“Oh my, that’s wonderful, Twilight.”

“I think the best news was when she told Rainbow Dash and I the story behind this spell. Apparently the taboo was created by some leaders who felt threatened by the mare population. There’s no real problem with the spell.”

“Oh…” Fluttershy paused for a moment, looking for something else to say. “That’s good to hear.”

Twilight saw Fluttershy struggling to answer. She had been noticing this with all of her friends except Rarity. They all seemed to accept it, but they still didn’t really understand it. “I know this whole situation doesn’t really make sense for any of you girls, but I want to thank you for being open minded about it, Fluttershy.”

“To tell you the truth, Twilight, I can’t really say I understand it too much even now. But as long as you and Rainbow are happy, I’m happy for you two.”

Spike came back into the room carrying his blanket and pillow. “All set to go.”

“Thanks again, Fluttershy,” Twilight said as Spike started towards the door.

“No problem.”

Spike looked back when he realized Twilight wasn’t behind him. He saw the librarian glaring at him slightly, stopping him in his tracks. “Oh yeah...Thanks, Fluttershy…”

“You’re welcome.”

Once the cottage door closed behind them, Twilight wanted to say something, but it seemed that Fluttershy didn’t notice Spike’s rudeness towards her. She decided to wait until she was a little further out of earshot, in case the pegasus heard them talking. After they walked away Fluttershy’s cottage, Twilight continued to stare down at the dragon, hoping he would take notice of her glare. He did not, however. “You were a little rude back there, Spike,” she said after a few moments.

He glanced up to see Twilight was angry with him. “Sorry,” he said as he looked down at the ground.

“Are you sorry?” she asked, seeing if Spike was really aware of how rude he had been.

“Yeah. Fluttershy’s nice, but she can be kind of boring…”

“I know there wasn’t much for you to do while I was out of town, but you could at least be a little nicer to Fluttershy since she was nice enough to lend us a hoof.”

“I wasn’t mean to her while you were gone, I was just happy to go home…You know, I could’ve stayed by myself, Twilight…I don’t need a babysitter…”

“Could you?” she asked, skeptically. She already knew the answer, and that was no, Spike couldn’t stay home alone, even if he was capable of doing so. A day would be pushing it, but a whole week was far too long for the young dragon to take care of himself.

“I’m mature enough to stay home alone,” he muttered.

Twilight sighed. “Spike, you can take care of yourself. I’m well aware of how capable you are. You can cook, clean, and do everything a grown pony can do, but when it comes to choices, you still have a long way to go.” Twilight finally looked back up from staring at the small dragon. “If I left you home for a week, you would have slept all the time, and eaten whatever you felt like.”

“So?”

“So, that’s not good for a growing dragon, do you understand?” She took a small step closer to him as they walked, trying to show her concern rather than sound like she was scolding.

“I guess…”

“I know it’s not what you want to hear, but it’s the truth.”

“But if I’m not old enough to take care of myself, who will take care of me?” he asked quietly.

“What do you mean? I’ll take care of you.” Twilight laughed a bit, dismissing his silly question as a joke.

“That’s not what I mean…You and Rainbow Dash are having a foal…Are you…” Spike swallowed a lump forming in his throat. “Are you even going to want me to live with you anymore?”

“What?” she asked, completely taken off guard.

“You guys will probably want your space, so…I’ll have to move out…”

“Where did you get that idea, Spike?”

“When you two left this week, I wasn’t invited…”

“So you thought we would just kick you out when we got home?”

“No…but…soon…I feel like you two are moving on without me…Like I’m just an after thought half the time…” Spike continued to stare at the ground as he walked. He didn’t even notice Twilight had stopped walking next to him.

“Spike…” Twilight said, sitting down on the ground. Her voice beckoned the young dragon to stop too, but he didn’t looked back at Twilight. “Come here,” she commanded with a soft, gentle tone.

Reluctantly, he turned around, but he still didn’t look up at Twilight. Slowly, he started towards her, staring firmly at the dirt as he walked. Finally, he stopped in front of her, keeping his eyes glued to the ground. “I just feel like…”

“What is it?” Twilight asked, mustering the most nurturing tone she could.

“I’m scared you’re going to abandon me.” Twilight saw a small drop of liquid fall to the ground, leaving a wet spot in the dirt. She wrapped her foreleg around Spike and pulled him in for a hug. He let his blanket and pillow fall to the ground, immediately wrapping his arms Twilight in a hug.

“Oh, Spike…I’ll never abandon you,” she said reassuringly.

“Do you mean it?”

“Of course I do. You’re family, Spike,” she said softly to him.

“Thanks, Twilight…” He let out a small sniffle.

Twilight hugged him tighter. “I know things are changing quickly, but I’ll never kick you out. If you leave our house, it will be on your own, alright?”

“Thanks…” He said, wiping the tears from his eyes. “You know…nevermind…” he started to say something but stopped.

“What is it? You can tell me.”

“It’s just…I was still pretty young when we moved out of your parents’ house…”

“Yeah?”

“And, well…I never really felt like I had a mom…” Twilight frowned a bit. It hadn’t really occurred to her how Spike felt about the absence of a parental figure in his life. Hearing him say it now made her feel a bit guilty. “I…I always thought of you as kind of my mom…” he said, making Twilight stop for a moment.

“M-Me?” Her eyes opened wide in shock.

“You always take care of me, and make sure I’m doing the right thing…I just have always thought you were the closest thing I had…”

Twilight was still in shock. Her hoof gently rubbed his back as the idea settled a bit. “Thanks, Spike…” Twilight said softly. She wasn’t sure how to react at first, but after hearing Spike say that, she felt happy. If Spike was content with her in a parental role, then perhaps she would be a good mother. Maybe living with her little assistant all these years had been a trial run on parenthood. As that idea settled, she couldn’t help but smile.

“Now, let’s go home.” Twilight looked down at him, still wearing that sincere smile. Spike gave a nod, and the two set off for the library.

When they got home, Twilight was the one to take the first step into the library for the first time in a week. The first thing that hit her was the smell. A week without anyone dwelling inside made the library smell like stale air with a hint of paper. It was peculiar how a house—a home—could smell so bad when it wasn’t lived in.

This was one of the reasons she hated leaving town for extended periods of time. Though she couldn’t have asked one of her friends to take care of the library while she was away. Applejack was busy with the farm, Fluttershy was busy with the animals, and Pinkie couldn’t be trusted. Hovering over that last thought for a moment made Twilight shiver. Just imagining the chaos she would come home to if Pinkie had been left in charge of the library was practically nightmare inducing.

Twilight looked around at the dust-covered room. A slight furl came to her brow just looking at the mess that had come over her home in her absence. She would need to clean, but first, she needed to take care of this smell. Immediately, the windows of the library popped open with her magic, carrying the stench outside. As she felt a cool breeze drift through, she breathed deep the fresh air. “Much better.”

Spike trotted in past her with his pillow and blanket. “It’s dusty in here”

Twilight walked inside, closing the door behind her. “It’s because of the various particles in the air settling while we were away. We’ll need to dust this…” she said only to be interrupted with a small yawn.

As Twilight was preoccupied with her inspection of the library, Spike ran straight upstairs. He dashed over to his basket, placing his bedding back in his small bed. Satisfied after making it look at least a little presentable, he turned around to go back downstairs. Just as he turned around however, he was stopped by Twilight lazily walking upstairs.

“Are you alright?” he asked, noticing the tired look in the librarian’s eyes.

“Yeah, I just need a nap,” Twilight said sleepily.

“You’ve been taking quite a few naps lately, Twilight…Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?”

She rolled her eyes with a small smile. “I’m sure, Spike. Having a foal can take a lot out of a pony, and being tired is a common result of pregnancy.”

“Alright…” He watched her carefully as she made her way to her bed. He still wasn’t convinced there wasn’t something wrong with Twilight, but he also figured she would know what’s best. When she laid down on the bed, he finally walked down stairs.

As soon as she hit the mattress, she felt her entire body relax completely. She let out a small sigh, and her eyelids closed immediately. The small bed, which she had been sharing for the past two months felt enormous without Rainbow Dash in it with her. it only took her a moment to start drifting off to sleep.

Suddenly a loud, firm knock came from the front door. Twilight immediately roused from her sleep after that noise echoed through her house. Groggily she opened her eyes. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand, seeing she had only been asleep for twenty minutes. Twilight couldn’t help but groan in irritation from being woken up so shortly after finally falling asleep. “The library is closed until tomorrow, the sign clearly says that…” she muttered, climbing from her bed.

With the first step on the floor, she felt her leg try to give out under her when she shifted her weight onto it. “I just wanted to get some sleep…” she said to herself in an almost whine.

With a sigh, she slowly made her way to the stairs. Her body wasn’t responding properly from being woken up so suddenly, and each step felt like a chore unto itself. Once she was on the stairs, she rest her body against the wall, and continued her trek. As she walked down stairs, she heard Spike open the door. Twilight groaned a bit, regretting having gotten up. But now that she had come this far, she might as well see what the commotion was about. Twilight yawned as she hit the bottom step.

“It’s not like you to sleep in all day, Twily,” a familiar voice said from the doorway.

Twilight’s eyes shot opened. Standing in the doorway was her brother, Shining armor and her sister-in-law, Cadance. Twilight’s heart stopped dead in her tracks. Spike looked back at her, completely at a loss for what to do. “W-What are you two doing here?” she said abruptly.

“We had some business in Canterlot, so we decided to stop by on our way there, and see my favorite sister-in-law,” Candance said with a smile.

“S-So, you’re just visiting? You didn’t come for any reason, right?”

They glanced at one another before looking back at the librarian with a confused look. “No…”

“Oh, well, that’s good!” Twilight replied awkwardly.

“Is there a reason we should have come?” Shining asked.

“No, of course not! I was...umm…” Twilight looked down at the ground for a moment, mentally stumbling over her thoughts to find a suitable cover. “Just…you know how things are…world always needing saving and what not…” Twilight saw Spike placed his claw on his face.

“Uh-huh…are you feeling okay, Twily?” Shining asked, skeptically.

“She just woke up, so she’s a little out of it still. How about you guys come in, and I’ll fix some tea,” Spike quickly spoke up, covering for Twilight’s little slip.

“Right! Of course, come in!” Twilight rushed over to the kitchen, cutting Spike off before he could enter. “And I’ll go fix the tea, alright?” She didn’t even wait for Spike to agree, or even acknowledge her before she bolted into the kitchen. After seeing Twilight run to make the tea, he simply shrugged his shoulders.

Twilight levitated the kettle onto the stove top. As soon as the stove sparked, she took a deep breath. “You can do this, Twilight…” she muttered to herself. She glanced over at the cupboard, and levitated out four mugs. After she set the cups down on the counter, she walked over to the pantry.

She opened the pantry door, and scanned the shelves for tea. She brought out two different kinds, one was a standard black tea, the other was some Earl Grey she had bought in Canterlot a while back. She stared down at the packaging but her mind was miles away from which tea she wanted.

She honestly wasn’t sure what to do. Shining Armor and Cadance were here in Ponyville, completely unannounced. Did they know about Twilight? And if they did, how did they know? Twilight’s thoughts immediately shot to those she told. She could rule out the princess because Celestia had bigger issues to deal with. Besides, she wouldn’t tell Cadance before Twilight did. Her mom and dad seemed like likely culprits, but when would they have sent a letter with enough time for Shining Armor and Cadance to arrive?

“You don’t need to stress about this, Twilight. They said they didn’t know anything, right?” Twilight looked up, placing one of the teas back on the shelf. She didn’t know which she decided on, but again, she didn’t care. She was far too preoccupied with this sudden dilemma dropped on her. The only thing she knew about this situation was she didn’t want to tell them yet. She had enough with the shouting match with her parents this last week, she wanted a chance to relax before starting another one.

“All you have to do is keep it together. You don’t have to tell them while they’re here. You can tell your brother later, right?” she asked. She placed a teabag into each mug, before looking back at the kettle. Right on cue the pot started to whistle. She pulled it off the stove, and poured some steaming hot water into each cup.

“You don’t sound too convinced…” she muttered to herself as she levitated the mugs into the air. She took a deep breath once more, and popped her head out of the kitchen. Her brother and sister-in-law were sitting down on some cushions on the floor, talking with Spike.

“So, how are you two doing?” Twilight asked, trying her best to sound chipper.

“We’re fine.” Shining glanced around the library, taking notice of the dust-covered shelves. It wasn’t like his sister to leave her house in such disorder. “Little dusty in here, isn’t it? You think it’s about time to clean?” he asked, nonchalantly, only to be given a hard nudge to his side by his wife.

“Thanks Twilight,” Spike said, taking a mug that was levitated down in front of him. “You didn’t put sugar in this…” he muttered after taking a small sip.

“No, I forgot, and you should also remove the teabag before you start drinking,” Twilight reminded.

Cadance laughed a bit at Spike’s expense. “You always seem to forget that, don’t you, Spike.”

“Not always,” he said, getting up to go add some sugar to his tea.

“So, you two are going to Canterlot?” Twilight asked, changing the subject.

“Yes, apparently Aunt Celestia wanted to talk with us about involving the Crystal Empire in the Equestria Games,” Cadance replied.

“The Equestria Games? Is the empire ready for that?”

“The citizens could use a little distraction after Sombra, and the thousand year time skip. They need something to take their minds off of what happened to them. It would also help them get acquainted with modern traditions, so I think it would be a good idea to at least participate…” Shining Armor said after he took a sip of his tea.

“I think she wants more than us to participate though…” Cadance replied, giving her husband a worried glance.

“Like what?” Twilight asked.

“I have a feeling she’s going to suggest to the committee that we host the games.”

“We’re still in the process of reconstruction. I don’t know if we’ll be able to do that, and prepare for the games…” Shining frowned a bit.

“It may be a good motivator for the crystal ponies to finish though. With a huge event like the Equestria Games, they’ll want their city to look perfect.” Spike came back in, stirring his tea with a spoon.

“Spike’s right, it may work to your advantage to host them.”

“Or it could be added stress…” Cadance looked down at her tea cup.

“I think they’re right, Cady. This could be good for the Crystal Empire.” Shining looked at his wife, giving her a smile.

“I didn’t say we wouldn’t try to get the games. It’s a great honor, but I’m just concerned about the citizens.”

“We’ll talk it over with the princess tomorrow. But what I want to know,” Shining Armor looked at his sister with a sly grin, “is why you were still asleep. Rough night?” he teased.

“S-Something like that...” Twilight laughed a bit trying to cover for herself.

“If only you knew…” Spike muttered, taking a sip of his tea. Twilight immediately shot him a look that no one other than him would have known was a glare.

“It’s just that you usually only make Earl Grey when you’re feeling stressed…” Shining noted as he took another sip of his tea. Twilight cursed that small mental tick of hers showing itself at such an inopportune time.

“Y-You know…just work for the princess…” she replied hoping a fake smile would convince them she wasn’t acting strange.

“Work, huh? You haven’t gotten that stressed over work in years, Twily. You’re not seeing anypony now are you?” Shining turned to his wife with that same sly glance he gave his sister.

“Oh, stop teasing her.” Cadance placed he hoof to her mouth, holding back a small laugh.

“Actually—” Spike started to speak up, but his lips were pinched together with magic. He looked up to see Twilight glaring at him out of the corner of her eye. That look was enough to make him drop it, and sit quietly.

“You’re as bad as Mom and Dad,” she said with a fake laugh. On the outside, Twilight looked like she was having a good time, but on the inside it was a whole different story. Mentally, she was in full panic mode. The topic quickly went to exactly where she didn’t want it to go.

“Maybe it’s because they have a point.” Shining Armor took another sip of his tea, still smiling that teasing smile. It was a smile Twilight had seen all her life, but it didn’t mean she liked it. Mental flashes of sibling arguments and hazing came flooding back. That smile also meant Shining wouldn’t drop it unless someone intervened.

Twilight opened her mouth to retort, but just as she was about to say something, the front door opened. Everyone turned to see Rainbow Dash standing in the doorway, holding a brown paper bag in her foreleg. “Hey, Twi. I bought—” she stopped midway through strolling into the living room. her eyes fell upon the two guests looking at her in turn.

If Twilight was in panic mode before, now she was on the verge of a mental breakdown. “This could not be any worse…” she thought to herself. But just as she was about to give up hope, and let things fall as they may, she realized something. She could save this situation. Rainbow Dash had only walked inside with a paper bag, so Twilight could come up with an excuse.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash,” Spike said with a wave. “What did you bring back?”

Twilight looked at the bag in her marefriend’s foreleg, and it hit her. She had an excuse presented to her that they would be sure to buy. She had been asleep, and both Cadance and Shining Armor thought she had been asleep all day, so as far as they knew, Rainbow Dash could have been doing her a favor because she had been up all night. “T-Thanks for doing my shopping for me, Rainbow Dash! Y-You’re such a good friend,” she stressed with a wink back at the pegasus.

“Right…” Dash replied with a nod. “I...uhh...got you guys some apples from AJ,” she muttered, clearly not happy with the situation.

Silently, Twilight thanked Rainbow Dash for being so understanding. She knew the pegasus wasn’t happy hiding their relationship—especially after the incident with their friends—but Dash also knew she wasn’t ready to tell her brother yet. To be fair though, Twilight didn’t like hiding it either. A mental flash to an argument they had shortly after telling their friends over keeping their relationship secret came to mind, and she would have to apologize after her family left.

“You’re acting weird…” Shining noted before they said anything else.

“I am not.” Twilight shot a glare back at her brother, not realizing it only made her look more suspicious.

Suddenly a small blue spark of magic jumped off the tip of Cadance’s horn. She shook her head from the random spark of magic, almost like her nose tickled. The sudden jolt caught her completely off guard, and made her gasp. “That was odd,” she said still a bit surprised.

Shining looked at his wife, taking note of what just happened. Slowly his eyes narrowed, and he looked back at his sister. “Interesting…” he said as an devious smile only an older brother could give his little sister spread across his face.

Cadance gave a small, almost predatory grin as she looked at Twilight. “So, aren’t you going to introduce us?”

“Introduce you? You’ve already met Rainbow Dash…” Twilight said with a growing concern in her voice. Her heart felt like it had skipped about five beats in a row when she saw the two smiles across from her.

“Come on, Twilight, I used to foal sit you. I know when you’re hiding something.”

“I-I’m not hiding anything.” Twilight gave a nervous glance to her marefriend, who only rolled her eyes. That simple gesture was all she gave, but Twilight got the message. This was completely avoidable, and as far as Dash was concerned, Twilight should just tell the truth already.

“Twily, you know Cadance’s magic has to do with love…” Her brother still had that smile on his face.

“S-So?”

“You two are in love!” Cadance switch from predator mode to ecstatic in a split second.

“You don’t have to ruin it for them, Cady,” Shining told his wife.

“I can tell the difference between a crush and love, Shining. These two have already confessed their feelings, I just know it!” She jumped up onto all fours. With a small hop, she plopped back down right in front of Twilight. She looked down at her sister-in-law with a beaming smile.

Dash laughed to herself. “Serves her right for trying to hide it,” she thought. Just as she took a step towards the kitchen to put the bag in her foreleg away, she felt herself being lifted into the air. Suddenly being pulled off the ground without control caused her to freak out a bit, dropping the bag, and sending apples spilling out onto the floor.

Dash looked back around her midsection to see a blue aura surrounding her. She groaned, as Cadance used her magic to pull her right next to Twilight. “So, how long have you two been dating?” the alicorn asked, absolutely absorbed in the juicy situation.

“You can seriously tell all that? From what now?” Dash asked, a little unnerved by how excited Cadance was.

“Oh! My magic reacts around two ponies who have feelings for one another, and how strong those feelings are. It’s like a love detector,” she explained. “So, tell me the whole story!”

Dash looked at Twilight who looked like she was about to cry. “Fine! Alright! We’re dating…” she admitted finally.

“You really need to stop making this so hard…” Dash replied with a roll of her eyes.

“I knew it!” Cadance giggled. “So, how long?”

“A few months…” Twilight said, sulking.

“Why didn’t you just tell us you were seeing somepony?” Shining asked, taking a sip of his tea.

“Why didn’t you tell me you and Cadance were getting married—or even together—before the wedding?” she retorted.

“Are you still holding a grudge over that?” he asked.

“No…I just…I wasn’t ready to tell you, that’s all.” Twilight lowered her head. At least half truths were easier to tell than lies. She really wasn’t ready to tell her brother, but she strategically omitted the reason why she didn’t.

“Twily, it’s not like I’m upset you’re dating a mare or anything,” Shining said comfortingly.

“I didn’t think you would be…” she muttered.

“Look, it’s about lunch time. How about we all go get something to eat, and we can tell you the whole story, alright?” Dash suggested, standing up.

“Now that’s something I can get behind,” Spike chimed in, finishing off his tea.

Cadance looked back at her husband. “What do you think?”

“Well, we haven’t eaten since breakfast, so it sounds like a good idea.” Shining Armor stood up, holding his mug in his magic as he did. His wife’s cup also levitated into the air, held in place by the same magenta aura as his own.

Cadance and Twilight stood up at the same time, but as Twilight tried to get on her hooves, her legs almost gave out on her. While her eyes no longer felt heavy, and she felt mostly awake, the fatigue from earlier had popped back up, reminding her just how exhausted she was. Twilight lost her balance, and stumbled forward a bit. She bumped into Cadance’s side, causing another spark of magic to fire from the alicorn’s horn.

As soon as Cadance had a chance to process what that spark meant, her eyes went wide. Their eyes met. Cadance looked at Twilight with huge, beaming eyes, and Twilight immediately felt her heart drop. She had a feeling where this was going, and she wouldn’t like it. In that instant, everything slowed down for the unicorn. She watched as Cadance’s mouth opened, and she let out a loud gasp. “Twilight, you’re pregnant?” she asked both surprised and excited at the same time.

“What?” Shining Armor asked, completely taken off guard.

“Your sister is pregnant! Oh my goodness, Twilight!” Cadance set Twilight onto her hooves with her magic, and pulled the unsuspecting unicorn into a tight hug.

“Twilight, you’re pregnant?” Shining asked for confirmation.

“N-No!” she protested.

“You can’t hide it from me, Twilight.” Cadance gave her a sly glance.

“So you can tell that Twilight is pregnant just from touching her?” Dash asked, raising an eyebrow to the princess.

“Well, my magic reacts to acts of love too, and what is a stronger act of love than creating a new life. It’s not as easy to sense like love between two ponies, but I can tell if I touch somepony,” she explained.

“That’s weird…” Spike said a little creeped out.

Twilight looked at her brother with a fearful glance. She could see the wheels in his head turning, slowly piecing the puzzle together. She knew it would only be a matter of time before he asked her who the dad was, and it was obvious. She could feel her heart sinking again, and it would only be a matter of time before she would have to try and calm him down to explain her situation.

“Though it’s really strange…” Cadance’s words drew her attention back to the alicorn. She was still beaming with excitement, but Twilight could tell she was confused. “I’ve never felt this kind of reaction before.”

“W-What do you mean?” Twilight asked fearfully.

“Well, it feels like...the father is somepony in this room…but Shining is the only stallion, and I know it’s not him,” she said, placing a hoof to her chin, while still holding Twilight in her other foreleg.

Twilight swallowed hard, knowing that would only draw Shining to the conclusion faster. She looked back at her brother seeing him almost glaring at her. That look confirmed it; he knew. How could he not. He just found out his sister was dating another mare, and she was pregnant. Cadance was only digging Twilight’s grave deeper. There was no way she could avoid this conversation at this point. Twilight steeled her resolve, readying herself for the coming storm.

Dash sighed heavily. “No point in hiding it anymore,” Dash said, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “I’m the dad…” Twilight wished she didn’t say that, but it was already obvious to the pony in the room she didn’t want to find out.

“What?” Cadance asked, looking at Rainbow Dash. She tilted her head to the side when she looked back at Twilight, clearly confused.

“Rainbow Dash is the father…” she said quietly.

“That’s silly,” Cadance said with a laugh. “You don’t need to hide it from us. So, come on, tell us who the father is. Have we met him before?”

“I’m not hiding it. The father is Rainbow Dash…” Twilight’s heart felt like it was about to burst in her chest from the sheer weight of her brother’s glare.

“Stop playing games, Twilight. Everypony knows that two mares can’t have a foal,” Cadance said dismissively.

“Cadance, you don’t know about the…umm…spell?” she asked, skeptical that someone as knowledgeable as Cadance would be oblivious to a spell with such a reputation. She was the princess of love after all, and part of love was sex, so logically she should know quite a bit about these types of spell. Twilight suddenly felt ill thinking about her sister-in-law, and former foalsitter being a sexual being. That was something she never wanted to associate with Cadance.

“What spell?” she asked, naively.

“Cadance, don’t worry about it,” Shining barked. “Twilight, I want to know where you learned that spell!” Shining Armor was still glaring at his sister.

“Hang on a sec! Don’t get upset at Twi, alright!” Dash took a step towards Shining. Her chest was puffed out, and ready for a fight if need be. Shining didn’t pay the tom-coltish mare any mind though. He completely ignored her.

“I found it in a book a few years back,” Twilight said, slipping free from her sister-in-laws hug.

“You found it? You just read it, and what, just decided to try it out one night for shits and giggles?”

“Shining Armor, watch your language!” Cadance shot him a glare. Once she saw him look at her, she motioned towards Spike who was still in the room.

He didn’t care that Spike was in the room though. He was too busy struggling to keep his anger in check, and not blow up at his sister. “What were you thinking, Twilight?”

Twilight looked at Spike. She motioned for the little dragon to go up stairs so they could talk about this matter. He didn’t even argue, realizing the gravity of the situation when Shining Armor cursed. Once Spike was up stairs, she turned back to her brother.

“My curiosity was piqued, alright. I realized quickly after I read it that it was the spell Mom had told me about, and I never actually thought about using it…It was kind of an accident in the first place…” She couldn’t help but blush mentioning her sexlife to her brother. “I know both versions of the spell, and I was…intoxicated when I cast it. I cast the wrong one…and a few weeks later, I found out I was pregnant…”

Twilight saw her brother cringe a bit. At least she wasn’t the only one uncomfortable divulging her bedroom matters with close family. “We’ve been able to salvage a relationship from this accident, so I don’t think you have the right to—”

“I don’t have the right? Twilight, you’re my sister! I have the right to object when you’re making a poor life choice!” he snapped.

Twilight flinched when she heard her brother shout. Whatever willpower he had that was holding him back ran out.

“Do you even know what this will do to you? How ponies will react? When Mom and Dad find out, are going to kill you…” he said, with a heavy sigh. He placed his hoof to his forehead, still trying to wrap his head around what his sister was telling him.

“They already know,” Dash said, grabbing the furious stallion’s attention.

“What?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “You told them?”

“The reason I was asleep when you arrived was because we just returned from Canterlot earlier today. We spent a week there trying to convince Mom and Dad...It may have taken some time, but they’ve accepted it.” Twilight was trying to control her breathing. Her heart was racing in her chest, and she desperately was trying to slow her panicked heartbeat before it popped out of her chest.

He stood silent for a moment. “They’re fine with it? They’re fine with their daughter having another mare’s foal?” he asked in disbelief. “I don’t believe it.” He looked down at the floor, glaring at it as his sister’s proxy.

“It’s true, and when you hear what Princess Celestia told her, you’d be fine with it too.” Dash gave a condescending smirk at Shining Armor.

While Twilight was panicking, Dash was nothing but confidant. Seeing her marefriend look so cocky when confronted with these issues brought some stability back to Twilight. She gathered her courage, and remembered that she was on the right side of this argument.

“I don’t see the issue,” Cadance spoke up, smiling at Twilight. “It’s a little unorthodox, but two ponies who love each other having a foal is wonderful news.” Twilight gave her a smile. Apparently Cadance was in the same camp as Celestia, and completely oblivious to the taboo surrounding the spell. But at least she understood her and Dash’s feelings for one another. She never doubted that Cadance would understand, but her brother was the one she had been worried about.

“Cadance, you don’t understand the problem here. It’s not about a foal, it’s about that spell’s history…” her husband said turning his eyes away from his sister. “What are you even going to do when ponies find out, Twily?” he asked, sounding almost betrayed.

“The whole town already knows…I’ve been dealing with this, Shining. Besides, the princess already told me she would publicly support me.” Twilight took a deep breath as she prepared to explain why she was right. “She also told me that the spell was mislabeled by the patriarchs around that time to discourage mares from using it.”

“Yeah, for good reason!” He slammed his hoof on the floor.

“No, not for good reason!” Dash interjected. “It was just because they didn’t want more mares than stallions. They felt threatened by it, that’s all!”

He sighed heavily. “You need to stay out of this, alright? This is a family issue.” The stallion shot her a stern look that made even the brash Rainbow Dash take a step back.

“Hang on, Shining,” Spike poked his head out from the staircase, grabbing everyone’s attention.

“Spike?” Twilight asked. “This isn’t a conversation you need to be hearing!” she scolded.

“I know, but I could still hear it upstairs,” he defended. He looked back at Shining Armor. “Look, your parents are cool with it, Princess Celestia is cool with it, even Cadance is cool with it. I don’t see why you’re so mad. Everypony is fine with Twilight having a foal, but you.”

“Spike, it’s not about being okay with this, it’s about principles. If Twilight wants to have a foal, it should be with a stallion, not some mare with a magical dick!”

Cadance gasped. “Shining Armor, be a little mindful about who you’re speaking with!” she snapped at him.

But what her brother said struck a chord with Twilight. It was reminiscent of her mother. Immediately she knew how to handle with situation, and that was by not handling it at all. While Shining might usually be calm, collected like their father, when he became extremely upset, he was more like their mother—completely irrational. He wasn’t arguing logically, and was simply sticking with what he knew—what was natural to him. Twilight couldn’t change his mind, at least not until he calmed down some.

Twilight noticed her brother staring at the ground, not even able to look her in the eyes. In that moment, she had a flashback to when she told her mother about her condition. Shining was doing exactly what she had done, lost control even though he desperately tried not to. It was only a matter of time until he felt he would need to leave so he could be alone with his thoughts—just like her mother did when she was upset.

“Cadance…” he said, pulling Twilight back to the conversation. “We’re leaving…” he said, walking towards the door.

“What?” she asked, but he was already out the door. “Wait, Shining!” she called after him. After he didn’t respond, the alicorn looked back at Twilight. She sighed. “I’m sorry about this, Twilight. If I had known, I wouldn’t have said anything…”

Twilight forced a small smile. Even though she knew this would be the outcome, it still hurt. She wasn’t ready for this yet, not so shortly after dealing with her mom. “I didn’t want to tell you two yet because I wanted to prepare for this a bit…” she said softly. Cadance frowned. “But, it had to be said eventually, so it’s fine…” she said, giving a small, weak smile to her sister-in-law.

“He can be hardheaded sometimes…” Cadance laughed slightly. “But you already knew that…”

“He just needs some time to cool off and think…” Twilight sighed. It was a repeat of her mother’s reaction all over. But because it was like her mother’s, she knew Shining wasn’t really upset with her, more worried. “He’s just like our mother…” she said with a small laugh.

“We’re going to go see Aunt Celestia, so I’m sure she’ll be able to talk some sense into him. You did say she was the one who told you about the spell you used, right? That seems to be the problem, so I’ll ask her to explain it.”

Twilight smiled. “Thanks, Cadance.”

“Cadance, let’s go!” Shining called back inside the library, angrily.

She rolled her eyes. “I’ll be sure to give him an earful for you too.” She wrapped a foreleg around Twilight, giving her a hug. “Congratulations you two,” she said as she held Twilight.

“Thanks,” she replied as Cadance let go. The alicorn gave a small farewell, and followed her husband outside. She made no effort to hide her disdain towards the stubborn stallion as she left the library.

As Twilight watched Cadance leave, she wasn’t as hurt as she thought she might be. She had predicted how her brother would react, so she wasn’t surprised there. She could also take some solace in the fact that her brother was angry at her situation, not her. All he needed was time to calm down, and then they could really have a discussion about it.

He couldn’t stay upset for long either. Cadance on her side in this matter, and that meant her brother wouldn’t hear the end of it until he came to his senses. And with where they were going, Princess Celestia would be sure to set him straight. She gave a small smile, having a feeling she would get a letter of apology in the not-too-distant future.

Author's Note

And Shining was punished with no sex until he made up with his sister. He quickly wrote an apology.

Bump in the Road

Rainbows in the Night Sky

Chapter 15: Bump in the Road

“Spike, Dashie, I’m home!” Twilight called out into the library as she closed the door behind her. A few days had passed since Shining and Cadance stopped by for a surprise visit. In the time since the argument, Twilight knew her brother would come to understand. It wasn’t easy; she was hurt by his reaction, but she also understood why he was upset. Dash had been there, reassuring her since he stormed out too. By that night, Twilight was convinced it wouldn’t take long for an apology.

And she was right, it didn’t take long. She received a letter from her brother only a few days after he left for Canterlot saying he would stop by on their way back to the Crystal Empire. He had already mentioned his intent was to apologize in the letter, but she also knew they still had a lot to talk about. He wrote that he spoke with their parents, and they told him about what she and Dash had told them. He made no effort to hide his concern about her diving into a relationship so quickly, and under their circumstances, so she had a lot to explain to him when he showed up at the train station.

Spike came barreling downstairs as soon as he heard Twilight’s voice. “So? How did it go?” he asked. He looked as though he was about to explode with anticipation if Twilight didn’t tell him. She patted him on he head gently, and reassuringly, calming him down.

Dash appeared from the kitchen, looking much more relaxed. “He apologized, Spike, how else would it’ve gone,” she said, grinding her hoof affectionately on the dragon’s head.

“I don’t know…After the way he left, I thought he might still be mad…” He looked to Twilight, waiting for her response.

The librarian smiled down at him. “It went as you would expect an apology to go,” she said with a small laugh. “He said he was sorry, we hugged, and we made up. That was it.”

“That was it? You were gone for two hours!”

“We talked about my relationship with Rainbow Dash too, but that was more brotherly concern.”

“So, Shining’s fine with you having a foal now?” he asked, still worried.

“It wasn’t easy…” She blushed a bit, looking at her marefriend. “But yes, he’s accepted our foal and relationship now. After hearing from Cadance the whole way to Canterlot, our mom and dad when they stopped there for a visit, and then having to listen to Princess Celestia at the castle, he changed his tune pretty quickly. He’s also not one to brood like our mother, so he was more willing to listen after about an hour.”

“See, told you.” Dash walked up, and wrapped a foreleg around Twilight’s neck.

“He’s still worried about how ponies in Canterlot will react once they hear, and to be fair, that’s a legitimate concern…” Twilight looked down, scratching the side of her face with her hoof.

“Celestia said she would handle that,” Dash said with a sigh, and a roll of her eyes.

“She said she would support me, that doesn’t mean ponies will just accept it…” Twilight reminded her. She sighed a bit before nuzzling into Dash’s neck.

“Your mom and dad did pretty easily, and it sounds like your brother did too once he calmed down…” Dash continued hugging Twilight, trying to be comforting.

“Yeah, sounds like the princess will just have to tell everypony what she told you two,” Spike added.

“I could still see some unicorns being more stubborn about it…” Twilight protested.

“Let them be stubborn. They’re not going to kick you out of Equestria if Princess Celestia tells them they can’t. If they really got nothing better to worry about than somepony else’s personal business, they’re stupid, right?”

“I guess you’re right…” she agreed. “I’m not worried about it—well, I am, but not nearly as much as I was with my family. We have some good news, so let’s just focus on that for now, right?”

“Right!” Spike said cheerfully.

“Yeah, everypony you wanted to be cool with it is, so we’ll have a little party tonight to celebrate. I’ll stop by Pinkie’s on my way to work today, and tell her we need a cake, and we’ll invite everypony over for a good time.”

“Sounds good,” Twilight said, placing a kiss on Dash’s cheek.

“So…speaking of work, I need to get going. I’ll see you tonight.” Dash kissed Twilight back, but she gave her a quick peck on the lips rather than the cheek.

“Have a good day,” Twilight called out to her as she slipped out the door. Dash stuck her hoof back in and gave a wave before closing the door behind her.

“She seemed like she was in a rush to get out of here.” Spike shrugged his shoulders.

Twilight glanced up at the clock, and giggled. “She’s late, that’s why. She waited for me to get back, how sweet.”

“I’m surprised Rainbow Dash even cares if she’s late…” Spike said as he walked back up stairs. A few moments later he came back down with a large stack of books that towered over the small dragon. Once he hit the floor, he dropped the stack.

“Of course she cares, Spike. We’ve used up quite a bit of her vacation time over the past month. She might be in charge of the weather team here in Ponyville, but that doesn’t mean she can take off whenever she wants.”

“She doesn’t seem like the kind of pony that would care…” Spike sighed as he turned back to go up the stairs.

“That’s just her. She doesn’t act like she cares about things she should care about to look cool,” Twilight reminded him. “But she does still care.”

Spike returned with yet another stack of books from upstairs, which was starting to nag at Twilight. “Why are you bringing all of these down?” she asked, levitating over the top book from the previous stack. She recognized the cover, it was a book she read a few weeks previous, and had finished.

Spike groaned as he dropped the second stack on the floor. “These are from your little private collection you keep growing up stairs. I thought somepony else might like to read them since you’re done with them.” He gave her a deadpan expression.

“Right…” Twilight gave a nervous laugh as she put the book back onto the stack. ”None of these were from my actual private collection, are they?”

“No, these are all ones you took from the library.”

“Good.” Twilight breathed a small sigh of relief.

“Since you finished them, I thought it would be okay to bring them back down.”

“That’s fine. Thanks, Spike. I’ve been meaning to do it, but time’s seemed to have gotten away from me lately…”

“Oh, and Lyra stopped by while you were gone. She wanted to ask you about a spell, or something,” Spike said as he jumped up to grab a few books from the top of the stack.

“Lyra did?” Twilight placed her hoof to her chin. “I suppose I should talk to her about that spell…”

“What spell did she want anyway? Can’t she just check out a book on magic, or something?” Spike wandered over to a shelf.

“It’s…complicated…” Twilight felt her face heat up as she tried to casually avoid specifics. “It’s a specific spell she wants me to teach her, and I told her I would, but I just needed to do some more research on it…to make sure it was safe.”

“Sounds pretty dangerous.” He didn’t even look up from the book he was staring at. Spike started placing books back where the belong as he continued his conversation with Twilight.

“Not really, now that I’ve looked into it…” Twilight picked up a few books with her magic as well. She glanced at the covers, and sent to books over to their respective shelves.

“What spell was it?” Spike asked as he continued working his way through the books in his arms.

“One you’re too young to know about.” Twilight could feel her face heating up more.

“Wait…” Spike looked over at Twilight with a confused disgust on his face. “Was it the spell that you and Rainbow—nevermind. I don’t think I want to know…”

“It’s probably better you don’t.”

The two slowly worked their way their the stacks of books. It didn’t take long with Spike sweeping the lower shelves and passing the books for higher shelves off to Twilight to put back. After a few minutes the stacks were gone, and the library shelves were looking a little more full than they had been.

Spike wiped his forehead as he sat down on the floor. “That wasn’t so bad.”

“Now, I just need to finish the stack in my room…well, I guess it’s mine and Dashie’s room now.” Twilight laughed a bit to herself.

“Hey, when are you two telling her family anyway?” Spike asked suddenly.

She stared at him for a moment as she thought it over. They hadn’t really discussed a trip to Cloudsdale, or even when Dash wanted to go see her dad. Actually, now that Twilight was thinking about it, they hadn’t talked about Dash’s family since she first mentioned it. “I don’t know…” Twilight responded, placing her hoof to her chin as she did.

“You don’t know?” he asked with an eyebrow raised. “Well, I guess she’ll just tell you when she wants to go…”

As Twilight sat there, she suddenly found this little fact irritating. “I’m not sure if she will, Spike…” she muttered as stood up. The little dragon gave her a confused look as she walked passed him, and headed upstairs. When she reached her bedroom, she levitated over a book from a small stack on the floor. Her magic rapidly flipped through the pages until coming to a stop. Twilight climbed onto her bed with the book.

She had no intention of reading it, but it was a good excuse so Spike wouldn’t disturb her while she reflected on this a bit more. As she faked reading, Twilight started to sift through her memory to see whether or not she and Dash had any conversations about her family. The more she thought about it, the more the answer bothered her. She had been too preoccupied with her own drama that she didn’t even notice that Rainbow Dash had been avoiding the topic.

“Was it on purpose?” she thought as she stared at the page. “She did say that her and her father didn’t get along…”

“Twilight?” Spike interrupted her.

“What is it, Spike?” she asked without looking up. This was usually enough of a hint for him to leave her alone, but he continued to stand there.

“You haven’t turned the page since you opened that book. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong…”

“There is. You said Rainbow Dash probably wouldn’t tell you when she’s ready to go to Cloudsdale. Why wouldn’t she?”

“I don’t know, Spike.”

“If you tell me, maybe I could help,” he offered. His answer came in the form of Twilight closing the book loudly, making him jump.

“Spike, these are adult problems.” Twilight tried to give him a sympathetic look so he wouldn’t think she was mad at him. “I know you want to help, but this is something Rainbow Dash and I will need to discuss.”

“Everything seems to be adult problems with you lately…”

“I don’t mean it like that, Spike. I’m not saying that to make you drop the issue. This isn’t like an assignment, or a project for school; there’s not exactly a clear cut solution here. These things are complicated, and to be honest, I don’t even know if there is a problem.” Twilight levitated the book over to her night stand. “Rainbow Dash might have just not brought it up, and I may be worrying over nothing.”

“Really?”

Twilight forced a smile. “Really.”

Spike smiled back. “Alright then. I guess I’ll go clean up for the party tonight.”

“Thanks, Spike.” Once he was out of sight, Twilight sighed. She desperately wanted to believe there wasn’t something wrong, but with how things had been going for her lately, she was skeptical. The way Rainbow Dash talked about her dad last month only fueled these doubts in Twilight’s mind. Dash didn’t think highly of her father, Twilight was aware of that from their last conversation about him, but he was still her father. He had a right to know.

“I may not like it, but if they don’t get along, that’s not really any of my business. I just hope she doesn’t plan on not telling him…” Twilight sighed again. Her eyes bounced back to the book she just sat down. The title piqued her interest when she first pulled it off the shelves downstairs, but now she found it rather pertinent to her situation, or at least possible situation. She levitated the book over once more. “The nature of arguments…”

Twilight sighed again as she cracked open the book. “I just hope I’m worrying too much…for once…”

“I’m home.” Rainbow Dash opened the door to the library. Immediately she spotted Twilight laying in the living room reading a book. She hadn’t expected her marefriend to do much else today, but then again, she didn’t have anything else to do.

As soon as Dash stepped inside, Twilight stood up from where she was reading from. “Welcome home,” she said with an unusually plain tone.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes darted around the library for a moment. Twilight was usually a lot more cheerful when she got home, but she dismissed the lack of enthusiasm on her having been reading. “So, where’s Spike?” Dash asked as she looked around.

“He went to tell our friends we’re having a party tonight.” She levitated the book up off the floor, and closed it before placing it back onto a bookshelf.

“Cool. So, I stopped by Sugarcube Corner, and told Pinkie to bring a cake over tonight. It’s just the seven of us, right?”

“Yeah,” Twilight replied with a soft, almost emotionless voice.

Dash took a step towards Twilight. Something was wrong, she knew her too well to think otherwise. “What’s up?” she asked with a growing concern in her voice.

Twilight looked at her with an almost reluctance. This wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have, but there wasn’t any way around this issue without talking about it. She sighed as she braced herself for a worst case scenario. “Dashie, when do you want to go see your father?” Twilight asked, sitting down on her hind legs.

Dash blinked a few times at how absurdly mundane that question was. With how Twilight was acting, she expected something way more serious—like a natural disaster or something. Dash chuckled a bit as she placed her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Oh, don’t worry about that right now. Let’s just focus on the party tonight, okay?”

Twilight shook her head. She wasn’t going to let Dash just shrug this off like she did before. “I’m being serious, Rainbow Dash. When do you want to go tell your father about us?”

“We can tell him later. Don’t worry about it for now.” Her hoof slid down off Twilight’s shoulder. She gave a confident smile to her marefriend before walking into the kitchen.

Twilight wasn’t satisfied with that response, or smile. She followed the pegasus into the kitchen, determined to get an actual answer from her. “Dash, I want an answer.”

“I gave you one, Twi,” she responded casually as she scooped up an apple from the counter with her wing. flicked it into the air, catching it on her hoof.

“Rainbow Dash, why don’t you want to talk to him?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Then why are you avoiding the subject?”

“What do you want from me, a date?” Dash yelled suddenly, stopping Twilight in her tracks. “Maybe the time too? A weather report? A second-by-second schedule?” She turned around with an almost glare. “I said we’d talk about it later, so just drop it.”

Twilight stared at her for a moment before her gaze fell down to the floor. This was one of the few situations where Twilight didn’t like being right. “Dashie, I just think we should tell your dad. We told my family, and now we need to tell yours…”

“Twi…please, just drop it…” she muttered angrily. “I don’t want to have a fight, alright?” She continued to glare at Twilight even though the unicorn was focused on the floor.

Twilight sat silently as she weighed the options. This was important, not just to her, but to Rainbow Dash too. They had to tell her father. It wasn’t right to not tell her dad about their relationship, or their foal. Yet, at the same time, she shared Dash’s sentiment; she didn’t want to have a huge blow-out fight either. Today was supposed to be a good day where they just relaxed, and celebrated how far they had come.

Twilight sighed. “Alright…” she said softly.

A smile broke through on Dash’s face when Twilight relented. She set her apple down in the counter again as she walked up to Twilight, and gave her a hug. “We got a party tonight, so I don’t want us to be mad at each other.” She lovingly rubbed her muzzle against Twilight’s mane, showing the librarian she wasn’t upset.

Twilight hugged her back. “I don’t either.” She returned her marefriend’s affection by rubbing her cheek against Dash’s neck. Just as she was enjoying the affection, Twilight put her hoof on Rainbow Dash’s chest, and pushed her back a bit from their embrace. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t let this be. “But we are going to talk about this eventually…” she added softly, making Dash stop nuzzling her immediately.

Dash sighed. “That’s not dropping it, Twi…” she muttered in irritation.

“I’m temporarily dropping it…” she clarified. Twilight pulled back from their hug with a small, almost sorry sort of smile.

Just looking at Twilight, she could see the unicorn wasn’t teasing. She was reluctant, but she also wasn’t backing down. Dash furled her brow. “So, you lied to me?” she asked, trying to keep her anger from boiling up again.

“No, I won’t mention it…during the party. We will be talking about it later however,” Twilight said as she turned around. She slowly walked out of the room leaving Rainbow Dash standing there with an angry glare.

Rainbow Dash continued to glare at her as she left the kitchen. This didn’t make sense. Twilight said they wouldn’t have a fight, and then started acting like she was upset. “Are we having a fight?” she asked, taking a step after her marefriend.

“No, we agreed not to,” Twilight responded with a strangely upbeat tone.

That chipper tone was a slap in the face for Rainbow Dash. She gave up on pursuing Twilight after only a few steps, instead falling back onto her hind legs. “This is really passive-aggressive, Twi, and it’s not cool!” she called out after the librarian.

Rarity knocked on the door to the library. “I hope we’re not too early,” she said to Fluttershy and Spike standing behind her.

“No way, it should be fine,” Spike replied.

The latch drew everyone’s attention back to the library’s entrance. Pinkie Pie was the one to open the door. She poked her head outside with an obviously uncomfortable look on her face. “Good, I’m glad you guys are here,” she said with a nervous laugh. The party pony opened the door, and motioned for the three friends to come inside.

“What’s wrong, darling?” Rarity asked.

“Oh, nothing’s wrong, silly. Just…umm…it’s not great.”

Just stepping inside, Rarity and Fluttershy could feel the tension in the old tree. Rainbow Dash was flying around hanging some decorations, and Twilight was setting up a table for food. The room was awkwardly silent. Rainbow Dash had a scowl on her face, while Twilight hummed a small tune to herself.

“Hello, Twilight, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said, grabbing their attention. Twilight nodded with a smile, while Rainbow Dash waved her foreleg once without even looking her way.

“What happened?” Fluttershy asked Pinkie softly so that the two lovers wouldn’t hear.

“I don’t know, they were like this when I got here. I brought in the cake and a bunch of cool party stuff, but they won’t talk to each other. I thought all this stuff was to celebrate, but they’re all angry. Dash sounded so happy when she stopped by Sugarcube Corner too…”

“Are you two fighting?” Spike asked abruptly.

Rarity shot him a glare. “Spike, show some tact.”

“No,” Twilight responded plainly.

“Yes,” Rainbow Dash replied right after. She shot a glare across the room to her marefriend as she pounded in a nail with her hoof. Twilight just ignored her lover’s scorn though, instead focusing on her own setup.

“So, are you?” Spike asked, genuinely confused.

“We have a fight on hold,” Twilight clarified.

“Oh hold?” Rarity asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s not really on hold when you keep bringing it up…” Dash stamped in a nail to hold up the last streamer. As soon as she touched down on the ground she sighed. “Pinkie, please tell me you brought something to drink…”

“I brought some punch and juice,” The party pony tried her best to keep an upbeat attitude, especially since her friends were fighting. Unfortunately, this didn’t seem like a situation an upbeat attitude could solve.

“I need something a lot stronger than juice.” Dash sounded exhausted. She pressed her hoof to her forehead. Apparently Twilight’s little act was wearing on the pegasus.

“I think I have some—”

“We have alcohol in the kitchen cabinet, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight chimed in, making Dash roll her eyes.

“I thought Twilight didn’t drink…” Rarity said softly.

“Rainbow Dash does…” Spike replied. “So we started keeping that type of stuff in the house…”

Another knock came from the door. Pinkie’s expression lit up for a moment. “That must be Applejack!” she said as she dashed over to the let the pony in.

As soon as the door opened, Applejack came inside with a case strapped to her back. “Howdy, everypony. I ain’t late, am I?” she looked around seeing that all of her friends were present already.

“No, just in time.” Twilight smiled as she walked over to her friends.

“I know ya can’t drink there, Twilight, but I brought some hard cider just incase anypony else wanted some. I also brought some of the virgin stuff fer ya and Spike too.”

“Thank you, Applejack.” Twilight responded with an overly-nice tone that made Applejack take a step back.

She looked over at her friends finding them all looking rather uncomfortable as well. “What’s goin’ on?” she asked softly.

“Nothing’s going on,” Twilight replied as she used her magic to take the cases from Applejack. She set the cases next to the table with the punch and snacks, and opened both of them. She levitated out a bottle. and opened it. Twilight held the opening to her nose, and gave a small whiff, before taking a sip. “I’ll go make some signs for these, so no pony confuses them.” She said trotting off.

“Hey, Applejack…” Rainbow Dash fluttered out of the kitchen with a glass in her hoof.

“Uhh…Hey there, RD…” She gave a wave to the visibly irritated pegasus before turning back to Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie. The cowpony silently asked for some kind of explanation about the situation, but was met with only awkward smiles and shrugs.

“Pinkie, would you be a dear and perhaps start some music?” Rarity suggested while motioning for Applejack to come closer.

“Okie Dokie!” she replied as she bounced off to a record player.

As Pinkie bounced away, Applejack came closer to Rarity and Fluttershy. “So what’s goin’ on?”

“Apparently, they’re having a fight.” Rarity placed her hoof to her chin.

“No, their fight’s on hold,” Spike corrected. “Whatever that means…”

“Twilight doesn’t seem like she’s fighting though…” Fluttershy added, glancing over at the librarian as she came back downstairs with two signs. She was still smiling and humming a soft tune, which really didn’t strike any of them as her being upset.

“She’s acting a lot more cheerful than she’s feeling, dear. Fluttershy, why don’t you and I go talk to Twilight. Applejack, could you…” Rarity stared at Rainbow Dash with concern as the pegasus tipped back a bottle of cider. “Could you keep an eye on Rainbow Dash…”

“What do ya mean keep an eye on her?”

“She’s already on her second bottle of cider,” Rarity said, subtly pointing towards the athletic pegasus. “And that’s after that glass she came out of the kitchen with…”

Applejack turned her attention to the pegasus, and sighed. “I really wasn’t lookin’ fer one ’a these kinda parties tonight…” she muttered. “I got work in the mornin’…”

“I’m sorry, dear, but we should try to get them back to their normal lovey-dovey selves.” Rarity smiled, hoping that would sway the cowpony.

“What about me?” Spike asked, grabbing their attention.

“Why don’t you play some party games with Pinkie.” Fluttershy offered.

Spike sighed. “I never get to do anything…”

“Trust me, Spike. Yer gettin’ the better end ’a the stick on this one,” Applejack said as she turned to go talk to Rainbow Dash.

“Sure I am…” Spike slumped as he started walking over to Pinkie Pie.

When the other two left, Rarity motioned for Fluttershy to follow her. “Twilight, dear,” she called out, grabbing the librarian’s attention.

“Hi, Rarity. Hi, Fluttershy.” Twilight smiled.

“So, how have you been, darling?”

“I’m fine…” She hesitated for a moment before giving a small nod. “Everything is fine…” Twilight levitated the opened bottle of cider over. She gave a small sniff to make sure it was still the same alcohol-free bottle she opened before going up stairs before she took a sip.

Rarity glanced over to Fluttershy before looking back at Twilight. “Things don’t seem fine.”

“Why are you and Rainbow Dash fighting?” Fluttershy asked softly.

“We’re not fighting. We probably will be later tonight, but for now, things are fine.” Twilight only continued to force that smile, though her eyes didn’t sell her enthusiasm.

“You will be later tonight? That doesn’t sound very reassuring.” Rarity looked over at a jug of juice on the table next to them. She levitated the jug up, and poured herself a small glass before looking at Fluttershy. “Would you like some too, Fluttershy?”

“Umm…no, thank you…” The shy pony looked back at Twilight. “If you two aren’t fighting, why is Rainbow Dash acting so upset?”

“That’s—” Twilight sighed, letting her smile fade, “—a long story…”

“Well, we’re here to listen,” Rarity reminded her.

Twilight took a deep breath. “Alright…”

Rainbow Dash set down her bottle after she finished it. “I ain’t mad, Applejack!” she defended.

“Well, why’re y’all fightin’ then?”

“Because Twilight won’t learn to just let some things go!” Dash scowled as she tapped her hoof on the table she set the bottle down on.

“Did ya think she might have a reason ta bug ya about some things?”

“I told her to drop it, so she should!” Dash slammed back another swig of her cider before slamming it down in the table again.

“Rainbow Dash, yer just as thick headed as ever.” Applejack took a sip of the bottle in her hoof. “Tellin’ Twilight not ta worry about somethin’s just gonna make her worry more. That pony just don’t know when to quit, even if it’s fer her own good.”

“Don’t say that about her.” Dash glared at Applejack.

Applejack only chuckled. “It ain’t always a bad thing.” She took another sip of her cider. “I don’t know what she was buggin’ ya about, but I’m sure she’s got yer best interest at heart, that’s all I’m sayin’.” She watched Rainbow Dash starting to wobble back and forth a bit as she stood there. Drinking too fast will do that to a pony if they’re not careful, but Dash didn’t seem worried about restraint. If anything, Applejack guessed that Rainbow Dash was drinking so fast on purpose, just hoping to pass out to avoid an argument tonight.

“She’s fixin’ ta get Twilight real mad if she ain’t careful…” Applejack thought to herself.

Dash wobbled over to grab another cider, taking care to avoid eye contact with Twilight as she did. That didn’t seem to stop Twilight from being helpful though as the unicorn levitated another cider up for her marefried to grab as she approached. Dash snatched it without so much as a thanks. As Dash wobbled back, Applejack noticed Twilight continuing to use her magic to support her and keep keep from falling over.

“At least they ain’t too mad to stop carin’ about one another.”

“It’s a personal reason that I don’t think Rainbow Dash would appreciate me discussing with you girls, but we’ll work through this.” Twilight kept her eyes on Rainbow Dash until she finally made her way back to Applejack on the other side of the library.

“Are you sure you two will be fine?” Fluttershy asked, her motherly concern starting to show in her voice.

“Of course, it’s just an argument. It’s not our first one either…” Twilight tried to sound optimistic, but she still looked hurt. “It’s just if we could talk about it, we could resolve the issue, but she doesn’t want to talk…”

“Oh, don’t worry, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie jumped into the conversation, wrapping her hoof around the librarian. “Things will be back to normal by tomorrow!”

“What makes you do sure about that?” Rarity asked, raising an eyebrow at Pinkie.

“Well, things always work out for the best in stories,” she said offhoofedly.

“Pinkie, this isn’t a story.” Twilight shook her head.

“No, but it’s playing out like one.” The party pony scratched her chin with her hoof, almost like she didn’t understand her own statement. “Anyway, I’m sure you and Dash are just having a little bump in the road.”

“Who’s playing with Spike?” Fluttershy asked, just now realizing the implications of Pinkie standing with them. She glanced over to see Spike wandering aimlessly with a blindfold on, trying to pin a tail onto a picture of a pony.

“He’s fine,” Pinkie said with a snort. “Anyway, I gotta go!” With a sudden pink blur, Pinkie vanished from around Twilight’s neck.

“That pony is just strange sometimes…” the librarian remarked.

Fluttershy turned her attention from Pinkie back to Twilight. “Umm…I do have to say though, this whole acting like nothing is wrong thing doesn’t really seem like you, Twilight…”

Twilight’s eyes fell to the floor for a moment. “I know…” she paused for a brief moment as she collected her thoughts. “I thought Rainbow Dash might react like this, so I did a bit of research into how best cope with…outgoing personalities like hers. A passive-aggressive approach seemed to be effective, though I don’t like looking at fights like this. I love her; I don’t want to look at our fights in terms of win–lose scenarios. I feel like I’ll still lose this even if I win...because she loses…”

Rarity smiled. “That’s proof that you care about her, dear.”

“This still feels impersonal though…By acting like nothing is wrong, but still making her aware something is wrong, it supposed to wear down her defenses, or something like that…” Twilight sighed. “I feel awful for doing this, but…I really need her to talk to me about this problem…”

“Well, if it’s as important as you say, I’m sure it’s for her best interest…” Rarity said before taking a small sip of her juice. “I’m sure Rainbow Dash will come around in time.”

“I would rather it not take time. I don’t know how long I can even keep this up…I just wish she would talk to me…”

“I just wish she would let things go when I say I don’t want to talk about it.” Rainbow Dash was bracing herself up against a wall. Next to her, on the table was an almost empty bottle of pineapple vodka. “She always does this…” she muttered as she raised her glass to her mouth.

“Does what?” Pinkie said popping up next to Rainbow Dash.

“Always focuses on stuff that’s stupid…” Dash muttered, completely missing the fact that another pony had just joined in her conversation. “We wouldn’t even be fighting if she just dropped it like she said she would…”

“RD, ya gotta let it go too. That’s Twilight bein’ Twilight. She’s always gotta see things through till the end, and ya knew she was like that before y’all even got together…”

“I just don’t wanna fight with her…” Dash added, setting her glass on the table heavily. Just looking at the drunken pegasus, Applejack thought she might start crying. The thought of fighting with the pony she loved was enough to drive her to tears.

“Well then, don’t fight!” Pinkie said with a cheery, upbeat tone that only made Rainbow Dash glare at her.

“She’s the one who’s fighting! Her and her happy–mad routine she’s doing!” Dash tried to poke Pinkie in her chest, but missed, nearly stumbling onto the floor. Just as she was about to lose her balance, a magenta aura appeared around her, holding her up straight. Once she was up and stable, she muttered, “I just don’t wanna talk about it, but I don’t want her to be mad at me either…”

“Dashie, I think you’ve had enough…” Twilight said, coming over to her.

“We’re having a party, Twi. It’s fine…” she replied.

“I don’t think it’s fine.” Twilight looked to Applejack and Pinkie, both nodding in agreement. She turned around to see Rarity and Fluttershy behind her, looking on with concern. Across the room, Spike had pulled off his blindfold when he heard Rainbow Dash yell. “I’m sorry girls, we were supposed to have a lot more fun than this…”

“I wanted to,” Dash retorted while stumbling over to Twilight. “But, no…”

“It’s alright, sugarcube. These type ‘a things happen.” Applejack nodded in understanding. Twilight looked around at the rest of her friends, who were doing much the same. “Y’all had a little tiff, and it didn’t get patched up in time fer our little shindig, but we don’t hold it against ya."

Twilight sighed before looking back at her wobbling marefriend. “I think we’ll call it a night,” she said, mostly to Rainbow Dash.

Dash only glared at her in drunken defiance. “The night’s still young, Twi. We can keep going…”

“Rainbow Dash, please…” Twilight pleaded with her, but Dash just kept that same defiant glare.

“I think that sounds like a good idea…” Fluttershy said softly, agreeing with Twilight.

“Indeed.” Rarity turned around to the little dragon looking on, utterly confused. ”Spike, why don’t you spend the night at my house tonight. I have a feeling it might be a little more…relaxing than here.”

Spike suddenly got a big smile on his face, and nodded eagerly. “Alright! I’ll go grab my stuff,” he said before rushing upstairs.

“Thanks, Rarity.” Twilight smiled at the designer.

“No, the party’s not over yet!” Dash protested, but she felt Applejack’s hoof on her shoulder.

“Yep, we’re gonna pack it in fer the night, RD.” Applejack let her hoof slide off Rainbow Dash’s shoulder as she walked towards the door. Fluttershy and Pinkie followed behind her, cementing the idea that the party was over for Rainbow Dash. The pegasus groaned.

“I’m sorry we dragged you into our problems everypony…”

“It’s fine, Twilight,” Fluttershy said. “We understand that you can’t really avoid it sometimes.”

Twilight didn’t like having to apologize to her friends, or ruin their fun, especially over something so silly. She could have avoided this if she just listened to her marefriend, and let the whole issue slide for the night. But, Twilight knew she would still have obsessed on it like she had all day, and eventually would have brought it up. If anything, this may have been her way of avoiding a huge fight in front of her friends.

Once Spike came back down stairs with his blanket and pillow, everyone said their goodbyes, and left the library. As soon as the door was closed, Twilight used her magic to turn off the lights downstairs, and lock the door before she forgot. Once the library was ready for bed, Twilight sighed heavily. She found herself looking at the floor, trying to brace herself for the coming storm. “Rainbow Dash—”

“I told you I don’t want to fight, Twi…” she spit out before Twilight could even finish a sentence.

“And what makes you think I do?” she asked, keeping her voice very calm. She looked up to see Rainbow Dash taking a step and stumbling again. She sighed once more as she caught the pegasus with her magic. “Dashie, why can’t we just talk it over. Tell me why! Let me in!”

“Because it’s stupid!” Dash snapped before sitting down on the floor.

Twilight couldn’t keep her emotions in check at this point. The implications of what Dash said was just too much for her to keep inside anymore. Her heart sank down low in her chest, aching the whole way down. “Me wanting to talk to you about something is stupid?” She asked, swallowing a lump in her throat.

“No, what you want to talk about is stupid!” Dash clarified, but it didn’t make Twilight feel much better.

“What is so wrong about wanting to go talk to your dad? You’ve met mine, don’t I get the chance to meet yours? Dash, I’ve let you into my life—far more than anypony else has ever been! You’ve met my family, my mentor, my brother, but when do I get that same respect?”

Dash just grumbled as she sat there. She didn’t answer Twilight, nor did she plan to.

Twilight stared, at her, and suddenly the realization hit her. Dash was drunk. This was all just drunken spite-filled speech that she didn’t mean. Twilight couldn’t let what she said tonight get under her skin because Dash wasn’t thinking right. Even more likely, Dash didn’t have the mental capacity right now to even have deeper meaning behind what she was saying.

After a few moments without a response, Twilight just gave up. Dash was too stubborn and too drunk to argue with. “Let’s just go to bed, alright?” she offered. Dash just continued to sit silently, ignoring Twilight. “Can we agree on that?” she asked again, telling her marefriend she wanted an actual answer.

Dash still didn’t respond. She looked around the empty room like something was missing. “Where’s Spike?” she asked suddenly. The pegasus stood up, and tried to walk over to grab another drink.

“He’s spending the night with Rarity.” Twilight shook her head as she rushed over to her marefriend’s side. Twilight suddenly brushing up against her stopped Dash in her tracks before she could get to the cider. Twilight walked up next to her lover, and started guiding her upstairs. To keep the pegasus steady, she decided to let Dash brace against her. It only took her a few steps to lean into Twilight entirely, putting all of her weight onto the unicorn.

As they walked, Twilight felt Dash loosen up more and more. Her body stopped holding itself up, and she was starting to hang on Twilight rather than just use her for a support. “Hey…” Dash said softly.

“What?” Twilight tried to not sound annoyed, but her patience was already past wearing thin.

“Spike’s gone…” Dash turned to Twilight with a drunken smile.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “She’s so drunk she forgot we’re mad at each other…” She shook her head to her marefriend. “We’re not having sex tonight, Rainbow Dash…”

“Come on, Twi. Just because we’re fighting doesn’t mean we can’t do it,” she said with a drunken giggle. her head fell into Twilight’s neck, and she started rubbing her face against Twilight’s fur. “You just smell so good…”

“You’re drunk…” Twilight said. It was more an excuse to herself for Dash’s behavior rather than a reason against having sex with her. If she wasn’t drunk though, they would probably still be downstairs arguing, so she could at least be thankful for that.

When they hit the top of the stairs, Dash put her wing around Twilight. The soft feathers gently brushed against her side, only making Twilight more irritated. “Stop it, Dash.” The tickling stopped, but the pegasus still didn’t remove her wing.

When they came to their bed, Twilight pushed Rainbow Dash over onto it, and used her magic to pull the cover up over the drunken pegasus. Once Twilight put Dash into bed, she climbed in next to her. As soon as she hit the pillowy surface, she knew she was going to be in for a rough night. Dash immediately grabbed Twilight, and started nuzzling into her neck. Twilight sighed again as she tried to push Rainbow Dash off of her. “Dash, stop. I’m not in the mood.”

“I just want to hold you…and cuddle…”

“No, you want to have sex.” Twilight rolled her eyes.

“No I don’t,” she protested. She kept her forelegs wrapped around Twilight’s chest, holding her tightly. As she breathed, the stench of alcohol hung heavy on her breath. It wasn’t exactly an appealing scent, but it also brought up some memories she treasured. That smell brought her back to her first night with Rainbow Dash.

Twilight placed her hoof on her marefriend’s. “I don’t like it when we fight, Dashie…” she said softly. her hoof gently stroked from Dash’s hoof, up her foreleg, and back down.

“I don’t either…” Rainbow Dash replied, nuzzling into Twilight’s neck more. “I just want to lay here with you, and not fight.”

Twilight took a deep breath. ”We still need to talk about your dad though…”

“Please don’t, Twi…”

“Just…Please, Dashie…For the love of Celestia, please tell me. What do you have against your dad?” Twilight pleaded one final time.

Rainbow Dash didn’t respond for a few moments. Her hooves were still around Twilight, and her muzzle was still pressed to her marefriend’s neck, but she wasn’t moving anymore. Twilight listened to the rhythmic breathing of her lover against her back, noticing how steady it was. There was no change, which meant she was thinking about it. She wasn’t upset or angry over what Twilight had asked, which was a good sign. So, Twilight waited patiently for Dash to respond.

“You’re really never gonna drop this, are you…” she said finally. Twilight shook her head slightly, which only made Rainbow Dash sigh. “Fine. I don’t like my dad, and he doesn’t like me…” she said finally.

“Did he hurt you or something?” Concern grew in Twilight’s voice. Suddenly she felt guilty for pushing the issue so hard.

“No, he’s just a jerk.” Dash went back to nuzzling Twilight’s neck.

“Then why did you bring him up when we needed to tell my family?”

“I don’t know…I guess I just felt like he should know too…”

“Then why can’t we plan a day to do so?”

“Because I don’t wanna think about going.” Rainbow Dash stopped rubbing her muzzle against Twilight’s fur again. “Can’t we just send a letter or something?”

“No, Rainbow Dash. He deserves to be told in person.” Dash groaned just hearing Twilight say it. “Hold on, now. You stood by me when we told my parents and the princess, so I’ll stand by you when we tell your dad. It won’t be so bad.”

Dash sighed. “Fine, we’ll go. Just because you won’t drop it though.” Dash pulled her forelegs from around Twilight, and rolled over onto her other side. “Good night…” she muttered angrily.

Twilight couldn’t help but smile. She rolled onto her other side, and wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow Dash. “You’re cute when you’re stubborn.” She nuzzled into Rainbow Dash’s neck making the pegasus half groan. “Thanks, Dashie…” Twilight said, hugging her marefriend tightly.

“Yeah, sure…” she muttered back.

“I’m sorry I ruined tonight…” Twilight whispered to her.

Rainbow Dash didn’t respond right away. She was still awake; Twilight could tell as much by her breathing, but she laid there in silence for a moment. Twilight felt Dash’s hoof appear on her own. Finally, she whispered back, “Me too…”

“I love you.” Twilight placed a kiss on her lover’s neck.

“I love you too…” she replied.

Author's Note

Note: Twilight's actual private collection is porn.

A Father's Love

Rainbows in the Night Sky

Chapter 16: A Father’s Love

Twilight took a deep breath as she stared out the train window. The scenery passed by lazily, slow enough to put a pony to sleep, but that didn’t stop her heart from fluttering with anticipation. This trip had been keeping her on edge for a few days, even though it wasn’t her family they were going to go see. With how little Dash spoke about her father, and what she did say—Twilight understandably nervous to meet him. She wondered if this was how Dash felt when they went to Canterlot to meet her parents.

The rolling scenery, the bumpy ride, the nervousness—this train ride felt all too familiar to her. Twilight glanced to her side. The last train ride they had, her lover had tried to take a nap, but instead of seeing her marefriend lying on the bench, she was sitting there silently. Twilight could see a serious look on her face with a hint of irritation. Twilight sighed a bit. Dash looked much like she had when they left that morning—upset.

The small sigh drew Dash’s gaze over to Twilight. She gave her lover a small smile as she wrapped a foreleg around the pegasus. “Are you alright?” she asked softly.

“How did you talk me into this?” Dash asked back without even batting an eye.

Twilight couldn’t help but giggle a bit. “You were drunk the night we discussed this,” Twilight reminded her.

“We should make a rule about not convincing each other to do stuff when we’re drunk…” Rainbow Dash sighed. Twilight pulled her in closer for a bit of reassurance. She didn’t struggle against the hug, but instead resigned herself to it.

“You would be taking advantage of that rule the most,” Twilight teased.

Dash just laid her head into Twilight’s neck. “That doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea. I really don’t want to do this, Twi…

“It’s the right thing to do, Dashie.”

“I can’t believe it took him a month to set up some time for us to meet…” Dash muttered.

“Between sending letters, and scheduling time that worked for all three of us, it wasn’t too bad. besides, you told me the weather factory can have some really hectic hours.” Twilight rubbed her cheek against Dash’s mane. The two of them sat silent for a moment. “Try not to blame him too much,” she added.

Dash groaned a bit. “I guess…Why do you always have to make so much sense?”

Twilight only laughed. This trip echoing their last one to Canterlot brought out a bit of nostalgia in her. “I just can’t believe it’s already been a month since we told my family,” she mused. “Trust me, Dashie, after we’re done telling your dad, you’ll feel a lot better.”

“I’m not stressing about it like you were…” Dash retorted. “I was fine just sending a letter telling him he’s going to be a grandpa…”

“That’s no way to tell your dad,” Twilight squeezed her marefriend, making the pegasus squirm a bit in her grip.

Dash rolled her eyes. “So what…”

Twilight sat silently for a moment, not sure what more to say. Dash still hadn’t opened up about her father. The only thing she was willing to tell Twilight was that he was a jerk. When Twilight pressed the issue, Rainbow Dash either just avoided the conversation, or told her she didn’t want to talk about it. After how their last argument blew up and involved their friends, Twilight was reluctant to try that again, so she let the issue slide.

Twilight idly rubbed Rainbow Dash’s side reassuringly as she held her. She was preparing for the worst as much as she could with so little information. “She was there for me when I talked to my parents, I can be there for her…” Twilight thought.

“So, where are we even going?” Dash asked abruptly. “We can’t get to Cloudsdale by train…”

“There’s a small town to the north of Cloudsdale that the train stops at. They have charter balloon tours, so I thought about asking one of them to take us up to the city.”

“Sounds like a solid plan there, Twi…” Dash said unimpressed.

“It’s better than carrying me up there yourself, or bringing our balloon.” Twilight replied with a subtle playfulness to let Dash know she wasn’t trying to start an argument.

“I guess…” Dash sighed.

Twilight frowned a bit. “Are you that upset at going to see your father?”

“No, I’m just…tired, I guess…” she replied, nuzzling into Twilight’s neck.

It was a lie. Twilight knew that much. She fought the urge to sigh, which would have told Dash she knew in probably the worst way. The last thing she wanted to do was upset her more. This was stressful for Dash, whether she admitted it or not. “It’ll be fine, Dashie. I’m here with you, and I’m sure he’ll be excited about the news.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t respond right away.Twilight rubbed her cheek against her lover’s mane again. “We have to do this, Dashie.”

“No, we don’t. You just think we do…”

Twilight frowned. “It’s the right thing to do, and it’s important to me.” Rainbow Dash tried to pull away from Twilight, but she held her close. “I know it’s kind of crazy Rainbow Dash, but we’ve been together for three months now. I like to think we’re in a pretty serious committed relationship, so I want your dad to know about me—about us…”

“I know…” Dash said reluctantly. “I know it’s the right thing to do, but that doesn’t mean I want to go through with this though.”

“It’s been a whole month since we planned this, and you still haven’t told me anything about your dad, or why you hate him…” Twilight gently rubbed her marefriend’s foreleg as she held her. She could feel Dash relax in her embrace. Twilight knew she was starting to open up. They were on their way to Cloudsdale, she didn’t have much choice now. Rainbow Dash couldn’t just pretend they weren’t going to see her dad anymore.

“I told you that my mom’s not around anymore, right?” Dash said softly.

“Yeah…” Twilight replied, keeping the same soft tone that Dash had. She glanced around the train car, finding that they were the only ones present.

“Well, my dad blames me for that…” Dash answered.

“What?” Twilight asked in disbelief. The mere notion sounded ridiculous to her. A father blaming their daughter for their wife’s death just seemed ludicrous to the unicorn.

“Yeah. He blames me for my mom dying.” Dash sighed for a final time. She pushed he marefriend’s foreleg from around her, but made sure to hold Twilight’s leg tightly. She rolled onto her back, and rest her head against Twilight’s side, and looked up into her lover’s eyes in an almost shy sort of way. It was a rare moment for Twilight to see Dash so vulnerable. “I just know he hates me because of it…” the pegasus added softly.

“That can’t be true, Dashie.”

“I’ve lived it, Twi. I know he does.”

Twilight stared down at her, not too sure how to proceed. Her own dad was a kind, caring stallion. She couldn’t picture a father treating a daughter like that. “I know I’ve asked this before, but did he beat you or anything?” she asked timidly.

“No, he was always just…” Dash trailed off as she stared up at the ceiling. “I don’t know…”

Twilight’s hoof brushed the pegasus’s mane out of her face. She noticed Dash’s eyes look at her, and she smiled. “Even if you’re not close with your dad like I am with mine, it’s fine. I just want to introduce myself and tell him he’s going to have a grandchild.”

Dash cracked a small smile. “Yeah…It’ll be easy, right?”

Getting a balloon to take the two of them to Cloudsdale wasn’t a difficult task. The pony running the business was happy for some customers, though he did give Rainbow Dash a strange look. Pegasi don’t usually charter a trip home when the can just easily fly there themselves. Dash ignored the look though, and just went with it. She had bigger things on her mind than what some random pony thought about her.

It was obvious to Twilight that this was the pilot’s first time taking two ponies actually to Cloudsdale, rather than just showing them the cloud city. Earth ponies and unicorns didn’t go to Cloudsdale unless they had a spell and a reason. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when Twilight teleported off the balloon and safely onto the clouds without falling through.

“I bet that guy doesn’t get many unicorns wanting to go to Cloudsdale, huh.” Dash gave Twilight a small nudge after she set down on the cloud next to her. She flashed a small smile when her marefriend looked back over at her.

Twilight laughed a bit. “Probably not. Most ponies wanting to come here would probably use the pegasus chariot service in Canterlot.”

“Why didn’t we just do that then?” The pegasus raised an eyebrow. Canterlot was a closer trip than the little town they stopped off at. They even had to go through Canterlot station to get out to Cloudsdale.

Twilight saw the look on Dash’s face and rolled her eyes. “Because it costs about three times as many bits,” Twilight replied with an unamused look. “Money’s rather tight after our trip to Canterlot last month.”

“Well, we didn’t have to stay in such a nice hotel.” Dash rolled her eyes too.

“It was the cheapest one I could find.” Twilight pressed her hoof to her face as she shook her head. “I don’t want to argue about finances. We’re here, we got a hotel to stay a few days, and we’re not broke. We don’t need to fight about money…”

“I wasn’t fighting. You brought it up,” Dash retorted.

Twilight decided to let that point go. “At least Cloudsdale isn’t as expensive as Canterlot was. I guess because earth ponies and unicorns can’t usually come here unless they’re using magic. The tourism industry probably isn’t bustling here.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I ever saw a non pegasus here when I was growing up.”

Twilight looked around with a smile. The puffy cloud architecture was something she admired about this city. She found herself entranced with it last time they were here. It felt so exotic when compared to the mixture of modern and classic of Canterlot, or the rustic appeal of Ponyville. With Cloudsdale, Twilight felt like she had just stepped back in time.

The puffy sculpted cumulus columns leading into wispy cirrus ceilings. The building design was very much classical pegasus in origin and rarely seen today. With such a simple, uninteresting building material, it was amazing the complexity of the architecture they could craft. It reminded Twilight of Rainbow Dash’s house. The only thing she found herself wanting more of was color. It was white a blue as far as the eye could see—a sight that could get visually boring if she stayed here too long.

Dash took a few steps forward before glancing back at the unicorn. She cleared her throat, pulling Twilight from her musings. Once she had Twilight’s attention, she motioned with her head for her marefriend to follow.

Twilight slowly shook her head in protest. “Let’s go to the hotel first. I need to drop this saddlebag off,” Twilight suggested, stepping next to Dash.

Dash shrugged her shoulders. “Alright, we can get something to eat after, and then head to my dad’s house. He should be off work by then.” There was a small hint of disdain in her voice when she mentioned her father, but Twilight chose to ignore it.

She needed to remind herself about what she said on the train ride. Their trip here wasn’t like their trip to Canterlot. She couldn’t change Dash’s mind about her father—especially since she didn’t know if he was worth Dash changing her mind over. All she had to do was introduce herself, inform him of their relationship, and make him aware of their foal; that was all Twilight needed to do to be satisfied. It was simple enough in theory, but if this whole ordeal had taught her anything, nothing was easy in practice.

The two entered the bustling center of Cloudsdale. It was interesting compared to the other cities of Equestria that she had visited. The biggest difference was the streets were almost dead aside from a few vendors and a hoofful of shoppers. That didn’t mean the city wasn’t bustling though. A constant roar of a crowd was just overhead. Most of what would be street traffic in other cities was zipping by up above.

“Everypony flies around here, don’t they…” Twilight mused as she glanced up.

“Yeah, you saw last time you were here, right? Flying’s way faster than walking, so pretty much nopony uses the roads unless there’s something down here they need.” Dash, wrapped a wing around Twilight, which drew the gaze of a few ponies around them.

Twilight noticed the onlookers as well when she took her eyes off the sky. “Is it alright for you to keep your wing around me like that? I thought you said Cloudsdale wasn’t as accepting of same-sex couples as Canterlot…”

“I’ve already got a bit of a reputation around here, so I don’t care…” Dash said just loud enough for Twilight to hear. “Besides, I can’t let any of the stallions around here think you’re free game.” Dash gave a small laugh.

“Do you really think I’d get hit on here?” Twilight laughed back. “As big around as I’m getting? And with you next to me?” Twilight gave the pegasus a teasing grin.

“You don’t see a unicorn up here everyday, so I’m not taking my chances. Somepony around here might have a thing for horns.” Rainbow Dash pressed her side against Twilight’s as she teased her.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash strolled down the street side by side. Held in Twilight’s magic were two vegetable gyros just in front of both of their mouths. Twilight glanced over at Dash just in time to see the pegasus take an awkward bite of her floating meal.

She couldn’t help but giggle. “Still not used to it?”

“No…” she muttered, trying to hide her embarrassment. Rainbow Dash wasn’t used to Twilight doing something like this, even after three months together. It wasn’t every day she got fed with magic like her unicorn lover did. She also didn’t make it a habit for her marefriend to feed her either. Dash glanced to the side, noticing some more stares, and even a few snickers. She shot them a glare. “Couldn’t we just have eaten at the restaurant?”

“We would have been running late then,” Twilight replied before taking a bite of her own lunch.

“I told you it didn’t matter…” Dash said dismissively.

“I like to be punctual, Dashie.”

“I know you do…” Dash rolled her eyes at the mere notion of Twilight being tardy.

“When was the last time you saw your dad?” Twilight asked, shifting the conversation back to the topic she was actually interested in.

Dash groaned. “Again?”

“Yes, again.” Twilight polished off her lunch with one final bite.

The pegasus shook her head, but reluctantly gave in. “I stopped by after the Young Flyers competition a while back…” she said with a sigh. “I told him how I did the sonic rainboom again, and we talked for a bit before I couldn’t take it anymore and had to leave.”

“Why?”

“He just…” She glanced at Twilight with apologetic eyes. “Sorry, but he pisses me off…”

“Dashie, I know I’ve asked you before, but could you please tell me why he upsets you so much?” Twilight was careful with her words. She didn’t want to upset Dash just before they met her father, but this was a touchy subject with the pegasus.

“I already did, Twi…” she replied angrily.

“Well, there has to be a better reason than he blames you for your mom’s death…”

“Look, he never beat me, he never abused me, he never raped me—nothing! There’s nothing tragic about it! I just…We just don’t get along. He’s kind of cocky, comes off as a jerk, but he’s a smartass too…”

“So, he’s basically just like you,” Twilight replied with a small snicker.

Dash shot her a glare. Twilight just continued to smile, which slowly loosened the athletic mare up. “Don’t say that…” she said grumpily.

The two walked in silence for a bit while Rainbow Dash finished her late lunch as they strolled. Twilight was able to keep pace with Rainbow Dash, making sure not to stray too far as they roamed the streets of Cloudsdale. The maze of clouds and blue sky was enough to confuse her, and she prefered not getting lost in a strange city. Before she knew it though, they were out of the busy center of town. Large warehouses, and factories dedicated to weather production were replaced with houses and stores.

For the most part, buildings were all the same. Each was white, and made out of clouds. The designs were different too compared to the classical architecture of the city center. Buildings looked more like regular houses earth ponies and unicorns lived in. It seemed the further away from the center of town, the less classical the architecture became. Small flourishes were on the houses, most likely to set them apart from each other. A few houses had rainbow waterfalls, or fountains to distinguish them from their neighbors.

“How do these ponies tell their houses apart?” Twilight mused as she walked. “A pony could get lost up here…” Twilight said softly, mostly to herself.

“You get used to it. Like, none of the houses up here are the exact same, so you can pick them out after a while.” Dash said, keeping an eye on the row to her right. After a few more houses she gave a small nod to herself. She and Twilight came to a stop at a small, unassuming house. It had no identifying features aside from a mailbox out front with an address.

Dash sighed heavily. “Here we are.”

Twilight wrapped a foreleg around her marefriend. “We’re just here to talk. We don’t have to stay long,” Twilight reminded.

“I still don’t want to do this…”

“I know you don’t, but I’m happy we’re here. This means a lot to me.”

A small smile found its way onto Dash’s face. Her eyes met Twilight’s for a brief moment before she planted a quick kiss on the unicorn’s cheek. After the quick peck, Dash looked back towards the door. “Let’s just get this over with…”

Rainbow Dash walked up to her dad’s house. The pegasus’s eyes narrowed when she realized she was about to talk to her dad. The little joy she had earlier vanished in less than a second. Dash glanced back over her shoulder when she noticed she was standing there alone. She motioned for Twilight to join her at the door.

The unicorn hesitated for a moment before following. “Don’t you want to ease him into this first? Like I did with my parents?”

“Nah,” Dash said as she knocked.

Twilight felt her heart freeze for a moment. Between trying to get Rainbow Dash to open up, and be there for her, she completely forgot how unprepared for this she was. Her mind flash to when she introduced Rainbow Dash to her parents, and how calm the pegasus had been. Twilight swallowed a forming lump in her throat.

“Just play it cool, Twilight…” she thought to herself. Dash had made this look easy, so maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. All she had to do was just be sincere, and not dive right into telling him she has a freak of nature in her belly. Twilight’s whole body went stiff when she came to that. “How am I going to explain that?”

“Maybe we should have prepared a bit more…” Twilight said quietly, just loud enough for Dash to hear her.

“What?” Dash raised an eyebrow as she looked at her marefriend.

“I’m nervous about telling him the news.”

Before Rainbow Dash could respond, the door opened. Standing in the doorway was a male pegasus with a coat a few shades darker than Rainbow Dash’s. His mane was a multicolored mess of a rainbow, but the colors weren’t quite as vibrant as the athletic mare’s. The muscles under his fur were well defined, and he stood tall. He had a small, warm, but still somehow confident smile on his face as he opened the door. The family resemblance was undeniable between the two—this was clearly Rainbow Dash’s dad.

The stallion’s eyes shifted from Rainbow Dash to Twilight. Immediately his eyebrow raised in surprise, though his smile didn’t fade. His eyes bounced back to his daughter before speaking. “Hey, Rainbow!” he said cheerfully. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. Come in,” he said, opening the door for the two mares. The stallion took a few steps back, giving them room to enter the house.

The two stepped inside, and found themselves in the living room. It was much like the outside—white cloud walls, with a cloud ceiling. The furniture was made of clouds as well. There was a couch, a chair, a coffee table, and in the corner of the room, a bookcase. Along one of the walls was a case containing a few photos, and even some trophies. Once Twilight and Dash were inside, Dash kicked the door closed behind her. Her father didn’t seem to mind, but Twilight still shot her a small glare for being so rude.

The stallion cleared his throat after he turned around to greet the two mares properly. “Sorry about the mess. Rainbow didn’t tell me she’d be bringing a friend,” he said with a small laugh. Mess was an exaggeration—even by Twilight’s standards. At most there was a book sitting on the coffee table, a plate with a few crumbs, and a cup of coffee. Everything else was relatively orderly as far as the librarian could tell. “I’m Rainbow Blaze, Rainbow Dash’s father.”

Twilight shot a second glare at Rainbow Dash, to which the athletic pegasus only averted her gaze. “Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight said extending a hoof.

Dash’s father took Twilight’s extended hoof, and shook it. “Twilight Sparkle? So, you’re Rainbow’s friend. I’ve read about you in the papers a lot.” He gave a small, curious glance at the librarian’s side. “You really are a unicorn, huh…”

“Umm, yes…” Twilight said nervously.

“Haven’t actually seen one walking on clouds before. Did you have pegasi parents or something?”

“It’s a spell, Dad…” Dash said with more than a hint of aggravation in her voice.

The stallion seemed to ignore his daughter’s tone instead of engaging with her however. “Would you two like something to drink? I don’t have much, but I’ve got some tea—”

“I’m fine…” Dash walked past her father, further into the living room. She stopped in front of the couch for a moment before sitting down.

Twilight sheepishly followed. “I would love some tea.” Twilight gave a smile, to which the stallion nodded pleasantly.

“Sure,” Dash’s father smiled. He turned his back for a second, and started walking down a hallway off the livingroom. After a few steps he turned his head, and called back. “I’ve got some of that berry tea you like, Rainbow. Want me to make you some?” he asked again, a hint of teasing in his voice.

Dash sighed reluctantly. “Yeah, I guess…”

Twilight took a seat next to her marefriend, but Dash didn’t look like she wanted to talk. She leaned back, and crossed her forelegs. A small frown had found its way on to her face in the time since she sat down on the couch.

Twilight didn’t know why Dash was getting so upset. Her father seemed nice so far. He was hospitable, and as far as Twilight could tell, a nice guy. His friendly, relaxed demeanor reminded her of someone she knew very well, and it put her at ease. Yet, Dash was acting as though he was being rude to her. “Dashie, why are you getting so upset?” Twilight asked softly.

“I’m not, Twi…” she muttered.

“You are. Just try to relax a bit. He hasn’t done anything wrong…”

“Just wait…” Dash replied as she dug her hooves further into her forearms.

“When he gets back, we can talk. It’ll be over soon, okay?” Dash only nodded to her as a response. Twilight was already getting the feeling this trip wouldn’t go well, but she had the distinct impression that Rainbow Dash’s father wouldn’t be the cause of it.

Twilight glanced next to her, taking notice of a picture sitting on a table. Three ponies were all smiling with a bright blue sky for a background. Twilight recognized two of the ponies in the picture. One was a very young Rainbow Dash boasting a huge smile. Twilight couldn’t help but smile herself as she looked into the young filly’s face. She didn’t have a care in the world it seemed—so not much had changed. To Dash’s right in the picture was her father, and to the left was a mare with a pink coat, and a wild blue mane. Twilight took a guess that it was her mother.

They all seemed to be happy in the picture. She glanced back at her marefriend, trying to figure out what could drive such a divide between a family. Her mom’s death couldn’t be the sole reason behind Dash’s dislike of her father. Twilight was snapped back to reality by the soft clatter of china coming down the hall.

“So, Rainbow, what did you want to talk to me about? I don’t get letters from you very often. and I doubt you wanted to just introduce me to your friend here,” he said as he came back into the living room. Balanced on his hoof was a tray with three mugs. He set the tray down on the coffee table and took a seat on the free chair. With his hoof he offered the two a cup, which Twilight levitated with her magic.

Twilight took a sip of the faintly red colored beverage. As soon as the tea hit her tongue, she found it unbelievably sweet. Twilight was starting to see a pattern between Dash and her father; they both liked sweet things. Twilight looked over to Rainbow Dash to find the pegasus holding her cup, but merely staring into the steamy liquid rather than actually drinking it.

“Actually, I kinda did…” Her dad gave her a confused look while Rainbow Dash took a deep breath to start speaking again. It wasn’t so much to ready her nerves like when Twilight did it, but to rush and get it out as fast as possible. “TwilightandIaredating,” she said too fast for anyone to understand.

Rainbow Blaze blinked a few times, leaving a vacant stare on his face. His cup only a few inches from his lips. “One more time?” he asked after a second.

“Twilight and I are dating…” Dash said slower. Her eyes looked off to the side. Twilight felt this situation was very similar to her own yet again, but instead of avoiding eye contact because it was awkward like she and her parents had done, Dash was doing it out of frustration.

The stallion’s eyes went wide for a second as what his daughter was saying sunk in. He looked down at his cup of tea in his hoof, and gently set the glass down. Once his cup was safely on the table he looked back up at the two mares sitting on the couch.

Flashbacks to when Twilight and Dash told their friends back in Ponyville came flooding into the unicorn’s mind. Applejack had been reluctant to accept their relationship, so Twilight feared Dash’s father would be the same. Unicorns were an exception when it came to views on sexuality—she had to keep reminding herself of that. Ponyville had been rather tolerant of their relationship, but that was most likely due to the number of unicorns in the town.

They had been getting looks since they came to Cloudsdale. It was very possible Dash’s dad wouldn’t approve. He might even throw them out before they had a chance to even tell him the important news. Twilight looked at Dash’s dad. He didn’t seem like the type of pony to overreact like that.

The stallion’s eyes bounced to Twilight, staring at the librarian for a second before looking back at his daughter. Twilight had a small, sincere smile on her face, hoping to sway Blaze from being upset, but the stallion’s reaction didn’t seem to be that of anger. “I never would have guessed, Rainbow.”

“It’s not a big deal if I like mares too…” Dash crossed her forelegs again after she set down her cup of tea. Twilight didn’t understand why she was getting upset. Blaze’s reaction didn’t seem like one of anger or disgust. There didn’t seem to be a reason for her to get upset.

“I guess not…” Blaze sat back in the chair. “It’s not really any of my business who you’re with, as long as they make you happy.”

“Thanks.” Twilight gave a smile to the stallion, and then looked back at Rainbow Dash. Her father’s acceptance didn’t seem to cheer her up in the slightest.

Dash grit her teeth angrily. “Why do you always do this?” she asked softly. Twilight could see her lover’s foreleg was tense, like she was squeezing as hard as she could.

Twilight barely heard what Dash said, but her father seemed to know without even hearing it. Twilight saw a subtle shift in his smile from one of acceptance to one of reluctance. He was readying himself for something. Twilight placed a hoof on Dash’s shoulder. “He said he’s fine with us being together, Dashie.” Twilight looked up for confirmation, but Blaze didn’t move.

“No he didn’t. He said he didn’t care…” Dash snapped. She threw her head back in anger before standing up off the couch.

“Calm down. He did not say that,” Twilight tried to reason with her, but her words went in one ear and out the other.

“Why do you always act like everything I do is no big deal!” Dash shot him a glare. “Every time I tell you something, you just act like it’s nothing! You don’t even care about anything I do, do you!” There was a small narrowing of Blaze’s eyes, one that Twilight doubted Rainbow Dash even noticed. What she just said hurt him far more than what he was showing on the surface. “This is why we don’t ever talk…Because when we do, you never care about what I have to say! You always act like I’m never good enough—like I don’t matter!”

“Rainbow, I never said that.” He stayed calm, even though Rainbow Dash was yelling.

“You didn’t have to!” she snapped. “It’s the way you act, Dad!” She slammed her hoof into the cloud floor. Twilight expected a loud clop, but it didn’t come.

Blaze looked sad for a moment, as he collected his thoughts. “I’m sorry, Rainbow. If your mom were around, she would—”

“Don’t bring her up! You always do that! I’m sorry I can’t be as good as her!” Dash said sarcastically. She ran her hoof threw her mane, too upset to even know what to do with herself. Her wings twitched in anticipation, ready to spring to action in a moment’s notice. The two stared at one another in complete silence for a few tense moments; her dad feigning calm, and Dash utterly fuming. “I got to get out of here…” she said throwing her hoof at him in disgust.

“We just got here!” Twilight tried to reign Dash in again, but she completely ignored her. The pegasus angrily stomped towards the door, not even waiting for her marefriend to set down her tea.

“Where are you going?” Twilight asked, standing up herself.

“I need to get out of here…” she said, opening the door and taking to the sky. Twilight stopped following as soon as Rainbow Dash flew off. She stared out at the open door for a moment before looking back to Dash’s father.

He didn’t seem at all surprised by his daughter’s reaction. In fact, he gave a small, almost hysterical laugh. “Miss Twilight, you won’t be able to catch her on hoof. Rainbow’s too fast—but I’m sure you already know that.”

“I should still go get her.”

“She does this almost every time she visits. We can rarely have a whole conversation. She’ll be back to pick you up though in an hour or so, so don’t worry too much. She’s not the type of pony to leave you here alone.”

Twilight looked back outside the door, finding her marefriend’s rainbow streak in the sky fading off into the distance. she sighed before turning back to Dash’s father. “I don’t really understand what just happened though…”

“It’s complicated…” he said with a sigh.

“Usually I’m the one saying that…” Twilight walked back over to the couch. With a small sigh, she took a seat, and waited for her marefriend to come back.

Author's Note

Dash couldn't take it anymore. She had to go get some ice cream to go with her tea.

A Daughter’s Remorse

Rainbows in the Night Sky

Chapter 17: A Daughter’s Remorse

Twilight stared at the cup of tea sitting on the coffee table in front of her. The room was awkwardly quiet after Dash left, but then again, how could it not be? Rainbow Dash stormed off leaving her marefriend in the room after she just yelled at her father. Blaze was now stuck with a unicorn he had only just met—a unicorn that was dating his daughter. All because Rainbow Dash had to freak out over what was essentially nothing. Twilight couldn’t help but sigh as she looked into the cup.

“Miss Twilight,” Blaze said, grabbing Twilight’s attention from her tea.

“P-Please, you can just call me Twilight,” Twilight replied with a nervous smile.

“It’ll probably be at least an hour before Rainbow calms down, so why don’t you tell me about yourself.” Twilight felt her heart jump. This was part of the conversations she wished she had prepared more for, but now with Rainbow Dash’s meltdown, any mental preparations she had went out the window. She also didn’t have the pegasus there for some moral support, which only made her feel even more awkward.

“Well, I’m the librarian in Ponyville, and I’m Princess Celestia’s student…” She paused for a moment. She was telling him things he probably already knew. The newspapers, when they talked about her, didn’t exactly leave details like that out. “I’m sorry, I’m not good at this…What would you like to know?”

“The usual stuff a parent wants to know about a somepony dating their daughter; hobbies, interests, what you want to do with your life?”

“I like to read,” Twilight offered in all seriousness.

Blaze laughed before he even realized he was about to. Realizing his rudeness, he shook his head. “Sorry, I never thought Rainbow would go for the brainy type.”

Twilight wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. It was a tad insulting, but Twilight also knew Blaze probably didn’t mean it like that. “I know it might seem a bit farfetched, but I’ve gotten her to pick up reading as a hobby,” Twilight stumbled to get out with a small laugh herself. She was probably making a fool of herself, but Blaze’s relaxed nature put her at ease. She felt like she was talking to Rainbow Dash with how easy it was to talk to him.

“Really?” he asked. “I’m not much for reading myself, but when you live alone, there’s not much else to do.” He made a small motion towards the book on the coffee table.

Twilight laughed nervously. That last statement she knew all too well. When she lived on her own in Canterlot, reading was just about the only thing she did. “I know that feeling…”

“So, how did you two meet?” he asked, shifting the conversation. He reached for his cup of tea, still sitting on the table untouched since he set it down last.

“Well, we met before the last Summer Sun Celebration—you probably knew that though…Umm…” Twilight placed her hoof to her chin, unsure how she should answer.

Blaze chuckled again. “I guess I meant to say how did you two start dating.”

“Oh, well, that’s uh—” Twilight coughed. “That’s a long story. I’m sure you wouldn’t really be interested in that…” She forced a smile, but Blaze wasn’t buying her excuse. “It just sort of happened, I guess…”

“Two ponies dating rarely just sort of happens. If my little girl’s involved, I’m sure there was some story to it.”

Twilight blushed heavily. For the two of them not being close, he certainly did know his daughter well. Then again, he did raise her. Twilight had to be careful here. She didn’t want to tell him the big news without Dash by her side, nor did she want to have him freak out on her. She also wanted to be as truthful as possible. Lies always seemed to have a way of coming back to bite her in the keester anyway.

Twilight sighed. “It’s not the most flattering story, but our friend Pinkie was throwing a party. Rainbow Dash and I got together that night after we had a few drinks, and—uh…” Twilight coughed again to censor her and Dash’s escapades that night. “Anyway the next morning, things didn’t quite go how either of us would have hoped. It was about three weeks before we talked about it, and realized we had feelings for one another.”

“So, it took you two three weeks to get together after a drunken fling?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Twilight wanted to bury herself in the cloud couch under her. Her dad removed any positive embellishments she tried to add, and whittled her story down to a very unflattering portrayal—one that she felt ashamed to hear aloud. “I-I suppose…”

He laughed. “Relax. Rainbow’s an adult. If she’s anything like her mom and dad, I know she’s got to be a regular party animal. Besides, sounds like how I met her mother,” he said in the middle of chuckling.

When his laughter died down, the room got quiet again. It took Blaze a moment to realize he brought up Dash’s mom once more, which he could see made his guest a little uncomfortable. Dash brought her up right before she stormed out, and that made it pretty clear it was a touchy subject. “Twilight, I’m sorry that things turned out like this for you two…This was just supposed to be a meet and greet, I guess…”

“It’s fine…”

“It’s not fine.” He shook his head defiantly. “Rainbow brought you here to introduce you to me, and I had to go and ruin it.”

That didn’t quite seem right. From Twilight’s perspective, Dash was the one to overreact. She took a small sip of her tea to build some courage for a question she had been wondering since Dash blew up. “If you don’t mind, would you tell me about Rainbow Dash’s mother?” Twilight asked after a moment of silence.

“What has she told you about her?” he asked somberly.

“Not much, only that she passed when she was a foal…” Twilight paused for a moment, mentally debating whether she should continue with her statement. With how Dash acted, it was clear he was already aware, so there didn’t seem to be a point in hiding it any longer. “And that you blame her for her mother’s death…”

Blaze stared down at the cup of tea in his hoof for a moment. The sweet, fruity brew was lukewarm already. “I don’t blame Rainbow for her mother’s death…” he said softly. “Firefly was…” Blaze looked up from his beverage, and rest his head against the back of his chair. “Rainbow takes after her mother too much…” he said finally with an almost sad smile.

He stared off into space for a few minutes, leaving Twilight confused. Nothing about what he said made much sense. There were too many uncompleted thoughts in what he said to make sense. Twilight opened her mouth to probe further, but Blaze sighing cut her off.

“Twilight, we’re not a really emotional family. Me and Rainbow, we bury things deep down and forget about them.” Twilight frowned. His response sounded like he wasn’t going to answer her questions. “It was an accident…” he added, setting his cup back down on the coffee table. “Rainbow just happened to be the center of that accident, but it was an accident. There was nothing anypony could’ve done about it.”

Twilight waited patiently for Blaze to continue. She could see the emotions holding just below the surface. His eyes stared distantly across the room as though he were watching events playout that had long since been buried in his mind. He sunk down in his seat, and rest his chin on his hoof. His mouth was barely hiding behind his hoof, but Twilight could still see it. His jaw muscles were clenched from the surge of memories she asked him to dig up.

“I was pretty tore up by my wife’s passing—at least by my standards,” he said abruptly. “I can’t pretend I was strong, and maybe that’s what started all of this…” He laughed just as suddenly as he started talking. “That’s why I said she takes after her mom too much. She always acts like she doesn’t care but she does.”

“I’m kind of starting to understand that, myself…” Twilight said, mostly to herself.

“It took me years to get over her death. Rainbow was almost out of flight school by the time I accepted it. Those first few years were rough on us both. I tried to give her space, but that never seemed to work. She started getting into fights, and causing problems. I knew it had something to do with her mom’s death, but I didn’t know what I was doing. I’m not a doctor, I couldn’t fix it for her…” Blaze slipped his hoof from under his chin and scratched the back of his head. “I think she hated how weak I was, and that’s how all this started…”

He paused for a bit before he glanced over at Twilight. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be putting all this on you.”

“No, I asked,” Twilight insisted. “I’m worried about her…She’s been acting weird since I first insisted on meeting you…”

Blaze cracked a small smile. “You care about Rainbow a lot, don’t you, Twilight…” Twilight nodded with absolutely no hesitation. The unicorn’s determination brought a bigger smile onto Blaze’s face.

He let out a single chuckle. “Rainbow might look a lot like me, but she takes after her mom up here,” He tapped his hoof to his head. “That’s one thing I know about her…She doesn’t like to show things, and pretends like she doesn’t care, even if they’re eating her up inside…I know her mom’s death hit her hard, but she just pushed it deep down…”

“That sounds like her…”

He cleared his throat. “It happened when Rainbow was about four. We were having a picnic on a cloud pretty close to the ground—close for a pegasus, I guess. Me and Firefly were watching Rainbow play near the cloud edge when she stumbled and fell. She was too young to fly on her own.” He tried to clear his throat again as though something were blocking it, but it didn’t seem to help. “Firefly was always faster than me, so she jumped up before I could…” Blaze paused for a moment. That same pain-stricken look in his eyes he had when Dash said he didn’t care came back. “She stumbled on the blanket and some of the food. It shouldn’t have been a big deal, but…”

Twilight waited patiently for Blaze to finish. It wasn’t easy for him. This wasn’t just a retelling of the story, Twilight could see he was reliving it moment by moment in his head. This wasn’t something she wanted to rush—it would be disrespectful of her.

“If she didn’t trip, she could’ve caught Rainbow just a second earlier…We were so close to the ground, and she was going so fast, she barely managed to pull out of the dive. She picked the wrong way to pull out though, and she didn’t have enough space. Firefly crashed into a rock…” He chuckled to himself, hysterically. “Pegasus ponies are pretty durable, but…Firefly slammed into the rock back first just trying to protect Rainbow. She hit a jagged edge and it cracked a few ribs…and one sharp piece stabbed her…Doctors said it punctured her lung.” He swallowed a forming lump in his throat.

“I rushed them both off to the nearest hospital, but they couldn’t save Firefly.”

Twilight found herself looking into her cup of tea. As Twilight stared into the rippling surface of her drink, her mind was at work. The pieces were falling into place of a puzzle she wasn’t particularly proud to be solving. “I’m sorry about your loss…” was all Twilight managed to say.

“It was a long time ago now. Time doesn’t make things better, but it sure as hell makes things not hurt as bad.” He took a small sip of his tea before he stood up out of his chair. “Rainbow thinks I don’t care about her, but I do…She’s all I’ve got left. I was an only kid, and so was her mom, and both our parents are long gone.” Blaze slowly worked his way over to the case on the other side of the room.

He looked towards the top of the case, a small smile working its way onto his face as he stared at the various items held within; trophies, ribbons, medals. “Maybe I’m getting weird in my old age, but I hold onto things I never thought I would. Some of these trophies in here are from Firefly when she was racing, and a few are even mine from when I used to do stunts back when I was a colt, Rainbow’s got a few in here too…” His eyes drifted down to the lower shelves—ones closer to eye level. “I started keeping newspaper clippings about you and her and your other friends’ adventures too.” He continued to stare for a bit longer before his smile finally faded.

“I just wish she knew I cared…” he muttered finally, barely loud enough for Twilight to hear.

“I think she does…” Twilight responded. Her remark drew his attention back towards the couch. “Do you know where she might be? I need to talk to her.”

He stared at her for a moment, unsure what Twilight was thinking. After he saw the determined look in the unicorn’s eye, he tilted his head in thought. “There’s a playground she used to go sulk at a few blocks away. She might’ve flew off there…”

“Could you tell me how to get there?”

Dash stared out at the horizon. The sun was already sinking low in the sky, but she couldn’t really say how long she had been sitting there. The orange glow gave the clouds a golden look. Cloudsdale shined like the crowning jewel of the sky in the late hours of the day. This was why she liked sitting here. Everything looked awesome—but even this sight wasn’t cheering her up today.

She sighed heavily. “Why is he so stupid…” she muttered to herself as she watched the sun’s slow retreat.

“Dashie!” A voice called to her. Rainbow Dash glanced down below her to see Twilight standing on a cloud a dozen or so meters below her. The pegasus sighed immediately upon seeing her marefriend. She wasn’t in the mood to talk, and she knew that’s exactly what Twilight wanted to do. So, Dash chose to ignore the unicorn’s call.

A few seconds after she turned her head back towards the horizon, she heard the poof of a teleport spell overhead, followed by a scream. She glanced up to see Twilight falling towards her. Dash jumped up and before she even realized what she was doing, she was in the air. She flew up to Twilight at a blinding speed, catching the unicorn before she could hit the ground.

“What were you thinking?” she demanded as soon as Twilight was safely on the cloud Dash was sitting on before.

“I needed to talk to you,” Twilight said, huffing loudly.

“Did you run all the way here?” she asked with a growing concern in her voice.

“Yeah.” Twilight barely managed to get her words out. “And teleporting didn’t help much either…”

“Why? I would’ve come back!” Dash scowled at her marefriend. It was reckless and pointless for Twilight to exert herself so much, at least that’s what Dash was thinking. She might have been upset, but her marefriend should have known she would come back for her.

“It couldn’t wait.” Twilight wrapped her forelegs around Dash in a hug.

“What’s gotten into you?” Dash instinctively placed her foreleg around Twilight, hugging her back. She gently rubbed her hoof along Twilight’s back. Her marefriend’s breathing slowed after a few moments of her holding her like that.

“I talked to your dad…” Twilight responded after she calmed down enough to speak normally.

Dash groaned. “I shouldn’t have left you there…”

“Dashie, he told me about your mom…” Twilight nuzzled into Dash’s neck. The pegasus’s hoof stopped moving. “Dashie…Your dad doesn’t hate you, he doesn’t blame you, he doesn’t—”

“Stop…” Dash said firmly. “I don’t want to hear it, Twi…”

“Dashie, your mom’s death was an accident.” Twilight pulled away from Rainbow Dash. She slid her hooves up the mare’s body, and placed them tightly on her shoulders.

Dash just glanced down at Twilight’s hoof before she looked back at into her marefriend’s eyes. “I don’t want you to get all psychological on me, alright?” Dash asked with the slightest wince in her eye.

“I want to help you, Dashie. I know it’s not what you want, but sometimes we just need to get things out in the open so you know how to deal with them. It’s been years; you can handle this,” she said with a sincere smile.

The pegasus’s gaze drifted down and to the side. She couldn’t look at Twilight anymore.

The unicorn bit her lower lip. Dash didn’t want this, but after hearing her father’s side of the story, she needed to fix it. Her dad cared for her, and Twilight needed to make sure Rainbow Dash understood that. She swallowed the spit in her mouth to ready her nerves. “Rainbow Dash, you need to stop blaming yourself for her death…”

Twilight could feel the pegasus tense under her hooves. Every muscle in Rainbow Dash’s body froze in that instant. Twilight watched as her eyes glanced to the side to avoid contact, and her jaw muscles clenched tightly together. “I don’t blame myself…” Dash said soft, but firmly.

She was lying. Twilight knew she was. She might have the tone to convince someone else, but her body language was a whole other story. “You can’t blame yourself,” Twilight said again.

Dash’s eyes squinted closed, and the faintest tear started to form. “Don’t do this, Twi…”

“Dashie, you’ve been burying it for so long. Let me help you,” she pleaded. “After talking with your dad, I know why you hate him. Can you please just let me help you?”

Dash squeezed her eyes shut. As much as she didn’t want to play this game, she would. She would do it for Twilight. She cared about her—more than she cared about anyone else in her entire life. Dash also knew Twilight felt the same way. This wouldn’t be out of spite, or because it was the right thing to do—it was purely because Twilight cared about Dash. It wouldn’t be easy, and she knew Twilight would pry and force her into this even if she refused. That was the type of pony Twilight was, one who cared too much to let something go. Reluctantly she nodded her head.

“He was distant after your mom’s death, wasn’t he?” Twilight asked, trying to keep a soft, warm voice. She had to be comforting. She had to be there for Rainbow Dash. The mare was already emotional from their trip here, so Twilight had to be careful or she could hurt the pony she cared about the most.

Dash nodded again. Her expression loosened slightly, giving Twilight more confidence in her approach.

“It hurt, didn’t it,” she added with certainty. “His distance after her passing made you act out. It was the only thing you could think to do.”

“So what…I was angry after it happened…He’s still a jerk, Twi…”

“Dashie, it’s not your dad’s fault. He was angry and hurt too.”

“That’s not an excuse to not give a crap about me!” Dash snapped back.

“He was giving you space…” Twilight paused, making sure she had her marefriend’s attention. When Dash’s eyes met hers, she continued, “Rainbow Dash, he didn’t want to upset you, so he let you have room to breathe. It may not have been what you needed, but his heart was in the right place.”

Dash didn’t respond. She looked down again, trying to avoid Twilight’s warm expression. “I was just a filly…” she muttered.

“I know, but don’t hold it against him. He cares about you.”

Dash groaned as she sulked. “He sure as hell doesn’t act like it…”

Twilight rubbed Rainbow Dash’s shoulder to grab her attention again before she got too upset to talk to. “After her death, you started to blame yourself…” she said on the verge of tears herself. It was a hard question to ask, but Twilight needed to be sure before she pushed forward. “It’s because your dad was distant, you started to feel like that, wasn’t it?”

Dash’s pupils shrunk for a brief moment at Twilight’s question. Her mouth opened to speak, but words wouldn’t come. Her lip quivered. That was a question she had been scared to hear—one she refused to even ask herself. What she had been so afraid to admit was suddenly laid bare before her. A few seconds passed before Rainbow Dash’s eyes drifted downward. Whatever her dad told Twilight, it must have clicked in her. She was reading Rainbow Dash like a book. Dash had never felt so exposed in her entire life. Her body trembled slightly from this naked feeling she suddenly had. Finally, she gave a small, reluctant nod. As horrible as it felt, she knew that if there was someone she could trust with her deepest, darkest feelings, it was Twilight.

Twilight swallowed again. “I thought so…Because of that, you grew to hate yourself, Dashie.”

“W-What?” Dash asked. “I don’t hate myself!” she protested.

“You blamed yourself for your mom’s death after your dad became distant. It’s natural that you would start to feel like you were the one to blame.”

“I-I…” Dash started to speak, but her words failed her.

“You weren’t upset at your dad, you were upset at yourself for making him treat you that way—at least that’s what you thought on a subconscious level.” Twilight rubbed her hoof along Dash’s foreleg for reassurance. Dash’s eyes bounced back and forth as she contemplated what Twilight was saying. A confused, questioning look found its way onto the pegasus’s face.

“I-Is that why…”

Twilight gave her a sympathetic smile. “You consciously shifted those feelings to your dad. You knew he was distant, and your anger was focused on him. That’s also why you’re always trying to be the center of attention, so somepony will love you because you feel like you can’t love yourself after what you did.” Twilight pulled Dash in for a hug. She held her marefriend tightly, and gently rocked her back and forth in her embrace.

Twilight felt Dash wrap her hooves around her. She pressed her muzzle into Twilight’s chest, and a wetness found its way there shortly after. “It’s not your fault, Rainbow Dash,” she said softly. “You can’t blame yourself for an accident.”

“But it is my fault! I was the one playing close to the edge! If I didn’t fall then…then…”

“You stop that right now!” Twilight squeezed her tightly as she yelled. “You can’t keep saying if, Dashie…That type of talk is what can ruin a pony. It only led you to blame yourself for something you couldn’t control. You were a foal, it’s not your fault. Don’t hate yourself for something you didn’t have control over.”

“But…”

“No buts…”

“My dad has to hate me for getting her killed though…” Dash let out a sniffle as she spoke.

“No, he doesn’t. And, I’m here to tell you that you’ve always had somepony who loved you. Your dad, your friends, me—we all care about you, Dashie. Beating yourself up inside for your mom saving your life isn’t going to solve anything.”

Rainbow Dash slowly slid her hooved up around Twilight, and squeezed her in a tight embrace. In just an afternoon alone with her dad, Twilight understood Rainbow Dash more than anyone else ever had. In an instant the dam broke inside her, and she couldn’t hold back a stream of tears. “Why is it when I say I don’t want to do something, we always do it anyway!” Dash cried out into Twilight’s chest.

Twilight only gently stroked her marefriend’s back as she held her. “Because you’re stubborn, and you don’t like to do things that are good for you…” Twilight replied with the sweetest, most caring voice she could muster.

Twilight waited for a few seconds as Dash sobbed into her chest. “I care about you, Dashie…” she added softly. Twilight could feel her nod in understanding. It may not be what she wanted, but Rainbow Dash wouldn’t have realized how she truly felt if Twilight didn’t show her.

“How did you even know all of that?” she asked, still crying.

“Because, I know you, and your dad filled in some of the blanks for me.” Twilight rubbed her cheek against Dash’s mane lovingly. The pegasus might be crying, and she might even sound upset, but Twilight knew this was a breakthrough for her. She only held her marefriend as she let Rainbow Dash cry out her years of repressed feelings.

The unicorn continued to comfort her marefriend as she turned her attention towards the setting sun. A small smile came across her face, though her eyes still weighed heavy from the emotional journey she had just lead her partner through.

Minutes passed as she just sat there with Rainbow Dash, holding the pegasus. Twilight could hear a small sniffle from her lover as she pulled back away from her. “You could be a shrink, you know that…” she muttered with a small, hysterical laugh.

“Only for you,” Twilight replied with a smile.

Dash wiped her eyes with another small laugh. “And I just thought I hated my dad…” Dash leaned into Twilight as they sat there. They both were mentally exhausted. The serene landscape was a welcome sight. As the sun lowered, Rainbow Dash felt her heart relax in a way she hadn’t felt in years. She let out a content sigh. ”I should probably tell him I’m sorry at some point…” she muttered for just the two of them to hear.

“When you’re ready to,” Twilight replied with the same soft tone.

“Rainbow…” a masculine voice said from behind them. They both glanced behind them to see Blaze just setting down on the cloud. The stallion folded his wings as he took a few steps closer to the couple. “I know you probably don’t want to see me right now, but after talking with Twilight I had to think about some things…”

Dash blinked a few times. She didn’t quite know where this was going. “Dad?” she asked cautiously as she and Twilight both turned to face the stallion.

“I messed up earlier…” he said with a sigh. “Twilight made me realize I can’t just sit back anymore. Doing nothing’s pretty much ruined our relationship…”

Dash frowned a bit. She knew it was true, but it wasn’t just her dad’s fault though, even if she wanted to blame him. She hadn’t made an effort herself in years.

“I don’t think I ever told you what happened after I got you two to the hospital that day…” He cleared his throat.

“You don’t have to—” Dash started to say, but was cut off.

“No, I need to say this, Rainbow.” He rubbed the back of his head. “I know we don’t get along. I know I probably haven’t made the best decisions in your life, but I want you to know I do care about you.” He kept a pretty straight face, but Twilight could see him struggling just below the surface.

“You were pretty much fine when I got you two to the hospital. You were just a bit shaken up, but the doctors wanted to keep you under observation for a bit.” He swallowed a building lump in his throat. “Firefly wasn’t doing so well though…”

“I know, Dad…” Dash looked toward the cloud under them. She wasn’t pleased with this conversation, and it showed plainly on her face.

“Rainbow, she knew she wasn’t going to make it…” he said softly. “That whole time though, she kept asking me if you were okay. She didn’t care that she was dying, she just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

Dash’s eyes narrowed as the feelings she had buried started to rise to the surface. “I get it! Mom’s dead because of me!” she yelled.

Her dad shook his head. “If it’s anypony’s fault, it’s mine!” he yelled back at her.

Dash’s eyes went wide for a moment as she stared down at the cloud. He gaze slowly drifted up to her father to see him barely holding back a tear.

“It was my stupid idea to go on a picnic…” Blaze rubbed his forehead with his hoof. They could hear him breathing heavily, just trying to keep his emotions in check. When his hoof slid down, he looked up at them. “She tripped on the damn blanket on the way to save you, and if she didn’t…then maybe…” He grit his teeth.

“Mom tripped?” Dash asked in disbelief.

“It was an accident, Rainbow. We can’t blame ourselves. Your mother saved you, and that’s what matters.” He stared at his daughter for a moment before continuing. “Every single day I thank Celestia that she did. If I had lost you too…” He cut himself off, unable to even finish that sentence.

“Dad…” Rainbow Dash stood up. Cautiously she walked up to her father, looking into his face as he tried to avoid eye contact with her. “Are you kidding me? We’ve both been beating ourselves up over this?” she asked, still in disbelief.

“Yeah…” he replied somberly.

Without any warning, Dash wrapped her forelegs around her dad, and hugged him. “Why didn’t you tell me you felt like that! I’ve been beating myself up all this time because I thought you blamed me for Mom’s death!”

He placed a foreleg around his daughter. “How was I going to bring that up?” he asked with a hysterical laugh.

“We gotta stop this…” Dash whispered to him.

“Yeah we do…” He squeezed her tightly once more for a few more moments before finally letting his hoof fall back to the cloud. “Rainbow, I just wanted to say that to you…and I really wanted to let you know I’m happy you found somepony.” He gave a small smile as he pushed her back.

“Dad, no…” Dash shook her head, which made her father’s smile vanish in an instant. She sighed. “I’m the one who messed up back at the house.” Dash glanced over at Twilight who stood up, and walked next to her. The unicorn gave her an encouraging nod. “I took it the wrong way. I’ve been taking pretty much everything the wrong way since Mom died…” She struggled for a moment to swallow. “I’m sorry, Dad…Twi’s helped me realize what I’ve really been upset about, and I just want to say I’m sorry for being so…”

“Thick-headed?” Twilight said with a small smirk.

Dash’s brow furled a bit, but she realized the unicorn was teasing. “Yeah…”

The smile from before worked its way back onto Blaze’s face. Twilight watched as he looked out towards the sunset behind them with that same distant look he had before. This time though, Twilight didn’t see sorrow just under the surface of his eyes, she saw joy. Blaze sighed as his smile grew wider. He let out a small laugh. “She cares about you a lot, Rainbow…” he remarked.

“Yeah…” Dash glanced over at Twilight, giving her a smile. Twilight smiled back before leaning into her marefriend’s side.

“She’s a miracle worker or something. It took her—like—an hour to do what I haven’t been able to do in years…” He shook his head a bit in self-disappointment. “You two are good together,” he said just loud enough for them to hear. Blaze took a step to the side, and glanced up at the sky. “So, when are you two heading home?” he asked rather abruptly.

“Few days. Why?” Dash replied.

“Well, since you two are still going to be in Cloudsdale tomorrow, I’d like it if you could stop by again. I’d like a better chance to meet your marefriend, Rainbow.” He looked back at the two of them with a smile.

“Yeah, I think we could do that.” Dash looked over at Twilight, who was giving her a nod in agreement.

“Alright, see you tomorrow then. Same time’s good—”

“Dad, wait!” Rainbow stopped him right as he unfurled his wings. He turned back around with a confused look. Dash glanced over at Twilight motioning with her head. Twilight’s eyes went wide for a second, and she started to open her mouth to protest. Dash just rolled her eyes before looking back at her dad. “Dad, Twilight’s pregnant…” she said plainly.

He stared at the two of them for a moment, his eyes bouncing back and forth between them. “Okay…” was all he managed. He wasn’t too sure what else he should say. There wasn’t any buildup, or notice.

Twilight let out a low groan, knowing that was too sudden. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves before explaining further. “It’s your daughter’s…Not just because she’s been with me, but biologically too. She sired it. It’s Rainbow Dash’s foal in every sense…” Twilight clarified, but it didn’t seem to change the stallion’s confused expression.

“You’re going to be a grandpa, Dad…”

“What?” he asked, taking a step towards the two of them.

“There’s a certain spell that allows two mares to have a child together. We came here so we could tell you that you’re having a granddaughter.” Twilight wanted to just sink into the cloud she was sitting on, hoping that maybe if she could disappear, her embarrassment would disappear too.

“I…uh…I didn’t know magic could do that…” he said as he scratched the back of his head.

“You’re not mad, are you?” Dash asked.

“No? I don’t know…” They both could tell he was struggling to wrap his head around the concept. “Are you sure it’s yours, Rainbow?” he asked to be sure.

“Yeah,” she asked with certainty. “It’s weird, but I know it’s true.” Dash gave a small smirk to Twilight, whose face was bright red. Dash gave her a small nudge to grab her attention.

“Yes, it’s Rainbow Dash’s,” Twilight confirmed.

Her dad sat down on the cloud across from them for a few seconds. “Well, that’s something…” he muttered barely loud enough for them to hear.

“Are you going to be alright with this, Dad?”

He stared down at the cloud. “Yeah…I mean, it’s weird, but…you two seem to know what you’re doing…” He shook his head after a few moments. “It’s just this kind of came out of nowhere…”

“I know that feeling,” Dash said rolling her eyes. “You sure you’re okay though?”

“Yeah…If you two are happy about it, I’m happy,” he clarified for them with an awkward smile. “Just…uh…you wanna tell me how the hay this works tomorrow when you guys come over?”

Dash laughed. “Yeah, I think we can do that for ya, Dad.”

Author's Note

The next chapter will focus on the mysterious adventures of the unfinished tea from the beginning of this chapter.

What the Future May Hold

Rainbows in the Night Sky

Chapter 18: What the Future May Hold

With a hearty sigh, Twilight stepped inside the library. After their trip to Coudsdale, she was just happy to be home. The familiar smell of paper and aged wood that filled their house was just what she wanted at that moment. The old tree was pitch black inside, but she still felt at home. After a spark of her horn, the room came to light in a soft purple glow. A small, content smile worked its way onto Twilight’s face as she stepped further inside. Her saddlebag fell to the wayside to be dealt with later.

Rainbow Dash came inside shortly after Twilight, dropping her bag off by the door as well. “So, Rarity is dropping Spike off tomorrow morning?” Dash asked as she tilted her neck for a stretch.

“Yeah, I told her that we wouldn’t be back until late, so she said he could just sleep there tonight.”

Dash gave a small frown. “Too bad. I kinda missed the little guy while we were in Cloudsdale…”

Twilight felt a smirk spread across her face. “Really?”

“Well, yeah.” Dash shrugged her shoulders, trying to make it not seem like such a big deal, but Twilight wouldn’t stop smiling at her.

“You two have been getting along pretty well lately, haven’t you.”

“Would you like it better if we didn’t?” Dash asked sarcastically.

Twilight shook her head. “No. I actually thought it was kind of cute when he gave you a hug before we left.” Twilight snickered to herself. She could see the faintest blush in her marefriend’s cheeks in the soft purple light.

“You didn’t have to tell him to…” Dash muttered.

“I didn’t.” Her teasing smirk turned into a genuine smile. “I think he’s taken a liking to you.”

“Maybe…” The pegasus shrugged her shoulders, trying to seem disinterested. Though she turned her head to the side slightly to continue her facade, her eyes stayed focused on Twilight. The two of them were home alone for the night. A small smile cracked its way onto her lips as that thought sunk in.

Twilight took a few steps further inside their home before letting out a huge yawn. Her eyes hung half closed, and her magic wavered slightly when she finished. “I wished we didn’t have the last train of the night…”

Dash’s smile grew a bit wider. “Yeah,” she replied, adding a bit of irritation into her voice to sympathize. “Too bad there wasn’t an earlier one.” It was hard for her to take her eyes off her marefriend when she was sleepy. Her half closed eyes and sluggish movements were just too cute to ignore. “You did make a good pillow though,” she teased.

Twilight nodded lazily as she rolled her eyes. “I felt more like a stuffed animal the way you were holding me.”

Dash let out a small laugh. “Yeah…”

Twilight glanced up at the clock. The light from her magic was dim, and she was just barely able to see the hour hand was already resting on ten. At the realization, she suddenly yawned. “I’m exhausted after today. I think I’m just going to go to sleep, Dashie.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Dash replied. She took a few steps until she was side by side with her marefriend. She gave a small smile when Twilight turned to look at her, but it wasn’t exactly a smile Twilight expected. There didn’t seem to be any sign of exhaustion on Dash’s face. It was easy to tell when Dash was tired—she could barely keep her eyes open, and she usually wasn’t too aware of her surroundings. The small smirk, and sultry gaze didn’t come across as sleepy to Twilight.

Twilight rolled her eyes and shook her head as she cracked a smile. It was cute to see her marefriend so eager, and it was a rare night they had alone together. A line was immediately drawn in her head. Twilight bit her lip a bit as a mental war was waged in her thoughts. She wasn’t opposed to her lover’s desires, but at the same time, sleep was beckoning her.

After a few moments, she decided sleep was probably the better option. “Don’t get any ideas,” she said with a teasing look in her eyes. A little flick of her tail against Dash’s rump was all left the pegasus with.

Dash giggled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Twi.” Rainbow Dash stretched her wings, and in the most obvious way, she wrapped the one closest to Twilight around the unicorn. Twilight shook her head again, but Dash only smiled at her. The two walked upstairs side by side, the purple glow of Twilight’s magic lighting the way.

Twilight loved the warmth of Dash’s body next to hers. After the exhausting sightseeing trip around Cloudsdale and uncomfortable train ride, she was happy to be home, and more then ready for a good night’s sleep. But, as they walked, she could feel her marefriend’s feathers tickling her flank ever so gently. With each little brush she fought the urge to laugh, and her skin tingled with excitement. She could feel the embers of desire slowly stoking inside her. She had brief mental flashes to the few times they tried to have some quality time together in the hotel room over the past few days, but they were always interrupted. It wasn’t really fair to Rainbow Dash that she had teased her so much this week, only to deny her that affection in the end.

She lazily leaned into her lover’s side, resting her head against Dash as they walked up the stairs. It didn’t take long for Twilight to feel the weight of her lover resting her head on her own. Dash lovingly rubbed her cheek into Twilight’s mane as she let out a content sigh. Her eyes lazily drifted closed while she enjoyed the show of affection. She noticed Dash wasn’t tickling her anymore, and instead, the tip of the pegasus’s wings simply rested against her flank. The subtle brush of Dash’s feather’s against her fur as she walked sent a delightful tingle through the unicorn’s spine.

Once in the bedroom, Twilight casually slid out from under Dash’s wing before the pegasus had a chance to try anything. She could feel her lover’s eyes on her as Twilight moved to her side of the bed. With the pegasus’s attention firmly focused on her, she briefly considered teasing her a bit, but that wouldn’t be right. Instead, Twilight levitated the sheet up into the air, and slipped under the covers without so much as a word.

Soon after she was tucked in, she could feel the mattress shift under her as her marefriend joined her in bed. The covers tugged as the pegasus pulled them over herself, and rose as she slid closer to her. She turned her attention to her partner as Dash slid closer. The purple glow they had been using for light dimmed to less than that of a candle when her lover was finally next to her. Twilight looked at her with a small smirk, waiting for Dash to make her move.

Almost on cue, Dash’s foreleg wrap around her, pulling Twilight in close. Once they were face to face, Twilight dimmed her magic down even further. The glow was so faint, but with how close they were, they didn’t need much light. Dash dug her muzzle down into Twilight’s neck, burying her nose in Twilight’s fur. The unicorn couldn’t help but let out a soft moan in approval.

“I love you, Twi…” she murmured lovingly.

Twilight cracked a smile. It was almost comical how serious Dash was in her tone. They had been dating long enough that they didn’t need to sweet talk one another, though she couldn’t deny it was nice to hear every now and again. Twilight placed her hoof around Rainbow Dash’s back, giving her a few gentle rubs before allowing her hoof to simply rest. “I love you too.”

Dash pulled her muzzle back from Twilight’s neck, and slid it just above her head. Her warm breath tickled the unicorn’s ears, caused them to twitch a bit. “I love you so much,” she whispered.

“I know, I love you too,” Twilight replied with a soft, loving tone.

“No. I love you, Twi…I just love you so much…” Dash pressed her face into Twilight’s mane, almost like she was trying to drown herself in Twilight’s hair. There was a desperate nature to her tone, almost like she was aching to tell Twilight over her affection.

Twilight was being squeezed into her lover’s chest in an instant. Rainbow Dash had her forelegs around her head, pulling her in tightly. She tried to look up to see her lover, but she could slip out of Dash’s grip. She could feel Dash’s muzzle buried in her mane, nuzzling her softly. A small smile appeared on her face as she stoked the pegasus’s back again. The gentle caress of her hooves made her lover loosen her hold. “I know…” she whispered. “I love you too, but I’m tired tonight, Dashie…” Twilight rolled over onto her opposite side once her lover’s grip loosened enough for her to move.

Dash pulled herself from Twilight’s mane as the mare rolled over. Once Twilight settled, she rested her head just above the unicorn’s on the pillow. The light of Twilight’s horn died, leaving the two of them in darkness. She slid her hoof down Twilight’s barrel, pausing on her growing belly. “Come on, Twi. We never get time together like this. You wanted it in Cloudsdale, but now that we’re home alone tonight, you don’t want to fool around?”

“Well, I did want to while we were in Cloudsdale, but we didn’t exactly get a chance…” Twilight paused feeling a bit awkward. “There always seemed to be somepony flying by the window…” Twilight added to justify herself. She still felt embarrassed, especially when she felt Dash sliding her hoof down just a bit further. “I probably got you worked up a few times, didn’t I…”

Dash murmured a small sound of agreement. “Little more than a few…Somepony being able to see still didn’t stop you from trying to do it, though.”

“Just because I was…” she paused again, trying to find the right words, “instigating a bit in Cloudsdale…doesn’t mean I want to do it right now…” She tried to shrug Dash off of her, but the pegasus was stuck to her back like glue. She groaned like a filly being told to do a chore by her parents. “I’m tired, Dashie…” Twilight whined, feeling Rainbow Dash kissing the back of her neck. Each little peck sent a delightful shiver running down her spine, making her whole body tingle in anticipation.

Dash snickered. “You want it though too,” she teased. She was well aware of Twilight’s need, but that wasn’t the whole reason she was being so persistent.

Twilight groaned at her own indecisiveness. Her marefriend’s hoof sliding across her body seemed to slowly push back her fatigue, replacing it instead with desire. Twilight bit her lip as she mentally debated once more. “We really shouldn’t…I’m exhausted, and I don’t really want to get sweaty…”

“You don’t have to do anything,” Dash chimed in with a sweet tone whispered into Twilight’s ear. “Just kick back, and let me take care of it.” Dash slid down Twilight’s body, pulling the sheets down with her. This was her plan from the start; it was all about making Twilight feel good.

Twilight rolled onto her back, and looked down at her marefriend as she moved down her body. “You’re not usually this persistent…What’s gotten into you?” she asked, fidgeting slightly as Dash’s fur touched her own.

“Nothing, I just love you so much. What’s wrong with wanting to make you feel good?” Dash nuzzled Twilight’s chest before she moving further down her body. Her muzzle dragged along her lover’s fur, leaving a ruffled trail in its wake.

Twilight let out a soft, short groan. “You’ve been acting strange for the past few days…” Twilight remarked, giving her marefriend a concerned look.

“What do you mean strange?” Dash paused for a moment at Twilight’s stomach. She stared down into the unicorns fur. The pitch black of the room made the color impossible to see. The only illumination came from the small amount of moonlight spilling in from the window. Dash closed her eyes, resting her head against Twilight’s belly. It wasn’t easy for Dash to notice since she spent so much time with her, but Twilight’s belly was slowly getting bigger as their daughter grew inside. Dash slid her hoof up onto Twilight’s stomach, and rubbed it softly.

“I don’t know…It’s not in a bad way,” Twilight replied in a soft, nurturing tone. She realized after she spoke, that what she said could easily be taken the wrong way. “You’re being really caring lately…It’s sweet. It’s just that you’re not usually this—”

“Loving?” She cocked her eye up at Twilight, a little annoyed at what she was implying.

“I was going to say affectionate…” Twilight rolled her eyes. “You’ve been all over me the past few days—since we met your father actually…I thought you just wanted sex, but you’ve been wanting me to hug you, and cuddle a lot…” Twilight paused for a moment. “It’s nice,” she said without really realizing it.

Rainbow Dash rubbed her cheek against Twilight’s fur once more. “It’s because I love you.”

Twilight giggled a bit. “You said that already.” She had an idea what this was all about now: why Rainbow Dash was so affectionate lately. Twilight placed her hoof on Dash’s, drawing the pegasus’s attention back up to her. “I love you too.” Twilight gave her marefriend a content smile.

Though Dash couldn’t see her, she somehow knew Twilight was smiling. She couldn’t stop herself from smiling back. With a small giggle, she slid down the bed further. “I’m still not stopping,” she replied with a slightly devious tone.

Twilight shrugged. “I didn’t think you would.” Resigning herself to her urges, Twilight let her lover continue. Her head fell onto her pillow heavily, welcomed by the fluffy mass. “You win. Do what you want.”

With no more objections, Rainbow Dash slipped down even further. In one swift move, she positioned herself between her lover’s hind legs. Sitting before her was Twilight’s nethers, ready for her to pleasure. The air was thick with the scent of her arousal, telling Dash she did, in fact, want this. She lowered her muzzle down to her lover’s slit, feeling the heat radiate off of her. The closer she came, the stronger the scent became. Her muzzle finally brushed against her lover’s lips. A sticky wetness met her once she touched the mare’s pussy. Without any teasing, Twilight was ready for her.

But, as tempting as it was to take her now, she turned her attention elsewhere. She placed a lone kiss on Twilight’s inner thigh. The subtle touch of her lips against Twilight’s fur felt divine. Dash just barely saw the unicorn place her foreleg over her eyes. She was loving every moment of her attention. Twilight let out a soft moan in approval.

“You know, Twi…” Dash rubbed her cheek against the fur on Twilight’s inner thigh. “I know you want more, but I just want to kiss you…” The pegasus placed another kiss, this time on Twilight opposite thigh, after she spoke. “I just want to kiss you all over.”

“You know I don’t like it when you tease too much…” Twilight whined. She wiggled her hips a bit to entice her lover. Her body still felt heavy, but her fatigue was slowly slipping away, and being replaced with lust.

“If you weren’t so cute, I probably wouldn’t…” Dash pulled herself up further, placing a kiss on Twilight belly again. As her lips pressed down into Twilight’s fur, she glanced up to see the faint outline of her lover staring down at her. Rainbow Dash let her eyes fall closed as her attention focused on the task before her. Her hooves slid up under Twilight’s hind legs, and rubbed the side of her belly gently.

They weren’t closed long. A purple light caught her attention through her eyelids. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes to see Twilight’s horn glowing. It wasn’t a bright glow, but with Twilight, the light wasn’t just for show. She was going to get Dash’s attention in another, more forceful way than a bit of bright light. Suddenly, she felt Twilight’s magic tugging on her tail, trying to pull her down towards the foot of their bed.

“Dashie, stop it…” the unicorn pleaded. She wiggled her hips once more, begging her lover for attention.

“You’re the one always complaining we don’t have enough romance in the bedroom!” Dash replied.

“That’s because you usually just want to rush things! This time, I need it. We had the romance. We were cuddling, so I don’t need the warm up…”

If Dash could see Twilight’s face, her cheeks would be beet red. She couldn’t help but smile as she slid back down between Twilight’s legs. The tugging on her tail stopped as soon as she moved down. The room was dark again, leaving just a faint gleam coming off Twilight’s slit from the moonlight. “She wasn’t kidding,” Dash thought.

Not wanting to disappoint, she placed her lips on her lover’s folds. As soon as they touched, she could feel Twilight’s hind legs tense, and squeeze her a bit from the sensations. A trickle of the mare’s juices came into Dash’s mouth when her tongue dove into her marefriend’s aching sex. Twilight’s nethers spasmed around her tongue on it’s decent. The further her tongue delved inside her lover, the more weak moans Twilight let out spurring her onward. Those soft moans were like music to Dash’s ears. All she wanted was to make Twilight feel good—as good as possible. She had to show her just how much she loved her, and pleasuring her was the best way Dash knew to do that.

She pushed her tongue in as far as it could go, only to slowly drag it out once more. She let her tongue run along Twilight’s quivering walls the whole way out, making the unicorn twitch for every agonizing moment. Just as her tongue was about to come free, Dash licked up Twilight’s slit, and placed her lips around her lover’s swollen clit.

As soon as she began to suckle on the swollen nub, Twilight’s back arched. A surprised moan escaped the pregnant mare’s lips, and she instinctively tried to squirm away from the source of the overwhelming sensation. Dash wrapped her forelegs around Twilight’s hind legs to stop her from slipping away. She could feel her legs shaking with tremors as she unleashed wave upon wave of pleasure shooting through Twilight.

After a sharp moan, Dash finally stopped. She pulled away from Twilight’s clit leaving the mare just on the edge of release. Twilight fell back onto their bed, a huffing mess. Dash waited patiently for her adorable lover to catch her breath before beginning again.

“Don’t stop…I was so close…” Twilight whimpered when she looked down her barrel at the pegasus.

Dash snickered to herself as she dug her muzzle back down between Twilight’s legs. Her tongue invaded Twilight’s sex once more. She eagerly licked her lover’s needing marehood. The taste of her juices filled Dash’s mouth as she continued to lap at Twilight’s pussy. As her tongue gently stroked the unicorn’s quivering lips, she could hear Twilight moaning.

“Dashie…” she murmured weakly. Her mind slipped into a lustful haze as she let Rainbow Dash ravish her. Twilight felt so close to Dash in that moment. The loving embrace of her partner’s forelegs wrapped around her hind legs, the feeling of her tongue inside her, the gaze she could just barely see in the moonlight—Rainbow Dash was filling her with her love. An intense surge of bliss shot through Twilight’s body at that thought. Her heart felt like it might explode.

Twilight couldn’t stop her body from shaking as Dash’s tongue meticulously licked her inner walls. Each small lick sent a jolt shooting up her spine in the most wonderful way, but it simply wasn’t enough. Deep inside her, she felt an ache that the pegasus couldn’t reach by licking. Twilight’s horn sparked, and the room filled with a purple glow once more. “Stop…” she muttered between pants.

Rainbow Dash looked up at her with a confused look. “What?”

“I need you inside me…” Twilight said blushing furiously.

Dash giggled. “You were talking about how tired you were, and now you want me to buck you?”

“Well, you’re the one who got me worked up like this. I’m not exactly tired anymore…” Twilight couldn’t bring herself to look Rainbow Dash in the eyes after that.

Dash frowned. “I just wanted to make you feel good though. I don’t need to right now…”

“That’s not fair. I don’t want to be the only one to…” Twilight’s cheeks turned bright red, the color clearly visible even in faint purple light of her magic. “Orgasm…” Twilight said softly.

Dash paused as she pondered for a moment. A small, devious smile came across her face after her brief contemplation. “I guess we could use that spell to get us both off.” Dash stood up from between Twilight’s legs.

After she was up, the glow in the room grew brighter for a moment. Dash felt a sudden rush of familiar sensations as Twilight’s magic focused around her. After the glow died down, she looked between her legs, and found a rock hard member hanging between her hind legs. A predatory smirk appeared on her lips as she glanced back up at Twilight. “You ready?”

Twilight nodded weakly. The pregnant mare started to stand up, but was stopped by Rainbow Dash stepping forward. She looked up at the pegasus looming over her. “What?” she asked, shyly.

“You like it better like this, don’t you?” Dash asked as she lowered her hips. The pegasus’s dick came to rest on Twilight’s pelvis, pointing straight up at her. Dash stared down at it for a moment, giving a few play thrusts to tease.

“This thing’s gonna go so deep inside you…” she mused aloud. She couldn’t help but bite her bottom lip in anticipation as a smile formed on her lips. Using dirty talk just like a stallion was exhilarating in a way. Before she and Twilight got together, Dash never could have imagined what it would be like to be inside another mare. Now, she knew why stallions enjoyed making those comments. She always felt so close to Twilight when she was inside her, and it was fun to tease the mare she loved; it was part poetic, part kinky.

“Won’t be the first time…” Twilight said with a small laugh. She stared down her barrel at Dash's dick. Her eyes opened a bit wider in amazement. She could feel the heat radiating off her lover’s hot flesh. Twilight could clearly feel the length of her marefriend go from between her hind legs, past her teats. It was actually amazing how something so big could fit inside her. Twilight licked her bottom lip. “Just be gentle.”

Dash nodded as she pulled her hips back. The underside of her cock slid against Twilight’s sopping folds, spreading the mare’s warm juices along her shaft. She pressed the the flat head of her dick against Twilight’s pussy, pushing forward just slightly. Twilight eagerly accepted her cock, pulling her deeper inside. Dash sank into the welcoming depths with ease, feeling her lover’s slick walls squeeze her, coaxing her ever further.

“Oh, Celestia…” Twilight muttered with strained breath. Cute little pants scaped her mouth as she looked up at Dash with needing eyes.

Dash placed her forelegs on either side of the unicorn’s head as she finally hilted herself in her lover. She stared down into Twilight’s eyes with a smile on her face. She lowered her muzzle down to her lover’s neck, brushing her cheek against Twilight. She could feel Twilight’s soft fur and her own intermingling together as she pressed herself closer to the unicorns. “I love you so much, Twi…” she whispered.

Twilight’s reached up with her forelegs, wrapping them around Dash’s back, and pulling her in for a hug. “You keep saying that,” she said softly into her ear. “I don’t know why you’re being so affectionate tonight, but I love it, Dashie.” Twilight placed a small kiss on Dash’s neck. “I love you too.”

Rainbow Dash pulled her hips back slowly, leaving Twilight’s warm confines. Her lover’s hot juices coated her member, making it feel cold to the night air as she withdrew. She left only the head of her dick resting inside Twilight’s pussy. When she looked down at her marefriend, a confident grin came across her face. “Ready, Twi?”

Twilight nodded, and Dash pushed into her once more. Her thick member was squeezed in a vice-like grip as she buried her dick in her lover. Twilight’s slick confines were burning hot. The mare’s walls squeezed down, trying to hold Dash as tightly as the could. It was almost too much for the pegasus to bear. Finally she was fully inside her lover once more, basking in the sensational warmth around her.

Twilight let out a pleased moan as Dash hilted inside her. “It feels so good…”

“You feel so good,” Dash corrected her as she pulled out once more. There was no hesitation in her movements. She didn’t pause this time to let Twilight build anticipation. She bucked her hips forward into the unicorn, making her yelp. As she thrust into her lover, Dash kept her eyes glued on Twilight’s face. She enjoyed the strained expression Twilight made when she was having sex. Her face scrunched from the sheer pleasure surging through her, her eyes pinched closed, and she bit her lower lip—it was cute. It filled Dash’s heart with such joy to see her marefriend lost in such bliss, especially knowing that she was the one doing this to her. “I love you so much…” she muttered again.

Twilight let out a moan in agreement. She pulled Dash down for a kiss, and immediately Dash felt Twilight’s tongue invade her mouth. The unicorn was utterly absorbed in her lust, and desperately trying to return Dash’s affection. She finally got what she wanted tonight, and that was for Twilight to enjoy herself. It had been bugging her since Twilight had helped her with her father; she wanted to show Twilight how much it meant to her. Just saying thanks, or telling Twilight that she loved her wasn’t enough. Rainbow Dash had to make Twilight feel her love. She had to not just show her gratitude, but show Twilight the depth of it. What better way than to give her the ultimate pleasure.

When their kiss broke, Twilight stared up into Dash’s eyes. “You’re getting bigger inside me…” she muttered. “Are you going to cum already?”

Dash shook her head.

“Good.” Twilight slid her hooves from around Dash, and pushed the pegasus back.

Rainbow Dash lost her balance and fell onto her back, her dick slipping out of Twilight’s pussy as she tumbled. “What gives, Twi?”

Twilight stood up on all fours before kneeling down on her forelegs. She raised her hindquarters up and lifted her tail for her lover to see. “You like doing it from behind better, don’t you?” she asked coyly.

Dash gulped as she stared at the faint outline of her marefriend presenting herself to her. “Yeah…”

“Then mount me.”

Rainbow Dash climbed back onto all fours. Just staring at Twilight made her magically-bestowed dick ache from just how hard it was. She stepped behind Twilight, and placed her forelegs around her lover’s haunches. “I was supposed to make you feel good tonight…” she said with a tinge of disappointment.

“Trust me, I’ll enjoy this too,” Twilight replied, biting her lip after she finished.

Dash’s dick brushed against Twilight’s slit as she aligned herself with her mare. She could hear Twilight panting with lust, eager to begin again. She might be acting like she was in control right now, but it was far from the truth. Dash knew she was close. Without any more hesitation, the head of her dick slipped inside Twilight once more.

“Claim me, Dashie…” Twilight said just loud enough for her lover to hear.

Hearing Twilight beg pushed Dash over the edge; she couldn’t resist anymore. The pegasus thrust inside her lover hard, making her yelp gleefully. Finally hilted inside her once more, she placed her hooves in front of Twilight’s shoulders, standing over her triumphantly. “You want me to buck you like this?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes!” Twilight cried out.

Dash promptly thrust into Twilight again. A sharp moan escaped the mare’s lips as her body jolted forward from the force of Dash’s thrust. Once fully inside, the mare’s walls squeezed tightly around her, begging for more. It felt like Twilight wouldn’t stop until Dash was sucked dry. “You’re not holding back tonight, are you.”

Twilight weakly shook her head. “You’re the one who did this to me…”

“Only because I love you so much,” Dash whispered into her ear. It was true. She did keep pushing Twilight in all the right ways to get her to this point. Rainbow Dash had been waiting until they got home to show her just how much she appreciated her. This wasn’t just sex, this was showing Twilight just how much she meant to her.

She plunged herself into Twilight’s velvety confines again, sending a jolt of sheer bliss shooting through her whole body. Just because it was about Twilight though, didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy herself—especially if her marefriend insisted on it. The pleasure built inside her as she continued bucking her hips. It all felt so good, Dash thought she might just melt inside Twilight between the heat and pleasure. It wouldn’t be long now. Twilight was twitching around her, and the mare’s breath was strained from her impending climax.

Soon she would cum; soon she would fill Twilight. Her heart felt as though it was floating for a moment as she hovered over that thought. Instinct kicked in, and Dash bucked her hips wildly to rush to that sweet release. Twilight was rocking with her, meeting the pegasus’s movements with her own. Each time their hips met one another’s, Twilight squeezed Dash’s member tightly, milking the sensitive shaft. Dash gasped. “You’re going to make me cum if you keep that up!”

“That’s the idea,” Twilight retorted with a small laugh. She panted wildly and sweat soaked her fur, but she didn’t care at this point. All Twilight wanted was to feel Dash’s cum inside her. The mare focused her muscles, expertly stroking Dash as she slid in and out of her slick sex. Each movement she felt her lover swell inside her. She knew Dash was hovering over the edge.

A quick slam into her pussy with Dash’s dick sent a sharp jolt of pleasure shooting through Twilight. Her hind legs were starting to go numb from the sensations. She couldn’t hold out anymore. She weakly looked back at her lover with almost apologetic eyes. “I can’t last any longer, Dashie…”

“Go ahead.” Dash rubbed her cheek against Twilight’s neck. “Cum for me, Twi…”

Twilight bit her lower lip. In an instant her body went numb as a delightful tingle flooded her senses. She let out a high-pitched whine as her orgasm overtook her. The room filled with the bright purple glow from Twilight’s magic surging. Everything faded into a thick haze for a moment, and only the euphoria washing over her mattered. She was vaguely aware of Rainbow Dash still thrusting inside her, sending wave after wave of intense pleasure rushing through her body. Her nerves screamed for it to stop, but Twilight couldn’t form the words.

Just when Twilight couldn’t take anymore, Dash made one final thrust. She felt an intense heat fill her sex. The wondrous, gooey sensation of her lover’s seed inside her made her body shiver. It was unreal how good she felt in that moment.

Twilight’s hind legs started to give out, but Rainbow Dash caught her from falling onto her stomach. She pulled Twilight down onto the bed with her as she tumbled onto her side. The two mares lay there on the bed, still breathless from their lovemaking. Dash’s foreleg came to rest on her lover, gently stroking her. Twilight let her eyes drift closed, and a content sigh left her mouth as she slid back into Rainbow Dash’s embrace. The afterglow of their orgasms slowly faded, leaving them utterly exhausted, and ready for bed.

“That was awesome,” Dash said softly.

“Yeah…” Twilight agreed, sleepily. Now that her lust was sated, her exhaustion from her long day was back with a vengeance.

“So, was that worth staying up a bit longer?” Dash teased.

Twilight rolled her eyes as a smile rested on her face. “I guess…” she said with a small laugh. Her breathing had calmed down enough so that she wasn’t panting wildly anymore. She rolled over to face her marefriend after her indecisive answer. Dash smiled at her with a confident grin, already anticipating her correction. “Alright, it was worth it. But, I still want to know what’s gotten into you…”

“What do you mean?” Dash asked innocently.

“Come on, Dashie. You don’t think I didn’t notice how much you’ve been hanging on me the past few days?”

Rainbow Dash shirked Twilight’s knowing gaze. “I haven’t been that clingy, have I?”

“Ever since you made up with your dad,” Twilight said, teasingly. Her eyes held a teasing gleefulness that just screamed that she already knew Dash’s reasoning, but still insisted on hearing it from her lover’s mouth.

Rainbow Dash sighed. “I-I just…I wanted to thank you for helping me out with my dad, that’s all…” she said quietly. It wasn’t easy to see in the dark room, but Twilight could just barely make out a faint red on her marefriend’s cheeks.

“Oh, Dashie.” Twilight couldn’t help herself but smile widely. “I told you I don’t need a thank you.” She snuggled closer to her lover, resting her head into her lover’s chest. Her horn snuggly sat against Dash’s neck just above her shoulder.

Rainbow Dash placed her head atop Twilight’s as they lay there in the dark. “Yeah you do. Twi, me and my dad haven’t talked like that in years. In one afternoon, you came in and changed everything between us…I…I didn’t get mad, things weren’t tense, and I just…” she trailed off.

Twilight’s ear perked up, showing that she was still listening.

“I have my dad back because of you…”

Twilight let out a soft moan of disagreement. “I didn’t fix anything,” she corrected. She rubbed her face deeply into Dash’s fur. Her fatigue was taking hold, and the comforting embrace of her partner sealed the deal. Twilight let her eyes drift closed. “I just helped you realize what was wrong, Dashie. You were the one who chose to try and save your relationship with your dad. Both of you made the choice, not me.”

“Yeah, you keep saying that, but I don’t feel like I did it…” Dash replied. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d still hate him…”

Twilight sighed. “And making up for all the lost time these past few days was me too? The breakfast, lunch, and dinner with your dad? The tour around Cloudsdale? The last minute tickets to a Wonderbolts show? All that father–daughter bonding? That was all me?” Her sleepiness was slowly leaking into her tone as she droned on.

“Well, we had to catch up…” Dash scratched her cheek with her hoof nervously.

“I know you did. And that’s also my point. You two had to catch up. I didn’t do anything…” Twilight ended with a yawn.

“I guess we did kinda start to patch things up over the past few days…”

“It won’t be fixed in a few days,” Twilight casually reminded her. “But you two are on the right path. I just happened to show you the door.”

“I guess you’re right. It looked like he liked you too. I bet you’re happy about that, right?”

Twilight nodded softly. “I’m glad your dad likes me. Now I don’t feel bad about dating his daughter.” Twilight’s tone was a mixture of fake pandering and exhaustion. It was a subtle way to tell Dash she was done talking about it, but the pegasus didn’t seem to notice.

“I thought you’d like that…”

Twilight a sleepy groan. “Alright, I’m completely…” Twilight was interrupted by another yawn. Before she finished her sentence, she snuggled even close to Rainbow Dash. “I’m exhausted, so I’m going to sleep. Good night, Dashie…” Twilight said sweetly.

“Yeah. Night, Twi…” Dash muttered distantly. She was still thinking about the past few days. Twilight had tried to dismiss the importance of her role, but Dash knew better. If it wasn’t for Twilight, nothing would have changed. She wouldn’t be speaking to her dad again, she wouldn’t feel so much better about their relationship, she wouldn’t be so happy with her life. “It’s going to take a while for us to be like we used to, but I have the chance now because of you.” She wrapped her foreleg around Twilight, pulling her in close. She felt her lover’s foreleg squeeze her in turn.

“Twi? You awake?” she asked, but there was no response. The soft, rhythmic breathing of her marefriend told her she was fast asleep already. Rainbow Dash dug her muzzle down into Twilight’s mane, letting her mare’s scent fill her lungs. Dash let her eyes drift closed. A smile came to rest on her face. “What would I do without you, Twi…” she muttered to herself.

As she lay there, the warmth of her lover and the smell of her mane made the pegasus’s heart swell with joy. She never wanted this moment to end. Everything was simply perfect—her life was perfect. For the first time since they were together, Twilight wasn’t stressed, and Dash felt at peace. She wasn’t fighting with her dad, she wasn’t concerned for Twilight, she didn’t have to knock some pony’s block off for upsetting Twilight—everything was right. Their life was falling perfectly into place.

Dash’s eyes popped open as she hovered over that thought. “Our life…” She let that phrase sink in for a moment. Did she and Twilight have a life together? They were dating, but as far as the future was concerned, what would they do? They were having a foal, she was essentially living in the library, even in Cloudsdale, Twilight spoke about their financial situation as a combined one. This wasn’t simply a committed relationship, this was the most serious relationship Rainbow Dash had ever been in.

“I always said I loved her, but…Wow…” Dash let out a small laugh. She pushed her muzzle further into Twilight’s mane, nuzzling her softly. “I guess I never realized just how much I love you…” she whispered.

Twilight let out a small moan in her sleep as she readjusted herself. Dash continued to smile as she held her lover close. As she lay there, staring into the darkness, she thought about the future. Her dream of being a Wonderbolt, eventually moving into a house, being a trainer later in life, whichever possible future she thought about, she realized something. Before she was with Twilight, she was always alone in those dreams. Now when she thought about her future, she had someone standing next to her.

“I don’t just love you…” she paused her own thought, almost scared to admit what she wanted. She hesitated because it was something she had never imagined herself doing. It was something ponies older than herself would do, something she was too young to even consider. Yet, the more she thought about it, the better the idea sat. It wasn’t scary, it was nice to entertain the notion for once in her life.

She stifled an almost hysterical laugh. “Grats, Twi…You did what plenty of stallions dreamed about.” She nuzzled her mare’s mane once more. “You actually clipped my wings.” She felt a rush as she said it. Rainbow Dash, the strong, brave, independent pony was actually considering marriage seriously for the first time in her life.

“This must be how Dad felt about Mom…” she thought as she tightened her grip around Twilight. Whatever her future may hold, she knew one thing was for certain; that Twilight was in it. With a content smile on her lips, Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, and let herself drift off to sleep.

Author's Note

Little did Dash know, Twilight was awake the whole time, and laughing to herself at the sappy nature of her musings.

Choices

Rainbows in the Night Sky

Chapter 19: Choices

The lavish and expansive architecture of Canterlot Castle sat vacuous and lonely around her. The cold, white stone was callous, the beautiful gold trim almost spiteful, and the elegant tapestries sickening; everything about the castle just sat wrong with her, reminding her of what she feared. The hallway Rainbow Dash sat in was empty—and had been so since she took a seat. It was the perfect place for her, since she didn’t want any company.

She tapped her hoof on the cushion of the couch, though it didn’t seem to help. She felt as though she was standing on the edge of a cliff, staring out into a void. She could feel herself teetering in eternal limbo. If she wasn’t careful, she could slip off that edge. Never before had she been scared of falling, but she knew that if she fell into the pit, she wouldn’t come back.

The subtle ticking of a clock hanging on the wall pulled her back to reality. Her eyes scanned the long corridor she was sitting in once more. The grey brick walls and elegant tapestries remained unchanged from the last time she looked. Dash stopped her tapping, and brought her hoof to her forehead. She felt as though her brain was actually buzzing inside her head.

The past few days had been a blur to her. So much had happened way too fast for her to keep up with it all. It was as though she was standing still as the world raced by her in slow motion. She had been there to witness it all, but when she tried to process what had happened, she was lost. In the wake of it, she was still trying to piece everything together.

She looked down at her other hoof, pressing a small felt box into the plush surface she was sitting on. Her heart sank as soon as she looked at the object. Dash picked it up and stared at it with a forlorn gaze. The little box she held in her hoof was her dreams for the future, but now it seemed as though those dreams wouldn’t come to fruition.

“Three months I’ve been planning this…” she muttered to herself. She leaned back a bit too far, and her head bumped the wall, but the dull pain didn’t even faze her. ”Three months,” she repeated. A groan escaped her as she dropped the box on the couch. Her hooves found themselves pressed against her forehead, drilling into her skin as hard as she could press them.

For what felt like the hundredth time since it happened, her mind played back over the past three months yet again. Ever since she and Twilight came back from Cloudsdale, she knew what she wanted to do. The sweat from the long days and endless hours of overtime came back to her. She could still feel the sweat trickle down her brow, the pain in her wings and back, the exhaustion seeping into every fiber of her being, all of that hardship for what sat next to her.

“I was excited at first, but now…” She stared at the ceiling of the corridor, her heart weighing heavy with uncertainty. Dash’s thoughts drifted to a few days back before it all changed. It was almost like she was watching herself from outside of her own body; she bolted around Fluttershy’s cottage, dodging the furniture as she chased down Angel. As she watched herself chasing after the rabbit, time slowed down, her wings beating ever slower until they finally came to a halt. She could see herself, but with one minor difference: on her haunch, instead of her own cutie mark, she had three pink butterflies. That small little mark made all the difference.

Dash sighed dejectedly. She was embarrassed to see herself act like such a fool. “How did I ever think I was supposed to take care of those stupid animals…” Just seeing her past self consumed by this lie made her jaw clench. Those three butterflies changed her entire outlook—who she thought she was. “It was weird…I woke up that day, and I went to Fluttershy’s house without even questioning it. It felt like it was my normal routine… “

Twilight had snapped her out of it. “If it hadn’t been for her…” The images in her mind raced forward at a blinding pace, and before she knew it, another scene was set before her. She was walking next to Rarity. Her cutie mark was back, but Rarity also had the same bolt of lightning on her haunch. “Twi figured everything out. All I did was just tell Rarity what she told me…”

She watched herself guide Rarity to the window of her friend’s boutique. Inside the window, Applejack could be seen slaving away at a sewing machine, where Rarity should have been. “Friends gotta help each other, huh…” She placed her hooves on the back of her head, leaning back into the couch. “I don’t think a friend could help me with what I’m feeling right now…” she softly said to no one.

Her mind fast forwarded again, and was now standing in the library with her friends, all gathered around Twilight. Dash winced. This was the moment that changed everything, the moment where she felt like she lost Twilight forever. All of her friends were happy to be back to their normal selves. Twilight was standing at a table, writing something down in a book. As she finished her sentence, Dash’s heart seized. In a bright flash, Twilight disappeared. Though she knew her marefriend would come back, the memory made the pain come alive once more. In an instant all of those emotions; the shock, the fear, the anger, the unbearable sadness—all of it ignited inside her heart once more, dragging it down deep into her chest.

Dash’s memory fast forwarded one last time. She and her friends were standing outside. It was already dark, and Dash still remembered those feelings tearing her inside. Suddenly, a flash of blinding light filled her vision. They all stared speechless as Twilight stood before them. Dash could still feel her heart jump in her chest at the sight. However, there was something different about Twilight. Suddenly, two wings burst forth from her sides, showing themselves to her friends.

Her memories faded, leaving her with the mental picture of Twilight—no longer a simple unicorn, but an amalgamation of the pony races—an alicorn. “She’s really a princess now…”

The streets outside were abuzz with the city of Canterlot celebrating the recent coronation. The soft roar of the crowd pulled Rainbow Dash back to reality. It had only been a few hours since Twilight was crowned, but for her, it felt like an eternity already. After the post-ceremony parade had ended, she slipped away from the festivities. It was a blur how she found herself in this particular hallway, but all that mattered to her was that there was no one around to bother her while she was thinking.

Dash ran her hoof over the box next to her. She could feel the fuzzy felt against her fur, a sensation that would usually drive her insane, but now, she was miles away. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she stared aimlessly at the wall ahead. “I should be happy for her…” As her hoof rolled along the surface of the small box beside her, it slipped, drawing her attention down. Her heart trembled in her chest every time her eyes fell upon the small box. “I should be happy for her, but…what about me? What about us?”

Dash picked up it up and flipped it open. Inside sat a small golden ring, the sight of which made her heart drop. A deep ache filled in her chest. She wanted to vomit. It was only a few days ago that the sight of this ring put the wind beneath her wings. When she first bought it, she was thrilled—more so than she had been in her entire life. It was the embodiment of her hopes, dreams, the life she wanted to have with Twilight. Her jaw clenched hard as she leaned her head back once more.

“Does she want to be with me anymore? Can she even be with me anymore? I don’t know what a princess does…What if she’s got to marry a prince or something? What about our kid?” But, she knew that there was no one around to answer those questions. The empty hallway sat silently, only reminding her of her loneliness.

Dash flipped the box closed. She tossed it callously beside her once more, and stared at the wall again. The horrid silence didn’t just stay in the hallway; it snuck inside her, and burrowed in her mind. It was as if her own mind was scared to offer her advice. The seconds ticked by on the clock above. At some point her eyes found themselves staring at it, entranced by the secondhand meticulously trekking across the clockface. Seconds became minutes before she realized it, and still the silence was uninterrupted.

Dash opened her mouth, preparing to say something—anything, but her thoughts were quicker. “I love her, but…” She hesitated. It was a thought she didn’t want to think. Her heart felt as though it would explode in her chest even at the notion. But before Dash could dismiss that terrible thought, a piece of advice her dad gave her when she was younger came to mind.

“Sometimes, if you love something, the best thing for it is to let it go…”

Another stinging pain flashed in her chest. That wasn’t what she wanted to hear. Why did she think that at that particular moment? She took a deep breath. “I love Twi…I can’t…” She stopped herself again. This whole situation wasn’t about her. Dash's gaze shifted back to the clock for a moment. “This isn’t about me…It’s about all of Equestria…”

“I love Twi, but…” she paused for a brief moment to swallow a lump in her throat, “if she can’t be with me…that’s…” She winced at the last word. Immediately, her heart felt like it was pierced. Her vision became blurry as tears started to form in her eyes. “If Twi want’s to break up after this…I just have to let her go…” Never before had she felt such a sensation tear through her. For a moment, Dash almost swore she felt her heart shatter, and every fiber of her being screamed out in agony.

The tears building in her eyes finally overflowed. She could feel her sorrow trickle down her cheeks. Even if she had to let Twilight go for the benefit of the country, she couldn’t force herself to do so—she wouldn’t. She could feel her soul crying out at the mere notion. After everything they had been through together, after all the struggles they faced, and how their love had blossomed through it all, she would rather die than let Twilight go.

Suddenly, the huge wooden door at the end of the hallway opened. Dash glanced over through her blurred vision to see Twilight walking towards her. “There you are.”

Dash wiped the tears from her eyes with one hoof and quickly snatched the small box next to her with the other. Before Twilight got too close, she tucked the container safely under her wing. “Hey…” she said, trying to keep her voice from trembling.

Twilight sat next to Rainbow Dash, a smile proudly on her face. “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you. You just disappeared after the parade.” She wrapped a foreleg around her marefriend, pulling her in for a hug. Once their shoulders touched, Twilight pressed her cheek against Dash’s and she let out a content sigh. Her new wing extended out, gently resting against Dash’s back in an embrace Dash had given her many times.

The pain in Dash’s chest melted away in that very instant. Her raging torrent of emotions quelled from the gentle embrace; Twilight’s affection was just what she needed.

Twilight pulled her face away from her lover’s with a confused look. She stroked Dash's cheek and felt it was a little damp. She looked into Dash’s eyes, searching, but the pegasus tried to avoid her gaze. “Were you crying?” Twilight asked in a concerned voice.

“N-no…”

“What is it, Dashie?” Twilight continued to probe. Her hoof gently stroked her marefriend’s back.

Rainbow Dash continued to stare down at the floor. She could feel that her eyes were still puffy from her tears, of which Twilight was clearly aware of. She wasn’t going to stop questioning her until Dash told her what was wrong. “How can I even tell her what I’m feeling?” she thought as she stared down at the cold stone floor. “Where would I even begin?”

She leaned over to Twilight’s side, head resting against her shoulder. It was a small way to show she wasn’t ignoring her. “Is she even thinking about this stuff? Am I looking too deep here?” She could feel Twilight’s grip on her tighten. “What if she does think we should break up…What about our kid…” Dash let out a dejected sigh.

Her gaze bounced to the corner of her eyes, catching a glimpse of her marefriend for a brief moment. Twilight was patiently waiting for her to speak, but Dash groaned in frustration at herself. “I-I don’t know…” she finally said, too confused to even start.

“Well, there’s something wrong, so just start talking, and we’ll piece it together from there,” Twilight said optimistically.

Dash gave a small nod before sitting up. “I guess I’m just…” She let out a desperate groan. “You’re a princess now…”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“And, you have a lot more responsibility and stuff now.” Dash shrugged Twilight’s foreleg off from around her. “Just look at Princess Celestia and Princess Luna…They’re always doing stuff—important stuff for Equestria…”

Twilight giggled. “I’m not taking over for them. They’ll still be doing their normal duties.”

“You’re not taking this seriously!” Dash crossed her forelegs, and locked them in place. Her gaze quickly turned in the opposite direction from Twilight. It seemed as she was missing the point entirely.

Twilight sighed with a distant look on her face. “I’ve decided…” she paused for a moment. That pause stopped Dash’s heart in her chest. Her whole body went stiff as she waited for Twilight to finish. “I’ve decided I’m not going to let this change anything…” A small smile came across Twilight’s face as she spoke.

Dash turned to her with wide eyes. “What?”

“I’m not going to let this change anything about me. I’m still me, just with a pair of wings.”

“But what if you have to move into a castle, or live here in Canterlot?” Dash climbed off the couch and walked in front of Twilight, staring at her with desperate, pleading eyes.

“Princess Celestia promised me I wouldn’t have to do any of that.”

“B-but…”

“But what?” Twilight tilted her head to the side, expectantly. “What’s really upsetting you, Dashie?” she said with a calming tone as she placed her hoof on her marefriend’s shoulder. “It’s not that I’m a princess now...”

“Twi…do you…still want to be with me?” Her voice quivered as she spoke.

Twilight’s eyes went wide for a moment. “W-what?”

“Do you still want to be with me?” Dash raised her voice as she repeated the question.

“Is that what you’re so worked up about?” she blinked in disbelief.

“I mean, you’re a princess, and I’m a…” Dash looked down at the ground. “I’m a nopony…” she said in a low tone. Her ears fell flat as it left her lips, as though she was ashamed to admit it.

Twilight let out an almost hysterical laugh. “A nopony? You, Rainbow Dash, a nopony?”

“Yeah, right now at least…” Dash perked up for a minute to defend her pride.

“Right now, but what about the future?” Twilight teased.

“In the future? I’ll be a Wonderbolt, obviously!” Her eyes narrowed with determination.

Twilight smiled. “So, you’re going to be a somepony.” She stroked Dash’s foreleg with her hoof. She stared into her lover’s eyes as the realization slowly took hold as to what Twilight was getting at. “What does it matter if you’re not famous right now. I love you, and that’s what’s important.”

“But, don’t you have to marry a prince or something?”

“My brother wasn’t a prince when Cadance married him, Dashie…” Twilight rolled her eyes.

Rainbow Dash’s cheeks turned red. “I…kinda forgot about that…”

Twilight’s horn lit up, and her magic pulled her marefriend closer. She pulled Dash in for a hug, nuzzling into the pegasus’s messy mane. “Just because I’m a princess now, doesn’t mean I’m going to break up with you,” she said softly.

Rainbow Dash wrapped her forelegs around Twilight, returning her embrace. She nuzzled into her lover’s chest, deeply. The little conversation with Twilight made her heart finally relax for the first time since these thoughts popped into her mind. She felt at peace.

“It will take a lot more than a crown to get rid of me,” Twilight teased.

“I…I guess I kinda needed to hear that from you…”

“Was this what you’ve been worrying about? I know we haven’t had a chance to talk about this since everything happened. I’ve been busy getting ready with Princess Celestia and Luna, and by the time I came back, you were asleep…”

“I just got myself worked up over nothing…” Dash blushed.

Twilight placed her hoof on Dash’s head, softly stroking her mane. “Don’t do that anymore. If you need to talk to me about something, just do so,” she whispered softly.

Dash closed her eyes as she nuzzled into Twilight’s chest. Thoughts of the future all vanished, leaving her in the moment. All there was for her was herself and Twilight holding one another in a warm embrace. Her marefriend’s loving words brought a smile to her face as she buried herself in Twilight’s fur. “Marry me…” she murmured softly.

Twilight blinked a few times as her brain tried to make sense of the mumbled words. She pushed Rainbow Dash back, and looked into her face with a raised eyebrow. “W-What did you just say?” she asked, almost scared of the answer.

Rainbow Dash didn’t quite realize what she had just said herself. She shook the dopey look off her face as her mind started to register her own words. “I-I...uh…” Before she could even formulate another sentence, she became aware of the small box tucked under her wing. “No point backing down now…”

Her eyes narrowed with determination. “I mean it!” she said defiantly.

Twilight's gaze went from skeptical to shocked immediately. Dash nodded to her as she reached up under her wing with her hoof. Out from under the pegasus’s wing appeared the small box. As Rainbow Dash sat down to open it, Twilight fell back on her haunches as well. The sight made her jaw fall slack, and without even realizing it, her hoof slid up over her mouth to hold in her breath.

“Twilight…” Dash said, bringing her marefriend’s attention up from the box in her hoof. She opened it, revealing the small gold ring. “I’ve never cared about somepony so much as I do about you…” Dash hesitated for a moment, her eyes darting around during her pause. “I-I had a big speech planned and everything…” she muttered to herself. After a few seconds of finding nothing around the hallway that might jog her memory, she sighed. Reluctantly, she looked back up to Twilight and rolled her eyes.

“I’ll just wing it,” she said with a small pathetic smile. “Twi, I’m nuts about you. Being with you for the past six months has just been awesome—so awesome that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. No pony has ever made me so happy before, and I just want to make you happy and…“ she paused for a moment to swallow the building tension in her throat. “Will you marry me?”

The entire world fell silent in that very moment. Dash bit her lower lip as the seconds ticked by, holding her smile in eager anticipation. Twilight just continued to stare at her with wide eyes, completely frozen. It wasn’t unexpected though, such a big question would of course send Twilight’s mind into a tizzy. At that moment, Dash knew Twilight was struggling through all her thoughts, trying to come to terms with this sudden development. But, as much as the anticipation was killing her, she patiently awaited for Twilight's response.

After almost an entire minute, Twilight’s eyes blinked a few times. “Dashie…” she said softly. A tear started to form in her eye. Without any hesitation, she leaned forward, and planted her lips on Rainbow Dash’s. In a burst of passion, Twilight grabbed Rainbow Dash in a tight hug, catching the pegasus off guard.

It took a moment for Dash to catch up as to what was happening, but when she did, she wrapped her free foreleg around Twilight. The two kissed deeply, almost as if it was their first kiss all over again. After a short while, Twilight finally pulled away. “I’ve been hoping you would ask me this for so long…” She wiped the tear from her eye and she nodded. “Of course! Of course, I’ll marry you!”

Rainbow Dash jumped up, her wings buzzing. “Yes!” she cried out. Without even realizing it, she grabbed Twilight and hoisted her into the air with her. She spun Twilight around as she squeezed her tightly. They spun faster and faster, until Dash finally dropped Twilight back onto the ground, leaving her dizzy. Once Twilight was safely on the ground, Dash shot up into the air, and did a backflip. The pegasus landed as she came out of her flip, a huge grin on her face. She rushed back into Twilight, nuzzling her neck. “I knew you’d say yes, but it just feels so good to hear it, you know?”

Twilight shook her head in an attempt to get rid of her dizziness. She couldn’t help but laugh as Dash nuzzled into her neck. “Could I get a little warning next time?” she said as she placed her foreleg around her marefriend.

“Sorry...” Dash snickered.

Twilight levitated the small box from the ground where it fell in the moment of excitement. She held it up with a huge smile on her face. “I can’t wait to get this sized,” she said softly. “Although I really want to wear it tonight to the coronation dinner…”

“So, put it on.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Will it fit?”

“Try it...” Dash took a step back. She had a confident grin on her face which only intrigued her marefriend more.

Twilight levitated the gold ring out from the box. She looked over the dazzling surface, bewildered by the diamonds spaced evenly throughout. Just looking at it made her heart feel like it would leap out of her chest. Slowly, the ring, basking in the glow of Twilight's magic, found itself hovering just above her horn. Twilight let it slid down, until it came to rest at the base of her horn, snuggly. “It fits?” she asked, mildly amazed. “But how did you—“

“You’re a heavier sleeper than you realize, Twi.” Dash laughed to herself. “I had Rarity tell me how to get your ring size, and I did it while you were asleep.”

“This is perfect! I can wear it tonight then!” Twilight jumped in excitement.

Dash’s smile, on the other hoof, evaporated in an instant. “Are you sure?” she asked cautiously. “I mean, it’s your coronation dinner…” She wasn’t one to worry about things, but even she knew this could end very badly. With a ring on Twilight’s horn, everyone there would be asking questions. It was all too easy for the wrong information to slip.

Twilight’s smile turned sincere. “I know it seems like a lot to handle tonight.” Her eyes drifted downward. A bit of worry worked its way into her eyes as well. “But this is far more important to me than being a princess.” She pulled her marefriend in for a hug.

“I meant what about ponies asking you about it…” Dash muttered.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I’m not ashamed of you, Dashie. Ponies will find out eventually, and I want everypony to know who my mare—” Twilight stopped herself. She could feel the smile on her face widening. “I want everypony to know who my fiance is.”

“But what if somepony finds out about your condition…“

“I’ll have a dress on, just like at my coronation. No pony will even know I’m pregnant.” She nuzzled into Dash neck.

Dash groaned. “I don’t know…“

Twilight laughed slightly. “I get that you’re worried, I am too. But I’m not going to let a little bit of worry ruin the greatest day of my life. And if anything, I think this will make ponies excited that another royal wedding is on the horizon.” She squeezed Rainbow Dash tightly.

Dash’s cheeks flushed red. “Y-you think?”

“Yeah,” Twilight said as she took a step back from her hug. Before she was too far away, Twilight placed a small kiss on her lover’s cheek, only making Dash blush further.

But just as her lips met Rainbow Dash’s cheek, the squeak of the hinges of the heavy wooden door at the end of the hallway cut the air. Twilight’s eyes shifted to the source of the noise, finding her friends and Spike on the other side. “There they are!” Pinkie called out from the group.

Twilight couldn’t help but smile as she turned to face them, Rainbow Dash standing next to her with the same look on her face.

Before they even stopped, Rarity had been the first to notice. “Oh my goodness! Twilight, is that—”

Twilight nodded.

“You have a ring on your horn!” Pinkie bounced up to Twilight, placing her hooves around the Twilight's head. She dragged her head down, so she could inspect her friend’s horn closely. Pinkie's eyes practically bulged out of her head as she looked the ring over. “This is—” she paused for a moment for what seemed like dramatic effect, “I have no idea what this is.” She let Twilight’s head go unceremoniously, causing Twilight to stumble back onto all four hooves.

“It’s an engagement ring!” Twilight said, rubbing her head.

“Wait!” She smiled widely. “You’re engaged? Rainbow Dash popped the question, finally?” She bounded high in the air, her voice jumping a few octaves as she asked.

Rarity placed her hoof over her mouth as she laughed. “I was wondering when you would, Rainbow Dash.”

“You knew?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.

“How else would she have known how to get Twilight’s ring size?”

“This is great!” Pinkie appeared behind Twilight and Rainbow Dash in a blur, wrapping her forelegs around both their necks and pulling them in for a hug. “When I can throw the party? Is tomorrow good? Or tonight?”

Dash rolled her eyes. “At least let us tell our parents first, Pinkie.”

Everyone chuckled.

“I’m just so excited!” Pinkie let go of Twilight and Dash and bounced back over to her other friends.

“So, y’all are finally makin’ it official?” asked Applejack for confirmation.

Twilight nodded. She felt Rainbow Dash’s foreleg slide around the back of her neck and turned to her with a smile.

“Congratulations, you two,” Fluttershy interjected softly.

“I don’t get it. What’s going on now?” Spike asked, sliding down from Rarity’s back.

Twilight glanced to Rainbow Dash for a brief moment, catching her nodding for Twilight to continue. She looked back at Spike with a smile on her face. “Spike, I have something important to tell you.”

He looked up at Twilight with expectant eyes, waiting for her to finish.

“I know there have been a lot of changes recently between Rainbow Dash moving in and my coronation…” Twilight’s eyes drifted downward, looking past the present for a moment. The last six months of her life flash before her eyes in what seemed like an instant. With a content smile, her eyes drifted closed briefly. “But something wonderful happened.”

“What? What’s everypony talking about?”

Twilight took a deep breath. “Spike, Rainbow Dash asked me to marry her.”

He stared at her blankly for a short while after she finished. After a few blinks, the realization started to sink in as to what Twilight said. His head drifted downward and his eyes were darting everywhere as the implications started to become apparent to the young dragon. “You’re getting married?” he asked softly. A small tinge of fear stained his voice.

Twilight glanced up at her friends for a moment. They all looked at one another, questioningly. Twilight nodded when they all looked at her before placing her hoof on Spike’s shoulder. “Listen, Spike, we already talked about this. Nothing will change with you and I, remember?”

“I…” he started to speak, but his words left him. He looked back up at Twilight with tears starting to form in his eyes. “Yeah, but…What if you’re wrong…What if something does change?”

She only shook her head slowly. “Spike, what are you worried about? Everything will be fine."

“No, it won’t!” He looked back at her. She could see the fear dwelling deep in his eyes. The worry of what the future may hold was a lot for him to handle. All sudden, major changes instilled a sense of uncertainty, and Twilight knew that first-hand. “What if you guys decide you don’t want me living with you anymore…or…your foal is scared of me…Or…or…” he said on the verge of tears.

She gave him a soft, gentle smile. “It will be fine, Spike. This is just Rainbow Dash and I making our relationship official. We’ve already been living like we’re married,” Twilight said as she turned her attention to Rainbow Dash. The pegasus smiled back as she took a step closer to the two. “But you are right. It won’t be the same.” With her hoof, she wiped away the forming teardrop from his eye and pulled him in for a hug. “We’ll be a family. You, Rainbow Dash, myself, and our little filly.”

Twilight could feel a soft, feathery wing being placed around her back. “That’s right.” She looked up to see Rainbow Dash standing next to her, smiling down at Spike.

He stared up at both of them. “You guys mean it?”

“Of course.” Twilight tightened her grip on him.

“You guys are alright with having a dragon in your family?”

Twilight giggled a bit. “You’ve always been a part of my family, silly, and I don’t think Rainbow Dash minds in the slightest.”

Spike smiled and wrapped his hands around Twilight.

Author's Note

I wonder if Chrysalis will try and take Dash's place at the wedding...

Resolve

Rainbows in the Night Sky

Chapter 20: Resolve

Twilight stepped into her room with an exhausted sigh. The smile from the news earlier was still firmly on her face. Inside, she paused for a moment to catch a breath. She wanted nothing more than to lay down after everything that had happened so far, but the day was far from over.

Her eyes drifted around the lavish guest suite she was staying in. Certainly, it was a bit more than she was used to on her visits to the castle, but she certainly couldn’t complain. She made her way over to the bed and placed her hoof on the plush surface. The fine silk of bedsheets felt comforting against the underside of her hoof. “So much has happened already,” she said, turning her head to Dash who followed behind her.

“You knew it would be a big day.” She smiled as she walked close to Twilight. “I guess you just didn’t know how much,” she said with a sly smirk.

“Oh, stop it. You can’t act so condescending when you were worried sick.” Twilight placed her forehead against Dash’s, just enjoying the moment with her fiance. She sighed happily. “I was wondering why you were sleeping on the other side of the bed last night,” Twilight whispered.

Dash pressed her forehead firmly against her fiance's, rubbing her muzzle against Twilight’s as she did so. “Sorry. I’ll sleep right next to you tonight to make up for it, alright?”

Twilight giggled as she pulled her forehead away from Dash’s. “That’s a start.” She leaned in and placed her lips on Dash’s.

Just as she was about to wrap her foreleg around her lover, a soft knock came from the door. Twilight leaned over to see around Dash’s head. Standing in the doorway was Princess Celestia, silently observing the pair with a small smirk on her face. “P-Princess!” Twilight pushed Dash back and stood up straight.

“I hope I’m not interrupting something, Princess Twilight.”

Twilight’s cheeks flushed red. “N-no, nothing at all!”

Dash furrowed her brow and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, nothing at all…” she muttered.

Twilight nudged Dash with her foreleg while keeping a nervous grin on her face. “I-is there anything we can do for you?”

Celestia laughed as she stepped into the room. “Quite the opposite.” She gave a warm, gentle smile. “Since you came to Canterlot for your coronation, we’ve discussed the ceremony, festivities to follow, as well as a few of your new duties, but none of that is particularly useful for a new alicorn. So, I thought that this would be a good time to answer any questions concerning your transformation.”

Twilight paused for a moment as she pondered what Celestia meant. She glanced over to Dash who only shrugged her shoulders. When she looked back to Celestia, she gave her a questioning look. “None really come to mind…”

“While I’m sure Rainbow Dash would be more than willing to help you with wing-care and flying lessons—” the pegasus nodded in agreement, “She won’t be able to help you with everything.”

“What do you mean, Princess?”

“I’m sure you’re aware that your magic is more powerful than before?” Twilight nodded. “The added strength of earth pony magic has probably caused a bit of surprise as well. While your friends may be able to help you cope with these changes, there are some uniquely alicorn problems that may arise.”

“Y-you mean like…immortality?” Twilight gave a concerned look to Dash before turning back to the princess.

Celestia shook her head. “Not all alicorns are like my sister and I, Twilight. I was more hinting to your increased magic reserves. Magic spikes aren’t unheard of for a new alicorn. It can be a lot to get used to and it won’t only manifest through your horn.”

“Magic spikes? Like…”

“Your exam for school comes to mind, but that was a very severe case. I want you to know that if you’re feeling something or have concerns—be it with your ascension or your new position—you can always talk to me about it.”

“Thanks, Princess.”

“What should she do if that happens, though?” Dash interjected, placing her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder.

“I’m not a filly anymore, so I won’t lose control of my magic from my horn—at least not like I did… Practice is the best way to deal with it. Learning to use my wings and my earth pony magic will be the best way to stop it from happening, right?”

Celestia nodded. “There is also another matter that I wanted to touch on, however.” She cleared her throat and subtly directed their attention Twilight’s belly with her hoof.

Twilight’s eyes opened wide at the realization. Slowly, her head drifted downward until her gaze was fixed on the floor. “It never even crossed my mind…” she muttered in disbelief. Suddenly, Twilight’s head snapped back up to Celesta. “P-Princess, what will—”

“I wouldn’t have waited so long to give you bad news, Twilight,” she said comfortingly. “I’m only bringing this up because I’m sure you would have worried about it sooner or later. You’ve also been preoccupied with your change and the coronation, so I didn’t feel it was right to bring it up until after that.” She took another step closer to her former pupil and placed her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Your foal should be fine.”

Twilight and Dash both breathed a sigh of relief. “For a second I thought you were going to say the foal would be an alicorn, too…” Dash chuckled.

Celestia laughed playfully. “I didn’t say that, Rainbow Dash.” Dash's and Twilight’s eyes went wide.

Celestia gave them a teasing smile before shaking her head. “Biologically speaking, your foal shouldn’t have been affected. The transformation affects your magic, giving it attributes of all three pony races. The wings and added physical strength are a side effect of that. The little one’s magic shouldn’t have been impacted by the change, however.”

“S-so, what about…” Twilight looked over at Dash before continuing. “Future…passengers?” she said, blushing. Dash’s eyes went wide briefly before looking at Celestia.

Celestia covered her mouth with her hoof and chuckled to herself. “As far as your body is concerned, you are still a unicorn, Twilight. Just with some…additional parts.”

“So, we don’t have to worry about an alicorn foal?” Dash asked, cautiously. Celestia shook her head, and Dash sighed in relief. “Sorry, I don’t know if I could handle a foal flying around and using magic…”

“It could be a bit tiresome, I would imagine.” Celestia nodded in understanding.

“Um, Princess, how can you be sure of this?” Twilight asked, confused. “Alicorns aren’t exactly a common occurrence, so where did you learn this?”

Celestia laughed. Her attention turned out the window towards a tower at the opposite end of the castle. “When Luna and myself underwent our changes, she was also carrying a foal.”

Twilight nodded subtly. “That explains her nephew, I guess…” she muttered under her breath.

“Well, it sounds like good news to me," Dash muttered.

When Celestia looked back, something caught her eye. She gave another sly smile when she noticed something glinting on Twilight’s head. “I also feel there is something else to be said here, Twilight. Congratulations.”

It took a moment for Twilight to realize what Celestia was talking about. She cracked a smile as her hoof touched the ring on her horn “T-this?”

Celestia nodded. “You weren’t wearing that earlier today, so I’m guessing that happened after the ceremony?” Her eyes shifted to Dash, catching the pegasus puffing out her chest proudly and boasting a pleased grin.

“Just before we got back to the room.” Twilight blushed.

“This is a big step, and I am proud that you two are making it.” Her smile turned soft as a bit of seriousness crept into Celestia’s eyes. “Though are you two sure about this after only six months?”

Twilight and Dash’s eyes met, and without even realizing it, they smiled at one another. “Of course,” Twilight replied. “We may have only been dating for six months, but we’ve been friends for much longer.

“Besides, after all the stuff we’ve been through, we should be fine.” Dash took a step closer to Twilight and wrapped her wing around her, pulling her close.

Celestia closed her eyes and gave a small nod. “That’s good to know.” She turned to walk towards the door. But just before she left the room, she faced Twilight and Dash again. “If you have any more questions, I’ll be happy to answer them if I can.”

“I don’t think so…” Twilight placed her hoof to her chin. “I’ll have to see if any come to mind. Maybe I’ll make a list—”

“She’ll get back to you, Princess.” Dash nudged Twilight, reigning her in before she trailed too far off.

Celestia laughed at the pair's shenanigans. “Then I will see you two at the ball tonight.” With a small nod, she left the room. As she walked down the hall, she couldn’t help but think, “At least Twilight found somepony to keep her grounded from time to time.”

Dash shook her head once Celestia was out of the room. “You get way too uptight around her.”

“She’s my teacher. Of course I’m going to get nervous around her, especially after she walked in on us having an intimate moment.”

A sly smile grew on Dash's face. She turned to Twilight and let her wing slide down her fiance’s side, eliciting a small giggle from her. When Twilight finished, Dash moved her muzzle closer to hers. “Speaking of which…” Dash whispered seductively.

Twilight rolled her eyes and turned her muzzle away from Dash’s lips. “We have a ball to get ready for. Sorry, Dashie, but there’s no time to celebrate.”

Dash groaned. “That’s not fair…”

“I was going to cut you off before things got too carried away, anyway.” Twilight placed her hoof on Dash’s chest and stepped back. “But believe me, tonight, I’m going to rock your world.” A devilish grin spread across Twilight’s face.

Dash took a step towards her, getting nose to nose with Twilight. Her sultry gaze stared deep into Twilight’s eyes as she inched closer. “Really now?”

Twilight returned her lover’s gaze, but placed her hoof over her lips to stop Dash’s advance. The flirtatious look in Dash’s eyes vanished immediately. “I’m serious. We need to get ready for tonight.”

“Fine,” Dash said as she rolled her eyes.

Twilight nodded and smiled. “Good, I’m glad you understand.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Dash sat on the floor, her cheeks puffed out. A small scowl sat on her face as she stared at her fiance, barely containing a laugh. “What?”

“You don’t have to pout. We’ve got all night after the ball is over to…celebrate our engagement.”

“That’s true.” Dash shrugged. As she did so, her expression relaxed back to her usual self.

Twilight’s smile grew into a wide grin. “Speaking of celebrating, we’ll need to tell my parents!” She jumped in excitement. “I can’t believe it! They’ll be so excited!”

Dash’s heart dropped in her chest. She winced as she cleared her throat to catch Twilight’s attention. “I…uh…kinda already told them…”

“What? When?” Twilight’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Well, I had to ask them…” Twilight’s gaze relaxed and her disappointment was replaced with surprise. “That’s what you’re supposed to do, right? Ask to marry somepony’s daughter?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, but…”

“I mean, they don’t know that I asked you already, but they know that I was going to…”

“So, they’re expecting the news then…” Twilight nodded again, this time in acceptance of the situation. “They’ll still be happy,” she reasoned, aloud.

“Yeah, just send a letter to them telling them to come a little early so we can tell them the news.” Dash waved her hoof dismissively. “No problem, right?”

“Spike’s with Rarity, though. She made him a new bowtie and everything for tonight… Besides, we don’t need to send them a letter. We can just talk to them before the ball.”

“That’s even easier.” Dash stood back up as Twilight walked to her.

“You’re awfully relaxed. I guess my parents didn’t give you a hard time when you asked?”

“No way. I mean, your dad was a little skeptical, but he came around.”

“Good. I think they might actually like you, Dashie.” After she placed a quick peck on Dash’s nose, Twilight walked over to the nearby closet. “Tonight’s going to be perfect. So, what did you plan on wearing to the ball?”

Dash sighed. “The same thing I wore for coronation,” she said in a bored tone. She climbed on the bed and rolled over onto her back. A small groan escaped as she stared up at the ceiling. The mention of tonight being perfect made her uneasy. She couldn't shake the feeling that something will go horribly wrong.

“Oh, you’re just wearing your Gala dress?” Twilight asked, a tinge of disappointment in her voice.

Her eyes shifted to Twilight though her head didn’t move. “That a problem?”

“No,” Twilight answered quickly. She looked back in the mostly empty closet. Hanging inside was her fiance’s dress, her own Gala dress, and the dress she wore for her coronation. Twilight sighed as her eyes came to a fourth one. It was hanging in a black dress cover, a dress she hadn’t seen before. “I was just going to wear mine too, but Rarity insisted I have a new dress just for the ball…”

Dash nodded knowingly. “Is that what that other one is?” she asked, still reclining, though her ears were now perked up.

“Yes. It’s Rarity’s design, so I’m sure it will look nice, but…” Twilight trailed off, but Rainbow kept her ears perked up to show she was still listening. “Seems like a lot of trouble when I have a perfectly good dress, you know?”

“Yeah, but you know Rarity.” Rainbow rolled over and shifted to face Twilight. “It’s fine, Twi. It’s your big day, so it's fine to be a bit spoiled.”

Twilight chuckled. “I guess…” Twilight sighed as she levitated the new dress out of the closet. “I suppose we should get ready then…”

Dash groaned. “Already? It’s not for a few hours yet!”

“That’s when it starts. I’m sure I’ll have ponies to meet and things to do before the actual event. Now let’s go.”

She rolled onto her back again. “Sounds boring already…” she muttered as she placed her foreleg over her eyes.

Twilight walked over to the bed “I’m serious, Dashie. Besides, we do have to tell my parents when they get here, remember?”

“I know…” Dash lay there for a moment before peeking out from behind her foreleg. Though she could see Twilight was smiling, she couldn’t quite bring herself to do the same. “Twi, are you sure you want to wear your ring tonight? I just…” Her eyes shifted to the side for a moment. “I have a bad feeling about it.”

“Are you really that jaded with everything that’s happened? I thought you were the optimistic one, Dashie.”

Dash reluctantly laughed. “After the crap with everypony in Ponyville and how your mom and dad reacted, can you blame me? I just don’t want you to have to deal with that again. Especially not tonight…”

Twilight nodded. “No one will find out. Besides, I’m more than sure.”

Dash cracked a half smile. “I guess as long as you’re sure, it’ll be fine, right?”

As day faded into night and the festivities began, Twilight found herself sitting at a large rectangular table at the front of the grand ballroom. To her left was Princess Celestia and Luna, both paragons of perfect table etiquette. To her right was Rainbow Dash and an elder alabaster mare she had not seen before.

She didn’t have to look farther to see who was on the other side of this mare to know. She could sense the self-important aura even from where she was sitting. “Why did Blueblood have to be up here?” she mentally questioned. Flashbacks of a few interactions with him made her shudder.

Dash placed her hoof on Twilight’s foreleg. “What’s up?”

“Nothing.” Twilight forced a smile.

Dash grinned. “Thinking about how bad it could’ve gone when we told your parents?” she teased.

Twilight shook her head and giggled. Her smile turned genuine in an instant. “Yeah right. I knew they would be happy. Though my mom was a little upset that we ruined her makeup by making her cry.”

Dash chuckled. “She can’t be too angry.”

“No, she can’t,” Twilight agreed.

Her eyes turned to the filled ballroom. The constant chatter and occasional clang of dishes filled the air. The smiling faces of the ponies brought a small smile to her own, but it fell almost hollow when she noticed a table close to the front. Sitting at it was her friends and family. “I wish they could have sat up here with us…” Twilight muttered.

“I’m sorry, Twilight, but the head table is for royalty and their significant others only,” Celestia replied to the idle complaint. “Though your friends are important to Equestria, if they were up here with us, it would show clear favoritism.”

Twilight nodded, but still couldn’t bring herself to stop frowning. As her gaze fell down to the empty plate in front of her, she felt a small nudge from Dash on her right.

“They’re fine. Your mom and dad don’t seem too upset either.” Dash tried to cheer her up, but failed. She sighed. “The new Princess of Equestria shouldn’t be frowning at her coronation ball, Twi…”

“That’s not fair…” Twilight nudged her back.

“She’s right, Twilight.” Celestia gave her a teasing smile, which made Twilight roll her eyes.

Twilight sighed. “Fine. I’ll just try to enjoy the evening.”

Dash motioned to the table with their friends. “I really don’t think they care, Twi. They’re just happy to be here.”

Twilight looked back to the table again. As soon as her eyes met Pinkie’s, the mare stood up on her hind legs and started waving her hoof enthusiastically in the air. Twilight smiled and without even realizing she waved back, though far more reserved than her friend. When Rarity pulled Pinkie back into her seat and gave the ponies around her an apologetic grin, Twilight giggled. “I guess you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right.” A cocky grin grew on Dash’s face as she sat back. “You’re worrying too much—”

The sound of a clearing throat drew everyone’s attention to a small stage. A stallion dressed in a formal suit stood up front, behind him stood a small ensemble waiting patiently by their instruments. The stallion’s horn was glowing, and a small patch of magic resonated around his throat as well. “Ladies and gentlecolts, the formal dining portion of this evening is drawing to a close,” he said in a deep, but soothing voice. “I hope you found everything to your liking as the festivities in honor of Princess Twilight’s coronation are about to commence. Tonight’s entertainment is courtesy of the Royal Canterlot Orchestra.” The stallion stepped to the side and bowed to the audience while presenting the musicians.

After that, music began to fill the air. A team of servants appeared and went to clean the tables. Once everything was tidied, the music swelled as the ball officially commenced.

Twilight laughed nervously. “I hope I’m not expected to be out there…”

“Only if you want to,” Celestia remarked with a small laugh. “It was a tradition among the earth pony tribes for the newly crowned queen or king to partake, but…” Celestia glanced over at Luna.

“I refused during our coronation,” Luna stated bluntly, a small tinge of red visible on her cheeks.

“She still doesn’t dance,” Celestia teased.

Dash leaned over the table to see past Luna. “Did Cadance dance at hers?” she asked with a sly grin.

“Not at my coronation, but Aunt Celestia did make up a tradition that the youngest princess had to share a dance with the captain of the Royal Guard during the Gala one year.” She gave a playful nudge to Shining. Celestia, Luna, and Cadance all shared a laugh as Shining rubbed the back of his head with his hoof.

“That does sound like something you would do, sister.” Luna covered her mouth in an attempt to quell her giggling.

“I could see a spark between them and thought I could give a little helping hoof,” Celestia said after she stopped laughing.

Twilight looked back at Dash. “Did you want to dance?”

Dash laughed nervously. “Not really…”

“Good,” Twilight said with a sigh of relief. “I didn’t want to make a fool of myself on the dancefloor tonight…”

“You’re not that bad.” Dash cracked a smile when Twilight gave her a knowing look. “Okay, you’re pretty bad.”

“Thanks…” Twilight groaned.

Before Dash could reply, they heard the soft sound of a pony politely clearing their throat. Dash turned to the mare next to her. She was older unicorn mare with pristine white fur and a silver mane with a slight blue tint. “Excuse me, but could I have a word with Princess Twilight?” she asked in an overly sweet tone.

Dash looked back to Twilight with a skeptical glance. Twilight shrugged her shoulder, but nodded. “I guess I’ll go talk to everypony else for a bit. You’ve got princess stuff to do, right?”

Twilight nodded with a small laugh. “Go ahead.”

After Dash had left the table, the mare moved closer to Twilight. “Princess Twilight. I’ve heard so much about you,” she said, placing her hoof on the table.

“I’m terribly sorry, but who might you be?”

“Where are my manners.” Her voice carried a distinctly southern drawl, but still carried a refined feel. It was clear she came from money. “I’m Duchess Silver Crown.”

“Duchess?” Twilight mentally noted.

“I’ve never been one for the public sphere,” she said with a small laugh, “but I’m sure you’ve at least heard of my son, Prince Blueblood?”

“Oh, you’re Blueblood’s mother…” Twilight forced a smile. “It’s nice to meet you,” she replied in a friendly tone.

“Likewise.” She smiled back, seemingly oblivious to Twilight’s aversion. “Blueblood has been telling me a lot about you—well, there’s also your escapades. Can’t hardly pick up a newspaper without hearing about you or your friends.” She laughed again placing a hoof daintily on Twilight’s shoulder before letting it fall. She leaned in, looking over her shoulder as she did. “Speaking of which, he’s single, you know—”

“Mother!” The stallion snapped his head in her direction, despite her low tone.

“Hush now,” she retorted playfully. “I swear that boy will never get married.”

Twilight laughed nervously. “Actually, I’m—”

“Already taken?” She raised an eyebrow, though clearly privy to the information already. “I was teasing,” she assured. “It’s been around the rumor mill for a while now that you’ve been smitten with somepony.”

“R-really? A rumor about me?”

“Of course, dear. You're famous,” she said, matter-of-factly.

“I just didn’t realize ponies knew I was…seeing somepony…”

“Well, once the news gets out…” she chuckled. “That, and the ring you’re wearing, darling.”

“Excuse me, your highness, Duchess.” A server approached the table. “Would you care for a drink?” he asked, levitating down a silver platter with two glasses on it. Both glasses contained a golden, bubbling beverage that reeked faintly of alcohol.

Twilight raised her hoof. “I’ll pa—”

“Of course,” Silver interrupted as she levitated two glasses from the tray and passed one to Twilight. “It’s your coronation, Princess.” Her eyes held shifted to Twilight and a small, almost devious smile appeared on her lips.

Twilight scrunched her face slightly as she looked into the bubbling glass. But, politely, she wrapped it in her magic before setting it down in front of her. “I’m not very big on drinking.”

“Princess, it’s your big night,” Silver said, raising her glass in a small toast. “You should celebrate. It’s not everyday you rise to royalty.” She gave a small laugh.

Twilight glanced behind her, hoping Celestia would offer an easy out for her, but she was nowhere to be seen. She looked again, realizing that there was no one behind her. Twilight looked around the ballroom, catching Celestia and Luna meeting with a group of ponies, Cadance and Shining Armor were enjoying themselves on the dancefloor, and her friends were talking amongst themselves and her parents. Anyone who could offer a quick way out of this situation was preoccupied. “Guess I’ll have to handle this by myself.”

Twilight smiled as she raised the glass up and tapped it gently against Silver’s. Once the mare started to drink, Twilight quietly set hers down in front of her.

“Though I am quite surprised,” the duchess said as she lowered her glass. “I never would have thought you would be one for a pegasus.” She gave a devious smile.

Twilight’s eyes went wide. “What do you mean by that?”

“With your upbringing and who you are, it just seems that a unicorn would be more—”

Twilight groaned. “That’s rather rude…”

Silver laughed again. “I don’t mean anything by it. It’s just ponies tend to like similarity is all. A powerful, well respected unicorn like yourself usually settles down with another unicorn.” She swirled the champagne in her glass and took another sip. When she lowered her glass, she saw Twilight glaring at her. ”There’s nothing wrong with it, darling, just a bit of a surprise is all.”

Twilight’s glare softened. “I guess I misunderstood…” she said after a small sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted to do was to get into a heated discussion over her love life with some pony she barely knew nor was it much of her business.

Silver smiled again, giving Twilight a sly look. “Though she seems like quite a catch.”

Twilight cracked a smile herself. “I think so,” she said, giggling.

“So, how long has it been for you two?” she asked, taking another sip of her drink.

“Well, we’ve been dating for about six months, but we have been friends for much longer.” Twilight relaxed a bit in her seat. Though a bit of a gossip, she realized the duchess wasn’t being malicious. “She actually just proposed today.”

“Today?” Silver’s ears perked up. “That seems a little coincidental.”

“She had been planning to propose for a few months,” Twilight assured her.

“That’s good to know.” She stared down at her drink, pausing for a moment as she did so. “I remember when I married Blueblood’s father. The press had a field day with that one.”

“Were you always nobility?”

“The title was bestowed after marriage.” She rest her head against her hoof, staring into her glass with a listless gaze. “After I married Prince Noble Heart, Blueblood’s father, I was given the title Duchess.”

“You don’t seem to happy about that.”

“It’s a meaningless title, unlike yours.” She chuckled, shifting her gaze to Twilight. “So, how far along are you now?” she asked, politely.

“Six months—” Twilight stopped herself, turning to the duchess with wide eyes.

Silver smiled back with a smug smile. “So that one was true too…” She motioned with her head towards Dash, chatting away completely oblivious to the situation. “I’m guessing that sweet little thing over there’s the daddy?”

Twilight’s eyes grew wider. Her heart sank as she opened her mouth to speak. “How did you—” Her voice started to raise, but the duchess just brought her hoof to her mouth to shush Twilight,

“Don’t make a scene now, Princess.” She chuckled unpleasantly. “Most ponies don’t take kindly to this type of news. Especially not from a newly crowned princess.” Silver sat up, tipping back her champagne glass into her waiting mouth. When she finished her glass, she brought over Twilight‘s with her magic. “But maybe we can keep this between ourselves?”

“A-are you blackmailing me?”

“I don’t like using that kind of colorful language. Let’s just say that secrets can make you some friends.” Silver gave Twilight a wicked grin.

“W-why would you—”

“Because being an old, washed-up duchess doesn’t satisfy me. I have almost no say in the government these days—not that I ever had much, even when that bastard was still alive…” She took another gulp from her commandeered glass before setting it down angrily. “Blueblood’s useless. The boy’s little more than a political pawn in case they need some dolt to marry off for a treaty or something. You, on the other hoof, are somepony I might be able to…reason with…” She laughed again, though sounding more hysterical than cheerful.

“You’re blackmailing me for some political power?” Twilight shook her head a bit, trying to wrap her head around the very idea.

She was a new princess. Celestia and Luna were the ones who ran the country. Even Cadance was mostly a figurehead for the Crystal Empire. Twilight was no one in the grand scheme of things, even if she was a princess. “Celestia and Luna won’t listen to me…” she muttered.

“They would listen to you more than me, darling. I’m just their late nephew’s wife and current pain in the flank’s mother. Besides, once you’ve been around for a little longer, you might find yourself having more sway in affairs.” Silver raised her eyebrow at the suggestion, hoping to convince Twilight. “I would just like to have your ear more than other ponies, if you catch my drift.”

Twilight’s eyes shifted from the mare to the ballroom. Around her, ponies were dancing, enjoying themselves, completely unaware of what was happening. Their smiling faces almost hurt, but not because Twilight wished she was in their shoes rather than dealing with this. It was because she had already failed them as their princess. “First day on the job and I’m already being blackmailed…” Twilight closed her eyes.

“Of course, I won’t force you to listen to what I have to say, but I doubt you want this little information slipping out.” She took another gulp of her drink. “It’s up to you, Princess.”

Twilight opened her eyes. She tried to think about other options, but there weren't any. As soon as the conversation took this turn, she knew how she would handle this. Twilight calmly turned to Silver Crown. “I refuse,” she said plainly, causing Silver’s eyes to open wide. “I have more faith in the ponies of Equestria than that. The ponies who know about this have been accepting and understanding after they’ve come to see my reasons behind it. I believe the ponies of Equestria will as well. I won’t let you bully me into being your political puppet.” Twilight pushed her chair back from the banquet table. without even excusing herself she started to leave. “Good day, Duchess.”

Silver’s smile immediately fell flat. She stuck out her hoof, stopping Twilight from leaving. Her eyes narrowed, and that sense of superiority she boasted before turned into vengeful contempt. “You’re making a huge mistake, Princess.”

“Please let go,” Twilight asked politely.

“Once ponies find out you have another mare’s foal in that belly of yours—”

“She what?” Blueblood yelled, causing everyone at the ball to turn their heads. “She’s pregnant with another mare’s foal?” A plethora of gasps came from the crowd, causing the music to stop.

Silver clenched her jaw. “That dolt,” she thought to herself. But before she could get too upset, she realized that this might be just what she needed. With a small laugh, she turned her head to Twilight. “Princess, I can make this all go away if you accept my little offer. This could all be a simple misunderstanding,” she said in a low tone so that only Twilight could hear.

It took a moment for Twilight to register what Silver had said. When she looked out at the crowd of ponies all staring at her with questioning eyes, she remembered how she felt in Ponyville when the town’s unicorns confronted her. Her heart trembled, but even though she was scared, she couldn’t let that show. Things were different than before. Twilight forced her body to relax and took a deep breath.

She looked toward her friends and family. Each seemed ready to stand up and defend her if needed, but the face that stood out to her was her beloved’s. Dash had that same defiant look she had when she stood up to her parents. That look brought a small smile to Twilight’s face.

Her gaze turned to Cadance and Shining still on the dancefloor. She could see the worry in Cadance’s eyes from where she was, but she also knew Cadance would stand up for her in an instant if needed. Her brother had a similar look to Dash’s, ready to defend his little sister at a moment’s notice.

Finally, Twilight looked to Celestia and Luna. There was no fear or concern on their faces. Twilight knew Celestia wouldn’t abandon her at this time, she realized that look must have meant something else. When she saw a small nod from the princess, Twilight immediately understood.

“I don’t believe that will be necessary, Duchess,” Twilight replied with the same soft tone.

The room fell silent, waiting for her to speak. Twilight cleared her throat. “It’s true,” she stated plainly. A few of the mares gasped and a low chatter began as everyone talked amongst themselves.

“Everypony, please,” Twilight said, grabbing their attention. “I know you must have noticed the pony sitting next to me during dinner. I’m also sure some of you noticed that I am wearing a ring this evening.” Twilight paused, noticing a few nods. “The pony that was sitting next to me is very important to me. It may be a bit soon to announce, but we’re engaged.”

There wasn’t much of a reaction from the crowd. Many were still hung up on her earlier statement, but Twilight felt that needed to be said. She thought that perhaps it framed her situation for them or they would understand if they loved one another, but that wasn’t the case. These ponies weren’t like the ones in Ponyville; they breathed the stuffy atmosphere of Canterlot high society their whole lives. Where the ponies in Ponyville had been reluctant and tried to force Twilight out as a sense of duty, these ponies actually believed it. “That being said…” she started, keeping their attention before they could start talking amongst themselves again, “I am carrying her foal.”

“Monster!” a stallion called out from the back of the room. A few shouts followed shortly after, mimicking the original pony’s taunt.

Twilight winced at the slur. She noticed the pegasi and earth pony guards placed around the room moving to deal with the offender, but Twilight raised a hoof to stop them. She had also taken notice that the unicorn guards made no move. A look of uncertainty hidden in their stoic facades.

“I understand that you all may be upset, but—”

“You should be stripped of your crown and ran out of town!”

“Hey!” Spike yelled.

Dash stood up, glaring at the mare who yelled that. “Let her finish, alright? Or I’ll kick you out of town…”

“Why I never!”

“I agree,” a stallion said stepping up from the crowed. “After everything that Princess Twilight has done for our kingdom, at the very least she should be allowed an explanation!” After a few ponies agreed, the stallion nodded to Twilight.

She smiled at him before continuing. “I understand that this is a taboo among unicorns, but in the research I’ve done and the ponies I’ve talked to, no one can actually give a tangible reason why this spell is so frowned upon in our society,” Twilight tried to reason, but the ponies didn’t seem sympathetic—at least, at first glance. A few faces that stood out to her were more confused that angry. The ponies that were unfazed by this entire ordeal, happened to lack a horn on their head.

“Princess, there must be a good reason our ancestors outlawed such a spell.” The duchess gave a condescending laugh. Twilight’s friends and parents glared at her from their table, with Dash barely able to contain herself. “There’s no way that—”

“Silver Crown,” Celestia interrupted before Silver could finish her sentence.

The crowd parted as Celestia made her way through. She and Luna joined Twilight behind the head table. Once there, Celestia placed her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder before looking to the crowd of confused and angry ponies. “As somepony who lived during the times this taboo was established…” Celestia started before looking at her sister.

“We can assure you that there was no reason for doing so.” Luna looked down at the duchess. “This was an erroneous practice established by a long dead authority in hopes to maintain a slipping grip on power.”

The crowd gasped. Ponies exchanged confused glances before one mare finally asked, “Princess, is this true?”

“It is.” Celestia gave a gentle smile to Twilight. “I was not aware of this practice among the unicorn community until Twilight told me about her condition.”

“You knew?” Blueblood asked, still in shock over the initial realization. Celestia’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the stallion, making him shrink down into his seat.

“Of course. She was very distraught over what happened and I put her at ease.” Celestia turned her attention to the crowd. “And it pains me that the ponies of Equestria would do such despicable acts.”

“While we may not be able to stop ponies from discriminating—” Luna looked out at the crowd with a judgemental gaze.

“Banishment falls within the realms of our power. The nobility and upper class citizens of Canterlot, or any city in Equestria, do not hold that authority.” Celestia’s usually kind expression had turned stern. It was a rare look to see on her, but it was a look that no one would dare take lightly.

“P-Princess Celestia, Princess Luna…” A unicorn stallion stepped forward. “Thousands of years have passed with this taboo standing and we are just to accept this?”

“She’s besmirched the title of princess!” yelled a pony from the back of the ballroom.

Celestia and Luna exchanged a glance. “Perhaps something can be arranged?” Luna asked her sister.

“Indeed. Perhaps this matter could be put through the courts…”

“It should!” Cadance rushed past ponies until she and Shining Armor were standing beside Twilight. “If you all won’t be satisfied with what Aunt Celestia and Luna have said, then perhaps an official court decision could resolve this!”

A wicked smile grew on Silver’s face. A trial like that would play in her favor. She knew that no judge in Canterlot would dare rule in favor of Twilight. “If she won’t play ball, I guess I’ll have to settle for her losing her crown instead.”

An earth pony in the background cleared his throat. “If I may interject, your highnesses.” He spoke with a distinct Manehatten accent. “As a mayor, I’ve had this matter come before me on a few occasions and each time I’ve denied expulsion from our city on the grounds that there’s no evidence to support it. Besides, I don’t see how anypony could look at a new foal as a bad thing. It seemed kind of heartless to me.” The mare next to him jabbed him in the side with her foreleg. “Right…If this matter does get to court, I don’t see it going anywhere. There’s no point in wasting the time and money for—”

A pegasus mare stepped forward. “For the sake of fairness, a trial would solve the issue for those wishing Princess Twilight’s title to be removed. We can weigh both sides and see if this taboo has any weight. If it does, then perhaps the princess shouldn’t have her title.” The smile on Silver’s face grew. “Though I would have to insist that no unicorn judge may preside over the trial.” Silver’s smile vanished instantly. The pegasus received a few glares from nobility, but she didn’t let it faze her.

Celestia, Luna, and Cadance looked at one another before nodding. “Princess Twilight?” Celestia asked, turning her attention back to Twilight. “Would you agree to a trial to judge the validity of the claims lobbied against you?”

Twilight looked at her friends and family. All of them nodded, showing faith that Twilight did nothing wrong. A small smile appeared on Twilight’s lips. “Of course. If anypony has a valid argument, it should be heard.”

“Then it’s settled. If anypony would like to argue against history or present some valid evidence, they may file a case with the courts.” Celestia smiled before looking back at the crowd.

Luna cleared her throat. “But, having lived through the events in question, I can tell you that there is no such evidence,” she added, bluntly.

“Now then, why don’t we continue the ball,” Celestia offered, looking towards the musicians. After a few cautious glances between them, the music started once more.

It took a few moments more for the ponies to awkwardly return to what they were doing before the whole incident began. Though the unicorns attending seemed more reluctant to move on than other kinds of ponies.

Finally, Silver stood up. She turned to Twilight and gave a small nod. “Princess,” she said with an overtly fake politeness. “It was lovely to meet you.” Her sarcasm practically oozed. With that, she turned her back to Twilight and she left in a huff. Her horn lit up as she passed her son, pulling him from his chair. “Come along, Blueblood.”

“M-mother!” he cried before getting up on all fours and chasing after her.

Once the mare was out of sight, Twilight looked back to Celestia. “Princess, are you sure about this?”

“Twilight, while this may not have been the most opportune time, what you did today took a lot of bravery.” She gently rubbed Twilight’s shoulder with her hoof. She looked at her fellow rulers and brother, all smiling and nodding approvingly. “The nobles of Canterlot can be stubborn, but they are not all bad. They realize how much good you’ve done for our country.”

“You and your friends have saved them many times from unfathomable evils,” Luna added. “They are not so foolish to ignore that fact. You are a hero.”

“I knew a trial would silence their qualms, but that’s not all," Celestia said. "I already know this will not go that far.” Twilight looked at Celestia, confused. “There’s one thing that I know about the nobility: they’re lazy. Filing a case in the courts can be a bureaucratic nightmare for civil case and when nobility is involved, the paperwork is tripled.” Celestia giggled.

Luna laughed as well. “It serves them right. They would be the ones who set that system up as a shield to protect themselves.”

Twilight stared at them for a moment. “So…”

“Twilight, they would rather handle this discreetly and pressure you to leave than go through the proper channels,” Celestia said. “But now that it’s in the open, they know that they can’t force you out of your position so easily. I can assure you, having worked with these ponies for all these years, this will be the last you hear of it.”

Twilight was almost dumbfounded. “All of that worrying I’ve done…and it’s…” she pressed her hoof to her forehead.

“You won’t get out of this unscathed. You may be their least favorite princess for a few years or so and they may be pestering you over us as a bit of revenge, but there is no legal action they can take against you.”

“I also doubt they’re invested enough to try other means. With all the good you’ve done and their apathy towards anything not directly impacting them considered, Celestia is right.” Luna looked out at the ballroom, finding that no one was even looking at them. After a few minutes, it was as if the whole mess had never even happened. “I don’t think I will ever understand high society today…” Luna muttered to herself.

“Don’t worry, Aunt Luna. It’s not easy for me to follow either.” Cadance laughed.

“B-but…what about the taboo…they…”

“You have a lot to learn about dealing with nobles, Twilight. It’s not about tradition or taboo, it’s about what will benefit them.”

“I…” Twilight sighed. “So it’s over?”

“It’s over, Twilight. And you did very well by showing you wouldn’t be pushed around.” Celestia turned her attention to the door. “I’m guessing that Silver Crown was trying to manipulate you?” she raised an eyebrow to Twilight.

She nodded, dejectedly.

“By standing up to her, you have shown that you won’t be easily swayed. That news will spread amongst the nobles in time.” Luna nodded approvingly.

“Twily,” Shining said, walking towards her. “I’m proud of you.” He wrapped his foreleg around her in a hug.

“Thanks, BBBFF.” Twilight laughed. After her brother let go, she sighed, almost wearily. “Well, if you really think this is it, then I guess I’ll go spend the rest of the evening with my friends.”

“Enjoy the evening, Twilight. This is your big night, after all.”

As Twilight walked over to her friends, she felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. For the first time in six months, there wasn’t something hanging over her head, there wasn’t someone to tell, or people who couldn’t know. After everything she had been through, she could finally relax. Once she arrived at the table, Dash stepped next to her and wrapped her foreleg around Twilight. With a sigh of long-needed relief, Twilight placed a kiss on her fiance’s cheek.

Small Things

Rainbows in the Night Sky
Chapter 10: Small Things

The two stared at one another across the table in complete silence. It was dark in the library, save for a single lit candle between the two mares. The slowly dancing flame cast a gentle warm glow throughout the library. Twilight leaned on her hoof, her eyes shifting around the room. She was quite pleased with herself that she made such an unappealing, mundane living space look so romantic with just a candle, and a bit of soft music.

Rainbow Dash seemed rather oblivious to her surroundings, which Twilight took as a mild success. She was happy her lover wasn’t aware that they were still in the library, though she was mostly happy to see her enjoying the meal she had prepared for the two of them. She glanced down at her plate, butternut squash in a rosemary sauce, a dish she used to enjoy when she lived in Canterlot. And luckily for Twilight, Rainbow Dash wasn’t simply devouring the dish like she did with most of her food.

The pegasus ate slowly, only taking her eyes off Twilight when she looked down to stab a piece of squash with her fork. Twilight couldn’t help but be lost in her marefriend as she watched her enjoy her meal. The soft shadows on Dash’s face accentuated her features sublimely. Her vibrant rosy eyes almost glowed against the darkness. A soft smile, with an amorous gaze sat on the pegasus’s face as she stared back at Twilight. Tonight had been the evening she had hoped, and everything she had prayed for after the day she had.

As Dash took the last bite of her meal, Twilight gave her a small smile. “Are you ready for dessert, Dashie?”

“Dessert after that awesome apple salad and then that squash? Are you trying to spoil me or something?” Dash replied playfully.

“Maybe,” Twilight teased, “but, mostly I’m just showing you how much I love you.” A soft magenta joined the orange glow in the room. Twilight levitated in a tray from the kitchen. Two bowls, each filled with an orange, icy mound, sat on the tray with a spoon resting in each. Twilight levitated one dish in front of Dash and the other in front of herself.

“So, what’s this?” Dash asked lifting a spoonful of the icy dessert to her mouth.

“Grapefruit granita,” Twilight replied taking a bite as well.

“It’s pretty sweet for grapefruit.”

“I thought you might like it better if I added a bit of sugar, since you like everything so sweet,” Twilight said with a small giggle.

“It’s got something else in it too...” Rainbow Dash said with a perplexed look. She couldn’t quite place the flavor, but there was something she recognized right away in it. “So what sort of alcohol did you add?” she asked giving her lover a knowing smile.

“Oh, a splash of banana rum, and a bit of pineapple vodka.” Twilight gave Dash a small grin.

“Well, I’m telling you right now before we get too drunk. You are not using that spell tonight. We don’t both need to be pregnant,” Dash said with a small, teasing laugh.

“I wouldn’t dream of it. Besides, mine doesn‘t have alcohol,” Twilight replied, placing a spoonful of the dessert into her mouth.

“With a foal, that’s probably for the best.” Rainbow Dash laughed.

“Right,” Twilight replied with a small chuckle.

After the two finished their dessert, Twilight gathered their dishes in her magic and levitated them off to the kitchen. Next she looked at her lover, motioning with her head towards the stairs. Rainbow Dash only smiled a cocky smile. Twilight grabbed the candle off the table, and levitated it alongside her as she lead the way to her bedroom.

Twilight tumbled down onto the bed with Dash following quickly behind. With an almost splash they felt themselves encompassed by the downy sheets. The smooth, warmth enveloped them as they stared into one another eyes. Twilight was lost in the dark, rosy color of Dash’s eyes for a moment, feeling her heart swell with joy. The two rolled around in each other’s forelegs for a moment, until Dash slid down Twilight’s body. The unicorn giggled a bit when Rainbow Dash kissed her neck. She wrapped her forelegs around her marefriend’s body, holding Dash close to her.

“Twilight, you’re so cute,” Dash said placing another kiss on Twilight’s neck.

“And you’re at least twice as cute as I am, Dashie.” Twilight turned her head to give her pegasus lover easier access to her neck.

“Don’t call me cute, I’m too awesome to be cute.” Rainbow Dash puffed out her cheeks in a half sarcastic, half serious manner that made Twilight laugh.

“When you make that kind of face, it makes you cute,” she replied, placing a kiss on Dash’s forehead. As Dash returned to nuzzling Twilight’s neck, she looked over at the candle she had brought upstairs. She placed it on the nightstand before letting her magic die down.

Twilight wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow Dash, holding her tight. As she held her, she could feel Dash’s wings twitch slightly just below her hooves. “T-This might be a weird question—” she moved her hooves down onto her lover’s wings, feeling the soft, slick feathers brush against her fur, “—are pegasi wings erogenous zones?”

Rainbow Dash immediate stopped what she was doing to shoot a confused look at Twilight. “eroge-what zones?"

“Do pegasi feel good when...you play with their wings?”

“Uhh, they feel good when they get a massage or something, just like you feel good when your back gets rubbed, but...I don’t think that’s the kind of “feel good” you’re talking about...”

Twilight shook her head. “You’re right, it isn’t.”

“Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering...I mean, unicorn horns are really sensitive towards the base, so I was wondering if pegasi had anything like that.”

A smile grew on Rainbow Dash’s face a mile wide. “So, your horn feels good, huh?”

“D-Dashie, don’t. I-It can cause magical discharge that could do some real damage—” Twilight was cut off by Rainbow Dash getting nose to nose with her.

“You sure it just doesn’t feel too good?” she asked in a flirtatious tone.

Before Twilight could even protest, Rainbow Dash slid up to her head, and gave a lick from the base of Twilight’s horn all the way to the tip. Twilight’s body shuddered as the pegasus’s tongue rolled, slowly and meticulously across her horn. Small sparks of magic danced across Twilight’s horn, just from the long, sensual lick Dash gave her. The unicorn couldn’t help but let out a small gasp when her lover’s tongue finally came to the tip. Rainbow Dash then rolled her tongue lovingly around the end of Twilight’s horn.

Dash smacked her lips a bit, trying to spread the flavor around her mouth. “Tastes like...metal?” she asked, still trying to place the strange flavor.

“Magic residue...” Twilight muttered. “It can leave a metallic taste in the fur.” she breathed heavy, trying to recover from the intense sensations that had just shot through her skull.

“Maybe I should give it another lick,” Rainbow Dash leaned down to lick Twilight once more, but the librarian stopped her with her hoof.

“N-No, seriously, it can be dangerous. Unicorn horns have a lot of nerves at the base, and when they get over stimulated, it can cause a magical discharge. I can’t control the spell that’s cast. I might blow a hole through the roof,” Twilight pleaded, but Rainbow Dash didn’t look to concerned.

“Lighten up, Twi. We‘re supposed to let loose tonight.” She didn’t wait for Twilight to respond. Rainbow Dash slid Twilight’s horn into her mouth, causing the unicorn to whimper as she swallowed down her length. The short, fine fur covering the unicorn’s horn ran across her tongue. It was soft, and pleasant to the touch. She could taste that metal flavor clinging to Twilight’s fur.

Inside her mouth, she could feel small sparks of magic prickle against her soft flesh. It almost felt like Twilight’s magic was trying to tickle her tongue. The prickles only grew stronger the more of Twilight’s length she engulfed. Finally, when she reached the base, she swirled her tongue along the underside of her lover’s length.

Twilight whimpered in an almost pained way. “D-Dashie, s-stop...I-I’m serious,” she pleaded again, but Rainbow Dash didn’t stop. As the pegasus continued to lick her, she felt her forehead going numb. It became hard for Twilight to concentrate. Her mind was beginning to feel muddled, and she had trouble forming her thoughts. Her neck muscles gave out, and her head fell to the pillow under her.

Rainbow Dash knew she had Twilight right where she wanted her. She slowly began to slide off Twilight’s horn, being sure to drag her tongue as wide as possible. Each facet of Twilight’s length met with the pegasus’s loving care. The metallic taste was beginning to fade, and the sparks growing less frequent. The further up she got, the more she could feel Twilight’s body relax.

With a small pop, she let Twilight’s horn free from her mouth. “It’s kind of the opposite of a stallion. The base is the sensitive part, huh?” she mused, stroking the horn with her hoof, gently.

“Don’t try to draw that comparison, it’s embarrassing...” Twilight whimpered.

Rainbow Dash gave another lick up Twilight’s horn. “Don’t be like that, Twi. Look at it this way, you don’t need that spell for me to give you a blowjob.” She snickered to herself as she carefully stroked Twilight‘s horn again.

“You’re awful...”

“You love it,” she said before putting her mouth back on her lover’s horn. She closed her lips around Twilight, sliding her tongue across her lover’s velvety fur as it sat inside her mouth. But, just when she was about to dive back down to the base, Twilight let out a sharp gasp. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash felt an almost shock shoot through her mouth, making her muzzle tingle. She let out a low groan, and shook off the magical mishap. She continued sliding downward onto her lover’s length until she was met Twilight’s forehead again.

Slowly, she slid her tongue sensually along the underside of Twilight’s horn making the unicorn shiver below her. Inside her mouth, she could feel her lover’s horn pulse—not physically, but she could feel a power surging through, and arching along the surface. She could feel the power building more and more. Each passing moment, the magical energy in Twilight’s horn kept zapping her, making her entire muzzle tingle. Her heart raced as her mind drew the comparison to a stallion. She was sucking on Twilight’s—her mare’s horn like it was a stallion’s dick. It felt so foreign, but familiar at the same time.

“D-Dashie...I-It’s about to happen...” Twilight whimpered. Dash could feel her lover’s power surge further, swelling until it felt like it would explode in her mouth. The magical energy was hot, too hot for her to bear. She tried to hold out for as long as she could, waiting until the very last moment to pull her mouth away. A thin line of saliva was all that was left connecting her to Twilight. But soon, even that was sizzled away by her lover’s magic.

Rainbow Dash tempted fate one final time, and gave her one final lick along her length. She pushed her winged lover back for her safety just as she felt herself go over the edge. Twilight’s body tensed, and small sparks of magic danced across her horn. Suddenly, a bright light erupted, filling the room in a purple glow. Twilight cried out, uncontrollably. In that moment, she was lost in a haze of bliss. An intense surge of pleasure ravaged the unicorn making her mind go numb. She forced her head back as far as she could into her pillow.

Rainbow Dash smiled as she watched her lover squirm against the bed sheets. Slowly, she leaned down, and planted a kiss on Twilight’s lips as she was still in pseudo-orgasmic bliss. She could feel the vibrations of the unicorn cry out into her mouth as she lie on top of her. Her mare’s cute voice that only she would be allowed to hear filled the room.

Finally, Twilight’s voice calmed, and her body loosened. She fell limp against on the bed, panting wildly. “I-I told you not to do that...” she muttered, rubbing her hoof against her forehead.

“Come on, Twi, that was kind of fun,” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “A little painful, though. I think I burnt my tongue a bit...”

“Let me see about that,” Twilight said, pulling her down for another kiss. Their tongues twisted around one another, mixing their saliva. When Rainbow Dash pulled away, Twilight giggled a bit. “Seems fine to me.”

“You are so going to get it.” She slid her hoof down to Twilight’s lower lips, finding the librarian’s sex soaking in anticipation. “Already set for a round two, huh?”

“Round two? We’re still in round one.” Rainbow Dash shot her a questioning look. Twilight shook her head a bit, while giving a condescending smile. “When you fellated my horn, that wasn’t the same as an orgasm, Dashie,” Twilight explained.

“Oh?” she asked, feigning amazement. “So, you still haven’t cum yet?”

“Nope,” Twilight responded smugly.

“You’re such a brat,” Dash whispered. She snatched a quick kiss before Twilight could even respond, eliciting a small sensual moan from the unicorn. Twilight looked into her lover’s deep rose-colored eyes with yearning—begging for more.

Dash granted her mare’s silent wish, brushing her hoof against her lover’s drooling petals. Twilight’s body tensed for only a moment at Dash’s touch. After she realized what her lover was trying to do, she spread her hind legs further for the pegasus. Dash smiled a predatory smile at her, to which Twilight giggled.

She placed the soft part of her hoof against Twilight, letting the mare get accustomed to her touch. Dash watched Twilight panting heavily in anticipation; she could feel her mare’s juices soaking into her fur. The feeling of Twilight’s subtle quivering under her hoof sent chills up her spine in the most delightful way. She kept a close eye on her lover’s face as she softly, meticulously press the soft of her hoof against Twilight’s clit. Again she felt the unicorn’s body tense, a soft, almost pained moan escaped her lips. Dash snickered to herself. She slid her hoof along her lover’s sex in one fluid motion.

Twilight gasped as what felt like a jolt of electricity surged through her. Rainbow Dash pressed hard into her marehood, to the point it was almost painful, but Twilight could still feel pleasure welling up from her loins. Rainbow Dash, though forceful, was still gentle, and attentive to her needs. As Dash picked up her pace, Twilight could feel her lover’s slick fur grinding, rubbing, digging into her sensitive flesh.

Twilight couldn’t hold back her soft moans. A mental haze descended on her mind, utterly consuming her in lust. That friction—the delightful heat building between her hind legs from her lover’s hoof fervently rubbing against her—filled her thoughts. Rainbow Dash’s soaked fur felt like heaven, stimulating her beyond anything she had felt before.

Dash leaned down into Twilight’s neck once more, breathing deep the librarian’s scent. The distinct smell of sweat accompanied a dampness in her fur. Rainbow Dash let out a satisfied moan as she nuzzled her lover’s neck. She let her lungs fill with Twilight’s primal smell, drowning herself in her lover. The unicorn’s deliciously sweet cries drove her—fueling her foreleg to pleasure her mare more just to hear her cry out.

Suddenly she felt something pressing at her own slit. She shot up to see the glow of Twilight’s magic filling the room, and a familiar sensation prodding her entrance. “W-Whoa, Twi, stop for a sec.” Rainbow Dash propped herself up next to Twilight with her free foreleg, and pulled her hoof from between her lover’s legs. She placed the soaking hoof on Twilight’s chest, making the mare stop her spell.

“What is it?” the unicorn questioned.

“I, uhh...” she trailed off for a moment, trying to put her thoughts into words, “I’d rather we...do this to each other, you know?”

“What do you mean?” Twilight gave her marefriend a confused look.

“I-I’ve been thinking that magic seems a little impersonal, you know? I want you to make me cum, not your magic...” Dash clarified.

“Dashie, my magic is me...it’s just as much apart of me as my hoof.” Twilight couldn’t understand the sudden protest. The more her lover explained, the less she understood why. “Didn’t you say you liked how my magic felt last time we were...intimate?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I do like the way your magic feels. It’s just I don’t want that to be the "go to" thing for us...” Dash lifted her hoof to rub the back of her head, but stopped herself, realizing it was soaking with Twilight’s juices. “I guess I want us to do it traditionally sometimes too.”

“Are you sure that’s it? You’re not scared of magic are you? I didn’t hurt you when you were sucking on my horn earlier, did I?”

“No, Twi. Really, I just want us to be a little more connected. This is kind of our first really romantic night alone without some crazy thing preoccupying either of us. So...I want to really feel you...your actual body...” The athletic mare’s cheeks turned a shade of red as she averted her eyes.

Twilight couldn’t help but pull her down for a kiss. In that moment Rainbow Dash was simply too cute for her to resist. As she pulled her pegasus lover as close to her as she could, she simultaneously rolled over. Twilight was now on top of Rainbow Dash, pressing the mare into the sweat-dampened bed sheets. When their kiss broke, she smiled at down at her lover. “I think I know what we can do instead.”

Rainbow Dash looked up at her with a confused look, about to ask, but Twilight cut her off. She placed a hoof over her mare’s muzzle, letting out a soft shush. Twilight pushed away from the bed, sitting up, and positioned herself so that one of her hind legs was between Rainbow Dash’s. She inched her hips closer, until marehood was only inches away from her lover’s own dripping lips. Slowly, Twilight’s hoof trailed down Dash’s muzzle, onto her neck, and finally stopped in the middle of her chest. She smiled a gentle smile at her lover.

“I’ve never tried this before...” Dash remarked softly.

“Me either...” Twilight chuckled to herself, feeling silly. “Well, obviously I haven’t, since you took my virginity...” Twilight looked down at between the two of them. Slowly, she pressed her hips forward. Her touch made Rainbow Dash shift her hips slightly, and the two mares’ let out a sharp hiss. Twilight could feel the tingle surge through her body as her swollen clit brush against Dash’s. Both mares panted for a moment, letting their bodies adjust to the feeling of the other pressed against them. Twilight looked back to her lover. “But, I guess we’ll see how well this works out.” She chuckled again.

Twilight slid her left hoof behind her, shifting her weight onto it. Slowly, she leaned back, which pushed her hips into Dash’s. Immediately both mares let out a sharp gasp as a wave of pleasure washed over both of them. Twilight’s back arched, mashing her sex further into Rainbow Dash’s. The pegasus whimpered, placing her hoof soaked with her marefriend’s juices to her lips to stifle any more cries.

“You’re so cute, Dashie,” Twilight said, looking down over her muzzle at her pegasus lover.

The athlete’s timid eyes turned defiant in an instant. “Don’t call me cute,” she protested, grinding her hips back into Twilight. The librarian let out a sharp gasp, moving her hips with her lover’s.

The two moved together, fueled by their own primal desires, and the desire to please their partner. Within seconds, where they were connected to one another turned into a sloppy, syrupy mess from their love juices mixing together. Twilight could feel the warm love juices soaking into her fur as their hips rocked back and forth.

As their bodies moved, a wonderful heat built between them. Both mares’ body heat, combined with the force from their efforts felt like it would melt the two ponies. Twilight’s nethers tingled, absorbed in the sloppy wet heat. Her eyes weakly looked back to her lover’s, seeing Rainbow Dash lost in the bliss as well. The pegasus had her eyes closed, her mind was miles away. In Dash’s mouth, she had the tip of her hoof, licking off the librarian’s juices from earlier.

Twilight slumped forward, pulling herself up onto her hindlegs, and forcing her lover’s hips upward. She placed one of her fore hooves against the wall, and the second onto the bed for balance. Twilight dug through the lust-filled haze of her mind, and took control. She smiled a devilish smile down at Rainbow Dash, as she began grinding into her lover with everything she had.

Her body almost went numb from the carnal pleasures filling her. This was completely unlike anything Twilight had done with her lover in the past. She could feel her swollen numb grinding against her lover’s soft, slick fur like it had with the pegasus’s hoof, but the heat from Rainbow Dash’s own pussy, and her juices were beyond compare. Twilight stared down into Rainbow Dash’s rose-colored eyes as the pegasus looked up at her.

“T-Twi, this...feels so good...” she muttered between moans.

“Yeah...” Twilight said with a nod.

Twilight could feel it coming. She was on the edge. Every movement became harder, more taxing for her to do, but her hips wouldn’t stop—couldn’t stop. Her whole body felt like it was numb, as wave after wave of pleasure emanated from her loins. She looked down at her whimpering lover. Rainbow Dash was weakly bucking her hips into Twilight as well. She could see the strained expression on her face, her hastened breath, and how much she was sweating. Twilight knew she was close as well.

Rainbow Dash pulled her hoof away from her mouth, and grabbed hold of Twilight. She pulled the librarian down, and held her close. Their sweat soaked fur rub against one another as they embraced each other. Once again she felt her lungs fill with the thick scent of her lover’s perspiration. The smell permeated her body, and her mind was lost in a haze of lust. It was all too much for her to take in—Twilight’s smell, the pleasure filling her, the sense of closeness to the pony she loved.

“T-Twi...” she whispered weakly.

“I-I know...me too...” Twilight replied.

With one final buck, both mares cried out. Their bodies seized as their orgasm took them. Utter ecstasy filled their minds, and for a brief moment they entire bodies felt completely numb. The sweatiness, the fatigue, their worries—everything was gone in an instant, lost in a mental fog. Twilight could feel Rainbow Dash’s pussy spasm against her own, sending another shockwave through her body, all the way up to her brain.

Finally, she collapsed onto Rainbow Dash, panting heavily, and completely exhausted. She could hear her lover gasping for breath below her as her orgasm died down too. Twilight weakly looked down at Rainbow Dash. The pegasus was dripping with sweat, and her hair looked as if she had just finished taking a shower, but she had a satisfied smile on her face. Slowly she inched closer to Twilight, silently begging her for a kiss. Twilight happily obliged.

As their kiss ended, Twilight rolled off her lover. She plopped down onto the bed next to Rainbow Dash. Her head fell to the side as she hit the mattress. She looked at her lover with amorous eyes as she lie there catching her breath.

Rainbow Dash placed her hoof on Twilight’s foreleg that she left draped over marefriend’s chest. “That was awesome, Twi,” she said, turning her head to look back at Twilight.

“Yeah, that felt amazing. I have to say, all in all, today turned out rather good.” Twilight inched herself closer to Rainbow Dash, cuddling up next to her marefriend.

“Lynch mob aside, you mean?” Rainbow Dash laughed as she slid her free foreleg under Twilight, wrapping it around her lover.

“They were misguided. I don’t think they would have done much.”

“That’s a little naive. They were trying to kick you out of town Twilight. And I still want to teach that Amethyst Star a thing or two for trying...” Rainbow Dash let out a small groan.

“Maybe, but they all seemed to understand at least. I think we made some headway. And leave Amethyst alone, I’m sure Ditzy will handle it.”

“If you say so,” Dash muttered.

“It won’t be that easy to tell my parents, or Princess Celestia.” Twilight placed her head on Rainbow Dash’s chest, and hugged her as tight as she could without hurting her.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m sure they’ll understand.” Dash gently ran her hoof through Twilight‘s mane, calming the unicorn a bit as she did so.

“Canterlot is very different from Ponyville, Dashie. You’ve been there, and you’ve seen how the higher class acts.”

“They’re still your parents, Twi. They love you, I know that for a fact.”

“Then there’s Shining Armor and Cadance...” Twilight rubbed her cheek against her marefriend’s still damp fur.

“I’m sure the alicorn of love will have a tough time understanding, Twi.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

“I’m more worried about my brother...” she replied.

“Things will all work out, trust me. Besides, even if they don’t you still have all your friends here in Ponyville, and me too.” She wrapped her foreleg around Twilight, and kissed her on the head.

“That’s true, I do have my friends...and you too.”

The two lay there, finding themselves in peaceful silence. Twilight listened to Rainbow Dash’s heartbeat as she rest her head on her lover’s chest. The pegasus’s heart rate had already slowed to normal, yet Twilight could still feel hers still trying to catch up after their activities. She realized quickly that she couldn’t compare herself with Rainbow Dash, since her marefriend was in far better physical condition.

Twilight’s eyes drifted closed as the steady pace of her lover’s beating heart drowned out her worries of the future. It was almost hypnotic, lulling her to sleep in a way. Yet, Twilight fought the urge to drift off into dreams. Her eyes slowly opened halfway, looking out into the serene darkness of her bedroom with tired eyes.

“I suppose we should probably tell my dad too...” Rainbow Dash remarked.

Suddenly Twilight’s eyes shot opened. “I was so wrapped up in my own problems, I didn’t even think that we need to tell your family too.” Twilight could feel her cheeks go red with embarrassment. “I-I’m sorry...” she added, softly.

“Don’t be, I just kind of thought about it myself.”

“No, I was being selfish,” Twilight protested, looking up at her lover’s face as she did. “We need to tell your parents too!”

“It’s just my dad,” Dash said, indifferently.

“What about your mom?”

Dash looked up at the ceiling. “She’s not around anymore.”

“I...I didn’t know...”

Rainbow Dash sighed. “I was a foal when she passed. No need to be sorry.”

“Still...” Twilight averted her eyes.

“It’s fine. Besides, there’s no rush to tell my dad, we’re not really that close. So, we can sort out your parents, brother, and the princess first.” Rainbow Dash ran her hoof through Twilight’s mane, smiling at her marefriend as she did so.

Twilight still didn‘t look at Rainbow Dash. She continued staring off into the darkness, with a small frown on her face. “You shouldn’t dismiss your dad so easily, especially since he’s the only family you have left...”

“He’s not though,” Twilight looked up to see Rainbow Dash still smiling, “I have you, and our little filly on the way too.”

“R-Rainbow Dash...” Twilight couldn’t stop a small tear from forming in her eye. Her lover slowly leaned down, and placed her lips on hers.

Author's Note

If you have not read the previous chapters after 1/18/2014, there have been extensive rewrites. I would recommend rereading.

At Dawn

Rainbows in the Night Sky

Chapter 21: At Dawn

A sudden gasp roused Rainbow Dash from her slumber. Mumbling, she readjusted under the sheets, trying to get comfortable. It was still pitch black, she knew that without even opening her eyes. Ignoring the sound for a brief second, she was starting to drift back to sleep.

Another whimper from next to her caused Dash to cease with her attempts to return back to dreamland, and reluctantly opened her eyes. It took her a moment to get her bearings in the dark of their bedroom. She focused her eyes on the clock on her nightstand. In the darkness, she was just barely able to make out the time on its surface. It was still well before sunrise, and she couldn’t figure out why Twilight was making so much noise.

Suddenly, the gasp and whimper clicked. She felt a shift in the bed next to her with Twilight starting to sit up slowly.

After a pained groan, Dash quickly rolled onto her opposite side to see her fiance sitting up and breathing heavily. Twilight turned to her with a weak smile. “Dashie…” she said in a weak voice.

Dash’s eyes shot opened wide. “I-is it—”

Twilight nodded, something Dash only barely made out in the moonlight.

In an instant, Dash was up, forgetting about her sleep being cut short. She had thrown the blanket off of her and stumbled out of bed with a few loud clops, echoing into the otherwise quiet night. “What do I do?” Dash asked herself as she looked around herself for a brief moment.

As her eyes darted around the dark room, she tried to collect her thoughts. They had been through this scenario many times over already. She and Twilight—mostly Twilight—had spent time planning this because Twilight wouldn’t let them not plan it. Finally, the urgency of the situation had forced her brain to kick into high gear. Her eyes focused on a corner of the room and she bolted over to it. “Alright, I got the bag, what else—”

“Dashie…” Twilight said, between some slow, deep breaths.

“What?”

Twilight slowly stepped down from their bed. “Just calm down,” she said with a steady, soft voice. “I’m only going into labor, she’s not here yet…”

Once she was on all fours, she gently touched her belly, and rubbed her hoof along its surface. In the last few months she had really grown large, but soon, that would change. Twilight looked across the room, her horn lit up to give some extra light. “We just need the bag. Everything is in there. Let’s head to the hospital—”

“What’s going on?” Spike asked, groggily.

Dash’s eyes locked onto where his voice was coming from. “Spike!” She flew over to him in a blur. “Alright, listen—” she began. A purple cloud covered her mouth, cutting her off.

Twilight knew Dash would run everything by Spike too quickly for him to comprehend what was going on since he was barely awake. “Spike,” Twilight said calmly to get his attention. “Dashie and I need to go to the hospital. Everything’s fine, it’s just that the foal is almost here.”

She could see him blinking absently for a short while until everything registered. His eyes popped wide open. “Wait, she’s here?” Spike asked, starting to climb out of his basket.

Twilight used her magic to lift Spike into the air and set him back. She smiled. “I said almost here. Now, I need you to listen. There’s nothing you can do at the hospital—” Twilight groaned and paused for a moment as a sharp pain hit her lower abdomen.

“You’ll just be bored there, since me and Twi will be in a room with the doctor. So, instead of being bored and stressed in a room, you can either stay here and get some sleep, or you can head over to Rarity’s,” Dash finished for Twilight who gave her a small smile of gratitude.

“So, I can’t come with you?”

Dash shook her head apologetically. “Sorry, Spike. Get some sleep, and first thing in the morning, you can come visit us in the hospital.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but Twilight stopped him. “She’s right, Spike.” She took another deep breath, letting the pain subside just enough for her to finish. “If you come with us, you’ll just be sitting in the waiting room. There’s nothing to worry about. Stay here, try to get some sleep, and first thing in the morning, you can go to Rarity’s and she will bring you to the hospital, okay?”

He looked up at Twilight with pleading eyes for but a moment before he sighed. “Are you guys sure?”

Twilight frowned. “Don’t fret, Spike.”

“Trust me, big guy, you're not missing anything,” Dash muttered, fighting off a yawn. She looked over at Twilight who motioned her to go downstairs.

“It will be fine. Try to get some sleep.” Twilight gave Spike a quick hug before coaxing him gently back onto his pillow.

Spike groaned. “Fine…”

“Don’t worry, Spike,” Twilight said as she started walking down the stairs. She could hear a faint sound of acknowledgement coming from behind her, to which she could only chuckle. ”He’ll thank me in the morning.”

Dash was waiting for her at the foot of the stairs. She had the saddlebag heft over her back and was already starting to walk towards the door. “He's back in bed?”

“Reluctantly so, but yes.”

Dash nodded. “Good. Let’s get to the hospital, quick before she pops out on us.”

“I just went into labor, Dashie, she’s not going to ‘pop out’ right now.” A wince from another contraction didn’t seem to convince her partner.

Dash scrunched her face. “I’m allowed to be nervous, okay?” she said, defiantly.

“Well, it’s not necessary.” Twilight said with a strained breath as she walked passed her fiance. “We’ve gone through this a million times, so don’t be nervous. It’s just like the practice sessions, only this time, we’re actually going to the hospital,” she said when the pain subsided.

“And we’re actually having a foal…” Dash added, stepping next to Twilight.

“Yeah…”

Before long, they had made it to the hospital. The waiting room was completely empty, save for a bored looking nurse sitting behind the front desk. Suddenly her peaceful night was interrupted when Dash threw open the door, making the nurse jump. She shot a glare in Dash’s direction.

But before the nurse could scold her for the sudden scare, she noticed Dash stepping to the side and guiding Twilight inside. The nurse’s eyes went wide and she immediately rushed over to Twilight. After almost a year, just about everyone in Ponyville knew Twilight was pregnant, and being such a small hospital, the nurses were well aware that Twilight would be coming in soon. Just from the way Twilight was walking, she could tell she was in labor.

As the nurse rushed over, she quickly called for assistance from another and proceeded to help Twilight onto a rolling bed for transport. Once another nurse showed up, the first escorted Dash to the desk.

After a half hour since they got to the hospital, Dash finally walked into Twilight’s hospital room. “I thought it would never end…” she muttered as she walked up next to Twilight’s bed. Twilight greeted her with a weak smile. “Nurse Redheart had me fill out some papers to admit you and then yelled at me about being more quiet in the hospital…again.” Dash sighed and put on a smile for her fiance. “So, how are you holding up?” she asked, bending down to give Twilight a small nuzzle.

“The contractions are starting to get closer together… That means she’s getting closer.” Twilight’s face scrunched in pain for a moment. “The doctor is supposed to be in shortly, and I’m really hoping for some painkillers…”

Dash placed her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Hang in there just a bit longer, Twi.” Her hoof gently moved along Twilight’s shoulder and she gave a sincere smile. “I can’t believe it’s finally happening…” she said with a soft voice.

“Yeah…” Twilight returned Dash’s smile. “I didn’t expect a foal to change our lives so much.”

“There was more to it than just her, though.”

“Yeah,” Twilight said with a small laugh. “I’m just happy things have worked out.”

“And soon it’ll be over.”

Twilight shook her head softly. “No, soon it will be just beginning, Dashie.” She smiled.

“Yeah.” Dash laughed to herself. “You know what I meant.”

“The pregnancy will be, yes.” Twilight placed her hoof on Dash’s. “But we’ve got a bigger challenge ahead of us.”

Just as Dash started to speak, the door to the hospital room opened. In stepped a stallion dressed in a white lab coat, his muzzle adorned with a pair of glasses. He gave a warm smile to the pair as he approached the bed. “Princess Twilight, Ms. Dash, I am Doctor Blue Shield. It’ll be my honor to deliver your child.”

Twilight returned his smile, but Dash wasn’t as friendly. She focused on the horn sticking out of the doctor’s forehead and let out a low groan.

Twilight glanced over to see the look Dash was giving to the doctor. She pressed down on her hoof, grabbing Dash’s attention. The look in Twilight’s eyes told Dash to stop, but the pegasus just shook her head.

Dash looked back at the doctor to see a puzzled look on his face. “You’re not going to try anything, are you?” she asked, skeptically.

“Try anything?” He looked over at Twilight who was rolling her eyes.

“Dashie, stop. He’s a doctor.”

“He might be a doctor, Twi, but that doesn’t mean he might not be upset over our foal…” she said in a low voice, as though she was trying to keep it a secret.

“Ms. Dash, I’m a doctor first. My own personal feelings on the issue of the taboo isn’t factoring in here.” He gave a small laugh. “But to make my personal feelings clear, I don’t believe it’s my place to say whom you can or can't have a child with. My only responsibility is to make sure the foal comes into this world safely.”

Dash kept her eyes on him for a moment longer before letting out a sigh. “Alright, but if anything happens—”

“Nothing will happen,” Twilight interrupted. “There is such thing as the hippocratic oath.”

Dash raised an eyebrow at Twilight. “The what?”

“It means I don’t purposefully harm a patient—any patient. Regardless of my views.”

Dash glanced from the doctor to Twilight. She saw her fiance giving her a scolding look. Finally Dash rolled her eyes. “Alright, he can deliver…”

“Not that we have much choice…” Twilight muttered, glancing up at the clock. It was still early in the morning—too early for even the sun to be up. It wasn’t as though the hospital had any other doctors on standby either. When Twilight looked back at the doctor, she put on a smile. “So, what’s the plan, doctor?”

“We’re going to start you on some medication to ease the pain, Princess. After that, the nurses will prep you for the delivery.”

Twilight’s jaw clenched for a moment as another contraction hit. “Medication sounds great…” She took a deep breath and tried to relax. “Could we get a rush order on that?”

“Of course.” The doctor nodded, giving a small bow and took his leave.

As soon as he was out of the room, Twilight glared at Dash. “Why did you have to be so rude?”

“I’m just trying to watch out for you,” she muttered.

Twilight shook her head. “I trust the ponies of Ponyville. They’ve known for a lot longer than anypony else, so they’re not as upset as, say, the ones in Canterlot.” She started to chuckle, but was cut off by another shot of pain. Twilight tried to breathe and relax to make the pain subside, but unlike before, it wasn’t helping. Her let out a cry and pushed her head back into the pillow. “Oh no…” she muttered.

“What?” Dash placed both hooves on the bed. She leaned down, a terrified look in her eyes.

“Go get the doctor…I don’t think she’s going to wait until he gets back…” Twilight said with a pained voice.

Suddenly, Dash’s eyes shot wide. She pushed off the bed and barreled out of the room as fast as her hooves would carry her. Once the door slammed behind her, Twilight’s could hear the sound of frenzied clops echoing down the hall and her fiance’s voice calling for help. “She means well, but… I’m sure there’s ponies sleeping on this floor…” Twilight thought.

After a few moments, two nurses and the doctor came into the room. One of the nurses was pushing a cart with various medical supplies while another was holding a needle and a vial in a cloud of magic. Without exchanging words, the doctor calmly directed the nurses where to go with a simple gesture of his head. The years of practice on all their parts were clearly showing as the nurses began to administer the analgesic drug and ready everything for the doctor.

Dash filed in behind them, looking admittedly more nervous. As soon as the nurse stepped back from Twilight’s bed, she took her place next to her fiance. “Remember, just breathe.”

Twilight could already feel the pain starting to dull. “I know…“

“You can do this, Twi.”

“Dashie…” Twilight looked up at her with a less than amused expression. “Relax.”

The pegasus was taken back for a moment. When she saw Twilight relax in the bed and begin breathing slow, deep breathes, she sighed. “I guess I’m just getting a little nervous…”

“It will be fine.” Twilight tried to force a smile. “Thanks for the support though,” she said, mustering a sweet voice.

“We’re ready to begin,” the doctor said, pulling a mask over his face.

For Rainbow Dash, the next hour was a blur of agony and stress. The nurses rushed around, coaching Twilight as she struggled through the pain of pushing another life out of her. The doctor stayed at the foot of the bed, monitoring the process. The room was filled with strained cries and Dash could only stand there, watching the love of her life go through one of the most painful experiences any mare would ever face. She felt helpless. Yet, for Twilight, her just being there was enough.

Just as the sun rose and the first light of the new day shone into the room, a sound broke the monotony of strained grunts and encouragement. A high-pitched cry rang out in the room, causing Dash’s head to snap to the source. She looked back at Twilight and smiled. “Come on, Twi, push!” she said, rubbing Twilight’s shoulder.

With one final push, Twilight felt the squirming mass that had been splitting her apart slip free. She fell limp on the bed, crying and panting.

“Congratulations, Princess, it’s a filly.” The doctor laughed to himself, having just realized what he said. “Of course, you already knew that.” He passed the foal off to a nurse who took a wet washcloth and began to clean the screaming foal with some warm water.

Dash nuzzled up against Twilight’s cheek. “It’s over. You did great,” she whispered.

Twilight nodded, exhaustedly. “Can I see her?” Twilight and Dash both looked to the nurse who had just finished wrapping the foal tightly in a pink blanket. She turned to Twilight and levitated the crying filly to her mother. Twilight didn’t use her magic, but instead reached out with her hooves. Once the foal was in her forelegs, she cradled her gently.

Once pressed against Twilight’s body, the newborn fell silent. She lifted her nose to the air, as if sniffing before relaxing in Twilight’s embrace. “There, there…” Twilight cooed.

Once the foal was in her mother’s forelegs, the doctor and nurses gathered the supplies they had brought. “Congratulations,” the doctor said with a smile. Twilight and Dash both glanced up to see the doctor and nurses leaving.

“We’ll leave you three alone for a while,” one of the nurses said, closing the door softly.

Once alone, Dash and Twilight looked down at their new bundle of joy. Silence fell over the room for a few moments.

“Wow…” Dash finally whispered, without even realizing she had said anything. She was simply amazed by her. After eleven whole months she was finally able to meet her—a foal she had fought tooth and nail to ensure would have a fair chance at life. “She…”

Twilight looked up at her with a tear in her eye and a content smile on her face. “She looks just like her father.”

“Yeah…There’s no denying she’s mine…” Dash said, her voice shaking a bit as she watched the newborn.

She had a messy tuft of rainbow-colored mane—though admittedly not as vibrant as Dash’s. The colors were darker and a little more dull than Dash’s, perhaps closer to Dash’s dad’s in hue, but the darker colors may have come from Twilight as well. Her mane wasn’t all the foal had inherited from her father, though. The filly’s coat color was a perfect match for Dash’s, a light cyan. Yet, as Dash looked over her, there was something very clearly not from her on the foal’s forehead. Poking out from her mane was a little spiral nub.

“I can’t get over how much she looks like me…” Dash remarked as she leaned in closer. A small smirk appeared on her face once she realized the foal was fast asleep. “She got quiet as soon as you got ahold of her.” She glanced up at Twilight with a raised eyebrow. “Is she going to be a mama’s girl?” Dash teased.

Twilight rolled her eyes, playfully. “Newborn foals have a very acute sense for identifying magical auras.” Twilight explained, keeping her eyes glued on the sleeping foal in her forelegs. “She can tell my aura is familiar and that puts her at ease.” Twilight chuckled a bit. “Then again, she was surrounded by my magical aura for eleven months. It’s practically all she knows.”

“So, she can tell you’re her mom?”

Twilight nodded. “She’ll lose it in about a month as she starts to rely on other senses, but for now, she can tell I’m familiar.”

Dash tilted her head to the side. “That’s…interesting?”

“It is,” Twilight laughed. “At least, I thought it was.” A small frown formed on her face as she continued to cradle the foal. “She’s got my horn…” she muttered, disappointed.

“What’s wrong with your horn?”

“It has fat ridges…” She furrowed her brow. “It runs on my mom’s side of the family and I was really hoping she would take after my dad’…”

Dash let out a snicker. “That’s so minor, Twi.”

Twilight sighed. “I know…”

A brief moment of silence fell as they both stared at their newborn. “She’s got your cheeks too,” Dash added.

Twilight laughed. “And your muzzle.”

Dash laughed as well. “Are we just going to keep listing off what she has from who?”

Twilight shook her head and smiled. “Only if you want to.”

“I’ll think I’ll pass.” Dash sat down on the floor next to the bed, “There’s something more important, anyway.”

Twilight nodded silently. “You’re right. Now that she’s here, she needs a name…”

Dash nodded. “We really haven’t talked about it, have we…” After a short moment, a small half frown appeared on her face. “Got any ideas?”

Twilight paused to contemplate. “Well, I know we said we would wait, but I have been thinking of a few.”

“I figured you would think up at least a few.” Dash chuckled to herself.

“Well, a few dozen,” Twilight corrected. “Though I’m not sure what you’ll think about them.”

“Let’s hear ‘em before you say they’re bad.”

“Well, since she’s a unicorn…” Twilight stared down at her, lost in thought for a moment. As she gazed into the newborn’s content face, all she could see was the resemblance to her father. “And since she looks like you so much, that narrows my list quite a bit. I think we could go with Rainbow Gleam or Prism Flare…”

Dash shook her head. “Please, no. Don’t try and work the rainbow-mane into her name.”

“Why not? You and your dad both have rainbow in your names.” Twilight tilted her head to the side in thought.

“Yeah, but that’s because my dad wanted a son to name Junior…” Dash rolled her eyes. “I got saddled with the name because of my mane. My mom thought it fit, too, I guess.”

“Well, she has a rainbow mane as well…” Twilight mentioned.

Dash shook her head again. “I’d rather we end that tradition with me…”

“So, you’re opposed to using anything relating to rainbows in her name?”

Dash nodded. “She’s her own pony, so let’s give her her own name, okay?”

Twilight furrowed her brow after both her names had been vetoed. “I thought they were good,” she muttered to herself, disappointed. She glanced down and noticed the light shimmer off the foal’s mane. As she stared down, she remembered what had happened as she was born. The light caught Twilight’s eye just as the foal was handed to her. “Morning…” she said softly.

Dash leaned in. “What?”

“What do you think of Morning Light?” She turned back to her fiance.

Dash blinked absently for a moment as the name settled. “Morning Light, huh…” She thought about it for a bit longer. “You just come up with that?”

Twilight nodded, pleased with the sound of the name. “We can call her Light for short.”

“I guess that could work…” Dash placed her hoof to her chin, mentally repeating the name as she looked at the foal’s face.

“If you don’t like it, we can come up with another.”

“No, it’s a good name.” Dash shook her head. “Morning Light, it’s got a nice ring to it.” She smiled at Twilight, and down at the foal.

“So, you like it?”

“Yeah.” Dash gave a confident nod. “I actually like it.”

“Good.” Twilight looked down at her foal. “So, it’s decided. Your name is Morning Light.” The small foal shifted slightly, cuddling closer to her mother as Twilight spoke to her. Twilight smiled before looking back to Dash. “I think she likes it as well.”

“I don’t think she cares,” Dash corrected with a little laugh. She leaned over onto the bed, watching her child in amazement. Just staring at her as she slept made Dash’s heart flutter.

Twilight watched Dash fawn over their daughter. With a content sigh, she grabbed her attention. “Did you want to hold her?”

Dash’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

Twilight nodded. “Of course, she’s your daughter as well.” She cautiously stretched her forelegs out and passed the sleeping foal to Dash.

Gingerly, Dash took her and cradled the sleeping child close to her chest. It was strange. As soon as she held the foal—her daughter—Dash could feel those odd feelings culminating into something more. Joy, concern, and even pride—it all melded into love, that vague emotion Dash didn’t really understand until she was with Twilight. This little foal, defenseless, but trusting, instantly had her unconditional love.

Little Light raised her snout again, as if scanning her surroundings and a troubled look appeared on her face. Dash watched as the foal seemed confused for a moment and then the troubled expression grew. An aching feeling pulled down at Dash’s heart. She had just gotten the chance to hold her and now Light was going to cry.

“Don’t cry,” Dash cooed softly, hoping to sway the foal before she could burst into tears. But just then, Light slowly opened her eyes, much to Dash’s surprise. She stared quizzically at the larger pony for a moment, taking in the new face. After a few seconds of staring, a smile broke on Dash’s face. “H-hey,” she said, shakily. “I’m your dad…”

Light’s eyes drifted closed again, and she relaxed. Dash could feel her heart swell with sheer joy as the filly cuddled closer to her before drifting off to sleep once more. “Oh my…” Dash muttered. She looked up at Twilight. “I thought she was going to cry at me for taking her.”

“It seems she recognized your magic too, Dashie. She knows you’re her dad.” Twilight let out a small laugh.

“She does?”

“Roughly, I’d say. That’s probably why she wasn’t sure right away. It makes sense though. You’ve been around me for the past eleven months, so she knows what your magic feels like.”

Dash looked back down at her daughter, cradling her gently. “She has your eyes, Twi…”

“She opened them?” Twilight leaned over.

Dash nodded. “For a bit.”

“I missed it…” A tinge of disappointment could be heard in Twilight’s voice.

“She’ll open them plenty, don’t get too upset.” Dash rocked Light gently as she looked back up at Twilight. “She’s so tiny.”

Twilight nodded softly. “Still, I wished I could have seen them…”

“I guess we can just rest up until everypony else shows up, right?”

“Yes, though if you could, can you check to see when they’re discharging me?”

“You just gave birth, Twi. I doubt they’ll—”

Suddenly, Dash felt the filly stir. She glanced down to see a pained expression on Light’s face. “What?” she asked her in a soft tone. The foal began to cry before Dash could even think what she would want.

“She might be hungry.” Twilight rolled onto her side and pulled the blanket off of her. “It’s either that, or she might just be uncomfortable.”

“Should I get the doctor?” Dash glanced up at Twilight who only laughed a bit.

“No, just set her down by my teats. If she’s hungry, she’ll latch on.”

Dash did as Twilight instructed. She placed Light down by Twilight’s teats with the filly’s muzzle close to the nipple. Twilight shuddered a bit when she felt Light latch onto her. “That’s an odd feeling,” she remarked.

“Better get used to it. This’ll be what she’s eating for a while.”

Twilight smirked. “Well, there’s a wet nurse spell that I stumbled upon, in case you ever want to give this a try, Dashie.”

“I think I’ll pass…”

After Light was fed, Twilight had rolled onto her stomach and nestled the sleeping foal under her wing. She could feel her cuddling into her fur for warmth, which only made Twilight smile. Once little Light was comfortable, she quickly fell asleep, and with her newborn asleep next to her, Twilight decided to take a nap herself after the long ordeal she had been through.

As the morning went on, Twilight found herself awoken by a soft knock on the door. She opened her eyes to see Dash had also fell asleep in a chair. She looked at the door and muttered, “Come in.”

The door opened, and in walked a nurse followed by Twilight's and Dash's friends. Twilight sat up a bit, careful not to disturb the sleeping filly next to her. She gave a smile as her friends entered the room.

“Hey, girls,” Twilight said, softly.

“How ya holdin’ up, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, with a smile.

“Where is she?” asked Pinkie, bouncing from behind Applejack.

“Yes, when Spike came over and told me, I could barely contain my excitement,” Rarity said and stepped forward.

“She’s been sleeping a lot, so keep it down,” Dash said with a yawn and a stretch. She climbed up off the chair and stood next to the bed.

“Y’all should wait yer turn. Someone else is ahead of y’all.” Applejack glanced behind her and motioned for whom she was speaking to move forward. After a moment, Spike poked his head out from between the ponies.

“Go ahead, Spike,” Fluttershy said, motioning for him to continue with her hoof.

He cautiously walked forward until he stood in front of Dash.

“Hey, little guy.” Dash smiled down and took a step closer to him. “Ready to meet your little sister?” she asked with a gentle tone.

Spike nodded, shyly. “I’m a little nervous.”

Dash shook her head. “Don’t be. She’s just a little foal, Spike. And you don’t want her thinking her big brother’s a chicken, do you?” Spike shook his head and Dash scooped him up onto her back. She then let him hop onto the bed with Twilight.

The room fell silent as Spike stared at Twilight with anticipation. Twilight gave him a warm smile and beckoned him closer with a nod. “Spike, I want you to meet your little sister, Morning Light.” She pulled her wing back so that the sleeping foal’s head poked free. The rush of cool air seemed to disturb her slightly, but not enough to wake her.

Spike’s eyes went wide as he kneeled down next to her. “She looks just like Rainbow Dash…” he said softly.

Twilight and Dash both looked at each other and shared a smirk.

“Hi, I’m your big brother, Spike,” he added, placing his claw gently on the foal’s shoulder. The soft touch caused her to shift, shrugging off Spike’s hand. He frowned a bit.

“Don’t take it personally, Spike. She’s still a little tired from…” Twilight paused to look for the appropriate analogy until she finally decided upon, “the trip.”

Twilight’s attention was grabbed when she noticed the group of ponies leaning over the foot of the bed. She moved her wing down further so they could see the foal tucked underneath.

“Wow, she really does take after Rainbow Dash…” Fluttershy remarked.

“I guess she really is yers, RD.” Applejack shot her a smirk.

“Did you think we made the whole thing up?” Dash asked with a deadpan look.

Applejack laughed slightly. “No, I’m just messin’ with ya.”

“So, she’s not a…” Rarity started to speak, but stopped herself short.

Twilight laughed and pulled her wing up for a moment. “She’s a unicorn.”

A small frown came across Rarity’s face. “I honestly thought that after you ascended, she might have been affected.”

“Princess Celestia assured me that wouldn’t happen. Alicorn ascensions are apparently not biological, but magical.” Twilight lowered her wing gently and watched as the uneasy expression on her foal’s face faded once it was wrapped in warmth again.

After a moment, Rarity nodded and smiled. “I suppose that’s for the best.”

“Yeah, could you imagine if she had wings and a horn! I know Mr. and Mrs. Cake have been having a ton of trouble with the twins. Imagine if there was just one that could cause all of that.” Pinkie paused to laugh. “Though, I bet she’d be pretty fun to play with too. Hide and seek would be a blast!”

“Only you would think that, Pinkie.” Twilight giggled. “Honestly, I’m quite happy she’s normal. If she had been an alicorn, growing up might have been rough for her.”

“So, how are you feeling, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked.

“Fine, I suppose.” Twilight pinched her eyes closed for a moment and stretched her neck. “Tired mostly,” she added, fighting off a yawn.

“Foals don’t seem to wait for beauty sleep, do they,” Rarity said, holding back a laugh.

“Well, she didn’t, at least.” Twilight chuckled softly. “But, at that point, I was happy she was here.”

“I might not’ve liked getting up that early, but I’m happy she’s finally here too.” Dash stepped next to the bed and sat down on the floor.

“Maybe the next one will pick a better time, hm?” Rarity raised her eyebrows, suggestively. She looked to Applejack and they both glanced as Dash with the same expression.

Both Twilight and Dash glanced at one another with almost terrified looks. “I-I think we’ll wait a little while before we talk about that one…” Twilight said with a nervous laugh.

Dash let out a sigh of relief. “After the trouble we had with this one, I think we need a break…” When she looked back at her friends she saw Rarity and Applejack holding in a laugh. She shot them a small glare. “What’s so funny?”

Pinkie bounced between Applejack and Rarity. “I don’t hear a no,” she said with an almost tune in her voice and a huge grin.

Dash’s eyes went wide. “We haven’t talked about it yet…” Dash rubbed the back of her head. “I mean, can we get the one that just got here home first? Besides, Twi being pregnant again while we have a young foal would be a huge mess, and—”

“We’re teasing, darling.”

“You’re going to give them a panic attack if you keep pushing it,” Fluttershy replied with a small frown. She looked back to Twilight. “Don’t feel pressured to have another one, okay?”

“Thanks, Fluttershy.” Twilight sighed.

Applejack glanced up at the clock. When she looked back, she tipped her hat back and smiled. “Well, we really just came to bring Spike and check on how y’all were doin’.”

“And congratulate her!” Pinkie narrowed her eyes at Applejack. “You can’t forget that.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “And congratulate ya.”

“You’re not staying?” Twilight asked in disapointed voice.

“You need your rest,” Fluttershy said, preemptively ushering Pinkie towards the door.

“We’re going to have such a party when you’re back home!” she called back while she was being pushed, waving her forelegs in the air wildly. Once she was at the door, she bounced up and hopped out of the room gleefully.

Fluttershy turned and gave a small wave before leaving as well. “Congratulations, both of you.”

Rarity took a step back. “Indeed, we came mostly to say congratulations. After all, it would be rude to interfere with your family’s bonding time.”

“We don’t feel that way,” Twilight replied in disappointing tone, but her friends were already by the door.

“Twi, they’re being polite,” Dash said as she waved goodbye.

She frowned. “They just got here, though…”

“We’ll see ya when ya get out, sugarcube.” Applejack said before leaving.

“You must bring little Morning Light to my boutique soon, Twilight. I can’t wait to design a cute little outfit for her.” Rarity smirked at Dash. “Perhaps she’ll sit still for me, unlike her father.”

Dash rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I’ve helped you before.”

“Anyway, congratulations again.” Rarity waved goodbye and closed the door behind her.

“That was a short visit,” Spike said, still staring at the door.

“They still have things to do today.”

“It was nice of them to stop by, but I wished they stayed longer…” Twilight glanced down under her wing to see a small scowl on Light’s face. “Was that too much commotion for you?” she asked with a gentle tone.

“She sure likes to sleep, huh?” Spike remarked as he peeked under Twilight’s wing.

“Like someone I know when they were younger.” She smirked at Spike, though he seemed more preoccupied watching Light sleep than Twilight’s teasing.

“I wonder what she’ll be like when she grows up…” he added, whimsically.

Twilight stared down at him for a moment, taken back by the depth of his remark. “Who knows. We’ll just have to see.”

Dash lowered her muzzle next to Twilight and placed a kiss on her cheek. “It’s hard to believe this all began as a mistake, you know?”

“A happy mistake, looking back on it.” Twilight moved her muzzle as Dash kissed so she was facing her.

“Not even looking back on it.” Dash moved in to kiss her on the lips. “And I've got no regrets,” she whispered into Twilight’s ear after they broke. She moved her hoof to Twilight’s shoulder and traced down her foreleg.

“Me either.”

The End

Author's Note

So, it's finally here. This is the end of the story. No jokes, no food for thought, just an actual ending. Hopefully you'll allow me to get nostalgic for a bit. After almost two years of writing this, I honestly started to feel like this was a static thing in my life. No matter what, there always seemed to be a chapter of Rainbows in the Night Sky I should be writing. That's finally come to a close after this chapter.

This originally started off as a semi-return to writing for me. This was supposed to be a small idea I had for a show I was just getting into. I hadn't written anything before this story in--quite literally--years. It was also a leap into the unknown. I had never given writing non-human characters a shot before this story. So aside from bringing me back to writing, a passion I had a long time ago, it also opened me up to new possibilities.

On top of all that, it's also been evolving since I've started writing it. Hell, I never planned this story to be as long as it is. Over 100,000 words. That's insane. If you had asked me when I started writing how long this story would be, I probably would have told you about 25,000. Yeah, this thing has changed a lot...

Yet, I think what's the most amazing thing here was the reception I received. Everyone who gave me words of encouragement and criticism helped shape this story. The encouragement pushed me forward and the criticism made me strive to be better. If it wasn't for the comments I received, this story wouldn't be complete. If it wasn't for you fine people reading this story, I wouldn't have finished.

So, what I really want to say is thank you to those who read this story. And I hope you have enjoyed the ride as much as I have.

Confession

Rainbows in the Night Sky

Chapter 1: Confession

Twilight paced back and forth in the middle of the library, her heart weight heavy with angst. Her usually well-combed mane was a unkempt mess, and bags sat heavy under her eyes. She let out a long sigh of fatigue. Each step she took was heavy and slow. Every few moments, she glanced at the table.

She hadn’t slept at this point for two days, but sleep was the farthest thing from her mind This anxiousness had been building inside her for about a week now. Just thinking about it made her heart tighten in fear. She was late, and not in the usual sense of the word. She had been praying to Celestia that she was just late, but after a week it still hadn’t come. A chilling realization was sinking in, and the hazy memories of a drunken night came to mind. She could still remember the smell of sweat and lust from that night. The crazy series of events played out like a slideshow in her mind. Her heart seized for a moment, and her hooves trembled as her memories resurfaced. She made a mistake that night, and now she would have to live with the consequences.

Twilight looked back at the test sitting on the table once more. This was the longest two minutes of her life. Questions raced through her mind, like what would she do, how would she tell everyone, her friends, her family, her teacher. No one could accept this; no one would accept what Twilight had done. This was the worst possible mistake she could have made. Each step she took only drove the stake of guilt in deeper to her heart.

Her mind was darting between her worries as she paced. Family, friends, none of them would be as hard to tell as the father. How in all of Equestria was she going to break it to Rainbow Dash? She hadn’t so much as expressed her pent up feelings to the pony, and suddenly she was just going to show up and tell her that she was pregnant? Twilight’s heart raced as she worried even more. She couldn’t be sure Rainbow Dash would even understand how this happened—Dash wasn’t a unicorn, she didn’t understand magic. Twilight groaned just thinking about the mess lying ahead of her.

When she glanced over, she saw the test was done. She levitated it over to her, and just like she suspected, it was positive. Twilight Sparkle, protégé to Princess Celestia and an Element of Harmony, was pregnant.

Spike hesitated before opening the door to the library. He stared at it for a moment, debating whether he wanted to walk inside or not. His errands were done, and Twilight surely needed his help again, but he didn’t want to see her. Just thinking about Twilight all stressed out like she had been for the past week made him want to cry. Something was clearly bothering the librarian; he wasn’t oblivious—he knew she was pacing for the past few nights, and she wasn’t sleeping in her bed, nor was she eating too much.

But try as he might to get her to tell him what was wrong, she wouldn’t. Twilight would simply tell him not to worry. It was clear she was putting on the façade of normalcy. She would try and act like nothing was wrong around him, but he could hear her at night, he could hear her soft sighs when he turned his back, he could see her mind was wandering. Spike was nearing his breaking point. He simply couldn’t not worry about her; she was acting too strange.

With a deep breath, he readied himself for Twilight’s act. Slowly he opened the door, and walked into the library. But instead of Twilight pacing, he was welcomed with the unexpected sight of his caretaker curled up in the corner, sobbing to herself.

“Twilight? What’s the matter?” he asked, rushing over to Twilight’s side. He had known something was bothering her, but he didn‘t think it was this serious. He couldn’t help but feel he should have pressed the issue harder now that Twilight was crying. He placed a claw on her shoulder, trying to comfort the librarian as best he could. He could only hope now she would finally confide with him.

“Spike, you may have a baby sister on the way,” she said wiping her eyes with a hoof all the while trying to force a smile.

“Baby sister? What are you talking about?” he asked.

“Nothing, Spike. Watch the library for a bit,” she said slowly getting back on all four hooves. She levitated a brush over, and ran it through her hair a few times to straighten her messy mane. Next she brought over a mirror and gave herself a quick glance over to make sure she wasn't a complete mess. With a small sigh, she found herself at least slightly presentable. She rushed past the dragon, leaving him looking at her confused.

“Twilight, come on just tell me what’s going on, you’ve been acting weird for the past few days,” Spike pleaded with her before she rushed out the library door.

“Spike, you’re too young to understand,” she said with a slight smile, “You are still a baby dragon after all,” she said, placing a hoof to his cheek in a loving manner. He looked up at her with a very confused look. Without saying another word she left the library, leaving the dragon standing in the middle of the room utterly befuddled.

The chilly air hit her fur with her first step outside the library. Twilight shivered a bit, steeling her nerves. She knew she would have to find and tell Rainbow Dash her feelings. That had to be the first thing she did, since she couldn't just drop the “I’m pregnant” bombshell on her right away. Besides, there was no point in trying to hide her feelings anymore. Like it or not, she was pregnant with one of her best friends’ foal, it wouldn’t really be possible to keep her feelings hidden once ponies asked about the father. She felt a pit form in her stomach just thinking about it.

She looked up at the sky, seeing it blanketed in clouds. The first thing she had to do was find Rainbow Dash, but as she looked around Ponyville, she really didn't know where to begin. Thinking about it logically, Twilight knew Dash should be working, and she vaguely recalled that there was supposed to be rain tonight, which meant Rainbow Dash would be on cloud duty. That should make her easy enough to spot.

Twilight eyes flowed up to the grey blanket above, finding only a few places where the sun was still shining through the clouds. The place she noticed the most pegasus ponies gathered in the sky was the town square. For Twilight, that was a good place to start looking for Rainbow Dash. She readied herself, steadying her nerves for her inevitable confession. With a gulp to swallow the pooling saliva in her mouth, Twilight set out to search for her friend.

Walking down the street, she felt her whole body go stiff. Her heart almost stopped from sheer nervousness at the thought of telling Rainbow Dash drawing near. After a few small breaths, she slowly walked forward. Suddenly she felt like everyone around her was staring at her, somehow aware of her condition—aware of what she had done. Twilight’s heart went from a dead stop to pounding in an instant. She lowered her head, trying to look as inconspicuous as she could, but it didn’t help. It only made her feel silly on top of her paranoia.

As her eyes darted between the ponies passing her, it seemed like every single one looked back at her. She wanted to scream out, she wanted to run, but that would only draw even more attention to herself. Twilight tried to calm herself with reason—there was no way any of these ponies around her knew about her condition, let alone how she got pregnant in the first place. As her eyes wandered around, she faintly became aware that the town was getting denser. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized she was drawing close to the town square.

Twilight came to a dead stop in the middle of the town square. Looking out at how busy everyone was around her, she couldn’t help but feel stupid looking for Rainbow Dash at work. No matter how she looked at it, this wasn’t an appropriate reason to interrupt someone at work, but this was important. She couldn't wait till Dash was done to tell her; she absolutely had to get something off her chest now—be it her feelings, her pregnancy, or her frustration. She glanced up above, looking for the rainbow-maned athlete, and as luck would have it, she happened to spot the pegasus moving some clouds just above her head. Although she was nervous, she grabbed Dash’s attention.

“R-Rainbow Dash!” she called up to her winged friend. Twilight steadied herself as she took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then let the air out slowly, hoping that would calm her nerves a bit, but no such luck. Rainbow Dash was clearly at work, and clearly busy, but Twilight had to talk to her; she had something important to say, and she had to get it off her chest.

“Give me a minute, Twi, I’m kinda busy!” Dash yelled back, without taking her eyes off the task at hoof.

“It’s important!” Twilight called back.

“Not as important as the weather! We’ve got a storm planned for tonight, and three ponies called off sick today!”

“No, it’s really, really important!” Twilight stressed, with an almost whine in her voice.

“Later, Twi!”

Rainbow Dash’s continued dismissal was starting to irk the unicorn. “It can’t wait!” Her growing aggravation showed in her tone. Twilight stamped her hoof hard against the ground in protest.

“I bet it can!” Rainbow Dash reciprocated Twilight’s frustration back at her.

“Rainbow Dash!”

“Twilight!”

“I’M PREGNANT!” Twilight finally yelled at the top of her lungs. Every single pony in the town square fell silent, letting Twilight's voice echo—the pegasi stopped moving clouds, and the ponies on the ground stared at her with shock. Once she noticed, she instinctively shrunk down as gazes from about thirty ponies fell on her. A distant cough could be heard stressing the complete silence. Twilight laughed weakly and shrugged her shoulders slightly. After a moment everyone returned to their lives, though a few started whispering among themselves.

Twilight just blew it. She wanted to ease into this, and now there wasn’t a gem’s chance in a dragon’s lair of doing this delicately. So much for starting off with how she felt, and hoping things wouldn't be awkward between the two of them. Now she had to deal with the proverbial elephant in the room head on. Reluctantly she glanced up to Dash.

Rainbow Dash could only stare at Twilight in disbelief. After a quick glance back at the cloud, she gave it a shove, and dove down towards Twilight, stopping just a few feet above the ground.

“C-come again?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I’m pregnant,” she said only a little louder than a whisper.

“Um...congratulations,” Rainbow Dash said with a mixture of surprise and embarrassment. She rubbed her hoof against the back of her head while trying her best not to look Twilight in the eye.

“It’s yours, Rainbow Dash...” Twilight said after a small pause. Dash landed on the ground, giving Twilight a puzzled look.

“Twi, didn't your parents ever give you the birds and the bees talk? Two mares can’t have a foal—wait a minute...” Her eyes went wide as she realized what Twilight was telling her.

“I’m aware of that, Rainbow Dash. However, you and I had a special kind of evening a few weeks ago...” Twilight tried to jog the pegasus’s memory, but Rainbow Dash only stared at her with the same wide eyes. “You do remember that party at Pinkie’s, right?” Twilight ask with her face turning bright red. Rainbow Dash’s face turned red the instant that party was mentioned.

“K-kind of...I was pretty drunk...” she said averting her gaze once again.

“Look, I’d rather talk in private.” Twilight glanced around at the ponies in the square, many of whom were still whispering amongst themselves. “Can you take the rest of the day off work?” she asked.

Rainbow Dash looked around, seeing the majority of the job was just about done. “Hey can you guys finish up for me?” she called up to the two other pegasi working above.

“Sure!” one of them said back to her. She gave them a wave, and turned back to Twilight. With a small nod of her head, the two headed off.

“How can you be so sure it’s mine, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence. They had been walking down the street for about five minutes without so much as a peep, and it was already past awkward—especially after the bombshell Twilight dropped on her.

“Well, there hasn’t been anypony else,” Twilight responded after a few seconds. Her voice was almost sad, and a touch fearful.

“I’m still confused on how...”

“Look, after we left the party, we went back to my place. I don’t remember too much, because I was pretty intoxicated myself, but I do remember that it was just you, me, and nopony else.”

“Well how much do you remember about that night?” Dash asked timidly. Her eyes looked off to the side, finding something interesting in the houses next to them as they walked. Twilight wasn't faring much better in the conversation. She was trying to calm her nerves by thinking about some of her favorite books, but it wasn't helping.

“N-not much,” Twilight said nervously. She was lying of course, she remembered quite a bit about that night in fact—well, feelings mostly, nothing specific. For instance she remembered the feeling of having Rainbow Dash on top of her, her sweet moans as her and Twilight made love, and the wonderful feeling of her finally in Twilight’s bed. There was way too much Twilight wanted to remember about that night for her to let herself forget in a drunken haze. When the morning came, that passionate night became their little secret.

“Anyway I do remember casting that spell on you to give you a um...a stallion’s genitalia.” Both mares turned away from each other as their faces turned bright red. “And um...well, it’s originally a procreation spell—not exactly meant for two mares on a fling. I was too drunk to remember that there’s an extra part in the spell to make the semen inert.”

“In plain Equestrian, egghead.”

“Basically, I forgot to make the cum not work...” Twilight summarized while rolling her eyes at the crude language. Apparently Dash found Twilight's use of crude language as awkward as she had, since silence fell over them again. The two continued their walk without so much as a word between them. They were finding themselves heading further away from the relatively bustling center of town. Houses became more sparse, and fewer and far between. After a few minutes of awkward walking, Rainbow Dash took a deep breath.

“Well, I have to come clean with you, Twi. I wasn’t that drunk,” she said finally with a sigh.

“Are you kidding me, you were too drunk to fly home, that’s why you stayed at my house,” Twilight said with a little bit of a laugh.

“Twi, I only had—like—three drinks. You on the other hand had way too many, you were completely smashed!” she said giving Twilight a playful nudge, “You were stumbling so bad, it’s a miracle you didn’t fall face first into somepony and poke ’em with your horn.”

“So what, you were just acting drunk then?” Twilight sounded a bit betrayed.

“N-not exactly. I had a bit of a buzz, but I wasn’t wasted like you.”

“Hold on, so you remember the whole thing? Why are you asking me questions about it!”

“Doesn’t mean I know how the hay it worked. You told me you had a good idea, and that’s when you cast that spell. Next thing I knew I was burying that thing you put on me into your...” Rainbow Dash coughed as a form of censorship. “You know...It was too weird...and strangely hot to even comprehend, I couldn’t really think too straight in that kind of situation.” Rainbow Dash’s cheeks turned visibly red.

“I guess I can see that...” Twilight nodded a bit.

“I guess I just didn’t think I could get you pregnant with that...” Rainbow Dash said softly.

“It was a really stupid mistake on my part—”

“Stupid is kind of an understatement here...” Dash said with a sigh. She turned her head away from Twilight, rolling her eyes as she did so.

“Look, I wasn’t planning this, okay!” Twilight defended.

“Whether you planned it or not, we’re dealing with it now...”

“This isn’t easy for me...” Twilight said softly.

“You weren’t the one told out of nowhere that you’re going to be a dad!” Rainbow Dash’s volume jumped, and her tone bore some accusation. She watched Twilight shrink down in response to having blame placed on her.

Twilight stopped in the middle of the street. She wanted to apologize, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. This wasn’t how this was supposed to played out. She wasn’t supposed to blurt out that she was pregnant. She was supposed to ease into this whole situation. She was supposed to tell Dash that she loved her, and then tell her she was pregnant. But as she thought about it, even that wasn’t easing into the situation. There really wasn’t any way to ease into this. A tear started to fall from Twilight’s eye.

“This isn’t how this was supposed to happen...” Twilight muttered in between sobs.

“T-Twi, don’t cry. I didn’t mean it...” Dash put her hoof around Twilight. She looked around to make sure no one else was around before guiding the unicorn into an empty alley way.

“I wanted to tell you that I like you first. I wanted to tell you my feelings before I said anything to you about this whole mess...” Twilight wiped her eyes.

“You like me?” she asked, taken aback a bit. She took a small step towards Twilight.

“I know, that night was probably just a fling to you, but...I’ve had a crush on you for a long time...” Twilight said with a sniffle.

“I...” Rainbow Dash was at a loss for words. Her eyes darted around as she tried to think of something to say, but she couldn’t. The silence didn’t last long though as Twilight continued to blame herself.

“And I just had to go and yell that I’m pregnant! You probably hate me now...”

“I don’t hate you, Twi,” Dash said softly, trying to comfort the librarian.

Twilight’s head sank low in self-pity. “Yes you do...” she muttered as another tear slid down from her eye.

“Look, it wasn’t a fling for me...” She lifted her friend’s head up, so she would look her in the eyes. “I thought you were just too drunk to realize what you were doing. I’ve got feelings for you too, Twi, it’s just...”

“I dropped a lot on you?” Twilight asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yeah, I mean...this kind of came out of nowhere...It’s a lot to take in.”

“I can understand that...I mean, motherhood wasn’t on my agenda either,” Twilight said with a small sniffle.

“I-it’s just...I’m going to need some time to think about this, alright, Twi?”

“Y-yeah, take your time. I-I’ll be at the library...just trying to figure out what to do about this...” the unicorn said, forcing a smile. The two stared at one another for a moment before Rainbow Dash took off into the sky. Without so much as a word, she left Twilight standing there. The sight of her friend leaving left her heart weighing heavy. She watched as the prismatic trail behind Rainbow Dash disappeared in the distance. Alone, Twilight let out a dejected sigh before starting her journey home.

Author's Note

This is my first time writing MLP fan fiction. Let me know how I did, and if there's major issues with the grammar/spelling, let me know. I would be more than happy to fix them.

Later chapters will contain some clop.