Chapter 2: Questions Unanswered
What the hell is she up to?
Twilight sat on the outskirts of town, eyeing Rainbow’s home in the sky. Normally, Twilight wouldn’t be mildly concerned about her friends’ personal lives, but Rainbow had been acting abnormally lately. She has been sneaking out after dark all this week, and last night’s flight from Pinkie’s party not only hurt Pinkie’s feelings, but didn’t entirely make sense.
Twilight’s gaze continued to be fixed on Rainbow’s castle in the clouds. None of this adds up, she continued to analyze the problem in her head. Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty, ditches her friends in the middle of a party for no good reason. She didn’t even say she was leaving! Twilight squinted her eyes, making sure nothing but the front door of Rainbow Dash’s home was in sight. I don’t know what you’re up to, Rainbow Dash, but I’m sure I’m going to find out.
In a moment’s notice, Rainbow opened up her front door. She casually stretched and yawned, unaware of her spyer. However, one quick look down at the world below made Rainbow Dash jump in fright. “T-Twilight!” she screamed, holding a quickly paced hover over her doormat. “What are you doing here, and why are you staring like that?”
“Oh, I was just waiting for you to get up!” Twilight replied cheerfully, returning her thought heavy face to something more nonchalant. “I was just really curious about something, and it kept me up all night.”
Rainbow bit her lower lip out of fear, “Uh, what do you want to know?”
“Well, I was just remembering last night’s party, and your sudden disappearance.” Twilight took easy notice that Rainbow gulped at the mention of the party. She held back a confident smile to continue, “Pinkie was really sad and assumed you left because you didn’t like her parties. She didn’t quite go Pinkamena, but it was pretty close. I was just wondering why you had to go, and why you didn’t alert any of us before leaving.”
Rainbow clacked her hooves together, searching her brain for any possible solution to the problem. “I, uh, well…” Rainbow stammered. Twilight let her confidence shine through, figuring Rainbow would crack. “I’m a bit embarrassed to say it out loud. You understand, right?”
“Oh, come on Rainbow!” Twilight said forcefully, becoming irritated from being withheld from the truth. “We’re just friends here, and no one is around. You can tell me!”
Once again, Rainbow bit down on her lower lip. Beads of nervous sweat dripped down her face. “Well, you see… I just got the new Daring Do book!”
Twilight’s smile quickly reverted to a frown. “But that book came out last week.”
“I wasn’t able to go to the release party, so I had to wait and order it through the mail.”
Twilight’s eyebrows furrowed. “But standard shipping is only three days!” Twilight was practically screaming now. She knew Rainbow wasn’t telling the truth.
“Derpy was in charge of the shipping. You know how that pony is!” Rainbow Dash chuckled out a nervous laugh trying to hide her lies.
Twilight blew out a puff of steam. This was not the answer she wanted. Rainbow tried to distract Twilight by being the alicorn’s mirror. “Woah, Twilight! You’re face is turning real red! Want me to bring in some clouds or something?”
Twilight grinded her teeth, audible even through sealed lips. “No, I’m just peachy,” she replied.
Rainbow used this break from the interrogation to create an escape. “Well, it was nice talking to you this morning, but I promised Scoots that I would take her out for ice cream today. If I want to fit in a flying lesson, I need to get to her house A.S.A.P. Catcha later!” With a wave of her hoof, Rainbow was off in a flash, even leaving behind two feathers.
Twilight watched as they fell, but something was definitely wrong. The young analyst approached the feathers, examining them carefully. The mere sight of both made Twilight cringe. One cyan feather, and one white feather.
Twilight looked in the direction where Rainbow fled and yelled at her silhouette. “You can run for now, but no one get’s past Twilight Sparkle. Not Discord, not Sombra, not even Chrysalis. This is a war you will not win!”
“Who you talkin’ to?” a cheerful voice called out. Twilight turned, a light blush of embarrassment seeping through her thick purple coat. Pinkie was bouncing towards her friend on her tail as if it were a pogo stick. “I thought you told me that imaginary friends were a thing of the past, and everypony our age should have gotten rid of them by now.”
Twilight sheepishly smiled and explained her situation. “Oh, I was actually just talking to Rainbow Dash.”
Pinkie stopped bouncing right in front of Twilight, invading her personal space. “But she isn’t even here! Is that magic giving you hallucinations? I know this cupcake aroma is…”
“She just left actually, just when I was really starting to get stomping mad at her for not answering me truthfully.” Twilight’s attention diverted back to where Rainbow had fled. “I’m telling you Pinkie, something is up with Rainbow Dash, and we need to find it out pronto.”
“WHAT?!?” Pinkie exclaimed. Twilight turned around in confusion to find Pinkie staring off into space. “Twilight is not getting power hungry, Charlotte! What’re you talking about?”
Pinkie turned back to her friend and said gleefully, “Sorry about that! Charlotte can get really skeptical sometimes!” Twilight looked around Pinkie to find any remnants of her friend, but came to the quick realization that Pinkie must have had a hallucination. “I’m totally on board! So, what’re we going to do?”
Twilight leaned in close to Pinkie and whispered so no other pony could hear, despite the fact they were alone on the outskirts. “Gather the rest of our friends. We’re going to do a stakeout tonight, and put a stop to Rainbow’s secrecy. Kind of like a group intervention, but more stealthy.”
Pinkie stomped around giddily, a smile growing from ear to ear. “Oooh! I’m so excited! Rainbow won’t even see it coming! It will be like the ultimate prank! I think I even have my Fluttershy costume laying around somewhere.”
“No need for costumes,” Twilight said. “We need to make sure Rainbow understands the seriousness of the matter, and how she shouldn’t hide things from her friends. Just make sure all our friends are here at sundown tonight.”
Pinkie nodded slowly, but then turned her head and began arguing with an inanimate being. “No, Charlotte, her recent promotion is not getting to her head. No, I don’t think this is a violation of Rainbow’s rights. Friends aren’t supposed to hide secrets from each other, and this is clearly something we need to act on. Oh yea? Well at least my bipolar state has a trigger!”
Twilight rolled her eyes and dismissed herself from the discussion. She followed the streets taking her back to the library, where she would prepare for the long day ahead of her.
You can’t hide from us anymore, Rainbow Dash. Secrets are sins. May Celestia be my witness, I will make sure you be honest with your friends, no matter the consequences.
Author's Note
Sorry for the delayed update. I wanted to do an update once a week, but I ended up having a lot more time to write this week than usual. Thanks for all the positive feedback on the first chapter, and I look forward to hear what you have to say with this update. Feel free to throw in any constructive criticism you feel necessary! As Icona Pop once famously said, "I love it!"
Chapter 1: Happy Forest "Friends"
Rainbow Dash zipped between the trees of the Everfree Forest swiftly and gracefully, despite the lack of light given to her by the night sky. God damn it! she thought to herself. I’m going to be late again! I can’t keep doing this. Rainbow flapped her wings harder, picking up speed to make up the lost time. She could feel the wind tugging back through her mane and tail and the force on her face.
Rainbow burst through a thick bush, sending leaves flying everywhere, but revealing her designated area. There weren’t many safe and secure spots in the Everfree Forest, but Rainbow happened to find this one, not having a single blemish of a weed on the ground and full access to a clear sky. Rainbow rapidly surveyed the area, searching for something. At the very back of the clearing, Rainbow spotted a silhouette and let out a sigh of relief. She was still there.
“What took you so long?” the shadow called out in a harsh but relieved voice.
“Just another Pinkie party,” Dash explained, hovering to the center of clearing. “You know how that goes.”
The dark figure moved into the light of the full moon, revealing herself to be Gilda. Rainbow’s look of concern quickly reverted to a look of awe, as she gazed upon the griffon before her with wide eyes and a small grin. Gilda quickly pushed a tuft of feathers back up towards the top of her head before joining Rainbow in the center of the clearing. “I swear, that numbskull throws something every day,” she complained. “You’d think she’d be partied out by now.”
Rainbow slowly let herself land right beside Gilda. “Eh, it’s Pinkie. I can’t really blame her for being who she is. I’m just glad I got outta there.”
“Same here, Dashie,” Gilda cooed before giving a small peck to Rainbow on the cheek. Rainbow’s cheeks flushed unlike any color found on her mane, and she tucked her head into the neck of her lover.
Gilda cradled Rainbow Dash in her neck, embracing the pegasus’s head with her own. “Why can’t you come more often, Dashie?” Gilda asked in a soothing voice.
Rainbow tried to nuzzle further into the feathers of Gilda while replying, “You know I’m trying. I’m just so tied up with Wonderbolt training, friends, and controlling the weather around here, I barely have enough time for myself. And Pinkie’s sudden urge to make parties every day after Cheese Sandwich left sure isn’t helping me any.”
Gilda soothed Rainbow by petting her cyan blessing with the soft tips of her wings. “Well, you already know what you’re missing out on every time you can’t make it here.
Rainbow looked up and smiled, taking in all of Gilda’s beauty in the moonlight. Her mind almost immediately threw away said thought however, and brought back forth Rainbow’s worries. She pulled out of Gilda’s comforting hold and asked, “Are you sure that you can continue living out here? This is the Everfree Forest and all, and I don’t want you hurt, and...”
Gilda put a talon to Rainbow’s mouth, silencing her. Then, trying to brush off the worries, Gilda bellowed a laugh and messed up Rainbow’s multi-colored mane. She managed to explain through laughs, “C’mon Dashie! No one believes that this place is dangerous anymore! Fillies waltz in here pretty much every day! And besides…” Gilda took a moment to pose in front of her marefriend. “Nothing out here can handle THIS!” Gilda hopped onto her hind legs, trying as hard as she could to bulge muscles with her bird legs, but still managed to look tough with her threatening body and wings.
Dash smirked, holding back a laugh of her own. “Woah! We got a bad-flank over here!” she said sarcastically, waving her hooves around as if she was trying to back away from a fight.
Once again, Gilda laughed hysterically, now forcing Rainbow in on the fun, as the duo rolled around on the ground in joy. The two bumped into each other on the ground, allowing both to settle down in the looks of each other’s eyes. Rainbow moved forward slightly to kiss her lover’s beak softly, trying to repay Gilda for earlier.
Gilda looked softly at her love, but brought up a hard point. “So, when are we going to come back to Ponyville… together?”
Rainbow, surprised by the question, tried to blow off the thought. “Uh, well, we don’t really need to go back to Ponyville. I mean, my friends there are great and all, but nothing really beats being out here with you!” Rainbow made a small nervous laugh, which Gilda saw right through.
“Y’know,” Gilda continued. “Eventually your little pony friends are going to find out.”
“I know,” Rainbow replied, concern overwhelming her once more “I’m just trying to hold it off for a little while longer. I don’t think they got over your first impression yet.”
“They won’t be able to unless they have a second impression,” Gilda pointed out.
Rainbow looked away for the moment, trying to come up with a reason not to bring Gilda back with her. “But, after the way they saw you, I don’t think they’ll ever take you back in. They still don’t trust Discord, and he was personally reformed by Fluttershy!”
Rainbow felt Gilda’s talons sift through her mane ever so softly, forcing Rainbow to look back in her eyes. Had Rainbow not had better respect for what Gilda was saying, she would have lost herself looking into her beige beauties. “I know you’re worried. I know you’re nervous. Believe me, I am too. But, you can’t just hide me out here forever you know. It’s not good for you to fly out here, it’s not good for me to live out here, and it’s not good for your friends to be lied to all the time.”
Rainbow nodded slowly, continuing to examine Gilda’s face and in all of it’s glory. Gilda noticed Rainbow losing her focus and smirked. “Alright, I think that’s enough chitchat. You ready Skittles?”
Rainbow’s eyebrows furrowed. She hated that nickname. However, she smiled all the less, mockingly saying, “Taste this Rainbow, Gryffindor!”
Gilda repeated Rainbow Dash’s actions, hating her own pet name. The two came together as one, passionately kissing one another, feeling up each other’s bodies with their wings.
In a gasp for breath between kisses, Rainbow muttered out, “I love you.”
“I love you too, Dashie.”
