Lost in White

Purple and blue danced in her mind.

Rainbow Dash flew.

They swam in distinct, wavy patterns; never did they part.

Rainbow Dash nose dived.

The colors met in white.

Rainbow Dash landed.

The morning sun greeted her to a mess of limbs. Two cyan hind legs were tangled in a heap of her sheets which she laid happily beneath.

Rainbow Dash groaned as she began to fight with her bed. Unpleasant dreams have been plaguing her mind for the past few days and she had yet to find a cure for them. She always told herself that she would be fine; it wouldn't happen tonight. Yet, every time she dreamt, it would always end in a flash and she would end up in her own bed, no matter where she was last.

Rainbow remembered a particular time when she stayed over at Twilight’s house. It was during the winter and she had a long night at work. They were not allowing ponies to leave, they needed to quell a certain part of the storm before they were to be released. Of course the portion she was referring to was the worst part of it all, and it took hours to finally quell it to a calm state. When she was walking in town, Twilight had been awake and saw her walking against the storm. She called out to her and told her to get inside. She couldn't pass that offer.

She was glad she didn't pass up the offer.

Rainbow Dash and Twilight stayed up for awhile, playing checkers and watching Twilight’s collection of Daring Do movies. Those films were her favorites! Every time she watched one, Twilight gave her another. It seemed like it was Movie Night, but Rainbow Dash didn't know. Heck, she was having too much fun to even ask. After watching Daring Do: The Purple Serenade, the two yawned and agreed to head upstairs. They needed to get some sleep for tomorrow. However, Rainbow Dash needed to leave to help her co-workers combat the storm. Maybe she came over tomorrow, she might be able to finish the rest of the Daring Do collection! High hopes of having another night with Twilight again made her smile as she flew up those wooden, creaky stairs. She turned the corner and craned her neck back and forth in search of Twilight’s guest bed. Right as Twilight was about to point it out, she pounced on it eagerly. Surrounded by her own feathers, she sighed and closed her eyes.

That night, she dreamt of color.

Now she was laying beneath her blue sheets while her heart beats rapidly.

It baffled Rainbow to the point of scaring her. This had never happened before and she couldn’t figure out why. Thinking wasn’t her strong suit.

After several minutes of being in heated combat with her long, lost rival, Rainbow Dash finally untangled herself. The sheets laid flat in defeat. She smiled and began to trot out of her room and down the small flight of stairs. She turned the corner and opened up her portable icebox.

Inside laid nothing but fresh vegetables, none of which made her tummy rumble in satisfaction. She sighed and shut the lid with swift intent, the lock—that she unfortunately forgot to snap shut when she left it previous—engaged with a snap. With her tummy still empty, Rainbow Dash ventured forth into the vast expansion of her cloud cabinets. She craned her neck high and low in search of the breakfast she desired.

“Where is it…” she muttered to herself as the ideal breakfast food swam in the confines of her brain. The mental depiction made her tummy rumble with glee. She had to get it. Now.

She searched in a select cloud cabinet, one where she thought it would be.

“Ah ha!” she exclaimed, her eyes lit up at the sight of the food item. She smiled, lifted the food to her mouth and devoured it mercilessly. Every bite she took gave her an extreme sense of delight. The smile she wore grew as every bite sent her taste buds on a powerful trip. She moaned lightly, a tinge of blush graced her cheeks.

She didn’t know why this happened whenever she ate a zap melon. It was something most pegasi—if you count most as in Rainbow Dash—loved to eat in the morning. It was quick, tasty, and was surely the best treat she would ever chow down. She had been craving it for weeks. Whenever she thought she had the time to eat one, some pony had to bark at her for something. Job or not, she needed itbadly.

She moaned once again as she took another generous bite of melon.

And another…

And another…

And—

“Oh my gosh!” she shouted as she mindlessly tossed the remaining bit of her breakfast into the air. Unknown to Rainbow Dash, the melon was in direct route for her pet tortoise, Tank, who was descending down the final step of the staircase. He woke up to the sounds of his owner struggling in her bed. He knew the drill and just ignored her, but he was already awake. As a result, he began to walk down the stairs to take his morning dump. He had planned to wait by the counter so he could get some assistance, but he didn't plan for a melon to hit him on the way down.

SPLAT

Rainbow Dash stopped, her eyes as wide as saucers.

She had just realized that she had to meet with Twilight in less than ten minutes.

If she didn’t meet with her before the clock struck eleven, she would have her hiney hung on a large wooden mantle with a smaller, gold-plated label that read ‘Rainbow Dashed’.

Rainbow Dash cringed. She couldn’t handle that mental imagery of her blue rump attached to it.

Not only that, but she just realized that she hit her pet with her breakfast.

"Tank!" she said as she rushed to her poor pet's aid. Tank's whole body was covered by the large melon. Rainbow giggled and grabbed him off the ground with one swift flap of her wings. She moved him to the sink and gently placed him in it. Tank looked up at his owner with wide eyes; he knew what was going to happen. Rainbow Dash smirked as the sink gushed plentiful amounts of water onto his back. After that, she dried him off and placed him on the counter.

“Tank, I’m sorry for turning you into a rainbow,” Rainbow apologized as she bent down to nuzzle his cheek. The tortoise cracked a small smile—that is, if small meant only half of one.

Rainbow Dash returned the gesture. “I’ll be back later, Tank,” she said as she placed him on the floor. “I have to visit Twilight’s.”

He nodded as fast as one tortoise could and watched as his owner galloped out the door. Thankfully, she shut the door…

Last night was wild when she forgot to close it.

“Twilight!” Spike announced as he walked like a true dragon: head held high, body completely rigid, and feet plopped irregularly up the stone stairs. His distinguished, yet modern rugged appearance of purple and green polished scales graced his being. His new lengthy addition of a curly, white mustache gave him the extra sense of bravado, something that he lacked in days prior. He had been bossed around by Twilight for too long. He needed to be the strongest dragon of them all.

The ferocious dragon examined the room: purple books with the findings of Star Swirl the Bearded were placed snug in their bookshelves, white and gold striped curtains dangled freely due to the light breeze that entered periodically, the giant, majestic queen-sized bed stood in proper fashion with its large painted gold columns of wood and metal, and the oak desk stood to the left of it which harbored her second writing set that contained a rather oddly shaped inkwell. Spike knew it was running low, but he wanted to show Twilight who was boss.

Spike approached the writing station. His mind was telling to refill it, but he knew he needed to stand up against the oppressive leader. She had to give him proper breaks! There was no way he could possibly fall into the trap of helping her out again!

But that feeling nagged and nagged him. It told him that if Twilight came back and needed to write something important, she would notice the lack of ink in that inkwell. She wouldn't be able to write a letter on the spot if something went horribly wrong. Not to mention that he did not want to hear Twilight’s newly profound screech of need. The high pitched tone of the mare could damage any poor dragon’s eardrums. He cringed. Never remember the fifth of November.

Spike reluctantly pulled himself onto the sturdy chair and grabbed the irregularly shaped well of twists and turns. He had to give in to the nagging feeling. It was what he was trained to do; it was his calling. As swiftly as he came, he left the room with the ink container in his claws. The two large doors stayed open as wide as can be; Spike didn't care for them. After all, those guards that stood nearby could shut them. It was part of their job… technically.

He briskly walked down the stairs. He needed to find that supply closet Big Macintosh helped install in the cellar to keep Twilight’s insanity at bay. The problem was that every hallway, room, or designated gazebo he entered was only a fraction of a step closer to it. By the time he reached it, the poor dragon’s feet were more wobbly than the entire Equestrian budget. He staggered over to the black case of ink and gently poured the substance into the inkwell, which filled it to the brim. Spike let out a relieved sigh and wiped all the sweat that was pooling on his forehead. The art of pouring ink was something that many could not accomplish and he, the royal assistant of Twilight Sparkle, completed the task with style.

“Time to get this back upstairs before Tw—”

“SPIKE!”

Spike muttered beneath his breath. She was home already from her visit to Joe's Diner, which Spike particularly admired for their gem filled chocolate donuts. The diner reminded him of Sugarcube Corner, except without all the party games. It was a calmer place to eat. Not to mention that Joe was a very nice stallion. However, at this moment, Spike did not admire Joe's place because he did not distract Twilight long enough for him to finish his job. Now he had to deal with an angry, insane Twilight.

He dashed out of the room and began his long ascent up to Twilight's chambers. He needed to take all the shortcuts that the servants taught him or he won't achieve his goal: to get his hiney upstairs before Twilight got to him first.

Sweat poured down his forehead once again. He was only a few small steps closer to Twilight's room. If he got in without her scaring him, he'll be fine. As long as he doesn't—

“Why did you take my inkwell…”

Spike yelped as he launched into the air and latched onto the ceiling. He was once a proud dragon, but with an alicorn like Twilight, he turned into the biggest cat you ever saw.

Spike looked down at his friend and felt all his fright leave him. “Twilight! Why are you dressed like StarSwirl the Bearded when he was admitted into Canterlot’s Insane Asylum?”

Twilight groaned as she tossed the outfit of blue and white to the side. “Ugh, how did you guess?”

Spike chuckled as he fell down from the ceiling. He landed on his buttocks, which made him groan in pain, but that didn't stop his chuckling.

He smiled at her. “Twilight, you’ve worn that same outfit for the past few Nightmare Nights,” he said as he turned to pick up the pieces of her costume. “It’s not even hard anymore."

Twilight grumbled as she walked passed her assistant and into her room. “Come on, Spike,” she called. “The guards can get them for me.”

“B-but…”

“Spike, I need to write to Celestia!” Twilight hollered from within her room. "You know what that means!”

“Coming…” Spike said in a dry tone, his head hung low. Before he entered the room, Spike gently tugged on the long, thin string that hung from the ceiling. He sighed as the doors closed slowly behind him. He heard the sound of the locks being engaged and the murmurs of the guards, but most of all, he heard Twilight mumbling to herself as she sat upon her chair. His friend was staring at a piece of paper.

He sighed and walked forward. Back to the good old days.

Twilight heard her assistants footsteps and turned around to see his saddened gaze. She felt a bit guilty for his sudden somber mood, but she needed that ink badly. She had to tell Celestia of her adventures before she forget. “You have the inkwell?”

Spike nodded and gave her the container. Twilight smiled at him and grasped it with her magical grip and with careful precision, she placed the inkwell on her desk and dipped her large raven-feathered quill into it. She began to write…

Dear Princess Celestia,

I haven’t spoken with you since that last letter about why I despised Blueblood’s decision on closing the Equestrian budget cap in terms of libraries. Which, by the way, still irritates me. He is not getting *any** sort of recognition this Hearth’s Warming Eve.*

That is not the point that I wanted to address within this letter. Instead, I wish to tell you about my interesting adventure today with one of Canterlot’s most notable orchestral players. That pony is Miss Octavia, who is also a very good friend of mine. She and I were to visit Canterlot together to investigate the inner intricacies of the songs composed by Cheese Sandwich. I don't know if you remember him, but he came to Ponyville to throw a party. I think you remember the whole ordeal. Anyway, we came here to because we were invited to his party that he called 'The Party of Epic Proportions'. It was held at Joe’s Diner, a notable establishment for all pastries that pertained to the large doughnut hole. He specifically stated that he wanted those who were close to him to come, but I couldn’t get Pinkie Pie due to her being sick with the ‘Bird Flu’. It has been running rampant lately and at first, I was particularly worried. However, knowing Pinkie Pie, she will be alright. Do not worry, we’ll host a party for her once she gets well.

Anyway, we entered the restaurant and I was particularly astonished at his party-making skills. He definitely deserves some sort of medal for fitting all those balloons and rubber chickens into such a small space… not that those are bad decorations, mind you. Despite that almost impossible occurrence, the party was quite enjoyable. His music was intriguing. The notes that he hit surprised Octavia and I. His performance actually motivated Octavia to ask him how he sung so well. It eventually enveloped into him giving her lessons, which made her happy. She asked if he would do more at a later date. Of course, Cheese accepted. I’m glad she is going to get her wish.

Not to mention that Joe gave a discount off all of his donuts for the party. As a result, I bought two boxes of them… I think I gave one to one of your guards. He said he’d deliver ‘the package’ to you. I hope you enjoyed them!

Also, I am having Rainbow Dash come over today to discuss some important news about—

“Princess Twilight,” a voice said from behind her. She jumped a bit, which caused her to smear a bit of her letter. She cursed under her breath momentarily, before she turned and greeted her guard.

“Yes?” she said in acknowledgement. “What is it?”

The guard gave her a blank stare. “There is somepony who wishes to see you.”

“Who is it?” Twilight replied with a hint of concern. “Because I have been expecting…”

“Rainbow Dash?” Spike interjected as he pointed at the window.

Twilight turned to what Spike was pointing to and gasped. “Rainbow Dash!”

There she was with her cyan wings and rainbow mane. There she was…

...late to the party.

“Guard, may you please let her in through the door?”

“But how is she going to—”

“Just do it," Twilight demanded.

The guard nodded and left the room to do what Twilight commanded.

“Spike, may you help the guard in getting Rainbow inside?" she asked. Last time she sent a guard to let somepony in, he apparently fell into a vat of dough and almost died. Thankfully, somepony got him out before anything drastic happened.

Spike nodded and left the room, which left Twilight to do her bidding. Carefully the Princess rolled up the letter and placed in its rightful place. She'll deal with the letter later.

After she placed it in the drawer, she got out of her chair and walked over to the window to watch the sun begin its descent. She sighed. Her day had been great so far: Cheese Sandwich’s prestigious musical talent that plagued her mind. She wished some of his methods would leave her while others... were interesting enough to stay to say the least. If Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich ever collabed again, Twilight feared a new form of torture would be devised.

She shook her head. No pony must try to imagine the result of that duet.

Twilight did not hate their performance, but she swore she must’ve seen one or two ponies faint because of it. Either that or her brain was making things up.

It was probably the latter.

“Twilight?” a feminine scratchy tone asked.

Twilight turned to greet her friend. “Rainbow Dash.”

The two stared mindlessly at each other, that is, until Spike walked in.

“So, what are my two favorite ponies going to—”

“Spike, may I speak to Rainbow Dash in private?” Twilight asked of her assistant.

Spike grumbled and nodded. “Nice seeing you Rainbow Dash,” he said before he left the vicinity. The door swiftly closed behind him.

Rainbow Dash turned her attention back to Twilight. “So…” she said with a nervous smile. “About yesterday.”

Twilight sighed as she walked to her bed. “C'mere, Rainbow.”

Rainbow Dash walked towards Twilight, her head slightly tilted down towards the ground. Twilight noticed this about her. Whenever she was upset, she would be looking down instead of at a pony.

“Twilight, I…” Rainbow Dash began to say before she lost all trace of her voice. Rainbow was having problems telling Twilight of her dilemma from the night before, the whole event was too much for her to handle.

“Yes?” Twilight asked. Twilight was worried about Rainbow. The event appeared to have affected her immensely, not that she herself wasn’t affected. No, they both were; Twilight knew she and Rainbow would have this awkward discussion. It was inevitable.

“I… I’m sorry that I spilled mayonnaise all over your mane,” Rainbow Dash said as her eyes skirted over Twilight’s face. “I was being clumsy and—”

“You, being clumsy?” Twilight jokingly said, her lips curled up in a bright smile. “Out of all the ponies I would suspect to be clumsy, I never thought a pony like you would be clumsy!”

Rainbow Dash looked down at the ground. “I… I had a bad night sleep and…”

Twilight’s bright smile turned flat as she brought Rainbow close. “Rainbow, you should have told me if something was bothering you.”

Rainbow Dash whimpered as Twilight’s hold on her began to take affect. “I just can’t tell you everything, Twilight. That’s not the Rainbow Dash that everypony sees!”

Twilight nuzzled Rainbow’s cheek. “Don’t worry about what everypony else thinks of you. Besides, the ones that matter most are always with you.” She paused to pull Rainbow into a light hug.

Rainbow nuzzled her friend back. “I know… I just don’t like to give ponies the impression that I’m weak and not—”

“Not what? Awesome?”

Rainbow Dash giggled while a few tears streamed down her face. “Yeah, awesome.”

“Hey, hey, no tears in my palace,” Twilight said with a smile as she wiped them with her hoof. “Besides, you are awesome Rainbow. Think about it. Who is the fastest pegasus in all of Ponyville?”

Rainbow thought for a moment, her eyes latched onto a particular photo of her and Twilight smiling before returning to her friend. “Me.”

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I said I am, Twilight!”

“Who said?”

“I did!”

Twilight facehooved. “I meant who is I?”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow said as she stood in front of Twilight, her chest puffed out. “The greatest pegasus to ever fly in all of Equestria!”

Twilight chuckled as she saw her friend’s mood change right before her eyes. “I’m glad you’re back,” Twilight stated.

Rainbow smiled and nuzzled Twilight’s cheek. “Thanks Twi’.”

Twilight froze as she heard her nickname. It made her heart flutter whenever Rainbow Dash said it because it was such a rarity to hear it from her. She wasn’t the type of pony to say it. She’d only say it whenever they were alone together. “Rainbow…”

“Hmm?” Rainbow Dash hummed.

It was at this moment that Twilight remembered what Rainbow said…

I had a bad night sleep.

“Why didn’t you sleep?”

Rainbow froze in place, her eyes wide and wings stood proud. “What?”

Twilight pursed her lips. She had to be careful with what she said next. She remembered last time she was in this situation. She didn’t realize that Rainbow was very jittery when it came to personal topics and it caused quite a ruckus in her library… or what was it.

“Why didn’t you sleep?” Twilight repeated, her eyes shimmered in the remaining orange glow.

Rainbow Dash sighed. “Because I keep seeing the white.”

“The white?” Twilight tilted her head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Rainbow Dash sat on her haunches. “I don’t know. I was going to talk to you about it, but…”

“But what?”

Rainbow Dash frowned as the final orange glow descended on her face, the cyan color bled into the black. “I didn’t want to make you worry about me.”

“Worry?” Twilight began. “Rainbow that is what being a friend is. We worry about each other.”

Rainbow Dash fidgeted as she spoke, “But it makes me look weak and I—”

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight exclaimed as she brought Rainbow close. “I told you that it doesn’t make you look weak!”

“I know you did,” Rainbow Dash murmured into Twilight’s shoulder. “But I can’t help it.”

Twilight hugged Rainbow Dash tightly against her chest. “Then let’s fix that right now by figuring out what this ‘white’ business is all about,” she said while she pulled away from the delightful embrace.

The two stood in complete darkness. Twilight and Rainbow, violet and magenta; all they could see was the color in each other's eyes. They met in one true moment where nothing but color flashed. Blue, green, red, yellow; all of the colors were present. Rainbow felt free, calm, and loved. She gently closed her eyes…

...and found herself in her bed once again.