It was a warm, sunny afternoon as seemed to be the usual in Equestria. Trees swayed gently in the breeze, leaves fluttering about as though they were butterflies. Even the clouds seemed to respect the idea that today was going to be a pretty day and had resignedly kept themselves away. The sky was almost completely clear, save for the occasional bird or pegasus. The latter was rare to see out here though. Afterall the nearest town, Ponyville, was pretty far in the other direction.
As a matter of fact only two ponies could be found out here. One hovered a few feet off the ground, animatedly waving her hooves and doing small flips or twirls as she moved along. She grinned widely at her friend who walked alongside her at a slightly more measured pace. The purple alicorn smiled back, happily listening to her friend as she talked.
“Awh man, and then that part where Daring faces off against Voar all like,” the pegasus mare stopped a moment to flick her rainbow mane behind her dramatically and strike a pose, “I hope you like kissing plot, ‘cause you’ll be doing a lot of that once I turn you into a chair!” She then threw one or two fake punches and dodged an imagined blow as Twilight giggled in response.
She always loved hanging out with Rainbow. Ever since the two had discovered a shared interest in reading they had begun to spend a bit more time together. Now, after almost three years, it had become a weekly tradition to meet up somewhere and either read together or chat about said things they had read. This usually meant Daring Do, the series which had initially started Dash’s so-called ‘descent into eggheadery.’ Still, Twilight had been working on getting her friend into a broader variety of books. She’d been making progress too! Rainbow had begun reading things like ‘Raise the Sun’ and ‘Fall of the Court, which were personal favorites of Twilight’s.
Normally the two would meet at the library, but after recent events… Well that wasn’t really an option anymore, was it? Twilight’s heart dropped for a moment but she quickly picked it back up again. She didn’t want to worry her friend and she knew how easily Rainbow could read her when she was down. The next few hangouts they’d decided to use the newly formed castle but today Twilight had asked Rainbow if she’d like to take a walk instead. Not thinking too much of it Rainbow had agreed, and thus the two set out.
They’d been walking for quite a while and Twilight was beginning to feel that familiar sensation return again. That constriction in her chest, coupled with an odd warmth. It felt as though she was getting crushed by an incredibly strong hug which despite the pain, she didn’t want to stop. She knew what it was now, of course. Or at least she thought she did. She’d been sure to read up on what it could be, had even asked her beloved teacher for advice. All sources pointed to the same frustrating idea.
She had a crush.
No matter how hard she searched for an alternate explanation she couldn’t find one, and Twilight was not one to dispute facts. The very idea utterly terrified her. A crush? Twilight hadn’t had one since she was a young filly, and even then she had purposely avoided the whole situation. Now though… Well, this time it was a bit harder to ignore. Especially since the subject of her crush was so… so Rainbow Dash. Her pegasus friend was a little hard to not pay attention to.
Especially with that amazing flank…
No! bad brain! Twilight shook her head frantically as she mentally scolded herself.
“Hey, Twi? You okay?” Rainbow Dash asked as she slowed down a little and looked at Twilight, her head tilted in confusion. The purple mare grinned back awkwardly and nodded.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just thought I saw a fly or something.” Rainbow raised an eyebrow but after a moment merely shrugged and turned back in the direction they were walking. She quickly came up with a way to change the subject. “So what did you think about the new villain being a Timberwolf?” she asked. It had been a pretty interesting change of pace from the usual political enemies. Or Ahuizotl. But he wasn’t exactly the most threatening of antagonists.
“I think it’s pretty cool actually. Voar seems like a really good villain, best part is that he can sorta be understood too, y’know? Good motives, but a bad way of goin’ about ‘em,” Rainbow said, her expression returning to normal. “By the way, I was meaning to ask. Why’d you want to come out here? Not that I’m complaining, but it’s a little different to the usual hangouts.”
“Oh, uh, well I just wanted to have a change of scenery!” Twilight replied her broad yet somewhat uncomfortable smile returning once more. It wasn’t as though she’d been wanting to talk to Rainbow about anything, no no. Of course not. Today was just a normal day, they would talk, Rainbow would probably show off a few new tricks and then they would go back home. Simple.
Okay, so maybe that wasn’t entirely true. Twilight had been somewhat hoping that maybe she would be able to ask Rainbow about her feelings and such, or at least get an idea as to whether or not it was a hopeless situation. Her head told her to forget about the whole thing though her heart seemed to disagree. It was annoying to say the least.
She pushed such thoughts to the back of her mind and relaxed her smile slightly, hoping she could convince Rainbow to drop the subject for the time being. Twilight simply wasn’t ready yet. She needed time to figure out what exactly she was actually trying to do. It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision to take this walk with Rainbow. She suddenly found herself wishing she had planned this better, or at least made a checklist.
“Eh, fair enough. I’ve gotta admit it’s nice to be out here instead of inside.” Rainbow stopped a moment and looked around, as if to check if there was anyone else around. “Don’t tell anypony, but I have a bit of an issue with being under a ceiling,” Rainbow added conspiratorially with a wink. Twilight chuckled, glad that Rainbow at least seemed to be enjoying their little stroll. Or flight. Whatever.
“Really? That makes sense I guess, but I never realised-”
“Most ponies don’t, Twi” Rainbow cut in. “It’s not like I can’t handle it, but I just prefer to be under the sky.” A small smile graced her face as she shot a glance upwards. Twilight nodded her understanding, she could definitely get that. Rainbow simply liked to make sure she had her freedom available, and a roof would only hinder that. Twilight gazed at her friend, enraptured by the almost serene smile she held. Rainbow rarely let her guard down and Twilight was honoured to know Rainbow felt she could do it around her. It didn’t happen often, but since they had started reading together moments like this had become a little more common.
And then the defenses were back up, and the small smile was replaced by one of her trademark grins. “Anyways! Twi, how about we go and chill by that tree over there?” she asked, gesturing towards a large willow tree that stood on a nearby hill. It seemed as good a spot as any to take a rest. They had brought some books and snacks with them, with the intention of reading and eating out here.
“Sounds good to me, Rainbow,” she said.
“Race ya?” Her friend had another one of those confident grins, and was rolling her shoulders as if in anticipation. Twilight gave a well-natured sigh and rolled her eyes at Rainbow Dash.
“We both know you’ll beat me!” she exclaimed, as if the pegasus didn’t already know.
“Well, maybe. But you’ve been making good progress! The more we race, the faster you’re gonna be, Twi! ‘Sides, it’s not really about the winning.” Twilight raised an eyebrow and Rainbow stuck her tongue out in response. “I mean it, Twi! It’s more about getting to fly with the second most awesome pony in Equestria!” She gave Twilight a playful push as she said that, eliciting a small giggle from the alicorn.
“And let me guess, you’re the first?” Twilight asked with a knowing tilt of her head.
“I’m glad you think so!” Rainbow replied as she struck an almost regal pose. Twilight shook her head, smiling widely.
“Well… fine!” She punctuated the final word with a quick shove that made Rainbow stumble, and then spread her wings. With a single beat she was off the ground, streaking away as fast as she could. Rainbow laughed at her as she lay sprawled on the grass.
“No fair, egghead!” she called, but Rainbow didn’t really mind. It was all in good fun. She picked herself up and spread her own wings, shooting off after Twilight. It didn’t take her long to catch up with her friend, though she had to admit that Twilight was putting in a pretty good effort. Still, it was gonna take a lot more than a head start to beat the greatest flyer in Equestria! She shot ahead, playfully whipping Twilight with her tail as she passed by. “Nice try!” she smirked. With that she put on a final burst of speed and found herself leisurely laying on a branch as she waited, idly swinging her rear-legs.
Twilight arrived about ten seconds later, panting heavily as she plodded back down to the ground. “How… how was… that?” she asked, wheezing for air every few seconds.
“Pretty good! I’m impressed Twi,” she replied winking at her friend. “I still won though,” she added. Twilight rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out, just as Rainbow had earlier. Two can play at that game! Rainbow laughed and pushed herself from the branch.
“Right! So how about we get to the book?” she asked, gesturing to Twilight’s saddlebags. With an eager nod, Twilight grasped them with her magic and pulled out a copy of ‘Rekindling’ a novel which had only recently arrived at the library. Rainbow had been present at the time (she’d offered to help Twilight with the unpacking) and the cover immediately caught her attention. A pony in patchwork armor, sitting down in front of a burning sword? Holding a freakin’ halberd? Yeah, this was cool enough. Twilight had been overjoyed to see Rainbow so excited for something non-Daring Do related that she had immediately asked her friend if she wanted to go out and read it the day after, and here they were.
Alone.
Together.
This wasn’t new, of course. Not with the regular ‘hanging’ they did. Still, this time it felt noticeably different. Twilight thought so at least. She wasn’t really sure if Rainbow was even giving this a second thought. She wasn’t sure whether that idea made her feel relieved or upset. Afterall, if Rainbow wasn’t thinking about it then she was safe! Nothing would happen until Twilight was absolutely certain she was ready to make a move.
And on the other hoof… well. Nothing would happen. She almost wished that Rainbow would just suddenly scream her own affection for Twilight and scoop her up in her strong legs, bringing her muzzle closer, their eyes locking as-
“Twi? You, uh, you’ve got a bit of something there…” Rainbow said through barely contained guffaws, pointing a hoof at Twilight’s mouth. The sudden sound of Rainbow’s voice snapped Twilight out of her daydream, and she immediately brought a hoof up to check what Rainbow was indicating. Her cheeks were flushed, but after she wiped away what was most certainly drool from her mouth, she became positively iridescent. Not smooth, Twilight. Rainbow, finally unable to contain herself burst out into a fit of laughter.
“Pfft, man Twi, you should’ve seen yourself. I wish I’d taken a picture!” Twilight simply blushed harder, looking away and mentally scolding herself. Sweet Celestia she had to reign her brain in!
“S-shall we get started? R-reading I mean! Heh, yeah.” Twilight scuffed a hoof awkwardly and Rainbow simply grinned, still chuckling slightly.
“Sure, whatever you say, Twi,” she nodded. “Though I’m not sure it can compare with whatever you were thinkin’ about,” she added with a wink. Twilight immediately blushed even harder, if such a thing was possible. Rainbow was apparently done teasing her though, sitting down with her back propped up against the tree. She crossed her rear legs, wiggling a little as she got comfortable and patted the ground beside her before placing her front legs behind her head. Twilight, having finally regained control of her cheeks and set her bags down, sat herself next to Rainbow. She pulled Rekindling over to them, relishing in the familiar sensation of holding a book. It helped calm her nerves.
“Are you ready?” she asked with a smile, finally able to push her more… confusing thoughts to the back of her mind. It was story time, and that meant it was time to just relax and enjoy the company. She could think about all that emotional stuff later. Much later. Maybe in a year or two. With that comforting thought in mind she turned her head to see Rainbow’s casual nod, though despite her air of indifference, Twilight knew Rainbow was excited. It was all in the way her wings twitched, how she bounced her legs. Twilight took a moment just to watch, smiling slightly more at the sight. Geez she can be adorable.
This time Twilight didn’t admonish herself for the thought though. She simply moved on, and opened the first page of the book. With a deep breath she began to read aloud, feeling the tension leave her body. This was going to be good.
~ ~ ~
Twilight awoke with a start. Where was she? What time was it? She shook her head and rubbed at her eyes, looking around her. She was still sat with her back against the tree, the book she had been reading open on her lap. It was dark. Much darker than before. A quick look up at the sky confirmed her suspicions; it was night. They must have fallen asleep at some point… This hadn’t exactly been part of the plan, but this could still work.
“Rainbow?” she asked, turning to where her friend was. Or had been. The spot which the pegasus had previously occupied was now notably vacant. She called out Rainbow’s name again, this time more hesitantly. Had Rainbow left her here and headed back to Ponyville? It wasn’t like her but… Well, Twilight couldn’t help but be worried. What if Rainbow didn’t like her anymore? What if she just wanted Twilight to go away? The very idea made her heart feel heavy, a lump forming in her throat.
Then she heard it. A small splash, almost deafening in the relative silence of the night. What was that?Twilight thought. Curiosity took over her and she, pushing past the onsetting panic, went to investigate. She walked around the tree, cresting the hill as she went. Below her was a huge lake, one she hadn’t even realized had been there. It looked almost as though there was a second sky, except this one was on the ground and continuously shifting. Small ripples made the reflection of the stars and moon warp every few seconds.
A quick glance around the area revealed that Rainbow hadn’t left her. She was sitting by the edge of the lake, leaning back and eyeing the sky. Twilight smiled at the sight. Rainbow looked almost peaceful, it was great to see. She took a moment before beginning her descent towards the lake, feeling the familiar constriction in her throat return. Sweet Celestia, I’ve got to deal with this. Should I ask now? Oh, but what if she gets upset?! What if she doesn’t like mares? What if she’s offended because I thought she might? Argh! Twilight brought a hoof up and massaged her temples, sighing as she did so. My head hurts, she thought pitifully.
Twilight, not wanting to hurt her head anymore, resolved to deal with that particular issue a little bit later. She walked the last few meters, at this distance getting a much clearer view of Rainbow Dash. Her friend was tossing rocks into the lake, watching them bounce along, and then taking a moment to watch the stars as she fumbled for another rock. Twilight slowly walked over and sat herself down next to Rainbow. She jumped slightly as Twilight brushed against her, but visibly relaxed again when she saw who it was.
“Hey, Twi! Sleep well?” she asked good-naturedly as she threw another stone. Twilight felt heat rise to her cheeks, though wasn’t entirely sure why.
“Y-yeah, I did. How long was I asleep?” she asked, still unsure as to what had happened. Rainbow chuckled, turning to face her friend properly.
“Uh, about five hours I’d say. We’d just finished chapter six I think. It was your turn to read, but when I was gonna tell you, you were fast asleep! I didn’t wanna disturb you, so I decided to take a nap too.” Rainbow shrugged. “I woke up about thirty minutes ago. Figured I’d go check out the area. We’ve found a really cool spot over here, Twi!” She gestured behind her to a treeline. “We’ll need to explore it properly some time. Plus there’s a great view, too.” Twilight nodded, smiling.
“I didn’t know you were a stargazer, Rainbow,” she commented, cocking her head slightly. The pegasus immediately tensed a little.
“Well, y’know, I mean I fly at night all the time, so obviously I occasionally…” she cut herself off. “Eh, who am I kidding. Yeah I am.” She chuckled awkwardly. “It’s just really pretty, y’know? Don’t tell anypony though, stargazing is totally ‘uncool.’” Twilight gave her own little chuckle.
“Your secret is safe with me, Rainbow.” Twilight paused a moment as an idea came to her. “Would you like to stay here a little longer?” she asked, gesturing towards the sky. Rainbow gave a questioning smile, but nodded.
“Why not?” she lay back and shuffled a little until she was comfortable. Twilight followed suit, feeling a rush as her tail brushed against rainbow’s own. Go on, do it. Talk to her! Twilight swallowed and closed her eyes. She was scared. It seemed silly when she thought about it. Twilight had faced down an ursa (minor), changelings and even Tirek! Yet none of them seemed as scary as her current predicament.
Suddenly she felt Rainbow’s wings expand as she sat up. “Woah! Look at that!” she exclaimed, pointing a hoof at a streaking ball of light in the sky. Twilight sat up as well to get a better look at the purple orb. Apparently Luna had something special planned tonight. She looked across at her pegasus friend’s grin as she sat, enraptured by the night.
“I’m really glad you’re here, Rainbow.” Rainbow turned her head back to Twilight, a questioning but genuine smile on her muzzle.
“Thanks, Twi. Same to you. It’s nice hangin’ with somepony almost as awesome as me.” Twilight blushed a little at the remark, but kept focus. She really had to do this.
“I’ve actually been really enjoying having you around more often. The whole reading together thing has been great! And, well, I’ve been wanting to talk, I mean ask you about, well, stuff.” Twilight could feel her heart beating like crazy. She honestly felt a little sick, but that didn’t matter. She just needed to get this off of her chest.
“Twi? What’s up?”
“Listen, I…” Here goes nothing. “I really like you, Rainbow. Like, a lot. You’ve been so good to me! you’re always there, backing me up. And when you fly, it’s beautiful. It’s like the sky is just another part of you, and every time I see you I get this fluttery feeling, and you’re so confident and brave and, and…” she let out a long breath, trying to regain a little bit of composure. “I’m babbling aren’t I? Just, give me a moment.” Twilight paused for a moment to try and collect herself. If she was going to do this, she would do it right. She’d already taken the first step, there was no point in holding back now. Rainbow looked as if she was about to interrupt, ask questions, but she caught herself and sat back a little. Good, she was paying attention.
“Do you remember when we first met? If I’m totally honest, I thought we wouldn’t be friends. It seemed like we were total opposites. You proved me wrong, though. You came back for us when we went after Nightmare Moon, and ever since then you’ve saved me and the others more times than I can even think of. You’ve never let us fall, not properly, because you always come swooping in at the last minute.
“But that’s not it. You have this… this determination. This utter commitment to being the best at what you do that I can really relate to. It’s like, what you feel and do for flying, is what i feel for magic. When I figured that out I guess I started paying a little more attention, and seeing you better. Really seeing you. Then you got your wings hurt, and we had that whole Daring Do fiasco...
“When you started reading, I was overjoyed, really. There was something we could do together! And ever since then I’ve just felt myself growing closer, y’know? I know that there’s pretty much no chance, but I still have to try… That’s something you taught me I guess. What’s life worth if you don’t take any risks?” she chuckled nervously at that last comment, remembering when Rainbow had said those exact words to her almost a year ago.
There was a long, awkward pause. Twilight stared at Rainbow, fear beginning to mount again. Oh nonono she feels uncomfortable! She’s gonna stop being my friend, she’s… she’s… Twilight felt tears beginning to prick at her eyes, but held them back. No use making Rainbow feel any worse when she inevitably had to turn Twilight down.
“H-how long have you been feeling like this, Twi?” Rainbow asked cautiously.
“A little more than a year, though I guess I sort of had feelings before then. I only really started to understand them after Shining and Cadence got married. I was never, heh, never really one for this kind of... stuff. But, well, I guess it wasn’t much of an issue until I… changed. Do you remember? I mean, do you remember what happened after, not the actual transformation...” Twilight paused to look back up at Rainbow who was staring back at her with wide eyes. The pegasus looked utterly slack-jawed but gave an almost imperceptible nod to signify Twilight should keep going. Bolstered by this, she did just that.
“Well, when you came to see me that night… it changed things. You have no idea how much I needed you right then. Applejack or Rarity wouldn’t have been able to do it. Not because they’re bad friends or anything, but because well… they’re not you. When you came in and just talked to me… that was exactly what I needed. You make me stronger, Rainbow. Just by being you, and I… I like that. It’s nice,” she finished lamely. Now that she had finished her mind immediately flew into panic mode, and she began thinking of ways she could try and backpedal out of this. “I’m really sorry, Rainbow. I shouldn’t have sprung this on you, please can we just mov-” She was cut off as Rainbow put a hoof on her shoulder and stared intently into her eyes.
“No, Twi. We’ve gotta talk about this now, otherwise it’s just gonna eat you up.” Twilight felt her throat dry up as those deep magenta orbs stared into her own. Instead of using words, she gave a weak nod. “Okay, well I’ve gotta say that I didn’t see this one coming, and I really appreciate you telling me about it, but…” Twilight’s heart dropped several kilometers and landed straight in the middle of tartarus as Rainbow said that word. The dreaded ‘but.’ She had already known Rainbow wouldn’t reciprocate her feelings, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.
Twilight shifted around and stood up to go. She already knew what was coming, but hearing it would be an entirely different beast. One she wasn’t sure she was ready to face yet. Unfortunately she found herself brought to a halt again. She bit her lips to hold back the tears fighting their way out of her eyes.
“Rainbow, it’s fine. You don’t need to explain yourself, ‘but I just don’t feel the same way,’ I get it. You don’t like me, please just let me go!” She snapped.
“No, no Twi. That’s not what I was gonna say!” Rainbow replied, slightly louder than intended. She twirled Twilight around to face her, giving her a nervous, slightly worried smile. Now Twilight didn’t even know what to think, her heart and mind were fluctuating at such a rate that she had no other way to describe her thoughts at the time than ‘Pinkie Pie.’
“T-then, then what...?”
“I was gonna say, ‘but I’m not too used to this kinda stuff, I don’t do relationships too often, and I wouldn’t want to risk our friendship. But I’m willing to give it a go for someone as awesome as you, Twi.”
What.
It took Twilight a moment to comprehend what had just been said. Even then, she felt that she might have misheard, this couldn’t be happening, right?
“You mean…?” she asked hesitantly, inching towards Rainbow slightly. The prismatic pegasus merely offered a small grin, as she drew herself up slightly.
“Want me to make it official? Alright.” She cleared her throat in the most audible and dramatic fashion possible. “Princess Twilight Sparkle, would you do me, Rainbow Dash ‘The Most Awesome Mare in Equestria’ the honour of accompanying me on what one might call, ‘A Date?’” Rainbow Dash asked in her poshest voice. Twilight couldn’t help but burst into relieved laughter, tears still on her cheeks.
“Sweet Celestia, yes!” she shouted, throwing herself forward and wrapping Rainbow Dash in a hug. Rainbow joined in the laughter, and the two fell to the water on the edge of the lake, which was luckily only about five inches deep. They rolled around for a moment, attempting to get back up. Once they had managed the two simply stared into each other’s eyes, wide grins on their faces and water dripping from their now-soaking manes. Rainbow, ever the daring one, leaned forward and gave Twilight a quick peck on the cheek, causing the lavender mare to turn a bright shade of crimson.
The two lay back down, holding each other as the stars shone above them.
“So, uh, got any plans for this d-date?” Twilight asked, stumbling over the word like a giddy foal as she turned her head to look at the most gorgeous mare in Equestria. Rainbow Dash looked back at her with a roguish grin and a spark in her eyes.
“Oh, I might have a few.”
Author's Note
Well, look who isn't dead!
I don't really have all too much to say. I just kinda decided I wanted to write a TwiDash, so here it is. Haven't done romance, or pony for that matter, in awhile so it was interesting trying to get back into the flow. Depending on whether or not inspiration hits me, you may see more soon. Or not. No promises 
Anyway, thanks for reading! Have a wonderful day everybody.
Ciao.
~DeepShift
EDIT: And I've made a few changes, expanded some dialogue and so on. Nothing groundbreaking, but I wanted to make this story a little better before I moved on to the next one. Thanks to Timaeus for his review which inspired a few of the changes, and once again to A Dark Reminder or continuing his trend of being awesome and proofreading this for me. 
EDIT 2: Thanks to Docontra for sending me a PM with some more grammatical edits, I appreciate it!
