Romp

Twilight stood to her full height, head lifted to the amber sky with eyes closed, breathing in the cool evening air. The glow of the low-setting sun provided just the right amount of warmth for her coat, only slightly subdued by the gentle rush of wind flowing over her.

With a slow exhale, she opened her eyes.

A field of forests, hills and rivers sprawled for miles beneath and beyond her vision, terminating at the footholds of white-capped mountains far in the distance. Standing in the middle of it all, she took in the world and all its beauty.

The world she stood proudly above.

A tingling sensation, chilling and thrilling all at once, spread through her body. The mere sight of the landscape brought an unexpected giggle to her breath as she shifted her hooves gently through the carpet of timber below. With but the slightest movement, she sent toppling over a half dozen trees against one-another, the sound of their snapping trunks echoing in her ears. She giggled further still as she beheld the destruction, the insignificance of their size in comparison to hers.

Once more, the world was hers. Wholly hers. And this time, she was determined to savor every moment spent in this perfect dream.

Her heart began to beat with vigor deep within her chest. There was so much she could do. So much to ravage. Save but the inanimate mountains cresting the horizon, nothing – no one – could rival her size, her power, her strength—

She blinked.

A tiny cerulean pegasus dropped down into her vision, its prismatic mane and tail billowing in the wind, as it brought itself to a hover in front of her nose with a grin.

It booped a tiny hoof on her snout—

“Tag. You’re it.”

—and sped off in a colorful blur.

Slanting her eyes with a grin of her own, Twilight crouched against the earth, then bucked a grove of trees to dust, galloping after her friend.

__________

Rainbow Dash snickered to herself, which was all but impossible to hear as she flew against the frigid air, ears folded flat against her head.

That of course didn’t prevent her from feeling the thunder of Twilight’s hoofsteps vibrate through her bones.

Alrighty. Same as before.

Flaring her wings, she pitched her body into a nose-dive, then slammed them back in place. Rocketing toward the trees below, she counted silently to herself, keeping one ear trained on the sound of smashing wood approaching.

And… now!

Rolling her body upside down, she bucked her hooves outward as hard as she could – making contact with something fuzzy and hard.

“NNGH!” Twilight groaned with the impact of Rainbow’s hooves against the bottom of her chin.

“Hah! Easy target,” Rainbow shouted as she sped off once more, circling around the giant mare.

Already, she could see Twilight out of her periphery beginning to pivot toward her. Tucking her head between her forelegs, she threw her weight head-over-hooves and gave her wings a powerful beat, twirling back upright as she barreled headlong toward Twilight’s chest. She span around once more at the last second, reared her hind legs against her sternum, then bucked with all the strength she had.

“Mmph!” Twilight’s lungs heaved with a choke as she threw a hoof to her chest. Expecting the reflexive move, Rainbow rolled out of the way just in time.

That would have to do for now. Diving toward the ground once more, Rainbow spread her wings out, catching an updraft just in time to give her lift above the canopy of trees. She didn’t waste time; already, she began to beat her wings hard, gaining speed as she put distance between her and—

“Not so fast.”

Suddenly, something yanked hard on Rainbow’s tail, breaking her momentum with nauseating force.

“GaaAAAHHH!” Rainbow flailed her hooves wildly as her body was dragged high into the air. Dangling upside down, she squinted with clenched teeth as she stomached the pain shooting through her flanks.

Twilight sneered at the little pony hanging from the crux of her fetlock. “Sorry, Rainbow,” she said, breathing hot, humid breath across the pegasus’ body. “You’re just not fast enough for me here.”

Though Rainbow felt the twinge of panic looming over her nerves, she returned the mare a cheeky grin, before bending over to bite hard into lavender hoof.

“OUCH!”

Twilight released her on reflex – this time without knocking her aside – allowing just enough time for Rainbow to catch the wind beneath her wings.

With each encounter, Rainbow Dash was learning how to compensate for Twilight’s size with her own. Much as she hated to admit it, the breadth of Twilight’s massive body made it all but impossible to outpace the mare. Though speed was her strongsuit, it simply wasn’t enough in this world to give her an edge. But quick as her friend had now become with her imbued height, she still held one advantage.

She was the most agile thing currently gracing the air.

Skimming over the coat of Twilight’s side, she pitched her body out and over the edge of a colossal wing, placing a short distance between herself and the appendage. She then spun around and sped straight into the plumes – smashing her hooves against a rib.

“Hnng!” Twilight wheezed loudly with the impact, side-stepping through the forest below.

Pushing herself out of the feathery cove, Rainbow brought herself to a hover and watched the giant mare trip against a small hill, collapsing with a thunderous peal.

Rainbow blinked at the sight. As the roar of the crash resonated in her ears, clouds of dirt and debris rising from Twilight’s fallen body, her skull began to pulse with a dull ache.

She shook her head. Flying a little higher, she skirted over the collapsed mare and looked down. Already, Twilight was beginning to prop her hooves flat against the ground, spilling the remains of a decimated forest from her coat hairs.

“N-not bad,” Twilight said, bringing her body slowly back upright. She flexed her wings, tossing leaves and branches free from their plumes, then looked up at Rainbow. “But you can’t win with brute force, let alone using the same moves.”

Rainbow ran a hoof across her chin. With anypony else, she would have taken the words as little more than a taunt. No doubt, Twilight was certainly boasting at the moment, but she probably did have a point.

That gave her the perfect reason to return a grin.

“You know,” Rainbow shouted down, crossing her forelegs, “you’re right. I probably can’t.” She beat her wings hard, blue feathers splayed before the amber sky in proud display as she hovered over the giant. “If I can’t beat you with strength, then I’ll beat you with the one thing you love most.”

Twilight tilted her head, narrowing her eyes.

“Magic.” Rainbow’s grin spread wide. “Or rather, pegasi magic.”