Romp

Twilight jolted upright, clinging to the edge of her covers.

“Buh-wha… huh?” Panting for air, she pivoted her ears to each side, taking in the last remnants of a wave of thunder.

Twilight sighed, hanging her head as she scooted back against the headboard. “It was just the storm…” She rubbed her bleary eyes, then looked around.

The curtains to her four-poster remained closed, though the frequent flicker of lightning still shone clearly from the windows beyond. Considering the roar of the rain pelting against the crystal outside, it seemed the storm had increased in intensity within the span of… some amount of time.

Twilight nudged the covers off her barrel and crawled to the side of the bed, poking her head through a part in the curtains. A clock on the wall revealed it hadn’t been long since she fell asleep, but it was certainly getting late. She hoped Spike had returned by now from Rarity’s, and Rainbow Dash…

“Oh gosh, Rainbow Dash!” Kicking off the rest of the covers, Twilight dove out of bed, knocking over something hard on the floor. “Ouch! What…?” She reached her magic out for the manalights on the wall, bringing a dull illumination to the room.

She looked down next to the bed. A column of books lay scattered across the floor – reading material she normally kept close by for nights like this. She began to exhale in relief, until…

Her breath caught in her throat. She blinked at the sight. The books, once stacked neatly atop one-another, lay collapsed from merely her touch. Her closest hoof lifted away from the mess, and her eyes slowly drifted to the appendage.

Suddenly, she remembered the nausea welling in her sternum.

Taking a step back on shaky legs, she turned for the door, wrenching it open with telekinetic force before galloping into the hall.

__________

Rainbow Dash shifted against the covers, the rumble of the storm echoing through the hollow guestroom.

As the mare slowly began to wake, she noticed something wet pressing against her cheek. She rubbed her eyes, finding them sore and dry. Once she found the energy to take a peek at the world around her, she realized she was curled tightly around a pillow. It took a few seconds to gather the will to unfurl herself, but when she did, she felt a sharp chill cross over her stomach.

“Mmf… what the…?” Pushing herself upright, she stared with a drowsy gaze at the pillow. Half of it was drenched in sweat, and another portion soaked from where her head had been. She blinked.

Frowning, she grabbed the thing and chunked it across the room. The pillow crashed with little fanfare against the far wall, before falling softly to the floor.

The mare groaned long and hard before flipping onto her back, rubbing the bridge of her muzzle with a hoof. Her head swam from the dream that, unfortunately, she could still vividly recall. Just a few days ago, that memory had long since been forgotten, buried with a past she believed was completely irrelevant to her life in Ponyville. Apparently, that was no longer the case.

“Tch…” Refusing to let her imagination drift back to the dream, Rainbow rolled off the bed and trudged her way to the window. She noticed the knocked-over mirror along the way, lying next to the puddle of rainwater she dragged in earlier. She scowled at the sight, though she took the time at least to prop the mirror back up before walking over to the window.

She squinted through the tinted pane of glass. It looked as if it was the middle of the night, given she could barely see the town. The rain roared against the castle’s exterior far louder than it had earlier that day, and from what little she could see, the flow of the cloud cover overhead signaled a violent shift in the storm.

Rainbow sighed, fogging over a portion of the glass. After having that dream, all she wanted was to go for a flight. It was the one thing she could always count on to help calm her nerves – the very reason she originally left Twilight behind. And yet, here was this colossal storm her and the weather team put on for Ponyville because of a dumb cloud shortage earlier that month. There was no way she could safely fly around in the mess at this point, and it would be just as dangerous to try travelling past the storm to somewhere clear. Much as she hated to admit it, she knew she was stuck in the castle – and probably for a long while to come.

Rainbow shook her head and groaned again, rubbing her forehead. Perhaps the most frustrating thing about it all was the fact that she had run away from Twilight for no good reason. Rainbow wasn’t stupid – what happened between her and Gilda had nothing to do with what her and Twilight did. And yet, when Twilight bailed out at the end of the last spell, the same kind of feelings were dredged up. No doubt why she had the dream to begin with.

There was a good reason why she didn’t want to fill in Twilight on all the details beforehoof. It wasn’t just to keep from reliving that old memory. She knew that if she had shared her experience with Gilda, Twilight would never have continued with the spell – especially after the second attempt. And it just didn’t seem right to leave her with a bad experience after the first couple of attempts, knowing only too well how much that sort of thing could hurt.

Of course, that didn’t keep her from turning her back on Twilight in the end.

Mnnghgnngh, need to go apologize… nngh.

Flicking her ears back, Rainbow looked out the window again. She considered trying to go for a flight once more – even a short one.

A bolt of lightning made the decision for her.

“Guh!” Rainbow stumbled back, the coat hairs along the back of her neck standing on end as the ensuing thunder rattled the little bit of furniture in the room. She trotted briskly over to the door on the other side of the room. Glancing back a moment to shoot an angry frown at the storm, she opened the door and disappeared into the hall.

__________

The tall, empty corridor continued to resonate with the noise of the storm. Manalights overhead and along the walls provided a soft glow to the crystalline hall, flickering every so often with the rolling thunder.

Rainbow cantered beneath the lights toward the far end of the hall. She wasn’t sure exactly where she’d find Twilight, but if she remembered correctly, Spike was supposed to fix dinner at one point – so downstairs was a safe bet. Her stomach gave a growl at the pleasant though. Shaking her head with a smirk, she stepped up to a flight of stairs, preparing to walk down.

She paused. Her ears perked up. Something sounded from upstairs, and it wasn’t the storm.

Rainbow peered up through the dark stairwell. The next floor was Twilight’s private wing, separated from the rest of the castle. “Hmm…” Trotting up the spiral staircase, Rainbow’s ears flicked again at the odd sound. Once she crested the top of the stairs, she saw Twilight’s bedroom doors open at the far end of the hall, and a brighter light glowing from beneath the door of her bathroom half-way down.

She trotted forward, hearing the sound once more. Her head cocked slightly as she approached the door. She wasn’t exactly keen on listening in to Twi going to the bathroom, but something felt off.

A few seconds passed before Rainbow hesitantly cleared her throat. “Um… hey, Twi? You in there?”

Silence.

Rainbow’s ears fell back. “Eheh… uh, s-sorry. If you’re in there, I’ll be out here whenever you’re—”

Her statement was interrupted by a retching noise.

Rainbow’s eyes shot wide. “Twi? You alright?”

Somepony coughed behind the door, following with a whimper. No words.

Gulping, Rainbow stepped forward and lifted a hoof to knock on the door. “Yo, Twi. Is everything okay—”

Upon knocking, the door popped ajar, opening slightly to reveal Twilight hunched over a toilet, her mane slicked back with a trembling hoof as she looked over with wide, bloodshot eyes. “R-Rainbow?”

Rainbow’s extended hoof slowly fell to the floor, her own eyes widening further in shock. “Twilight? Are you…?” With a blink, she quickly turned away. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to! U-uh, here, lemme just—” She blindly felt around for the doorknob behind her.

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight called out with a feeble whisper.

Rainbow paused. She looked back at the mare.

Upon a second more thorough glance, Rainbow noticed Twilight’s cheeks were matted with tears, still streaming from the corners of her darkened eyelids. The hoof that held her mane back dropped lifelessly to the edge of the toilet, allowing the disheveled mess of hair to fall across her forehead. Her wings clung tight to her sides, clearly being restrained with force as her body rocked with tremors.

“Wh… what’s wrong with me?” Twilight mumbled, her voice trembling. “What’s… wrong with—”

Rainbow rushed to her side, kneeling down beside the mare. “Whoa, hey, Twi! What’re you talking about? What happened?”

Twilight sniffled, turning her head away. Her body heaved with a sharp, wet inhale. Slowly, she lifted her two front hooves, staring at the things as if they might somehow hurt her.

Rainbow furrowed her brow and leaned to the side, trying to catch her attention. “Twilight?”

Twilight’s breath quickened. Her hooves dropped a few inches before she turned to meet Rainbow’s gaze with panic-filled eyes. “I… I’m scared…”

Rainbow tilted her head. “Of what?”

For a moment, Twilight shut her eyes, struggling to keep her breathing calm. Then, looking back at Rainbow once more, she gulped. “Of me. I’m s-scared of… mm…” Her voice broke with a strained sob.

Without hesitation, Rainbow pulled the alicorn into her embrace. Twilight fell limp against her chest and buried her head into her shoulder, letting her sobs flow in full force. “Hey, shh,” Rainbow cooed, running a hoof through the back of her friend’s mane. “It’s okay, Twi. Everything’s okay.”

Twilight shook her head, brushing her mane along Rainbow’s neck. “N-no it’s not. I’m not… it’s not okay. I never s-should have suggested that spell. I shouldn’t have tried…”

Rainbow’s throat seized at the words. Her hoof hesitated for a moment, before she let it fall to rub against Twilight’s withers. A shiver ran down her back, bringing with it a sensation of overwhelming guilt.

Suddenly, Twilight wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow. With a seemingly careful motion, she pulled herself tight against the mare as she buried her muzzle into prismatic mane, clinging for dear life.

“I’m a monster,” Twilight murmured, her voice small and wavering. “The things I like… the dreams… I went to take a nap after you left, and… I had another one. Wh-where I…” A tremor ran through her limbs. “I ate them, Rainbow… I ate…”

Rainbow stroked her hoof in small circles across her friend’s back. It took every ounce of her strength to not join the mare with tears of her own. Swallowing against the growing lump in her throat, she whispered, “I’m sorry…” She pulled back to meet Twilight’s gaze, only to find her eyes shut. On instinct, she lifted a hoof to wipe the tear-soaked coat of her friend’s cheek. “I’m so sorry.”

With a shudder, Twilight met the mare’s gaze. “It’s not your fault, though. For the longest time, I’ve had these dreams.” She sniffled, turning her head slightly away. “I just thought, m-maybe if… if I tried it once. In a setting where I could control things a little better… where I could be the giant. That was last night, I guess. The spell. Everything. It was just an attempt to do something I hoped you might find fun. That I might find fun… and perhaps make me less scared of it all.” A bitter chuckle escaped her lungs as her eyes drifted back to Rainbow’s. “So much for that, huh?”

Rainbow’s ears fell back. “But I pushed you to keep doing it, even after you wanted to stop. Heck, I was the one who made you feel uncomfortable to begin with, right? I mean, I made fun of you for wanting to do it in the first place!”

“And you were right,” Twilight said with a low, harsh tone. “Again, you were right, Rainbow. It was stupid. I was stupid.”

Rainbow’s eyes darted between her friend’s. “Twilight, you of all ponies are not stupid.”

Twilight scoffed. “You sure? Just look at me – an alicorn princess who fantasizes about… being a giant?” She turned her head away with a bitter smirk, eyes narrowing with spite. “Oh, hello there! My name is Twilight Sparkle, princess of friendship! I like reading, spending time with my friends, and eating ponies when I have the—”

A hoof pressed against her lips. Twilight’s eyes widened as her muzzle was forcibly guided back.

Rainbow frowned, her magenta eyes thin and full of anger. She shook her head slowly. “No.”

Twilight’s ears fell flat against her head as Rainbow pulled her hoof away.

“Don’t you ever… ever do that. For any reason.” Rainbow gulped. The brim of her eyes glistened. “It’s not worth it. I promise.”

Twilight stared at the pegasus. With a sway, she hung her head, and allowed her sobs to take charge once more.

Without so much as a word, Rainbow tenderly wrapped her limbs around her back, pulling the mare once more into the warm comfort of her embrace.