Romp

Without warning, Rainbow Dash was engulfed in a blinding white light, paired with the whistle of magic all around her. She screwed her eyes shut and shielded them with a fetlock, gritting her teeth as she waited for the tumult to subside.

And within a few seconds, it did. Once the light faded from beyond Rainbow’s eyelids, she squinted over the brim of her hoof.

All the world was white. Not a blinding white, but an empty vastness of pure, clean white, from the ground to what she could only assume was the sky. She tapped the ground beneath her, eliciting the muffled sound of hoof against padding. Although the ground didn’t feel soft per se, it wasn’t hard either. It was a strange sensation, similar to how a cloud would feel under hoof, but not quite the same. Furrowing her brow, she looked around at the emptiness surrounding her, before turning completely around.

She blinked at the wall of lavender suddenly filling her vision.

“Wh-wha?” Craning her neck slowly upward, she followed the wall up to the base of a large, round… something. She motioned to take a step back, tilting her head all the way up.

She stopped mid-step, hoof frozen in the air, as her wide eyes met with Twilight’s far larger ones some several stories above her.

Twilight smirked as she looked down at the tiny pegasus. Craning her head lower, she said, “Still think it’s funny?”

Rainbow Dash winced at the volume of Twilight’s voice, vibrating the bones and tendons in her body as her blood chilled with fear. The sensation was wholly unfamiliar to her – Rainbow Dash wasn’t scared of anything! At least, not anything as simple as this. But as the muscles in her legs begged to give under the weight of terror, she decided it might be best to bail on the whole idea.

She wasn’t about to let on she was scared, of course. Not if she could help it.

Finishing her step back, she shouted, “Alright Twi, this is cool and all, but maybe this isn’t such a good idea.” She turned her back on the giant alicorn and began trotting forward—

Only to have a massive hoof slam down in front of her.

Rainbow Dash jolted from the tremendous thud, and most of all, the closeness at which the huge thing just landed. She clenched every muscle in her body to stifle the tremors welling beneath her coat. With a slight shudder, she looked up.

Twilight stood directly overhead – one hoof planted firmly in front of her – and craned her head down close. With a narrowed eye, she smirked once more. “What’s the matter, Rainbow?” she said with a soft voice, though the volume still reverberated through the pegasus’ ears. “Don’t tell me you’re scared of an egghead like me.”

Rainbow gulped. Knitting her brow, she looked Twilight straight on. “Wh-who said anything about being scared? I’m not scared!”

Twilight tilted her head with a cocked eyebrow. “Then why are you shaking?”

Somehow, Rainbow managed to tighten the tendons in her legs and wings even tighter, freezing the jitters that had managed to reveal themselves. “Hey, I’m not scared! I’m just, uh… having some issues with the spell! Yeah!” She ran a hoof through the back of her mane with a nervous chuckle and glanced away. “Well, looks like we better call this off. Wouldn’t want anypony to get hurt here, r-right?”

For a moment, Rainbow stood stock still beneath the mare, shallow breaths filling and escaping her lungs in rapid fashion. Then, Twilight exhaled, breathing warm air all across Rainbow’s body. She couldn’t help but shiver at the strange sensation, though she noticed out of her periphery Twilight’s hoof lifting up and away.

Taking a step back from Rainbow, Twilight sighed. “I’m sorry, Rainbow,” she spoke with barely a whisper. “I didn’t mean to drag you into something you’re uncomfortable with.”

Rainbow blinked, flicking her ears back at the far quieter voice. After a few seconds, she turned around to find Twilight a few hooves away, sitting with her back to her.

And more importantly, she was back to her normal size.

With a muted sigh, Rainbow let bleed the nervousness that had flooded her system. On tense hooves, she slowly cantered up beside Twilight. “I-it’s not that, I swear,” she said with a warbly voice. Gulping to calm her nerves, she continued. “I’m just having side-effects or something, that’s all!”

Twilight glanced over at the pegasus with a flat expression. “I know better than that. This spell is completely safe for all ponies ages four and up.”

Rainbow made a face. “There’s an age rating system for spells?”

“That’s not the point,” Twilight retorted with a roll of her eyes. Looking away, she said, “I just wanted us to do something new that we would both enjoy. I know you’re really into exciting, action-packed stuff, and much as I like the idea of doing something Daring Do-related, I just… wanted to try something unique.” She shivered slightly as she turned further away. With an even quieter voice, she mumbled, “I’ve never told anyone that I like this sort of thing either, so it’s just… a little embarrassing to have someone laugh at you, then try to shirk it off… y’know?”

Rainbow’s ears folded. With just a bit of hesitation, she cantered closer and gently placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Twi… I’m sorry.”

Twilight sniffled, her ears drooping as she glanced over at the hoof touching her.

“I didn’t mean to embarrass you. Honest.” Rainbow rubbed her hoof against the mare’s withers. “I had no idea this was that big a deal to you.”

Twilight slumped a little as she looked away again. “We don’t get to spend a lot of time together, just the two of us. And most of the times we have seem like they’re either boring for you, or scary for me. I just want to do something for once that’s fun for both of us. And…”

Rainbow tilted her head. “And?”

Twilight sniffled again. She looked back at Rainbow, her eyes welling slightly with tears. “I know this probably sounds strange, but… I look up to you, Rainbow. In a lot of ways.”

Rainbow blinked. Hard. “You do?”

“Mhmm,” Twilight hummed with a nod. “You’re one of the bravest ponies I know. The way you face villains, it’s like you’re having fun with it. And I…” She chuckled lightly. “I can do it, of course. But it’s still terrifying sometimes, especially when…” She gulped. “When it’s with someone big.”

Rainbow furrowed her brow. “I don’t get it. What exactly does that have to do with any of this?”

Twilight closed her eyes, willing her tears away. After a moment, she turned around to face Rainbow. She rubbed a hoof across her eyes before looking at Rainbow with a nervous expression. “When I was younger, right around when I entered the first grade tier at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, I started having these… dreams.”

“Yeah?” Rainbow sat down. “What were they about?”

“About…” Twilight glanced away and muttered, “Well, giant ponies.” With a huff, she continued. “All I know is at first, they frightened me. A lot. But later, I had a dream that I was one.” Her expression softened as she stared out at the empty white surrounding them. “The feeling of having that much power… of being in control of everything around me… it was exciting. Thrilling. I loved the sensation… but the dreams were always so short. They never lasted as long as the scary ones, and it was because of those that creatures like Tirek are so…” She sighed, then chucked bitterly as she added, “Of course, I never told anypony about any of this, and I do my best to never let it show. I mean, it’s weird and doesn't make any sense, right?”

Rainbow shrugged. “Well, it’s different, that’s for sure.”

Twilight looked back at Rainbow, gesturing with her hooves. “See what I mean?” She exhaled as she looked at the ground between them. “I just figured… maybe I could actually try living that dream with someone. Do something I consider exciting with one of my best friends, and… maybe get over one of my fears at the same time.”

“I still don’t get it, though,” Rainbow said as she furrowed her brow. “Why would you tell me about something like this? I’m surprised you’re not more comfortable with someone like Rarity or Applejack.” She leaned down with a friendly smirk, meeting Twilight’s eyes. “I get the whole brave stuff and what-not. But it’s gotta take a lot of guts to admit something like this for the first time.” Her expression softened as she said, “So why me?”

Twilight looked into Rainbow’s eyes. Already, she could feel her tears beginning to return. She wasn’t about to reveal anything deeper at this juncture, so wiping a hoof across her eyes, she glanced away and muttered, “You’re a good friend, Rainbow. I trust you. Probably more than you know. So… I figured I would share this with you.”

And with that, Rainbow leaned back, sighing as she let sink in the realization of what her friend was sharing. What she thought to be a simple, friendly, albeit strange gesture on Twilight’s part had far more weight behind it than she originally realized. To think that Twilight was actually revealing a secret part of herself? Although the circumstances were odd at best, it wasn’t as if she didn’t know the mare. She had been close with Twilight for a long time now, and though she was right – they rarely spent time alone together – she had always held a lot of respect for her friend.

Well, okay, that was a bit of an understatement. But she wasn’t about to let on just how much she actually cared.

Shaking free her thoughts, Rainbow sat upright. One thing she still wasn’t sure about was whether or not Twilight could actually bring herself to follow through with this idea. What she was suggesting sounded almost like play-wrestling, if she had any inclination as to what Twilight wanted. And that only added to the strangeness of the whole thing, considering she hadn’t done that with anyone since she was a young filly.

Then again, there were those brawls she had with the colts back in flight school. Of course, that was on a completely different level. It’s one thing to fight because someone bullies you around. It’s quite another to force yourself to hurt someone you’re not even upset at. And knowing Twilight, she had probably never been in a fight of that kind in her life. Could she really bring herself to hurt a friend, even if it’s just in their imagination? Could Rainbow do the same?

Well, there was no way of knowing for sure until they gave it a shot, and she wasn’t about to try the ‘let’s talk it to death’ method that Twilight so dearly seemed to love. Besides, it was clear now just how much this meant to her. Weird or not, Rainbow wasn’t about to let down her friend. Especially not after she had shared something private like this.

Throwing together a makeshift plan in her mind, Rainbow drew a deep breath, then smiled her bravest smile. “Alright, listen up Princess.”

Twilight blinked, turning her head back toward the pegasus.

“First off, you’re right. I am brave. In fact, I’m probably the bravest pony you know.” She lifted her head proudly. “Secondly, you’re really confusing sometimes. How can you accuse me of being scared of something, then say all that junk about me being brave?”

Twilight tilted her head. “B-but I saw you shaki—”

“Look, what you saw was shock,” Rainbow retorted with a firm tone. “How would you feel if you were suddenly thrown into the great white nothing of magic-land and there was a giant pony standing over you?”

Twilight winced at that. “I actually do know how that feels.”

“Ugh.” Rainbow face-hoofed. “Just… look.” She stood to her hooves. “Nopony – and I mean nopony – gets away with calling me afraid. Not even if you call me brave and junk afterward.”

“Rainbow, you don’t have to—”

“Nuh uh.” Rainbow walked around Twilight’s side to meet her eyes. “I mean it. Now stand up.”

Twilight sniffled, clenching her eyes shut. “Rainbow, please. Let’s just forget this before—”

“I said, stand up.”

For a moment, Twilight merely remained sitting, her breathing racked by the slightest tremors. Eventually, she opened her moist eyes and slowly stood to her hooves, avoiding Rainbow’s gaze.

“Now look at me.”

Twilight’s ears flicked away at her friend’s words, though she obeyed.

Rainbow smirked. “Heh. Look at you, letting a tiny little pony like me push you around.”

“Wh… what?” Twilight blinked.

“So what, has the egghead given up already?” Rainbow closed the gap with a sneer, then jabbed a hoof into Twilight’s chest. “You might as well, anyway. It’s not like somepony as lame as you could ever take on someone as awesome as me.”

For a moment, Twilight stared in utter confusion. But when Rainbow returned a wink and a grin, her lips began to curl into a knowing smile.

Slowly, the alicorn’s horn began to glow. Within the span of a blink, Rainbow felt the warm, humid breath of somepony waft over her.

“Would you care to repeat that?” came Twilight’s booming voice from directly behind the pegasus.