Chapter Six: Follow your Heart

Rainbow Dash woke up on the floor of the Golden Oaks Library wrapped in a blanket. No, not the floor. … pillows? And where’d the blanket come from? Last thing I remember is… Rainbow blushed. She could also feel a distinct wet spot under her flanks.

“Umm… Twi? You here?” Rainbow called out to a seemingly empty library.

A loud *beep beep* came from in the kitchen, followed by the loud clatter of falling dishes and the distinctly muffled screams of a unicorn yelling at her toaster. Poking her head back into the main area of the library, she smiled. “Oh? Rainbow! You’re awake! I uh, I hope you don’t mind, I put some pillows down after you went in, looks like they kept you from waking up when you came back out of the book too. You must be a really sound sleeper though! Although after that chapter, I’m not really surprised.” Twilight blushed and let out a quiet chuckle. “Oh look, the toast is done!” She disappeared back into the kitchen.

“What chapter? Twilight?” No answer. Shaking her head, Rainbow stood up and walked to the kitchen, finding the unicorn still sporting a massive blush and fighting with the tableware. “Twi, you okay?”

“Me? Of course I’m okay!” Twilight tittered. “I’m perfectly fine!”

“Ohh…..kay? Hey I get the pillows, but where’d the blanket come from anyways?”

“Oh, well after you came back you were just sort of laying there, and reaching for something…” and you kinda smelled like sweat and shame, “so I grabbed one for you.”

“Thanks Twi. So, breakfast?”

“So listen, Rainbow…” Twi carried a plate of hay bacon and eggs in her magic to the table and set it down between them. Sitting down, she continued. “How um… how was the book last night? Anything uh, fun happen?”

Rainbow’s blush appeared on her face. “What? No, nah. Nope. I mean uh…” She looked across the table to the unicorn whose blush rivaled her own and whose eyes looked everywhere but at Rainbow. “You already know, don’t you?”

Twilight gave a sheepish nod.

Rainbow sighed. “Look, Twilight, it just sorta happened. I mean I wasn’t expecting it. Plus I… I think I kinda like her. And you and the girls are always saying I should find a special somepony!”

“Rainbow, she’s not real! Don’t get me wrong, I know what it’s like to get caught up in a good book,” although now I think I’m going to have to try it on a new level, “but Daring Do is just a character. Have you even thought this through?”

“Yes and no,” Dash sighed. “I know she isn’t real, but it feels real.” She paused, blushing. “And it felt right to be in her wings and hooves.”

Twilight looked at her food, groaning. “You just can’t take her as a marefriend, Dash. You have a life, and us as your friends. What are you going to do now? Spend all of your free time in the book, pining after a mare that doesn’t exist?”

Dash growled at her. “What do you know, egghead? You’d sit here all day if we didn’t drag your flank outside! Friends? That was a miracle for you, so don’t talk to me about love!”

“L-love?” Twilight stammered. “I never said anything about love.”

“Of course you didn’t,” Dash snorted. “What now?”

“Well, I would tell you to just give me the book back and leave it be. But I don’t think that’s an option anymore.” Twilight sighed before getting up and moving to Dash, laying a hoof on her shoulder. “Please, don’t get yourself hurt. I want you to be happy, so listen to your heart.”

“Geeze, stop with that sappy stuff, Twilight.” Dash mumbled back.

“I only mean well, Dash.”

There was silence. Minutes without words, just the sounds of two ponies eating and avoiding any awkward questions. It felt like hours, and Dash couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“I just don’t know what to do! What should I do, Twi? I know she’s an imag… imgainer… little help here, Twi!”

“Imaginary character?” the purple unicorn smiled.

“Yeah that.” Dash nodded. “Still, it feels so real and good! I want her… I- I feel something for her!”

Twilight stood up and walked to the door between the kitchen and the main area. She levitated the book over to the table and sat back down with Rainbow.

“Dash, see this?” She held the book up in her magic. “This is everything there is to Daring Do.” She flipped through the pages with her magic. “Daring Do is words on paper. She’s an idea. This is where you went in, this is everything that happened, and this section here is what’s going on between you two. It’s an idea on a page, Rainbow.” She sighed. “You’re writing the story. How it proceeds and ends is up to you. But eventually it will end. Maybe A.K. Yearling will write another, but who knows where she comes up with all her ideas. Who’s to say that the next book will be the same? Or that the spell can even carry over. I want you to be happy, but I also want you to know full well what you’re getting into.” She gently placed the book before Dash.

“But you could try? You could try to extend the spell and take everything I did to other books?” Dash asked.

“Dash,” Twilight started as gently as possible. “You retrieved the artifact and celebrated with her. The book is over. I don’t know what will happen. It could just start anew and you would lose everything. Again, again and again.”

“But you could try!” Dash repeated, blinking tears from her eyes.

“I can, but I want you to consider everything. The bad side and the good.” Twilight sighed. “I don’t want you to be hurt. And repeating everything, seeing a Daring that doesn’t remember you or that night. I don’t want that to happen.”

“There is nothing saying that it will repeat itself,” Dash growled, not sure who she was trying to convince. “I can just go back there, cuddled into her wings and be there for her.”

“What will you do if the story ends?”

“I will come back out and we find a solution,” she glared at Twilight.

“And then?”

“I will live with Daring. Happily.”

“You seem awful sure about that,” Twilight noted, still having her doubts.

“Are you going to help me now or not? I’m really losing my patience here, egghead!”

“I will help you, Dash,” Twilight sighed. “I just hope it is worth it. If you want, you can go back into the book. I’ll try to find a new enchantment to copy Daring’s memories from this book to another one.”

Dash grinned and enveloped the purple unicorn in a hug. “You’re the best, Twi. I’m never going to forget this.” As quickly as she began the hug, Dash released Twilight and took the book. “I’m going back to the cushions. Thanks again.”

Twilight could only watch as Dash trotted back to the cushions and lay down, seconds later she was gone. “Oh Dash. I wish you knew what you were getting into,” she whispered. “You will lose her again and again. But I will find a solution. I promise.”

***

Rainbow Dash noticed the distinct sound of wildlife surrounding her as she slowly opened her eyes. A warmth enveloped her and she had no intentions of moving from her feathery confines. Huh? Feathers? Looking down as she lay there, she observed two golden wings wrapped around her and felt what she finally realized was the feeling of somepony pressed up to her back.

“Daring! You’re still here!” Rainbow sprang to her hooves, pulling free from the adventurer’s embrace, and kissing her for all she was worth. Bleh, morning breath, what did she… oh. Right.

Daring’s eyes fluttered open and saw the cyan pegasus staring down at her with her brilliant, cerise eyes. “Rainbow, as much as I love a good wakeup call,” she glanced out the open flap to her tent, “It’s still dark outside. And where else would I be?”

“Uh, right. Sorry,” Rainbow stuttered. “I… I just thought last night was a dream… Then you were in my arms, for real!”

The golden mare chuckled as she pulled Rainbow close, giving her a long, passionate kiss. “It was all real, trust me.”

Real, Dash thought. Yes, Daring is right. This is real, because I want it to be. I can feel her, love her, touch her, taste her, everything!

“That’s good,” Dash replied, answering with a kiss of her own. “So what’re we still doing here though? I thought it was over, we were worried you wouldn’t still remember.”

“Dash, what are you talking about? Who is ‘we’? And no, we still have to get out of this Celestia forsaken jungle and get the idol back to a museum.”

Dash just blinked. Of course it wasn’t over until they escape the jungle. “Well I mean, do we have to rush it?”

“The sooner we get it back, the sooner I can show you my house. Play your cards right, and maybe even the bedroom.” Daring gave the other pegasus a sultry gaze. Rainbow’s wings sprung out with an audible *pomf*. “Heh heh, too easy.”

Rainbow tried to hide her blush. “Am not! But what’re we waiting for then? Think you can fly again?

Daring tried to unfold her wing, just to wince. “No, I don’t think so. Hurts a lot, damn it.”

“Well, then I just have to carry you again. No biggy,” Dash dusted her shoulder with a wing, giving Daring a cocky grin. “Up on my back, hotflank.”

“Whoa, easy there, hot stuff. We gotta pack the tent and everything first.”

“Pft, and? I can do that in ten seconds flat.”

Daring simply looked at the mare, a look of disbelief in her eyes. “Not buying it.”

Rainbow narrowed her eyes. “Ten. Seconds. Flat. Time it.” Daring rolled her eyes but quickly pulled out a pocket watch and nodded. Rainbow Dash took off in a blur of color, collecting everything off the ground in a whirlwind of pony and stuff. The tent was last, but when it was all said and done, everything in the camp site was haphazardly thrown into saddle bags and ready to go.

Daring glanced at the bags that appeared ready to burst. “Well I’m fairly certain that ‘packed’ would be very loosely defined if it described,” she waved her hoof at the bags, “whatever this is. But I suppose it is good enough for us to get moving.”

“I told you, ten seconds flat!” Dash replied proudly. “No matter what, I’m always loyal and keep my word.”

“Well, sorry that I doubted you,” Daring smirked. “Now help me strap two of the bags to me. You can’t carry four bags and me as well, we have to balance everything.”

Rainbow let loose a hrmf as she hefted the second set of saddle bags over Daring’s haunches. Securing them in place she quickly ducked under the grounded pegasus and lifted her off the ground and onto her back.

“Woh, hey there!” Daring shrieked and sported a rather large blush. “Watch where you’re going with all that.”

Rainbow glanced behind her with a smirk. “Nowhere I haven’t already been. Come on, you ready or what?” Daring only glared at her.

Kicking into the sky, Rainbow quickly gained altitude, soaring over the jungles into the wild blue yonder. Daring held on dearly with one hoof while pointing the way with the other, wind rippling through their manes.

“Do you even know where we have to go?” Daring yelled over the wind.

Dash paused, blushing slightly. “Uh, not really.”

“Head south, to Manehattan. We will give the statue over to the local museum.”

“Alright,” Dash chuckled. “Which way is south?”

Daring groaned, burying her muzzle into Dash’s mane. “And you’re a weather mare?” Shaking her head, she pointed her hoof in the right direction. “That way.”

“I don’t need to know directions! I can clear the whole sky over Ponyville in ten seconds flat or my name isn’t Rainbow Danger Dash!”

Daring groaned into the rainbow mane. “Ugh… just… just go.” She shook her hoof again in the direction they needed to head.

***

As the sun slowly began to set in the distance, the lights of Manehattan flickered to life. Rainbow gave a sudden burst of energy to her wings and propelled them ever closer to the glaring metropolis. Daring pointed out a rather classically designed building on the edge of the city and the two mares touched down in the courtyard outside of the main building.

Climbing off of Rainbow’s back and onto her own four hooves, Daring gave herself a quick shake and a stretch. “I gotta admit, Dash, that’s some impressive flying making it all this way without a break and carrying an extra passenger.”

Rainbow panted a little as sweat trickled down her brow. “Well, it was really nothing. I guess you can always pay me back for the ride a little later though.”

For her efforts, Daring cuffed the cyan mare over the head. “I said if you play your cards right. You won’t get anywhere near my bedroom like that,” she chuckled. “Now let’s hoof that statue over and get home. I think we both could use some rest.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Way to go Rainbow. Ruin everything after one special night.

Both mares stepped up to the building, Daring addressing the stallion at the door. “We would like to speak with the curator. We got something interesting for her.”

The stallion only mustered them for a bit before opening the door, leading them through. However, they didn’t get very far before they were stopped by a tall mare. “Miss Do, so nice to see you again. To what do I owe your visit today?”

“I got it.”

“You do?” the mare’s eyes went wide. “This is terrific, but please. Excuse my language, my dear, but you both look horrible. If you just give it to me, I will deal with the rest as usual.”

Rainbow gently reached into her saddle bag with a wing and withdrew the idol, the light glistening off the polished surface. Passing it forward to Daring, the curator’s eyes opened wide.

“Oh my, it’s extravagant. In all my life I never thought I would see it with my own eyes.”

Daring only smiled as she passed it forward, happy to be finished with her task and free to do as she pleased. At this current point in time, that was one thing, and one thing only: sleep. And maybe some cuddles. But mainly, sleep.

She turned away from the curator and smiled at Rainbow. Wrapping a wing around the mare as she walked past, she leaned in, “C’mon, let’s go home. This job may be over, but I’m not done with you yet.”

Rainbow’s cheeks turned red as Daring casually took her place on her back, both mares taking to the air and towards Daring’s home and Ponyville in the fading light.

Author's Note

Aaand a fast chapter six already.
Challenge: 8461/12500

The challenge is done btw and I made it.
Updates will roll in this and next week